enticing away his rival’s troops from under the very eyes of their commander.  This bold design was successfully executed.  Antony advanced alone, clothed in wretched garments, and with his matted hair and beard hanging about his breast and shoulders, up to Lepidus’s lines.  The men, who knew him well, received him with acclamations; and pitying the sad condition to which they saw that he was reduced, began to listen to what he had to say.  Lepidus, who could not attack him, since he and Antony were not at that time in open hostility to each other, but were only rival commanders in the same army, ordered the trumpeters to sound in order to make a noise which should prevent the words of Antony from being heard.  This interrupted the negotiation; but the men immediately disguised two of their number in female apparel, and sent them to Antony to make arrangements with him for putting themselves under his command, and offering, at the same time, to murder Lepidus, if he would but speak the word.  Antony charged them to do Lepidus no injury.  He, however, went over and took possession of the camp, and assumed the command of the army.  He treated Lepidus himself, personally, with extreme politeness, and retained him as a subordinate under his command.

Not far from the time of Caesar’s death, Antony was married.  The name of the lady was Fulvia.  She was a widow at the time of her marriage with Antony, and was a woman of very marked and decided character.  She had led a wild and irregular life previous to that time, but she conceived a very strong attachment to her new husband and devoted herself to him from the time of her marriage with the most constant fidelity.  She soon acquired a very great ascendency over him, and was the means of effecting a very considerable reform in his conduct and character.  She was an ambitious and aspiring woman, and made many very efficient and successful efforts to promote the elevation and aggrandizement of her husband.  She appeared, also, to take a great pride and pleasure in exercising over him, herself, a great personal control.  She succeeded in these attempts in a manner that surprised every body.  It seemed astonishing to all mankind that such a tiger as he had been could be subdued by any human power.  Nor was it by gentleness and mildness that Fulvia gained such power over her husband.  She was of a very stern and masculine character, and she seems to have mastered Antony by surpassing him in the use of his own weapons.  In fact, instead of attempting to soothe and mollify him, she reduced him, it seems, to the necessity of resorting to various contrivances to soften and propitiate her.  Once, for example, on his return from a campaign in which he had been exposed to great dangers, he disguised himself and came home at night in the garb of a courier bearing dispatches.  He caused himself to be ushered, muffled and disguised as he was, into Fulvia’s apartments, where he handed her some pretended letters, which, he said, were from her husband; and while Fulvia was opening them in great excitement and trepidation, he threw off his disguise, and revealed himself to her by clasping her in his arms and kissing her in the midst of her amazement.