56 Plutarch’s Lives
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is nephew Brutus to Cyprus, as he would not wholly trustCanidius. Then, having reconciled the refugees and the peopleof Byzantium, he left the city in peace and quietness; and sosailed to Cyprus, where he found a royal treasure of plate, tables,precious stones and purple, all which was to be turned into‘ready money. And being determined to do everything withthe greatest exactness, and to raise the price of everything tothe utmost, to this end he was always present at selling thethings, and went carefully into all the accounts. Nor would hetrust to the usual customs of the market, but looked doubtfullyupon all alike, the officers, criers, purchasers, and even his ownfriends; and so in fine he himself talked with the buyers, andurged them to bid high, and conducted in this manner thegreatest part of the sales. This mistrustfulness offended most of his friends, and inparticular, Munatius, the most intimate of them all, becamealmost irreconcilable. And this afforded Cesar the subject ofhis severest censures in the book he wrote against Cato. YetMunatius himself relates, that the quarrel was not so much occa-sioned by Cato’s mistrust, as by his neglect of him, and by hisown jealousy of Canidius. For Munatius also wrote a book con-cerning Cato, which is the chief authority followed by Thrasea.Munatius says, that coming to Cyprus after the other, andhaving a very poor lodging provided for him, he went to Cato’shouse, but was not admitted, because he was engaged in privatewith Canidius; of which he afterwards complained in verygentle terms to Cato, but received a very harsh answer, that toomuch love, according to Theophrastus, often causes hatred;“and you,” he said, ‘“‘ because you bear me much love, thinkyou receive too little honour, and presently grow angry. Iemploy Canidius on account of his industry and his fidelity; he‘has been with me from the first, and I have found him to betrusted.” These things were said in private between them two;but Cato afterwards told Canidius what had passed, on beinginformed of which, Munatius would no more go to sup with him,and when he was invited to give his counsel, refused to come.Then Cato threatened to seize his goods, as was the custom inthe case of those who were disobedient; but Munatius not re-garding his threats, returned to Rome, and continued a longtime thus discontented. But afterwards, when Cato was comeback also, Marcia, who as yet lived with him, contrived to havethem both invited to sup together at the house of one Barca;‘Cato came in last of all, when the rest were laid down, and
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