Life of Cato the Elder

Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder was born at Tusculum, but grew up in the country of Sabines. Because of his bravery and success on the battle field his surname Priscus was changed to Cato where the word Catus for the Romans meant "skilled man."He grew up on his father's country estate and entered military service at the age of 17. Cato gained a local reputation as an orator in the law courts and for his frugal lifestyle. This brought him to the attention of L. Valerius Flaccus, who encouraged him to seek public office in Rome. He first became a tribune in the army then got appointed as a quaestor. He had climbed the traditional ladder of magistrate offices to its very pinnacle by achieving the post of consul. In this position he won a great victory in the wars in Spain. The reason why Cato the Elder was able to achieve a powerful position within the empire was his own personality. He was well-known for his devotion to the old Roman principles of simplicity of life, honesty, and courage. He was against extravagance and new customs, but his policy was not aimed at repression but rather at improvement and the rebuilding of Roman life. His ideas applied to many Romans, simple people as well as members of the Senate, some people supported him because they were afraid of losing their own tradition.

Furthermore, other personal characteristics that guided Cato towards the peak of Rome were his bravery, intelligence and oratory gifts that approached him to his audience. Throughout his speeches, Cato revealed his great power of conviction and managed to attract numerous supporters. Cato's greatest enemy was Scipio Africanus, the commander who defeated Hannibal at Zama. Cato did his best to bring the great man down. Scipio enjoyed great popularity and gained a reputation as a great military leader. But Cato was annoyed by Scipio's extravagance on the way to Africa, which he viewed as a corrupting influence on the Roman soldiers, therefore Cato returned to Rome and alongside with Fabius Maximus, had Scipio recalled. Scipio managed to defend his conduct of operations and returned back to Africa. After ten years of consulship, Cato was elected as censor. He took his role as the guardian of morality very seriously. He used his powers of office to expel Manilius, a candidate in the election for the office of consul, from the senate. The reason was that Manilius had kissed his wife in public, and in the present of his daughter. He pushed his idea of simplicity on both the government and the people during a time when there was an increase in personal wealth and a desire for more. The rich suffered huge taxation, and severe regulations were introduced to prevent any luxuries Cato considered unnecessary. Pipes, with which people used to illegally draw water from the public water supply, were detached. Private buildings which overlapped onto public land were torn down. "However, the people, it seems, liked his censorship wondrously