The massacre began, as it happened, among those who were still in office, and the first one slain was the tribune Salvius. His was, according to the laws, a sacred and inviolable office, endowed with the greatest powers, even that of imprisoning the consuls in certain circumstances. Salvius was the tribune who had at first prevented the Senate from declaring Antony a public enemy, but later he had coöperated with Cicero in everything. When he heard of the agreement of the triumvirs, and of their hastening to the city, he gave a banquet to his friends, believing that he should not have many more opportunities for doing so. Soldiers burst in while the feast was going on. Some of the guests started up in tumultuous alarm, but the centurion in command ordered them to resume their places and remain quiet. Then, seizing Salvius by the hair, just as he was, the centurion drew him as far as need be across the table, cut off his head, and ordered the guests to stay where they were and make no disturbance unless they wished to suffer a like fate. So they remained after the centurion's departure, stupefied and speechless, till the most silent watches of the night, reclining by the side of the tribune's body. The second one slain was the prætor Minucius, who was holding the comitia in the forum. Learning that the soldiers were seeking him, he fled, and while he was still running about looking for a hiding-place he changed his clothes, and then darted into a shop, sending away his attendants and the insignia of his office. The attendants, moved by shame and pity, lingered near the place, and thus unintentionally made the discovery of the prætor more easy to his slayers.
Annalis, another prætor, was going around with his son, who was a candidate for the quæstorship, and soliciting votes for him. Some friends who accompanied him, and those who bore his insignia of office, when they heard that he was on the list of the proscribed, ran away from him. Annalis took refuge with one of his clients, who had in the suburbs a small, mean apartment in every way despicable, where he remained safely concealed until his son, suspecting that he had fled to this client, guided the murderers to the place. The triumvirs gave him his father's fortune and raised him to the ædileship. As he was returning home drunk he fell into a quarrel about something, and was killed by the same soldiers who had killed his father. Thoranius, who was not then prætor but had been such, and who was the father of a young man who was a scapegrace generally, but had great influence with Antony, asked the centurions to postpone his death for a short time, till his son could appeal to Antony for him. They laughed at him, and said, "He has already appealed, but on the other side." When the old man knew this he asked for another very short interval until he could see his daughter, and when he saw her he told her not to claim her share of the inheritance lest her brother should ask for her death also from Antony. It happened in the son's case that, after squandering his fortune in disgraceful ways, he was convicted of theft and sentenced to banishment.
Cicero, who had held supreme power after Cæsar's death, as much as
a public speaker could, was proscribed, together with his son, his brother,
and his brother's son and all of his household, his faction, and his
friends. He fled in a small boat, but as he could not endure the
seasickness, he landed and went to a country place of his own near
Caieta,
Læna, although he had been once saved by Cicero when under trial,
drew his head out of the litter and cut it off, striking it three times, or
rather sawing it off by reason
of his inexperience. He also cut off the hand with which Cicero had written
the speeches against the tyranny of Antony and which he had entitled
Philippics in imitation of those of Demosthenes. Then some of the soldiers
hastened on horseback and others on shipboard to convey the good news
quickly to Antony. The latter was sitting in front of the tribunal in the
forum when Læna, a long distance off, showed him the head and hand
by lifting them up and shaking them. Antony was delighted beyond measure. He
crowned the centurion and gave him 250,000 Attic drachmas in addition to the
stipulated reward for killing the man who had been his greatest and most
bitter enemy. The head and hand of Cicero were suspended for a long time
from the rostra in the forum where formerly he had been accustomed to make
public speeches, and more people came together to behold this spectacle than
had previously come to listen to him. It is said that even at his meals
Antony placed the head of Cicero before his table, until he became satiated
with the horrid sight. Thus was Cicero, a man famous even yet for his
eloquence, and one who had rendered the greatest service to his country when
he held the office of consul, slain, and insulted after his death. His son
had been sent in advance to Brutus in Greece. Cicero's brother, Quintus, was
captured, together with his son. He begged the murderers to kill him before
his son, and the son prayed that he might be killed before his father. The
murderers said that they would grant both requests, and, dividing themselves
into two parties, each taking one, killed them at the same time according to
agreement.
