Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/305

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A N T O N 1 U S. His brother Caius bore arms under Sylla in the war Mithridates, and raifeil 1'nch diiturbances in Achai*, tli.it for this and other crim< , IK- was alterwarl. cj ,j!lcd tlic fenate by the ccnfors. However he was rail ] In- Crjllus and Cxiar to the confulfhip with Cicero; whui the C.itili- narian conlpiracy breaking out, he was .1; [n/mtcJ u> IVM-! ihc forces again!} Catiline. He du) not go in periun, hi-in:- rirher really or pretendedly Tick: fome fay, he pretended lu ; :i , . . k> apprehenfive left Catiline, if be appeared, Ihould mAe <lii->n.u. coveries againfl: him. He afterwards governed Macedonia for three years with fuch extortion and violence, that the fc- nate recalled, tiied, convicted, and banifncd hu;i. ANTONIUS (MARcrs), //.-.- Tnurnvfr, wns fon of An- tonius Crttuus, by Julia, a noble lady of fuch merit, that Plutarch affirms her to have been " comparable to the wifeit

  • ' and moft virtuous ladies of that age." To obferve it en n Antorlo.

pajjant, file was by no means happy in her hijfb.inds ; for, after the death of Antonius, fne married P. Cornelius Len- tulus, who was an accomplice in Catiline's confpiracy, and punifhed with death for that crime. She was alio ; ; s little fortunate in her fons, who were three; for Caius and Lucius icem to have had (Lucius especially) all the vices of thur brother Marcus, without any of his virtues. Anthony, Jofmg his father when young, launched out at once into all the excefs of riot and debauchery, nnd waltej his whole patrimony, before he had put on the manly gown. His comely perfon, lively wit, infmuating addreis, made young Curio infinitely fond of him, who involved himfeir on his account in a debt of 50,000!. which greatly affiicling old Curio, Cicero was called in to heal thedilhcfsof ti.e family : who advifcd the father to difcharge the debt of the fon, but to infift upon it as a condition, that he fhould have no farther commerce with Anthony. Afterwards Anthony went abroad to learn the art of war under Gabinius, who gave him the command of his horfe in Syria ; where he finalized his courage in the VgftofatijDn of Ptolemy king of Egypt. An- thony (hewed, on this occafion, that he had a tender and com- pafTionate difpofuion : for Ptolemy was fo enraged at the in- habitants of Prluftum for their revolt, that they had all been put to death by his order, if Anthony's intefcefiion had not laved them. He performed afterwards fome noble exploits, which gained him high reputation as a commander. From Egypt, infte^d of coming home wheie hi? debts very probably might not fuffer him to be ealy, hv wiru to Cxfar Into