But his opponents
quickly recovering themselves from their rout again advanced with loud
and confident shouts, so that the partizans of Metellus were seized
with confusion and fear, for they thought that their opponents were
falling on them with arms which they had provided themselves with from
some place or other, and not one of them stood his ground, but all ran
away from the Rostra. When they were thus dispersed, and Cato coming
forward partly commended and partly encouraged the people, the people
prepared themselves to put down Metellus by every means, and the
Senate assembling declared anew that they would support Cato and
resist the law, which they considered to be introducing discord and
civil war into Rome.
XXIX. Metellus himsalf was unmoved from his purpose and still bold,
but seeing that his partizans were struck with great terror at Cato,
and considered him invincible and that it was impossible to overpower
him, he suddenly hurried out to the Forum, and assembling the people
he said many things calculated to bring odium on Cato, and crying out
that he was flying from his tyranny and the conspiracy against
Pompeius, for which the city would speedily repent and for their
disgracing so great a man, he forthwith set out to Asia to lay all
these charges before Pompeius. Now the fame of Cato was great inasmuch
as he had eased the state of the no small burden of the tribuneship,
and in a manner had put down the power of Pompeius in the person of
Metellus; but he got still more credit by not consenting that the
Senate, who were minded to do it, should degrade Metellus, and by
opposing the measure and praying them not to pass it.
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