Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
him not to leave them, undertaking to put down Antony if he
would stay in Rome. And he, neither distrusting wholly, nor
trusting them, let Dolabella go without him, promising Hirtius
that he would go and spend his summer at Athens, and return
again when he entered upon his office. So he set out on his
journey; but some delay occurring in his passage, new
intelligence, as often happens, came suddenly from Rome, that
Antony had made an astonishing change, and was doing all things
and managing all public affairs at the will of the senate, and
that there wanted nothing but his presence to bring things to a
happy settlement. And therefore, blaming himself for his
cowardice, he returned again to Rome, and was not deceived in
his hopes at the beginning. For such multitudes flocked out to
meet him, that the compliments and civilities which were paid
him at the gates, and at his entrance into the city, took up
almost one whole day's time.
On the morrow, Antony convened the senate, and summoned Cicero
thither. He came not, but kept is bed, pretending to be ill
with his journey; but the true reason seemed the fear of some
design against him, upon a suspicion and intimation given him on
his way to Rome. Antony, however, showed great offense at the
affront, and sent soldiers, commanding them to bring him or burn
his house; but many interceding and supplicating for him, he was
contented to accept sureties. Ever after, when they met, they
passed one another with silence, and continued on their guard,
till Caesar, the younger, coming from Apollonia, entered on the
first Caesar's inheritance, and was engaged in a dispute with
Antony about two thousand five hundred myriads of money, which
Antony detained from the estate.
Upon this, Philippus, who married the mother, and Marcellus, who
married the sister of young Caesar, came with the young man to
Cicero, and agreed with him that Cicero should give them the aid
of his eloquence and political influence with the senate and
people, and Caesar give Cicero the defense of his riches and
arms. For the young man had already a great party of the
soldiers of Caesar about him. And Cicero's readiness to join
him was founded, it is said, on some yet stronger motives; for
it seems, while Pompey and Caesar were yet alive, Cicero, in his
sleep, had fancied himself engaged in calling some of the sons
of the senators into the capitol, Jupiter being about, according
to the dream, to declare one of them the chief ruler of Rome.
The citizens, running up with curiosity, stood about the temple,
and the youths, sitting in their purple-bordered robes, kept
silence. On a sudden the doors opened, and the youths, arising
one by one in order, passed round the god, who reviewed them all,
and, to their sorrow, dismissed them; but when this one was
passing by, the god stretched forth his right hand and said, "O
ye Romans, this young man, when he shall be lord of Rome, shall
put an end to all your civil wars." It is said that Cicero
formed from his dream a distinct image of the youth, and
retained it afterwards perfectly, but did not know who it was.
The next day, going down into the Campus Martius, he met the
boys resuming from their gymnastic exercises, and the first was
he, just as he had appeared to him in his dream. Being
astonished at it, he asked him who were his parents. And it
proved to be this young Caesar, whose father was a man of no
great eminence, Octavius, and his mother, Attia, Caesar's
sister's daughter; for which reason, Caesar, who had no
children, made him by will the heir of his house and property.
From that time, it is said that Cicero studiously noticed the
youth whenever he met him, and he as kindly received the
civility; and by fortune he happened to be born when Cicero was
consul.
These were the reasons spoken of; but it was principally
Cicero's hatred of Antony, and a temper unable to resist honor,
which fastened him to Caesar, with the purpose of getting the
support of Caesar's power for his own public designs. For the
young man went so far in his court to him, that he called him
Father; at which Brutus was so highly displeased, that, in his
epistles to Atticus he reflected on Cicero saying, it was
manifest, by his courting Caesar for fear of Antony, he did not
intend liberty to his country, but an indulgent master to
himself. Notwithstanding, Brutus took Cicero's son, then
studying philosophy at Athens, gave him a command, and employed
him in various ways, with a good result. Cicero's own power at
this time was at the greatest height in the city, and he did
whatsoever he pleased; he completely overpowered and drove out
Antony, and sent the two consuls, Hirtius and Pansa, with an
army, to reduce him; and, on the other hand, persuaded the
senate to allow Caesar the lictors and ensigns of a praetor, as
though he were his country's defender. But after Antony was
defeated in battle, and the two consuls slain, the armies
united, and ranged themselves with Caesar. And the senate,
fearing the young man, and his extraordinary fortune,
endeavored, by honors and gifts, to call off the soldiers from
him, and to lessen his power; professing there was no further
need of arms, now Antony was put to flight.
This giving Caesar an affright, he privately sends some friends
to entreat and persuade Cicero to procure the consular dignity
for them both together; saying he should manage the affairs as
he pleased, should have the supreme power, and govern the young
man who was only desirous of name and glory. And Caesar himself
confessed, that in fear of ruin, and in danger of being
deserted, he had seasonably made use of Cicero's ambition,
persuading him to stand with him, and to accept the offer of his
aid and interest for the consulship.
