Ju'lia
2. A daughter of L. Julius Caesar [CAESAR, No. 9] and Fulvia.
She married M. Antonius Creticus [ANTONIUS, No. 9], and, after his death, P. Lentulus Sura. who was executed B. C. 63, as an accomplice of Catiline. By Antonius she had three sons, Marcus, afterwards the triumvir, Caius, and Lucius. Plutarch (
Plut. Ant. 2) represents Julia as an exemplary matron, and Cicero (
in Cat. 4.6) styles her "femina lectissima."
But neither in her husbands nor her children was Julia fortunate. Antonius lived a prodigal, and died inglorious; and Lentulus, by his bad example, corrupted his step-sons. Her sons, especially Marcus, who was not her favourite (
Cic. Phil. 2.24), involved her in the troubles of the civil wars. While he was besieging Dec. Brutus in Mutina, B. C. 43, Julia exerted her own and her family's influence in Rome to prevent his being outlawed by the senate (
App. BC 3.51), and after the triumvirate was formed, she rescued her brother, L. Julius Caesar [CAESAR, No. 11], from her son, and interceded with him for many rich and high-born women whose wealth exposed them to proscription. (
App. BC 3.32.)
In the Perusine war, B. C. 41, Julia fled from Rome, although Augustus had uniformly treated her with kindness, and now upbraided her distrust of him, to Sext. Pompey in Sicily, by whom she was sent with a distinguished escort and convoy of triremes to M. Antony in Greece. (
App. BC 5.52,
63.) At Athens Julia forwarded a reconciliation of the triumvirs, and returned with her son to Italy in B. C. 39, and was probably present at their meeting with Sext. Pompey at Misenum. (
Plut. Ant. 19 ;
D. C. 47.8,
48.16;
Cic. Phil. 2.6, 8; Schol. Bob.
in Vat. p. 321, Orelli.)
