Make your own courage your favorable omen.' He convinced Caesar with these words, took him by the right hand, and led him to the Senate which was quite near. He glanced at his friends, but Brutus approached him again and said, 'Come, good sir, pay no attention to the babblings of these men, and do not postpone what Caesar and his mighty power has seen fit to arrange. But some attendants came up, calling him and saying that the Senate was full. Those of the murderers present were delighted at all this, though Caesar's friends asked him to put off the meeting of the Senate for that day because of what the priests had said, and he agreed to do this. Priests continued all the more with their efforts. Caesar was annoyed and abandoned divination till sunset, though the

In the end they said that they could not clearly see theĭivine intent, for there was some transparent, malignant spirit hidden in the Other ones, to see if anything more propitious might appear than what had alreadyīeen revealed to them. After this unsuccessful sacrifice, the priests made repeated Up the victims for him to make what was to be his last sacrifice. 'Before he entered the chamber, the priests brought The Senate has been in session waiting for you since early this morning.' This swayed Caesar and he left.' But Brutus, one of the conspirators who was then thought of as a firm friend, came up and said, 'What is this, Caesar? Are you a man to pay attention to a woman's dreams and the idle gossip of stupid men, and to insult the Senate by not going out, although it has honored you and has been specially summoned by you? But listen to me, cast aside the forebodings of all these people, and come. His wife, Calpurnia, especially, who was frightened by some visions in her dreams, clung to him and said that she would not let him go out that day. '.his friends were alarmed at certain rumors and tried to stop him going to the Senate-house, as did his doctors, for he was suffering from one of his occasional dizzy spells. This plan won the day.'īrutus Persuades Caesar to Ignore his Apprehensions: But the majority opinion favored killing him while he sat in the Senate, where he would be by himself since non-Senators would not be admitted, and where the many conspirators could hide their daggers beneath their togas. The advantage of that would be that, because of the show, no suspicion would be aroused if arms were seen prepared for the attempt. A third plan was to wait for a coming gladiatorial show. Another idea was for it to be done at the elections during which he bad to cross a bridge to appoint the magistrates in the Campus Martius they should draw lots for some to push him from the bridge and for others to run up and kill him. Some suggested that they should make the attempt as he was going along the Sacred Way, which was one of his favorite walks. There were many discussions and proposals, as might be expected, while they investigated how and where to execute their design. 'The conspirators never met openly, but they assembled a few at a time in each others' homes. He was a friend of Herod the Great and gathered his information during a visit to Rome. He was not actually present when the assassination occurred but had the opportunity to speak with those who were. Nicolaus of Damascus wrote his account of the murder of Caesar a few years after the event.

Sixty members of the Senate concluded that the only resolution to the problem was to assassinate Caesar. This act, along with his continual effort to adorn himself with the trappings of power, turned many in the Senate against him. Caesar defeated his remaining rivals in North Africa in 47 BC and returned to Rome with his authority firmly established.Ĭaesar continued to consolidate his power and in February 44 BC, he declared himself dictator for life. Region, Caesar established Cleopatra as his surrogate ruler of Egypt. Following Pompey to Egypt, Caesar was presented with his rival's severed head as a token of friendship. Although outnumbered, Caesar crushed the forces of his enemy but not before Pompey escaped to Egypt. Within three months CaesarĬontrolled the entire Italian peninsula and in Spain had defeated the legionsĬaesar now pursued Pompey to Greece. In January of 49 BC, Julius Caesar led his armyĪcross the Rubicon River in Northern Italy (see CaesarĬrosses the Rubicon, 49 BC) and plunged the Roman Republic

Julius caesar death