§10.1ὕπατος δὲ μετὰ Φλάκκου Οὐαλλερίου τοῦ φίλου καὶ συνήθους ἀποδειχθείς ἔλαχε τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν ἣν Ἐντὸς Ἱσπανίαν Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσιν.
Having been appointed consul along with his friend and intimate Valerius Flaccus, he obtained by lot the province which the Romans call Nearer Spain.
ἐνταῦθα δʼ αὐτῷ τὰ μέν καταστρεφομένῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν, τὰ δʼ οἰκειουμένῳ διὰ λόγων πολλὴ στρατιὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπέπεσε, καὶ κίνδυνος ἦν αἰσχρῶς ἐκβιασθῆναι.
There, while he was subduing some of the tribes and winning over others by persuasion, a large army of barbarians fell upon him, and there was danger of being disgracefully overwhelmed.
διὸ τῶν ἐγγὺς Κελτιβήρων ἐπεκαλεῖτο συμμαχίαν.
Therefore, he called for the alliance of the nearby Celtiberians.
§10.2αἰτούντων δʼ ἐκείνων τῆς βοηθείας διακόσια τάλαντα μισθόν, οἱ μέν ἄλλοι πάντες οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν ἐποιοῦντο Ῥωμαίους βαρβάροις ἐπικουρίας ὁμολογῆσαι μισθόν, ὁ δὲ Κάτων οὐδὲν ἔφη δεινὸν εἶναι, νικῶντας μέν γὰρ ἀποδώσειν παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων, οὐ παρʼ αὑτῶν, ἡττωμένων δὲ μήτε τοὺς ἀπαιτουμένους ἔσεσθαι μήτε τοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντας, ταύτην δὲ τὴν μάχην κατὰ κράτος ἐνίκησε, καὶ τἆλλα προὐχώρει λαμπρῶς.
When they demanded two hundred talents as the pay for their assistance, all the others thought it intolerable for Romans to promise pay for barbarian aid, but Cato said there was nothing to fear; for if they were victorious, they would pay them from the enemy's resources, not their own, and if they were defeated, there would be neither anyone to be asked for payment nor anyone to demand it. Indeed, he won this battle by force, and all other matters proceeded brilliantly.
§10.3Πολύβιος μέν γέ φησι τῶν ἐντὸς Βαίτιος ποταμοῦ πόλεων ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τὰ τείχη κελεύσαντος αὐτοῦ περιαιρεθῆναι· πάμπολλαι δʼ ἦσαν αὗται καί γέμουσαι μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν.
Polybius, at any rate, says that the walls of the cities inside the River Baetis were demolished in a single day by his command; and these were very numerous and full of fighting men.
αὐτὸς δέ φησιν ὁ Κάτων πλείονας εἰληφέναι πόλεις ὧν διήγαγεν ἡμερῶν ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ· καὶ τοῦτο κόμπος οὐκ ἔστιν, εἴπερ ὡς ἀληθῶς τετρακόσιαι τὸ πλῆθος ἦσαν.
Cato himself says that he took more cities than the number of days he spent in Iberia; and this is no boast, if indeed they were truly four hundred in number.
§10.4τοῖς μέν οὖν στρατιώταις πολλὰ παρὰ τὴν στρατείαν ὠφεληθεῖσιν ἔτι καὶ λίτραν ἀργυρίου κατʼ ἄνδρα προσδιένειμεν, εἰπὼν ὡς κρεῖττον εἴη πολλοὺς Ῥωμαίων ἀργύριον ἢ χρυσίον ὀλίγους ἔχοντας ἐπανελθεῖν.
Now, to the soldiers who had already profited much during the campaign, he distributed in addition a pound of silver per man, saying that it was better for many Romans to return home with silver than for a few with gold.
εἷς δʼ αὑτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἁλισκομένων οὐδὲν ἐλθεῖν λέγει πλὴν ὅσα πέπωκεν ἢ βέβρωκε.
And he says that nothing came to himself from the spoils except what he drank or ate.
καὶ οὐκ αἰτιῶμαι,
φησί,
τοὺς ὠφελεῖσθαι ζητοῦντας ἐκ τούτων, ἀλλὰ βούλομαι μᾶλλον περὶ ἀρετῆς τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἢ περὶ χρημάτων τοῖς πλουσιωτάτοις ἁμιλλᾶσθαι καὶ τοῖς φιλαργυρωτάτοις περὶ φιλαργυρίας. §10.5οὐ μόνον δʼ αὑτόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὑτὸν ἐφύλαττε καθαροὺς παντὸς λήμματος.
"And I do not blame," he says, "those who seek to profit from these things, but I prefer to contend with the best in virtue rather than with the richest in wealth, and with the most covetous in covetousness." He kept not only himself but also his attendants free from all gain.
ἦσαν δὲ πέντε θεράποντες ἐπὶ στρατείας σὺν αὐτῷ.
He had five servants with him on the campaign.
τούτων εἷς ὄνομα Πάκκιος ἠγόρασε τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τρία παιδάρια· τοῦ δὲ Κάτωνος αἰσθομένου, πρὶν εἷς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν, ἀπήγξατο.
One of these, named Paccius, bought three young boys from among the captives; but when Cato found out, before he came into his presence, Paccius hanged himself.
τοὺς δὲ παῖδας ὁ Κάτων ἀποδόμενος εἷς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνήνεγκε τὴν τιμήν.
Cato sold the boys and turned the price over to the public treasury.