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Cato, Caesar and the note, in Plutarch

63 BCE, Rome (the Senate). As Plutarch tells it, over a century later.

Where and when

63 BCERome (the Senate)

2,088 years ago

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Cato the Younger

, Rome (the Senate)As Plutarch tells it, over a century later

In plain words, ours

The note turned out to be a love letter from his sister to Caesar. He threw it to Caesar, called him a drunk, and went on with his speech.

But when Cato had read the note, which was an unchaste letter from his sister Servilia to Caesar, with whom she was passionately and guiltily in love, he threw it to Caesar, saying, Take it, thou sot, and then resumed his speech.

Plutarch, Life of Cato the Younger 24.2Translated by Bernadotte Perrin (1919)Read the full passage (Plutarch, Life of Cato the Younger 24.2, opens scaife.perseus.org)

What was going on, our summary

Rome, 63 BCE, as Plutarch tells it. The Senate is debating the fate of the Catiline plotters, with Cato and Caesar locked in argument. A note is brought in to Caesar; Cato says it has to do with the plot and tells him to read it aloud, so Caesar hands it to him.

Checked claim by claim against: Cicero exposes Catiline's plot against the Republic, the passage around the quote.

Why it matters

The story of Cato mistaking Servilia's love letter for evidence is famous; if historical, it may show how suspicious Cato was of Caesar.

Based on Wikipedia: Cato the Younger

The famous story of Cato's misinterpreting a love letter from Servilia (Cato's half-sister and wife of consul-elect Silanus) to Caesar as incriminating evidence comes from this episode; it may, if historical, show how suspicious Cato was of Caesar's motives.

Wikipedia, Cato the Younger (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-08-19. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 63 BCESame year Cicero exposes Catiline's plot against the Republic The event behind it
  2. 63 BCEThis momentCato, Caesar and the note, in Plutarch
  3. 63 BCESame year Cicero denounces Catiline to his face Also in Rome
  4. 63 BCESame year Cicero turns on Catiline in the Senate Also in Rome
  5. 63 BCESame year Cicero advises Catiline to leave Rome Also in Rome
  6. c. 60 BCEabout 3 years later Caesar, Pompey and Crassus join forces Same years
  7. 59 BCE4 years later Cato dragged to prison, as Plutarch tells it More from Cato the Younger
  8. c. 50 BCEabout 13 years later Cato warns the Senate about Caesar, in Plutarch More from Cato the Younger
  9. 46 BCE17 years later Cato's last night, as Plutarch tells it More from Cato the Younger

Just before and after

The text around the quote, word for word from the same translation.

Show the passageHide the passage

For up to that time the Romans did not employ or even possess what are called shorthand writers, but then for the first time, we are told, the first steps toward the practice were taken. Be that as it may, Cato carried the day and changed the opinions of the senators, so that they condemned the men to death. Now, since we must not pass over even the slight tokens of character when we are delineating as it were a likeness of the soul, the story goes that on this occasion, when Caesar was eagerly engaged in a great struggle with Cato and the attention of the senate was fixed upon the two men, a little note was brought in from outside to Caesar. Cato tried to fix suspicion upon the matter and alleged that it had something to do with the conspiracy, and bade him read the writing aloud. Then Caesar handed the note to Cato, who stood near him.

The quote: But when Cato had read the note, which was an unchaste letter from his sister Servilia to Caesar, with whom she was passionately and guiltily in love, he threw it to Caesar, saying, Take it, thou sot, and then resumed his speech.

But as regards the women of his household Cato appears to have been wholly unfortunate. For this sister was in ill repute for her relations with Caesar; and the conduct of the other Servilia, also a sister of Cato, was still more unseemly. She was the wife of Lucullus, a man of the highest repute in Rome, and had borne him a child, and yet she was banished from his house for unchastity. And what was most disgraceful of all, even Cato’s wife Atilia was not free from such transgressions, but although he had two children by her, he was forced to put her away because of her unseemly behaviour.

Plutarch, Life of Cato the Younger 23.3–24.3Translated by Bernadotte Perrin (1919)Read the full passage (opens scaife.perseus.org)

When, and whose words

Date
63 BCE. The Senate debate on the punishment of the Catiline plotters, December 63 BCE.
Whose words
As Plutarch tells it, over a century later.
How this post was checked
  • The plain-words line was read against the quote alone by a second, independent pass, which found it adds no claim the quote does not make (2026-10-03).
  • Each claim in the summary was checked by an independent pass against only the material it cites.
  • The quote itself is checked by the build: word for word, once, at the cited section of the stored translation.

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