Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS LYSANDER
[1] LYSANDER Lacedaemonius magnam reliquit sui famam, magis felicitate quam virtute partam.
[Lysander the Spartan leaves behind a grand reputation of his own, the great part of it coming more his good fortune than his virtue.]
Atheniensis enim in Peloponnesios sexto et vicesimo anno bellum gerentes confecisse apparet.
[You see, he appears to have finished off those Athenians who had been waging war against the Spartans, by the 26th year.]
Id qua ratione consecutus sit, haud latet.
[Let this thing be explained by its cause: it is no secret.]
2 Non enim virtute sui exercitus, sed immodestia factum est adversariorum,
[You see, it was not accomplished by his own good merit, but by the irrationality of his adversaries,]
qui, quod dicto audientes imperatoribus suis non erant,
[that is, men who did not heed the advice of their own commanders,]
dispalati in agris relictis navibus in hostium venerunt potestatem.
[and completely disorganized on the battlefields, once they had left their ships behind, they were overwhelmed by the power of their enemies.]
Quo facto Athenienses se Lacedaemoniis dediderunt.
[After this happened, the Athenians surrendered to the Spartans.]
3 Hac victoria Lysander elatus,
[Lysander was ecstatic from this victory,]
cum antea semper factiosus audaxque fuisset,
[even though beforehand he had always been full of deeds and bold,]
sic sibi indulsit,
[he thus took it upon himself,]
ut eius opera in maximum odium Graeciae Lacedaemonii pervenerint.
[to see that the Spartans accomplish his goals, to the greatest disdain of Greece.]
4 Nam cum hanc causam Lacedaemonii dictitassent sibi esse belli,
[You see, when the Spartans had begun to argue that this was a justification for war for them,
ut Atheniensium impotentem dominationem refringerent,
[so that they could break apart the snivelling hegemony of the Athenians,]
postquam apud Aegos flumen Lysander classis hostium est potitus,
[Lysander afterwards was able to gain control over their foe's fleet on the River Aegus,]
nihil aliud molitus est,
[and nothing else was a goal for him,]
quam ut omnes civitates in sua teneret potestate,
[than that he could gain possession of all the city-states under his control,]
cum id se Lacedaemoniorum causa facere simularet.
[while he pretended that he did this for the reason stated by the Spartans.]
5 Namque undique, qui Atheniensium rebus studuissent,
eiectis, decem delegerat in unaquaque civitate,
[You see, in every single place, which had previously supported the affairs of Athens, but had been mistreated, he could assign ten men in each and every city-state,]
quibus summum imperium potestatemque omnium rerum committeret.
[through whose agency he used to employ supreme control over their governments and power over all their affairs.]
Horum in numerum nemo admittebatur,
[No one was allowed into the circle of these men,]
nisi qui aut eius hospitio contineretur
[unless he had gained his good favor,]
aut se illius fore proprium fide confirmarat.
[or confirmed that he could really be trusted by him in the future.]
[2] Ita decemvirali potestate in omnibus urbibus constituta ipsius nutu omnia gerebantur.
[And so, with the power of this 10-man council, all affairs in all the city-states were decided by his discretion.]
Cuius de crudelitate ac perfidia satis est unam rem exempli gratia proferre,
[And of his cruelty and treachery, it's enough to offer a single example through anecdote,]
ne de eodem plura enumerando defatigemus lectores.
[so that I can avoid tiring out my readers by enumerating the great many more from this same man.]
2 Victor ex Asia cum reverteretur Thasumque divertisset,
[When he returned out of Asia as the victor and steered to Thasos,]
quod ea civitas praecipua fide fuerat erga Athenienses -
[given that this city had shown the upmost loyalty toward the Athenians--]
proinde ac si non iidem firmissimi solerent esse amici,
qui constantes fuissent inimici - pervertere eam concupivit.
[he desired to annex it from then on, at any point if these same men did not show themselves to be the firmest of allies, as they had previously been the staunchest of enemies--]
3 Vidit autem, nisi in eo occultasset voluntatem, futurum,
[On the other hand, he saw what would turn out, unless he could find a manage to hide his intention on the matter,]
ut Thasii dilaberentur consulerentque rebus suis ***
[that is, the Thasians would be split into factions, and would deliberate on their affairs <suggestions: is this line interpolated?>]
[3] Itaque hi decemviralem illam potestatem ab illo constitutam sustulerunt.
[And so, these men undertook that well-known power of state that was established by that man.]
