渥大维留在罗马，而安东尼去了埃及。似乎罗马将军都有爱江 山更爱美女 的习惯，安东尼也陷入克娄巴特拉的情网，荒废军政，无以自拔。

　　A war broke out between the two. In the battle of Actium, Octavian defeated Antony. Antony killed himself and Cleopatra was left alone to face the enemy. She tried very hard to make Octavian her third Roman conquest. When she saw that she could make no impression upon this very proud aristocrat, she killed herself, and Egypt became a Roman province.

　　渥大维和安东尼两人为争夺罗马统治权爆发了战争。在阿克提翁战役中，渥大维大败安东尼。安东尼自杀，留下克娄帕特拉独自面对敌人。她施展所有的魅力和手段，想使渥大维成为自己征服的第三位罗马人。可这位罗马贵族骄傲无比，根本不为所动。当得悉渥大维打算把自己作为凯旋仪式上展示的战利品时，克娄帕特拉自杀了。托勒密王朝的最后一位继承者死去，埃及变成罗马的一个省。

　　As for Octavian, he was a very wise young man and he did not repeat the mistake of his famous uncle. He knew how people will shy at words. He was very modest in his demands when he returned to Rome. He did not want to be a "dictator." He would be entirely satisfied with the title of"the Honourable." But when the Senate, a few years later, addressed him as Augustus-the Illustrious-he did not object and a few years later the man in the street called him C?sar, or Kaiser, while the soldiers, accustomed to regard Octavian as their Commander-in-chief referred to him as the Chief, the Imperator or Emperor. The Republic had become an Empire, but the average Roman was hardly aware of the fact.

　　渥大维是一位很有头脑的年轻人，他没有再犯他著名舅舅的错误。他深知，如果言语过分是会把人吓退的。所以当他返回罗马时，他提出要求的措辞就变得非常节制。他说不想当"独裁 官"，只需一个"光荣者"的头衔就完全心满意足了。不过几年后，当元老院授予他"奥古斯都"（神圣、卓越、显赫）称号时，他欣然接受了。又过了几年，街上的市民们开始叫他"恺撒"或"皇帝"，惯于将他视为统帅和总司令的士兵则称他"元首"。就这样，共和国不知不觉变成了帝国，可普通的罗马人竟一点也没意识到。

　　In 14 A.D. his position as the Absolute Ruler of the Roman people had become so well established that he was made an object of that divine worship which hitherto had been reserved for the Gods. And his successors were true "Emperors"-the absolute rulers of the greatest empire the world had ever seen.

　　到公元14年，渥大维作为罗马人民的绝对统治者的地位已不可动摇。他受到神一般的崇拜，他的继承者随之成为真正的"皇帝"，即历史上一个空前强大的帝国的绝对统治者。