§25.1συνετάττετο μὲν οὖν λόγους τε παντοδαποὺς καὶ ἱστορίας· γεωργίᾳ δὲ προσεῖχε νέος μὲν ὢν ἔτι καὶ διὰ τὴν χρείαν φησὶ γὰρ δυσὶ κεχρῆσθαι μόνοις πορισμοῖς γεωργίᾳ καὶ φειδοῖ, τότε δὲ διαγωγὴν καὶ θεωρίαν αὐτῷ τὰ γινόμενα κατʼ ἀγρὸν παρεῖχε, καὶ συντέτακταί γε βιβλίον γεωργικόν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ περὶ πλακούντων σκευασίας καὶ τηρήσεως ὀπώρας γέγραφεν, ἐν παντὶ φιλοτιμούμενος περιττὸς εἶναι καὶ ἴδιος. §25.2ἦν δὲ καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἐν ἀγρῷ δαψιλέστερον ἐκάλει γὰρ ἑκάστοτε τῶν ἀγρογειτόνων καὶ περιχώρων τοὺς συνήθεις καὶ συνδιῆγεν ἱλαρῶς, οὐ τοῖς καθʼ ἡλικίαν μόνοις ἡδὺς ὢν συγγενέσθαι καὶ ποθεινός, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς νέοις, ἅτε δὴ πολλῶν μὲν ἔμπειρος πραγμάτων γεγονώς, πολλοῖς δὲ γράμμασι καὶ λόγοις ἀξίοις ἀκοῆς ἐντετυχηκώς. §25.3τὴν δὲ τράπεζαν ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα φιλοποιὸν ἡγεῖτο καὶ πολλὴ μὲν εὐφημία τῶν καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν πολιτῶν ἐπεισήγετο, πολλὴ δʼ ἦν ἀμνηστία τῶν ἀχρήστων καὶ πονηρῶν, μήτε ψόγῳ μήτʼ ἐπαίνῳ πάροδον ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τοῦ Κάτωνος εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον διδόντος.
Thus he compiled speeches of all kinds and histories; and to agriculture he applied himself when he was still young and from necessity, for he says that he used only two means of livelihood, agriculture and frugality, but at that time the activities in the country provided him with amusement and contemplation, and indeed a book on agriculture has been compiled by him, in which he also wrote about the preparation of cakes and the preservation of fruit, desiring in everything to be outstanding and unique. His dinner in the country was also more abundant; for on each occasion he invited his intimates among his neighbors and those of the surrounding district and spent the time cheerfully with them, being agreeable and desirable to associate with not only to his contemporaries but also to the young, inasmuch as he had become experienced in many affairs and had met with many writings and discourses worthy of hearing. He regarded the table as one of the things most productive of friendship; and much praise of good and noble citizens was introduced, but there was a great oblivion of the useless and wicked, since Cato allowed no entrance into the banquet for them either by way of blame or praise.