οὕτως μὲν ἠμύνατο τὸν Πομπήϊον. ἦν δὲ Μᾶρκος Φαώνιος ἑταῖρος αὐτοῦ καὶ ζηλωτής, οἷος ὁ Φαληρεὺς Ἀπολλόδωρος ἱστορεῖται περὶ Σωκράτην γενέσθαι τὸν παλαιόν, ἐμπαθὴς καὶ παρακεκινηκὼς πρὸς τὸν λόγον, οὐ σχέδην οὐδὲ πρᾴως, ἀλλʼ ἄκρατον αὐτοῦ καθαψάμενον ὥσπερ οἶνον καὶ μανικώτερον.
With such words did Cato defend himself against Pompey. But Marcus Favonius was a companion and ardent disciple of his, just as Apollodorus of Phalerum is said to have been of Socrates in olden time. Favonius was impulsive, and easily moved by argument, which did not affect him moderately or mildly, but like unmixed wine, and to the point of frenzy.
οὗτος ἀγορανομίαν μετιὼν ἡττᾶτο, συμπαρὼν δὲ ὁ Κάτων προσέσχε ταῖς δέλτοις μιᾷ χειρὶ γεγραμμέναις· καὶ τὴν κακουργίαν ἐξελέγξας τότε μὲν ἐπικλήσει δημάρχων ἔλυσε τὴν ἀνάδειξιν, ὕστερον δὲ τοῦ Φαωνίου κατασταθέντος ἀγορανόμου τά τε ἄλλα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπεμελεῖτο καὶ τὰς θέας διεῖπεν ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, διδοὺς καὶ τοῖς θυμελικοῖς στεφάνους μὲν οὐ χρυσοῦς, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ κοτίνων,
He was being defeated in a candidacy for the aedileship, but Cato, who was present, noticed that the voting tablets were all inscribed in one hand; and having exposed the foul play, at the time he stopped the election by an appeal to the tribunes. Afterwards, when Favonius had been appointed aedile, Cato both discharged the other duties of the office and managed the spectacles in the theatre. He gave to the actors crowns, not of gold, but of wild olive,
δῶρα δὲ ἀντὶ τῶν πολυτελῶν τοῖς μὲν Ἕλλησι τεῦτλα καὶ θρίδακας καὶ ῥαφανῖδας καὶ ἀπίους, τοῖς δὲ Ῥωμαίοις οἴνου κεράμια καὶ κρέα ὕεια καὶ σῦκα καὶ σικύους καὶ ξύλων ἀγκαλίδας, ὧν τὴν εὐτέλειαν οἱ μὲν ἐγέλων, οἱ δὲ ᾐδοῦντο τοῦ Κάτωνος τὸ αὐστηρὸν καὶ κατεστυμμένον ὁρῶντες ἡσυχῇ μεταβάλλον εἰς διάχυσιν.
as was done at Olympia, and inexpensive gifts,—to the Greeks, beets, lettuce, radishes, and pears; and to the Romans, jars of wine, pork, figs, melons, and faggots of wood. At the practical simplicity of these gifts some laughed, but others conceived respect for Cato when they saw his severe and solemn manner gradually relaxing to pleasant good-humour.
τέλος δὲ ὁ Φαώνιος εἰς τὸν ὄχλον ἐμβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν καὶ καθεζόμενος ἐν τοῖς θεαταῖς ἐκρότει τὸν Κάτωνα καὶ διδόναι τοῖς εὐημεροῦσι καὶ τιμᾶν ἐβόα, καὶ συμπαρεκάλει τοὺς θεατάς, ὡς ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν παραδεδωκώς, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ θεάτρῳ Κουρίων ὁ Φαωνίου συνάρχων ἐχορήγει πολυτελῶς· ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνον ἀπολείποντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μετέβαινον ἐνταῦθα, καὶ συνέπαιζον προθύμως ὑποκρινομένῳ τῷ Φαωνίῳ τὸν ἰδιώτην καὶ τῷ Κάτωνι τὸν ἀγωνοθέτην.
And at last Favonius, plunging into the crowd and taking a seat among the spectators, applauded Cato and called to him in a loud voice to give presents to the successful performers and to honour them, and helped him to exhort the spectators, as though he had delegated his powers to Cato. Now, in the other theatre, Curio, the colleague of Favonius, was managing things with a lavish hand; but the people left him and went over to the other place, and readily shared in a sport where Favonius was playing the part of a private citizen and Cato that of master of the games.
ἔπραττε δὲ ταῦτα διασύρων τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ διδάσκων ὅτι παίζοντα δεῖ τῇ παιδιᾷ χρῆσθαι καὶ χάριτι παραπέμπειν ἀτύφῳ μᾶλλον ἢ παρασκευαῖς καὶ πολυτελείαις, εἰς τὰ μηδενὸς ἄξια φροντίδας μεγάλας καὶ σπουδὰς κατατιθέμενον.
