- Anticato
The Anticato (sometimes Anti-Cato;
Latin : "Anticatones") was apolemic written byJulius Caesar in hostile reply toCicero 's pamphlet praisingCato the Younger . The text is lost and survives only in fragments. Brutus, dissatisfied with Cicero's work, wrote a second pamphlet in praise of Cato and called, simply, "Cato," which provoked a reply fromOctavian . [Suetonius , Life of Augustus 85.1 http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/suetonius/suet.aug.html#85] Octavian's work is not known to have been called AntiCato but must have been modeled on Caesar's reply to Cicero.Background
Cato was a famously stubborn
Stoic , who came into conflict with Caesar at theCatiline conspiracy trial. Cato argued for capital punishment forLucius Sergius Catilina and his conspirators, so as to set an example and discourage similartreason . Caesar argued for a private judgement and clemency. The Senate agreed with Cato, and the executions were carried out; the rebel army disbanded and fled. During the debate, however, Cato had called out Caesar for reading personal messages in the Senate; Caesar defended himself, saying he was only reading alove letter . Cato insisted on reading it, and to widespread dismay, it was what Caesar said -- exposing his affair withServilia Caepionis , the half-sister of Cato. Servilia was forced to divorce.Next, during the
triumvirate of Caesar,Pompey , andMarcus Licinius Crassus , Cato interfered with Caesar's plans for a triumph for himself, while supporting one for Pompey. Cato opposed Caesar's every political step afterward, in particular leading the opposition to Caesar's return to Rome in 49 BC without relinquishing his proconsulship. Caesar famously crossed theRubicon and came to Rome regardless, sparking the Roman Civil War. When Caesar prevailed in the war and looked to seize power in Rome, Cato committed suicide.Several leading Romans wrote works in posthumous praise or criticism of Cato. A famous
panegyric byCicero titled simply "Cato" led to Caesar writing his "Anticato" in response.References
Sources
* Hazel, John, "Who's Who - In The Roman World". London and New York: Routledge, 2001.
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