He passed in front of the hulking guard acknowledging him with a slight nod of the head, which the guard did not return, and reached the kitchen safely. Even here the atmosphere seemed rather tense, although he couldn’t have said why. He imagined that the openly worried demeanour of the master of the house had become contagious, influencing other members of the family as well.
After dinner he bade the others a good evening and retired to his quarters, exhausted after a day so full of work and emotions. But it wasn’t over yet.
A short time later he heard knocking at the back door and a number of people entered, one or two at a time, in the space of less than an hour. Cassius was the last man to join the others; his sharp voice was unmistakable in the silence of the evening.
The young slave who had brought him the scroll came up to his room with a tray full of freshly baked cakes. This was clearly a pretext, for as soon as he had placed the tray on a little table, he turned to Artemidorus and said in a whisper, ‘The master has been asking me strange questions.’
‘What kind of questions?’ asked Artemidorus, with a feeling of dread.
‘About you. He said that if I had anything interesting to tell him, he would be most grateful.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘Nothing,’ said the boy softly. ‘I said I had nothing to tell him. I have to go now.’
‘No, wait. What will you do if he insists? If he puts pressure on you, threatens you. .’
‘You don’t understand. I have to go. A lot of people have just arrived. No one will notice me. I’ll be back later,’ he murmured, then, without waiting for an answer, he went back downstairs.
Meetings were usually held in Brutus’s study and this one was no exception. There was a broom closet next door which was accessible from the pantry, such a tight space that only a single person could enter. The boy slipped in and put his ear to the wall.
About fifteen men had gathered in Brutus’s study, including Tillius Cimber, Pontius Aquila, Cassius Parmensis, Petronius, Rubrius Ruga, Publius and Caius Servilius Casca and Cassius Longinus, as well as others among the main supporters of the conspiracy. Quintus Ligarius had sent word that he wasn’t feeling well but was awaiting instructions. Caesar’s closest friends, like Decimus Brutus, and members of his general staff, like Caius Trebonius, were missing, since they were attending the meeting Caesar had called for that same evening.
Cassius Longinus spoke first, describing the stages of the attack, which would take place during the senatorial session on the Ides of March.
Since work was still being done on the Curia in the Forum, the Senate would be meeting at Pompey’s Curia in the Campus Martius. Their first task would be to isolate Caesar from the rest of the senators and from any friends who might attempt to interfere, Antony, above all.
‘I still feel that the best option would be to kill him,’ he said impassively. ‘But I know that Brutus does not agree with me.’
Brutus, having been singled out like this, spoke up at once. ‘We’ve already discussed this and I’ve said what I think. We are killing Caesar to save the republic and that gives us the right to do so, but if we kill Antony, we are simply committing a crime. A murder.’
‘Murder’ was the first word the slave heard as he slipped into the broom closet and it made him shiver.
Cassius found Brutus’s idealism unsettling, but tried to make him see reason: ‘When safeguarding the state means taking up arms, it is evident that the violence will have to extend to those who protect the tyrant. It’s the price that must be paid to recover the freedom of the Senate and the people of Rome. Antony cannot be held innocent. He has never strayed from Caesar’s side and has reaped all possible benefits.’
‘So have we reaped all possible benefits,’ replied Brutus wryly.
A moment of heavy silence followed, during which Cassius realized that involving Brutus in the conspiracy had been rash. His fanaticism was a double-edged sword. It was becoming more and more difficult to control him.
‘And it must be said that Antony has never sought to endanger the legitimacy of the state,’ Brutus continued, ‘or its institutions.’
‘That can’t be assumed,’ protested Cassius. ‘If he has designs on the state, he certainly wouldn’t come running to tell us about them.’
‘There’s more,’ Brutus said. ‘All of you know that Caius Trebonius asked Antony to join with him and the others in Gaul, after they’d learned of the unhappy outcome of the Battle of Munda. He refused, but he kept that request secret. He was respectful of the choices of others and did not report anyone. Many of you owe him your lives. Trebonius will take care of Antony. He knows what to do.’
‘I hope we shall not regret this. The responsibility you assume in taking this decision is enormous,’ was Cassius’s response.
Brutus dropped his head without saying a word.
‘Now let me continue,’ Cassius said. ‘There have been various signs that lead us to believe that someone is aware of our plan, or is getting dangerously close to the truth.’
The men looked at each other in dismay.
Cassius went on in his flat voice, ‘For this reason it is vital that we are ready to face any turn of events. We mean to prepare an ambush, but we may be falling into a trap instead.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Petronius. ‘Speak clearly.’
‘We are men of moral strength and of noble lineage. We hold important military and political offices. We have enjoyed important privileges and, when necessary, have run great risks to defend our ideas. We are ready. What I am about to propose may seem terrible, but I feel it represents an honourable, necessary pact.’
‘Speak,’ said Brutus.
The others nodded.
‘If our plan is uncovered while we are inside the Senate hall, there will be no way out for us.’
‘No,’ agreed Pontius Aquila. ‘There will be no escape.’
‘Well, then?’ demanded Rubrius Ruga.
‘Well, then, each one of us will have a dagger and I propose that we use them to kill each other rather than fall into the hands of the tyrant, rather than humiliate ourselves at his feet, rather than accept his loathsome pardon. We have done so once and the burning brand still stings, still marks us as if we were runaway slaves. My proposal is that each one of us should choose a companion, a friend, with whom to exchange this pact of blood. One will kill the other. We will all fall together and our lifeless bodies will be the symbol of our supreme sacrifice, made in the name of freedom.’
The murmuring that had met his proposal died down all at once and a profound silence fell over the room. The slave boy hiding in the closet held his breath so as not to be heard. If he so much as bumped into anything he would immediately be discovered and his life would not be worth living.
Cassius looked around, staring each of the conspirators directly in the eyes. He concluded, ‘If any of you don’t feel you can go ahead with this, you are free to leave. As long as you do so in time. No one will blame you and you will have nothing to fear from the rest of us. I’m certain none of us would ever betray another. I’m asking you to perform an act of heroism, but no one is obliged to make such an arduous choice. I’ll say this again: if there is anyone who’s not up to it, leave now.’
No one moved. Some because they believed that what Cassius proposed would be a fitting end for those who failed in an undertaking of this sort. Others because they feared what would happen if they were taken prisoner; death would be a liberation rather than suffering such pain. Others still because they thought it would never come to that, so sure were they that their plan would succeed. Even they preferred the risk of a disagreeable death to the shame of abandoning their companions and being branded as cowards.
After waiting long enough to allow anyone who so wished to desert the cause, and seeing that no one had decided to leave, Cassius took the initiative and walked towards Brutus.
He stopped directly in front of him and held out his dagger. ‘I choose you, Marcus Junius Brutus, to aid me in my journey to the hereafter.’
Brutus reciprocated by handing Cassius his own dagger. ‘I hope that fortune will assist us in our enterprise, but if fate decrees otherwise, I will do what is asked of me. I am sure that Cassius Longinus will be an excellent travelling companion.’
Fascinated and swayed by such a powerful example, the other conspirators, one after another, exchanged daggers with the man each considered his best and most trusted friend.
