Junius Brutus. So James Lynch Fitz-Stephen has been called, because (like the first consul of Rome) he condemned his own son to death for murder, and to prevent a rescue caused him to be executed from the window of his own house in Galway (1493).
The Spanish Brutus, Alfonso Perez de Gruzman, governor of Tarifa in 1293. Here he was besieged by the infant don Juan, who had revolted against his brother, king Sancho IV., and having Guzman's son in his power threatened to kill him unless Tarifa was given up to him. Guzman replied, "Sooner than be guilty of such treason I will lend Juan a dagger to slay my son;" and so saying tossed his dagger over the wall. Sad to say, Juan took the dagger, and assassinated the young man there and then (1258-1309).
Brutus (Marcus), said to be the son of Julius Cæsar by Servilia.
Brutus' bastard hand
Stabb'd Julius Cæsar.
Shakespeare, 2
Henry VI
. act iv. sc. 1 (1591).
This Brutus is introduced by Shakespeare in his tragedy of Julius Cæsar, and the poet endows him with every quality of a true patriot. He loved Cæsar much, but he loved Rome more.
Brutus. Et tu, Brute. Shakespeare, on the authority of Suetonius, puts these words into the mouth of Cæsar when Brutus stabbed him. Shakespeare's drama was written in 1607, and probably he had seen The True Tragedy of Richard duke of York (1600), where these words occur; but even before that date H. Stephens had said: