Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS TIMOLEON
[1] TIMOLEON Corinthius.
[Timoleon was a Corinthian man.]
Sine dubio magnus omnium iudicio hic vir exstitit.
[Without a doubt, he was a great man here, in the opinion of all.]
Namque huic uni contigit,
[By which account, it falls upon a single person,]
quod nescio an nulli, ut et patriam, in qua erat natus,
[because in some way or another, when it comes to the nation in which he was born,]
oppressam a tyranno liberaret
[but he liberated it from tyranny]
et a Syracusanis, quibus auxilio erat missus,
[and from the Syracusans, to whom an embassy was sent to seek their aid,]
iam inveteratam servitutem depelleret
[and already did he beat out the old-aged condition of servitude]
totamque Siciliam multos annos bello vexatam a barbarisque oppressam suo adventu in pristinum restitueret.
[and he restored all of Sicily, which had been plagued for many years and oppressed by foreigners, to its pristine state upon his arrival.]
2 Sed in his rebus non simplici fortuna conflictatus est
[But in these affairs, he was afflicted by any simple turn of luck,]
et, id quod difficilius putatur,
[and, this is something that is pondered upon with more complexity,]
multo sapientius tulit secundam quam adversam fortunam.
[he used his good fortune more wisely than his bad fortune.]
3 Nam cum frater eius Timophanes, dux a Corinthiis delectus,
[You see, since his brother was Timophanes, who was elected general by the Corinthians,]
tyrannidem per milites mercennarios occupasset
[had established a tyranny through the agency of mercenary soldiers,]
particepsque regni posset esse,
[and he was able to partake in the kingdom,]
tantum afuit a societate sceleris,
[he stood apart from the association of wicked deeds, to such an extent,]
ut antetulerit civium suorum libertatem fratris saluti
[that he placed the liberties of his own citizens before the safety of his brother]
et parere legibus quam imperare patriae satius duxerit.
[and he took more satisfaction in obeying the laws than ruling over his nation.]
4 Hac mente per haruspicem communemque affinem, cui soror ex eisdem parentibus nata nupta erat, fratrem tyrannum interficiundum curavit.
[With his mind focused upon the local and neighboring soothsayer, to whom his sister, born from the very same parents, was married, he took care to plan the murder of her brother, the tyrant.]
Ipse non modo manus non attulit,
[This fellow did not refuse to put hands upon him,]
sed ne aspicere quidem fraternum sanguinem voluit.
[but in fact, he truly did not wish to see the bloody death of his brother.]
Nam quidam res conficeretur,
[You see, the matter was indeed carried out,]
procul in praesidio fuit,
[and he was far away from his bodyguard,]
ne quis satelles posset succurrere.
[to prevent any of his followers from being able to offer him help.]
5 Hoc praeclarissimum eius factum non pari modo probatum est ab omnibus.
[This most distinguished action of his was not approved in equal fashion by everybody.]
Nonnulli enim laesam ab eo pietatem putabant
[You see, some thought that a sense of filial duty was betrayed by him]
et invidia laudem virtutis obterebant.
[and they began to mar the praise of his virtue out of jealousy.]
Mater vero post id factum neque domum ad se filium admisit neque aspexit,
[In fact his mother, after this occurance, neither opened her home to his son, or looked upon him again,]
quin eum fratricidam impiumque detestans compellaret.
[for fear that she would she would have to, despite the fact that she detested a murder of his brother, as a impious act.]
6 Quibus rebus ille adeo est commotus,
[Our protagonist was so deeply upset by such outcomes,]
ut nonnumquam vitae finem facere voluerit
[that she ever often wished to bring about an end to her life]
atque ex ingratorum hominum conspectu morte decedere.
[and, by means of death, flee the sight of people who hated her.]
[2] Interim Dione Syracusis interfecto Dionysius rursus Syracusarum potitus est.
[Meanwhile, after Dion of Syracuse was killed, Dionysius once again took control of Syracuse.]
Cuius adversarii opem a Corinthiis petierunt ducemque,
[His enemies sought assistance and a leader from the Corinthians,]
quo in bello uterentur, postularunt.
[and which war they could be made use of, they made demands.]
