son Cato, he died in his prætorship. His father often makes mention of him in his writings as a brave and worthy man. He bore this loss with the moderation of a philosopher, applying himself with his usual activity to affairs of state. For he did not, like Lucius Lucullus afterwards, and Metellus Pius, think age an exemption from the service of the public, but considered that service as his indispensable duty; nor yet did he act as Scipio Africanus had done, who finding himself attacked and opposed by envy in his course of glory, quitted the administration, and spent the remainder of his days in retirement and inaction. But, as one told Dionysius, that the most honourable death was to die in possession of sovereign power, so Cato esteemed that the most honourable old age, which was spent in serving the commonwealth. The amusements in which he passed his leisure hours, were the writings of books and tilling the ground: and this is the reason of our having so many treatises on various subjects, and histories of his composing*.

In his younger days he applied himself to agriculture, with a view to profit; for he used to say, he had only two ways of increasing his income, labour and parsimony: but as he grew old, he regarded it only by way of theory and amusement. He wrote a book concerning country affairs †, in which, among other things, he gives rules for making cakes and preserving fruit; for he was desirous to be thought

* Besides an hundred and fifty orations, and more, that he left behind him, he wrote a treatise of military discipline, and books of antiquities; in two of these he treats of the foundation of the cities of Italy; the other five contained the Roman history, particularly a narrative of the first and second Punic war.

This is the only work of, his that remains entire; of the rest we have only fragments.

curious and particular in every thing. He kept a better table in the country than in the town; for he always invited some of his acquaintance in the neighbourhood to sup with him. With these he passed the time in cheerful conversation, making himself agreeable not only to those of his own age, but to the young; for he had a thorough knowledge of the world, and had either seen himself, or heard from others, a variety of things that were curious and entertaining. He looked upon the table as one of the best means of forming friendships: and at his, the conversation generally turned upon the praises of great and excellent men among the Romans: as for the bad and the unworthy, no mention was made of them, for he would not allow in his company one word, either good or bad, to be said of such kind of

men.

The last service he is said to have done the public, was the destruction of Carthage. The younger Scipio indeed gave the finishing stroke to that work, but it was undertaken chiefly by the advice and at the instances of Cato. The occasion of the war was this. The Carthaginians and Massinissa, king of Numidia, being at war with each other, Cato was sent into Africa to inquire into the causes of the quarrel. Massinissa from the first had been a friend to the Romans, and the Carthaginians were admitted into their alliance after the great overthrow they received from Scipio the elder, but upon terms which deprived them of great part of their dominions, and imposed a heavy tribute*. When Cato

*Scipio Africanus obliged the Carthaginians, at the conclusion of the second Punic war, to deliver up their fleet to the Romans, yield to Massinissa part of Syphax's dominions, and pay the Romans ten thousand talents. This peace was made in the third year of the hundred and forty fourth olympiad, two hundred years before the Christian æra.

arrived at Carthage, he found that city not in the exhausted and humble condition which the Romans imagined, but full of men fit to bear arms, abounding in money, in arms, and warlike stores, and not a little elated in the thought of its being so well provided. He concluded therefore, that it was now time for the Romans to endeavour to settle the points in dispute between the Numidians and Carthage; and that, if they did not soon make themselves masters of that city, which was their old enemy, and retained strong resentments of the usage she had lately received, and which had not only recovered herself after her losses, but was prodigiously increased in wealth and power, they would soon be exposed to all their former dangers. For this reason he returned in all haste to Rome, where he informed the senate, "That the defeats and other misfortunes which had happened to the Carthaginians, had not so much drained them of their forces, as cured them of their folly; and that, in all probability, instead of a weaker, they had made them a more skilful and warlike enemy: that their war with the Numidians was only a prelude to future combats with the Romans; and that the late peace was a mere name, for they considered it only as a suspension of arms, which they were willing to avail themselves of, till they had a favourable opportunity to renew the

war."

It is said, that at the conclusion of his speech he shook the lap of his gown, and purposely dropped some Libyan figs; and when he found the senators admired them for their size and beauty, he told them, "That the country where they grew was but three days sail from Rome." But what is a stronger instance of his enmity to Carthage, he never gave his opinion in the senate upon any other point whatever,

without adding these words, " And my opinion is, that Carthage should be destroyed." Scipio, surnamed Nasica, made it a point to maintain the contrary, and concluded all his speeches thus, "And my opinion is, that Carthage should be left standing.' It is very likely that this great man, perceiving that the people were come to such a pitch of insolence, as to be led by it into the greatest excesses (so that in the pride of prosperity they could not be restrained by the senate, but by their overgrown power were able to draw the government what way they pleased), thought it best that Carthage should remain to keep them in awe, and to moderate their presumption. For he saw that the Carthaginians were not strong enough to conquer the Romans, and yet too respectable an enemy to be despised by them. On the other hand, Cato thought it dangerous, while the people were thus inebriated and giddy with power, to suffer a city which had always been great, and which was now grown sober and wise through its misfortunes, to lie watching every advantage against them. It appeared to him, therefore, the wisest course, to have all outward dangers removed from the commonwealth, that it might be at leisure to guard against internal corruption.

Thus Cato, they tell us, occasioned the third and last war against the Carthaginians. But as soon as it began he died, having first prophesied of the person that should put an end to it; who was then a young man, and had only a tribune's command in the army, but was giving extraordinary proofs of bis conduct and valour. The news of these exploits being brought to Rome, Cato cried out,

-He is the soul of council;

The rest are shadows vain.

This Scipio soon confirmed by his actions.

Cato left one son by his second wife, who, as we have already observed, was surnamed Salonius, and a grandson by the son of his first wife, who died-before him. Salonius died in his prætorship, leaving a son named Marcus, who came to be consul, and was grandfather to Cato the philosopher, the best and most illustrious man of his time

*

ARISTIDES AND CATO COMPARED.

HAVING thus given a detail of the most memorable actions of these great men, if we compare the whole life of the one with that of the other, it will not be easy to discern the difference between them, the eye being attracted by so many striking resemblances. But if we examine the several parts of their lives distinctly, as we do a poem or a picture, we shall find, in the first place, this common to them both, that they rose to high stations and great honour in their respective commonwealths, not by the help of family connexions, but merely by their own virtue and abilities. It is true, that when Aristides raised himself Athens was not in her grandeur, and the demagogues and chief magistrates he had to deal with were men of moderate and nearly equal fortunes. For estates of the highest class were then only five hundred medimni; of those of the second order, who were knights, three hundred; and of those of the third order, who were called Zeugita, two hundred. But Cato, from a little village and a country life, launched into the Roman government,

This is a mistake in Plutarch: for Salonius was the grandfather, and Marcus the father of Cato of Utica.