Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/90

 82 CICERO. tinucd on their guard, till Caesar, the younger,* coming from ApoUonia, 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 Csesar, 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 defence of his riches and arms. For the young man had already a great party of the soldiers of Ctesar 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 sleeji, 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 np 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, " 3'e Romans, this young man, when he shall be lord of Eome, 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 Martins, he met the boys returning from their gymnastic exercises, and the first was he, just as he had appeared to him in his dream. Being astonished • Augustus.