Marcus, a famous Roman orator. While he filled the office of praetor, Sicily fell to his lot, and he cleared the seas of the pirates which infested that coast. He was made consul with A. Postumius Albinus, in the year B.C. 99, when he opposed the turbulent designs of Sextus Titus, tribune of the people, with great resolution and success. Some time after he was made governor of Cilicia, in quality of proconsul, where he performed so many great exploits that he obtained the honour of a triumph. He was one of the greatest orators ever known at Rome; and it was owing to him, according to the testimony of Cicero, that Rome might boast herself a rival even to Greece itself in the art of eloquence. He never would publish any of his pleadings, that he might not, as he said, be proved to say in one cause what might be contrary to what he should advance in another. He was killed, B.C. 87, during those bloody confusions raised at Rome by Marius and Cinna. His hiding-place being discovered, soldiers were sent to despatch him; but the power of his eloquence so moved them, that none but he who commanded them, and had not heard his discourse, had the cruelty to kill him. His head was exposed before the rostra, a place which he had adorned with his triumphal spoils.

Marcus, the triumvir, was born about the year B.C. 83. He was grandson to M. Antonius the orator, and the son of that M. Antonius who was surnamed in derision Creticus, from the place where he died, after plundering the provinces he was appointed to defend. Antonius being very young when his father died, he was brought up by Cornelius Lentulus, who married his mother Julia, and was afterwards put to death by Cicero as one of Catiline's conspirators; an act afterwards fatally revenged by Antony, whose hatred for Cicero was sharpened by his philippics against himself. After involving his affairs deeply by dissipation and extravagance, in his twenty-fifth year he joined the army in Syria, where he served with distinction under A. Gabinius; and during the three succeeding years he took part in the campaigns against Aristobulus in Palestine, and in the restoration of Ptolemy Auletes to the throne of Egypt. He served afterwards under Caesar in Gaul; and when the civil war broke out, he took Caesar's part, and was made a tribune of the people, in which office he did Caesar great service. Caesar, having made himself master of Rome, gave Antony the government of Italy. At the battle of Pharsalia Caesar confided so much in him, that he gave him the command of the left wing of his army, while he himself led the right. After Caesar was made dictator he made Antony general of the horse, though he had never been praetor; in which command he exerted his power with the utmost violence. He was made consul when Caesar enjoyed that honour for the fifth time, the last year of that usurper's life. On Caesar's death he harangued the populace with great art, and raised their fury against his murderers, flattering himself that he should easily get into the place which Caesar had filled; but his haughty behaviour lost him all the advantages his affected concern for Caesar had gained him. His ill-treatment of Octavius, and quarrel with him, produced another civil war, which ended in an accommodation between him, Octavius, and Lepidus, fatal to the peace of Rome. They agreed to share the supreme power among them; and many of the most illustrious Romans were sacrificed by proscription to cement this bloody league, which is known by the name of the Second Triumvirate. The year B.C. 42 was remarkable for the decisive victory gained by Antony and Octavius over the republican forces at Philippi, and the death of Brutus and Cassius. But the triumvirs were too ambitious, and hated one another too much, to be long united. Antony went into Asia to raise money for his soldiers, and during his absence Fulvia, his wife, quarrelled with Octavius. When Antony was in Asia, indulging himself in all manner of luxury, the famous Cleopatra inspired him with the most violent passion. Hearing of the quarrel between Fulvia and Octavius, and finding Octavius was become publicly his enemy, Antony entered into a confederacy with Sextus Pompeius, who was still master of Sicily. He then went into Italy to fight against Octavius; but Fulvia, who had been the author and promoter of this war, dying, Octavius and Antony came to an agreement. One of the conditions of this new peace was, that they should together attack Pompey, though the former had lately made an alliance with him. Antony then married Octavia, sister of Octavius, as a pledge of their renewed friendship, but returning soon after to his beloved Cleopatra, he sent back Octavia to her brother. Antony now assumed the state and ceremony of an Eastern prince. His invasion of Parthia had been attended with a severe defeat; but more fortunate in Armenia, he obtained possession of the person of king Artavasdes, and carried him to Alexandria. His arbitrary conduct having at length alienated many of his friends and supporters, Octavius seized the opportunity to accomplish his ruin. They engaged in the memorable sea-fight off Actium, on the 2d Sept. B.C. 31, when the untimely flight of Cleopatra with the greater part of the fleet hastened Antony's defeat. They fled together to Alexandria, where in the following year Antony, betrayed by Cleopatra and assailed by Octavius, put an end to his own life by falling on his sword. See CLEOPATRA.