Huc Timoleon missus incredibili felicitate Dionysium tota Sicilia depulit.
[Timoleon, once he was sent here, utterly cast out Dionysius from the entirety of Sicily.]
2 Cum interficere posset, noluit, tutoque ut Corinthum perveniret, effecit,
[When he could have killed him, he did not choose to, not until he reached Corinth in safety, whereafter he did it ,]
quod utrorumque Dionysiorum opibus Corinthii saepe adiuti fuerant,
[since the Corinthians had previously come to the aid of Dionysius' supporters often,]
cuius benignitatis memoriam volebat exstare,
[and he wished for the memory of his kindness to stand out on display,]
eamque praeclaram victoriam ducebat,
[and began to enjoy this distinguished victory,]
in qua plus esset clementiae quam crudelitatis,
[in which he could show more mercy than cruelty,]
postremo ut non solum auribus acciperetur,
[so that, in the end, their ears might not only accept his words,]
sed etiam oculis cerneretur,
[but also that he could be discerned by their eyes,]
quem et ex quanto regno ad quam fortunam detulisset.
[that is, the man whom he had laid low, and had brought to such a turn of events, and from so great a kingdom.]
3 Post Dionysii decessum cum Hiceta bellavit,
[After the fall of Dionysius, he waged war in alliance with Hiceta,]
qui adversatus erat Dionysio;
[a man who had turned against Dionysius;]
quem non odio tyrannidis dissensisse, sed cupiditate indicio fuit,
[he was a man who had not become disgruntled out of any hatred for tyranny, but rather the reason was his own lust for power,]
quod ipse expulso Dionysio imperium dimittere noluit.
[since he himself refused to resign control over the state even after Dionysius was expelled.]
4 Hoc superato Timoleon maximas copias Carthaginiensium apud Crinissum flumen fugavit ac satis habere coegit,
[When this man was overpowered, Timoleon scattered the largest hordes of Carthaginians you can imagine across the River Crinissos and forced them a point of overwhelment,]
si liceret Africam obtinere,
[if he could have obtained control over Africa,]
qui iam complures annos possessionem Siciliae tenebant.
[and over those who had already held possession of Sicily for a great deal of years.]
Cepit etiam Mamercum, Italicum ducem, hominem bellicosum et potentem,
[He also took Marmercus, the leader of the Italians and a war-mongering and powerful fellow, as prisoner,]
qui tyrannos adiutum in Siciliam venerat.
[as he had come to aid the party of tyrants in Sicily.]
[3] Quibus rebus confectis cum propter diuturnitatem belli non solum regiones, sed etiam urbes desertas videret, conquisivit, quos potuit, primum Siculos;
[When he had settled these matters completely, and when, on account of the very long duration of his campaign, he not only conquered the surrounding regions, but also saw to it that their cities were emptied of people,]
dein Corintho arcessivit colonos,
[then he beckoned settlers from Corinth,]
quod ab his initio Syracusae erant conditae.
[since, from the very beginning, Syracuse was just beginning to be constructed by these men.]
2 Civibus veteribus sua restituit,
[He restored property to the former citizens,]
novis bello vacuefactas possessiones divisit;
[and partitioned the possessions that had been forsaken, on account of the war, to new ones;]
urbium moenia disiecta fanaque deserta refecit;
[he rebuilt the walls of the city that had been beat down and the shrines that had been deserted;]
civitatibus leges libertatemque reddidit;
[he restored the rule of law and liberty to the citizens]
ex maximo bello tantum otium totae insulae conciliavit,
[after its greatest war, he granted so great a time of peace to the entire island,]
ut hic conditor urbium earum, non illi, qui initio deduxerant, videretur.
[that this man seemed like the founder of their cities, and not those men who had previously settled there from the start.]
3 Arcem Syracusis, quam munierat Dionysius ad urbem obsidendam, a fundamentis disiecit;
[He shattered the citadel of Syracuse from the very foundations, which Dionysius had beforehand walled up in case the city was besieged,]
cetera tyrannidis propugnacula demolitus est deditque operam,
[he set about to demolishing the other defensive bulwarks of the tyrant,]
ut quam minime multa vestigia servitutis manerent.
[so that the many traces of their servitude could remain all the less.]
