Chapter 30: The Prophet and the Banquet I

"As a general, prudence is more important than bravery." - Augustus

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At this time, there was another exclamation in the square, and the crowd gathered more and more, and word of mouth spread, and many old nobles and nobles first went to Aetius's house after hearing this explosive news, and then the judicial officer, after learning that Antony actually presented Caesar with a crown on the Feast of Wolves, said very indignantly: "This must be a trick by Caesar and Antony to collude privately and deceive the people." ”

"Shall we now go en masse and observe Caesar's choice?" Casca asked.

Si Pinzel, who was next to him, raised his hand and said no, which would make Caesar wary of us, and then he said to Aetius, "Call two small characters, go and find out where the wind is going." ”

The two minor characters were the tribune Flavius and Marulas, who, after receiving the order, hurried to the square, where Antony was presenting the crown of golden laurel leaves for the second time, and shouted, "You are the great Julius. Caesar, you have drained the filthy swamps of Quinta so that diseases and pestilences will no longer plague the city of Rome, you are ready to open up the isthmus of Corinth, you will tear down all the reefs of Ostiah, your sword will soon pierce the royal capital of Parthia, and the Roman army will enter the city of Seleucia. Don't you deserve such a high honor? ”

As soon as Anthony's words fell, the two tribunes shouted the slogan "I am against" and entered the crowd, and most of the people covered their faces with their hands and let out dissatisfied moans and sighs.

So Caesar remained silent. He rejected the crown again. He said, "In front of the tribune." I will never accept this crown, which will bring terrible bad luck to my country and to me personally, though it is ostensibly made of gold, but in reality it is a blood-stained thorn. Then, he looked condescendingly at the two tribunes who had just shouted the slogan, and asked aloud in public, "Report your name, two tribunes!" When Flavius and Marulas said their names, Caesar rose from his throne. "Antony," cried out, "I now ask of you, with a hundred and twenty thousand severity, to hang this crown on the pillars on the other side of the square, and then to engrave the date on the pedestal under the supervision of the tribune, and to say that Julius has rejected the gift of the crown twice, and that he does not want to be king!" That's right, carve the words into the stone as a permanent warning. ”

At this time, the people erupted in heartfelt cheers. They were all shouting Long Live Caesar, countless hands waving. At this moment Brutus also came, and he gathered in the crowd to inquire about what had just happened, and at this moment a man in the form of a priest in a black cloak climbed up to the statue and shouted to Caesar, "Julius, Julius, I am a prophet from Tuscany, and I have something very important to tell you!" ”

Because the crowd was so loud that he shouted several times, Caesar noticed him, and begged everyone to be quiet, that he might hear what the prophet had to tell him.

"Keep an eye out for March 15th, you may not survive the moment when the expedition leaves the city." The prophet said.

As a result, Caesar was expressionless, and he replied, "My friend, you are dreaming. Then he was about to step down from the throne and the high platform, and as he was about to take his wife's arm, the prophet shouted again, "Watch out for March 15, when comets will fly over the squares and synagogues, and you will fall under the sword of your enemies, and you will fall in a pool of blood, and your legs and feet will be lame!" ”

"Pull him away, bastard, babbling bastard!" Just as Brutus was surprised, on the other side of the crowd, Cassiyo suddenly appeared, commanded a group of armed slaves, and pulled the prophet down, "Put him in a dungeon, and see if he has predicted any bad luck for today." ”

"No, Cassillo, let him go, you're too excited and nervous. Under my rule, nonsense without bad intentions is perfectly acceptable. After Caesar finished speaking, he continued to prepare to step down the high platform.

"Your Excellency, I am depressed about your thoughtfulness." Cassiyo flattered offstage.

Caesar smiled and nodded at him, and then whispered to Anthony beside him, "Watch out for this guy named Cassillo, he doesn't like games, he doesn't like to gamble, he doesn't like to read, he doesn't like music, he thinks of horror when he sees me or anyone standing taller than him." Anthony, don't let this pale, skinny, damp-eyed guy continue to follow me. ”

"Yes, yes." Anthony replied with a very sunny look on his face.

Then there was a great commotion in the crowd, and some of them climbed up to the high pillar, took the crown off, and then ran before Caesar, and fell at his feet, and raised the crown again, and begged Caesar to put it on his head for the third time.

"Enough!" The two tribunes were furious, so they called Hu Cong to arrest the few people who took the lead, and the people were noisy, but more people appreciated the actions of the tribunes.

But then Caesar suddenly became angry, and he asked Flavius and Marulas, "Why do you say that these men are being arrested?" ”

"Your Excellency, Honorable Dictator, don't you see that they have prodded you to be king three times." Flavius replied.

"What I saw was that after you two appeared, they pulled me to put on the crown for the third time, isn't it a conspiracy by you two to imbue me with the crime of restoring royal power?" Caesar said angrily, then added, "You two have been removed from office, and expelled from the Senate, and disqualified from assembling in the synagogue. Maluras then protested loudly in public that Caesar had no power to remove them from his office and that his personal safety could not be arbitrarily deprived.

"Then I'll change your name, Flavius you are now called Bruti, and Marulas you are now Kumi, you two are like those two uncivilized tribes, one stupid and the other stupid. Now get out of the way, don't tarnish my sight, I don't guard against anyone, for it is unfortunate for a head of state to be on guard forever, but that doesn't mean I won't be angry and punish the vile. Bruti and Kumi, even tribunes, are not allowed to use veto power against dictators. And when Caesar had said that, he left a word, that the judge should judge them, and he was about to depart.

But in the midst of the quarrel, Caesar's mouth suddenly foamed at the corners, and in the exclamation of Corpunia, he could not stand firm, and rolled down the steps of the high platform, and Antony, Brutus, Cassiillo and others rushed up and helped him up, and then his wife cried and shouted that his purple robe covered him, and the people exploded, and many of them even climbed onto their arcades and terraces to watch the dictator's seizures.

Caesar made a beastly sound, he rolled his eyes, Anthony shoved the cork into his mouth, and tore open his robe, and after a long period of violent swinging and convulsions, Caesar finally came to his senses, and then he said, "I didn't say anything nonsense, did I?" (To be continued......)