Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/380

 372 CATO THE YOUNGEE. repute, who had contracted a friendship with Dnisus, lodged at his house for several days, in which time being grown familiar with the children, " Well," said he to them, "will you entreat your uncle to befriend us in our business ? " Ca?pio, smiling, assented, but Cato made no answer, only he looked steadfastly and fiercely on the strangers. Then said Pompasdius, " And you, young sir, what say you to us ? will not you, as well as your brother, intercede with your uncle in our behalf? " And when Cato continued to give no answer, by his silence and his coun- tenance seeming to deny their petition, Pompaedius snatched him up to the window as if he would throw him out, and told him to consent, or he would fling him down, and, speaking in a harsher tone, held his body out of the window, and shook him several times. When Cato had suffered this a good while, unmoved and un- alarmed, Pompcedius setting him down, said in an under- voice to his friend, " What a blessing for Italy, that he is but a child ! If he were a man, I believe we should not gain one voice among the people." Another time, one of his relations, on his birthday, invited Cato and some other children to supper, and some of the company di- verted themselves in a separate part of the house, and were at play, the elder and the younger together, their sport being to act the pleadings before the judges, accu- sing one another, and carrying away the condemned to prison. Among these a very beautiful young child, being bound and carried by a bigger into prison, cried out to Cato, who seeing what was going on, presently ran to the door, and thrusting away those who stood there as a guard, took out the child, and went home in anger, fol- lowed by some of his companions. Cato at length grew so famous among them, that when Sylla designed to exhibit the sacred game of young men