Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/430

 422 CATO THE YOUNGER. and not bring a curse upon the city ; " Yet we have reason," said he, " to thank the gods, for that they spared the commonwealth, and did not take vengeance upon the army, for the madness and folly of the general." Here- upon Caesar wrote a letter to the senate, which was read openly, and was full of reproachful language and accusa- tions against Cato ; who, standing up, seemed not at all concerned, and without any heat or passion, but in a calm and, as it were, premeditated discourse, made all Caesar's charges against him show like mere common scolding and abuse, and in fact a sort of pleasantry and play on Cae- sar's part ; and proceeding then to go into all Caesar's polit- ical courses, and to explain and reveal (as though he had been not his constant opponent, but his fellow-conspirator,) his whole conduct and purpose from its commencement, he concluded by telling the senate, it was not the sons of the Britons or the Gauls they need fear, but Caesar him- self, if they were wise. And this discourse so moved and awakened the senate, that Caesar's friends repented they had had a letter read, which had given Cato an opportu- nity of saying so many reasonable things, and such severe truths against him. However, nothing was then decided upon ; it was merely said, that it would be well to send him a successor. Upon that Caesar's friends required, that Pompey also should lay down his arms, and resign his provinces, or else that Caesar might not be obliged to either. Then Cato cried out, what he had foretold was come to pass ; now it was manifest he was using his forces to compel their judgment, and was turning against the state those armies he had got from it by imposture and trickery. But out of the Senate-house Cato could do but little, as the people were ever ready to magnify Caesar; and the senate, though convinced by Cato, were afraid of the people. But when the news was brought that Caesar had seized