| LIVES OF THE NOBLE | | |
| | | |
| MARCUS | drawen in his hande readie to strike at him: then he let | |
| BRUTUS | Cascaes hande goe, and casting his gowne over his face, | |
| suffered everie man to strike at him that woulde. Then the | |
| conspirators thronging one upon an other bicause everie man | |
| desirous to have a cut at him, so many swords and | |
| daggers lighting upon one bodie, one of them hurte an | |
| other, and among them Brutus caught a blowe on his hande, | |
| bicause he would make one in murdering of him, and all | |
| the rest also were every man of them bloudied. Caesar | |
| being slaine in this maner, Brutus standing in the middest | |
| of the house, would have spoken, and stayed the other | |
| Senators that were not of the conspiracie, to have tolde | |
| them the reason why they had done this facte. But they | |
| as men both affrayd and amazed, fled one upon anothers | |
| necke in haste to get out at the dore, and no man followed | |
| them. For it was set downe, and agreed betwene them, | |
| that they should kill no man but Caesar onely, and should | |
| intreate all the rest to looke to defend their libertie. All | |
| the conspirators, but Brutus, determining upon this matter, | |
| thought it good also to kill Antonius, bicause he was a | |
| wicked man, and that in nature favored tyranny: besides | |
| also, for that he was in great estimation with souldiers, | |
| having bene conversant of long time amongest them: and | |
| specially, having a mind bent to great enterprises, he was | |
| also of great authoritie at that time, being Consul with | |
| Why Anto- | Caesar. But Brutus would not agree to it. First, for that | |
| nius was not | he sayd it was not honest: secondly, bicause he told them | |
| slayne with | there was hope of chaunge in him. For he did not mistrust, | |
| Caesar. | but that Antonius being a noble minded and coragious man | |
| (when he should knowe that Caesar was dead) would willingly | |
| helpe his contry to recover her libertie, having them an | |
| example unto him, to follow their corage and vertue. So | |
| Brutus by this meanes saved Antonius life, who at that | |
| present time disguised him selfe, and stale away. But Brutus | |
| Brutus with | and his consorts, having their swords bloudy in their handes, | |
| his consorts | went straight to the Capitoll, perswading the Romanes as | |
| went unto the | they went, to take their libertie againe. Now, at the first | |
| Capitoll. | time when the murther was newly done, there were sodaine | |
| outcryes of people that ranne up and downe the citie, the | |
| 198 | |