BRUTUS, NIAneus Juatus. It was believed by many that Julius Cesar was the father of Br utus, and Cxsar seems to have been of the same opinion. It. is certain that he was criminally connected with Servilia, the sis ter of Cato, and mother of Brutus, about the time of his birth. His father, whether real or nominal, was put to death by Pompey, for his rigorous treatment of the city of Mutina. Marcus was educated in all the learning and philosophy of the times, and applied himself to the study of eloquence with such success, that Cicero has given him a place in his list of noble orators. \Vhen the conflicting parties of Pompey and Cxsar made the ultimate appeal to arms, Brutus espoused the cause of Pompey with his characteristic decision, not from par tiality to the man, whom till that time he refused to sa lute in passing, but thinking his designs less dangerous to the integrity of the republic than those of his rival. \Vhen he arrived in Macedonia, and entered the camp of Pompey, he was received by that powerful leader with expressions of respect bordering on deference. After the decisive battle of Pharsalia, he escaped from the camp of the conquered, and concealed himself among the reeds in a contiguous marsh, front which, on the return of night, lie fled to Larissa. At this place he received a friendly invitation from Cxsar, who received him with open arms. He was appointed by the con queror to the government of Gallia Cisalpina, of which trust he sheaved himself worthy. He promoted the happiness of the people, and taught them to respect Cxsar as the author of their good fortunes. This, in deed, appears to have been, if not the most splendid, yet the most beneficial part of his public life. Soon af ter, the first prxtorship of the city was conferred upon him by Cxsar: in which act he consulted his inclination, and disobeyed his judgment. Cassius, he said, has the better title to it ; notwithstanding Brutus must have the first prxtorship. Caesar was, indeed, so much his friend, that he constantly refused to suspect him of any designs against his government and person. To those who warned him to beware of Brutus, he replied, laying his hand upon his breast, " Do not you think, then, that Brutus will wait tiil I have done with this poor body ?" If this fact, which is recorded by Plutarch, may be ad mitted, Cxsar was not well acquainted with the charac ter of Brutus. Principle, and not ambition, appears to have been the spring of all his actions. All Rome con fessed, that he, and perhaps he alone, of all the conspi rators, was actuated by the purest motives,—by hatred, not of the tyrant, but of tyranny. Servility, whoever prac
tised it, and tyranny, in whatever hands, were regarded by hint with contempt and indignation. \Vhen Cicero was making assiduous court to Octavius, Brutus, in a letter to Atticus, expressed such an opinion of him as he scented to merit; it was plain, he said, that he took his measures, not for the liberty of his country, but only to obtain a gentle master ; and, in a letter to Cicero himself, he accused him of having reared a greater and more insupportable tyranny than that which they had de stroyed.
Cassius was offended at the appointment of Brutus to the first prxtorship, and ne only became reconciled to the latter that he might engage him to destroy Cesar. It was, indeed, of the greatest consequence to the con spirators that he should be enlisted in the number. His integrity and patriotism w ere unimpeached and un doubted ; and not less respected by the Romans than Cato, he was much more beloved. Having entered into that fatal coalition, Lis abstraction, when waking, and his uneasy slumbers, showed that the power of philoso phy has a limit, and alarmed the fears of Portia his wife, and daughter of Cato. Her pride was also offended, that Ire had not imparted his secret, whatever it was, to her ; and, to convince him of her power to preserve it, even under torture, she voluntarily penetrated her thigh with a small knife. Afterwards, however, it was plain, that, with whatever fortitude she might endure corporal pain, she could not sustain strong mental conflict w ith the aspect of tranquillity. On the morning of the assassina tion, the conspirators were employed in deciding causes with acet-tonted coolness, waiting the appearance of Cesar; and, when an appeal was made by some person from the judgment of Brutus to Cxsar, Brutus, looking round him on the assembly, said, Cxsar neither does nor shall hinder me front acting conformably to the laws. In the mean time, Portia, who was in her house at Route, was agitated with such solicitude and terror, that, after many fruitless enquiries and repeated mes sages to discover what Brutus was doing in the Forum, she stink down in a deliquium in the midst of her at tendants, and occasioned a rumour in the city, w Inch soon reached the ears of Brutus, that Portia was dead. Almost at the same moment it was announced that Cxsar was approaching in a litter ; and Brutus was too much the Roman to be diverted, by any consideration, from what he deemed his duty to his country.