- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:39.40.1-39.40.12
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- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
After settling the praetorian election, the senate faces a highly competitive censorial election, highlighting the exceptional talents, indomitable spirit, and robust career of Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder).
his comitiis prudentia et virtute senatus sublatis, alia maioris certaminis,1 quo et maiore de re et inter plures potentioresque viros, sunt exorta.
These comitia having been removed by the wisdom and virtue of the senate, another dispute of greater conflict arose, in which the struggle was both concerning a greater matter and among more and more powerful men.
censuram summa contentione petebant L. Valerius Flaccus P. et L. Scipiones Cn. Manlius Vulso L. Furius Purpurio patricii, plebeii autem M. Porcius Cato M. Fulvius Nobilior Ti. et M. Sempronii, Longus et Tuditanus. sed omnes patricios plebeiosque nobilissimarum familiarum M. Porcius longe anteibat.
Seeking the censorship with the greatest rivalry were Lucius Valerius Flaccus, Publius and Lucius Scipio, Gnaeus Manlius Vulso, and Lucius Furius Purpurio, patricians; of the plebeians, moreover, Marcus Porcius Cato, Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, and Tiberius and Marcus Sempronius, Longus and Tuditanus. But Marcus Porcius far surpassed all the patricians and plebeians of the most noble families.
in hoc viro tanta vis animi ingeniique fuit, ut quocumque loco natus esset, fortunam sibi ipse facturus fuisse videretur.2 nulla ars neque privatae neque publicae rei gerendae ei defuit; urbanas rusticasque res pariter callebat.
In this man there was such great force of mind and character that, in whatever station he had been born, he seemed likely to have made his own fortune. No skill for conducting either private or public business was lacking to him; he was equally well-versed in urban and rustic affairs.
ad summos honores alios scientia iuris, alios eloquentia, alios gloria militaris provexit: huic versatile ingenium sic pariter ad omnia fuit, ut natum ad id unum diceres, quodcumque ageret:
To the highest offices some were advanced by knowledge of the law, others by eloquence, others by military glory; but in his case, a versatile genius was so equally adapted to all things that you would say he was born for that one thing alone, whatever he was doing.
in bello manu fortissimus multisque insignibus clarus pugnis, idem postquam ad magnos honores pervenit, summus imperator, idem in pace, si ius consuleres, peritissimus, si causa oranda esset, eloquentissimus, nec is tantum, cuius lingua vivo eo viguerit, monumentum eloquentiae nullum exstet: vivit immo vigetque eloquentia eius sacrata scriptis omnis generis.
In war most brave of hand and famous for many distinguished battles, the same man, after he arrived at great offices, was a supreme commander; the same man in peace, if you consulted him on law, was most skilled, if a cause was to be pleaded, most eloquent; nor was he one of those whose tongue flourished only while they lived, with no monument of eloquence remaining; on the contrary, his eloquence lives and even flourishes, consecrated by writings of every kind.
orationes et pro se multae et pro aliis et in alios: nam non solum accusando sed etiam causam dicendo fatigavit inimicos. simultates nimio plures et exercuerunt eum et ipse exercuit eas; nec facile dixeris,3 utrum magis presserit eum nobilitas, an ille agitaverit nobilitatem.
His speeches are many, both for himself and for others and against others; for he exhausted his enemies not only by accusing but also by pleading his own cause. Far too many feuds both occupied him and he himself pursued them; nor could you easily say whether the nobility pressed him more, or he harassed the nobility.
asperi procul dubio animi et linguae acerbae et immodice liberae fuit, sed invicti a cupiditatibus animi, rigidae innocentiae, contemptor gratiae, divitiarum.
He was, without doubt, of a harsh temper and of a bitter and immoderately free tongue, but of a mind unconquered by desires, of rigid integrity, a despiser of influence and riches.
in parsimonia, in patientia laboris periculique ferrei prope corporis animique, quem ne senectus quidem, quae solvit omnia, fregerit,4 qui sextum et octogesimum annum agens causam dixerit, ipse pro se oraverit scripseritque, nonagesimo anno Ser. Galbam ad populi adduxerit iudicium.
In parsimony, in endurance of labor and danger, he was of an almost iron body and mind, which not even old age, which dissolves all things, could break; who, passing his eighty-sixth year, pleaded a cause, spoke and wrote for himself, and in his ninetieth year brought Servius Galba to the judgment of the people.
- 39.40.1alia maioris certaminis
The subject alia is a neuter plural nominative, referring to 'other things' or with certamina (struggles) understood. maioris certaminis is a genitive of quality, meaning 'other struggles of greater conflict.' In the following relative clause quo..., a verb like certatum est is omitted.
- 39.40.4fortunam sibi ipse facturus fuisse videretur
facturus fuisse is the future active participle with fuisse, representing the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact condition (fortunam sibi ipse facturus fuit, 'he would have made his own fortune') in the indirect discourse dependent on videretur within the consecutive ut clause.
- 39.40.9nec facile dixeris
dixeris is the perfect subjunctive in the second person singular (potential subjunctive), expressing a softened assertion with an indefinite subject: 'you (anyone) could not easily say.'
- 39.40.11quem ne senectus quidem ... fregerit
The relative pronoun quem refers back to the possessor of corporis animique (Cato) in the preceding clause. fregerit is a perfect subjunctive of result, describing the degree of his iron-like nature ('such that not even old age could break him').