Cicero’s chief claims to greatness lie in the fields of literature and philosophy. He was a poet of no mean ability. His “Orations,” with their kaleidoscopic range of mood and choice of words, are the most brilliant in the Latin language. The painstaking labor required for this supreme mastery of speech is shown in his rhetorical works. His “Letters,” written in simple style, lay bare a human heart, with all its shortcomings and aspirations, while through their wide range of topics they bring the reader into intimate touch with the spirit of the age. Of farther-reaching influence are his works on political science and philosophy. His “Republic” aims to discover the best form of government, and to examine into the foundations of national prosperity. His many philosophic writings set forth the various Greek schools of thought, especially the Platonic and the Stoic. Through the medium of a diction so perfect as to make Latin the universal language of culture for centuries to come, Cicero successfully transplanted Greek thought to Latin soil. Nor did his influence cease there; from his philosophy the Church fathers drew inspiration; and in it centuries later the scholars of the Renaissance first found the vitalizing spark of Greek culture. Of Cæsar’s immediate associates, Cassius, Brutus, and Antony are most interesting, if only for their important rôles in Shakespeare’s “Julius Cæsar.” Though showered with offices, Cassius, a malcontent, bore a grudge against Cæsar for being his master, and began to plot against him. He found many influential men, who, jealous of Cæsar’s power, were themselves anxious to divide the spoils of government. To give the plot an air of respectability, he won over Brutus, ostensibly a student and man of letters, but at heart an unfeeling usurer. Appointed by Cæsar governor of Cisalpine Gaul and prætor, Brutus became an assassin of his benefactor. Among the three near associates of Cæsar, Mark Antony was far the ablest, and possessed the merit of remaining faithful till the death of the benefactor. He had filled many military and civil offices with distinction, and was Cæsar’s colleague in the consulship at the time of the murder. Shortly before this event, at a public festival, Antony offered Cæsar a crown, alleging that it was from the people. Although Cæsar would gladly have welcomed any device for legitimizing his rule, he refused the kingly title because of its unpopularity.