attributed to him. In the middle ages the
author on the _Disticha_ was supposed to be Cato the Elder, who wrote a
_Carmen de Moribus_, but extracts from this in Aulus Gellius show that
it was in prose. Nothing is really known of the author or date of the
_Disticha_; it can only be assigned to the 3rd or 4th century A.D. It is
a small collection of moral apophthegms, each consisting of two
hexameters, in four books. They are monotheistic in character, not
specially Christian. The diction and metre are fairly good. The book had
a great reputation in the middle ages, and was translated into many
languages; it is frequently referred to by Chaucer, and in 1483 a
translation was issued from Caxton's press at Westminster.

Editions by F. Hauthal (1869), with full account of MSS. and early
editions, and G. Nemethy (1895), with critical notes; see also F.
Zarncke, _Der deutsche Cato_ (1852), a history of middle age German
translations; J. Nehab, _Der altenglische Cato_ (1879); E. Bischoff,
_Prolegomena zum sogenannten Dionysius Cato_ (1893), in which the name
is discussed; F. Plessis, _Poesie latine_ (1909), 663; for medieval
translations and editions see Teuffel, _Hist. of Roman Lit._ S 398, 3.

CATO, MARCUS PORCIUS (234-149 B.C.), Roman statesman, surnamed "The
Censor," _Sapiens, Priscus_, or _Major_ (the Elder), to distinguish him
from Cato of Utica, was born at Tusculum. He came of an ancient plebeian
family, noted for some military services, but not ennobled by the
discharge of the higher civil offices. He was bred, after the manner of
his Latin forefathers, to agriculture, to which he devoted himself when
not engaged in military service. But, having attracted the notice of L.
Valerius Flaccus, he was brought to Rome, and became successively
quaestor (204), aedile (199), praetor (198), and consul (195) with his
old patron. During his term of office he vainly opposed the repeal of
the lex Oppia, passed during the Second Punic War to restrict luxury and
extravagance on the part of women. Meanwhile he served in Africa, and
took part in the crowning campaign of Zama (202). He held a command in
Sardinia, where he first showed his strict public morality, and again in
Spain, which he reduced to subjection with great cruelty, and gained
thereby the honour of a triumph (194). In the year 191 he acted as
military tribune in the war against Antiochus III. of Syria, and played
an important part in the battle of Ther