Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/315

 MARCUS BRUTUS. 307 receiving letters from the enemies of the commonwealth ; and when man}- other senators exclaimed against it, Cm- sar delivered the note as he had received it to Cato, who reading it found it to be a love-letter from his own sister Servdia, and threw it back again to CiBsar with the words, " Keep it, jou drunkard," and retm'ned to the sub- ject of the debate. So public and notorious was Sei"il- ia's love to Cassar. After the great overthrow at Pharsalia, Pompey him- self having made his escape to the sea, and Ctesar'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, ti'avelling through the night, got safe to Larissa. From Larissa he wrote to Csesar, 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 jom-ney alone with Brutus, and tried what was his opinion herein, and after some discussion which passed between them, believ- ing that Brutus's conjecture was the right one, laying aside aU 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 mean time gained Ctesar's forgiveness for his friend Cassius; and pleading also in defence of the king of the Lybians, * though he was ovenvhelmed with the greatness of the crimes alleged against him, yet by his entreaties and deprecations to Cassar in his behalf, he preserved to him a great part of his kingdom. It is tians of Asia Minor, is the person be Plutarch's.
 * Deiotarus, king of the Gala- meaut. The error is supposed to