Octāvia

, a Roman lady, sister to the emperor August us, and celebrated for her beauty and virtues. She married Claudius Mar cell us, and after his death, Marcus Antony. Her marriage with Antony was a political step to reconcile her brother and her husband. Antony proved for some time attentive to her, but he soon after despised her for Cleopatra, and when she attempted to withdraw him from this unlawful amour by going to meet him at Athens, she was secretly rebuked, and totally banished from his presence. This affront was highly resented by August us, and though Octavia endeavoured to pacify him by palliating her husband’s behaviour, he resolved to revenge her cause by arms. After the battle of Actium and the death of Antony, Octavia, forgetful of the injuries she had received, took into her house all the children of her husband and treated them with maternal tenderne . Mar cell us her son by her first husband was married to a niece of August us, and publicly intended as a succe or to his uncle. His sudden death plunged all his family into the greatest grief. Virgil, whom August us patronized, undertook upon himself to pay a melancholy tribute to the memory of a young man whom Rome regarded as her future father and patron. He was desired to repeat his composition in the presence of August us and of his sister. Octavia burst into tears as soon as the poet began; but when he mentioned, Tu Mar cell us eris , she swooned away. This tender and pathetic encomium upon the merit and the virtues of young Mar cell us was liberally rewarded by Octavia, and Virgil received 10,000 sesterces for every one of the verses. Octavia had two daughters by Antony, Antonia Major and Antonia Minor. The elder married Lucius Domitius A he no barb us, by whom she had Cnæus Domitius the father of the emperor Nero, by A grip pin a the daughter of Germanic us. Antonia Minor, who was as virtuous and as beautiful as her mother, married Drusus the son of Tiberius, by whom she had Germanic us and Claudius, who reigned before Nero. The death of Mar cell us continually preyed upon the mind of Octavia, who died of melancholy about 10 years before the christian era. Her brother paid great regard to her memory, by pronouncing himself her funeral oration. The Roman people also showed their respect for her virtues by their wish to pay her divine honours. Suet on i us , August us .— Plutarch , Antonius , . ――A daughter of the emperor Claudius by Me alina. She was betrothed to Silanus, but by the intrigues of A grip pin a, she was married to the emperor Nero in the 16th year of her age. She was soon after divorced on pretence of barrenne , and the emperor married Poppæa, who exercised her enmity upon Octavia by causing her to be banished into Camp an i a. She was afterwards recalled at the instance of the people, and Poppæa, who was resolved on her ruin, caused her again to be banished to an island, where she was ordered to kill herself by opening her veins. Her head was cut off and carried to Poppæa. Suet on i us in Claudius , ch. 27 ; Nero , chs. 7 & 35.— Tacitus , Annals , bk. 12 .