Valor to the oppressed Reipublick Nevertheless after he had done all these things these cowardlie and insensible People exiled him for whom they should have erected atues in all their publick places Yet this great ungratitude wearied not the vertue of Brutus you know O wise Volumnius All that he has done for his Countrey Nor do I tell it to make you learn But to employ that little life that remains in me to speak of his Heroick Actions and to conjure you to make them known to Posteritie Remember then Volumnius that though all the Romans were ungrate to him he desisted not to do all things for them And when these Sluggards in place of one Tyrran had suffered three He had more compassion for them then resentment of their ungratitude And without thinking of his own Preservation what did he not to make them happie Maugre what they had been But these enemies of Vertue are so well accustomed to slaverie that they hoard up their chaines as their deâ—â—est Treasures And all along after that Brutus had broken them they themselves renewed them with care And Rome which manie ages by-past commanded all the Earth now voluntarlie submits to Tyrranie O Cato O Brutus Who could ever have thought it And who could believe that the gods would protect crime and oppress innocence Yet I plainlie see what it is that provockes Heaven to pâ—mish us The death of Brutus is Romes chastisement and the greatest unhappiness that can ever besail it And certainlie it is for Romes punishment that the gods permitted him to end his dayes For Brutus his pains are his reward The Romans ungratitude contributes to his Glorie And his verie death doth so Illustrate his life that it is almost a shame for me to weep Moreover I assure you that I have weeped more for his absence then death I then looked upon my 〈◊〉 as being unlimited And my Soul being ballanced between hope and fear I solaced my self with weeping But to day when I have no more to loss and when I see an infallible way of ending my miserie My Soul is more tranquill And though my grief be greater then anie was ever felt I endure it with less impatience Because I know it shall be quicklie finished Do not then tell me that I ought to live for preserving the memorie of Brutus The action he did is so Heroick and Noble that it shall ever be remembered by all men He shall alwaies be regarded as the first and last of the Romans And the Tyrrans who shall reign after this we have now shall likewaies serve to preserve a Glorious remembrance of him So long as there shall be Kings seen in Rome it will be remembered that the Old Brutus chased them and that the last died in saving that libertie which the first had acquired For I doubt not but Rome shall be continuallie in slaverie Being undoubtable that if its freedom could have been recovered Brutus would have restored it But since he could not do it he had at least the Glorie of dying without being a slave Think it not strange then that being Daughter and Wife to two men who were even free to death I would partake of that Glorie with them And yet to speak truelie Brutus shall not be altogether at libertie If I were so base as to live a Captive There will be somewhat wanting to his Glorie if I forget mine The affection that he had alwayes to me makes our interests unseparable I was of the conspiracie because I knew it before it was executed It is but just then that I should follow Brutus his destinie And know Volumnius that she whose minde was resoluâ—e enough to stab her self with a Proigniard to endure and suppress the smart thereby to testifie to her husband that she could conceall a secret Will not easilie change her resolution of dying The images of Cato and of my dear Brutus do so fill my spirit that I see no other thing And me thinks their death is so worthie of envie that I took upon it as the cheifest good can ever befall me Remember Volumnius that the true zeall of Vertue consists in the desires of imitating it For they who praise Vertuous People without traceing them so much as they can deserves blame raither then praise because they know the good and do not follow it Cato is dead with this advantage to have had it said by Cesar that he envied his death because it deprived him of the Glorie of his Pardon And I wish that Octavius may envie Brutus for having chosen a Wife abundantlie couragious to follow him to the Tomb. It is there we shall enjoy a libertie which we can nomore loss While the Romans shall groan under the weight of their Irons But a day will come when the name of Brutus shall be in veneration among them When they shall desire that good which they refused And when the blood of Cato and Brutus shall confound and make them blush Yes these Roman Citizens who saw themselves Masters of the Earth Who had Kings for their Subjects whose Glorie was without tashe and whose power had no Authoritie above it but that of the Gods shall become infamous slaves And their Bondage shall be so rigid that they shall not be Masters of their own will They shall take from the Tyrrans all their vices And Rome which was a Seminarie of Vertue shall be a receptacle of vile Adulatores O Heavens That the Inclinatons of such mightie People should be thus altered in an instant All these millions of men who fought on the plains of Pharsalia under Pompeyes coulors were they all killed in that battle Or have they lost their hearts in losing it All these Kings who hold their Crowns of the Senats authoritie are they all ungrate And is there none who could suffer Brutus to unburthen them of their chains The desire of freedom which is so strong among all the creatures who live upon the Earth is it extinguished among men And is the bloud of a dead Tyrran so dear to the Romans that to honor his memorie and to wear mourning they must load themselves with chains all their life Yes all the Roman Legiones have lost their hearts All the Kings own Vassals are readie to lay their Crowns at their Tyrrans feet All the Romans do preferr servitude to libertie Cesars Ashes are in veneration among them And for their last misfortune Brutus hath abandoned them However do not think Volumnius that he desired to forsake me It is true when we parted in the Citie of Elea he would not let me go with him although I did all things possible for it Because said he the journey would be verie troublesome to me And because I might be of more profit to him at Rome Then in this armie But at that time it was not so I know Brutus minded me a dying He expects me in the place where he is And he doubts not but Porcia remembers that the Illustrious
