by his freedman Quintio, who himself used
to sail in the ships of the association and transact their mercantile
business.

He used to lend money to his slaves, if they desired it. They used
with the money to buy young slaves, teach them a trade at Cato's
expense for a year, and then dispose of them. Many of these Cato
retained in his own service, paying the price offered by the highest
bidder, and deducting from it the original cost of the slave. When
endeavouring to encourage his son to act in a similar manner, he used
to say that it was not the part of a man, but of a lone woman, to
diminish one's capital; and once, with an excessive exaggeration, he
said that the most glorious and godlike man was he who on his death
was found to have earned more than he inherited.

XXII. When he was an old man, Karneades the academic, and Diogenes
the stoic philosopher, came as ambassadors to Rome on the part of the
Athenians, to beg that they might not be forced to pay a fine of five
hundred talents which had been imposed upon them in consequence of an
action at law, brought against the Athenians by the people of Oropus,
before the people of Sikyon as judges, having been allowed to go
against them by default. Such of the Roman youths as had any taste for
literature frequented the society of these men, and took great
interest in hearing their discussions. They were especially delighted
with Karneades, a man of great and recognised ability, who obtained
large and enthusiastic audiences at his lectures, and filled the whole
city with his fame. Nothing was talked of except how a single Greek
with wonderful powers of eloquence and persuasion had so bewitched the
youth of Rome that they forsook all other pleasures, and plunged
wildly into philosophic speculations. The greater part of the citizens
were well pleased with this, and looked on with great satisfaction at
their sons' study of Greek literature, and their intimacy with such
celebrated men; but Cato, when the taste for philosophy first sprang
up in Rome, was vexed at it, and feared that the young men might
become more eager to gain distinction by fluent speaking than by
warlike exploits. However, when the fame of the philosophers
increased, and a distinguished man, Caius Acilius, at the general
request, translated their first lectures to the Senate, Cato decided
that the philosophers must at once be conducted with all due honours
out of the city. He came to the Senate and made a