4 Cum tantis esset opibus,
[He could have gained so great a fortune,]
ut etiam invitis imperare posset,
[that he could command men who were previously unwilling,]
tantum autem amorem haberet omnium Siculorum,
[and yet, he keep so great a love for all of the Sicilians,]
ut nullo recusante regnum obtinere, maluit se diligi quam metui.
[that, even while no one stood in the way of his obtaining the monarchy, he preferred for himself to be loved than be feared.]
Itaque, cum primum potuit,
[Therefore, as soon as he could,]
imperium deposuit
[he set aside his control of the state]
ac privatus Syracusis, quod reliquum vitae fuit, vixit.
[and he lived as a private citizen in Syracuse, where he lived the remainder of his life.]
5 Neque vero id imperite fecit.
[In fact, he did so with no pressure upon him.]
Nam quod ceteri reges imperio potuerunt,
[You see, despite whatever the other kings managed to accomplish during their time in power,]
hic benevolentia tenuit.
[this man did so with a sense of goodwill.]
Nullus honos huic defuit,
[This man lacked no official honor or title,]
neque postea res ulla Syracusis gesta est publice,
[nor, later on, was any act carried out in public in Syracuse,]
de qua prius sit decretum quam Timoleontis sententia cognita.
[no sooner to be decreed until Timoleon's opinion and approval had been obtained.]
6 Nullius umquam consilium non modo antelatum, sed ne comparatum quidem est;
[And now, never was any advice from anyone more preferred except when it was prepared, and verified, by him.]
neque id magis benevolentia factum est quam prudentia.
[nor was it esteemed to be conducted with any more sense of kindness than wisdom.]
[4] Hic cum aetate iam provectus esset,
[When this man now reached an advanced age,]
sine ullo modo morbo lumina oculorum amisit.
[he lost the sight of his eyes, though without an ailment for its cause.]
Quam calamitatem ita moderate tulit,
[He bore this misfortune so temperately,]
ut neque eum querentem quisquam audierit,
[that neither did anyone ask him about it,]
neque eo minus privatis publicisque rebus interfuerit.
[nor did he manage his private and public affairs any less than before.]
2 Veniebat autem in theatrum,
[And yet, when he used to come to the theater,]
cum ibi concilium populi haberetur,
[when assembly of the populace was held there,]
propter valetudinem vectus iumentis iunctis, atque ita de vehiculo, quae videbantur, dicebat.
[he, now conveyed in a carriage by joined oxen, on account of his ill health, used to speak thusly about his contraption, I mean the ones that were seen.]
Neque hoc illi quisquam tribuebat superbiae.
[Nor did anyone deem this a fault of arrogance against that man.]
Nihil enim umquam neque insolens neque gloriosum ex ore eius exiit.
[You see, nothing insolent nor vain-glorious ever left from his mouth.]
3 Qui quidem, cum suas laudes audiret praedicari,
[In fact, those men, when he heard them speaking praise to his account,]
numquam aliud dixit quam se in eare maxime diis agere gratias atque habere,
[said nothing other than that he was extremely thankful and grateful to the gods,]
quod, cum Siciliam recreare constituissent,
[because, ever since they decided to re-affirm the existence of Sicily,]
tum se potissimum ducem esse voluissent.
[they had thenafter favored him to be its most powerful leader.]
Nihil enim rerum humanarum sine deorum numine geri putabat.
[You see, he thought nothing of men's affairs could be carried out without the divine approval of the gods.]
Itaque suae domi sacellum Automatias constituerat
[And so, he set up in his own house a shrine to Automatia,]
idque sanctissime colebat.
[and worshipped it in the most devout way one can imagine.]
4 Ad hanc hominis excellentem bonitatem mirabiles accesserant casus.
[Wondrous turns of events occurred on account of the extraordinary piety of this man.]
Nam proelia maxima natali suo die fecit omnia:
[In fact, he won all of his greatest battles on his birthday:]
quo factum est, ut eius diem natalem festum haberet universa Sicilia.
[in that same way, it was established that all of Sicily would observe his birthday as a national holiday.]
