Pseudo-Aurelius Victor

On the Illustrious Men of the city of Rome (De viris illustribus urbis Romae)

85.1. Marcus Antonius, in omnibus expeditionibus Iulio Caesari comes, Lupercalibus

diadema ei imponere tentauit, mortuo diuinos honores decreuit. 2. Augustum perfidiose
tractauit, a quo apud Mutinam uictus, Perusii fame domitus in Galliam fugit. Ibi Lepidum
sibi collegam adiunxit; Brutum exercitu eius corrupto occidit; reparatis uiribus in Italiam
regressus cum Caesare in gratiam rediit. 3. Triumuir factus proscriptionem a Lucio Caesare
auunculo suo coepit. 4. In Syriam missus bellum Parthis intulit, a quibus uictus uix tertiam
partem de quindecim legionibus in Aegyptum perduxit; ibi Cleopatrae amore deuinctus in
Actiaco litore ab Augusto uictus est. 5. In Alexandriam regressus, cum habitu regio in solio
regali sedisset, necem sibi ipse consciuit.

86.1. Cleopatra Ptolomaei regis Aegyptiorum filia, a fratre suo Ptolomaeo eodemque marito,
quem fraudare regno uoluerat, pulsa ad Caesarem bello ciuili in Alexandriam uenit; ab eo
specie sua et concubitu regnum Ptolomaei et necem impetrauit. 2. Haec tantae libidinis fuit,
ut saepe prostiterit, tantae pulchritudinis, ut multi noctem illius morte emerint. 3. Postea
Antonio iuncta, cum eo uicta, cum se illi inferias ferre simularet, in Mausoleo eius admotis
aspidibus periit. END OF WORK.

85.1. Marcus Antonius, a companion to Julius Caesar in all his military

expeditions, at the festival of the Lupercalia attempted to crown him with
a diadem and decreed divine honors to him when he died. 2. He treated Augustus
treacherously, by whom he was defeated at Mutina and overcome by hunger
at Perusia fled to Gaul. There he joined Lepidus as his colleague. He killed
[Decimus] Brutus after bribing his army. With his forces restored, he returned to
Italy and renewed his friendship with Caesar (i.e. Augustus). 3. Declared triumvir,
he proscribed his own uncle, Lucius Caesar. 4. Sent into Syria, he launched a war
against the Parthians, by whom he was defeated, and with scarcely a third of his
fifteen legions, he made his way back to Egypt; there overcome by his passion for
Cleopatra, he was defeated by Augustus on the Actian shore. 5. Having returned to
Alexandria, when he had seated himself on a royal throne, dressed in the attire of a
king, he killed himself.

86.1. Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolomaeus, the king of the Egyptians. When
she had been expelled by her brother Ptolomaeus, who was also her husband,
whom she had wanted to cheat of his kingdom, she came to Alexandria to [Julius]
Caesar in the midst of the civil war. By her own appearance (species) and
seduction (concubitus) she obtained from Caesar the kingdom and death of [her
brother] Ptolomaeus. 2. She had such great lust (libido) that she often prostituted
herself, she had such great beauty (pulchritudo) that many men purchased a night
with her by their death. 3. Afterwards she joined herself with Antony and was
defeated with him. Whcn she was pretending to conduct the funeral rites for him,
she perished in her Mausoleum by applying asps.