Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/194

 186 ANTONY. constantly victorious. He had with him an Egyptian diviner, one of those who calculate nativities, Avho, either to make his court to Cleopatra, or that bj the rulgs of his art he found it to be so, openly declared to him, that though the fortune that attended him was bright and glorious, yet it was overshadowed by Ciesar's ; and advised him to keep himself as far distant as he could from that young man ; " for your Genius," said he, " dreads his ; when absent from him yours is proud and brave, but in his presence unmanly and dejected ; " and incidents that occurred appeared to show that the Egyptian spoke truth. For whenever they cast lots for any playfid purpose, or threw dice, Antony was still the loser ; and repeatedly, when they fought game-cocks or quails, Cassar's had the victory. This gave Antony a secret displeasure, and made him put the more confidence in the skill of his Egyptian. So, leaving the management of his home affiiirs to Caesar, he left Italy, and took Octavia, who had lately borne him a daughter, along with him into Greece. Here, whilst he wintered in Athens, he received the first news of Ventidius's successes over the Parthians, of his having defeated them in a battle, having slain Labi- enus and Pharnapates, the best general their king, Hy- rodes, possessed. For the celebrating of which he made a public feast through Greece, and for the prizes which were contested at Athens he himself acted as steward, and, leav- ing at home the ensigns that are carried before the gen- eral, he made his jjublic appearance in a gown and white shoes, with the steward's wands marching before ; and he performed his duty in taking the combatants by the neck, to part them, when they had fought enough. When the time came for him to set out for the war, he took a gai-land from the sacred olive, and, in obedience to some oracle, he filled a vessel with the water of the Cle-