Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/396

 388 CATO THE YOUNGER. on him, when they declined to gratify their friends with the public money, or to give dishonest judgments in pass- ing their accounts; and when hard pressed by suitors, they could readily answer it was impossible to do any thing, unless Cato would consent. On the last day of his office, he was honorably attended to his house by almost all the people ; but on the way he was informed that several powerful friends were in the treasury with Mar- cellus, using all their interest with him to pass a certain debt to the public revenue, as if it had been a gift. Mar- cellus had been one of Cato's friends from his childhood, and so long as Cato was with him, was one of the best of his colleagues in this office, but when alone, was unable to resist the importunity of suitors, and prone to do any- body a kindness. So Cato immediately turned back, and finding that Marcellus had yielded to pass the thing, he took the book, and while Marcellus silently stood by and looked on, struck it out. This done, he brought Marcel- lus out of the treasury, and took him home with him ; who for all this, neither then, nor ever after, complained of him, but always continued his friendship and famil- iarity with him. Cato after he had laid down his office, yet did not cease to keep a watch upon the treasury. He had his servants who continually wrote out the details of the expenditure, and he himself kept always by him certain books, which contained the accounts of the revenue from Sylla's time to his own qusestorship, which he had bought for five talents. He was always first at the senate, and went out last ; and often, while the others were slowly collecting, he would sit and read by himself, holding his gown before his book. He was never once out of town when the sen- ate was to meet. And when afterwards Pompey and his party, finding that he could never be either persuaded or