Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans
Englished by Sir Thomas North. Trans. Sir Thomas North. Vol. 6 (1579; London: David Nutt, 1896) 228.

LIVES OF THE NOBLE 
 
MARCUS    shoulde kill them. But for the freemen, he sent them freely 
BRUTUS    home, and said, that they were better prisoners with his 
    enemies, then with him. For with them, they were slaves 
    and servauntes: and with him, they were free men, and 
    citizens. So when he saw that divers Captaines and his 
    frendes did so cruelly hate some, that they would by no 
Brutus    meanes save their lives: Brutus him selfe hid them, and 
clemency and    secretlie sent them away. Among these prisoners, there was 
curtesie.    one Volumnius a jeaster, and Sacculio a common player, of 
    whom Brutus made no accompt at all. Howbeit his frends 
    brought them unto him, and did accuse them, that though 
    they were prisoners, they did not let to laugh them to 
    scorne, and to jeast broadly with them. Brutus made no 
    aunswere to it, bicause his heade was occupied otherwayes. 
    Whereupon, Messala Corvinus sayd: that it were good to 
    whippe them on a skaffold, and then to sende them naked, well 
    whipped, unto the Captaines of their enemies, to shewe them 
    their shame, to keepe suche mates as those in their campe, 
    to play the fooles, to make them sport. Some that stoode by, 
    laughed at his devise. But Publius Casca, that gave Iulius 
    Caesar the first wounde when he was slaine, sayd then: It 
    doth not become us to be thus merie at Cassius funeralls: and 
    for thee, Brutus, thou shalt showe what estimacion thou 
    madest of suche a Captaine thy compere, by putting to 
    death, or saving the lives of these bloodes, who hereafter 
    will mocke him, and defame his memorie. Brutus aunswered 
    againe in choller: Why then doe you come to tell me of it, 
    Casca, and doe not your selves what you thinke good? 
    When they hearde him say so, they tooke his aunswere for 
    a consent against these poore unfortunate men, to suffer 
    them to doe what they thought good: and therefore they 
    caried them away, and slue them. Afterwards Brutus per- 
    formed the promise he had made to the souldiers, and gave 
    them the two thowsand Drachmas a peece, but yet he first 
    reproved them, bicause they went and gave charge upon the 
    enemies at the first battell, before they had the word of 
    battell geven them: and made them a new promise also, that 
    if in the second battell they fought like men, he would geve 
    them the sacke and spoyle of two cities, to wit, Thessalonica, 
        228