Cocceius said,"I will not conceal from you the fact that the rest of Italy, which is destitute of naval defences, will be attacked by a powerful fleet unless you two agree to peace." Octavian, who gave due weight to this artful suggestion, reflected a moment, and then said, "But Pompeius will have the worst of it. He has just been repulsed from Thurii as he deserves." Then Cocceius, having gone over the whole controversy, led the conversation up to the death of Fulvia and the manner of it, saying that she fell sick because she could not bear the anger of Antony and wasted away with grief because he would not see her even when she was ill, and that he was in a manner the cause of his wife's death."Now that she
is dead," he continued, "it only remains for you to tell each other frankly what your suspicions are."In this way Cocceius won the confidence of Octavian and passed the day as his guest, and begged him to write to Antony as the younger man to the older. Octavian said that he would not write to one who was still waging war against him, because Antony had not written to him, but that he would make complaint to Antony's mother, because, although a relative and held in the highest honor by Octavian, she had fled from Italy, as though she could not have obtained everything from him as from her own son.This was his device also for opening a correspondence by writing to Julia. As Cocceius was going away from the camp
many of the higher officers advised him of the purpose of the army,and he communicated this and other things he had learned to Antony,so that he might know that they would fight against him because he did not come to an agreement.So he advised Antony that Pompeius should be called back from his ravaging to Sicily,and that Ahenobarbus should be sent somewhither until the treaty of peace should be made.Antony apprehended that if the negotiations should fail he would be put to the shame of calling on Pompeius for assistance again,but his mother encouraged him to believe that they would not fail,and Cocceius informed her, intimating that he knew more than he had told.