St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

L. VIVES.

THat (a) Cato] The Catoe's were of the Portian family, arising from Tusculum a towne of the Latines. The first of this stocke that was called Cato (that is wise and wary) was Marcus Portius, a man of meane discent, but attaining to all the honours of Consull, Censor, and of Triumph. His nephewes sonne was Marcus Portius Cato, both of them were great and (yet) innocent men. The first was called Maior, or the Elder, the later Mi∣nor, or the younger. The younger beeing a Leader in the ciuill wars of Pompey tooke his (that was, the common weales and the liberties) part, against the vsurparion of Caius Cae∣sar: Now Pompey beeing ouercome by Caesar at Pharsalia, and Scipio Metellus (Pompey his father in law) in Affrica, this Cato seeing his faction subuerted, and Caesar beare al down before him, being retyred vnto Vtica (a Citty in Affrike) and reading Platoe's Phaed•…•… twise ouer together, the same night thrust him-selfe through with his sword. (b) Not be∣cause he alone] No, for many in other warres had slaine them-selues, least they should fall into the hand of the enemie: and in this same warre, so did Scipio Metellus, Afranius & King Iuba (c) Learned] A stoyke and excellently skill'd in the wisdom of the Greeks (d) Ho∣nest] the wisdom and innocencie that was in both these Catoes grew into a prouerb: and hereof saith I•…•…all.

T•…•…rtius 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Caelo cecidit Cato. Now Heauen hath giuen vs a third Cat•…•….

Velleius Paterculus writing vnto Uinicius, thus describeth this Cato. Hee was descen∣ded from Marcus Cato that head of the Porcian family (who was his great grandfather) hee was a man like vertues selfe, and rather of diuine then humane capacity: hee neuer did good that he cared should be noted: but because hee could not doe any thing but good, as holding that onely reasonable which was iust: free was hee from all the corruptions of man, and euermore swayed his owne fortune to his owne liking, Thus farre Uelleius: to omit the great testimo∣nies of Seneca, Lucane, Tully, Saluste and others, of this worthy man. (e) some of them lear∣ned] It is recorded that Apollonides the Stoike, Demetrius the Peripatetike, and Cleanthes the Phisicion were then at Utica with Cato. For he loued much the company of the Greeke Philosophers, and his great grand-father neuer hated them so much as he respected them. And vpon the night that he slew himselfe on (saith Plutarch) at supper there arose a dispu∣tation about such things as really concerne the liberty of a man: wherein, Demetrius spoke many things against Cato's constant assertions of the praise of such as killed themselues; which indeed was so vehement, that it begot a suspicion in them all, that hee would follow the same course himselfe, (f) This did Cato himselfe] Plutarch writeth that when Cato came to Vtica, he sent away his followers by shipping, and earnestly preswaded his sonne to goe with them, but could not force him to forsake his father. This sonne of his, Caesar af∣terwardes pardoned, as Liuy saith lib. 114. and Caesar himselfe in his Commentaries of the African warre. Hee was (as Plutarch saith in his fathers life) much giuen to venerie, but in the battaile of Phillipi, fighting valiantly on his cozen Brutus his side for his countries free∣dome hee was slaine, scorning to leaue the fight, when the chiefest captaines fled. (g) to kill his sonne] Titus Manlius Torquatus made his sonnes head bee cut off for fighting contrary to the edict, though he returned with victory, But of this else-where. (h) should haue gotten by sparing of him] Commonly knowne is that saying of Caesar to him that brought newes of Cato's death: Cato, I enuy thy glory, for thou enuiedst mine, and would not haue it reckoned amongst mine other famous actes, that I saued Cato. Caesar wrote two bookes called Anti∣catones, against Cato, as Cicero and Suetonius testifie. The Cardinall of Liege told mee that he saw them both in a certaine old librarie at Liege, and that hee would see they should bee sent me, which if he do, I will not defraud the learned of their vse and publication.

Notes

• The Ca∣•…•….
• The in•…•…∣grity of the C•…•…es.
• Cato his sonne.
• Ma•…•…. Torquat•…•….