CA'TO, MARCUS PORCTUS, named CATO THE YOUNGER, Or CATO ITTICE.NSIS (from the place of his death), was born 95 B.C. Having lost, during childhood, both parents, he was educated in the house of his uncle, M. Livius Drusus, and, even in his boyhood, gave proofs of his decision and strength of character. In the year 72 is.c., he served with distinction in the campaign against Spartacus, but without finding satisfaction in military life, though he proved himself a good soldier. From Macedonia, where lie was military tribune in 67, he went to Pergamus in search of the Stoic philosopher, Athen odorus, whom he brought back to his camp, and whom he induced to proceed with him to Rome, where he spent the time partly in philosophical studies, and partly in forensic discussions. Desirous of honestly qualifying himself for the qurestorship, he commenced to study all the financial questions connected with it. Immediately after his election, he introduced, in spite of violent opposition from those interested, a rigorous reform into the treasury offices. He quitted the qurestorship at the appointed time amid gen eral applause. In 63 n.c., he was elected tribune, and also delivered his famous speech on the Catiline conspiracy, in which he denounced Cmsar as an accomplice of that political desperado, and determined the sentence of the senate. Strongly dreading the 3nfluence of unbridled greatness, and not discerning that an imperial genius—like that of Ciesar—was the only thing that could remedy the evils of that overgrown monster, the Roman republic, he commenced a career of what seems to us blind pragmatical opposi tion to the three most powerful men in Rome—Crassus, and Caesar. C. was a
noble but strait-laced tlwori4, who lacked the intuition into circumstances which belongs to men like Caesar and Cromwell. His first opposition to Pompey was success ful; but his opposition to Caesar's consulate for the year 59 not only failed, but even served to hasten the formation of the first triumvirate between Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, lie was afterwards forced to side with Pompey, who had resiled from his connection with Caesar, and become reconciled to the aristocracy. After the battle of Pharsalia (48 n.c.), C. intended to join Pompey, but hearing the news of his death, escaped into Africa, where lie was elected commander by the partisans for Pompey, but resigned the post in favor of Metellus Scipio, and undertook the defense of Utica. Here, when lie bad tidings of Caesar's decisive victory over Scipio at Thapsus (April 6, 46 ti.c.), C., finding that his troops were wholly intimidated, advised the Roman senators and knights to escape from ttica, and make terms with the victor, but prohibited all inter cessions in his own favor. He resolved to (lie rather than surrender, and, after spending the night in reading Plato's, Pkarlo, committed suicide by stabbing himself in the breast.