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[190]
And now Cherea was very uneasy that Caius's daughter and wife were
still alive, and that all his family did not perish with him, since whosoever
was left of them must be left for the ruin of the city and of the laws.
Moreover, in order to finish this matter with the utmost zeal, and in order
to satisfy his hatred of Caius, he sent Julius Lupus, one of the tribunes,
to kill Caius's wife and daughter. They proposed this office to Lupus as
to a kinsman of Clement, that he might be so far a partaker of this murder
of the tyrant, and might rejoice in the virtue of having assisted his fellow
citizens, and that he might appear to have been a partaker with those that
were first in their designs against him. Yet did this action appear to
some of the conspirators to be too cruel, as to this using such severity
to a woman, because Caius did more indulge his own ill-nature than use
her advice in all that he did; from which ill-nature it was that the city
was in so desperate a condition with the miseries that were brought on
it, and the flower of the city was destroyed. But others accused her of
giving her consent to these things; nay, they ascribed all that Caius had
done to her as the cause of it, and said she had given a potion to Caius,
which had made him obnoxious to her, and had tied him down to love her
by such evil methods; insomuch that she, having rendered him distracted,
was become the author of all the mischiefs that had befallen the Romans,
and that habitable world which was subject to them. So that at length it
was determined that she must die; nor could those of the contrary opinion
at all prevail to have her saved; and Lupus was sent accordingly. Nor was
there any delay made in executing what he went about, but he was subservient
to those that sent him on the first opportunity, as desirous to be no way
blameable in what might be done for the advantage of the people. So when
he was come into the palace, he found Cesonia, who was Caius's wife, lying
by her husband's dead body, which also lay down on the ground, and destitute
of all such things as the law allows to the dead, and all over herself
besmeared with the blood of her husband's wounds, and bewailing the great
affliction she was under, her daughter lying by her also; and nothing else
was heard in these her circumstances but her complaint of Caius, as if
he had not regarded what she had often told him of beforehand; which words
of hers were taken in a different sense even at that time, and are now
esteemed equally ambiguous by those that hear of them, and are still interpreted
according to the different inclinations of people. Now some said that the
words denoted that she had advised him to leave off his mad behavior and
his barbarous cruelty to the citizens, and to govern the public with moderation
and virtue, lest he should perish by the same way, upon their using him
as he had used them. But some said, that as certain words had passed concerning
the conspirators, she desired Caius to make no delay, but immediately to
put them all to death, and this whether they were guilty or not, and that
thereby he would be out of the fear of any danger; and that this was what
she reproached him for, when she advised him so to do, but he was too slow
and tender in the matter. And this was what Cesonia said, and what the
opinions of men were about it. But when she saw Lupus approach, she showed
him Caius's dead body, and persuaded him to come nearer, with lamentation
and tears; and as she perceived that Lupus was in disorder, and approached
her in order to execute some design disagreeable to himself, she was well
aware for what purpose he came, and stretched out her naked throat, and
that very cheerfully to him, bewailing her case, like one that utterly
despaired of her life, and bidding him not to boggle at finishing the tragedy
they had resolved upon relating to her. So she boldly received her death's
wound at the hand of Lupus, as did the daughter after her. So Lupus made
haste to inform Cherea of what he had done.
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