The Egnatii, father and son, while embracing each other, died by the same blow, and their heads were cut off while the remainder of their bodies were still locked together. Balbus sent his son in advance of himself in flight toward the sea in order that they might not be too conspicuous travelling together, and he followed at a short interval. Somebody told him, either by design or by mistake, that his son had been captured. He went back and delivered himself to the murderers. It happened, too, that his son perished by shipwreck. Thus did ill luck add to the calamities of the time. Aruntius had a son who was not willing to fly without his father. The latter with difficulty persuaded him to seek his safety because he was young. His mother accompanied him to the city gates and returned only to bury her slain husband. When she learned that her son also had perished at sea she starved herself to death. Such examples were there of good and bad sons.
Two brothers of the name of Ligarius, being proscribed together, hid
themselves in an oven till their slaves found them, when one of them was
killed and the other fled. When the latter learned that his brother had
perished he threw himself from a bridge into the Tiber. Some fishermen
seized him thinking that he had fallen into the water instead of leaping in.
He resisted rescue and tried to throw himself into the river again. When he
was overcome by the fishermen he exclaimed, "You are not saving me, but
ruining yourselves by helping one who is proscribed." Nevertheless they had
pity on him and saved him until some soldiers who were guarding the bridge
saw him, ran to him, and cut off his head. One of two brothers threw himself
into the river and one of his slaves searched for the body five days. At
last he found it, and as it was still possible to recognize it, he cut off
the head for the sake of the reward. The other brother had concealed himself
in a dung-heap and another slave betrayed him. The murderers disdained to go
into the heap, but thrust their spears into him and dragged him out. They
then cut off his head, just as he was, without washing it. Another one
seeing his brother arrested ran up to him, not knowing that he was himself
proscribed also, and said, "Kill me instead of him."
Ligarius was concealed by his wife, who communicated the secret to only one
female slave. Having been betrayed by the latter, she followed her husband's
head as it was carried away, crying out, "I sheltered him; those who give
shelter are to share the punishment." As nobody killed her or informed of
her, she came to the triumvirs and accused herself before them. Being moved
by her love for her husband they pretended not to see her. So she starved
herself to death. I have mentioned her in this place because she failed to
save her husband and would not survive him. I shall refer to those who were
successful in their devotion to their husbands when I speak of the men who
escaped. Other women betrayed their husbands infamously. Among these was the
wife of Septimius, who had an amour with a certain friend of Antony. Being
impatient to exchange this illicit connection for matrimony, she besought
Antony through her paramour
Salassus escaped, and, not knowing what to do with himself, came back to the city by night, thinking that the danger had mostly passed away. His house had been sold. The janitor, who had been sold with the house, was the only one who recognized him, and he received him in his room, promising to conceal him and feed him as well as he could. Salassus told the janitor to call his wife from her own house. She pretended to be very desirous to come, but to be fearful of the night and distrustful of her servants, and said that she would come at daybreak. When daylight came she went for the murderers. The janitor, because she was delaying, ran to her house to hasten her coming. When the janitor went out Salassus feared that he had gone to lay a plot against him, and went up to the roof to watch what would happen. Seeing that it was not the janitor but his wife who was bringing the murderers, he precipitated himself from the roof. Fulvius fled to the house of a female servant, who had been his mistress, and to whom he had given freedom and a dowry on her marriage. Although she had been so well treated by him she betrayed him on account of jealousy of the woman whom Fulvius had married after his relations with her. Let these serve as examples of depraved women.
Statius, the Samnite, who had had great influence with the Samnites during
the social war and who had been raised to the rank of a Roman senator for
his noble deeds, his wealth, and his lineage, and who was now eighty years
of age, was proscribed on account of his riches. He threw open his house to
the people and to his own slaves to carry away whatever they pleased. He
also scattered his property around with his own hand. When at last the house
was empty he closed the doors, set fire to it, and perished, and the fire
spread to many other parts of the city. Capito, through his half-opened
door, for a long time resisted those who had been sent against him, killing
them one by one. Finally, he was overpowered by numbers and slain after
killing single-handed many of his assailants. Vetulinus assembled around
Rhegium a large force of the proscribed and those who had fled with them,
and others from the eighteen cities which had been promised as rewards of
victory to the soldiers and who were indignant at such treatment. With these
men Vetulinus slew the centurions who were scouting thereabouts, until a
larger force was sent against him, and even then he did not desist, but
passed over to Sicily and joined Sextus Pompeius, who had mastered that
island and who received the fugitives. There he fought bravely until he was
defeated in several engagements. Then he sent his son and the remainder of
the proscribed who were with him to Messana, and when he saw that their boat
was passing the straits he dashed upon the enemy and was cut in pieces.
