Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
speaking. But Publius Volumnius, a philosopher, and one that
had from the beginning borne arms with Brutus, makes no mention
of this apparition, but says that the first eagle was covered
with a swarm of bees, and that there was one of the captains
whose arm of itself sweated oil of roses, and, though they often
dried and wiped it, yet it would not cease; and that immediately
before the battle, two eagles falling upon each other fought in
the space between the two armies, that the whole field kept
incredible silence and all were intent upon the spectacle, until
at last that which was on Brutus's side yielded and fled. But
the story of the Ethiopian is very famous, who meeting the
standard-bearer at the opening the gate of the camp, was cut to
pieces by the soldiers, that took it for an ill omen.
Brutus, having brought his army into the field and set them in
array against the enemy, paused a long while before he would
fight; for, as he was reviewing the troops, suspicions were
excited, and informations laid against some of them. Besides,
he saw his horse not very eager to begin the action, and waiting
to see what the foot would do. Then suddenly Camulatus, a very
good soldier, and one whom for his valor he highly esteemed,
riding hard by Brutus himself, went over to the enemy, the sight
of which grieved Brutus exceedingly. So that partly out of
anger, and partly out of fear of some greater treason and
desertion, he immediately drew on his forces upon the enemy, the
sun now declining, about three of the clock in the afternoon.
Brutus on his side had the better, and pressed hard on the left
wing, which gave way and retreated; and the horse too fell in
together with the foot, when they saw the enemy in disorder.
But the other wing, when the officers extended the line to avoid
its being encompassed, the numbers being inferior, got drawn out
too thin in the center, and was so weak here that they could not
withstand the charge, but at the first onset fled. After
defeating these, the enemy at once took Brutus in the rear, who
all the while performed all that was possible for an expert
general and valiant soldier, doing everything in the peril, by
counsel and by hand, that might recover the victory. But that
which had been his superiority in the former fight was to his
prejudice in this second. For in the first fight, that part of
the enemy which was beaten was killed on the spot; but of
Cassius's soldiers that fled few had been slain, and those that
escaped, daunted with their defeat, infected the other and
larger part of the army with their want of spirit and their
disorder. Here Marcus, the son of Cato, was slain, fighting and
behaving himself with great bravery in the midst of the youth of
the highest rank and greatest valor. He would neither fly nor
give the least ground, but, still fighting and declaring who he
was and naming his father's name, he fell upon a heap of dead
bodies of the enemy. And of the rest, the bravest were slain in
defending Brutus.
There was in the field one Lucilius, an excellent man and a
friend of Brutus, who, seeing some barbarian horse taking no
notice of any other in the pursuit, but galloping at full speed
after Brutus, resolved to stop them, though with the hazard of
his life; and, letting himself fall a little behind, he told
them that he was Brutus. They believed him the rather, because
he prayed to be carried to Antony, as if he feared Caesar, but
durst trust him. They, overjoyed with their prey, and thinking
themselves wonderfully fortunate, carried him along with them in
the night, having first sent messengers to Antony of their
coming. He was much pleased, and came to meet them; and all the
rest that heard that Brutus was taken and brought alive, flocked
together to see him, some pitying his fortune, others accusing;
him of a meanness unbecoming his former glory, that out of too
much love of life he would be a prey to barbarians. When they
came near together, Antony stood still, considering with himself
in what manner he should receive Brutus. But Lucilius, being
brought up to him, with great confidence said: "Be assured,
Antony, that no enemy either has taken or ever shall take Marcus
Brutus alive (forbid it, heaven, that fortune should ever so
much prevail above virtue), but he shall be found, alive or
dead, as becomes himself. As for me, I am come hither by a
cheat that I put upon your soldiers, and am ready, upon this
occasion, to suffer any severities you will inflict." All were
amazed to hear Lucilius speak these words. But Antony, turning
himself to those that brought him, said: "I perceive, my
fellow-soldiers, that you are concerned and take it ill that you
have been thus deceived, and think yourselves abused and injured
by it; but know that you have met with a booty better than that
you sought. For you were in search of an enemy, but you have
brought me here a friend. For indeed I am uncertain how I
should have used Brutus, if you had brought him alive; but of
this I am sure, that it is better to have such men as Lucilius
our friends than our enemies." Having said this, he embraced
Lucilius, and for the present commended him to the care of one
of his friends, and ever after found him a steady and a faithful
friend.
Brutus had now passed a little brook, running among trees and
under steep rocks, and, it being night, would go no further, but
sat down in a hollow place with a great rock projecting before
it, with a few of his officers and friends about him. At first,
looking up to heaven, that was then full of stars, he repeated
two verses, one of which, Volumnius writes, was this: --
Punish, great Jove, the author of these ills.
