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"Now they that desired change, and wished Brutus only their prince and governor above all other, they durst not come to him themselves to tell him what they would have him to do, but in the night did cast sundry papers into the Prætor's seat, where he gave audience, and the most of them to this effect,'Thou sleepest, Brutus, and art not Brutus indeed.' Cassius finding Brutus's ambition stirred up the more by these seditious bills, did prick him forward, and egg him on the more, for a 5 private quarrel he had conceived against Cæsar. Cæsar

also had Cassius in great jealousy, and suspected him much; whereupon he said on a time to his friends, 'What will Cassius do, think ye? I like not his pale looks.' Another time, when Cæsar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended some mischief towards him, he answered them again, 'As for those fat men and smooth-combed heads,' quoth he, 'I never reckon of them; but these pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them most,'-meaning Brutus and 6 Cassius. Certainly destiny may easier be foreseen than avoided, considering the strange and wonderful signs that were said to be seen before Cæsar's death. For, touching the fires in the element, and spirits running up and down in the night, and also the solitary birds to be seen at noondays sitting in the great market-place,—are not all these signs perhaps worth the noting in such a wonderful chance as happened? But Strabo the philosopher writeth that divers men were seen going up and down in fire, and furthermore, that there was a slave of the soldiers that did cast a marvellous burning flame out of his hand, insomuch as they that saw it thought he had been burnt; but when 7 the fire was out, it was found he had no hurt. Cæsar's self also, doing sacrifice unto the gods, found that one of the beasts which was sacrificed had no heart; and that was a strange thing in nature, how a beast could live without a heart. Further

Brutus originated. Shakspeare has a quibble on the name in Hamlet, Act III. Scene 2, where Polonius speaks of having enacted the part of Julius Cæsar, and having been killed in the Capitol: Hamlet thereupon says, " it was a brute part of him to kill so capital a calf there."

The Cumæi, or Cumani, the inhabitants of Cumæ, a city of Eolis in Asia Minor, (not the city of the same name in Italy,) were proverbial for stupidity.

more, there was a certain soothsayer*, that had given Cæsar 8 warning long time afore, to take heed of the day of the Ides of March, (which is the 15th of the month,) for on that day he should be in great danger. That day being come, Cæsar going into the senate-house, and speaking merrily unto the soothsayer, told him the Ides of March be come;'-' so they be,' softly answered the soothsayer, but yet are they not past."'"

"Cæsar rising in the morning, she [his wife Calpurnia] prayed 9 him, if it were possible, not to go out of the doors that day, but to adjourn the session of the senate until another day; and that if he made no reckoning of her dream [about his being murdered], yet that he would search further of the soothsayers by their sacrifices to know what should happen him that day. Thereby it seemed that Cæsar likewise did fear and suspect somewhat, because his wife Calpurnia until that time was never given to any fear or superstition, and that then he saw her so troubled in mind with this dream she had. But 10 much more afterwards when the soothsayers, having sacrificed many beasts, one after another, told him that none [of the victims] did like [please] them; then he determined to send Antonius to adjourn the session of the senate. But in the mean- 11 time came Decius Brutus, surnamed Albinus, in whom Cæsar put such confidence, that in his last will and testament he had appointed him to be his next heir, and yet was of the conspiracy with Cassius and Brutus; he, fearing that if Cæsar did adjourn the session that day, the conspiracy would be betrayed, laughed at the soothsayers, and reproved Cæsar, saying that he gave the senate occasion to mislike with him, and that they might think he mocked them, considering that by his commandment they were assembled, and that they were ready willingly to grant him all things, and to proclaim him king of all the provinces of the empire of Rome out of Italy, and that he should wear his diadem in all other places both by sea and land; and furthermore, that if any man should tell them from him they should depart for that present time, and return again when Calpurnia should have better dreams, what would his enemies

* Whom Suetonius (I. 81) calls Spurinna.

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and ill-willers say, and how could they like of his friends" words ?"

"And one Artemidorus also, born in the isle of Cnidos, a doctor of rhetoric in the Greek tongue, who by means of his profession was very familiar with certain of Brutus's confederates, and therefore knew the most part of all their practices against Cæsar, came and brought him a little bill written with his own hand, of all that he meant to tell him, ‚`. and said, 'Cæsar, read this memorial to yourself, and that quickly, for they be matters of great weight, and touch you nearly." Cæsar took it of him, but could never read it, though he many times attempted it, for the number of people that did salute him."

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"Now Antonius that was a faithful friend to Cæsar, and a valiant man besides of his hands, him Decius Brutus Albinus* entertained out of the senate-house, having begun a long tale of 14 set purpose. So Cæsar coming into the house, all the senate stood up on their feet to do him honour."