But Cato did all this in disparagement of the usual practice, and with an effort to show that in sport one must adopt a sportive manner and conduct matters with unostentatious gladness rather than with elaborate and costly preparations, where one bestows upon trifling things great care and effort.
ἐπεὶ δὲ, Σκηπίωνος καὶ Ὑψαίου καὶ Μίλωνος ὑπατείαν μετερχομένων οὐ μόνον ἐκείνοις τοῖς συντρόφοις ἤδη καὶ συμπολιτευομένοις ἀδικήμασι, δωροδοκίαις καὶ δεκασμοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἄντικρυς διʼ ὅπλων καὶ φόνων εἰς ἐμφύλιον πόλεμον ὠθουμένων τόλμῃ καὶ ἀπονοίᾳ, Πομπήϊόν τινες ἠξίουν ἐπιστῆναι ταῖς ἀρχαιρεσίαις, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀντεῖπεν ὁ Κάτων, οὐ τοῖς νόμοις ἐκ Πομπηΐου φάμενος, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν νόμων Πομπηΐῳ δεῖν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν,
But presently Scipio, Hypsaeus, and Milo sought the consulship. They not only used those illegal means which were now a familiar feature in political life, namely, the giving of gifts and bribes, but were openly pressing on, by the use of arms and murder, into civil war, with daring and madness. Some therefore demanded that Pompey should preside over the elections. Cato opposed this at first, saying that the laws ought not to derive their security from Pompey, but Pompey from the laws.
ὡς δὲ πολὺν χρόνον ἀναρχίας οὔσης καὶ τριῶν στρατοπέδων τὴν ἀγορὰν ὁσημέραι περιεχόντων ὀλίγον ἀπέλιπεν ἀνεπίσχετον γεγονέναι τὸ κακόν, ἔγνω τὰ πράγματα πρὸ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνάγκης εἰς Πομπήϊον ἑκουσίῳ χάριτι τῆς βουλῆς περιστῆσαι, καὶ τῷ μετριωτάτῳ τῶν παρανομημάτων χρησάμενος ἰάματι τῆς τῶν μεγίστων καταστάσεως τὴν μοναρχίαν ἐπαγαγέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ περιϊδεῖν τὴν στάσιν εἰς μοναρχίαν τελευτῶσααν.
However, when there had been no regular government for a long time, and three armies were occupying the forum daily, and the evil had well-nigh become past checking, he decided that matters ought to be put into the hands of Pompey by the voluntary gift of the senate, before the extreme necessity for it came, and that by employing the most moderate of unconstitutional measures as a healing remedy for the conservation of the greatest interests, they should themselves introduce the monarchy, rather than allow faction to issue in monarchy.
εἶπεν οὖν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ γνώμην Βύβλος οἰκεῖος ὢν Κάτωνος, ὡς χρὴ μόνον ἑλέσθαι Πομπήϊον ὕπατον ἢ γὰρ ἕξειν καλῶς τὰ πράγματα ἐκείνου καταστήσαντος, ἢ τῷ κρατίστῳ δουλεύσειν τὴν πόλιν. ἀναστὰς δὲ ὁ Κάτων οὐδενὸς ἂν προσδοκήσαντος ἐπῄνεσε τὴν γνώμην καὶ συνεβούλευσε πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν ὡς ἀναρχίας κρείττονα, Πομπήϊον δὲ καὶ προσδοκᾶν ἄριστα τοῖς παροῦσι χρήσεσθαι πράγμασι καὶ φυλάξειν διαπιστευθέντα τὴν πόλιν.
Accordingly, Bibulus, a kinsman of Cato, moved in the senate that Pompey should be chosen sole consul; for either matters would be rectified by his settlement of them, or the state would be in subjection to its most powerful citizen. Then Cato rose up and, to everyone’s surprise, approved the measure, advising any government as better than no government at all, and saying that he expected Pompey would handle the present situation in the best manner possible, and would guard the state when it was entrusted to him.
οὕτω δʼ ἀποδειχθεὶς ὕπατος ὁ Πομπήϊος ἐδεήθη τοῦ Κάτωνος ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ προάστειον. ἐλθόντα δὲ δεξάμενος φιλοφρόνως ἀσπασμοῖς καὶ δεξιώσεσι καὶ χάριν ὁμολογήσας παρεκάλει σύμβουλον αὑτῷ καὶ πάρεδρον εἶναι τῆς ἀρχῆς.