The other he says he has forgot. Soon after, naming severally
all his friends that had been slain before his face in the
battle, he groaned heavily, especially at the mentioning of
Flavius and Labeo, the latter his lieutenant, and the other
chief officer of his engineers. In the meantime, one of his
companions, that was very thirsty and saw Brutus in the same
condition, took his helmet and ran to the brook for water, when,
a noise being heard from the other side of the river, Volumnius,
taking Dardanus, Brutus's armor-bearer, with him, went out to
see what it was. They returned in a short space, and inquired
about the water. Brutus, smiling with much meaning, said to
Volumnius, "It is all drunk; but you shall have some more
fetched." But he that had brought the first water, being sent
again, was in great danger of being taken by the enemy, and,
having received a wound, with much difficulty escaped.
Now Brutus guessing that not many of his men were slain in the
fight, Statyllius undertook to dash through the enemy (for there
was no other way), and to see what was become of their camp; and
promised, if he found all things there safe, to hold up a torch
for a signal, and then return. The torch was held up, for
Statyllius got safe to the camp; but when after a long time he
did not return, Brutus said, "If Statyllius be alive, he will
come back." But it happened that in his return he fell into the
enemy's hands, and was slain.
The night now being far spent, Brutus, as he was sitting, leaned
his head towards his servant Clitus and spoke to him; he
answered him not, but fell a weeping. After that, he drew
aside his armor-bearer, Dardanus, and had some discourse with
him in private. At last, speaking to Volumnius in Greek, he
reminded him of their common studies and former discipline, and
begged that he would take hold of his sword with him, and help
him to thrust it through him. Volumnius put away his request,
and several others did the like; and someone saying, that there
was no staying there, but they needs must fly, Brutus, rising
up, said, "Yes, indeed, we must fly, but not with our feet, but
with our hands." Then giving each of them his right hand, with
a countenance full of pleasure, he said, that he found an
infinite satisfaction in this, that none of his friends had been
false to him; that as for fortune, he was angry with that only
for his country's sake; as for himself, he thought himself much
more happy than they who had overcome, not only as he had been a
little time ago, but even now in his present condition; since he
was leaving behind him such a reputation of his virtue as none
of the conquerors with all their arms and riches should ever be
able to acquire, no more than they could hinder posterity from
believing and saying, that, being unjust and wicked men, they
had destroyed the just and the good, and usurped a power to
which they had no right. After this, having exhorted and
entreated all about him to provide for their own safety, he
withdrew from them with two or three only of his peculiar
friends; Strato was one of these, with whom he had contracted an
acquaintance when they studied rhetoric together. Him he placed
next to himself, and, taking hold of the hilt of his sword and
directing it with both his hands, he fell upon it, and killed
himself. But others say, that not he himself, but Strato, at
the earnest entreaty of Brutus, turning aside his head, held the
sword, upon which he violently throwing himself, it pierced his
breast, and he immediately died. This same Strato, Messala, a
friend of Brutus, being, after reconciled to Caesar, brought to
him once at his leisure, and with tears in his eyes said, "This,
O Caesar, is the man that did the last friendly office to my
beloved Brutus." Upon which Caesar received him kindly; and had
good use of him in his labors and his battles at Actium, being
one of the Greeks that proved their bravery in his service. It
is reported of Messala himself, that, when Caesar once gave him
this commendation, that though he was his fiercest enemy at
Philippi in the cause of Brutus, yet he had shown himself his
most entire friend in the fight of Actium, he answered, "You
have always found me, Caesar, on the best and justest side."
Brutus's dead body was found by Antony, who commanded the
richest purple mantle that he had to be thrown over it, and
afterwards the mantle being stolen, he found the thief, and had
him put to death. He sent the ashes of Brutus to his mother
Servilia. As for Porcia his wife, Nicolaus the philosopher and
Valerius Maximus write, that, being desirous to die, but being
hindered by her friends, who continually watched her, she
snatched some burning charcoal out of the fire, and, shutting it
close in her mouth, stifled herself, and died. Though there is
a letter current from Brutus to his friends, in which he laments
the death of Porcia, and accuses them for neglecting her so that
she desired to die rather than languish with her disease. So
that it seems Nicolaus was mistaken in the time; for this
epistle (if it indeed is authentic, and truly Brutus's) gives us
to understand the malady and love of Porcia, and the way in
which her death occurred.
COMPARISON OF DION AND BRUTUS
There are noble points in abundance in the characters of these
two men, and one to be first mentioned is their attaining such a
height of greatness upon such inconsiderable means; and on this
score Dion has by far the advantage. For he had no partner to
contest his glory, as Brutus had in Cassius, who was not,
indeed, his equal in proved virtue and honor, yet contributed
quite as much to the service of the war by his boldness, skill,
and activity; and some there be who impute to him the rise and
beginning of the whole enterprise, saying that it was he who
roused Brutus, till then indisposed to stir, into action against
Caesar. Whereas Dion seems of himself to have provided not only
arms, ships, and soldiers, but likewise friends and partners for
the enterprise. Neither did he, as Brutus, collect money and