presages, before the messengers who brought the news of it arrived. For
upon the very day the battle was fought, a splendid eagle spread its
wings round his statue at Rome, making most joyful cries. And shortly
after, a rumour became common, that Antonius was slain; nay, many
positively affirmed, that they saw his head brought to the city.

VII. He made many innovations in common practices. He abolished the
Sportula [811], and revived the old practice of regular suppers. To the
four former parties in the Circensian games, he added two new, who were
gold and scarlet. He prohibited the players from acting in the theatre,
but permitted them the practice of their art in private houses. He
forbad the castration of males; and reduced the price of the eunuchs who
were still left in the hands of the dealers in slaves. On the occasion
of a great abundance of wine, accompanied by a scarcity of corn,
supposing that the tillage of the ground was neglected for the sake of
attending too much to the cultivation of vineyards, he published a
proclamation forbidding the planting of any new vines in Italy, and
ordering the vines in the provinces to be cut down, nowhere permitting
more than one half of them to remain [812]. But he did not persist in
the execution of this project. Some of the greatest offices he conferred
upon his freedmen and soldiers. He forbad two legions to be quartered in
the same camp, and more than a thousand sesterces to be deposited by any
soldier with the standards; because it was thought that Lucius Antonius
had been encouraged in his late project by the large sum deposited in the
military chest by the two legions which he had in the same
winter-quarters. He made an addition to the soldiers' pay, of three
gold pieces a year.

VIII. In the administration of justice he was diligent and assiduous;
and frequently sat in the Forum out of course, to cancel the judgments of