After Pompey had in this way been appointed consul, he begged Cato to come to him in the suburbs. And when Cato was come, Pompey gave him a friendly welcome with salutations and hand-clasps, acknowledged his obligations to him, and invited him to be his counsellor and associate in the government.
ὁ δὲ Κάτων ἀπεκρίνατο μήτε τὰ πρῶτα πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν εἰπεῖν Πομπηΐου μήτε ταῦτα πρὸς χάριν, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ συμφέροντι πάντα τῆς πόλεως· ἰδίᾳ μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ παρακαλοῦντι σύμβουλος ἔσεσθαι, δημοσίᾳ, δέ, κἂν μὴ παρακαλῆται, πάντως ἐρεῖν τὸ φαινόμενον.
But Cato replied that he had neither spoken as he did at first out of enmity to Pompey, nor as he afterwards did to win his favour, but in every case in the interests of the state; in private, therefore, upon his invitation, he would be his counsellor, but in public, even without his invitation, he would certainly say what he thought was best. And he did this, as he said he would.
καὶ ταῦτα ἔπραττεν ὡς εἶπε. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τοὺς δεκάσαντας ἤδη τὸν δῆμον ἐπιτίμια καινὰ καὶ δίκας μεγάλας τοῦ Πομπηΐου νομοθετοῦντος ἀμελεῖν ἐκέλευσε τῶν γεγονότων καὶ προσέχειν τοῖς μέλλουσιν· οὔτε γὰρ ὅπου στήσεται τὸ τὰ προημαρτημένα ζητεῖν ὁρίσαι ῥᾴδιον, ἐάν τε νεώτερα γράφηται τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐπιτίμια, δεινὰ πείσεσθαι τοὺς, ὃν οὐ παρέβαινον ὅτʼ ἠδίκουν νόμον, κατὰ τοῦτον κολαζομένους.
In the first place, for instance, when Pompey was proposing to fix by law fresh penalties and heavy punishments for those who had already bribed the people, Cato urged him to ignore the past and give his attention to the future; for, he said, it would not be easy to fix the point at which the investigation of past transgressions should stop, and if penalties should be fixed subsequent to the crimes, those would be outrageously dealt with who were punished in conformity with a law which they were not transgressing when they committed their crime.
ἔπειτα πολλῶν κρινομένων ἐπιφανῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐνίων δὲ καὶ φίλων τοῦ Πομπηΐου καὶ οἰκείων, ὁρῶν αὐτὸν ἐνδιδόντα ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ καμπτόμενον ἐπετίμα σφοδρῶς καὶ διήγειρεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ νόμῳ τοὺς εἰωθότας λέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν κρινομένων ἐπαίνους αὐτὸς ἀφελών, Μουνατίῳ Πλάγκῳ συγγράψας ἔπαινον ἐπὶ τῆς δίκης ἔδωκεν, ἐπισχόμενος ὁ Κάτων τὰ ὦτα ταῖς χερσὶν ʽἔτυχε γὰρ δικάζωνʼ ἐκώλυεν ἀναγινώσκεσθαι τὴν μαρτυρίαν.
In the second place, when many prominent men were on trial, some of whom were friends and relations of Pompey, Cato saw that Pompey was giving in and yielding in many cases, and therefore rebuked him sharply and tried to spur him on. Moreover, though Pompey himself had made illegal the customary panegyrics upon men under trial, he wrote a panegyric upon Munatius Plancus and handed it in at his trial; but Cato (who chanced to be one of the jurors) stopped his ears with his hands and prevented the reading of the testimony.
ὁ δὲ Πλάγκος ἀπέλεξεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν δικαστῶν μετὰ τοὺς λόγους, καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἥλω. καὶ ὅλως ἄπορον ἦν πρᾶγμα καὶ δυσμεταχείριστον ὁ Κάτων τοῖς φεύγουσι, μήτε βουλομένοις αὐτὸν ἀπολιπεῖν δικαστήν μήτε ἀπολέγειν τολμῶσιν. ἥλωσαν γὰρ οὐκ ὀλίγοι τῷ Κάτωνα φεύγειν δόξαντες οὐ θαρρεῖν τοῖς δικαίοις· ἐνίοις δὲ καὶ προὔφερον οἱ λοιδοροῦντες ὡς ὄνειδος μέγα τὸ μὴ δέξασθαι κριτὴν Κάτωνα προτεινόμενον.
Plancus got him removed from the jury after the speeches were over, and was convicted none the less. And altogether Cato was a perplexing and unmanageable quantity for defendants; they neither wished to allow him to be a juror in their cases nor had the courage to challenge him. For not a few of them were convicted because their attempted rejection of Cato made it appear that they had no confidence in the justice of their cases; and some were bitterly assailed by their revilers for not accepting Cato as juror when he was proposed.
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