could cheerfully fubmit to; and it was within this period that he drew up fome of the graveft of thofe philofophical pieces, which are ftill extant in his works.

After the death of Cæfar, by the confpiracy formed against him by Brutus and Caffius, Cicero became once more himself. By this accident he was freed at once from all fubjection to a fuperior, and all uneafinefs and indignity of managing a power, which every moment could opprefs him. He was without competition the firft citizen in Rome, the first in that credit and authority both with the fenate and people which great merit and fervices will neceffarily give in a free city. The confpirators confidered him as fuch, and reckoned upon him as their fure friend; for they had no fooner killed Cæfar in the fenatehoufe, which Cicero tells us he had the pleasure to see, than Brutus, lifting up his bloody dagger, called out upon him by name, to congratulate with him on the recovery of their liberty. And when they all ran out presently after into the forum with the daggers in their hands, proclaiming liberty to the city, they proclaimed at the fame time the name of Cicero. Hence Antony afterwards took a pretence of charging him in public with being privy to the confpiracy, and the principal adviser of it. It is evident indeed from feveral of his letters, that he had an expectation of fuch an attempt; for he prophefied very early, that Cæfar's reign could not laft fix months, but must neceffarily fall, either by violence, or of itfelf; nay farther, he hoped to live to fee it. Yet it is certain, that he was not at all acquainted with it: for though he had the strictest friendship with the chief actors, and they the greateft confidence in him, yet his age, character, and dignity, rendered him entirely unfit to bear a part in an attempt of that nature, and to embark himfelf in an affair fo defperate, with a number of men, who, excepting a few of the leaders, were all either too young to be trusted, or, as he fays, too obfcure even to be known by him.

But though Cæfar's reign was now indced fallen, yet Cicero's hopes were all going to be disappointed: and though the confpiracy had fucceeded against Cæfar, yet it drew after it a train of confequences, which, in little more than a year, ended in the deftruction not only of the commonwealth, but of even Cicero himself. The confpirators had formed no fcheme beyond the death of Cæfar; but feemed to be as much surprised and amazed at what they had done, as the rest of the city was. Their irrefolution and delays therefore gave Antony leifure to recollect himfelf, and to propofe and carry many things on the pretence of public concord, of which he afterwards made a moft pernicious ufe; amongst the chief of which may be reckoned a decree for the confirmation of all Cæfar's acts, and

for

for the allowance of a public funeral to Cæfar, from which he took the opportunity of inflaming the foldiers and the populace to the difadvantage of the republican caufe; and he fucceeded in it fo well, that Brutus and Caffius had then no fmall difficulty to defend their lives and houfes from the violence of his mob, and, with the rest of the confpirators, were foon after obliged to quit Rome. Cicero alfo left Rome foon after Brutus and Caffius, not a little mortified to fee things take fo wrong a turn by the indolence of his friends. In this retreat he had a mind to make an excurfion to Greece, and pay a visit to his fon, whom he had fent about a year before to Athens, to study under the philofophers of that place, and particularly under Cratippus, the chief of the peripatetic fect. In the mean time he had frequent meetings and conferences with his old friends of the oppofite party, the late minifters of Cafar's power; among whom were Hirtius Panfa, &c. There were feveral reafons which made it neceffary to these men to court Cicero at this time as much as ever. For if the republic happened to recover itself, he was of all men the most capable to protect them on that fide: if not, the most able to affist them against Antony, whofe defigns and fuccefs they dreaded ftill more; and, if they must have a new mafter, they were difpofed, for the fake of Cæfar, to prefer his heir and nephew Octavius. For this new actor was now appearing upon the ftage; and though hitherto but little confidered, foon made the first figure upon it, and drew all people's eyes towards him. He had been fent a few months before to Apollonia, there to wait for his uncle on his way to the parthian war, in which he was to attend him but the news of Cæfar's death foon brought him back to Italy, to try what fortunes he could carve for himself, by the credit of his new name, and the help of his uncle's friends. Hirtius and Panfa were with Cicero at this time; and they prefented Octavius to him, immediately upon his arrival, with the strongest profeffions on the part of the young man, that he would be governed entirely by his direction. Indeed Cicero thought it neceflary to cherifh and encourage Octavius, if for nothing else, yet to keep him at a distance from Antony: but could not yet be perfuaded to enter heartily into his affairs. He fufpected his youth and want of experience; and that he had not ftrength enough to deal with Antony; and above all, that he had no good difpofition towards the confpirators. He thought it impoffible, he fhould ever be a friend to them; and was perfuaded rather, that if ever he got the upper hand, his uncle's acts would be more violently enforced, and his death more cruelly revenged, than by Antony himself. And when Cicero did confent at laft to unite himself to Octayius's interefts, it was with no other view, but to arm

