and which was now grown sober and wise through its misfortunes, to lie watching every advantage against them. It appeared to him, therefore, the wifeft 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, occafioned the third and laft war against the Carthaginians. But, as soon as it began, he died, having first prophefied 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 his conduct and valour. The news of thefe exploits being brought to Rome, Cato cried out, -He is the foul of council; The reft are shadows vain. This Scipio foon confirmed by his actions. Cato left one fon by his fecond wife, who, as we have already obferved, was surnamed Salonius, and a grandfon by the fon of his firft wife, who died before him. Salonius died in his prætorfhip, leaving a fon named Marcus, who came to be conful, and was grandfather † *So we have rendered the last member of the fentence with the Latin, ut ita opportunius inteftinis malis medendis vacarent. In the original, it is, αναφορας αυτής προς τας οικοθεν ἁμαρ τιας απολιποντας ; and one of the fenfes of αναφορά is an alleviation, a refource; fo Euripides in Oreft. 5 prava popo τῆς συμφορας. Yet the former Englim tranflator and the French have rendered it very differently: How justly, let the learned reader judge. The English runs thus: At a time when, through their depravi ty and corruption, they had fo many dangers hanging over their heads at home. The French thus: Lorfqu'on lui laiffoit au dedans tous les moyens de fe porter à tous les excès, et de commetre les fautes les plus terribles. What led Dacier wrong was, we fuppofe, his finding it TOITOTES in the text, in the paft time; but it is very clear to us it fhould be read azoλezovtas, in the prefent. This is a mistake in Plutarch; for Salonius was the grandfather, and Marcus the father of Cato of Utica. to Cato the philofopher, the best and most illuftrious 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 eafy to difcern the difference between them, the eye being attracted by fo many ftriking refemblances. But if we examine the feveral parts of their lives diftinctly, as we do a poem or a picture, we fhall find, in the first place, this common to them both, that they rose to high ftations 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 Ariftides raised himfelf, Athens was not in her grandeur, and the demagogues and chief magiftrates he had to deal with were men of moderate and nearly equal fortunes. For eftates of the highest clafs were then only five hundred medimni; of thofe of the fecond order, who were knights, three hundred; and of thefe 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, as into a boundless ocean, at a time when it was not conducted by the Curii, the Fabricii, and Hoftilii, nor received for its magiftrates and orators men of nar row circumftances, who worked with their own hands, from the plough and the spade, but was accustomed to regard greatness of family, opulence, diftributions among the people, and fervility in courting their favour; for the Romans, elated with their power and importance, loved to humble thofe who ftood for the great offices of ftate. And it was not the fame thing to be rivalled by a Themiftocles, who was neither diftinguished by birth nor fortune (for he is faid not to have been worth more than three, or at the most five talents, when he firft applied himself to public affairs), as to have to contest with a Scipio Africanus, a Servius Galba, or a Quintius Flaminius, without any other affiftance or support but a tongue accustomed to speak with freedom in the caufe of juftice. Befides, Ariftides was only one among ten that commanded at Marathon and Platea; whereas Cato was chosen one of the two confuls, from a number of competitors, and one of the two cenfors, though opposed by seven candidates, who were fome of the greatest and moft illuftrious men in Rome. It fhould be obferved, too, that Ariftides was never principal in any action; for Miltiades had the chief honour of the victory at Marathon; Themiftocles of that at Salamis; and the palm of the important day at Platæa, as Herodotus tells us, was adjudged to Paufanias. Nay, even the fecond place was difputed with Arif. tides by Sophanes, Aminias, Callimachus, and Cynægirus, who greatly distinguished themselves on that occafion. On the other hand, Cato not only stood first in courage and conduct during his own confulate, and in the war with Spain, but when he acted at Thermopyla only as a tribune, under the aufpices of another, he gained the glory of the victory; for he it was that unlocked the pafs for the Romans to rush upon Antiochus, and that brought the war upon the back of the king, who minded only what was before him. That victory, which was manifeftly the work of Cato, drove Afia out of Greece, and opened the paffage for Scipio to that continent afterwards. Both of them were equally victorious in war, but Ariftides mifcarried in the adminiftration, being banished and oppreffed by the faction of Themistocles; whilft Cato, though he had for antagonists almost all the greatest and most powerful men in Rome, who kept contending with him even in his old age, like a skilful wreftler, always held his footing. Often impeached before the people, and often the manager of an impeachment, he generally fucceeded in his profecution of others, and was never condemned himself, fecure in that bulwark of life, the defenfive and offenfive armour of eloquence; and to this, much more justly than to fortune, or his guardian genius, we may afcribe his maintaining his dignity unblemished to the laft: For Antipater beftowed the fame encomium upon Aristotle the philofopher, in what he wrote concerning him after his death, that, among his other qualities, he had the very extraordinary one of perfuading people to whatever he pleased. That the art of governing cities and commonwealths is the chief excellence of man, admits not of a doubt; and it is generally agreed, that the art of governing a family is no fmall ingredient in that excellence; for a city, which is only a collection of families, cannot be profperous in the whole, unless the families that compofe it be flourishing and profperous. And Lycurgus, when he banifhed gold and filver out of Sparta, and gave the citizens, instead of it, money made of iron that had been spoiled by the fire, did not defign to excuse them from attending to economy, but only to prevent luxury, which is a tumour and inflammation caused by riches, that every one might have the greater plenty of the neceffaries and conveniences of life. By this establishment of his, it appears that he faw farther than any other legiflator, fince he was fenfible that every fociety has more to apprehend from its needy members than from the rich: For this reafon Cato, was no less attentive to the management of his domeftic concerns than to that of public affairs; and he not only increased his own eftate, but became a guide to others in economy and agriculture, concerning which he collected many useful rules. But Ariftides by his indigence brought a difgrace upon juftice itself, as if it were the ruin and impoverishment of families, and a quality that is profitable to any one rather than the owner. Hefiod, however, has said a good deal to exhort us both to justice and economy, and inveighs against idleness as the fource of injuftice. The fame is well represented by Homer* Odyf. lib. iv. The culture of the field, which fills the ftores To point the polish'd fpear, and hurl the quivering lance. By which the poet intimates, that those who neglect their own affairs generally fupport themselves by violence and injuftice. For what the phyficians fay of oil, that, used outwardly, it is beneficial, but pernicious when taken inwardly, is not applicable to the juft man; nor is it true that he is useful to others, and unprofitable to himfelf and his family. The politics of Ariftides feem, therefore, to have been defective in this refpect, if it is true (as moft writers affert) that he left not enough either for the portions of his daughters, or for the expenfes of his funeral. Thus Cato's family produced prætors and confuls to the fourth generation; for his grandfons and their children bore the highest offices: whereas, though Ariftides was one of the greatest men in Greece, yet the most diftrefsful poverty prevailing among his defcendants, fome of them were forced to get their bread by fhowing tricks of flight of hand, or telling fortunes, and others to receive public alms, and not one of them entertained a fentiment worthy of their illustrious ancestor. It is true, this point is liable to fome difpute; for poverty is not difhonourable in itself, but only when it is the effect of idleness, intemperance, prodigality, and folly. And when, on the contrary, it is affsociated with all the virtues in the fober, the industrious, the juft, and valiant statesman, it speaks a great and elevated mind. For an attention to little things renders it impoffible to do any thing that is great; nor can he provide for the wants of others whofe own are numerous and craving. The great and necessary provifion for a ftatesman is not riches, but a contented mind, which, requiring no fuperfluities for itself, leaves a man at full liberty to ferve the commonwealth. God is abfolutely Vol. III. |
