§18.1μετὰ δὲ τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς πράξεις καὶ τὸν Ἀντιοχικὸν πόλεμον ἀπεδείχθη τιμητής, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ μεγίστη καὶ τρόπον τινὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἐπιτελείωσις.
After his Greek achievements and the Syrian War against Antiochus, he was appointed censor, which is the greatest office and, in a way, the consummation of the constitution.
καὶ συνῆρχε μὲν αὐτῷ Μαρκέλλου τοῦ πεντάκις ὑπατεύσαντος υἱός, ἐξέβαλον δὲ τῆς βουλῆς τῶν οὐκ ἄγαν ἐπιφανῶν τέσσαρας, προσεδέξαντο δὲ πολίτας ἀπογραφομένους πάντας, ὅσοι γονέων ἐλευθέρων ἦσαν, ἀναγκασθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ δημάρχου Τερεντίου Κουλέωνος, ὃς ἐπηρεάζων τοῖς ἀριστοκρατικοῖς ἔπεισε τὸν δῆμον ταῦτα ψηφίσασθαι.
And his colleague in office was the son of Marcellus who had been five times consul, and they expelled from the senate four of those who were not very prominent, and enrolled as citizens all who registered themselves, provided they were of free-born parents, being forced to do so by the tribune of the plebs Terentius Culleo, who, to spite the aristocrats, had persuaded the people to vote for this.
§18.2τῶν δὲ γνωριμωτάτων κατʼ αὑτὸν ἀνδρῶν καὶ μεγίστων ἐν τῇ πόλει διαφερομένων πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Ἀφρικανοῦ Σκηπίωνος καὶ Μάρκου Κάτωνος, τὸν μὲν προέγραψε τῆς βουλῆς, ὡς ἄριστον ἄνδρα καὶ πρῶτον, Κάτωνι δἐ εἰς ἔχθραν ἦλθε συμφορᾷ τοιαύτῃ χρησάμενος.
Of the most famous and greatest men in the city of his time, who were at variance with one another, namely Scipio Africanus and Marcus Cato, he inscribed the former on the senatorial roll as the best and foremost man; but with Cato he came into enmity by experiencing the following misfortune.
ἀδελφὸς ἦν Τίτῳ Λεύκιος Φλαμινῖνος, οὔτε τὰ ἄλλα προσεοικὼς ἐκείνῳ τὴν φύσιν ἔν τε ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ἀνελεύθερος δεινῶς καὶ ὀλιγωρότατος τοῦ πρέποντος.
Titus had a brother, Lucius Flamininus, who neither in other respects resembled him in nature, and was terribly illiberal in his pleasures and most neglectful of what was decent.
§18.3τούτῳ συνῆν μειρακίσκος ἐρώμενος, ὃν καὶ στρατιᾶς ἄρχων ἐπήγετο καὶ διέπων ἐπαρχίας εἶχεν ἀεὶ περὶ αὑτόν, ἔν οὖν πότῳ τινὶ θρυπτόμενος πρὸς τὸν Λεύκιον οὕτως ἔφη σφόδρα φιλεῖν αὐτόν ὥστε θέαν μονομάχων ἀπολιπεῖν οὔπω γεγονὼς ἀνθρώπου φονευομένου θεατής, τὸ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἡδὺ τοῦ πρὸς αὑτὸν ἐν πλείονι λόγῳ θέμενος.
This man was accompanied by a young favorite, whom he used to take along even when commanding an army, and always kept about him when governing a province. Now at a certain drinking party, being coquettish toward Lucius, the youth said that he loved him so much that he had left behind a gladiatorial show, though he had never yet been a spectator of a man being slain, thus holding his pleasure toward Lucius in higher regard than that toward himself.
ὁ δὲ Λεύκιος ἡσθείς
οὐδὲν,
ἔφη,
δεινόν· ἰάσομαι γὰρ ἐγώ σου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. §18.4καὶ κελεύσας ἕνα τῶν καταδίκων ἐκ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου προαχθῆναι, καὶ τὸν ὑπηρέτην μεταπεμψάμενος, ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ προσέταξεν ἀποκόψαι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸν τράχηλον.
And Lucius, being pleased, said, "It is no matter; for I will cure this desire of yours." And having ordered one of the condemned men to be brought forward from the prison, and having summoned the executioner, he commanded him in the midst of the banquet to cut off the man's neck.
Οὐαλλέριος δὲ Ἀντίας οὐκ ἐρωμένῳ φησίν, ἀλλʼ ἐρωμένῃ τοῦτο χαρίσασθαι τὸν Λεύκιον.
But Valerius Antias says that Lucius performed this favor not for a male favorite, but for a female mistress.
ὁ δὲ Λίβιος ἐν λόγῳ Κάτωνος αὐτοῦ γεγράφθαι φησίν, ὡς Γαλάτην αὐτόμολον ἐλθόντα μετὰ παίδων καὶ γυναικὸς ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας δεξάμενος εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον ὁ Λεύκιος ἀπέκτεινεν ἰδίᾳ χειρί τῷ ἐρωμένῳ χαριζόμενος.
And Livy says it is written in a speech of Cato himself that Lucius, having received into the banquet a Galatian deserter who had come to the doors with his children and wife, killed him with his own hand to please his favorite.
§18.5τοῦτο μὲν οὖν εἰκὸς εἰς δείνωσιν εἰρῆσθαι τῆς κατηγορίας ὑπὸ τοῦ Κάτωνος· ὅτι δὲ οὐκ αὐτόμολον ἤν, ἀλλὰ δεσμώτης ὁ ἀναιρεθεὶς καὶ ἐκ τῶν καταδίκων, ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ καὶ Κικέρων ὁ ῥήτωρ ἐν τῷ περὶ γήρως αὐτῷ Κάτωνι τὴν διήγησιν ἀναθείς εἴρηκεν.
Now, this was probably said by Cato for the sake of exaggerating the accusation; but that the slain man was not a deserter, but a prisoner and one of the condemned, is stated by many others and especially by Cicero the orator in his De Senectute, where he attributes the narration to Cato himself.