Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . athis feet, writhing in the agony of death. It is said that Caesar received three-and-twentywoimds, and that many of his murderers were woundedby their fellows as they crowded around their victimand aimed their blows at him. Thus died Csesar at the age of fifty-six, having sur-vived his rival Pompey not much more than four spirit which had attended Csesar throughout hislife followed him even after death, and as his avengerpursued and hunted his assassins across sea and landtill there was not one left of all th
Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . athis feet, writhing in the agony of death. It is said that Caesar received three-and-twentywoimds, and that many of his murderers were woundedby their fellows as they crowded around their victimand aimed their blows at him. Thus died Csesar at the age of fifty-six, having sur-vived his rival Pompey not much more than four spirit which had attended Csesar throughout hislife followed him even after death, and as his avengerpursued and hunted his assassins across sea and landtill there was not one left of all those who had eithershed the blood of Caesar or consented to his death. Signs from heaven marked his death. A great 322 PLUTARCHS LIVES comet blazed in the skies for seven nights after hismurder, and then disappeared. The sims lustre fadedand its orb looked pale all that year; it rose withoutits usual radiance and did not give forth its usual air was dark and heavy by reason of the feeblenessof the sun, and the fruits withered and fell half-ripenedfrom the THE MUKDKR OF CiESAK. BRUTUS Plutarch evidently regarded Brutus with especial admiration,and would scarcely admit any flaw in the character or conductof his hero. It is probably through his influence that Brutushas long been regarded by many as the very embodiment ofpatriotism. It is no doubt true that Brutus regarded the murder of Caesaras an act of political justice and necessity, and it would cer-tainly not be right to judge his action entirely by the standardof our times, in which political murder is looked upon withabhorrence. But, even if it be allowed that murder for politicalpurposes can sometimes be justified, it is impossible to acquitBrutus of base ingratitude in sharing in the murder of the manwho had pardoned him when an enemy, and who had loadedhim with favours and honours as a friend. The character ofBrutus in this respect gains a lustre, not its by right, becausehis motives, though misguided, we
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