The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [300]
25. It would seem that the Roman people did not fear Cato’s grim countenance,
26. But rejecting those smooth promisers who were ready to do anything to ingratiate themselves, they voted for him,
27. Together with Flaccus, obeying his recommendations as if he had had the actual power of censorship already.
28. Cato named his colleague Flaccus as chief of the senate, and expelled, among many others, Lucius Quintius, for the following reason.
29. It seems Lucius was accompanied in all his commands by a youth whom he had long kept as his lover,
30. And to whom he gave as much power and respect as to the chiefest of his friends and relations.
31. Now it happened that while Lucius was consular governor of a province, the youth said to him in his cups,
32. That he loved him so dearly that ‘though there was a gladiator show at Rome, and I have never seen one; and though I long to see a man killed; yet I made all haste to come to you here instead.’
33. Returning his fondness, Lucius replied, ‘I can remedy that.’
34. Ordering a condemned prisoner to be brought to him, together with the headsman and axe, Lucius commanded his head to be cut off.
35. Cato asserted that Lucius himself played the part of executioner with his own hand.
36. Afterwards, when there was some show at the theatre, Lucius passed by the seats where former consuls sat,
37. And taking his seat a great way off, excited the compassion of the commoners,
38. Who presently with a great noise made him go forward, and as much as they could, tried to salve over what had happened.
39. Manilius, also, who according to the public expectation would have been next consul, Cato threw out of the senate,
40. Because, in the presence of his daughter, and in open day, he had kissed his wife.
41. Cato said that, as for himself, his wife never came into his arms except when there was great thunder, for which reason he liked storms.
42. His treatment of Lucius, the brother of Scipio, who had been honoured with a Triumph, occasioned some odium against Cato;
43. For he took his horse from him, and was thought to do it with a design of putting an affront on Scipio Africanus, now dead.
Chapter 61
1. But he gave most general annoyance by retrenching people’s luxury, because most of the youth had already been corrupted thereby.
2. Because it seemed impossible to take it away directly, Cato went about it about it obliquely.
3. He caused all dress, carriages, women’s ornaments and household furniture whose price exceeded fifteen hundred drachmas,
4. To be rated at ten times the worth; thus making their tax assessments greater.
5. He also ordered that for every thousand asses of property of this kind,
6. Three thousand asses should be paid, so that people, burdened with these extra charges, were persuaded out of their prodigality,
7. Seeing others paying less into the public exchequer who had equally good estates but were more frugal.
8. And thus, on the one side, not only were those disgusted at Cato who bore the taxes for the sake of their luxury,
9. But those, too, who on the other side laid by their luxury for fear of the taxes.
10. For people in general reckon that an order not to display their riches is equivalent to taking away their riches;
11. Because riches are for display, seen much more in superfluous than in necessary things.
12. This was what amazed Ariston the philosopher: that we account those who possess superfluous things more happy than those who abound in what is necessary and useful.
13. But when Scopas, the rich Thessalian, was asked by one of his friends to give him something of no great utility,
14. Scopas replied, ‘In truth it is just these useless and unnecessary things that make my wealth and happiness.’
15. Thus the desire of riches does not proceed from a natural passion within us, but arises rather from vulgar opinion of others.
16. Cato, caring nothing for those who exclaimed against him, increased his austerity.
17. He cut the pipes through which some persons brought the public water into their own houses,
18. And demolished