340 JIARCUS CATO.

asked Scopas, the rich Thessahaii, to give him some article of no great utility, saying that it was not a thing that he had any great need or use for himself, " In truth," replied he, " it is just these useless and unnecessary things that make my wealth and happiness." Thus the desire of riches does not proceed from a natural passion within us, but arises rather from vulgar out-of-doors opinion of other people. Cato, notwithstanding, being little solicitous as to those who exclaimed against him, increased his austerity. He caused the pipes, through which some persons brought the public water into their own houses and gardens, to be cut, and threw down all buildings which jutted out into the common streets. He beat down also the price in con- tracts for public works to the lowest, and raised it in con- tracts for fanning the taxes to the highest sum ; by which proceedings he drew a great deal of hatx'ed on himself. Those who were of Titus Flamininus's party cancelled in the senate all the bargains and contracts made by him for the repairing and carrying on of the sacred and pub- lic buUdings, as unadvantageous to the commonwealth. They incited also the boldest of the tribunes of the peo- ple to accuse him, and to fine him two talents. They Hkewise much opposed him in building the com-t or basil- ica, which he caused to be erected at the common charge, just by the senate-house, in the market-place, and called by his own name, the Porcian. However, the people, it seems, liked his censorship Avondrously well ; for, setting up a statue for him in the temple of the goddess of Health, they put an inscription under it, not recording his com- mands in war or his triumph, but to the effect, that this was Cato the Censor, who, by his good discipline and wise and temperate ordinances, reclaimed the Roman common- wealth when it was declining and sinking down into vice. Before this honor was done to himself, he used to laugh