Famous Men of Rome · Ch. XVI · Unit 3: Pyrrhus and the wars with Carthage
22. Cato the Censor
Goal: Your child can describe Cato's hard, plain way of life, tell what he said at the end of every speech, and tell how Carthage was destroyed.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Italy and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter XVI: Cato, a farm boy from near Tusculum, becomes a soldier, lawyer, consul and the strictest of censors, taxing carriages and jewels. Sent to Carthage, he finds it rich again and ends every speech with "Carthage must be destroyed." The Third Punic War follows; Carthage is tricked into giving up its arms, holds out for three years, and is destroyed in 146 B.C. The younger Scipio also takes Numantia in Spain.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Carthage and Spain again on the map. Say: Carthage lost the second war, but it was not finished yet.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter XVI aloud. It begins:
On a farm near Tusculum, a little town about fifteen miles from Rome, there once lived a boy named Marcus Porcius Cato.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What kind of life did Cato live, even when he was rich?
- What did he do as censor?
- What did Cato see in Carthage that worried him?
- How did the women of Carthage help defend their city?
Talk it over
Read what Cato said at the end of every speech:
And my opinion is that Carthage must be destroyed.
Then read how the war began. The book says that after giving up their arms, the Carthaginians "saw that they had been deceived."
Ask: Was Rome fair to Carthage this time? Why or why not?
Remember it
Read the words on Cato's statue:
When the Roman Republic was degenerating, Cato restored it by strict discipline.
SayDegenerating means getting worse. Add to the timeline: "146 B.C. Carthage destroyed."
Extra (optional)
Make a list of Cato's rules for living, as your child imagines them from the chapter ("Eat plain food," "Walk, don't ride").
Answers to the book's problems
Cato ate plain food, drank cheap wine, took no pleasures and saved his money. As censor he put out senators who lived badly and taxed carriages, jewels, fine dresses, carpets and furniture. He saw crowds of young men, stacks of arms and a harbor full of ships. The women cut off their hair for bowstrings. Fairness: most children will see that Rome broke its promise; that is a fair reading of the book.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.