Ca'thos, cousin of Madelon, brought up by her uncle Gor'gibus, a plain citizen in the middle rank of life. These two silly girls have had their heads turned by novels, and thinking their names commonplace, Cathos calls herself Aminta, and her cousin adopts the name of Polix'ena. Two gentlemen wish to marry them, but the girls consider their manners too unaffected and easy to be "good style," so the gentlemen send their valets to represent the "marquis of Mascarille" and the "viscount of Jodelet." The girls are delighted with these "distinguished noblemen;" but when the game has gone far enough, the masters enter, and lay bare the trick. The girls are taught a useful lesson, without being involved in any fatal ill consequences.—Molière, Les Précieuses Ridicules (1659).
Cathul'la, king of Inistore (the Orkneys) and brother of Coma'la (q.v.). Fingal, on coming in sight of the palace, observed a beacon-flame on its top as signal of distress, for Frothal king of Sora had besieged it. Fingal attacked Frothal, engaged him in single combat, defeated him, and made him prisoner.—Ossian, Carrick-Thura.
Cat'iline (3 syl.), a Roman patrician, who headed a conspiracy to overthrow the Government, and obtain for himself and his followers all places of power and trust. The conspiracy was discovered by Cicero. Catiline escaped and put himself at the head of his army, but fell in the battle after fighting with desperate daring (B.C. 62). Ben Jonson wrote a tragedy called Catiline (1611), and Voltaire, in his Rome Sauvée, has introduced the conspiracy and death of Catiline (1752).
Ca'to, the hero and title of a tragedy by J. Addison (1713). Disgusted with Cæsar, Cato retired to U'tica (in Africa), where he had a small republic and mimic senate; but Cæsar resolved to reduce Utica as he had done the rest of Africa, and Cato, finding resistance hopeless, fell on his own sword.
Tho' stern and awful to the foes of Rome,
He is all goodness, Lucia, always mild,
Compassionate, and gentle to his friends;
Filled with domestic tenderness.
Act v. 1.
When Barton Booth [1713] first appeared as "Cato," Bolingbroke called him into his box and gave him fifty guineas for defending the cause of liberty so well against a perpetual dictator.—Life of Addison.