[5] Huic quidam Laphystius, homo petulans et ingratus, vadimonium cum vellet imponere,
[A certain chap, Laphystius, a rude and ungrateful man, when he once desired to impose a security over him,]
quod cum illo se lege agere diceret,
[as soon as he began to say that he would press charges against our protagonist,]
et complures concurrissent,
[and great amount of people began to run up,]
qui procacitatem hominis manibus coercere conarentur,
[that is, people who began to force the capitulation of the fellow with blows of the hand,]
Timoleon oravit omnes, ne id facerent.
[but Timoleon begged them all not to do this.]
2 Namque id ut Laphystio et cuivis liceret,
[And by that account, he could allow it to Laphystius and anyone else]
se maximos labores summaque adisse pericula.
[to take on the greatest of challenges, and most perilous dangers.]
Hanc enim speciem libertatis esse, si omnibus, quod quisque vellet,
legibus experiri liceret.
[You see, anyone who wishes it should be allowed a chance at the law, for the sake of the appearance of liberty.]
Idem, cum quidam Laphystii similis, nomine Demaenetus, in contione populi de rebus gestis eius detrahere coepisset ac nonnulla inveheretur in Timoleonta,
[In like fashion, when another man similar to Laphystius, named Demaenetus, had just begun to compel to the attend a popular assembly concerning his official acts, and was inveighing against some of the deeds done by Timoleon,]
3 dixit nunc demum se voti esse damnatum:
[he now declared that he would that he be condemned:]
namque hoc a diis immortalibus semper precatum,
[by that token, that he had wished always by the immortal gods]
ut talem libertatem restitueret Syracusanis,
[that he could restore this very right to the people of Syracuse,]
in qua cuivis liceret, de quo vellet, impune dicere.
[that anyone by allowed to say, without the threat of punishment, whatever they wished about the matter.]
4 Hic cum diem supremum obisset, publice a Syracusanis in gymnasio,
[This man, once he had lived his very last day among the Syracusans, after a public appearance in the gymnasium,]
quod Timoleonteum appellatur,
[which is now called the Timoleonteum,]
tota celebrante Sicilia sepultus est.
[was buried with all of Sicily in attendance.]
I N F I N I T A
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Nepos, Phocion
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS PHOCION
[1] PHOCION Atheniensis etsi saepe exercitibus praefuit
[Phocion, the Athenian, indeed often lead military forces]
summosque magistratus cepit,
[and he held the most important positions of power,]
tamen multo eius notior integritas vitae quam rei militaris labor.
[and yet the wholeness of his life was much more known than the toil of his military expertise.]
Itaque huius memoria est nulla,
[And so, there is no record of this man,]
illius autem magna fama,
[and yet, this man's fame is great,]
ex quo cognomine Bonus est appellatus.
[for which, he was given the official title "the Good."]
2 Fuit enim perpetuo pauper,
[You see, he was perpetually poor,]
cum divitissimus esse posset propter frequentis delatos honores potestatesque summas,
[even though he could be the richest man of all, on account of his positions of powers that were passed down frequently, on top of the most supreme powers,]
quae ei a populo dabantur.
[that is, those that were bequeathed to him by the people.]
3 Hic cum a rege Philippo munera magnae pecuniae repudiaret
[This man, when he refused gifts of large sums of money from King Philip,]
legatique hortarentur accipere simulque admonerent,
[and the ambassadors were urging him to accept, and at the same time, warning him to do so,]
si ipse his facile careret,
[unless he, for his part, miss out on these things,]
liberis tamen suis prospiceret,
[still he could give prosperity to his children,]
quibus difficile esset in summa paupertate tantam paternam tueri gloriam,
[to whom was difficult to look upon such a tremendous deal of glory, in the greatest condition of poverty,]
4 his ille `Si mei similes erunt, idem hic' inquit
[to these men, he said the following, "If my children are destined to be like me, so they will be likewise,"]
`agellus illos alet, qui me ad hanc dignitatem perduxit;
["Let only a little lamb feed them, the very one that sustained me for this position of dignity;]
sin dissimiles sunt futuri,
[if these boys should not be unlike me in the future,]
nolo meis impensis illorum ali augerique luxuriam.'
[I wish not to nourish these boys with my endeavors, nor for my luxury to increase.']