It was seen I say that the first things you did was to recall to the Court all them whom I had banished for their crimes And after you had chosen my greatest enemies for your principall Ministers Theodates That same Theodates whom Amalasontha Daughter of Theodorick the great had made a King Whom she by her own hand had Crowned And to whom as a manefest proof of her power she demitted the Regall authoritie unjustlie exilles her who gave him the power of banishing her O Heavens Is it possible to see the like ungratitude among men And is it also possible that Amalasontha hath made so bad a choise No Theodates I am not like you I will not condemn you without hearing You must certainlie have some reason for hateing and banishing of me What did I against you while you was my Subject Or what have I done against you since I have made you a King I remember verie well in the time you was under my morigiration And when I had the power of punishing or rewarding you I verie well remember that multitudes of Tuscanes having come to complain to me of the violences your avarice made you commit against them I remember I say that being angrie no see you guiltie of a passion unbefiting Theodoricks Nephew I used all my endeavours to make you comprehend that such desires were base and unjust It is true I oblidged you to restore things which did not belong to you But it is also true that I did nothing but what reason and equitie would have me do I know I told you at that time that avarice was the infallible sign of a mean Spirit That almost all covetous People were cowards That they who so pationatlie desire to heap up Treasures take but little care to acquire Glorie And in fine that Avarice for the most part was alwaies the companion of ungratitude See Theodates what I have done against you I have endeavoured to correct a wicked inclination with which you was born But do you know Theodates what was then my intention I thought of putting a Crown upon your head I thought of giving my Subjects no cause to reproach you when you should become their King I thought to hinder them from fearing that you would be their Tyrran rather then Soveraign And that they should not apprehend that he who had alreadie usurped their Fortunes when he was but a Subject like themselves would not intirelie Ruine them when he should be their Master Behold Theodates the true cause of the sharpness of that Reprimand which hath infused that hatred in your Soul against me Nevertheless I wonder that having spent the most part of your life in studying Platos Philosophie you should take it ill to be corrected by anie bodie They who so carefullie learn Wisdom should me thinks practise it And I cannot think it strange enough that you should so well remember the reprehension I gave you and not remember more what I have done for you When I resolved your Coronation I did it not rashlie I considered what you was I endeavoured to foresee what you would one day be I found two inclinations in you which did not please me The first was that negligence which you alwaies have had of warlike affairs And the second that insatiable desire of acquiring everie day new Riches Yet I thought that the one would oblidge you to be wise And for the other I thought that a man who believed his avarice could be satisfied with usurping three or four foot of ground from his Neighbours Would be cured of that infamous passion when I gave him a Kingdom I believed I say that when that avarice wanted an object it would at least become a Noble ambition That you would thereafter take as much care to merit the Fortune I had given you as you have alwaies had to purchase new Treasures And I believed in fine that of a covetous and sloathfull Subject I should make a prudent and understanding King But I should have also thought that he who could not endure Neighbours at his Contrey house And who was so unjust to augment his Limits by paces I say I might have verie well thought that a man of that humor would never resolve to partage a Throne with me Trulie Theodates I do not at all think that you have well excogitated what you do for is it possible after I have given you a great Kingdom After I have made you Master of the Gothes and all Italie That you can appoint for the place of my banishment that little Island of Bolsina scituated in the middle of a lake where there is hardlie place for a small Castle No Theodatts let us not disguise the truth The place of my banishment should be rather called my prison or rather perhaps my Tomb. May be I shall there find my Executioners thinking to find my guards And it may also be that in this verie time I am speaking to you You are vexed at the length of my discourse because by it the fatall moment of my death is postponed However you are not yet in condition to accomplish the crime which you are readie to commit Consider Theodates what you are undertaking Perhaps my death may cost you your life Eternise then your name some other way then by ungratitude do not begin your reign with an unjust action And if it be possible let your repenting for a wicked design make you undertake better Consider if I had not been willing to have you reign I should not have made you a King And that it be not thought that I did set you upon the Throne but to precipitate you from it Wherefore what do you apprehend of me Or to say better what should you not fear if you exill me Do you think that the Gothes and Italians will endure without murmuring the Daughter of Theodorick to be unworthilie treated by a man whom they do hate so much alreadie when he was but her Subject That secret hatred which they have to you will appear how soon they can find a pretext for it They will equalie think of revenging the abuse done to me and also themselves And in that manner without Amalasonthas contributing to your Ruine she shall not forbear to overthrow the Throne whereon she hath placed you The injurie you do to me doth not reach me onlie all the Princes of the Earth ought to be concerned with it And if I be not deceived you have Neighbours who under the Title of Protectors of innocence or revengers of my death shall make incursions into some parts of your Dominions If Fortune had otherwaies treated me That I had lost the Throne in some other manner Had my Subjects revolted Had the Emperour Justinian made War against me Had Bellisarius conquered me Or had any other conquerors usurped my Kingdom I should have been the more easilie comforted But to see that by my own hand the Crown is taken from me to give it to my persecutor Is that
