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I wanted to take a moment to thank you for subscribing to Cost of Glory - especially to my paid subscribers. Your support means a LOT to me. I am working on some things just for you, in order to show my gratitude.

Meanwhile, I’m deep into the weeds researching the finer points of Julius Caesar.

To me, Cato is a great case study in how difficult it is to uphold what Plato considered the master virtue, Justice. Cato wanted to live an exemplary life of justice, but his narrow view of it, in my opinion, blinded him to the legitimate claims of Caesar—and Caesar’s potential to fix some of the problems of the Republic that Cato cared about too.

A tale of principle and paradox, Cato's resolute stand for Republican values helped precipitate its very downfall. His death at Utica - dramatic, philosophical, and on his own terms - marked not just the end of his life but symbolically, the end of the Roman Republic itself.