In like wise the [hyghe[153]] preest of the tempille of Mynerve of Rome clepid Appius, after he was for gret age blinde and feble, whan king Pirrus, king of Epirotes, werrid so ayenst Rome that he had [febled and[153]] werried them so sore and wan upon hem so gret contreis, that the Romains ayenst theire worship wolde have made pease and alliaunces withe hym to her uttermost dishonoure, {61} but the said Appius purposid tofore the noble senatoures Romayn and required hem to doo after the counceile of Ennius the wise consul, that the Romains shulde take good hert to hem, and not to abate here noble courages, to become subjet to theire auncient adversarie Pirrus; and that they shulde take new entreprinses upon Pirrus and destroie his gret armees; whiche the saide senatours were revived in theire courages thoroughe the wise exhortacions of Appius, and had the victorie of Pirrus. [Sidenote: De Officiis Catonis.] This chapitre declarithe how many gret offices of highe dignite Caton was called and auctorised for his gret manhode and wisdom, and how he in his age couraged the yong knightis to goo to feelde to venquisshe Cartage or he died. Also the noble senatoure of Rome Caton, that was so manlie, prudent, and of holsom counceile, whiche in his yong daies occupied the office of a knight in excersising armes, anothir season he occupied the office of tribune as a chief juge among the Romayns, another season was a legat as an ambassatoure into ferre contreis, yet anothir tyme in his gret auncien age, that he might not gretlie laboure, was made consul of Rome to sit stille and avise the weies and meenys how the Romayns might alway be puissaunt to resist ayenst Cartage, whiche he hopid verralie or he died to see the saide cite destroied. And the said Caton, in presence of yong Scipio and Lelius, .ij. noblest yong knightis of Rome that visited Cato to here of his wise conduit and counceile, he being then of full gret age, tendred so ferventlie the well of comon profit of Rome, that he required and besought the immortalle godis[154] of licence that he might not die till he might know Cartage destroied by victorie of bataile, and to be avengid of the servage and miserie of the noble Romayns whiche were prisoneris withe Quintus Fabius in Cartage xxxiij yere passed. {62} [Sidenote: Doctor militum in armis.] Of a semblable noble condition of Quintus Fabius according to Caton. And Quintus Fabius, albeit he might not in his gret age laboure, left the usage that he in his youthe taught yong knightis, as to renne, lepe, just withe speris, fight afoote withe axes, yet he had in his olde age alway gret solicitude and thought for the avauncement of the comon profit of the citee by counceile, by reason and by inure deliberacion of hymsilf and of the wise senatoure. The diffinicion of the office that belongithe to the senate. [Sidenote: Tullius de Senectute.] And whiche terme senate is as moche for to say a companie of aged men assembled togither.