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Prologue

Rome, January 10, 49 BC

The house of Gaius Cassius Longinus was surrounded by awall, as were the ho atan alarees arrived froht The streets were choked withthieves and cutthroats ouldn’t hesitate to kill for a few atekeeper opened the heavy wooden door, ad for protection Each of theladius, the Roman short sword, and Brutus hier that no Rorown perilous He took off his cloak and handed it to thegatekeeper

“See to it that atekeeper “Havethe others arrived yet?”

“They are dining in the peristyluatekeeper “I was told to bid you join them as soon as you arrived”

“Thank you,” Brutus said He shivered in his toga, despiteseveral layers of tunics that he wore beneath it Unlike Cassius, who neverseemed to feel the chill and tonic cold baths every day to inure himself to itBrutus always felt the cold Roman houses were never very warm in winter Theyhad no fireplaces or chimneys What little heat there was ca called a hypocaust, which consisted of spaces underneath thefloors and in the walls where s fire stoked in thecellar could circulate However, the courtyards of the houses were open to theeleet in All Roht beneath their bedclothes of tapestries and carpets, with opencharcoal braziers burning in their roo the air smoky andoppressive

In winter, they suffered froe were siled with the s fros to eat their refuse and the hogs, of course, left their ownIt all s and drove wealthyRomans out of the city, to their country estates Winter was a time of chills;summer was a time of fevers Brutus soovernor of a province would have seemed more preferable, butthen Rome was Rome and the provinces provided no society, no stimulation forthe intellect Rome was the center of the world, and these days the center ofthe world was turbulent

Brutus strolled through the atrium, with its ant furnishings in ivory, bronze,and rare woods Cassius had spared no expense in the construction of his house,and every year, he refurbished a part of it There was always soe of housing and most of the tenementswere shoddily and hastily built There was a constant danger now fros But Cassius was able to ee courtyard surrounded by a series of rooe pool in the center that collected rainwaterand which, from time to time, Cassius had stocked with carp There werebedrooms on the second floor, but Cassius lived pri, the peristylum It was built around another courtyard, aarden surrounded by colu shrubs, and fish ponds In the warm months, Cassius kept an aviaryHe was particularly fond of peacocks, though Brutus couldn’t stand thestrutting birds They were beautiful to look at, but their ceaseless, raucouscaas annoying in the extreme Noever, all the birds had died, asthey did every winter, and the garden looked bleak,the disposition ofthe city

Cassius and the others had already started their dinnerThey were reclining on their stomachs or their sides on couches placed aroundthe table, attended to by the slaves of the household The stove was puttingout so, as well as anumber of oil lamps, icks of flax that could provide up to forty hours oflight on a pint of oil No candles were in sight Candles were used only by thepoor, who could not afford the oil They used therew lean

Cassius, though lean hi hiold and silver cups and dishes, silver spoons and knives-though ers-and elaborately carved drinking horns covered with geold and silver The money Cassius spent on murals, on tables ofrare woods, or chairs of carved ivory could have kept an average Roant table

In the city, the staple food of the masses heat andcorn, which e Few could affordmeat For etables,sometimes fish or wild fowl But Cassius dined like the aristocrat he wasDinner began with salads, radishes and enerous amounts of mulsum, a sweet breine mixed with honeyThe main course consisted of six or seven dishes-, hare, stuffed doreese, ostriches,pheasants, doves and peacocks, honey-sweetened cakes and fruit, all washed doith copious amounts of Greek Chian wine that was heated and mixed ater,then served in horns and bowls so that bread could be dunked into it

Frequently, Cassius’ guests would gorge themselves untilthey were so full, they couldn’t eat another bite Then they would stickfeathers down their throats, voerly reapply themselves to the feast spread out before the dinner Musicians played whilehis guests ate, or perhaps some popular poet recited his latest worksSoirls-Cassius was especially fond of dancinggirls-and dwarf acrobats and conjurers But there was no entertainrim, conspiratorial

“Ah Brutus!” said Cassius greeting hi for you”