R 11 U T U S. 



Brutu, 



powerful leader with expressions of respect border- 

 ing on deference. After the decisive buttle of Phar- 

 salin, he escaped from the camp of the conquered, 

 and concealed himself among the reeds in a conti- 

 guous marsh, from which, on the return of night, he 

 lied to Larissa. At this place he received a friendly 

 invitation from Caesar, who received him with open 

 arms. He was appointed by the conqueror to the 

 government of Gallia Cnalpina, of which trust he 

 hewed himself worthy. He promoted the happiness 

 of the people, and taught them to respect Caesar as the 

 author of their good fortunes. This, indeed, appears 

 to have been, if not the most splendid, yet the most 

 beneficial part of his public life. Soon after, the 

 first proctorship of the city was conferred upon him 

 by Caesar : in which act he consulted his inclination, 

 and disobeyed his judgment. Cassius, he said, has 

 the better title to it ; notwithstanding Brutus must 

 have the first praetorship. Caesar was, indeed, so 

 much his friend, that he constantly refused to sus- 

 pect him of any designs against his government and 

 person. To those who warned him to beware of 

 Brutus, he replied, laying his hand upon his breast, 

 " Do not you think, then, that Brutus will wait till I 

 have done with this poor body ?" If this fact, which 

 is recorded by Plutarch, may be admitted, Caesar 

 was not well acquainted with the character of Bru- 

 tus. Principle, and not ambition, appears to have 

 been the spring of all his actions. All Rome con- 

 fessed, that he, and perhaps he alone, of all the con- 

 spirators, was actuated by the purest motives, by 

 hatred, not of the tyrant, but of tyranny. Servility, 

 whoever practised it, and tyranny, in whatever hands, 

 were regarded by him with contempt and indigna- 

 tion. When Cicero was making assiduous court to 

 Octavius, Brutus, in a letter to Atticus, expressed 

 such an opinion of him as he seemed to merit ; it 

 was plain, he said, that he took his measures, not 

 for the liberty of his country, but only to obtain a 

 gentle master ; and, in a letter to Cicero himself, he 

 accused him of having reared a greater and more in- 

 supportable tyranny than that which they had de- 

 stroyed. 



Cassius was offended at the appointment of Brutus 

 to the first praetorship, and he only became reconci- 

 led to the latter that he might engage him to destroy 

 Caesar. It was, indeed, of the greatest consequence 

 to the conspirators that he should be enlisted in the 

 number. His integrity and patriotism were unim- 

 peached and undoubted ; and not less respected by 

 the Romans than Cato, he was much more beloved. 

 Having entered into that fatal coalition, his ab- 

 straction, when waking, and his uneasy slumbers, 

 shewed that the power of philosophy has a limit, 

 and alarmed the fears of Portia his wife, and daugh- 

 ter of Cat*. Her pride was also offended, that he 

 had not imparted his secret, whatever it was, to her ; 

 and, to convince him of her power to preserve it, 

 even under torture, she voluntarily penetrated her 

 thigh with a small knife. Afterwards, however, it 

 was plain, that, with whatever fortitude she might 

 indure corporal pain, she could not sustain strong 

 mental conflict with the aspect of tranquillity. On 

 the morning of the assassination, the conspirators 

 were employed in deciding causes with accustomed 



coolness, waiting the appearance of Cfcsar; arid, 

 when an appeal wai made by some perron from t!." 

 judgment of Brutus to Cxiar, Brutus, looking round 

 him on the assembly, said, Crenr neither does nor 

 shall hinder me from acting conformably to the laws. 

 In the mean time, Portia, who was in her house at 

 Rome, was agitated with such solicitude and terror, 

 that, after many fruitless enquiries and repeated mes- 

 sages to discover what Brutus was doing in the Forum, 

 she sunk down in a deliquium in the midst of her at- 

 tendants, and occasioned a rumour in the city, whick 

 soon reached the ears of Brutus, thut Portia wa 

 dead. Almost at the same moment it was announ- 

 ced that Caesar was approaching in a litter; and 

 Brutus was too much the Roman to be diverted, by 

 any consideration, from what he deemed his duty t9 

 his country. 



Plutarch informs us, that when Caesar saw the 

 dagger of Brutus pointed against him, he covered 

 his head with his robe, and resigned himself to the 

 swords of his murderers ; and that Brutus, in at- 

 tempting to have his share in the sacrifice, received a 

 wound in the hand from one of the weapons. The 

 sequel proved, how greatly Brutus erred in advising, 

 contrary to the opinion of his companions, that An- 

 tony should be spared. His great popularity, both 

 in the city and army, added to his military talents, 

 consular authority, and unprincipled ambition, ren- 

 dered him scarcely less formidable in a free state than 

 Caesar himself. Brutus, confiding too much in con- 

 scious integrity, erred again in conceding to Antony 

 that Caesar's will should be read publicly, and that 

 he should have the direction of Caesar's funeral. 

 The use which he made of the opportunity thus put 

 into his hands, of exciting the multitude, was such, 

 that Brutus and his party thought it prudent to re- 

 tire from Rome to Antium. Cicero, who was in the 

 interest of the senate, remained in the city, and op- 

 posed the whole weight of his authority and elo- 

 quence to the usurpation of Antony. Brutus also, 

 courting popular favour, after the manner of the 

 times, caused magnificent shows to be exhibited in 

 Rome in his name, but in his absence. 



The arrival of Octavius Caesar at Rome, and the 

 adroitness with which he appeared to manage Cicero, 

 and win him to his interest, convinced Brutus that 

 Italy afforded no means of serving the cause of free- 

 dom. At the maritime town of Elea he took leave 

 of Portia, whose Roman fortitude was again sub- 

 dued by the sight of a picture, which described the 

 parting of Hector and Andromache. Brutus sailed 

 for Greece, where he began his preparations for the 

 impending war. 



A new triumvirate was now formed in Italy, Cae- 

 sar, Antony, and Lepidus, having agreed to divide 

 the empire betwixt them. To meet the rising storm, 

 it was necessary that the two republican leaders, Bru- 

 tus and Cassius, should unite. Smyrna was the place 

 of their first interview ; on which occasion, Brutus, 

 knowing that Cassius had collected a vast treasure, 

 by such means as are usual in war, but which him- 

 self, either from humanity, or the love of popularity, 

 had refused to employ, desired Cassius to furnish 

 him with the sinews of war, by dividing his treasure 

 with him. The friends of Cassius remonstrated, but 



M.rfi* 

 Juuim. 



