His rival in the contest for the supreme power was Octavius, the son of a daughter of Cæsar's sister, and who, with no other qualification than that of nephew to his uncle, had the impudence to claim absolute dominion over a great but broken-spirited nation. This individual was without character or courage; and though afraid to be left in the dark, he was still more afraid of the light; for he felt that his own actions would not bear looking at. His cowardice had the usual effect upon him, for it made him cruel; and though there was nothing but his name to make him a favourite with the army, he had betrayed the soldiers into the disgrace of turning their arms on their fellow-citizens. By a constant use of the name of his uncle, he succeeded in cozening a people who sought only permanence in their institutions; and Antony being ultimately subdued, more by his own feebleness as a voluptuary, than by the strength of his opponent, an empire fell into the hands of Octavius. He was invested with the title of Imperator for life; and he retained his position till his death—a circumstance to be attributed to the conviction that had been brought home to the popular mind, that the constant changing of the head of a State is a source of constant danger to the peace and happiness of the whole community.
The End of Julius Cæsar.
FOOTNOTES:
[75] Those who doubt the accuracy of this description, may consult Plutarch's "Life of Crassus."
[76] This story of the mattress, though gravely told, is somewhat doubtful, and is hardly worth the straw involved in it.
LONDON: BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS
No. 11, Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E.C.
November, 1860.