Brutus smirked beneath his face and found some vulgar amusement at Cicero’s behavior and he was wondering why his opinion should matter at all. He was the grand-nephew in law of Caesar, but for years he had just been another face in the senate. Now all of a sudden, Brutus felt a certain importance he often never felt. He was acquainted with Cassius fervent ramblings about Caesar’s tyranny, but he never often took it too seriously.

“Tyrant? Oh, I am not afraid about that, Brutus! Indeed, having lived during the times of Cornelius Sulla, I daresay Caesar would only produce the mildest of tyrants – such is the nature of the Man. No, I harbour no doubt about this matter.” While Cicero produced a pseudo argument about why the tyranny of Caesar was not the question at hand, Brutus was impressed that Cicero sought to use rhetoric often used for the senate debates than a friendly house call.

“It is rather more worrying that our dear friend is moving too fast with his legislations; you may call it an old man’s melancholy if you think you must! I am worried that not much of the old ways will be preserved due to this wave of reforms. You may say that I fear waking up in an unrecognizable Rome; not much have changed during the last forty or fifty years of my life and I dread the possibility of this sudden loss of habit! An old man can’t learn new things, they say, and I sense this will be my case as well. Hopefully though, with young men such as you to mediate and advice Caesar, the future looks bright indeed. It cannot be denied; some reform is indeed necessary…” Cicero continued, “Truthfully, it is of our Senators that I am wearier of. It seems, alas, that the Senate is growing complacent under Caesar’s guide – an august body indeed but also a plump one, due to its inactivity. Rarely have I seen in my public life the Senate so quiet for such a long time! I cannot place whether our Senators are so timid to speak up their arguments with Caesar - but why they would be? - or if they are simply waiting for something to happen. Like what, you ask? I am not sure what but something is going on… Surely, you also sense what I have come to suspect?”

Brutus felt his opinion being prodded out of his head and was not so fond of revealing anything personal regarding his thoughts on Caesar or the senate. In light of this he decided to take a more sincere tone,

“I understand your worries, good friend. The senate is sluggish, but what reason is there to attend? You say yourself Caesar’s legislation is moving fast, our good republic needs a strong fighter for her rights. In this case, the men of courage we need are timid perhaps because they are waiting for Pompey, or another Cato. The senate needs another leading figure aside from Caesar.”