25 The civil wars throughout the world being now terminated, Caesar returned to Rome, and began to conduct himself with too great arrogance, contrary to the usages of Roman liberty. As he disposed, therefore, at his own pleasure, of those honours, which were before conferred by the people and did not even rise up when the senate approached him, an d exercised regal, or almost tyrannical power, in other respects, a conspiracy was formed against him by sixty or more Roman senators and knights. The chief among the conspirators were the two Bruti, (of the family of that Brutus who had been made first consul of Rome, and who had expelled the kings) Caius Cassius, and Servilius Casca. Caesar, in consequence, having entered the senate house with the rest, on a certain day appointed for a meeting of the senate, was stabbed with three and twenty wounds.
1 Lying on the river Melas, above the Hellespont, near the Propontis.Madame Dacier.
2 Burziaonem.] Thus stands the word in the editions of Havercamp, Verheyk, and Tzschucke; but none of them think it right. Cellarius conjectured Bizonen, *BIZW/NH being mentioned by Strabo, lib. vii. as a city between Apollonia and Calatis; and no other critic has found anything better to offer.
3 See Justin, xlii. 3.
4 The Iberians are mentioned as a people bordering on the Albani by Plutarch, Lucull. c. 26, and by Florus, iii. 5.
5 Qui nunc Sequani appellantur.] Between the Sequani and Helvetii was the lofty mount Jura, according to the description given of their position by Caesar, B. G. i. 2. If what Eutropius says is true, the change of name must have arisen from the intercourse of the two people. See Cellarius Geog. Ant. ii. 3, 50.Tzschucke.
6 Something more than £320,000.
7 Romani populi fortuna mutata est.] The fortune of the Roman people is their condition and state. The phrase fortuna mutari, or immutari, is used chiefly when the state of things is changed for the worse. See Sall. Cat. c. 2; Jug. c. 17; Vell. Pat. ii. 57, 118.Grunerus.
8 Generally called Pharsalus; but the name Palaeopharsalus, that is, Old Pharsalus, is used by Orosius, vi. 15, by Strabo, lib. xvii., and by the Greek translator of Eutropius.