1802:] 
whom. the Roman world think well; that 
he will fave fuch refpeéted citizens.”’ 
What if he refufes to fave us ?—Shall we 
not be fafe ?—Our right hands have taught 
us how. Better indeed to perth than 
find {afety through him. I do not think— 
no, by the Gods ! by Virtue, the God with- 
in me, whom I choofe toworfhip! Ido not 
think that we of Rome have deferved fo 
ill of Heaven, as to petition any inferior 
power for the fafety of a fingle citizen, 
much /e/s for the faviours of the world. I 
{peak Jike a boafter: I fhould not do fo, 
but to thofe who are as little acquainted 
with the meafures of fear, as with the 
meafures and limits of fubmiffion. 
Can Cicero confets that Otavius is all- 
powerful, and yet be his flatterer and 
friend? Could Cicero bear to fee Brutus 
refide in Rome; if, to refide in Rome, 
Brutus muft intercede for paffport and 
protection from this boy ? Isthis ftripling | 
to be made the fubjeét of Cicero’s panegy- 
ric for willing, for fuffering the breath of 
life to remain in our noftrils, for graciouf- 
ly conniving at the life of a Roman? Is 
he conferring a favour, when, rather than 
fuffer Antony to tyrannize over us, he, 
with all due humanity, may choofe to play 
the tyrant himfelf? Were he the avenger 
of ufurpation, not, as he is, the mere vice- 
gerent of an ufurper, would you be forced, 
at this time, to fupplicate for men who 
have deferved of their country as we 
have done ? 
Tt was, in truth, a want of energy, a 
want of felf-confidence, not confined to 
your breaft, but diffufed through the public 
mind, which inftigated Czfar to the 
wretched ambition of fovereignty ; which, 
when he fell, itimulated Antony to make 
the dead body a footftool to raife himfelf 
above his equals; and which, at this mo- 
ment, lifts up this young man to fuch an 
overweening height, that, with uplifted 
hands and upturned eyes, you mutt pro- 
pitiate his mercy for us—the mercy of a 
{éarce bearded youth, without which there 
can be no redemption. But, if fome 
among us would, or if they could, remem- 
ber they were Romans, bold as thefe have. 
been to rob us of our rights, they fhould 
meet with others as bold to. vindicate 
them; and, though the crown of Czefar 
would:fparkle in the eyes of Antony, the 
wounds of Czlar would burft out in his 
mémory, and quell. the madnefs of his 
heart. You Cicero—you, who fo illuftri- 
oufly avenged yourfelf on the enemies of 
your country, how can you bear, at one 
moment to recollect the deeds you have 
done, and in the next to approve of fuch 
Letter from Brutus to Cicero. 
495 
men, and fuch meafures ;. to debale your- 
felf into fuch lowlinefs as to have even the 
Semblance of approbation? From whence 
{prung your enmity to Antony? Was it 
from perfonal pique, or from the general 
good? You faid, the latter. It was, you 
faid, becaufe he wanted to make dis hand 
the fword of juftice, and Ais heart the 
only fountain of mercy. It was becaule 
he wanted to dole out rights and liberties 
to the very men from whom he had begged 
his life. It was becaufe the weal or woe 
of the empire was to hang, as it were, by 
a hair of his head ; to be blefled when 
he was in good humour, and to totter 
when he frowned. You called aloud, To 
arms! Why? Was it that the Genius of 
Rome fhould rouze to vengeance ; or, was . 
it that Cicero might gratulate a fucceflor? 
My eloquent friend turned fophift, to 
prove that it is good to ferve, if we fervea 
good mafter! Ifany mafter could be good, © 
we might fare well and fatten in the fer= _ 
vice of fo good, a mafter as Antony. 
What think you—would he deny to men, 
whole patience was his fole ground of 
fafety, the fole pledge of affurance for his 
life? We might obtain every thing from 
his fears, except that, without whichall is 
nothing,—liberty and honour. If we 
muft talk of thefe things as if we were 
haggling in the market- place about a bar- 
gain, how much, pray you, would our 
apathy and acquiefcence come to in the ef- 
timation of this boy, who feems to think, 
forfooth, he ought to fugceed Czefar in na- - 
ture becaufe he fucceeds him in name? How 
much would he give us, if we were con-~ 
tent to live in peace, to grow fat and 
fleek, and fhining; to lay up trafh in cof- 
fers, and to divert ourfelves with counters 
and confular dignities? But Crefar had 
then been facrificed in vain—In vain had I 
lifted this arm on the living Czar, if the 
dead Czfar is to be a god, and’ we his . 
idolators 3 if his fpirit be tuffered to walk 
abroad, and migrate into other men. My. 
{word ought, in this cafe, to have flept in 
its fcabbard. May the gods blot out and 
annihilate every feeling of my foul, rather 
than the one which, at this moment, 
prompts me to declare—that, fo tar from 
fuffering in this fecond Cefar what I dif- 
dained to fuffer from the fir/7—that, if he 
who begot me had done as Cefar did, I 
fhould have done as I did; nor fhould 
it have faved him, had he cried aloud—TI 
am your father!—-No, by Heaven, not he 
whom I call father thall violate the laws 
—fhall trample upon our liberties with 
impunity, while I have'a being. Is it 
pofhible, Cicero, you can fuppofe the 
ee ts ftare 
