Plutarch on Caesar's War in Africa

Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-c.122): influential Greek philosopher and author, well known for his biographies and his moral treatises. His biography is here; the following fragment is from his Life of Julius Caesar.

In April 46, Julius Caesar defeated an army of his opponents at Thapsus in modern Tunisia. Among his enemies was Cato the Younger, a conservative who had been Caesar's most outspoken critic. The Greek author Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-c.120) describes what happened in chapter 52-55 of his Life of Julius Caesar.

The translation below was made by Robin Seager.

Chapter
52
53
54
55
Section
1
2
3
4
5
6

[54.1] Cato was in command of the city of Uticanote and for that reason had taken no part in the battle.

[54.2] Being extremely anxious to capture him alive, Caesar hurried to Utica, but found that he had committed suicide. The news clearly had a disturbing effect on Caesar, though it is difficult to say exactly why. Certainly he exclaimed: "Cato, I must grudge you your death, as you grudged me the opportunity of giving you your life."

[54.3] But the essay which he wrote later attacking Cato after his death does not bear the traces of a kindly or forgiving temper. After such a pitiless outpouring of anger against the man when he was dead, one can scarcely imagine that he would have spared him when he was alive.

[54.4] And yet from the kindness which he showed to Cicero and Brutus and very many others who had fought against him it may be inferred that even this essay was written not so much out of his hatred for Cato as from a desire to justify his own policy.

[54.5] The essay came to be written because Cicero had composed a work in praise of Cato, which he entitled Cato. This was widely read, as was natural considering that it was the work of so great a master of oratory writing on such an excellent theme.

[54.6] Caesar, however, was annoyed, since he considered that Cicero's praise of the dead Cato amounted to an attack upon himself; and so he wrote his own essay, called Anti-Cato, in which he put down everything that could be said against him. Both essays have many admirers, just as Cicero and Caesar have.