When Cato rose in the Roman Senate and held up a ripe

When Cato rose in the Roman Senate and held up a ripe fig, saying, “This fruit was gathered at Carthage three days ago,” to illustrate the nearness of their enemies, and all Rome exclaimed that Carthage must be destroyed, we should find it hard to imagine that Cato, before he did it, climbed into a box four feet square, and which came up almost to his armpits, and that he drew out of his pocket a very illegible manuscript, and glasses, then adjusted his specs, and then bent down his head, looked twice at his paper to see if he was right, then muttered, “Brethren, this fig, no, this fruit, — Brethren, this fruit was gathered — I say was gathered, — at Carthage three days ago,” and then fumbled in his pocket till he found the fig, and then laid it out upon the board on top of the box where he rested his manuscript. It would be hard for us to imagine that this was eloquence; and we should feel very certain that, if this course had been taken, all Rome would have shouted, “Cato must be destroyed! Cato must be destroyed!”