[2] Idem cum prope ad annum octogesimum prospera pervenisset fortuna,
[Likewise, when his prosperous fortune had reached his eightieth year,]
extremis temporibus magnum in odium pervenit suorum civium,
[but at the very end of his life, he incurred tremendous wrath from his own citizens,]
2 primo quod cum Demade de urbe tradenda Antipatro consenserat
[Firstly because when he, alongside Demades, had agreed to Antipater to betray his city,]
eiusque consilio Demosthenes cum ceteris, qui bene de re publica meriti existimabantur,
[and by the counsel of Demosthenes, alongside other men who were esteemed to be well-deserving of directing the commonwealth,]
populi scito in exsilium erant expulsi.
[they were cast out into exile by the decree of the people.]
Neque in eo solum offenderat,
[He had not only caused offense at the moment,]
quod patriae male consuluerat,
[in that he had given ill advice to his nation,]
sed etiam quod amicitiae fidem non praestiterat.
[but also because he had not abandoned that loyalty of his associations.]
3 Namque auctus adiutusque a Demosthene eum, quem tenebat, ascenderat gradum,
[By which account, once he was aided and abetted by Demostenes, he had already taken this very step that he was holding,]
cum adversus Charetem eum subornaret;
[when he was supporting him against Charetes.]
ab eodem in iudiciis, cum capitis causam diceret,
[By the very same time, in the court of law, he began to plead the case for his life,]
defensus aliquotiens, liberatus discesserat.
[being so often defended, that he ended up leaving acquitted.]
Hunc non solum in periculis non defendit, sed etiam prodidit.
[Not only did he not defend this man in times of danger, but he betrayed him.]
4 Concidit autem maxime uno crimine,
[And yet, he fell in the end most of all to a single crime,]
quod, cum apud eum summum esset imperium populi et Nicanorem,
[that is, when he and Nicanor gained supreme power over the people,]
Cassandri praefectum, insidiari Piraeo Atheniensium a Dercylo moneretur idemque postularet,
[he both advised and demanded that the prefect of Cassander be ambushed in the Piraeus of Athenians by Dercylos,]
ut provideret, ne commeatibus civitas privaretur,
[as he foresaw it, lest his city be robbed by deputations,]
huic audiente populo Phocion negavit esse periculum
[to him, while the people took audience, Phocion denied there to be any danger,]
seque eius rei obsidem fore pollicitus est.
[and promised that a hostage would be attained from the incident.]
5 Neque ita multo post Nicanor Piraeo est potitus,
[Nor thusly did Nicanor enjoy command over the Piraeus much after,]
sine quo Athenae omnino esse non possunt.
[without whom Athens was not able to exist in any way possible.]
Ad quem recuperandum cum populus armatus concurrisset,
[To which man, as soon as he was desired again, when the armed public began to run around]
ille non modo neminem ad arma vocavit,
[he not only did not call a single man to arms,]
sed ne armatis quidem praeesse voluit.
[but because he truly did not wish to go ahead of men who were armed.]
[3] Erant eo tempore Athenis duae factiones, quarum una populi causam agebat, altera optimatium.
[At that very same period of time, there were two factions in Athens, the first of whose members acted for the sake of the public, the second for the sake of the oligarchy.]
In hac erat Phocion et Demetrius Phalereus.
[In this former part, there was Phocion and Demetrius of Phalera.]
Harum utraque Macedonum patrociniis utebatur.
[Both of these men took advantage of resources from the Macedonians.]
Nam populares Polyperchonti favebant,
[You see, the popular faction favored a man named Polyperchontes,]
optimates cum Cassandro sentiebant.
[while the aristocratic parties began to agree with Cassander.]
2 Interim a Polyperchonte Cassandrus Macedonia pulsus est.
[In the meantime, Cassander was driven out of Macedonia by Polyperchontes.]
Quo facto populus superior factus statim duces adversariae factionis capitis damnatos patria propulit,
[After this event, the people, immediately becoming more hubristic, cast the leaders of the opposing faction from their nation, as they were now condemned men,]
in his Phocionem et Demetrium Phalereum,
[and in their ranks, were Phocion, and Demetrius of Phaleros,]
deque ea re legatos ad Polyperchontem misit,
[and in response to the matter, he sent ambassadors to Polyperchontes,]
qui ab eo peterent, ut sua decreta confirmaret.
