CAS'SIUS, Losoi'xus CAMS, one of Caesar's assassins. At the breaking out of the civil war, though a tribune of the plebs, lie sided with Pompey and the aristocratic fac tion against Caesar. He was taken prisoner by the latter, who pardoned him, and even made him one of his legates. In 44 B.C., through the influence of Caesar, he was made pralor peregrinus, and was promised the governorship of Syria in the following year. But his mean and jealous spirit could not endure the burden of gratitude imposed upon him by the generosity of the dictator, and he resolved to be released by the murder of his benefactor. Having attached to himself the mutinous spirits among the subjugated aristocracy, and also won over M. Brutus, the pseudo-patriotic conspiracy was soon matured, and on the 15th of Mar., 44 B.C., Ctesar fell by the daggers of assassins. The result of this bloody deed was not what C. had expected. The popular feeling—as wit
nessed by the riots that broke out at funeral—was strongly against the murder ers; and the military power fell into the hands of Mark Antony. C. therefore fled to the east, and made himself master of Syria. Afterwards he united his forces with those of Brutus. and having greedily plundered Asia Minor, they crossed the Hellespont in the beginning of 42 B.C., marched through Thrace, and took up a superior position near Philippi, in Macedonia. Here they were attacked by Antony and Octavian. The divi sion commanded by C. was totally routed, although, on the other hand, Brutus succeeded in repulsing the troops of Octavian. C., supposing that all was lost, compelled his freedman, Pindarus, to put him to death. C.'s wife, a half-sister of Brutus, survived him upwards of 60 years. She died in the reign of Tiberius, 22 A.D.