It would take Shakespeare's version of the Roman general to help us decide whether to "bury" Fumo in deserved criticism for his deal-making and arrogance - or to praise the legendary power broker for bringing what he claims to be $8 billion to the city of Philadelphia in the course of his 30 years in Harrisburg.

Now at its end, Fumo's career is a cautionary tale of the corrosive properties of arrogance and hubris, which turned his unmatched political clout into the cloud of federal corruption charges that now hangs over him.

It was the "cloud" of the 139-count indictment - and not his recent heart attack - that Fumo blamed yesterday for his exit from the race for renomination. He faced three opponents in the April 22 Democratic primary.

But at a news conference, standing among many local officials, there was significant praise for the senator's "prolonged impact," in the words of Gov. Rendell. If his faults were weighed against his accomplishments, Rendell said, "the balance tips dramatically in favor of Vince Fumo."

What is the best way to measure Fumo's legacy? Did he do a host of good things for Philadelphia for some of the wrong reasons, or was it always all about Fumo, with some beneficial fallout for the city of his birth? The answers depend in large part, we suspect, on whether you were a person or an organization or a city that benefited from Fumo's largesse as the Democratic chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee - or whether you were the target of his sometimes-vindictive wrath.

It's also influenced by how you look at the complex game of politics. Can backroom deals and "walking around money" be tolerated if they result in development and progress? Or does the cynicism generated by these political staples negate the shiny new programs and buildings?

No matter how you answer, one thing is clear: Vince Fumo was a master of the game as it is now played and - no matter who takes his place next year - Philadelphia will be missing him for a long time.

To call this an "end of an era" is a massive understatement. Fumo's roots are deep in the pre-Abscam days of politics in Philadelphia when the machine was all there was. Back then, he was called a "transitional figure" from the old pols to the younger players. The next transition will unfold without him.

ONE OTHER THING: For good or ill, Vincent J. Fumo was fun to cover. Off the record, he was a good source and, on the record, he could make a story memorable with his colorful quotes - quotes that, even if they exploded in his face, he didn't back away from.

Many say he got better press than he deserved, that he was portrayed more as an amiable rogue than as the dirty pol he became. Maybe so, and maybe it was that, with Fumo, anything could happen. As our own John Baer once wrote after one of Fumo's fitful suggestions that he might run for mayor: "God doesn't love the Daily News enough to give us a Mayor Fumo."

God did love the Daily News enough to let us witness Vince Fumo in action for 30 years. In the end, we have to agree with Rendell: The scale tips ever so slightly toward Vince. *