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II. Extracts from Plutarch's Life of Marcus Brutus.

"Now there were divers sorts of Prætorships in Rome, and it was looked for that Brutus or Cassius would make suit for the chiefest Prætorship, which they called the Prætorship of the city, because he that had that office was as a judge to minister justice unto the citizens. Therefore they strove one against another, though some say that there was some little grudge betwixt them for other matters before, and that this contention did set them further out, though they were allied together, for Cassius had married Junia, Brutus' sister. Brutus had the first Prætorship, and Cassius the second, who thanked not Cæsar so much for the Prætorship he had as he was angry with him for that he had lost."

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"But Cassius being a choleric man, and hating Cæsar privately more than he did the tyranny openly, he incensed Brutus against him. 'It is also reported that Brutus could evil away with the tyranny, and that Cassius hated the tyrant, making many complaints for the injuries he had done him, and

This should be Caius Trebonius, as stated in Plutarch's "Brutus."

amongst others for that he had taken away his lions from him. Cassius had provided them for his sports when he should be Edile, and they were found in the city of Megara when it was won by Calenus, and Cæsar kept them. And this was the cause (as some do report) that made Cassius conspire against Cæsar. But this holdeth no water; for Cassius even from his cradle could not abide any manner of tyrants."

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"Brutus' friends and countrymen, both by divers procure- 17 ments and sundry rumours of the city, and by many bills also, did openly call and procure him to do that he did. For under the image* of his ancestor Junius Brutus, (that drave the kings out of Rome,) they wrote 'O that it pleased the gods thou wert now alive, Brutus !' and again 'that thou wert here among us now!' His tribunal or chair where he gave audience during the time he was Prætor was full of such bills—‘Brutus, thou art asleep, and art not Brutus indeed.' And of all this 18 Cæsar's flatterers were the cause, who beside many other exceeding and unspeakable honours they daily devised for him, in the night time they put diadems upon the heads of his images, supposing thereby to allure the common people to call him King instead of Dictator. Howbeit it turned to the contrary. Now, when Cassius felt his friends, and did stir them up 19 against Cæsar, they all agreed and promised to take part with him, so Brutus were the chief of their conspiracy. For they told him that so high an enterprise and attempt as that, did not so much require men of manhood and courage to draw their swords, as it stood them upon to have a man of such estimation as Brutus, to make every man boldly think that by his only presence the fact were holy and just."

"Cassius did first of all speak to Brutus, and asked him if 20 he were determined to be in the senate-house, the first day of the month of March, because he heard say that Cæsar's friends should move the council that day that Cæsar should be called king by the senate; Brutus answered him, he would not be there."

[Cassius said to Brutus] "Thinkest thou that they be cob- 21

In the Capitol.

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blers, tapsters, or such like base mechanical people, that write these bills and scrolls which are found daily in thy Prætor's chair, and not the noblest men and best citizens that do it?'" "Now amongst Pompey's friends there was one called Caius Ligarius*, who had been accused unto Cæsar for taking part with Pompey, and Cæsar discharged [i. e. pardoned] him. But Ligarius thanked not Cæsar so much for his discharge, as he was offended with him for that he was brought in danger by his tyrannical power. And, therefore, in his heart he was always his mortal enemy, and was besides very familiar with Brutus, who went to see him being sick in his bed, and said unto him 'Ligarius, in what a time art thou sick!' Ligarius rising up in his bed, and taking him by the right hand, said unto him 'Brutus (said he) if thou hast any great enterprise in hand, worthy of thyself, I am whole.'

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"They durst not acquaint Cicero with their conspiracy, although he was a man whom they loved dearly and trusted best; for they were afraid that he being a coward by nature, and age also having increased his fear, he would quite turn and alter all their purpose, and quench the heat of their enterprise, the which specially required hot and earnest execution."

"The only name and great calling of Brutus did bring on the most of them to give consent to this conspiracy; who having never taken oaths together, nor taken or given any caution or assurance, nor binding themselves one to another by any religious oaths, they all kept the matter so secret to themselves, and could so cunningly handle it, that notwithstanding the gods did reveal it by manifest signs and tokens from above, and by predictions of sacrifices, yet all this would not be believed."

"Brutus, when he was out of his house, did so frame and fashion his countenance and looks, that no man could discern he had anything to trouble his mind. But when night came, that he was in his own house, then he was clean changed; for either

* This should be Quintus Ligarius. He was accused of having borne arms against the Dictator after the battle of Pharsalia, and of having renewed the war in Africa. Ligarius being brought to trial before Cæsar, was so ably defended by Cicero, that Cæsar acquitted him.

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