Eagles were seen against eagles, Romans against Romans, citizens<hr>
against citizens, friends against friends, relatives against relatives. At the end of the day, the Battle of Pharsalus would have scared me as much as what I saw before my eyes.<hr>
       However, even though Antony seemed to be the aggressor because he came to attack you, my<hr>
tears, my arguments, and my prayers overcame your resentment. You embraced Antony instead<hr>
of fighting him, welcomed him as your sister's husband and not as your enemy.<hr>
The two mighty armies you had raised to destroy each other served only to witness<hr>
your friendship. For you did not forget that Antony gave you a hundred galleys and twenty brigantines, and<hr>
you also granted him two legions. Plus, you gave me a thousand of your<hr>
best soldiers for him. Do you think this first victory cannot predict a<hr>
second one? You love me as much today as you did at that time. You did not feel<hr>
anger seeing your enemy. Today, you do not have legions surrounding you, urging you<hr>
to give a new opportunity to their courage. You are alone, unarmed and I am unhappy and<hr>
sorrowful. My tears, my reasons, and my prayers should be more powerful on you than they<hr>
were on that day of reconciliation since here it is only about my interests and not your<hr>
honor. It is easier to avoid arming rather than forcing oneself to disarm. It is<hr>
therefore easier for you not to start the war now than to have made peace with Antony at the time. Antony's passion, not his person, should be fought. I must bear his frailty without complaining, I must keep my heart even if he steals his, I must have compassion for his weakness, I must respect him even if he shows me only contempt. I must stay in his residence as long as he tolerates me. Finally, I must<hr>
oppose you every time you want to ask me to do things that could be shameful for me.<hr>
       If Antony sought to persuade me to destroy you, I would oppose him in the same way as I oppose you. With the same weapons with which I fight you now, I would fight his injustice and stubbornness. Yes, I will always remain Octave's sister and Antony's wife and, whatever the will of fate, I will never do anything unworthy of these two statuses. Forgive me if I tell you that I will not leave my husband's house unless he asks me. And even if it happened that Cleopatra's love pushes him to such an abuse that he demands my departure, I will leave him shedding the least possible tears, for fear that the compassion one would have for me would accentuate the hatred one would have for him. These are Octavia's feelings, today and forever. And speaking honestly, Antony is not an ordinary man. The great qualities he possesses deserve to be excused for his weakness, and the fine things he has accomplished in war should receive indulgence from all men, despite what love prompts him to do.<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
                                                   138<hr>