PRÆCONES. Cremutius Cordus! 

 CORDUS. Here. 

 PRÆCONES. Satrius Secundus, Pinnarius Natta, you are his accusers. 

 ARRUNTIUS. Two of Sejanus’ blood-hounds, whom he breeds With human flesh, to bay at citizens. 

 AFER. Stand forth before the senate, and confront him. 

 SATRIUS. I do accuse thee here, Cremutius Cordus, To be a man factious and dangerous, A sower of sedition in the state, A turbulent and discontented spirit, Which I will prove from thine own writings, here, The Annals thou hast publish’d; where thou bit’st The present age, and with a viper’s tooth, Being a member of it, dar’st that ill Which never yet degenerous bastard did Upon his parent. 

 NATTA. To this, I subscribe; And, forth a world of more particulars, Instance in only one: comparing men, And times, thou praisest Brutus, and affirm’st That Cassius was the last of all the Romans. 

 COTTA. How! what are we then? 

 VARRO. What is Cæsar? nothing? 

 AFER. My lords, this strikes at every Roman’s private, In whom reigns gentry, and estate of spirit, To have a Brutus brought in parallel, A parricide, an enemy of his country, Rank’d, and preferr’d to any real worth That Rome now holds. This is most strangely invective, Most full of spite, and insolent upbraiding. Nor is’t the time alone is here disprised, But the whole man of time, yea, Cæsar’s self Brought in disvalue; and he aimed at most, By oblique glance of his licentious pen. Cæsar, if Cassius were the last of Romans, Thou hast no name. 

 TIBERIUS. Let’s hear him answer. Silence! 

 CORDUS. So innocent I am of fact, my lords, As but my words are argued: yet those words Not reaching either prince or prince’s parent: The which your law of treason comprehends. Brutus and Cassius I am charged to have praised; Whose deeds, when many more, besides myself, Have writ, not one hath mention’d without honour. Great Titus Livius, great for eloquence, And faith amongst us, in his history, With so great praises Pompey did extol, As oft Augustus call’d him a Pompeian: Yet this not hurt their friendship. In his book He often names Scipio, 

 Prev. P 64/205 next