Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/327

 CiESAR. 319 them, at the same time ridiculed the people, by himself giving the men more than once the names of Bruti, and Cumaei.* This made the multitude turn their thoughts to Marcus Brutus, who, by his father's side, was thought to be de- scended from that first Brutus, and by his mother's side, from the Servilii, another noble family, being besides nephew and son-in-law to Cato. But the honors and favors he had received from Caesar, took off the edge from the desires he might himself have felt for overthrow- ing the new monarchy. For he had not only been par- doned himself after Pompey's defeat at Pharsalia, and had procured the same grace for many of his friends, but was one in whom Caesar had a particular confidence. He had at that time the most honorable praetorship of the year, and was named for the consulship four years after, being preferred before Cassius, his competitor. Upon the ques- tion as to the choice, Caesar, it is related, said that Cassius had the fairer pretensions, but that he could not pass by Brutus. Nor would he afterwards listen to some who spoke against Brutus, when the conspiracy against him was already afoot, but laying his hand on his body, said to the informers, " Brutus will wait for this skin of mine," intimating that he was worthy to bear rule on account of his virtue, but would not be base and ungrateful to gain it. Those who desired a change, and looked on him as the only, or at least the most proper, person to effect it, did not venture to speak with him ; but in the night- time laid papers about his chair of state, where he used to sit and determine causes, with such sentences in them as, " You are asleep, Brutus, " " You are no longer Brutus." Cassius, when he perceived his ambition a little raised and stupid ; and the Cumoeans were for dulness.
 * Brutus, in Latin, means heavy for one rea-son or other proverbial