Plutarch, Cato the Younger, Bernadotte Perrin (Translator), 2

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[1] While Cato was still a boy, the Italian allies of the Romans were making efforts to obtain Roman citizenship. One of their number, Pompaedius Silo,¹ a man of experience in war and of the highest position, was a friend of Drusus, and lodged at his house for several days. During this time he became familiar with the children, and said to them once: Come, beg your uncle to help us in our struggle for citizenship.

[2] Caepio, accordingly, consented with a smile, but Cato made no reply and gazed fixedly and fiercely upon the strangers. Then Pompaedius said: But thou, young man, what sayest thou to us? Canst thou not take the part of the strangers with thy uncle, like thy brother?

[3] And when Cato said not a word, but by his silence and the look on his face seemed to refuse the request, Pompaedius lifted him up through a window, as if he would cast him out, and ordered him to consent, or he would throw him down, at the same time making the tone of his voice harsher, and frequently shaking the boy as he held his body out at the window.

[4] But when Cato had endured this treatment for a long time without showing fright or fear, Pompaedius put him down, saying quietly to his friends: What a piece of good fortune it is for Italy that he is a boy; for if he were a man, I do not think we could get a single vote among the people.²

[5] At another time a relation of his who was celebrating a birthday, invited Cato and other boys to supper, and the company were diverting themselves at play in a separate part of the house, older and younger together, their play being actions at law, accusations, and the conducting of the condemned persons to prison.

[6] Accordingly, one of those thus condemned, a boy of comely looks, was led off by an older boy and shut into a chamber, where he called upon Cato for help. Then Cato, when he understood what was going on, quickly came to the door, pushed aside the boys who stood before it and tried to stop him, led forth the prisoner, and went off home with him in a passion, followed by other boys also.

Cato the Younger. Plutarch. Bernadotte Perrin (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1919.

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Current edition Perseus

Cato the Younger (English) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VIII. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.)

Editions (1)

Κάτων Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VIII. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.) — 2 focus

[1] ἔτι δὲ παιδὸς τοῦ Κάτωνος ὄντος ἔπραττον οἱ σύμμαχοι τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὅπως μεθέξουσι τῆς ἐν Ῥώμῃ πολιτείας· καί τις Πομπαίδιος Σίλλων, ἀνὴρ πολεμικὸς καί μέγιστον ἔχων ἀξίωμα, τοῦ δὲ Δρούσου φίλος, κατέλυσε παρʼ αὐτῷ πλείονας ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς γεγονὼς τοῖς παιδίοις συνήθης, ἄγε, εἶπεν, ὅπως ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν δεήσεσθε τοῦ θείου συναγωνίσασθαι περὶ τῆς πολιτείας.

[2] ὁ μὲν οὖν Καιπίων διαμειδιάσας ἐπένευσε, τοῦ δὲ Κάτωνος οὐδὲν ἀποκριναμένου καί βλέποντος εἷς τοὺς ξένους ἀτενὲς καί βλοσυρόν, ὁ Πομπαίδιος, σὺ δέ, εἶπεν, ἡμῖν, ὦ νεανία, τί λέγεις; οὐχ οἷος εἶ τοῖς ξένοις συλλαμβάνεσθαι πρὸς τὸν θεῖον, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀδελφός;

[3] μὴ φθεγγομένου δὲ τοῦ Κάτωνος, ἀλλὰ τῇ σιωπῇ καί τῷ προσώπῳ δοκοῦντος ἀπολέγεσθαι τὴν δέησιν, ἀράμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πομπαίδιος ὑπὲρ θυρίδος ὡς ἀφήσων ὁμολογεῖν ἐκέλευεν ἢ ῥίψειν ἔφασκεν, ἅμα τῇ τε φωνῇ τραχυτέρᾳ χρώμενος καί ταῖς χερσὶν ἀπηρτημένον τὸ σῶμα πολλάκις ὑπὲρ τῆς θυρίδος κραδαίνων.

[4] ἐπεὶ δὲ πολὺν χρόνον οὕτω διεκαρτέρησεν ὁ Κάτων ἀνέκπληκτος καί ἀδεής, καταθέμενος αὐτὸν Πομπαίδιος ἡσυχῇ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους εἶπεν· οἷον εὐτύχημα τῆς Ἰταλίας ὅτι παῖς οὗτός ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ ἀνὴρ ἦν, μίαν οὐκ ἂν οἶμαι ψῆφον ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ δήμῳ γίνέσθαι.

[5] πάλιν δὲ συγγενοῦς τινος ἐν γενεθλίοις καλέσαντος ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἄλλους τε παῖδας καί τοὺς περὶ Κάτωνα, σχολὴν ἄγοντες ἔν τινι μέρει τῆς οἰκίας ἔπαιζον αὐτοὶ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἀναμεμιγμένοι νεώτεροι καί πρεσβύτεροι, τὸ δὲ παιζόμενον ἦν δίκαι καί κατηγορίαι καί ἀγωγαὶ τῶν ἁλισκομένων.

[6] εἷς οὖν τῶν ἑαλωκότων παίδων εὐπρεπὴς τὴν ὄψιν ὑπὸ πρεσβυτέρου παιδὸς ἀχθεὶς εἴς τι δωμάτιον καί εἱρχθείς ἐπεκαλεῖτο τὸν Κάτωνα, ταχὺ δὴ τὸ γινόμενον συνεὶς ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας ὁ Κάτων, καί διωσάμενος τοὺς προεστῶτας καί διακωλύοντας ἐξήγαγε τὸν παῖδα· καί μετʼ ὀργῆς ἔχων ἀπῆλθεν οἴκαδε, καί παῖδες ἕτεροι συνηκολούθησαν.

Notes on the current edition

Cato the Younger

1. Erroneously called Publius Silo in the Marius, xxxiii. 2 .

2. This incident must have happened, if at all, in 91 B.C. when Cato was four years old; but it need not be inferred that he had already formed an opinion on public affairs. The story is told also in Valerius Maximus, iii. 1, 2 .

Plutarch Cato the Younger 2

Bernadotte Perrin (Translator)

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