| Caesar
Bewares...
As a crowd walked through the Roman Forum, a voice called out:
"Caesar!" Julius Caesar halted upon
hearing his name: "Ha! Who calls?" Ever
the helpful sycophant, Casca: shouted "Bid every noise be
still! Peace, yet again!"
Caesar spoke: "Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music cry 'Caesar".
Speak.. Caesar is turned to hear."
The Soothsayer called out "Beware the ides of March."
Caesar looked among the crowd, puzzled. "What man is
that?"
Brutus said with a sneer "A soothsayer bids you beware the
ides of March."
Caesar frowned. "Set him before me. Let me see
his face."
Then, to the Soothsayer, "What does that mean, beware the ides of
March?"
The Soothsayer replied, "There are those in Rome who love thee
not, great Caesar, and not all such stood or fell with Pompey."
Cassius winced, but said, " Fellow, come from the
throng. Look upon Caesar."
Caesar ordered, "What sayst thou to me now? Speak
once again."
"Rome yet has those hidden who, like vipers, would strike thee.
Beware the ides of March."
Caesar gave the Soothsayer his most severe look. The Soothwayer
was unmoved. "The man is a dreamer. I will abide mine own
advices."
Casesar and his entourage moved on. Caesar challenged Brutus for
a strange lack of love in his recent attitude towards Caesar. This
discussion and like matters soon drove thoughts of the Soothsayer from the
minds of most. But not quite all.....
The Ides of March arrived. Caesar strode towards the Roman
Senate, accompanied by a considerable group. Brutus recognized
Caesar's young nephew (and rumored son), Octavian, and a centurion who had
been in Casear's army in Gaul. With them were eight armed and
armored soldiers. Caesar spotted the Soothsayer, and said, "The
ides of March are come."
"Aye, Caesar," replied the soothsayer, "but not yet
gone."
Inside, Cassius greeted Caesar as though greeting a demi-god.
Caesar told Cassius to act in a more normal and dignified fashion,
and while distracted, Casca and Trebonius stepped forward with drawn
daggers. As Casca lunged, Trebonius swung around Caesar's left and thrust
his dagger forward. The Centurion suddenly had a gladius, the Roman
short sword, in his hand. With it he sliced into Casca's neck, while
Octavian grabbed Trebonius' arm. Cassius rose, a dagger in both his
hands. Two of the soldiers accompanying Caesar swung gladii at
Cassius, while Cinna and Caius Ligarius appeared from behind senatorial
statues bearing their own gladii. Caesar spit out, "So, 'tis
true, the treason comes from among mine own friends." His own
gladius came from beneath his tunic, which, in flaring open for a moment,
showed he wore padded Roman armor beneath. Somewhere a woman
screamed, as Casca's blood mingled on the floor with blood from Octavian
and Trebonius. Caius Ligurius lay moaning. Brutus stepped from
behind the statue of a long past Senator, and stared appalled. Cinna
gurgled a moment as Caesar's thrust to his chest sent him to Pluto's
realm. Badly injured, Cassius said, "Brutus, strike truly, that
we and Rome may be avenged."
Soldiers strode towards Brutus, who remained frozen. Caesar said,
"Thou, also, my son! Stay thy hands, I would not have Brutus
die just yet. Perhaps he will be so kind as to inform us as to why,
and who else may be involved in this little play."
By this time many Senators had arrived, and were expressing various
degrees of shock. The clean up found only Octavian, among Caesar's
companions, to be seriously injured, as Trebonius turned out to have been
carrying a dagger in each hand. While Octavian had seized his right
arm, Trebonius had stabbed Octavian in the side from the left. Among
the attackers, only Brutus was uninjured. Cinna, Casca, and Caius
Ligurius were dead, and the others clearly would soon be meeting
Cereberus.
The questioning of Brutus proceeded apace, although with some
difficulty as Brutus wept. "A'' I ask, Brutus, is why?
Have I not loved thee like unto mine own son?"
"Alas, Caesar, I could not have loved thee had I not loved Rome
more. Not since the Tarquins were expelled has Rome known ought but
a Republic. Casca and the others convinced me that you planned to
end the Republic and set yourself up as king or imperator, or worse."
"When did they impress this fantasy upon thee?"
"When you brought your army across the Rubicon."
"Stupidity! Pompey planned ill for me and mine, and the army
was for our protection. Are you such a fool as to think Pompey would
have left one as close to me as you to live had he won?"
Brutus responded with sobs.
In the following weeks Octavian grew progressively more ill, as it was
discovered the would be assassins had all dipped their blades in corrupt
and decaying matter to make them more deadly. Following Octavian's
protracted and painful death, Caesar called together several of his
friends, as well as some of the best thinkers in Rome. He even
invited Sosigenes, despite his expertise lying in what one would think was
far afield from Caesar's concern. He desired ideas on how to revise
the Roman government to allow greater voice for the plebes and for the
provinces. The structure they arrived at gave each province the
right to name a couple members of the Senate, while a new chamber of
plebes had its members elected by those plebes who were granted full
rights of Roman citizens.
The ensuing years of Caesar's life saw him elected to the Senate, and
leading the new party based in the plebes. The provinces initially
were strongly with him. Rome's control grew with its prestige,
particularly after the Greek cities one after another gained a voice in
the Senate and Plebian Chamber. But as centuries passed, ideals were
forgotten, and politicians worked for the benefit of themselves and their
friends. Alien tribes invaded the Roman territory. Distant,
and then closer provinces were lost. Rome itself was taken by
barbarians. The Republic vanished as the army tried to restore
order. Civilization iteself vanished into the Dark Ages.
But the Republic was never totally forgotten. Two thousand years
after the failed attempt on Caesar's life the scattered nations of Europe
and the Near East begansteps to re-unite, following the design Caesar had
created.
|
