§27.1πρὸς τούτοις φασὶ τὸν Κάτωνά καὶ σῦκα τῶν Λιβυκῶν ἐπίτηδες ἐκβαλεῖν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ, τὴν τήβεννον ἀναβαλόμενον· εἶτα θαυμασάντων τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ κάλλος εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἡ ταῦτα φέρουσα χώρα τριῶν ἡμερῶν πλοῦν ἀπέχει τῆς Ῥώμης.
In addition to these things, they say that Cato, pulling up his toga, deliberately let some Libyan figs fall in the Senate; then, when they admired their size and beauty, he said that the land which bears them is only three days' sail from Rome.
ἐκεῖνο δʼ ἤδη καὶ βιαιότερον, τὸ περὶ παντὸς οὗ δήποτε πράγματος γνώμην ἀποφαινόμενον προσεπιφωνεῖν οὕτως
δοκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ Καρχηδόνα μὴ εἶναι. τοὐναντίον δὲ Πόπλιος Σκηπίων ὁ Νασικᾶς ἐπικαλούμενος ἀεὶ διετέλει λέγων καὶ ἀποφαινόμενος· δοκεῖ μοι Καρχηδόνα εἶναι. §27.2πολλὰ γὰρ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὕβρει τὸν δῆμον ὁρῶν ἤδη πλημμελοῦντα καὶ διʼ εὐτυχίαν καὶ φρόνημα τῇ βουλῇ δυσκάθεκτον ὄντα καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὅλην ὑπὸ δυνάμεως ὅπῃ ῥέψειε ταῖς ὁρμαῖς βίᾳ συνεφελκόμενον, ἐβούλετο τοῦτον γοῦν τὸν φόβον ὥσπερ χαλινὸν ἐπικεῖσθαι σωφρονιστῆρα τῇ θρασύτητι τῶν πολλῶν, ἔλαττον μὲν ἡγούμενος ἰσχύειν Καρχηδονίους τοῦ περιγενέσθαι Ῥωμαίων, μεῖζον δὲ τοῦ καταφρονεῖσθαι.
But that which was already more violent was that, whenever he expressed an opinion on any matter whatever, he would add this saying: "And it seems also to me that Carthage should not exist." On the contrary, Publius Scipio, called Nasica, always continued saying and declaring: "It seems to me that Carthage should exist." For, as it seems, seeing the people already committing many offenses out of insolence, and being hard for the Senate to hold back because of their good fortune and pride, and dragging the whole city along by force in their impulses wherever their power might incline, he wished that this fear at least should lie upon them like a curb to sober the boldness of the multitude, deeming the Carthaginians to be too weak to overcome the Romans, but too strong to be despised.
§27.3τῷ δὲ Κάτωνι τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ δεινὸν ἐφαίνετο, βακχεύοντι τῷ δήμῳ καὶ σφαλλομένῳ τὰ πολλὰ διʼ ἐξουσίαν πόλιν ἀεὶ μεγάλην, νῦν δὲ καὶ νήφουσαν ὑπὸ συμφορῶν καὶ κεκολασμένην ἐπικρέμασθαι καὶ μὴ παντάπασι τοὺς ἔξωθεν ἀνελεῖν τῆς ἡγεμονίας φόβους, ἀναφορὰς αὑτοῖς πρὸς τὰς οἴκοθεν ἁμαρτίας ἀπολιπόντας.
But to Cato this very thing seemed dangerous, that while the people were playing the bacchanal and stumbling in most things through their license, a city which was always great, and now also sobered by misfortunes and disciplined, should hang over them, and that they should not entirely remove the external fears of their empire, leaving for themselves a recourse for their errors at home.
§27.4οὕτω μὲν ἐξεργάσασθαι λέγεται τὸν τρίτον καὶ τελευταῖον ὁ Κάτων ἐπὶ Καρχηδονίους πόλεμον, ἀρξαμένων δὲ πολεμεῖν ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀποθεσπίσας περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐπιθήσειν τῷ πολέμῳ τέλος ἀνδρός, ὃς ἦν τότε μὲν νεανίας, χιλίαρχος δὲ στρατευόμενος ἀπεδείκνυτο καὶ γνώμης ἔργα καὶ τόλμης πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας.
In this way Cato is said to have brought about the third and last war against the Carthaginians; and when they had begun to wage war, he died, having prophesied concerning the man who was going to put an end to the war, who was then a young man, but as a military tribune on campaign was displaying deeds of wisdom and daring in the contests.
ἀπαγγελλομένων δὲ τούτων εἰς Ῥώμην πυνθανόμενον τὸν Κάτωνά φασιν εἰπεῖν
"οἶος πέπνυται, τοὶ δὲ σκιαὶ ἀίσσουσι. " §27.5ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀπόφασιν ταχὺ διʼ ἔργων ἐβεβαίωσεν ὁ Σκηπίων· ὁ δὲ Κάτων ἀπέλιπε γενεὰν ἕνα μὲν υἱὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιγαμηθείσης, ᾧ παρωνύμιον ἔφαμεν γενέσθαι Σαλώνιον, ἕνα δὲ υἱωνὸν ἐκ τοῦ τελευτήσαντος υἱοῦ.
And when these things were reported to Rome, they say that Cato, on hearing them, said: "He alone has spirit, but the rest are flitting shadows." This saying, then, Scipio soon confirmed by his deeds; and Cato left as descendants one son by the wife he married late in life, whom we said was surnamed Salonian, and one grandson by the son who had died.
καὶ Σαλώνιος μὲν ἐτελεύτησε στρατηγῶν, ὁ δʼ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενόμενος Μᾶρκος ὑπάτευσεν.
And Salonian died while holding the office of praetor, and Marcus, who was born from him, became consul.
ἦν δὲ πάππος οὗτος τοῦ φιλοσόφου Κάτωνος, ἀνδρὸς ἀρετῇ καὶ δόξῃ τῶν κατʼ αὐτὸν ἐπιφανεστάτου γενομένου.
And this Marcus was the grandfather of Cato the philosopher, a man who, in virtue and reputation, became the most illustrious of his contemporaries.