his friends immediately ran in.  Seeing him smeared with blood and the greater part of his bowels protruding, though he was still alive and his eyes were open, they were all dreadfully alarmed, and the physician going up to him attempted to replace his bowels, which remained uninjured, and to sew up the wound.  But when Cato recovered and saw this, he pushed the physician away, and tearing the bowels with his hands and at the same time rending the wound he died.[757] LXXI.  In a space of time which one would not have thought enough for all in the house to have heard of the event, there were present at the door the three hundred, and soon after the people of Utica were assembled, with one voice calling Cato benefactor and saviour and the only free man, the only unvanquished.  And this they did though it was told that Caesar was advancing; but neither fear nor subserviency towards the conqueror nor their mutual differences and quarrels dulled them towards doing honour to Cato.  They decorated the body in splendid style, and made a pompous procession and interred him near the sea, where a statue of him now stands with a sword in his hand, and then they began to think how they should save themselves and their city.

LXXII.  Caesar hearing from those who came to him that Cato was staying in Utica and not flying away, and that he was sending off the rest, while himself and his companions and his son were fearlessly going about, thought it difficult to ascertain the intentions of the man, but as he made most account of him he advanced with his force by quick marches.  When he heard of his death, it is reported that he said this, “Cato, I grudge thee thy death, for thou hast grudged me thy safety.”  For in fact if Cato had submitted to receive his life from Caesar, he would not have been considered to have lowered his own fame so much as to have added to the splendour of Caesar’s.  What would have been done is uncertain, but with respect to Caesar the milder measures are more probable.

LXXIII.  When Cato died he was fifty[758] years of age save two.  His son[759] received no harm from Caesar, but he is said to have been fond of pleasure and not free from blame with regard to women.  In Cappadocia he had as his host Marphadates, one of the royal family, who possessed a handsome wife, and as Cato stayed longer with them than was decent, he was satirized in such terms as these: 

     “To-morrow Cato goes away, to-morrow thirty days.”

And: 

     “Porcius and Marphadates, friends are two, but Psyche one.”

For the wife of Marphadates was named Psyche (Soul).  And again: 

     “Of noble blood and splendid fame, Cato has a royal Soul.”