The foreign appointments were all
made for five years, and in another week the party would be scattered. The
time for action had come, if action there was to be. Papers were dropped
in Brutus's room, bidding him awake from his sleep. On the statue of
Junius Brutus some hot republican wrote "Would that thou wast alive!" The
assassination in itself was easy, for Caesar would take no precautions. So
portentous an intention could not be kept entirely secret; many friends
warned him to beware; but he disdained too heartily the worst that his
enemies could do to him to vex himself with thinking of them, and he
forbade the subject to be mentioned any more in his presence. Portents,
prophecies, soothsayings, frightful aspects in the sacrifices, natural
growths of alarm and excitement, were equally vain. "Am I to be
frightened," he said, in answer to some report of the haruspices,
"because a sheep is without a heart?"
[Sidenote: March 14, B.C. 44.]
An important meeting of the Senate had been called for the ides (the 15th)
of the month. The Pontifices, it was whispered, intended to bring on again
the question of the kingship before Caesar's departure. The occasion would
be appropriate. The senate-house itself was a convenient scene of
operations. The conspirators met at supper the evening before at Cassius's
house.
Pages:
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634