C JE S A R. 



however, a variety of talents, wliicli rendered him capable 

 of attaining to dillingiii(hed excellence in any piirfuits, to 

 which he chofe to devote his time and attention. In the 

 department of oratory, if he imd rellrifted himfelf to this 

 ohjeft, he might have rivalled Cicero ; and his knowledge 

 of ol'hcr branches of littratnrc and fcience enabled him to 

 publidi works on grammar, aftronomy, religious polity, liif- 

 tory, and poetry. But of his writings, none are extant be- 

 fidts fome " Epilllcs" prtferved among thofe of Cicero^ 

 and his " Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars." 

 The latter is reckoned a model of the plam llyle, and ii 

 highly valuable as a repuiitory of faiSs, and as a directory 

 in tlie ufe of the Latin language. Afmius PoUio, at a pe- 

 riod when the events which it records were recent, queftioncd 

 its accuracy and veracity ; and it is not improbable that the 

 writer might have accommodated the detail of fafts to the 

 advancement of his own reputation. We have various edi- 

 tion;; of this popular work, the bed of which are the " Va- 

 riorum," by Elzevir, i66i ; " Grtevius's," Amil. 1697 ; 

 "Davis's," Camb. 1727; "Clarke's," fol. Lond. 1712;- 

 " Oudendorp's," L. Bat. 1737 ; " Barbou's," Paris, 1755, 

 In the exercife of his talents, Ca:far poflcfTed fuch verfa- 

 tility of application, and fuch a facility of direcling his at- 

 tention to different fubjefts, that he is faid to have diAated 

 difpatches to three fecretaries at once. But whatever ex- 

 cellence he might pofTefs as an orator or general fcholar, his 

 ruling paffion was " ambition ;" and to the gratification of 

 this he devoted, in the niaturer years of his life, all his men- 

 tal and corporeal faculties. The influence of this paffioa 

 marked and difcriminated his character ; and whilft it ex- 

 hibits him to view as a fuccefsful warrior and ufeful legifla- 

 tor, poflcffing many qualities, and performing many iervices, 

 which entitle him to admiration and refpedl, it throws a 

 ftiade over his moft ilKillrious talents and aftions, anJ ex- 

 cites an abhorrence of ufurpation and tyranny. " Without 

 pretending to palliate the excefTes of his youth, or to jullify 

 the fchemes of his ambition, he was," fays one of his bio- 

 graphers, " one of the moft accomplifhed hemes that ever 

 lived. With the moft fhining talents for war and legiOation^ 

 he poffeffed a liberality of fpirit, an elegance of tafle and 

 manners, a generofity tjf heart, a greatnefs of mind, and an 

 humanity of difpofition, which diftinguiflied hirn from all 

 the other great meu of that republic, who were generally 

 cruel, ferocious, and implacable." " Julius Cxfar," as 

 the fame writer proceeds, " is accufed of having overthrown 

 the hberties of his country. But what liberty did it enjoy 

 before he appeared on the ftage, while Rome was defolated 

 by the civil butcheries of Marius and Sylla ? and what li- 

 berty did fhe retrieve, when Caefar, the fuppofcd obftacIe> 

 was removed ? The truth is, the Romans were become fo- 

 profligate, vicious, and venal, and fuch univerfal corruptiorj 

 His death was amply revenged, and his memory was of morals prevailed, that they neither defer\'ed to enjoy, nor 

 honoured among the tutelary deities of his country ; as he were they capable of relirtiing, the bltflings of genuine li- 

 left no direct hneage, his adopted heir was the grandfon of his berty ; and Cxfar was the only perfon, when living, who 

 filler Juha. See Augustus. could reftore peace, order, and fecurity, give confillency to 



