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

Of Cato, who killed himselfe, being not able to endure Caesars victory. CHAP. 22.

BVt many haue killed themselues for feare to fal into the hands of their foes. We dispute not here de facto, whether it hath been done or no, but de Iure, whether it were to be done or no. For soūd reason is before example, al autho∣rities * 1.1 to the contrary, as wherevnto all examples do consent, being such as by their excellence in goodnesse are worthily imitable: neither Patriarch, Prophet nor Apostle euer did this: yet our Lord Iesus Christ, when hee admonished his disciples, in persecution to flie from city to city, might haue willed them in such cases to make a present dispatch of themselues, and so to avoide their * 1.2

persecutors (hadd hee held it fitte.) But if hee neuer gaue any such admoni∣tion, or command, that any to whome hee promised a mansion of eternity at their deaths, should passe vnto their deaths on this fashion; (lette then the hea∣then that know not God produce al they can) it is plainly vnlawful for any one than serueth the onely true God to follow this course: But indeed besides Lu∣•…•…ia (of whome I think we haue sufficiently argued before) it is hard for * 1.3 them to find one other example, worth prescribing as a fitte authority for o∣thers to follow, besides that (a) Cato only that killed him-selfe at Vtica: (b) not that hee alone was his owne deaths-man but because he was accounted as a (c) learned, and (d) honest man, which may beget a beleefe, that to do as hee didde, were to doe well. VVhat should I say of his fact more then his friendes (and (e) some of them learned men) haue said? who shewed far more iudgement in disswading the deed, and censuring it as the effect of a spirit rather deiected, then magnanimous. And of this (f) did Cato him-selfe leaue a testimony in his owne famous Sonne. For if it were base to liue vnder Caesars victory: why did he aduise his son to this, willing him to entertaine a full hope of Caesars clemency? Yea why did he not vrge him to go willingly to his end with him? If it were laudable in Torquatus (g) to kill his sonne that hadde fought and foyled his enemy: (though herein he had broken the Dictators commaund) why didde conquered Cato spare his ouerthrowne sonne, that spared not him-selfe? VVas it more vile to bee a conquerour agaynst lawe, then to indure a conquerour against honour? What shall wee saie then, but that euen in the same measure that hee loued his sonne, whome hee both hoped and wished that Caesar woulde spare, in the same didde hee enuy Caesars glory, which hee (h) should haue gotten in sparing of him also, or else (to mollifie this matter som-what) he was ashamed to receiue such courtesie at Caesars hands.

L. VIVES.

THat (a) Cato] The Catoe's were of the Portian family, arising from Tusculum a towne * 1.4 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 * 1.5 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 * 1.6 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 * 1.7 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

• * 1.1

  Reason a∣boue exam∣ples.
• * 1.2

  Math. 10. 23.
• * 1.3

  Cap. 19.
• * 1.4

  The Ca∣•…•….
• * 1.5

  The in•…•…∣grity of the C•…•…es.
• * 1.6

  Cato his sonne.
• * 1.7

  Ma•…•…. Torquat•…•….