The Shasta courier., 1863-05-23

o,sJ. Gus, focked in great numbers, and from
all directions. to his camp.
He was soon in such strength. that he sent
a deputation of his generals to Rome to Sc
cure his election as Consul. These militia
ry men were fully conscious of the moral su
aston which the army could press. and one
of them, when he presented the name of Oc-
tavius to the Senate pointed to the hiit Of his
sword and said, +" If you refuse our request
this shall grant il.
Octavius now, with flushed army, march
ed upon Rome by the same road from Cisal-
pine Gaul which bis uncle had traversed
The wheel of fortune had turned and the pa
tricians were crushed. We have no sympa-
thy with them in their downfall. During
long ages the plebeians had writhed beneath
patrician tramplings. This ignoring the ties
of brotherhood, this attempt of the rich to live
at the expense of the or,-this irrepressible
conflict of patrician against plebian has
through all ages been the fruitful source of
hum.n woe Octavius was chosen Consul,
and commenced his reign vigorously. He
pardhned the democratic Antony, now pow
erless, and gathered an army to pursue the
aristocratic Brutus, who was in Macedonia,
a triumvirate was then formed, consisting of
Octavius, Antony and Lepidus. A long pros.
cription list was made of the enemies of DEM
ocratic sway, Cicero being one of of the num-
ber, and their heads rapidly fell beneath the
keen edge of the executioner's sabre. The
plebian and patrician armies met at Philippi
in numbers nearly equal. The soldiers of
Brutas and Cassius were fighting for their
masters The soldiers of Octavius and An
tony were contending, as they believed, for
their rights,-for political equality with the
wealthy and high born.
Itwas hard fought battle. The patricians
were utterly routed Cassius, in dismay
Welded to the folly and cowardce of suicide.
Presenting his sword to his freedman, he or
dered him to plunge it into his heart. The
order was obeyed, and Cassius fell dead to
the ground. Brutus escaped, in the dark
ness of the night. to a ravine. After a few
words of gloom and woe, such as one might
utter who had no hope in Immortality, he
gave his sword to one of his attendants, and
placi9 d his heart against the glittering point,
threw himself forward upon it with such
force that he fell lifeless upon the sod. The
leaders Of the aristocratic party were now
destroyed. and the power Of the triumvirs
was established.
Octavius in feeble health returned to Rome
Hau Dccu Tue lodueT VI Tue ucilOCTdCN
But now the triumphant democracy made
such e1horbitant demands that their leader
could not grant them, and they turned
against him. With an iron hand he crushed
the revolt, and was now, ct the age of twen-
-ty-three, master of Rome A young patri
clan, Tiberius .Claudius Nero, escaped from
the prescription to Sicily. He had young
and beautiful wife, Drusilla, with little
boy, Tiberius, two years old Octavius mar
ried Drusilla and the little boy became his
heir. War was, however, soon renewed, and
conhagation and blood desolated many por
tions of the empire.
A son of Pompey raised the banner of the
old aristocracy Octavius called the slaves
into his service. Antony also, in alliance
with cleopatra, the beautiful and wanion
queen of Egypt, gathered immense armies
for the overthrow of his rival. His force con-
sisted of 100. 900 foot, 1900 horse, and 500
war ships. Octavius raised $1,000 foot,
Il, 900 horse, and $50 ships. They net on
the waters and along the shores of the Am
bracian gulf, in the GTecian province of Ep-
irus. The ships encountered each other in
the bay, while.the hostile armies were on op-
posite shores. The renowned battle of Acti-
um took place on the ID of September, 81
BIC. Antony and Cleopatra, having seen
both thsir aeet and army almost annihilated,