Quintus Pedius on the death of Caesar

Conscript Fathers,

Many of you have stated your desire for Caesar’s body to not receive the proper burial he deserves. Some even go as far as saying that his body should be tossed into the Tiber, as if he was a condemned criminal. So I ask you, what exactly is a criminal? Is it a man who swears to protect his leader and then concocts a plan to assassinate him? Maybe you do not think this is criminal behavior. But surely you would say that surrounding a man so closely that he cannot defend himself, and then stabbing him to death would be criminal. And if you think that one who murders another in cold blood is a criminal, then all of you are to be considered criminals. And if you still believe that Caesar’s body should be thrown into the river as a criminal’s body would, then you are saying that your bodies, when all of you die, should be tossed in as well.

But perhaps you have not been swayed. Caesar was more than a valiant military and political leader. He was also the father of the Roman people. And in the next days, I’m sure you will witness the profound grief and hostility of a people who have just lost their adored father. So I appeal to you, not as senators, but as sons, fathers, husbands, and brothers. Think of your family. How would you want your father or sons to be treated in death? You would want them to receive a proper funeral; you would want their achievements to be celebrated. And this is what Caesar deserves: a proper burial with the traditional rituals. Not only do I, his great nephew, believe this, but the Roman people as a whole do as well. For if you are truly for the Republic, then you will comply with the wishes of the common people.