Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
able to make public addresses and to plead a cause; but in
Greek, he must be noted for affecting the sententious and short
Laconic way of speaking in sundry passages of his epistles; as
when, in the beginning of the war, he wrote thus to the
Pergamenians: "I hear you have given Dolabella money; if
willingly, you must own you have injured me; if unwillingly,
show it by giving willingly to me." And another time to the
Samians: "Your counsels are remiss and your performances slow:
what think ye will be the end?" And of the Patareans thus: "The
Xanthians, suspecting my kindness, have made their country the
grave of their despair; the Patareans, trusting themselves to
me, enjoy in all points their former liberty; it is in your
power to choose the judgment of the Patareans or the fortune of
the Xanthians." And this is the style for which some of his
letters are to be noted.
When he was but a very young man, he accompanied his uncle Cato,
to Cyprus, when he was sent there against Ptolemy. But when
Ptolemy killed himself, Cato, being by some necessary business
detained in the isle of Rhodes, had already sent one of his
friends, named Canidius, to take into his care and keeping the
treasure of the king; but presently, not feeling sure of his
honesty, he wrote to Brutus to sail immediately for Cyprus out
of Pamphylia, where he then was staying to refresh himself,
being but just recovered of a fit of sickness. He obeyed his
orders, but with a great deal of unwillingness, as well out of
respect to Canidius, who was thrown out of this employment by
Cato with so much disgrace, as also because he esteemed such a
commission mean, and unsuitable to him, who was in the prime of
his youth, and given to books and study. Nevertheless, applying
himself to the business, he behaved himself so well in it that
he was highly commended by Cato, and, having turned all the
goods of Ptolemy into ready money, he sailed with the greatest
part of it in his own ship to Rome.
But upon the general separation into two factions, when, Pompey
and Caesar taking up arms against one another, the whole empire
was turned into confusion, it was commonly believed that he
would take Caesar's side; for his father in past time had been
put to death by Pompey. But he, thinking it his duty to prefer
the interest of the public to his own private feelings, and
judging Pompey's to be the better cause, took part with him;
though formerly he used not so much as to salute or take any
notice of Pompey, if he happened to meet him, esteeming it a
pollution to have the least conversation with the murderer of
his father. But now, looking upon him as the general of his
country, he placed himself under his command, and set sail for
Cilicia in quality of lieutenant to Sestius, who had the
government of that province. But finding no opportunity there
of doing any great service, and hearing that Pompey and Caesar
were now near one another and preparing for the battle upon
which all depended, he came of his own accord to Macedonia to
partake in the danger. At his coming it is said that Pompey was
so surprised and so pleased, that, rising from his chair in the
sight of all who were about him, he saluted and embraced him, as
one of the chiefest of his party. All the time that he was in
the camp, excepting that which he spent in Pompey's company, he
employed in reading and in study, which he did not neglect even
the day before the great battle. It was the middle of summer,
and the heat was very great, the camp having been pitched near
some marshy ground, and the people that carried Brutus's tent
were a long while before they came. Yet though upon these
accounts he was extremely harassed and out of order, having
scarcely by the middle of the day anointed himself and eaten a
sparing meal, whilst most others were either laid to sleep or
taken up with the thoughts and apprehensions of what would be
the issue of the fight, he spent his time until the evening in
writing an epitome of Polybius.
It is said that Caesar had so great a regard for him that he
ordered his commanders by no means to kill Brutus in the battle,
but to spare him, if possible, and bring him safe to him, if he
would willingly surrender himself; but if he made any
resistance, to suffer him to escape rather than do him any
violence. And this he is believed to have done out of a
tenderness to Servilia, the mother of Brutus; for Caesar had, it
seems, in his youth been very intimate with her, and she
passionately in love with him; and, considering that Brutus was
born about that time in which their loves were at the highest,
Caesar had a belief that he was his own child. The story is
told, that when the great question of the conspiracy of
Catiline, which had like to have been the destruction of the
commonwealth, was debated in the senate, Cato and Caesar were
both standing up, contending together on the decision to be come
to; at which time a little note was delivered to Caesar from
without, which he took and read silently to himself. Upon this,
Cato cried out aloud, and accused Caesar of holding
correspondence with and receiving letters from the enemies of
the commonwealth; and when many other senators exclaimed against
it, Caesar delivered the note as he had received it to Cato, who
reading it found it to be a love-letter from his own sister
Servilia, and threw it back again to Caesar with the words,
"Keep it, you drunkard," and returned to the subject of the
debate. So public and notorious was Servilia's love to Caesar.
After the great overthrow at Pharsalia, Pompey himself having
made his escape to the sea, and Caesar's army storming the camp,
Brutus stole privately out by one of the gates leading to marshy
ground full of water and covered with reeds, and, traveling
through the night, got safe to Larissa. From Larissa he wrote
to Caesar, who expressed a great deal of joy to hear that he was
safe, and, bidding him come, not only forgave him freely, but
honored and esteemed him among his chiefest friends. Now when
nobody could give any certain account which way Pompey had fled,
Caesar took a little journey alone with Brutus, and tried what
was his opinion herein, and after some discussion which passed
between them, believing that Brutus's conjecture was the right
one, laying aside all other thoughts, he set out directly to
pursue him towards Egypt. But Pompey, having reached Egypt, as
Brutus guessed his design was to do, there met his fate.
Brutus in the meantime gained Caesar's forgiveness for his
friend Cassius; and pleading also in defense of the king of the
Lybians, though he was overwhelmed with the greatness of the
crimes alleged against him, yet by his entreaties and
deprecations to Caesar in his behalf, he preserved to him a
great part of his kingdom. It is reported that Caesar, when he
first heard Brutus speak in public, said to his friends, "I know
not what this young man intends, but, whatever he intends, he
intends vehemently." For his natural firmness of mind, not
easily yielding, or complying in favor of everyone that
entreated his kindness, once set into action upon motives of
right reason and deliberate moral choice, whatever direction it
thus took, it was pretty sure to take effectively, and to work
in such a way as not to fail in its object. No flattery could
ever prevail with him to listen to unjust petitions; and he held
that to be overcome by the importunities of shameless and
fawning entreaties, though some compliment it with the name of
modesty and bashfulness, was the worst disgrace a great man
could suffer. And he used to say, that he always felt as if
they who could deny nothing could not have behaved well in the
flower of their youth.
Caesar, being about to make his expedition into Africa against
Cato and Scipio, committed to Brutus the government of Cisalpine
Gaul, to the great happiness and advantage of that province.
For while people in other provinces were in distress with the
violence and avarice of their governors, and suffered as much
oppression as if they had been slaves and captives of war,
Brutus, by his easy government, actually made them amends for
their calamities under former rulers, directing moreover all
their gratitude for his good deeds to Caesar himself; insomuch
that it was a most welcome and pleasant spectacle to Caesar,
when in his return he passed through Italy, to see the cities
that were under Brutus's command and Brutus himself increasing
his honor and joining agreeably in his progress.
Now several praetorships being vacant, it was all men's opinion,
that that of the chiefest dignity, which is called the
praetorship of the city, would be conferred either upon Brutus
or Cassius; and some say that, there having been some little
difference upon former accounts between them, this competition
set them much more at variance, though they were connected in
their families, Cassius having married Junia, the sister of
Brutus. Others say that the contention was raised between them
by Caesar's doing, who had privately given each of them such
hopes of his favor as led them on, and provoked them at last
into this open competition and trial of their interest. Brutus
had only the reputation of his honor and virtue to oppose to the
many and gallant actions performed by Cassius against the
Parthians. But Caesar, having heard each side, and deliberating
about the matter among his friends, said, "Cassius has the
stronger plea, but we must let Brutus be first praetor." So
another praetorship was given to Cassius; the gaining of which
could not so much oblige him, as he was incensed for the loss of
the other. And in all other things Brutus was partaker of
Caesar's power as much as he desired; for he might, if he had
pleased, have been the chief of all his friends, and had
authority and command beyond them all, but Cassius and the
company he met with him drew him off from Caesar. Indeed, he
was not yet wholly reconciled to Cassius, since that competition
which was between them; but yet he gave ear to Cassius's
friends, who were perpetually advising him not to be so blind as
to suffer himself to be softened and won upon by Caesar, but to
shun the kindness and favors of a tyrant, which they intimated
that Caesar showed him, not to express any honor to his merit or
virtue, but to unbend his strength, and undermine his vigor of
purpose.
Neither was Caesar wholly without suspicion of him nor wanted
informers that accused Brutus to him; but he feared, indeed, the
high spirit and the great character and the friends that he had,
but thought himself secure in his moral disposition. When it
was told him that Antony and Dolabella designed some
disturbance, "It is not," said he, "the fat and the long-haired
men that I fear, but the pale and the lean," meaning Brutus and
Cassius. And when some maligned Brutus to him, and advised him
to beware of him, taking hold of his flesh with his hand,
"What," he said, "do you think that Brutus will not wait out the
time of this little body?" as if he thought none so fit to
succeed him in his power as Brutus. And indeed it seems to be
without doubt that Brutus might have been the first man in the
commonwealth, if he had had patience but a little time to be
second to Caesar, and would have suffered his power to decline
after it was come to its highest pitch, and the fame of his
great actions to die away by degrees. But Cassius, a man of a
fierce disposition, and one that out of private malice, rather
than love of the public, hated Caesar, not the tyrant,
continually fired and stirred him up. Brutus felt the rule an
oppression, but Cassius hated the ruler; and, among other
reasons on which he grounded his quarrel against Caesar, the