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, therefore, they did all in their power to augment the fire, by throwing in wood, dry reeds, and all kinds of fuel. 13.  Nothing could exceed the distress of Brutus upon seeing the townsmen thus resolutely bent on destroying themselves.  He rode about the fortifications, stretching out his hands to the Xan’thians, and conjuring them to have pity on themselves and their city; but, insensible to his expostulations, they rushed into the flames with desperate obstinacy, and the whole soon became a heap of undistinguishable ruin. 14.  At this horrid spectacle Brutus melted into tears, offering a reward to every soldier who should bring him a Ly’cian alive.  The number of those whom it was possible to save from their own fury amounted to no more than one hundred and fifty. 15.  Some writers, however, affirm that the town was burnt to the ground, and the inhabitants destroyed, by the command of Brutus; and that those who surrendered at discretion, he deprived of all their public and private property.