| LIVES OF THE NOBLE | | |
| | | |
| MARCUS | he felt his mind a farre of: but Antonius finding his mean- | |
| ANTONIUS | ing, would harken no more unto it, and yet notwithstanding | |
| never made Caesar acquainted with this talke, but had faith- | |
| Consultation | fully kept it to him self. After that they consulted whether | |
| about the | they should kil Antonius with Caesar. But Brutus would | |
| murther of | in no wise consent to it, saying: that ventring on such an | |
| Antonius with | enterprise as that, for the maintenance of law and justice, | |
| Caesar. | it ought to be clere from all villanie. Yet they fearing | |
| Antonius power, and the authoritie of his office, appointed | |
| certain of the conspiracy, that when Caesar were gone into | |
| the Senate, and while others should execute their enterprise, | |
| they should keepe Antonius in a talke out of the Senate | |
| house. Even as they had devised these matters, so were | |
| they executed: and Caesar was slaine in the middest of the | |
| Senate. Antonius being put in a feare withall, cast a slaves | |
| gowne upon him, and hid him selfe. But afterwards when | |
| it was told him that the murtherers slue no man els, and | |
| that they went onely into the Capitoll: he sent his sonne | |
| unto them for a pledge, and bad them boldly come downe | |
| upon his word. The selfe same day he did bid Cassius to | |
| supper, and Lepidus also bad Brutus. The next morning | |
| the Senate was assembled, and Antonius him selfe preferred | |
| a lawe that all things past should be forgotten, and that | |
| they should appoint provinces, unto Cassius and Brutus: | |
| the which the Senate confirmed, and further ordeyned, | |
| that they should cancell none of Caesars lawes. Thus went | |
| Antonius out of the Senate more praysed, and better | |
| esteemed, than ever man was: bicause it seemed to every | |
| man that he had cut of all occasion of civill warres, and | |
| that he had shewed him selfe a marvelous wise governor of | |
| the common wealth, for the appeasing of these matters of so | |
| great waight and importance. But nowe, the opinion he | |
| conceived of him selfe after he had a litle felt the good will | |
| Antonius | of the people towards him, hoping thereby to make him | |
| maketh | selfe the chiefest man if he might overcome Brutus: did | |
| uprore among | easily make him alter his first mind. And therefore when | |
| the people, | Caesars body was brought to the place where it should be | |
| for the | buried, he made a funeral oration in commendacion of Caesar, | |
| murther of | according to the auncient custom of praising noble men at | |
| Caesar. | 14 | |