onspirators against Caesar, being compelled to quit Rome, went into
Greece, where they persuaded the Roman students at Athens to declare
in the cause of freedom; then parting, the former raised a powerful
army in Macedonia, while the latter went into Syria, where he soon
became master of twelve legions, and reduced his opponent, Dolabella,
to such straits as to force him to lay violent hands on himself. 7.
Both armies joined at Smyr'na: the sight of such a formidable force
began to revive the declining spirits of the party, and to reunite the
two generals still more closely, between whom there had been, some
time before, a slight misunderstanding. In short, having quitted Italy
like distressed exiles, without having one soldier or one town that
owned their command, they now found themselves at the head of a
flourishing army, furnished with every necessary for carrying on the
war, and in a condition to support a contest on which the empire of
the world depended.

8. It was in this flourishing state of their affairs that the
conspirators formed a resolution of marching against Cleopatra, who
had made great preparations to assist their opponents. 9. However,
they were diverted from this purpose by information that Augustus and
Antony were now upon their march, with forty legions, to oppose them.
Brutus, therefore, moved to have their army pass over into Greece and
Macedonia, and there meet the enemy: but Cassius so far prevailed as
to have the Rho'dians and Ly'cians first reduced, who had refused
their usual contributions. 10. This expedition was immediately put in
execution, and extraordinary contributions were thus raised, the
Rho'dians having scarcely anything left them but their lives. The
Ly'cians suffered still more severely; for having shut themselves up
in their capital town Nanthus, they defended the place against Brutus
with so much fury, that neither his arts nor entreaties could prevail
upon them to surrender. [11]. At length, the town being set on fire by
their attempting to burn the works of the Romans, Brutus, instead of
laying hold of this opportunity to storm the place, made every effort
to preserve it, entreating his soldiers to try all means of
extinguishing the fire; but the desperate frenzy of the citizens
was not to be mollified. 12. Far from thinking themselves obliged to
the generous enemy for the efforts which they made to save them, they
resolved to perish in the flames. Instead of extinguishing,