Who wrote this???

This is a passage from a book written a well known, much quoted author, but who is it? First person who leaves a comment on this blog with the right answer gets a free signed copy of Maybe Wins!

"But king Agrippa, who now lived at Rome, was more and more in the favour of Caius; and when he had once made him a supper, and was careful to exceed all others, both in expenses and in such preparations as might contribute most to his pleasure; nay, it was so far from the ability of others, that Caius himself could never equal, much less exceed it, (such care had he taken beforehand to exceed all men, and particularly to make all agreeable to Caesar;) hereupon Caius admired his understanding and magnificence, that he should force himself to do all to please him, even beyond such expenses and he could bear, and was desireous not to be behind Agrippa in that generosity which he exerted, in order to please him."

And yes, that really is all one sentence.