The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-03-11
JULIUS CESAR.

power and dominion, without any re.
deeming quality that would veneer the
baser qualities of human nature that
after his immense conquests that cos,
the price of blood and treasure and
the enslavement, Imprisonment and
desolatlon of great cities and national.
tiles, that his mind was still ut unrest
and that he sought the absolute and
unqualified dominion of Rome and all
its conquered provinces, its dominion,
power. and unmeasured wealth, that
he sought crown, and would convert
Rome into a kingdom and rule it him.
self; that he was slaughtered at the
foot of Pompey's pillar in the new Sen
ate House that Pompey had erected
for the benefit of Rome that many of
the consprators were his warm per
sonal friends, but they could not toler-
ate his desperate and remorseless am
bltion, not that they loved Cesar less
but Rome more" This quotation from
his friend, Brutus, who helped slay him,
has much in it OF an alleviating charac-
ter If Cesar had been, as many sup
pose, remorseless tyrant, would Bru.
tus have used this language toward
hlm' Nay, verify, and who was this
Brutus? He had been in the service
OF Pompey against Caesar. He was
among the prisoners taken BY Caesar
after the battle of Pharsalia where Pom
pey ended his great military career,
fled to Egypt and was beheaded. In
stead OF Cesar executing him as trail
tor, he spared his life and crowned it
with honors; received him into his own
service, gave him the government OF
the richest province and after his re-
turn from it, loaded with wealth and
honors. Cesar made Brutus praetor
OF the city of Rome. He had done
about everything to make Brutus a
trustworthy and devoted friend, and
yet this man Brutus, was one of the
conspirators.
No wonder Cesar exclaimed in his
dying moments, "and thou too, Brutus,"
and then sank in death at the foot of
Pompeys pillar-the Pompey he had
SO signally conquered. Out of the
twenty-three wounds, only one was a
mortal one, that showed with what re-
luctance they sought to kill Caesar, and
how each conspirator sought to avoid
making the mortal one and yet carry
out each one, the compact seemingly
of the murder of Cesar. We are told
the horses, with which Caesar had
passed the Rubicon, living in honor
able retirement in a splendid park
which Caesar had provided, by some
mysterious instinct, had warning of their
great benefactor's end and refused their
food and walked about with melan-
choly and detected looks. His wife,
Calpurnica knew there was trouble
ahead, yet 1t did not prevent Caesar
from going to the Senate Hou,e on
the fatal "ldes of March" 44B.C.
The people preferred a Caesar to
Senate to govern them. 1t was jeal-
ousy and envy that killed Caesar, and
the conspirators, after the murder, had
hard work to keep themselves safe
from the fury Of the Roman people.
They fled in dismay and sheltered
themselves as best they could and many
of them afraid to venture to their
homes, and hid among friends.
Now unfolds the true nature of Ca
sar. His will was read by his friend,
Anthony, to the public. Its provisions
were of such character as to renew
feelings of sympathy for the fate of
Cesar and realization of the peoples
loss in his taking off. His vas, estate
was divided chiefly among the children
of his sister = no children of his own -
while the very men who had been most
prominent in his assassination, were
named as trustees and guardians of
his property; and one of them, Deci-
mus Brutus, the one who had been so
urgent to conduct him to the Senate
House on that fatal day, was a second
heir! We are not done with Caesar,
even after they cremated him on the
field of Mars, and after the conspira-
tors to mollify the people made grand
pageantry OF MS funeral.
Read what Marc Anthony says of
Caesar in his short funeral orations,
that he was worthy man. good man.
All honors, human and divine had
been ascribed to Cesar by the DEGREES
of the Senate and were read at his
iuneral. The fire at his cremation was
extensive. The people lighted torches
BY the fire and went to the houses Of
Brutus and Cassius, threatening ven
geance upon them for the murder Of
Caesar. The Roman people erected
a column to the memory of Caesar on
which they placed the inscription; "To
the Father of his Country" They
killed CHINA, thinking it was the Cin-
ma, who helped kill the Caesar
Cesar had made great plans to EN-
hallIch II nypa mora cr,nll,, th,n ch