His nursery is shewn to this day, in a villa belonging to the family, in the
					suburbs of Velitrae ; being a very
					small place, and much like a pantry. An opinion prevails in the neighbourhood,
					that he was also born there. Into this place no person presumes to enter, unless
					upon necessity, and with great devotion, from a belief, for a long time
					prevalent, that such as rashly enter it are seized with great horror and
					consternation, which a short while since was confirmed by a remarkable incident.
					For when a new inhabitant of the house had, either by mere chance, or to try the
					truth of the report, taken up his lodging in that apartment, in the course of
					the night, a few hours afterwards, he was thrown out by some sudden violence, he
					knew not how, and was found in a state of stupefaction, with the coverlid of his
					bed, before the door of the chamber. While he was yet an infant, the surname of Thurinus was given him, in memory of
					the birth-place of his family, or because, soon after he was born, his father
					Octavius had been successful against the fugitive slaves, in the country near
						 Thurium . That he was surnamed
					Thurinus, I can affirm upon good foundation, for when a boy, I had a small
					bronze statue of him, with that name upon it in iron letters, nearly effaced by
					age, which I presented to the emperor, Adrian, to whom
						Suetonius was secretary. by whom it is now revered amongst the other
					tutelary deities in his chamber. He is also often called Thurinus
					contemptuously, by Mark Antony in his letters; to which he makes only this
					reply: "I am surprised that my former name should be made a subject of
					reproach." He afterwards assumed the name of Caius Caesar, and then of Augustus;
					the former in compliance with the will of his great-uncle, and the latter upon a
					motion of Munatius Plancus in the senate. For when some proposed to confer upon
					him the name of Romulus, as being, in a manner, a second founder of the city, it
					was resolved that he should rather be called Augustus, a surname not only new,
					but of more dignity, because places devoted to religion, and those in which
					anything is consecrated by augury, are denominated august, either from the word
						 auctus , signifying augmentation, or
						 ab avium gestu, gustuve , from the flight
					and feeding of birds; as appears from this verse of Ennius: When glorious Rome by
							august augury was built. Augusto augurio postquam inclyta condita Roma
									est. He lost his father when he was only four years of age; and, in his twelfth year,
					pronounced a funeral oration in praise of his grand-mother Julia. Four years
					afterwards, having assumed the robe of manhood, he was honoured with several
					military rewards by Caesar in his African triumph, although he took no part in
					the war, on account of his youth. Upon his uncle's expedition to Spain against the sons of Pompey, he was
					followed by his nephew, although he was scarcely recovered from a dangerous
					sickness; and after being shipwrecked at sea, and travelling with very few
					attendants through roads that were infested with the enemy, he at last came up
					with him. This activity gave great satisfaction to his uncle, who soon conceived
					an increasing affection for him, on account of such indications of character.
					After the subjugation of Spain , while
					Caesar was meditating an expedition against the Dacians and Parthians, he was
					sent before him to Apollonia ,
					where he applied himself to his studies; until receiving intelligence that his
					uncle was murdered, and that he was appointed his heir, he hesitated for some
					time whether he should call to his aid the legions stationed in the
					neighbourhood; but he abandoned the design as rash and premature. However,
					returning to Rome , he took possession
					of his inheritance, although his mother was apprehensive that such a measure
					might be attended with danger, and his step-father, Marcius Philippus, a man of
					consular-rank, very earnestly dissuaded him from it. From this time, collecting
					together a strong military force, he first held the government in conjunction
					with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus, then with Antony only, for nearly twelve
					years, and at last in his own hands during a period of four and forty. Having thus given a very short summary of his life, I shall prosecute the several
					parts of it, not in order of time, but arranging his acts into distinct classes,
					for the sake of perspicuity. He was engaged in five civil wars, namely, those of
						 Modena , Philippi , Perugia , Sicily , and
						 Actium : the first and last of which
					were against Antony, and the second against Brutus and Cassius; the third
					against Lucius Antonius, the triumvir's brother, and the fourth against Sextus
					Pompeius, the son of Cneius Pompeius. The motive which gave rise to all these wars was the opinion he entertained that
					both his honour and interest were concerned in revenging the murder of his
					uncle, and maintaining the state of affairs he had established. Immediately
					after his return from Apollonia ,
					he formed the design of taking forcible and unexpected measures against Brutus
					and Cassius; but they having foreseen the danger and made their escape, he
					resolved to proceed against them by an appeal to the laws in their absence, and
					impeach them for the murder. In the mean time, those whose province it was to
					prepare the sports in honour of Caesar's last victory in the civil war, not
					daring to do it, he undertook it himself. And that he might carry into effect
					his other designs with greater authority, he declared himself a candidate in the
					room of a tribune of the people who happened to die at that time, although he
					was of a patrician family, and had not yet been in the senate. But the consul,
					Mark Antony, from whom he had expected the greatest assistance, opposing him in
					his suit, and even refusing to do him so much as common justice, unless
					gratified with a large bribe, he went over to the party of the nobles, to whom
					he perceived Sylla to be odious, chiefly for endeavouring to drive Decius
					Brutus, whom he besieged in the town of Modena , out of the province, which had been given him by
					Caesar, and confirmed to him by the senate. At the instigation of persons about
					him, he engaged some ruffians to murder his antagonist; but the plot being
					discovered, and dreading a similar attempt upon himself, he gained over Caesar's
					veteran soldiers, by distributing among them all the money he could collect.
					Being now commissioned by the senate to command the troops he had gathered, with
					the rank of praetor, and in conjunction with Hirtius and Pansa, who had accepted
					the consulship, to carry assistance to Decius Brutus, he put an end to the war
					by two battles in three months. Antony writes, that in the former of these he
					ran away, and in two days afterwards made his appearance without his general's
					cloak and his horse. In the last battle, however, it is certain that he
					performed the part not only of a general, but a soldier; for, in the heat of the
					battle, when the standard-bearer of his legion was severely wounded, he took the
					eagle upon his shoulders, and carried it a long time.