86 CICERO. fearful and perplexed thoughts. Sometimes he resolved to go into Ctesar's house privately, and there kill himself upon the altar of his household gods, to bring divine ven- geance upon him ; but the fear of torture put him off this course. And after passing through a variety of confused and uncertain counsels, at last he let his servants carry him by sea to Capitje,* where he had a house, an agree- able place to retire to in the heat of summer, when the Etesian winds are so pleasant. There was at that place a chapel of ApoUo, not far from the sea-side, from Avhich a flight of crows rose with a great noise, and made towards Cicero's vessel as it rowed to land, and lighting on both sides of the yard, some . croaked, others pecked the ends of the ropes. This was looked upon by all as an ill omen ; and, therefore, Cicero went again ashore, and entering his house, lay down upon his bed to compose himself to rest. Many of the crows settled about the window, making a dismal cawing ; but one of them alighted upon the bed where Cicero lay covered up, and with its bill by little and little pecked off the clothes from his face. His servants, seeing this, blamed themselves that they should stay to be spectators of their master's murder, and do nothing in his defence, whilst the brute creatures came to assist and take care of him in his luideserved affliction ; and, therefore, partly by entreaty, partly by force, they took him up, and carried him in his litter towards the sea-side. But in the mean time the assassins were come with a band of soldiers, Herennius, a centurion, and Popillius, a tribune, whom Cicero had formerly defended when prose- cuted for the murder of his father. Finding the doors
- This, as we find from other the present Mola di Gaetn, is close
authority, means Caieta, the pres- by ; and here Cicero is known to ent Gaeta. Nothing is known of have had a villa, the Formianum. any such place as Capitae. FormiiE,
