him, but was prevented by the crowd. Artemido’rus,
a Greek philosopher, who had discovered the whole
plot, delivered him a memorial, containing the heads
of his information; but Caesar gave it, with other
papers, to one of his secretaries, without reading,
as was visual in matters of this nature. Having
at length entered the senate-house, where the conspirators
were prepared to receive him, he met one Spuri’na,
an augur, who had foretold his danger, to whom he
said smiling, “Well, Spuri’na, the ides
of March are come.”—“Yes,”
replied the augur, “but they are not yet gone.”
10. No sooner had he taken his place, than the
conspirators approached, under pretence of saluting
him: Cimber, who was one of them, in a suppliant
posture, pretended to sue for his brother’s
pardon, who had been banished by Caesar’s order.
The conspirators seconded him with great earnestness;
and Cimber, seeming to sue with still greater submission,
took hold of the bottom of his robe; holding him,
so as to prevent his rising. 11. This was the
signal agreed on; when Casca, who was behind, instantly
stabbed him in the shoulder, Caesar sprung around,
and, with the steel of his tablet, wounded him in
the arm. The conspirators were all alarmed; when,
being inclosed round, he received a second stab, from
an unseen hand, in the breast; while Cassius wounded
him in the face. He still defended himself with
great vigour, rushing among them, and throwing down
such as opposed him, till he saw Brutus among the
conspirators, who, coming up, struck his dagger into
his thigh. 12. Caesar, from that moment, thought
no more of defending himself; but, looking upon Brutus,
cried out, “
Et tu Brute!”—And
you too, O Brutus! Then covering his head, and
spreading his robe before him, in order to fall with
decency, he sunk down at the base of Pompey’s
statue: after having received three and twenty
wounds, from those whom he vainly supposed he had disarmed
by his benefits.
[Sidenote: U.C. 709.]
13. Caesar was killed in his fifty-sixth year,
and about fourteen years after he had begun the conquest
of the world.
[Illustration: Death of Julius Caesar.]
14. If we examine his history, we shall be at
a loss whether most to admire his great abilities,
or his wonderful fortune. To pretend to say,
that from the beginning he planned the subjection of
his native country, is doing no great credit to his
well-known penetration, as a thousand obstacles lay
in his way, which fortune, rather than conduct, was
to surmount; no man, therefore, of his sagacity, would
have begun a scheme in which the chances of succeeding
were so many against him. It is most probable
that, like all very successful men, he made the best
of every occurrence; and his ambition rising with his
good fortune, from at first being content with humbler
aims, he at last began to think of governing the world,
when he found scarcely any obstacle to oppose his
designs. Such is the disposition of man, whose
cravings after power are then most insatiable when
he enjoys the greatest share.[4]