Cato

Joseph Addison wrote a play titled Cato. This play would become one of his best-known works. Cato was based on the life of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis, a Roman statesman who lived between 95 B.C. and 46 B.C. Cato told the story of an incorruptible individual who struggled against the tyranny of Caesar. Cato's adherence to republican principles made him a popular literary figure in 18th-century England. Here are a few quotes from Addison's Cato.

Cato, Act I, Scene 2
Conspiracies no sooner should be formed
Than executed.

Cato, Act I, Scene 2
'Tis not in mortals to command success;
But we'll do more, Sempronius--we'll deserve it.

Cato, Act II, Scene 4
From hence, let fierce contending nations know
What dire effects from civil discord flow.

Cato, Act II, Scene 5
Honor's a fine imaginary notion,
That draws in raw and unexperienced men
To real mischiefs, while they hunt a shadow.

Cato, Act III, Scene 1
The friendships of the world are oft
Confederacies in vice, or leagues of pleasure.

Cato, Act IV, Scene 1
The woman that deliberates is lost.

Cato, Act V, Scene 1
Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought!