He was the first for thirty years and had the support of the nobiles.
Brunt, avarice
The avarice of the ruling class was reflected in the misery and discontent of the masses.
Marin, stubborn Cato
Cato'srefusal to bribe made him lose. He believed he had given offence to the people with his aloofness but would not change himself to accommodate them.
Beard, clementia
Caesar made much of the fact that he pardoned many of his enemies. Cato saw this as a quality belonging to those with the power to do the opposite:punish.
Paterson, Cicero on the optimates
They accepted the status quo and defended religion, the authority of magistrates and the senate, laws, ancestral custom, and the judicial system.
Paterson, Plutarch
He uses language more appropriate to the politics of a Greek polis and is therefore an unreliable guide to the realities of Roman republicanpolitics.
