Julius Caesar Read Online Free PDF Page B

you, Lucilius,’ Brutus said quietly, drawing the messenger away from the guards. ‘Now tell me honestly, how did Cassius treat you?’
    â€˜Well enough,’ said Lucilius. ‘But he wasn’t as friendly as he used to be.’
    â€˜Ah, I thought so,’ said Brutus. ‘His feelings towards me are cooling.’
    Just then they heard the sound of horses and men marching, their armour and weapons chinking. Cassius rode up and dismounted, his recruits behind him.
    â€˜I bid you welcome, Cassius!’ said Brutus, raising a hand in greeting.
    â€˜Most noble brother, you have done mewrong!’ Cassius shouted. He stamped right up to Brutus and stood before him, a scowl on his beaky Roman face.
    â€˜But I don’t understand…’ murmured Brutus, confused. Cassius opened his mouth to say something else, but Brutus stopped him before he could get going. ‘Keep your voice down,’ he whispered. ‘We really shouldn’t argue in front of the men. Come into my tent and tell me what’s upset you so much.’
    Cassius agreed to do as Brutus asked, but it was clear he was very angry. The tent was plainly furnished – it contained a couch for Brutus to sleep on, a chest for his clothes, a stand for his armour, a table covered in lists and maps. The two men stood facing each other. ‘You condemned one of my men, Lucius Pella, for supposedly taking bribes,’ Cassius snarled. ‘And then you simply chose to ignore my letter to you saying that you should let him off.’
    â€˜You should never have written it,’ snapped Brutus. ‘He was guilty and that’s all there is toit. But then it seems you’ve been taking a few bribes yourself.’
    â€˜How … how dare you!’ spluttered Cassius, his face red. ‘If anyone else had accused me of such a thing, those would be the last words they ever spoke!’
    â€˜You should be ashamed of yourself,’ said Brutus. ‘Don’t you remember why we acted as we did on the Ides of March? We killed Caesar for the sake of a just cause, for the good of Rome. Are we going to contaminate ourselves now with bribes? I’d rather be a dog and howl at the moon than be a wretch like that.’
    â€˜Take care, Brutus!’ Cassius yelled in the other man’s face, spit flying from his lips. ‘You don’t want to make me do something I’ll regret, do you?’
    â€˜You’ve already done things you should be sorry for, Cassius,’ hissed Brutus, not giving any ground. ‘And you don’t frighten me, however much you yell. It’s all a lot of hot air. And what about that gold I asked you for?Unlike you, I’m not willing to extract money from the local peasants by force, but I still have to pay my legions. I wrote to you for help, and you turned me down!’
    They wrangled on, shouting and yelling, giving vent to their frustration and worries, until finally Cassius sank onto the couch in despair. ‘I wish Antony and Octavius were here to take their revenge on me now,’ he moaned, holding his head in his hands. ‘I’m tired of this world, of being told what to do and having my faults thrown in my face.’ He pulled a dagger from a scabbard on his belt and held the hilt out to Brutus. ‘Kill me as you did Caesar,’ he moaned. ‘For even when you hated him, you loved him better than you have loved me…’
    â€˜Put your dagger away, Cassius,’ said Brutus, shaking his head and sighing. ‘Your anger always goes as quickly as it comes. I was wrong to argue, too.’
    Cassius stood up and they hugged, slapping each other’s backs. One of the guards lookedin through the flap and nervously asked if they were all right.
    â€˜We’re fine,’ Brutus said. ‘Have some wine brought in, and ask Messala to come and see us, will you?’ The guard nodded and let the tent flap fall again. But now it was