[who then requested that he make his declarations official.]
3 Huc eodem profectus est Phocion.
[So Phocion went forth from this very point in his life.]
Quo ut venit, causam:
[To which point he came: a lawsuit.]
apud Philippum regem verbo,
re ipsa quidem apud Polyperchontem iussus est dicere:
[he was ordered to give a speech in the presence of Philip, and in fact, in Polyperchontes' presence too, when it comes to the matter;]
namque is tum regis rebus praeerat.
[By this token, it was he who had directed the king's affairs at that point in time.]
4 Hic ab Agnone accusatus,
[He was then accused in court by Agnon,]
quod Piraeum Nicanori prodidisset,
[on a charge that he had betrayed the Piraeus to Nicanor,]
ex consilii sententia in custodiam coniectus,
[and by the judgment of the judicial council, he was put into custody,]
Athenas deductus est,
[and was brought down to Athens,]
ut ibi de eo legibus fieret iudicium.
[so that he could be tried in accordance to laws there.]
[4] Huc ut perventum est,
[So it came to this point,]
cum propter aetatem pedibus iam non valeret
[that while he was no longer strong enough to walk on foot, on account of his old age,]
vehiculoque portaretur,
[he began to carted around in a vehicle of sorts,]
magni concursus sunt facti,
[and his goings to and fro were became great affairs,]
cum alii, reminiscentes veteris famae,
[while some people, remembering his old fame,]
aetatis misererentur,
[began to take pity upon his old age,]
plurimi vero ira exacuerentur
[while a great deal of people, in fact, were incensed by great anger,]
propter proditionis suspicionem
[on account of their suspicion they had of his betrayal]
Piraei maximeque,
[and most of all concerning the Piraeus,]
quod adversus populi commoda in senectute steterat.
[given that, even in his old age, he had stood against the reforms of the people.]
2 Quare ne perorandi quidem ei data est facultas et dicendi causam.
[So on the account, it was not a simple affair between a man wanting to pray for his sake, and one wanting to take him to court.]
Inde iudicio legitimis quibusdam confectis damnatus, traditus est undecimviris,
[From there, he was found guilty in the court of law by the certain accusations that had esteemed legitimate, and he was handed over to the panel of the Eleven]
quibus ad supplicium more Atheniensium publice damnati tradi solent.
[to whom men condemned in public were accustomed to be assigned, according to the tradition by which the Athenians carried out their punishments.]
3 Hic cum ad mortem duceretur,
[At that point, as he was being led to his execution,]
obvius ei fuit Euphiletus,
[Euphiletus happened to chance by him along the way,]
quo familiariter fuerat usus.
[being a man whom he had once grown familiarly acquainted with.]
Is cum lacrimans dixisset
[When this man, as he wept, had blurted out,]
`O quam indigna perpeteris, Phocion!'
["O Phocion, how undeserved are these things you now suffer!"]
huic ille `At non inopinata' inquit:
[the other said back to him: "Yes, but not unexpected,]
`hunc enim exitum plerique clari viri habuerunt Athenienses'.
[you see, most Athenian men, who have made a name for themselves have shared this very same end."]
4 In hoc tantum feit odium multitudinis,
[At this point, the disgust of the crowd became so great,]
ut nemo ausus sit eum liber sepelire.
[that not a single free-born man dared to bury him.]
Itaque a servis sepultus est.
[And so, he was buried by slaves.]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS PHOCION
[1] PHOCION Atheniensis etsi saepe exercitibus praefuit
[Phocion, the Athenian, indeed often lead military forces]
summosque magistratus cepit,
[and he held the most important positions of power,]
tamen multo eius notior integritas vitae quam rei militaris labor.
[and yet the wholeness of his life was much more known than the toil of his military expertise.]
Itaque huius memoria est nulla,
[And so, there is no record of this man,]
illius autem magna fama,
[and yet, this man's fame is great,]
ex quo cognomine Bonus est appellatus.
[for which, he was given the official title "the Good."]
