| GRECIANS AND ROMANS | |
| | |
| our hands, not with our feete. Then taking every man by | MARCUS |
| the hand, he sayd these words unto them with a cheerefull | BRUTUS |
| countenance: It rejoyceth my hart that not one of my | |
| frends hath failed me at my neede, and I do not complaine | |
| of my fortune, but only for my contries sake: for, as for me, | |
| I thinke my selfe happier than they that have overcome, | |
| considering that I leave a perpetuall fame of our corage and | |
| manhoode, the which our enemies the conquerors shall never | |
| attaine unto by force nor money, neither can let* their pos- | |
| teritie to say, that they being naughtie and unjust men, | |
| have slaine good men, to usurpe tyrannical power not per- | |
| taining to them. Having sayd so, he prayed everie man | |
| to shift for them selves, and then he went a litle aside with | |
| two or three only, among the which Strato was one, with | |
| whom he came first acquainted by the studie of Rethoricke. | |
| He came as neere to him as he coulde, and taking his sword | |
| by the hilts with both his hands, and falling downe upon | Brutus slue |
| the poynt of it, ran him selfe through. Others say, that not | him selfe. |
| he, but Strato (at his request) held the sword in his hand, | |
| and turned his head aside, and that Brutus fell downe upon | Strato, |
| it: and so ranne him selfe through, and dyed presently. | Brutus |
| Messala, that had bene Brutus great frend, became after- | familiar |
| wards Octavius Caesars frend. So, shortly after, Caesar being | and frend. |
| at good leasure, he brought Strato, Brutus frende unto him, | |
| and weeping sayd: Caesar, bebolde, here is he that did the | Strato |
| last service to my Brutus. Caesar welcomed him at that | received into |
| time, and afterwards he did him as faithfull service in all | Caesars frend- |
| his affaires, as any Graecian els he had about him, untill the | ship. |
| battell of Actium. It is reported also, that this Messala | |
| him selfe aunswered Caesar one day, when he gave him great | Messala |
| praise before his face, that he had fought valliantlie, and | Corvinus, |
| with great affection for him, at the battell of Actium: | Brutus frend. |
| (notwithstanding that he had bene his cruell enemy before, | |
| at the battell of Philippes, for Brutus sake) I ever loved, | |
| sayd be, to take the best and justest parte. Now, Antonius | |
| having found Brutus bodie, he caused it to be wrapped up | Brutus |
| in one of the richest cote armors he had. Afterwards also, | funeralls. |
| Antonius understanding that this cote armor was stollen, he | |
| put the theefe to death that had stollen it, and sent the | |
| 235 | |