§15.1τῶν μὲν οὖν πολεμικῶν πράξεων τοῦ Κάτωνος αὗται σχεδόν εἰσιν ἐλλογιμώταται· τῆς δὲ πολιτείας φαίνεται τὸ περὶ τὰς κατηγορίας καὶ τοὺς ἐλέγχους τῶν πονηρῶν μόριον οὐ μικρᾶς ἄξιον σπουδῆς ἡγησάμενος.
Now of the military achievements of Cato, these are almost the most famous; but in his political life, he clearly considered the part concerning the prosecution and conviction of the wicked to be worthy of no small attention.
αὐτός τε γὰρ ἐδίωξε πολλούς καὶ διώκουσιν ἑτέροις συνηγωνίσατο καὶ παρεσκεύασεν ὅλως διώκοντας, ὡς ἐπὶ Σκηπίωνα τοὺς περὶ Πετίλλιον.
For he himself prosecuted many, and assisted others who were prosecuting, and even instigated prosecutors to action, as he did the party of Petillius against Scipio.
§15.2τοῦτον μὲν οὖν ἀπʼ οἴκου τε μεγάλου καὶ φρονήματος ἀληθινοῦ ποιησάμενον ὑπὸ πόδας τὰς διαβολὰς μὴ ἀποκτεῖναι δυνηθεὶς ἀφῆκε· Λεύκιον δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν κατηγόρων συστὰς καταδίκῃ περιέβαλε χρημάτων πολλῶν πρὸς τὸ δημόσιον, ἣν οὐκ ἔχων ἐκεῖνος ἀπολύσασθαι καὶ κινδυνεύων δεθῆναι μόλις ἐπικλήσει τῶν δημάρχων ἀφείθη.
This man, indeed, who because of his great house and true pride trampled the slanders underfoot, Cato was unable to destroy and so let him go; but against Lucius, his brother, he allied himself with the accusers and brought upon him a heavy fine to the public treasury, which Lucius, being unable to pay and in danger of imprisonment, was with difficulty released through an appeal to the tribunes.
§15.3λέγεται δὲ καὶ νεανίσκῳ τινὶ τεθνηκότος πατρὸς ἐχθρὸν ἠτιμωκότι καὶ πορευομένῳ διʼ ἀγορᾶς μετὰ τὴν δίκην ἀπαντήσας ὁ Κάτων δεξιώσασθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα χρὴ τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἐναγίζειν, οὐκ ἄρνας οὐδʼ ἐρίφους, ἀλλʼ ἐχθρῶν δάκρυα καὶ καταδίκας. οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ αὐτός ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ περιῆν ἀθῷος, ἀλλʼ ὅπου τινὰ λαβὴν παράσχοι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, κρινόμενος καὶ κινδυνεύων διετέλει.
And it is said also that when Cato met a certain young man who had disenfranchised an enemy of his deceased father and was walking through the forum after the trial, he shook his hand and said: “These are the offerings one must make to the spirits of one's parents, not lambs or kids, but the tears and convictions of enemies.” Yet not even he himself remained unassailed in his political life, but wherever he gave his enemies any handle, he was continually put on trial and in danger.
§15.4λέγεται γὰρ ὀλίγον ἀπολιπούσας τῶν πεντήκοντα φυγεῖν δίκας, μίαν δὲ τὴν τελευταίαν ἓξ ἔτη καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα γεγονώς· ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ μνημονευόμενον εἶπεν, ὡς χαλεπόν ἐστιν ἐν ἄλλοις βεβιωκότα ἀνθρώποις ἐν ἄλλοις ἀπολογεῖσθαι.
For he is said to have escaped as defendant in trials that fell little short of fifty, and the last one when he was eighty-six years of age; in which trial he also spoke that memorable saying, that it is difficult for a man who has lived among one generation of men to make his defense before another.
καὶ τοῦτο πέρας οὐκ ἐποιήσατο τῶν ἀγώνων, τεσσάρων δʼ ἄλλων ἐνιαυτῶν διελθόντων Σερουίου Γάλβα κατηγόρησεν ἐνενήκοντα γεγονὼς ἔτη.
And he did not make this the limit of his struggles, but after four more years had passed, he prosecuted Servius Galba when he was ninety years old.
§15.5κινδυνεύει γὰρ ὡς ὁ Νέστωρ εἰς τριγονίαν τῷ βίῳ καὶ ταῖς πράξεσι κατελθεῖν.
For he seems, like Nestor, to have reached three generations in his life and actions.
Σκηπίωνι γὰρ, ὡς λέλεκται, τῷ μεγάλῳ πολλὰ διερισάμενος ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ διέτεινεν εἰς Σκηπίωνα τὸν νέον, ὃς ἦν ἐκείνου κατὰ ποίησιν υἱωνός, υἱὸς δὲ Παύλου τοῦ Περσέα καὶ Μακεδόνας καταπολεμήσαντος.
Having contended much in politics, as has been said, with Scipio the Great, he extended his struggle to the younger Scipio, who was that man's grandson by adoption, and the son of Paulus, who conquered Perseus and the Macedonians.