Cato the Younger 63
43 lines✦
ato upon this account was opposed by all the great men,who thought themselves reproved by his virtue. Pompey especi-ally looked upon the increase of Cato’s credit as the ruin of hisown power, and therefore continually set up men to rail againsthim. Among these was the seditious Clodius, now again united_ to Pompey, who declared openly, that Cato had conveyed away_ a great deéal of the treasure that was found in Cyprus; and that_ he hated Pompey only because he refused to marry his daughter.Cato answered, that although they had allowed him neither_ horse nor man, he had brought more treasure from Cyprus alone,_ than Pompey had, after so many wars and triumphs, from theransacked world; that he never sought the alliance of Pompey;‘ not that he thought him unworthy of being related to him, but» because he differed so much from him in things that concerned_ the commonwealth. ‘“ For,” said he, “ I laid down the province- that was given me, when I went out of my pretorship; Pompey,_on the contrary, retains many provinces for himself, and he- bestows many on others; and but now he sent Czsar a force of: six thousand men into Gaul, which Cesar never asked the peoplefor, nor had Pompey obtained their consent to give. Men, andhorse, and arms, in any number, are become the mutual gifts of- private men to one another; and Pompey, keeping the titles of~commander and general, hands over the armies and provincesto others to govern, while he himself stays at home to preside-at the contests of the canvass, and to stir up tumults at elec--tions; out of the anarchy he thus creates amongst us, seeking,- we see well enough, a monarchy for himself.” Thus he retorted_on Pompey. ; - He had an intimate friend and admirer of the name of Marcus Favonius, much the same to Cato as we are told Apollodorus,“the Phalerian, was in old time to Socrates, whose words used tothrow him into perfect transports and ecstasies, getting into hishead, like strong wine, and intoxicating him to a sort of frenzy.~This Favonius stood to be chosen edile, and was like to lose it;but Cato, who was there to assist him, observed that all the-yotes were written in one hand, and discovering the cheat, ap-~pealed to the tribunes, who stopped the election. Favonius wasafterwards chosen zdile, and Cato, who assisted him in all thingsthat belonged to his office, also undertook the care of the spec-tacles that were exhibited in the theatre; giving the actorscrowns, not of gold, but of wild olive, such as used to be givenat the Olympic games; and instead of the magnificent presentsthat were usually made, he offered to the Greeks beet root,
✦