Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/222

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214 ANTONY. Pisaurum, where Antony had settled a colony, on the Adriatic sea, was swallowed up by an earthquake ; sweat ran from one of the marble statues of Antony at Alba for many days together, and, though frequently wiped off, did not stop. When he himself was in the city of Patroe, the temple of Hercules was struck by lightning, and, at Athens, the figure of Bacchus was torn by a violent wind out of the Battle of the Giants, and laid flat upon the theatre ; * with both which deities Antony claimed con- nection, professing to be descended from Hercules, and from his imitating Bacchus in his way of living having received the name of Young Bacchus. The same whirl- wind at Athens also brought down, from amongst many others which were not disturbed, the colossal statues of Eumenes and Attains, which were inscribed with Antony's name. And in Cleopatra's admiral-gaUey, which was called the Antonias, a most inauspicious omen occurred. Some swallows had built in the stern of the galley, but other swallows came, beat the first away, and destroyed their nests. When the annaments gathered for the war, Antony had no less than five hundred ships of war, including numerous galleys of eight and ten banks of oars, as richly ornamented as if they were meant for a triumph. He had a hundred thousand foot and twelve thousand horse. He had vassal kings attending, Bocchus of Libya, Tarconde- mus of the Upper Cilicia, Archelaus of Cappadocia, Phila- delphus of Paphlagonia, Mithridates of Commagene, and Sadalas of Thracej all these were with him in jierson. Out of Pontus Polemon sent him considerable forces, as did also Malchus from Arabia, Herod the Jew, and Amyntas, king of Lycaonia and Galatia ; also the Median king sent some

  • The Battle of the Gi.ants with just above the Dionysiac theatre in

the Gods was a piece of sculpture the side of the rock underneath. in the south wall of the Acropolis,