Cato spoke well, but could not be
reckoned among the eloquent men of his time. Brutus' great talents had
been developed with the utmost care, and if he had lived longer and in
peace he would have become a classical writer of the highest order. He
had been known to Cicero from his early age, and Cicero felt a fatherly
attachment to him; he saw in him a young man who he hoped would exert a
beneficial influence upon the next generation.
Caesar too had known and loved him from his childhood; but the stories
which are related to account for this attachment must be rejected as
foolish inventions of idle persons; for nothing is more natural than
that Caesar should look with great fondness upon a young man of such
extraordinary and amiable qualities. The absence of envy was one of the
distinguishing features in the character of Caesar, as it was in that of
Cicero. In the battle of Pharsalus, Brutus served in the army of Pompey,
and after the battle he wrote a letter to Caesar, who had inquired after
him; and when Caesar heard of his safety he was delighted, and invited
him to his camp.
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