Editing Cato the Elder (section)

===Late military career===

====Battle of Thermopylae====
The military career of Cato had not yet ended. In 191, he, along with his old associate [[Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC)|Lucius Valerius Flaccus]], were appointed as lieutenant-generals ([[legatus]]) under the consul [[Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 191 BC)|Manius Acilius Glabrio]], who had been dispatched to [[Hellenistic Greece|Greece]] to oppose the invasion of [[Antiochus III the Great]], King of the [[Seleucid Empire]]. In the decisive [[Battle of Thermopylae (191 BC)]], which led to the downfall of Antiochus, Cato behaved with his usual valor, and enjoyed good fortune. By a daring and difficult advance, he surprised and defeated a body of the enemy's [[Aetolia]]n [[auxiliaries]], who were posted upon the Callidromus, the highest peak of the range of [[Mount Oeta]].<ref>Livy, ''History of Rome'', xxxvi. 17–21.</ref>

Then, coming to the aid of forces under Flaccus's command, he began a sudden descent from the hills above the royal camp, and the panic caused by this unexpected movement promptly turned the day in favor of the Romans, and signaled the end of the Seleucid invasion of Greece. After the action, the consul hugged Cato with the greatest warmth and attributed to him the whole credit of the victory. This fact rests on the authority of Cato himself, who, like [[Cicero]], often indulged in the habit, offensive to modern taste, of sounding his own praises.<ref>Livy, ''History of Rome'', xxxvi. 17–21.</ref>

After an interval spent in the pursuit of Antiochus and the pacification of Greece, Cato was sent to Rome by Glabrio to announce the successful outcome of the campaign, and he performed his journey with such celerity that he had started his report in the senate before the return of [[Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus|Lucius Cornelius Scipio]], the later conqueror of Antiochus, who had been sent off from Greece a few days before him.<ref>Livy, ''History of Rome'', xxxvi. 17–21.</ref>

====Doubtful visit to Athens====
During the campaign in Greece under Glabrio, Plutarch's account (albeit rejected by historian Wilhelm Drumann) suggests that before the Battle of Thermopylae, Cato was chosen to prevent [[Corinth]], [[Patrae]], and [[Aegium]] from siding with Antiochus. During this period, Cato visited [[Athens]] where, in trying to prevent the Athenians from listening to the propositions of the Seleucid king, Cato addressed them in a [[Latin]] speech, which required an interpreter to be understood by the audience.<ref>Valerius Maximus, ii, 2. § 2.</ref>

Whether this was out of necessity or merely a choice by Cato remains unclear, since the assertion that he might very well have already known Greek at the time can be made from anecdotal evidence. For example, Plutarch said that while at [[Taranto|Tarentum]] in his youth he had developed a close friendship with Nearchus, who was himself a Greek [[philosopher]]. Similarly, [[Aurelius Victor]] stated he had received instruction in Greek from Ennius while praetor in Sardinia. Nevertheless, because his speech was an affair of state, it is probable that he complied with the Roman norms of the day in using the Latin language while practicing diplomacy, which was considered as a mark of Roman [[Dignitas (Roman concept)|dignity]].<ref>Valerius Maximus, ii, 2. § 2.</ref>