The perfon of Czfar was tall, (lender, and fair, and his their government, and ftability to their empire." " He 

 countenance was fenfible and exprcfilve. To the delicacy of was born," fays another writer, " to command mankind, if 

 his form his firft charadter, which was that of a man of great qualities were alone fufficient, and fuperior to right, 

 pleafu re and gallantry, feems to have been better adapted Had his birth or a regular eleflion placed him on the throne» 

 than his later occupation as a warrior. To this purpofe Ci- he would have been an example to be imitated by all fove- 

 cero fays of him, " I difcovered in all his enterprifes, and in reigns. But his private conduft would be a very bad mo- 

 llis whole conduft, a plan continually purfued for raifing del ; his whole life being a continued fcene of rapine and 

 hmifclf to the tyranny. But when I faw him fo foft in his extortion, luxury, and profufion, and a devotednefs to all 

 drefs and manner of living, with effeminate geftures, and kinds of fcandalous debaucheries." Sueton. Cffif. Plutarch^ 

 his hair in fuch nice order, I could not beheve that fuch a C. Caefar, oper. t. i. p. 707, &c. Cafar's Comment. Anc. 

 man was capable of forming and executing the defign of Un. Hill. vol. xi. Rolhn's Rom. Hift. vols. viii. ix. 

 fubverting the Roman comracnweallh." But he poflefTed, C.-esar., in Entsme/ogj, a fpecies of Musca, defcnbed by 



prople. He pleafed the latter by difmiffing liis guards, re- 

 ftoring tl;e llatnes of their former favourite, Pompey, and 

 treating them with (liows and largeflcs ; and he fecured the 

 aliachmcnt of the nobles, by the multiplication of offices 

 of dignity and profit. However, he oOended the fenators, 

 by increaling their number from 500 to Qco, and by admit- 

 ting feveral pcifons of low origin to tliis hononrable clafs. 

 Tlie Romans, who entertaiiK-d an inveterate prejudice againll 

 the name of iin^, were further offended by Antony's ofler- 

 ing to Cxfar a royal diadem ; for thougli he refufed the 

 gift, he was fufptftcd of being privy to the defign. See 

 AsTOS'V. It has been fiiggelled, iirdeed, that as C.efar 

 had formed extravagant fchemes of conqucfl, compreiiendr 

 ing an expedition againil the Parthiaiia, Hyrcanians, Scy- 

 thians, and Germans, and was emulous of imitating the ex- 

 ploits of Alexander, he and his friends had imagined that 

 the title of king would be ferviceable to him in the execu- 

 tion of thefe grand and extcnfive deligns, and command re- 

 verence among remote and barbarous nations. This and a 

 variety of other circimi (lance's contributed to excite envy, 

 jealoulv, and refentment in the minds of leveral of the firft 

 men of Rome ; and to concur, with forae remains of an at- 

 tachment to liberty, in producing a confpiracy againft Cx- 

 far's life. Cifar himfelf was warned of it by his friends ; 

 intimations had been circulated, for fome time, of the perfons 

 concerned in it, and of the time of its execution : and lo fully 

 poflcffcd of the reality of the danger was Calpurnia, Csfar's 

 wife, that (he earncftly urged him not to quit his houfe on the 

 ides of March, the day appointed for the meeting of the fe- 

 nate. In compliance with her intreaties, he determined to re- 

 main at home. But Decimus Brutus reprefenting to him the 

 importance of the matters which were to be propoftd in the 

 fenatc, diverted his purpofe, and they fet out together. In 

 tlieir way thither, a perfon named Artemidorus put. into 

 Czefar's hand a paper, containing a difcovery of the whole 

 plot ; but though he was defired to read it, he was prevented 

 by the crowd which furrounded him. On his arrival in the 

 hall of the fenate, a number of the confpirators befet him, 

 under the pretext of uniting their fupplications with thofe 

 of Metellus Cimber, on behalf of his baniflied brother : at 

 this inllant Cimber gave the fignal, by taking hold of his 

 robe, and pulling it from his fhouldeis, upon which Cafca 

 ftabbed him in the neck. The enraged Caflius wounded him 

 deeply in the head ; and many others concurred in ftabbing 

 him on all fides. I'lU Brutus appeared, he is faid to have 

 rcfiilcd his affaffins ; but upon the (ight of the dagger aimed 

 at him by Brutus, he exclaimed, " What ! my Ion Brutus 

 too !" and covering his face with his robe, fell, pierced with 

 2 ; wounds, at the pedeftal of Pompey's (latue. Such was 

 the cataftrophe that terminated Caefar's career, in the 56tk 

 year of his age, March J 5th, A. U. C. 710. B. C. 44 



