Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/667

Rh CATC. engaged in popular tumulta and personal conflict. At length, u. c. 54, he was made praetor, and this was the highest office to which he attained. His • exertions during his praetorship to put down the notorious bribery of the consular comitia disgusted both the buyers and tlic sellers of votes. Again he was attacked by a hooting and pelting mob, who put his attendants to flight ; but he persisted in mounting the tribunal, and succeeded in appeasing the violence of the populace. After the death of Crassus, when the senate had to make choice between Pompey and Caesar, it naturally wished to place itself under the protec- tion of the former. In B. c. 52, Pompey was anx- ious to obtain the dictatorship ; but as the nobles had not given him their full confidence, and yet at the same time were anxious to gratify him, Bi- bulus proposed that he should be created sole con- sul, and in this proposition was supported by Cato. In the following year, Cato himself, mistrusting Pompey, was a candidate for the consulship ; but he would not bribe, and his competitors, S. Sulpi- cius and M. Claudius Marcellus, who had the sup- port of Caesar and Pompey, Avere elected. On the day of his defeat, Cato amused himself with play- ing at ball, and renounced for ever all aspiration after an office which the people had not thought proper to confer upon him. On the commencement of the civil war, b. c. 49, Cato supported those illegal proceedings [Caesar, p. 550] which gave some colour of right to the hos- tile preparations of Caesar. On the approach of Caesar to tlie city, Cato took flight with the con- suls to Campania, and yielded himself up to un- availing grief. From that day forth he allowed his hair to grow ; he never after wore a garland, but seeing that Roman blood must be shed, whichever party might prevail, he determined to mourn until his death the unhappy lot of his country. It was a time for decisive and strong measures. Caesar was not now to be fought by laws or resolutions, and the time for negotiation was past. Cato re- commended a temporizing policy. Thoughts of patriotic philanthropy were uppermost in his mind. He made Pompey promise to pillage no Roman town, and, except in battle, to put to death no Roman citizen. The senate entrusted Cato, as propraetor, with the defence of Sicily; but, on the landing of Curio with three of Caesar's legions, Cato, thinking re- sistance useless, instead of defending the island, took flight, and proceeded to join Pompey at Dyr- rachium. Little confidence was placed in his mili- tary skill, or in the course that he would pursue if his party succeeded ; for, though it was now his object to crush the rebellion of Caesar, it was felt that his efforts might soon be directed to limit the power of Pompey. After Pompey's vic- tory at Dyrrachium, Cato was left in charge of the camp, and was thus saved from being present at the disastrous battle of Pharsalia. (b. c. 48.) After this battle, he set sail for Corcyra with the troops and the fleet left in his charge; but he oflfered to resign his command to Cicero, who was now anxious for a reconciliation with Caesar. Cicero, a man equally incompetent to command, declined the offer. Cato now proceeded to Africa, wiiere he hoped to find Pompey ; but on his route Ae received intelligence from (Cornelia of Pom- pey's assassination. After a circuitous voyage he etFectcd a landing, and was adnutt?d by the inha- CATO. 640 bitants of Cyrenc, who had refused to open their g-ates to Labienus. In the spring of the year B. c. 47 Cato marched his troops across the desert, for six days supporting hunger and thirst, and every privation, with re- markable fortitude, in order to form a junction with Scipio Metellus, Attius Varus, and the Nu- midian Juba. Here arose a question of military precedence. The army wished to be led by Cato ; but, as a strict disciplinarian, he thought it neces- sary to yield to the consular Scipio. Most proba- bly he was glad to rid himself of a position in which immediate action appeared inevitable, and felt himself oppressed by the weight of a responsi- bility to which his shoulders were unequal. Here the mildness of his disposition was again manifest. He resisted the coimsel of Scipio to put Utica to the sword, and, though now nothing could be hoped but a putting-off of the evil day, wisely advised him not to risk a decisive engagement; but Scipio disregarded his advice, and was utterly routed at Thapsus. (April 6th, b. c. 46.) All Africa now, with the exception of Utica, submitted to the vic- torious Caesar. Cato wanted to inspire the P^o- mans in Utica with courage to stand a siege ; but they quailed at the approach of Caesar, and wer-.i inclined to submit. Plutarch relates in detail the events which now occurred at Utica, and his nar- rative exhibits a lamentable picture of a good man standing at Lay with fortune. Careless for his own safety, or rather determined not to live under the slavery of Caesar's despotism, Cato yet was anxious to provide for the safety of his friends, advised them to flee, accompanied them to the port, besought them to make terms with the conqueror, composed the speech in which L. Caesar interceded for them, but would not allow his own name to appear. Bewildered and oppressed, driven into :i corner where his irresolution could not lurk, and from which he had not strength to break forth, he deeply felt that the only way to preserve his high personal character and unbending moral dignity, and to leave to posterity a lofty Roman name, was — to die. For the particulars of his death, which our limits prevent us from giving, we must refi-r our readers to the graphic account of Plutarch, After spending the greater part of the night in perusing Plato's Phaedo several times, he stabbed himself below the breast, and in falling overturned an abacus. His friends, hearing the noise, ran up, found him bathed in blood, and, while he was fainting, dressed his wound. When however he recovered feeling, he tore open the bandages, let out his entrails, and expired, B. c. 46, at the age of forty-nine. There was deep gi-ief in Utica on account of his death. The inhabitants buried him on the coast, and celebrated his funeral with much pomp. A statue, with sword in hand, was erected to his memory on the spot, and was still standing when Plutarch wrote. Caesar had hastened his march in order to catch Cato ; but arriving too late, he exclaimed, " Cato, I grudge thee thy death, since thou hast grudged me the glory of sparing thy life." The only existing composition of Cato (not to count the speech in Sallust) is a letter written in B. c. 50. It is a civil refusal in answer to an ela- borate letter of Cicero, requesting that Cato wou'd use his influence to procure him a triumph. (Cic« ad Fam, xv. 4 — 6.)