of ambition and unjustice And what was said against him at that time makes it sufficently seen that Pompey was the tyrran that Cesar was the Protector In effect he was no sooner in Rome then he courtiouslie treated all the senatores he with a sweet tenderness prayed them to Pacifie every thing and again proposed to them most just and most reasonable articles of peace thereby to make them agree with Pompey But they knowing that Pompey would be all or nothing They did not make it and excused themselves to Cesar But Lepidus when this Ilustrious Heros was created dictator gave he any markes of his having desires to aspire at tyrranie Non at all He recalled the banished Replaced in honor the children of them who had been con fiscated in the time of Silla who was a Tyrran and eleven dayes after voluntarlie demitted the dictatorship contenting himself with being Consulate with Servilius Jsauricus After that Lepidus can any say that Cesar was a tyrran and that Pompey was the defender of libertie But let us finish the giving account of his Illustrious Life in few words that we may have the more leasure to Lament his death Doubtless you remember all the artifice that Pompey used to shun fighting with Cesar and draw affairs to delay and they were so certainly visible and his ambitione so known that his verie souldiers boldlie said he continued not the warr but for to continue his authority In effect he knew that either victorious or conquered he must quitt the soveraign Power or altogether take of the Mask that concealed him to the halph of the Romaines But Cesar whose confidence was in the equity of his cause and in that of the gods searched after his enemies He seared not to assault and sight him He had nothing in his heart that reproached him of crime He knew that he revenged Rome by revenging himself And by freeing himself of an adversarie He freed Rome of a tyrran His hope of heaven did not deceive him He gained the battle and Pompey lost it That man who had been so much favoured by fortune whille he was innocent was abandoned by it when he became Criminal He did not anie more know aither to fight or overcome nor did somuch as know how to be overcome like a man of courage Howsoon his partie had gotten the worst in the battle of Pharsalia in sted of annimating them by his example he went into his tent without knowing almost what he said And knowing that affairs went still worse for him that his entrenchments were forced And that Cesar approached what said he all frightned even in our Camp and after he had spoken in this mannner he again fledd and abandoned all that remained of his Partie Yet me thinks it would have ben more glorious for him to have died by Cesars armes then by the sword of the traitour Septimius who formerlie commanded under him But this great man having in his heart hatred remorse repentance shame of being overcome and ambition We neid not wonder if losing hopes of reinging He in fine lost his reason But after we have seen that Cesar was skilful in the art of conquering I pray you Lepidus let us look if he did also know the use of victorie if he was inhuman or clement If he was just or rigorous If he was tyrran or Romane Citisen How soon the field of battle was left to him and the eagernesse he had to fight was mitigated when he saw such multitudes of dead souldiers round about him he shedd so many tears as he had caused them shedd bloud O gods cried he weeping Ye know it was their desyre and that they Compelled me to be their conqueror For Cesar after having gained so many Illustrious victories doubtless would have bein blamed if he had abandoned his armie Any other Conqueror but Cesar would shedd tears of soy after having gained the battle But for him He could not rejoyce in his Victorie because it had cost the lives of some of his citisens Believe me Lepidus Tyrrants do not weep for their ennemies And clemencie and pitty are sentiments which they know not at all However you know that Cesar almost pardoned all his He also had a particular care to cause search for that prefidious man who afterwards caused him loss his life And when the traytor Brutus rendred himself to him he treated him as if he had bein his son Woe is me me thinks I see my dear Cesar going from rank to rank asking from his people news of Brutus looking among the dead bodies if he was not yet there in condition to be suceoured and doing all things possible to save him who by a horrid ungratitude thrusted a poigniard into his breast O gods is it possible that Cesar could make so bad a choice That among all the Romans he loved his murtherer better then any other and that the gods who testified their having such particular care of his life did not advertise him that he whom he loved best of all men should of all men be the most cruell against him But it is not yet tyme to speak of Brutue his ungratitude The clemency and the goodness of Cesar furnishes me With too good a subject to leave it so soon And to let his affasinates cryme appear as great as it is his vertues must appear with all the splendour that they had Tyrrans have some times put a pryce upon the heads of their enemies they have promised abolitione of all sorts of crimes to these who would bring them And sometimes when they have been satisfied they have looked upon that fatall present with joy But Cesar used not his so He would not see that of Pompey He weeped bitterlie He treated him ignominiously who presented it to him and forced him to the necesity of making his recourse to flight thereby to save his life For me I find that actione more glorious for Cesar then if he had overcome Pompey But though he was alone to weep for his enemie He was not alone to fight Further He well testified that He did not so much regaird Pompey as to his own Particular then as to that of the Republick For he not only pardoned all them of his partie who would render themselves But he took a particular care of all Pompeys friends And by that made it seen that he hated not his person but only that He desyred to destroy his unjust and pernicious dessignes Any other but Cesar after having been victor would have considred his own security By banishing some by puting others to death and by putting himself in a condition to defie the rest But for him He considered nothing but the gathering the ruptures of Pompeyes naufrage It might have been said that it was his army that was defated And that He stayed in that place to railly his troups He testified so much swetnesse and goodness to them who came and listed themselves under his coulors He did also wreat to