t honors we are able to those that
have taken off the tyrant, especially to Cherea Cassius; for this one
man, with the assistance of the gods, hath, by his counsel and by his
actions, been the procurer of our liberty. Nor ought we to forget him
now we have recovered our liberty, who, under the foregoing tyranny,
took counsel beforehand, and beforehand hazarded himself for our
liberties; but ought to decree him proper honors, and thereby freely
declare that he from the beginning acted with our approbation. And
certainly it is a very excellent thing, and what becomes free-men, to
requite their benefactors, as this man hath been a benefactor to us
all, though not at all like Cassius and Brutus, who slew Caius Julius
[Caesar]; for those men laid the foundations of sedition and civil wars
in our city; but this man, together with his slaughter of the tyrant,
hath set our city free from all those sad miseries which arose from the
tyranny." [8]

3. And this was the purport of Sentius's oration, [9] which was received
with pleasure by the senators, and by as many of the equestrian order as
were present. And now one Trebellius Maximus rose up hastily, and took
off Sentius's finger a ring, which had a stone, with the image of
Caius engraven upon it, and which, in his zeal in speaking, and his
earnestness in doing what he was about, as it was supposed, he had
forgotten to take off himself. This sculpture was broken immediately.
But as it was now far in the night, Cherea demanded of the consuls
the watchword, who gave him this word, Liberty. These facts were the
subjects of admiration to themselves, and almost incredible; for it
was a hundred years since the democracy had been laid aside, when this
giving the watchword returned to the consuls; for before the city was
subject to tyrants, they were the commanders of the soldiers. But when
Cherea had received that watchword, he delivered it to those who were
on the senate's side, which were four regiments, who esteemed the
government without emperors to be preferable to tyranny. So these went
away with their tribunes. The people also now departed very joyful, full
of hope and of courage, as having recovered their former democracy, and
were no longer under an emperor; and Cherea was in very great esteem
with them.

4. And now Cherea was very uneasy that Caius's daughter and wife were
still alive, and that all his family did not perish with him, since
whosoever was left of them must be