Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/415

CATO THE YOUNGER. 40? stones and purple, all which was to be turned into ready money. And being determined to do every thing with the greatest exactness, and to raise the price of every thing to the utmost, to this end he was always present at selling the things, and went carefully into all the accounts. Nor would he trust to the usual customs of the market, but looked doubtfully upon all alike, the officers, criers, purchasers, and even his own friends ; and so in fine he himself talked with the buyers, and urged them to bid high, and conducted in this manner the greatest part of the sales. This mistrustfulness offended others of his friends, and, in particular, Munatius, the most intimate of them all, became almost irreconcilable. And this afforded Caesar the subject of his severest censures in the book he wrote against Cato. Yet Munatius himself relates, that the quarrel was not so much occasioned by Cato's mistrust, as by his neglect of him, and by his own jealousy of Ca- nidius. For Munatius also wrote a book concerning Cato, which is the chief authority followed by Thrasea. Muna- tius says, that coming to Cyprus after the other, and hav- ing a very poor lodging provided for him, he went to Cato's house, but was not admitted, because he was engaged in private with Canidius ; of which he afterwards complained in very gentle terms to Cato, but received a very harsh answer, that too much love, according to The- ophrastus, often causes hatred ; " and you," he said, " because you bear me much love, think you receive too little honor, and presently grow angry. I employ Canid- ius on account of his industry and his fidelity ; he has been with me from the first, and I have found him to be trusted." These things were said in private between them two ; but Cato afterwards told Canidius what had passed ; on being informed of which, Munatius would no more go to sup with him, and when he was invited to