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Excerpt from The Greatness and Decline of Rome, Vol. 3 Meeting of the conservatives on the Capitol - The deliberations of Antony and Lepidus - Antony's visit to Calpumia - The night of March 15 - 16 - Negotiations on the morning of the 16th - Speech of Brutus in the afternoon - Antony's action on the evening of the 16th - The night of March 16 - 17 - Discussion in the Senate on the morning of the 17th - Proposals and objections. The conspirators, the chief personages in Rome and Antony speedily recovered from the stupefaction into which they had been thrown by the unexpected assassination of Caesar. During the progress of the conspiracy the assassins had been forced to exchange messages in secret and to observe a caution which precluded any complete harmony of design. Upon Caesar's assassination and the manner of it they had been agreed: but as concerned their future action they had no more definite design than to lay immediate proposals before the Senate for the restoration of the republic. This project had failed; and they now found themselves in the deserted Capitol, overcome by the reaction which follows great excitement, dismayed by the panic which they had witnessed in the streets, doubtful of the view which the city would take of their action and uncertain what attitude would be adopted by the veterans and the mob. What then, was to be done? It is not surprising that under such circumstances and swayed by such considerations, the conspirators thought it advisable to secure an understanding with the most influential members of the conservative party before taking further action. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the