Brutus

Then, as the story goes, Cassius said: Come now, Faustus, have the courage to utter in this man’s presence that speech which angered me, and I will smash your face again.

Such was Cassius; but Brutus was exhorted and incited to the undertaking by many arguments from his comrades, and by many utterances and writings from his fellow citizens.

For instance, on the statue of his ancestor, the Brutus who overthrew the power of the kings, there was written: O that we had thee now, Brutus! and O that Brutus were alive!

Besides, the praetorial tribunal of Brutus himself was daily found covered with such writings as these: Brutus, art thou asleep? and Thou art not really Brutus.

These things were brought about by the flatterers of Caesar, who, among other invidious honours which they invented for him, actually put crowns upon his statues by night, hoping to induce the multitude to address him as king instead of dictator.

But the contrary came to pass, as I have written fully in my Life of Caesar.[*](Chapter lxi.)

Moreover, when Cassius sought to induce his friends to conspire against Caesar, they all agreed to do so if Brutus took the lead, arguing that the undertaking demanded, not violence nor daring, but the reputation of a man like him, who should consecrate the victim, as it were, and ensure by the mere fact of his participation the justice of the sacrifice;

otherwise they would be more timid in doing the deed and more suspected after they had done it, since men would say that Brutus would not have declined the task if the purpose of it had been honourable.