hand it is said that when a rumour reached
him, that Antonius and Dolabella were plotting, he said, "I am not
much afraid of these well-fed,[599] long-haired fellows, but I rather
fear those others, the pale and thin," meaning Cassius and Brutus.

LXIII. But it appears that destiny is not so much a thing that gives
no warning as a thing that cannot be avoided, for they say that
wondrous signs and appearances presented themselves. Now, as to lights
in the skies and sounds by night moving in various directions and
solitary birds descending into the Forum, it is perhaps not worth
while recording these with reference to so important an event: but
Strabo[600] the Philosopher relates that many men all of fire were
seen contending against one another, and that a soldier's slave
emitted a great flame from his hand and appeared to the spectators to
be burning, but when the flame went out, the man had sustained no
harm; and while Caesar himself was sacrificing the heart of the victim
could not be found, and this was considered a bad omen, for naturally
an animal without a heart cannot exist. The following stories also are
told by many; that a certain seer warned him to be on his guard
against great danger on that day of the month of March, which the
Romans call the Ides;[601] and when the day had arrived, as Caesar was
going to the Senate-house, he saluted the seer and jeered him saying,
"Well, the Ides of March are come;" but the seer mildly replied, "Yes,
they are come, but they are not yet over." The day before, when Marcus
Lepidus was entertaining him, he chanced to be signing some letters,
according to his habit, while he was reclining at table; and the
conversation having turned on what kind of death was the best, before
any one could give an opinion he called out, "That which is
unexpected!" After this, while he was sleeping, as he was accustomed
to do, by the side of his wife, all the doors and windows in the house
flew open at once, and being startled by the noise and the brightness
of the moon which was shining down upon him, he observed that
Calpurnia[602] was in a deep slumber, but was uttering indistinct
words and inarticulate groans in the midst of her sleep; and indeed
she was dreaming that she held her murdered husband in her arms and
was weeping over him. Others say this was not the vision that
Calpurnia had, but the following: there was attached to Caesar's house
by way of ornament and distinction pursuant to a