§12.1Τιβερίῳ μέν οὖν Σεμπρωνίῳ τὰ περὶ Θρᾴκην καὶ Ἴστρον ὑπατεύοντι πρεσβεύων συγκατειργάσατο, Μανίῳ δʼ Ἀκιλίῳ χιλιαρχῶν ἐπʼ Ἀντίοχον τὸν μέγαν συνεξῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, φοβήσαντα Ῥωμαίους ὡς οὐδένα ἕτερον μετʼ Ἀννίβαν.
Now, when Tiberius Sempronius was consul, Cato served as a legate and assisted him in affairs around Thrace and the Ister. And when Manius Acilius was military tribune, he went out with him to Greece against Antiochus the Great, who had frightened the Romans as no other had done since Hannibal.
τὴν γὰρ Ἀσίαν, ὅσην ὁ Νικάτωρ Σέλευκος εἶχεν, ὀλίγου δεῖν ἅπασαν ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς ἀνειληφώς, ἔθνη τε πάμπολλα καὶ μάχιμα βαρβάρων ὑπήκοα πεποιημένος, ἐπῆρτο συμπεσεῖν Ῥωμαίοις ὡς μόνοις ἔτι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀξιομάχοις οὖσιν.
For Antiochus, having recovered almost the whole of Asia, as much as Seleucus Nicator once held, and having made very many and warlike barbarian nations subject to him, was eager to clash with the Romans as being the only ones still worthy to fight against him.
§12.2εὐπρεπῆ δὲ τοῦ πολέμου ποιησάμενος αἰτίαν τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐλευθεροῦν, οὐδὲν δεομένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλευθέρους καὶ αὐτονόμους χάριτι τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀπὸ Φιλίππου καὶ Μακεδόνων νεωστὶ γεγονότας, διέβη μετὰ δυνάμεως, καὶ σάλον εὐθὺς ἡ Ἑλλὰς εἶχε καὶ μετέωρος ἦν ἐλπίσι διαφθειρομένη βασιλικαῖς ὑπὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν.
And having made the liberation of the Greeks a plausible pretext for the war—though they did not need it at all, but had recently become both free and autonomous from Philip and the Macedonians by the favor of the Romans—Antiochus crossed over with an army, and immediately Greece was in commotion and was suspended in excitement, being corrupted by royal hopes by the demagogues.
§12.3ἔπεμπεν οὖν πρέσβεις ὁ Μάνιος ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις.
Manius therefore sent ambassadors to the cities.
καὶ τὰ μέν πλεῖστα τῶν νεωτεριζόντων Τίτος Φλαμινῖνος ἔσχεν ἄνευ ταραχῆς καὶ κατεπράυνεν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἐκείνου γέγραπται, Κάτων δὲ Κορινθίους καὶ Πατρεῖς, ἔτι δὲ Αἰγιεῖς παρεστήσατο.
And Titus Flamininus restrained and quieted most of those who were planning a revolution without disturbance, as has been written in the life of that man; but Cato won over the Corinthians, the Patreans, and also the Aegians.
§12.4πλεῖστον δὲ χρόνον ἐν Ἀθήναις διέτριψε.
He spent most of his time in Athens.
καὶ λέγεται μέν τις αὐτοῦ φέρεσθαι λόγος, ὃν Ἑλληνιστὶ πρὸς τὸν δῆμον εἶπεν, ὡς ζηλῶν τε τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν παλαιῶν Ἀθηναίων τῆς τε πόλεως διὰ τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος ἡδέως γεγονὼς θεατής·
And it is said that a certain speech of his is current, which he spoke in Greek to the people, saying that he admired the virtue of the ancient Athenians, and had gladly become a spectator of the city because of its beauty and greatness.
τὸ δʼ οὐκ ἀληθές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ διʼ ἑρμηνέως ἐνέτυχε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, δυνηθεὶς ἂν αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν, ἐμμένων δὲ τοῖς πατρίοις καὶ καταγελῶν τῶν τὰ Ἑλληνικὰ τεθαυμακότων.
But this is not true; rather, he addressed the Athenians through an interpreter, though he would have been able to speak himself, remaining faithful to his ancestral customs and mocking those who admired Greek things.
§12.5Ποστούμιον γοῦν Ἀλβῖνον ἱστορίαν Ἑλληνιστὶ γράψαντα καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτούμενον ἐπέσκωψεν εἰπὼν, δοτέον εἶναι τὴν συγγνώμην, εἰ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων ψηφισαμένων ἀναγκασθεὶς ὑπέμεινε τὸ ἔργον, θαυμάσαι δέ φησι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους τὸ τάχος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ὀξύτητα τῆς φράσεως·
At any rate, he mocked Postumius Albinus, who had written a history in Greek and begged indulgence, saying that indulgence should be granted if he had undertaken the work under compulsion by a decree of the Amphictyons. And Cato says that the Athenians wondered at his speed and sharpness of expression; for what he himself uttered briefly, the interpreter reported at length and with many words.
ἃ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐξέφερε βραχέως, τὸν ἑρμηνέα μακρῶς καὶ διὰ πολλῶν ἀπαγγέλλειν τὸ δʼ ὅλον οἴεσθαι τὰ ῥήματα τοῖς μέν Ἕλλησιν ἀπὸ χειλέων, τοῖς δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἀπὸ καρδίας φέρεσθαι.
In general, he thought that Greek words came from the lips, but Roman words from the heart.