ders to the whole army, if he would not take quarter, to let him efcape: he was, like Cæfar, addicted to letters and, arms, and though not equal to him in his capacity for either, above him in the use of both. He never drew his fword but with a design to serve his country, nor ever read with any other purpose but to fubdue his paffions, fo that he had from books rather an habit of life, than a faculty of fpeech; in his thoughts as well as actions he was a strict follower of honefty and juftice; all he faid, as well as all he did, feemed to flow from a public and unbiaffed fpirit: he had no occafion for the powers of eloquence to be able to perfuade, for all men knew it was their intereft to be of his mind; and he had before he fpoke, that first point, the good will of all his audience, for every man's love of himfelf made him a lover of Brutus. He had this eminence without the leaft taint of vanity, and a great fame feemed not fo much the pursuit, as the confequence of his actions; thus fhould he do a thing which might be liable to exception, men would be more apt to fufpect their own judgment than his integrity, and believe whatever was the cause of the action, it must be a good one, fince it moved him and though a perfect love of mankind was the fpring of all he acted, that human temper never threw him into facility, but fince he knew an ungrounded compaffion to one man, might be a cruelty to another, mere diftreffes without juftice to plead for them, could never prevail upon him, but, all gentle as he was, he was impregnable to the moft repeated importunity, even that of his own good nature.

Such was the renowned Brutus, and one would think a man who had no ill ambition to fatisfy, no

loofe

loofe paffions to indulge, but whofe life was a regular, easy, and fedate motion, fhould be in little temptation of falling into a plot; but ill men, where they cannot meet a convenient vice, can make use of a virtue to a base purpose.

He was lineally defcended from the famous Brutus, that extinguished the Tarquins, whofe debauches and cruelties made a regale name in Rome as juftly odious, as that of the Bruti venerable for the extirpation of it; and Cæfar had very lately, in the midst of an abfolute and unlimited power, betrayed a fantastic ambition of being called king, which rendered him obnoxious to the malice of the confpirators and the virtue of Brutus. This was the place where the magnanimity of that patriot feemed moft acceffable, for it was obvious, that he who wanted nothing else to fpur him to glorious attempts, must be alfo animated by the memory of illuftrious ancestors, and not like narrow and degenerate fpirits, be fatisfied with the fantafk of honour derived from others, from whom, without a fimilitude of virtue, it is an unhappy distinction to descend.

Yet however hopeful this handle appeared, they could not fo abruptly attempt upon his awful character, as immediately to purpose the murder to him, without fome diftant preparations of mind to receive it. There were therefore thefe words frequently dropt in his way, from unknown hands: Thou art no longer Brutus; thou art afleep Brutus: and the like; by which artifice he grew very thoughtful and bufy with himself, about the purpose of these advertisements; one of fuch moments Caffius tookhold of, and opened to him the great defign for the liberty of his country from Cæfar's ufurpation:

there

there needed no more to make him do a thing, but his belief that it was juft; he foon confented that Cæfar deferved to die, and fince he did, to die by his hand: gaining this perfonage, made all ripe for execution, and Caffius poffeffed a full fatisfaction, in that he had engaged a man in the attempt, who in the eyes of the people, instead of being fullied by it, would ftamp a juftice and authority upon the action; whose confirmed reputation was fufficient to expiate a murder, and confecrate an affaffination.

Yet though his juftice made him readily confent to Cæfar's death, his gratitude upon reflection shookhis refolution to act in it; all which conflict with himself we cannot view without the incident of Porcia's flory.

This lady obferved her husband fall on a fudden from an eafy, placid, and fond, into a troubled, short and diftracted behaviour; fhe faw his mind too much employed for the conjugal endearments, and kind tenderneffes, in which the was ufually happy, yet upon this obfervation grew neither jealous or fullen, but mourned his filence of his affliction to her with as deep a filence: this lady, I fay, this noble Roman wife turned all her fufpicion upon herfelf, and modeftly believed it was her incapacity for bearing fo great a fecret, as that which difcompofed the ftedfast Brutus,made him conceal from her an affliction, which the thought the had a title to participate; and therefore refolved to know of herfelf, whether his fecrefy was a wrong to her before she would think it fo; to make this experiment, fhe gave herself a deep ftab in the thigh, and thought if she could bear that torture, she could also that of a fecret; the anguish and concealinent

Ꭰ

cealment of her wound threw her into a fever, in that condition fhe thus fpoke to her husband.

Vid. IrDuke's tranflation of the life of Brutus.

"I, Brutus, being the daugh"ter of Cato, was given to you "in marriage, not like a concu

bine, to partake only of the "common civilities of bed and

"board, but to bear a part in all your good and all σε your evil fortunes; and for my part when I look on you, I find no reason to repent this match; but "from me, what evidence of my love, what fatis"faction can you receive, if I may not share with you "in your most hidden griefs, nor be admitted to "any of your counfels, that require fecrecy and " truft; I know very well, that women feem to be "of too weak a nature to be trusted with fecrets, "but certainly, Brutus, a virtuous Birth and edu

cation, and a converfation with the good and ho"nourable, are of fome force to the forming our "manners, and ftrengthening our natural weakness; "and I can boaft that I am the daughter of Cato,

and the wife of Brutus. In which two great ti"tles, though before I put too little confidence, yet "now I have tried myfelf, I find that even againft "grief and pain I am invincible."

She then told him what fhe had done, but it is not eafy to represent the kind admiration fuch a difcourse must give a husband, and the fweet tranfport that was drawn from their mutual affliction, is too delicate a touch of mind to be underfood but by a Brutus and a Forcia. Yet though he was not too wife to be tender to his wife, when he had unbofom-ed himself, in spite of this last action, and a thousand nameless things, that occurred to his memory to fof

ten

ten him, he left his illuftrious heroin in her pains and her forrows, to pursue his public refolutions. But he is gone, and the can burit into thofe tears which the awe of his virtue had made her smother; for how, alas! fhall the heart of woman receive fo harfh a virtue, as to gratify her husband's will, by confenting to his ruin? How fhall the ftruggle with. her own weakness and his honour? But while fhe: lay in his bosom, fhe learned all the gallantry of it, and when the ponders his immortal fame, his generous juftice, and Roman refolution, her mind enlarges into a greatnefs, which furmounts her fex, and her affection: when the views him in the confpicuous part of life, the can bear, nay triumph in his lofs; but when she reflects and remembers their tenderer hours, thus would he look, thus would he talk, fuch was his gefture, mein, the mirth, the gaiety of the man fhe loved, (which inftances are more intimate objects of affection, than men's greater qualities) then the is all woman, the refigns the great, but laments the agreeable man: Can then my Brutus leave me? can he leave these longing arms for fame? She has no juft notion of any higher being to fup-port her wretched condition; but however her female infirmity made her languish, the has ftill conftancy enough to keep a fecret that concerns her husband's reputation, though the melts away in tears, and pinesinto death in contemplation of her fufferings...

Such must have been the foliloquy of this memorable wife, who has left behind her an everlafting argument, how far a generous treatment can make that tender fex go even beyond the refolution of man, when we allow that they are by nature formed to

D. 2.

pity,