im by whom, in the Caudian[11] battle, Spurius
Postumius and Titus Veturius, the consuls, were overcome, on which
occasion Plato the Athenian had been present at that discourse; and I
find that he came to Tarentum in the consulship of Lucius Camillus and
Appius Claudius.[12] Wherefore do I adduce this? that we may
understand that if we could not by reason and wisdom despise pleasure,
great gratitude would be due to old age for bringing it to pass that
that should not be a matter of pleasure which is not a matter of duty.
For pleasure is hostile to reason, hinders deliberation, and, so to
speak, closes the eyes of the mind, nor does it hold any intercourse
with virtue. I indeed acted reluctantly in expelling from the senate
Lucius Flaminius, brother of that very brave man Titus Flaminius,[13]
seven years after he had been Consul; but I thought that his
licentiousness should be stigmatized. For that man, when he was Consul
in Gaul, was prevailed on at a banquet by a courtezan to behead one of
those who were in chains, condemned on a capital charge. He escaped in
the censorship of his brother Titus, who had immediately preceded me;
but so profligate and abandoned an act of lust could by no means be
allowed to pass by me and Flaccus, since with private infamy it
combined the disgrace of the empire.

I have often heard from my elders, who said that, in like manner,
they, when boys, had heard from old men, that Caius Fabricius was wont
to wonder that when he was ambassador to King Pyrrhus, he had heard
from Cineas the Thessalian that there was a certain person at Athens
who profest himself a wise man, and that he was accustomed to say that
all things which we did were to be referred to pleasure; and that
hearing him say so, Manius Curius and Titus Coruncanius were
accustomed to wish that that might be the persuasion of the Samnites
and Pyrrhus[14] himself, that they might the more easily be conquered
when they had given themselves up to pleasure. Manius Curius had lived
with Publius Decius, who, five years before the consulship of the
former, had devoted himself for the commonwealth in his fourth
consulship. Fabricius had been acquainted with him, and Coruncanius
had also known him, who, as well from his own conduct in life, as from
the great action of him whom I mention, Publius Decius, judged that
there was doubtless something in its own nature excellent and
glorious, which should be followed for its own sake, and which,
s