2 Fuit enim perpetuo pauper,
[You see, he was perpetually poor,]
cum divitissimus esse posset propter frequentis delatos honores potestatesque summas,
[even though he could be the richest man of all, on account of his positions of powers that were passed down frequently, on top of the most supreme powers,]
quae ei a populo dabantur.
[that is, those that were bequeathed to him by the people.]
3 Hic cum a rege Philippo munera magnae pecuniae repudiaret
[This man, when he refused gifts of large sums of money from King Philip,]
legatique hortarentur accipere simulque admonerent,
[and the ambassadors were urging him to accept, and at the same time, warning him to do so,]
si ipse his facile careret,
[unless he, for his part, miss out on these things,]
liberis tamen suis prospiceret,
[still he could give prosperity to his children,]
quibus difficile esset in summa paupertate tantam paternam tueri gloriam,
[to whom was difficult to look upon such a tremendous deal of glory, in the greatest condition of poverty,]
4 his ille `Si mei similes erunt, idem hic' inquit
[to these men, he said the following, "If my children are destined to be like me, so they will be likewise,"]
`agellus illos alet, qui me ad hanc dignitatem perduxit;
["Let only a little lamb feed them, the very one that sustained me for this position of dignity;]
sin dissimiles sunt futuri,
[if these boys should not be unlike me in the future,]
nolo meis impensis illorum ali augerique luxuriam.'
[I wish not to nourish these boys with my endeavors, nor for my luxury to increase.']
[2] Idem cum prope ad annum octogesimum prospera pervenisset fortuna,
[Likewise, when his prosperous fortune had reached his eightieth year,]
extremis temporibus magnum in odium pervenit suorum civium,
[but at the very end of his life, he incurred tremendous wrath from his own citizens,]
2 primo quod cum Demade de urbe tradenda Antipatro consenserat
[Firstly because when he, alongside Demades, had agreed to Antipater to betray his city,]
eiusque consilio Demosthenes cum ceteris, qui bene de re publica meriti existimabantur,
[and by the counsel of Demosthenes, alongside other men who were esteemed to be well-deserving of directing the commonwealth,]
populi scito in exsilium erant expulsi.
[they were cast out into exile by the decree of the people.]
Neque in eo solum offenderat,
[He had not only caused offense at the moment,]
quod patriae male consuluerat,
[in that he had given ill advice to his nation,]
sed etiam quod amicitiae fidem non praestiterat.
[but also because he had not abandoned that loyalty of his associations.]
3 Namque auctus adiutusque a Demosthene eum, quem tenebat, ascenderat gradum,
[By which account, once he was aided and abetted by Demostenes, he had already taken this very step that he was holding,]
cum adversus Charetem eum subornaret;
[when he was supporting him against Charetes.]
ab eodem in iudiciis, cum capitis causam diceret,
[By the very same time, in the court of law, he began to plead the case for his life,]
defensus aliquotiens, liberatus discesserat.
[being so often defended, that he ended up leaving acquitted.]
Hunc non solum in periculis non defendit, sed etiam prodidit.
[Not only did he not defend this man in times of danger, but he betrayed him.]
4 Concidit autem maxime uno crimine,
[And yet, he fell in the end most of all to a single crime,]
quod, cum apud eum summum esset imperium populi et Nicanorem,
[that is, when he and Nicanor gained supreme power over the people,]
Cassandri praefectum, insidiari Piraeo Atheniensium a Dercylo moneretur idemque postularet,
[he both advised and demanded that the prefect of Cassander be ambushed in the Piraeus of Athenians by Dercylos,]
ut provideret, ne commeatibus civitas privaretur,
[as he foresaw it, lest his city be robbed by deputations,]
huic audiente populo Phocion negavit esse periculum
[to him, while the people took audience, Phocion denied there to be any danger,]
seque eius rei obsidem fore pollicitus est.
[and promised that a hostage would be attained from the incident.]
5 Neque ita multo post Nicanor Piraeo est potitus,
[Nor thusly did Nicanor enjoy command over the Piraeus much after,]
sine quo Athenae omnino esse non possunt.
[without whom Athens was not able to exist in any way possible.]
Ad quem recuperandum cum populus armatus concurrisset,
[To which man, as soon as he was desired again, when the armed public began to run around]
ille non modo neminem ad arma vocavit,
[he not only did not call a single man to arms,]
sed ne armatis quidem praeesse voluit.
