Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS MILTIADES
[1] MILTIADES, Cimonis filius, Atheniensis, cum et antiquitate generis et gloria maiorum et sua modestia unus omnium maxime floreret
[Miltiades, the son of Cimon, and an Athenian, since he flourished from the antiquity of his stock, and the glory of his forefathers, and more than any man of all, from his modesty,]
eaque esset aetate,
[and he belonged to that period of age,]
ut non iam solum de eo bene sperare,
sed etiam confidere cives possent sui talem eum futurum,
[such that citizens could not only wish well from this man, but also that they could trust that he would be the kind of person]
qualem cognitum iudicarunt, accidit,
[such that they will feel that they know him, as it happens,]
ut Athenienses Chersonesum colonos vellent mittere.
[at the time when the Athenians were wishing to send colonies to the Chersonese.]
2 Cuius generis cum magnus numerus esset et multi eius demigrationis peterent societatem,
[Since there was a great number of this stock, and many were seeking an alliance for the purpose of their migration down there,]
ex his delecti Delphos deliberatum missi sunt,
[they were sent through once select few were chosen, after the Delphic oracle was consulted,]
[qui consulerent Apollinem,]
[that is, after these men consulted Apollo,]
quo potissimum duce uterentur.
[as to which leader they would most profit from.]
Namque tum Thraeces eas regiones tenebant,
[By which account, the Thracians used to hold possession of these regions at the time,]
cum quibus armis erat dimicandum.
[against whose armies it came down to a fight.]
3 His consulentibus nominatim Pythia praecepit,
[The Pythian oracle predicted by name, through her precepts]
ut Miltiadem imperatorem sibi sumerent:
[that they needed to chose Miltiades as their commander.]
id si fecissent, incepta prospera futura.
[if they had done this, their foundations would prosper in the future.]
4 Hoc oraculi responso Miltiades cum delecta manu classe Chersonesum profectus
[Miltiades, in response to this oracle, set out in a fleet and a chosen band, for the Chersonese,]
cum accessisset Lemnum
[and as soon as he had reached Lemnos]
et incolas eius insulae sub potestatem redigere vellet Atheniensium,
[and began to desire to bring the inhabitants of this island under Athenian power,]
5 idque Lemnii sua sponte facerent,
[the inhabitants of Lemnos did this very thing by their initiative,]
postulasset, illi irridentes responderunt tum id se facturos,
[so that when he had demanded, they responded at that time, that they were just about to do so, all the while laughing at him,]
cum ille domo navibus proficiscens vento aquilone venisset Lemnum.
[that is, as soon as he, setting out for home in his ships, had come to Lemnos by a northerly wind.]
Hic enim ventus ab septentrionibus oriens adversum tenet Athenis proficiscentibus.
[You see, this wind, coming from the north, holds its course against those travelling away from Athens.]
6 Miltiades morandi tempus non habens cursum direxit,
[Miltiades, not having any time to delay, directed his course,]
e quo tendebat,
[from which point, he was beginning to steer,]
pervenitque Chersonesum.
[and he reached the Chersonese.]
[2] Ibi brevi tempore barbarum copiis disiectis tota regione, quam petierat, potitus,
loca castellis idonea communiit, multitudinem,
[At that point, in a brief period of time, and with masses of barbarian foe scattered around the entire area, which he had sought after beforehand, he gained the advantage over the multitude of them, and he prepared defensive locations to fit his camp,]
quam secum duxerat,
[and he drew it along with himself,]
in agris collocavit
[and settled it in the open fields,]
crebrisque excursionibus locupletavit.
[and gained a fortune by making frequent raids.]
2 Neque minus in ea re prudentia quam felicitate adiutus est.
[Nor less was he aided in this affair by his good judgment, than his good fortune.]
Nam cum virtute militum devicisset hostium exercitus,
[You see, when he had beat down the armies of the enemies, through the courage of his soldiers,]
summa aequitate res constituit
[he settled the affairs with the utmost balance,]
atque ipse ibidem manere decrevit.
[and he decreed that he, for his sake, would remain there for the moment.]
3 Erat enim inter eos dignitate regia, quamvis carebat nomine,
[You see, he was like a king among his men, despite the fact that he lacked the title,]
neque id magis imperio quam iustitia consecutus.
[nor did he take advantage of this sentiment, with any more control than a sense of justice.]
Neque eo setius Atheniensibus, a quibus erat profectus, officia praestabat.
[No sense of duty carried the Athenians further and more enthusiastically, by which he pushed them, than under him.]
