Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS M. CATO
[1] M. CATO, ortus municipio Tusculo adulescentulus, priusquam honoribus operam daret,
[Marcus Cato was raised as a youth in the city of Tusculum, and before he spent his time pursuing positions of power,]
versatus est in Sabinis,
[he was educated among the tribes of the Sabines,]
quod ibi heredium a patre relictum habebat.
[as he took possession of the inheritance left behind by his father.]
Inde hortatu L. Valerii Flacci, quem in consulatu censuraque habuit collegam, ut M. Perpenna censorius narrare solitus est, Romam demigravit in foroque esse coepit.
[Thence, by the encouragement of Lucius Valerius Flaccus, whom he enjoyed as a colleague during his time as consul and censor, as Marcus Perpenna the censor was accustomed to relate, he moved down to Rome, and began to make appearances in the Forum.]
2 Primum stipendium meruit annorum decem septemque.
[He gained his first official service at age 17.]
Q. Fabio M. Claudio consulibus tribunus militum in Sicilia fuit.
[He was a military tribune in Sicily in the counsel years of Quintus Fabius and Marcus Claudius.]
Inde ut rediit, castra secutus est C. Claudii Neronis,
[Thence as soon as he returned home, he joined the military camps of Gaius Claudius Nero,]
magnique opera eius existimata est in proelio apud Senam,
[and his efforts in the Battle of Sena was judged to be of great significance,]
quo cecidit Hasdrubal, frater Hannibalis.
[that is, the one in which Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, died.]
3 Quaestor obtigit P. Africano consuli;
[He was appointed quaestor to the consul Publius Africanus;]
cum quo non pro sortis necessitudine vixit:
[with this position he did not find success, considering his lack of good fortune.]
namque ab eo perpetua dissensit vita.
[by this account, his life constantly took a turn from this moment.]
4 Aedilis plebi factus est cum C. Helvio.
[He was elected aedile of the plebs alongside Gaius Helvius.]
Praetor provinciam obtinuit Sardiniam, ex qua, quaestor superiore tempore ex Africa decedens,
[As praetor, he obtained the province of Sicily, from which position, as quaestor, as soon as he left from Africa before that,]
Q. Ennium poetam deduxerat;
[he met the poet Quintus Ennius.]
quos non minoris aestimamus quam quemlibet amplissimum Sardiniensem triumphum.
[these were the men whom we judge to be no less than any of the greatest triumphs he accomplished in Sardinia.]
[2] Consulatum gessit cum L. Valerio Flacco,
[He performed his duty as consul alongside Lucius Valerius Flaccus,]
sorte provinciam nactus Hispaniam citeriorem,
[after he acquired the province of Nearer Spain by lot,]
exque ea triumphum deportavit.
[and from this province he gained a triumphal procession.]
2 Ibi cum diutius moraretur, P. Scipio Africanus, consul iterum,
[When he remained there for quite a long time, Publius Scipio Africanus, consul for a second time,]
cuius in priori consulatu quaestor fuerat,
[in whose first term as consul he served as quaestor,]
voluit eum de provincia depellere
[he wished to cast this man out of his province]
et ipse ei succedere
neque hoc per senatum efficere potuit,
[and he himself could neither succeed him, nor have this enacted through senatorial procedure,]
cum quidem Scipio principatum in civitate obtineret,
[since in fact, Scipio could obtain hegemony over the state,]
quod tum non potentia, sed iure res publica administrabatur.
[from the fact that the republic was not governed at that time by sheer power, but by law.]
Qua ex re iratus senatu, consulatu peracto privatus in urbe mansit.
[From this affair, he, pissed at the senate, stayed in the city as a private citizens, after his consulship came to an end.]
3 At Cato, censor cum eodem Flacco factus, severe praefuit ei potestati.
[But Cato, as soon as he was elected censor with the very same fellow, Flaccus, made use of his political power in a harsh manner.]
Nam et in complures nobiles animadvertit et multas res novas in edictum addidit,
[You see, he both turned his attention to a great deal of nobles, and added many new conditions to his mandate,]
qua re luxuria reprimeretur,
[in such a way that their luxurious lifestyle began to be targeted,]
quae iam tum incipiebat pullulare.
[which, by that time, was already beginning to get ridiculous.]
4 Circiter annos octoginta, usque ad extremam aetatem ab adulescentia,
[Roundabout his eightieth year, from his young days all the way to the very last point of his life,]
rei publicae causa suscipere inimicitias non destitit.
[he never cease to stir up hostilities for the sake of the republic.]
A multis temptatus non modo nullum detrimentum existimationis fecit,
[Although he was challenged by many, he not caused no damage to his esteem,]
sed, quoad vixit, virtutum laude crevit.
[but instead, so long as he lived, he increased from the praise his virtues attracted.]
[3] In omnibus rebus singulari fuit industria.
[In all his affairs, he applied a unique work ethic.]
Nam et agricola sollers et peritus iuris consultus et magnus imperator et probabilis orator et cupidissimus litterarum fuit.
[You see, he was an expert farmer, experienced master of the law, commanding military leader, formidable speaker, and the most eager to absorb literature of all.]
2 Quarum studium etsi senior arripuerat,
[Even as a very old man, he had taken a passion for these things,]
tamen tantum progressum fecit,
[and yet he made such great progress,]
ut non facile reperiri possit neque de Graecis neque de Italicis rebus,
[such that nothing could be discovered easily that pertained to the affairs of Greece and Italy ,]
quod ei fuerit incognitum.
[that he was not familiar with.]
Ab adulescentia confecit orationes.
[He made public speeches since he was young man.]
Senex historias scribere instituit.
[As an old fellow, he wrote histories.]
3 Earum sunt libri VII.
[There are 7 total volumes of these.]
Primus continet res gestas regum populi Romani:
[The first one covers the achievements of the Roman people under the kings:]
secundus et tertius, unde quaeque civitas orta sit Italica;
[the second and third ones cover the origin of each city in Italy;]
ob quam rem omnes Origines videtur appellasse.
[that seems to be a fitting explanation for why he had called all of these "The Origins".]
In quarto autem bellum Poenicum est primum, in quinto secundum.
[On the contrary, the first Punic War is covered in the fourth one, and the Second war in the fifth one.]
4 Atque haec omnia capitulatim sunt dicta.
[And all of these things were dictated chapter by chapter.]
Reliquaque bella pari modo persecutus est usque ad praeturam Servii Galbae, qui diripuit Lusitanos;
[In like fashion, he ran through the remaining wars all the way to the prefecture of Servius Galba, who lay waste to Lusitania;]
atque horum bellorum duces non nominavit,
[and he did not mention of the names of these wars' generals,]
sed sine nominibus res notavit.
[instead he explained the affairs without the mention of names.]
In eisdem exposuit, quae in Italia Hispaniisque aut fierent aut viderentur admiranda.
[In the same books, he revealed the notable events that happened or seem worthy of awe in Italy and in both territories of Spain.]
In quibus multa industria et diligentia comparet, nulla doctrina.
[In these, he writes with a great deal of industry and diligence, and no use of propaganda.]
5 Huius de vita et moribus plura in eo libro persecuti sumus,
[I've gone through the life of this man and his customs to a great extent in the book,]
quem separatim de eo fecimus rogatu T. Pomponii Attici.
[that I wrote separtable about him, at the request of Titus Pomponius Atticus.]
Quare studiosos Catonis ad illud volumen delegamus.
[And so, I direct scholars of Cato to that aforesaid volume.]
