Caesar, on his first appearance, while he displays traits which apparently are hard to reconcile with his future statements, strikes one note which predominates throughout; that of boastfulness. His very first words are:
“Magnifica, superba, e veramente
Qual darsi ad un Pontefice conviene,
La cena fu, che Lepido iersera
Ne diè. . . .”—P. 62.
His sense of his own importance, and of the honors due to his position, is evident. He comments philosophically upon the delights of conversation around the banqueting board. This gives Antony an opportunity to dilate upon the mutability of human fortune. Caesar replies,
“Quest’ instabilità, quest’ inconstanza
Delle cose mondane, à me ricorda,
Che lo stato presente, in che m’ hà posto,
O fortuna, ò valor, non mi prometta