Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS CONON
[1] CONON Atheniensis Peloponnesio bello accessit ad rem publicam,
[Conon, the Athenian, came to fight in the Peloponnesian War for his commonwealth,]
in eoque eius opera magni fuit.
[and he was a man of great importance, considering himself and his deeds.]
Nam et praetor pedestribus exercitibus praefuit
[You see, he was both a commande of the infantry forces]
et praefectus classis magnas mari victorias *** gessit.
[and as a commander of the fleet, he gained great victories at sea.]
Quas ob causas praecipuus ei honos habitus est.
[For which things an enormous deal of honor was granted to him.]
Namque omnibus unus insulis praefuit;
[On that matter, he alone conquered all of the islands.]
in qua potestate Pheras cepit, coloniam Lacedaemoniorum.
[in this position of power, he captured Pherae, and established a colony of Spartans there.]
2 Fuit etiam extremo Peloponnesio bello praetor,
[He was even the commande to the very last moment of the Peloponnesian War,]
cum apud Aegos flumen copiae Atheniensium a Lysandro sunt devictae.
[when the Athenian forces were finally defeated by Lysander at the Aegos River.]
Sed tum afuit, eoque peius res administrata
est.
[But he was not on the scene at the time, and the war was being managed somewhat worse by him.]
Nam et prudens rei militaris et diligens erat imperator.
[But on the matter, he was both cautious in military affairs, and a diligent military leader.]
3 Itaque nemini erat his temporibus dubium,
[And so, there was no doubt for anybody during this period of time,]
si adfuisset,
[that if he had been present,]
illam Atheniensis calamitatem accepturos non fuisse.
[then the Athenians would certainly not have been at the receiving end of that well-known calamity.]
[2] Rebus autem afflictis, cum patriam obsideri audisset,
[And yet, even after they suffered from these events, from the very moment he had heard that his nation had come under siege,]
non quaesivit, ubi ipse tuto viveret,
[he didn't ask where he himself could live in safety,]
sed unde praesidio posset esse civibus suis.
[but instead where he could establish a garrison for his citizens.]
Itaque contulit se ad Pharnabazum, satrapem Ioniae et Lydiae eundemque generum regis et propinquum;
[And so, he brought himself along with his entourage to Pharnabazus, the satrap of Ionia and Lydia, being a relative and son in law of the king;]
apud quem ut multum gratia valeret,
[in this man's house, he happened to incur a great deal of favor,]
multo labore multisque effecit periculis.
[and he acted with much diligence and despite the multitude of dangers.]
2 Nam eum Lacedaemonii Atheniensibus devictis in societate non manerent,
[You see, the Spartans would not let him stay in the society, once the Athenians had been finally beaten down,]
quam cum Artaxerxe fecerant,
[not as they had acted beforehand with Artaxerxes]
Agesilaumque bellatum misissent in Asiam,
[and they had sent Agesilaus to wage war in Asia,]
maxime impulsi a Tissapherne,
[they who had been most greatly spurred on by Tissaphernes]
qui ex intimis regis ab amicitia eius defecerat
[and he was the one who had previously disengaged his association from the familiars of the king,]
et cum Lacedaemoniis coierat societatem,
[and when he had entered a partnership with the Spartans,]
hunc adversus Pharnabazus habitus est imperator,
[Pharnabazus was assigned as military commander against him,]
re quidem vera exercitui praefuit Conon,
[in fact, as the matter turns out, Conon aided his army,]
eiusque omnia arbitrio gesta sunt.
[and everything was carried out following his advice.]
3 Hic multum ducem summum Agesilaum impedivit saepeque eius consiliis obstitit;
[At this point, he stopped one of the greatest generals, Agesilaus, and often stood in the way of the latter's designs;]
neque vero non fuit apertum,
[nor was it truly apparent,]
si ille non fuisset, Agesilaum Asiam Tauro tenus regi fuisse erepturum.
[if that man had been there, whether Agesilaus would have been able to commandeer Asia up to King Taurus' domain.]
