Two legions of the army which had been colonised at Ancona and which had served under the elder Caesar and under Antony, hearing of the respective preparations for war, and being moved by friendship for each of them, sent ambassadors to Rome to beseech them both to come to an agreement. Octavian replied that he was not making war against Antony, but that Lucius was making war against him. The ambassadors then united with the officers of this army in a common embassy to Lucius asking him to submit his controversy with Octavian to a tribunal; and they made it plain what they would do if he should not accept the decision. Lucius and his friends accepted the proposal, and fixed the place for the trial at Gabii,
a city midway between Rome and Praeneste. A council-chamber was prepared for the arbiters, and two platforms for the speakers in the centre, as in a regular trial. Octavian, who arrived first, sent some horsemen along the road by which Lucius was to come, in order to find out whether any stratagem was discoverable. These met certain horsemen of Lucius, either his advance guard or men spying like the others, and as the two parties came into collision killed some of them. Lucius retreated, saying that he was afraid of being entrapped, and, although recalled by the officers of the army, who promised to escort him, he could not be persuaded to come again.Thus the negotiations came to nothing,and Octavian and Lucius
resolved upon war and issued proclamations even now full of bitterness against each other.The army of Lucius consisted of six legions of infantry,which he commanded by virtue of his consulship,and eleven others belonging to Antony,which were under the command of Calenus;these were all in Italy. Octavian had four legions at Capua and his praetorian cohorts about his person. Salvidienus was leading six other legions to Spain. Lucius had supplies of money from Antony's provinces where peace prevailed.But war was raging in all the provinces that had fallen to the lot of Octavian except Sardinia, for which reason he borrowed money from the temples, promising to return it with thanks — from those of Antium, of Nemus.
