Marcus Cato was one of Publius Scipio’s biggest political foes, in spite of the former having been the greatest proponent of war against Carthage. According to Britannica, Cato’s hatred of the general was at least in part brought on by his opposition to Greek Hellenism (or any other outside culture), the influence of which he saw as too indulgent to be compatible with Roman society. Given both the Scipio family’s support of Hellenism and Scipio himself living a luxurious lifestyle after the war, Cato likely saw him as the embodiment of all that would end the virtue of Rome (via DailyHistory). For Cato, the opportunity to end his rival’s political career came in the form of the Seleucid invasion of Greece. 

King Antiochus III’s army was ultimately turned back by Rome’s legions, but for Scipio, the Roman-Seleucid war was the end of his career. At home, Cato framed both his initial refusal to consider the possibility of invasion and his lackluster peace terms with the Seleucids as evidence that Scipio accepted bribes from the enemy. No punishment came, but the accusations were enough to destroy any influence Scipio had. For the rest of his life, Rome’s then-greatest conqueror tended to the land of his villa away from politics (via The Collector).