Antony’s marriage with Fulvia, besides being the means of reforming his morals in some degree, softened and civilized him in respect to his manners.  His dress and appearance now assumed a different character.  In fact, his political elevation after Caesar’s death soon became very exalted, and the various democratic arts by which he had sought to raise himself to it, being now no longer necessary, were, as usual in such cases, gradually discarded.  He lived in great style and splendor when at Rome, and when absent from home, on his military campaigns, he began to exhibit the same pomp and parade in his equipage and in his arrangements as were usual in the camps of other Roman generals.

After the battle of Philippi, described in the last chapter, Antony—­who, with all his faults, was sometimes a very generous foe—­as soon as the tidings of Brutus’s death were brought to him, repaired immediately to the spot, and appeared to be quite shocked and concerned at the sight of the body.  He took off his own military cloak or mantle—­which was a very magnificent and costly garment, being enriched with many expensive ornaments—­and spread it over the corpse.  He then gave directions to one of the officers of his household to make arrangements for funeral ceremonies of a very imposing character, as a testimony of his respect for the memory of the deceased.  In these ceremonies it was the duty of the officer to have burned the military cloak which Antony had appropriated to the purpose of a pall, with the body.  He did not, however, do so.  The cloak being very valuable, he reserved it; and he withheld, also, a considerable part of the money which had been given him for the expenses of the funeral.  He supposed that Antony would probably not inquire very closely into the details of the arrangements made for the funeral of his most inveterate enemy.  Antony, however, did inquire into them, and when he learned what the officer had done, he ordered him to be killed.

The various political changes which occurred, and the movements which took place among the several armies after the battle of Philippi, can not be here detailed.  It is sufficient to say that Antony proceeded to the eastward through Asia Minor, and in the course of the following year came into Cilicia.  From this place he sent a messenger to Egypt to Cleopatra, summoning her to appear before him.  There were charges, he said, against her of having aided Cassius and Brutus in the late war instead of rendering assistance to him.  Whether there really were any such charges, or whether they were only fabricated by Antony as pretexts for seeing Cleopatra, the fame of whose beauty was very widely extended, does not certainly appear.  However this may be, he sent to summon the queen to come to him.  The name of the messenger whom Antony dispatched on this errand was Dellius.  Fulvia, Antony’s wife, was not with him at this time.  She had been left behind at Rome.