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 vote of the Senate an acroterium,[603] as Livius says, and Calpurnia in her dream seeing this tumbling down lamented and wept.  When day came accordingly she entreated Caesar, if it were possible, not to go out, and to put off the meeting of the Senate; but if he paid no regard to her dreams, she urged him to inquire by other modes of divination and by sacrifices about the future.  Caesar also, as it seems, had some suspicion and fear; for he had never before detected in Calpurnia any womanish superstition, and now he saw that she was much disturbed.  And when the seers also after sacrificing many victims reported to him that the omens were unfavourable, he determined to send Antonius to dismiss the Senate.

LXIV.  In the mean time Decimus Brutus,[604] surnamed Albinus, who was in such favour with Caesar that he was made in his will his second heir,[605] but was engaged in the conspiracy with the other Brutus and Cassius, being afraid that if Caesar escaped that day, the affair might become known, ridiculed the seers and chided Caesar for giving cause for blame and censure to the Senate who would consider themselves insulted:  he said, “That the Senate had met at his bidding and that they were all ready to pass a decree, that he should be proclaimed King of the provinces out of Italy and should wear a diadem whenever he visited the rest of the earth and sea; but if any one shall tell them when they are taking their seats, to be gone now and to come again, when Calpurnia shall have had better dreams, what may we not expect to be said by those who envy you? or who will listen to your friends when they say that this is not slavery and tyranny; but if,” he continued, “you are fully resolved to consider the day inauspicious, it is better for you to go yourself and address the Senate and then to adjourn the business.”  As he said this, Brutus took Caesar by the hand and began to lead him forth:  and he had gone but a little way from the door, when a slave belonging to another person, who was eager to get at Caesar but was prevented by the press and numbers about him, rushing into the house delivered himself up to Calpurnia and told her to keep him till Caesar returned, for he had important things to communicate to him.