And now, more than at any other time, Cicero let himself be
carried away and deceived, though an old man, by the persuasions
of a boy. He joined him in soliciting votes, and procured the
good-will of the senate, not without blame at the time on the
part of his friends; and he, too, soon enough after, saw that he
had ruined himself, and betrayed the liberty of his country.
For the young man, once established, and possessed of the office
of consul, bade Cicero farewell; and, reconciling himself to
Antony and Lepidus, joined his power with theirs, and divided
the government, like a piece of property, with them. Thus
united, they made a schedule of above two hundred persons who
were to be put to death. But the greatest contention in all
their debates was on the question of Cicero's case. Antony
would come to no conditions, unless he should be the first man
to be killed. Lepidus held with Antony, and Caesar opposed them
both. They met secretly and by themselves, for three days
together, near the town of Bononia. The spot was not far from
the camp, with a river surrounding it. Caesar, it is said,
contended earnestly for Cicero the first two days; but on the
third day he yielded, and gave him up.
The terms of their mutual concessions were these; that Caesar
should desert Cicero, Lepidus his brother Paulus, and Antony,
Lucius Caesar, his uncle by his mother's side. Thus they let
their anger and fury take from them the sense of humanity, and
demonstrated that no beast is more savage than man, when
possessed with power answerable to his rage.
Whilst these things were contriving, Cicero was with his brother
at his country-house near Tusculum; whence, hearing of the
proscriptions, they determined to pass to Astura, a villa of
Cicero's near the sea, and to take shipping from thence for
Macedonia to Brutus, of whose strength in that province news had
already been heard. They traveled together in their separate
litters, overwhelmed with sorrow; and often stopping on the way
till their litters came together, condoled with one another.
But Quintus was the more disheartened, when he reflected on his
want of means for his journey; for, as he said, he had brought
nothing with him from home. And even Cicero himself had but a
slender provision. It was judged, therefore, most expedient
that Cicero should make what haste he could to fly, and Quintus
return home to provide necessaries, and thus resolved, they
mutually embraced, and parted with many tears.
Quintus, within a few days after, betrayed by his servants to
those who came to search for him, was slain, together with his
young son. But Cicero was carried to Astura, where, finding a
vessel, he immediately went on board her, and sailed as far as
Circaeum with a prosperous gale; but when the pilots resolved
immediately to set sail from thence, whether fearing the sea, or
not wholly distrusting the faith of Caesar, he went on shore,
and passed by land a hundred furlongs, as if he was going for
Rome. But losing resolution and changing his mind, he again
returned to the sea, and there spent the night in fearful and
perplexed thoughts. Sometimes he resolved to go into Caesar's
house privately, and there kill himself upon the altar of his
household gods, to bring divine vengeance upon him; but the fear
of torture put him off this course. And after passing through a
variety of confused and uncertain counsels, at last he let his
servants carry him by sea to Capitae, where he had a house, an
agreeable place to retire to in the heat of summer, when the
Etesian winds are so pleasant.
There was at that place a chapel of Apollo, not far from the
sea-side, from which a flight of crows rose with a great noise,
and made towards Cicero's vessel as it rowed to land, and
lighting on both sides of the yard, some croaked, others pecked
the ends of the ropes. This was looked upon by all as an ill
omen; and, therefore, Cicero went again ashore, and entering his
house, lay down upon his bed to compose himself to rest. Many
of the crows settled about the window, making a dismal cawing;
but one of them alighted upon the bed where Cicero lay covered
up, and with its bill by little and little pecked off the
clothes from his face. His servants, seeing this, blamed
themselves that they should stay to be spectators of their
master's murder, and do nothing in his defense, whilst the brute
creatures came to assist and take care of him in his undeserved
affliction; and, therefore, partly by entreaty, partly by force,
they took him up, and carried him in his litter towards the
sea-side.
But in the meantime the assassins were come with a band of
soldiers, Herennius, a centurion, and Popillius, a tribune, whom
Cicero had formerly defended when prosecuted for the murder of
his father. Finding the doors shut, they broke them open, and
Cicero not appearing and those within saying they knew not
where he was, it is stated that a youth, who had been educated
by Cicero in the liberal arts and sciences, an emancipated slave
of his brother Quintus, Philologus by name, informed the tribune
that the litter was on its way to the sea through the close and
shady walks. The tribune, taking a few with him, ran to the
place where he was to come out. And Cicero, perceiving
Herennius running in the walks, commanded his servants to set
down the litter; and stroking his chin, as he used to do, with
his left hand, he looked steadfastly upon his murderers, his
person covered with dust, his beard and hair untrimmed, and his
face worn with his troubles. So that the greatest part of those
that stood by covered their faces whilst Herennius slew him.
And thus was he murdered, stretching forth his neck out of the
litter, being now in his sixty-fourth year. Herennius cut off
his head, and, by Antony's command, his hands also, by which his
Philippics were written; for so Cicero styled those orations he
wrote against Antony, and so they are called to this day.