Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans
Englished by Sir Thomas North. Trans. Sir Thomas North. Vol. 6 (1579; London: David Nutt, 1896) 204.

LIVES OF THE NOBLE 
 
MARCUS    she alwayes shewed a constant and pacient mind. The 
BRUTUS    devise of the table was taken out of the Greeke stories, howe 
The story of    Andromachè accompanied her husband Hector, when he went 
Hector and    out of the citie of Troy, to goe to the warres, and how 
Andromachè    Hector delivered her his litle sonne, and how her eyes were 
set forth in    never of him. Porcia seeing this picture, and likening her 
painted    selfe to be in the same case, she fell a weeping: and com- 
tables.    ming thither oftentymes in a day to see it, she wept still. 
    Acilius one of Brutus friendes perceiving that, rehearsed the 
    verses Andromachè speaketh to this purpose in Homer: 
 
        Thou Hector art my father, and my mother, and my brother, 
        And husband eke, and in all: I mind not any other. 
 
    Then Brutus smyling aunswered againe: But yet (sayd he) 
    I can not for my part say unto Porcia, as Hector aunswered 
    Andromachè in the same place of the Poet: 
 
        Tush, meddle thou with weying dewly out 
        Thy mayds their task, and pricking on a clowt.*  
 
    For in deede, the weake constitution of her body, doth not 
    suffer her to performe in shew, the valliant acts that we are 
    able to doe: but for corage and constant minde, she shewed 
    her selfe as stowt in the defence of her contry, as any of 
    us. Bibulus, the sonne of Porcia, reporteth this story thus. 
    Now Brutus imbarking at Elea in Luke, he sayled directly 
    towards Athens. When he arrived there, the people of 
    Athens received him with common joyes of rejoycing, and 
How Brutus    honorable decrees made for him. He lay with a friend of 
bestowed    his, with whome he went daily to heare the lectures of 
his time at    Theomnestus Academick Philosopher, and of Cratippus the 
Athens.    Peripatetick, and so would talke with them in Philosophie, 
    that it seemed he left all other matters, and gave him selfe 
    onely unto studye: howbeit secretly notwithstanding, he 
    made preparation for warre. For he sent Herostratus into 
    Macedon, to winne the Captaines and souldiers that were 
Brutus    upon those marches, and he did also enterteyne all the 
commendeth    younge gentlemen of the Romanes, whome he founde in 
Ciceroes    Athens studying Philosophie: amongest them he found 
sonne.    Ciceroes sonne, whome be highly praysed and commended, 
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