him with a power fufficient to opprefs Antony, yet fo checked and limited, that he fhould not be able to opprefs the republic.

In the hurry of these politics, he was profecuting his ftudies ftill with his ufual application; and befides fome philofophical pieces, now finished his book of offices, or the duties of man, for the ufe of his fon : a work admired by all fucceeding ages, as the most perfect fyftem of heathen morality, and the nobleft effort and fpecimen of what reafon could do towards guiding man through life with innocence and happiness. However, he paid a conftant attention to public affairs; miffed no opportunities, but did every thing that human prudence could do for the recovery of the republic: for all that vigour with which it was making this laft effort for itself, was entirely owing to his councils and authority. This appears from thofe memorable Philippics, which from time to time he published against Antony, as well as from other monuments of antiquity. But all was in vain for though Antony's army was entirely defeated at the fiege of Modena, which made many people imagine that the war was at an end, and the liberty of Rome established; yet the death of the confuls Panfa and Hirtius in that action, gave the fatal blow to all Cicero's fchemes, and was the immediate cause of the ruin of the republic. Octavius grew more and more intractable, being perfuaded they owed their fafety to him; and every thing daily confpired to bring about that dreadful union of him with Lepidus and Antony, which was formed fo foon after. Cicero had applied indeed to Brutus and Caffius over and over again, to come with their armies to Italy, as the only means of faving the republic: but, after all his repeated applications, neither of them feemed to have entertained the leaft thought of it. Yet notwithstanding the pains that he was taking, and the glorious ftruggle he was making in the fupport of expiring liberty, Brutus, who was naturally peevish and querulous, being particularly chagrined by the unhappy turn of affairs in Italy; and judging of councils by events, was difpofed at laft to throw all the blame upon him. He charged him chiefly, that by a profufion of honours on young Cæfar, he had infpired him with an ambition incompatible with the fafety of the republic, and armed him with that power which he was now employing to opprefs it: whereas the truth is, that by these honours Cicero did not intend to give Cæfar any new power, but to apply that which he had acquired by his own vigour to the public fervice and the ruin of Antony; in which he fucceeded even beyond expectation; and would certainly have gained his end, had he not been prevented by accidents which could not be foreseen. For it is evident from many facts, that he was always jealous of Cæfar; and inftead of increafing

creafing, was contriving fome check to his authority; till, by the death of the confuls, he flipped out of his hands, and became too ftrong to be managed by him any longer.

