I was reading Cicero' fictional trial at http://www.societasviaromana.org/Collegium_Historicum/contributions.htm and it suddenly struck me (never thought of that before,) that Cato, of all people, was advocating the death penalty without a trial - so much against anything the republic stood for, the precedent no less appaling than the first marsh on Rome... How did it happen? Did he have a good reason? Or was it just some more hypocracy on his part??!! ps, sorry if it was already mentioned somewhere down along the thread, and i happened to miss it :)