put down the kingly power and placed the
sovereignty in the Senate and people instead of its being in the hands
of one man. Caesar being irritated at this deprived Flavius and
Marullus of their office, and while rating them he also insulted the
people by frequently calling the tribunes Bruti and Cumaei.[594] LXII.
In this state of affairs the many turned to Marcus Brutus,[595] who on
his father's side was considered to be a descendant of the ancient
Brutus, and on his mother's side belonged to the Servilii, another
distinguished house, and he was the son-in-law and nephew of Cato. The
honours and favours which Brutus had received from Caesar dulled him
towards attempting of his own proper motion the overthrow of the
monarchical power; for not only was his life saved at the battle of
Pharsalus after the rout of Pompeius, and many of his friends also at
his entreaty, but besides this he had great credit with Caesar. He had
also received among those who then held the praetorship[596] the chief
office, and he was to be consul in the fourth year from that time,
having been preferred to Cassius who was a rival candidate. For it is
said that Caesar observed that Cassius urged better grounds of
preference, but that he could not pass over Brutus. And on one
occasion when some persons were calumniating Brutus to him, at a time
when the conspiracy was really forming, he would not listen to them,
but touching his body with his hand he said to the accusers, "Brutus
waits[597] for this dry skin," by which he intended to signify that
Brutus was worthy of the power for his merits, but for the sake of the
power would not be ungrateful and a villain. Now, those who were eager
for the change and who looked up to him alone, or him as the chief
person, did not venture to speak with him on the subject, but by night
they used to fill the tribunal and the seat on which he sat when
discharging his functions as praetor with writings, most of which were
to this purport, "You are asleep, Brutus," and "You are not Brutus."
By which Cassius,[598] perceiving that his ambition was somewhat
stirred, urged him more than he had done before, and pricked him on;
and Cassius himself had also a private grudge against Caesar for the
reasons which I have mentioned in the Life of Brutus. Indeed Caesar
suspected Cassius, and he once said to his friends, "What think ye is
Cassius aiming at? for my part, I like him not over much, for he is
over pale." On the other