Cato the Elder Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero

Critical Essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero

SOURCE: Marcus Tullius Cicero, "The Brutus: The Importance of Oratory," in On Government, translated by Michael Grant, Penguin Books, 1993, pp. 221-334.

Cicero referred to Cato in many of his works, often making the earlier orator a character in ethical dialogues. In the excerpt below, Cicero praises Cato's skills as an orator.

Cato's speeches are almost as numerous as those of the Athenian (to whom, however, I believe that some are wrongly attributed). I call Lysias Athenian because he was certainly born and died at Athens, although Timaeus,¹ by a sort of Licinian and Mucian law,² ascribes him to Syracuse instead. Between Lysias and Cato there is a certain resemblance. Both are penetrating, elegant, clever and concise. But as regards reputation the Greek has been considerably more fortunate. He has a very definite body of supporters. They are men who cultivate a slim rather than an ample oratorical structure and,...
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