Octavius had no fooner fettled the affairs of the city, and fubdued the fenate to his mind, than he marched back towards Gaul to meet Antony and Lepidus; who had already paffed the Alps, and brought their armies into Italy, in order to have a perfonal interview with him; which had been privately concerted for fettling the terms of a triple league, and dividing the power and provinces of the empire amongst themselves. The place appointed for this interview, was a small ifland about two miles from Bononia, formed by the river Rhenus, which runs near to that city. Here they met, and spent three days in a close conference, to adjust the plan of their accommodation: the fubftance of which was, that the three should be invested jointly with fupreme power for the term of five years, with the title of triumvirs, for fettling the state of the republic; that they fhould act in all cafes by common confent; nominate the magistrates and governors both at home and abroad; and determine all affairs relating to the public by their fole will and pleasure, &c. The laft thing which they adjusted was, the lift of a profcription, which they were determined to make of their enemies. This, as the writers tell us, occafioned much difficulty and warm contefts among them; till each in his turn confented to facrifice fome of his best friends to the revenge and refeutment of his colleagues, The whole lift is faid to have confifted of 300 fenators and 2000 knights; all doomed to die for a crime the most unpardonable to tyrants, their adherence to the cause of liberty. They referved the publication of the general lift to their arrival at Rome; excepting only a few of the moft obnoxious, the heads of the republican party, about 17 in all; the chief of whom was Cicero: for Cicero's death was the natural effect of their union, and a neceffary facrifice to the common interest of the three. Those who met to deftroy liberty, must come determined to deftroy him, fince his authority was too great to be fuffered in an enemy; and experience had fhewn, that nothing could make him a friend to the oppreffors of his country.

Cicero was at his tufculan villa when he first received the news of the profcription, and of his being included in it. It was the defign of the triumvirate to keep it a fecret, if poffible, to the moment of execution; in order to furprise those whom they had deftined to deftruction, before they were aware of the danger, or had time to escape. But fome of Cicero's friends found means to give him early notice of it; upon which he fet forward prefently towards Afturia, the

nearest

ncareft village which he had upon the fea; where he embarked in a veffel ready for him, with intent to transport himself directly out of the reach of his enemies. But the winds being crofs and turbulent, and the fea wholly uneafy to him, after he had failed about two leagues along the coaft, he landed at Circum, and spent a night near that place in great anxiety and irrefolution. The queftion was, what courfe he should teer; and whether he fhould fly to Brutus or Caffius, or to S. Pompeius: but after all his deliberations, none of them, it is faid, pleafed him fo much as the expedient of dying. So that, as Plutarch fays, he had fome thoughts of returning to the city, and killing himfelf in Cæfar's houfe, in order to leave the guilt and curfe of his blood upon Cæfar's perfidy and ingratitude. But the importunity of his fervants prevailed with him to fail forwards to Cajeta; where he went again on fhore, to repofe himself in his formian villa, about a mile from the coaft, weary of his life and the fea; and declaring he would die in that country which he had fo often faved. Here he slept foundly for feveral hours; though, as fome writers tell us, a great number of crows were fluttering all the while, and making a ftrange noife about his windows, as if to rouse and warn him of the approaching fate; and that one of them made its way into the chamber, and pulled away his very bed clothes; till his flaves, admonished by this prodigy, and afhamed to fee brute creatures more follicitous for his fafety than themfelves, forced him into his litter or portable chair, and carried him away towards the fhip, through the private ways and walks of his woods; having just heard, that foldiers were already come into the country, in queft of him, and not far from the villa. As foon as they were gone, the folliers arrived at the house; and perceiving him to be fled, purfued immediately towards the fea, and overtook him in the wood. Their leader was one Popilius Lenas, a tribune or colonel of the army, whom Cicero had formerly defended and preferved in a capital caufe. As foon as the foldiers appeared, the fervants prepared themselves to fight, being refolved to defend their master's life at the hazard of their own; but Cicero commanded them to fet him down, and to make no refiftance. Then looking upon his executioners with great prefence and firmnefs, and thrufting his neck as forwardly as he could out of the litter, he bade them do their work, and take what they wanted. Upon which they cut off his head, and both his hands, and returned with themt in all hafte and great joy towards Rome, as the most agreeable prefent which they could carry to Antony. Popilius charged himfelf with the conveyance, without reflecting on the infamy of carrying that head which had faved his own. He found Antony in the forum, furrounded with guards and crowds of people;

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