Naso, having been betrayed by a freedman who had been his favorite, snatched a sword from one of the soldiers, and, having killed his betrayer with it, surrendered himself to the murderers. A slave who was devoted to his master left the latter on a hill while he went to the sea-shore to hire a boat. On his return he found that his master had been killed, and while he was breathing his last the slave called out to him, "Wait a moment, my master," whereupon he fell suddenly upon the centurion and slew him. Then he killed himself, saying to his master, "Now you have consolation." Lucius placed his gold in the hands of his two most faithful freedmen and started for the seashore. They ran away with it, and he turned around, despairing of his life, and gave himself up to the murderers. Labienus, who had captured and killed many persons in the time of the proscription of Sulla, thought that he would be disgraced if he did not bear himself bravely under similar circumstances. So he.went to his front door, seated himself in a chair, and waited for the murderers. Cestius concealed himself in the fields among faithful slaves. When he saw centurions running hither and thither with weapons and the heads of the proscribed he could not endure the prolonged fear. He persuaded the slaves to light a funeral pyre, so that they might say that they were paying the last rites to the dead Cestius. They were deceived by him and lighted the pyre accordingly, whereupon he leaped into it. Aponius concealed himself securely, but, as he could not endure the meanness of his diet, he came forth and delivered himself to slaughter. Another proscript voluntarily seated himself in full view, and, as the murderers delayed their coming, he strangled himself in public.
Lucius, the father-in-law of Asinius, who was then consul, fled by sea, but,
as he could not endure the anguish of the tempest, he leaped overboard.
Sisinius fled from his pursuers, exclaiming that he was not proscribed, but
that they had conspired against him on account of his money. They brought
him to the proscription list and told him to read his name on it, and while
he was reading killed him. Æmilius, not knowing that he was
proscribed and seeing another man pursued, asked the pursuing centurion who
the proscribed man was. The centurion, recognizing Æmilius,
replied, "You and he," and killed them both. Cilo and Decius were going out
of the senate-house when they learned that their names were on the list of
the proscribed, but no one had yet gone in pursuit of them. They fled
incontinently through the city gates, and their running betrayed them to the
centurions whom they met on the road. Icilius, who was one of the judges in
the trial of Brutus and Cassius when Octavius presided over the tribunal
with his army, and who, when all the other judges deposited secret ballots
of condemnation, alone publicly deposited one of acquittal, now unmindful of
his former magnanimity and independence put his shoulder under a dead body
that was being conveyed to burial, and took a place among the carriers of
the bier. The guards at the city gates noticed that the number of
corpse-bearers was greater by one man than usual, but they did not suspect
the bearers. They only searched the bier to make sure that it was not
somebody counterfeiting a corpse, but, as the bearers fell into a dispute
with Icilius as not being a member of their trade, he was recognized by the
murderers and killed.
Varus, who was betrayed by a freedman, ran away, and after wandering from mountain to mountain came to a marsh at Minturnæ, where he stopped to take rest. The inhabitants of Minturnæ were mounting guard over this marsh in search of robbers, and the agitation of the reeds revealed the hiding-place of Varus. He was captured and said that he was a robber. He was condemned to death and resigned himself to his fate, but as they were preparing to subject him to torture to compel him to reveal his accomplices, he could not bear such an indignity. "I forbid you, citizens of Minturnæ," he said, "either to torture or to kill one who has been a consul and -- what is more important in the eyes of our present rulers -- also proscribed! If it is not permitted me to escape, I prefer to suffer at the hands of my equals." The Minturnians did not believe him. They discredited his story until a centurion, who was scouting in that neighborhood, recognized him, and cut off his head, leaving the remainder of his body to the Minturnians. Largus was captured in the fields by soldiers who were pursuing another man. They took pity on him because he had been captured when they were not seeking him, and allowed him to escape in the forest. Being pursued by others, he ran back to his first captors, saying, "I would rather that you, who had compassion on me, should kill me, so that you may have the reward instead of those men." Thus he recompensed them with his death for their kindness to him.
Rufus possessed a handsome house near that of Fulvia, the wife of Antony,
which she had wanted to buy, but he would not sell it, and although he now
offered it to her as a free gift, he was proscribed. His head was brought to
Antony, who said it did not concern him and sent it to his wife.