Quibus rebus fiebat,
[For which things it began to happen]
ut non minus eorum voluntate perpetuo imperium obtineret,
[that he obtained perpetual command no less than because of the favor of men,]
qui miserant, quam illorum, cum quibus erat profectus.
[who had served, which whom he had set out on his missions.]
4 Chersoneso tali modo constituta Lemnum revertitur
[With the Chersonese settled in this fashion, he turned his attention back to Lemnos,]
et ex pacto postulat, ut sibi urbem tradant.
[and he demanded from the treaty settled upon that they surrender their city to him,]
Illi enim dixerant, cum vento borea domo profectus eo pervenisset, sese dedituros:
[You see, these men had previously said that they would surrender, when he had arrived there after leaving out upon the northernly wind.]
se autem domum Chersonesi habere.
[Nevertheless, he made himself at home in the Chersonese.]
5 Cares, qui tum Lemnum incolebant,
[The Carians, who inhabited Lemnos at the time,]
etsi praeter opinionem res ceciderat,
[even though the matter had fallen beyond their say,]
tamen non dicto, sed secunda fortuna adversariorum capti resistere ausi non sunt
[still did not dare to put up a resistance, not even in the manner they spoke about it, since they had been taken captive thanks to the good fortune of their enemies,]
atque ex insula demigrarunt.
[and they migrated en masse away from the island.]
Pari felicitate ceteras insulas, quae Cyclades nominantur, sub Atheniensium redegit potestatem.
[With a similar stroke of happy luck, he brought the rest of the islands that are called the Cyclades under the hegemony of Athens.]
[3] Eisdem temporibus Persarum rex Darius ex Asia in Europam exercitu traiecto Scythis bellum inferre decrevit.
[At the same moment in time, Darius, the king of the Persians, declared that he would bring his military endeavor out of Asia, and into Europe, after his forces were rebuffed by the Scythians.]
Pontem fecit in Histro flumine,
[He constructed a bridge around the River Hyster,]
qua copias traduceret.
[over which he led his forces across.]
Eius pontis, dum ipse abesset, custodes reliquit principes,
[While himself was not present, he left his leading commanders as the guardians of this bridge,]
quos secum ex Ionia et Aeolide duxerat;
[that is, those men whom he had previously by his side out of Ionia and Aeolis.]
quibus singulis illarum urbium perpetua dederat imperia.
[and to each and every one, he bequeathed perpetual rule of the cities there.]
2 Sic enim facillime putavit se Graeca lingua loquentes,
[You see, so easily did he think that men speaking the Greek language,]
qui Asiam incolerent, sub sua retenturum potestate,
[and who lived in Asia, could be retained under his control,]
si amicis suis oppida tuenda tradidisset,
[if he had given over townships assigned to be ruled by their associates,]
quibus se oppresso nulla spes salutis relinqueretur.
[and to whom no hope of saving themselves would be left if he had to stamp them out.]
In hoc fuit tum numero Miltiades,
[At the time, Miltiades was included in this number,]
cui illa custodia crederetur.
[that is, the man to whom that famous role as protector was entrusted.]
3 Hic, cum crebri afferrent nuntii male rem gerere Darium premique a Scythis,
[At this point, when frequent rounds of messengers began to report that Darius was faring badly, and being pressed in by the Scythians,]
[Miltiades] hortatus est pontis custodes,
[Miltiades urged his forces guarding the bridge,]
ne a fortuna datam occasionem liberandae Graeciae dimitterent.
[not to waste an opportunity granted by fortune to liberate Greece.]
4 Nam si cum iis copiis, quas secum transportarat, interiisset Darius,
[You see, if Darius had fell to his death, along with forces that he brought across with him]
non solum Europam fore tutam,
[not only would all of Europe be safe and secure]
sed etiam eos, qui Asiam incolerent Graeci genere, liberos a Persarum futuros dominatione et periculo;
[but also those people that inhabited Asia, and were Greek in lineage, who would freed by from the domination and dangers posed by the Persians.]
id facile effici posse.
[it was easily possible for this to be accomplished.]
Ponte enim rescisso regem vel hostium ferro vel inopia paucis diebus interiturum.
[You see, when his bridge was cut off, the king would surely be killed, in a matter of a few days, by the steels of his foe, or sheer scarcity of resources.]
5 Ad hoc consilium cum plerique accederent,
[When the majority of people came to agree with this line of thinking,]
Histiaeus Milesius, ne res conficeretur, obstitit, dicens:
[Histaeus of Milesia stood in opposition that this plan be accomplished, saying:]