[but because he truly did not wish to go ahead of men who were armed.]
[3] Erant eo tempore Athenis duae factiones, quarum una populi causam agebat, altera optimatium.
[At that very same period of time, there were two factions in Athens, the first of whose members acted for the sake of the public, the second for the sake of the oligarchy.]
In hac erat Phocion et Demetrius Phalereus.
[In this former part, there was Phocion and Demetrius of Phalera.]
Harum utraque Macedonum patrociniis utebatur.
[Both of these men took advantage of resources from the Macedonians.]
Nam populares Polyperchonti favebant,
[You see, the popular faction favored a man named Polyperchontes,]
optimates cum Cassandro sentiebant.
[while the aristocratic parties began to agree with Cassander.]
2 Interim a Polyperchonte Cassandrus Macedonia pulsus est.
[In the meantime, Cassander was driven out of Macedonia by Polyperchontes.]
Quo facto populus superior factus statim duces adversariae factionis capitis damnatos patria propulit,
[After this event, the people, immediately becoming more hubristic, cast the leaders of the opposing faction from their nation, as they were now condemned men,]
in his Phocionem et Demetrium Phalereum,
[and in their ranks, were Phocion, and Demetrius of Phaleros,]
deque ea re legatos ad Polyperchontem misit,
[and in response to the matter, he sent ambassadors to Polyperchontes,]
qui ab eo peterent, ut sua decreta confirmaret.
[who then requested that he make his declarations official.]
3 Huc eodem profectus est Phocion.
[So Phocion went forth from this very point in his life.]
Quo ut venit, causam:
[To which point he came: a lawsuit.]
apud Philippum regem verbo,
re ipsa quidem apud Polyperchontem iussus est dicere:
[he was ordered to give a speech in the presence of Philip, and in fact, in Polyperchontes' presence too, when it comes to the matter;]
namque is tum regis rebus praeerat.
[By this token, it was he who had directed the king's affairs at that point in time.]
4 Hic ab Agnone accusatus,
[He was then accused in court by Agnon,]
quod Piraeum Nicanori prodidisset,
[on a charge that he had betrayed the Piraeus to Nicanor,]
ex consilii sententia in custodiam coniectus,
[and by the judgment of the judicial council, he was put into custody,]
Athenas deductus est,
[and was brought down to Athens,]
ut ibi de eo legibus fieret iudicium.
[so that he could be tried in accordance to laws there.]
[4] Huc ut perventum est,
[So it came to this point,]
cum propter aetatem pedibus iam non valeret
[that while he was no longer strong enough to walk on foot, on account of his old age,]
vehiculoque portaretur,
[he began to carted around in a vehicle of sorts,]
magni concursus sunt facti,
[and his goings to and fro were became great affairs,]
cum alii, reminiscentes veteris famae,
[while some people, remembering his old fame,]
aetatis misererentur,
[began to take pity upon his old age,]
plurimi vero ira exacuerentur
[while a great deal of people, in fact, were incensed by great anger,]
propter proditionis suspicionem
[on account of their suspicion they had of his betrayal]
Piraei maximeque,
[and most of all concerning the Piraeus,]
quod adversus populi commoda in senectute steterat.
[given that, even in his old age, he had stood against the reforms of the people.]
2 Quare ne perorandi quidem ei data est facultas et dicendi causam.
[So on the account, it was not a simple affair between a man wanting to pray for his sake, and one wanting to take him to court.]
Inde iudicio legitimis quibusdam confectis damnatus, traditus est undecimviris,
[From there, he was found guilty in the court of law by the certain accusations that had esteemed legitimate, and he was handed over to the panel of the Eleven]
quibus ad supplicium more Atheniensium publice damnati tradi solent.
[to whom men condemned in public were accustomed to be assigned, according to the tradition by which the Athenians carried out their punishments.]
3 Hic cum ad mortem duceretur,
[At that point, as he was being led to his execution,]
obvius ei fuit Euphiletus,
[Euphiletus happened to chance by him along the way,]
quo familiariter fuerat usus.
[being a man whom he had once grown familiarly acquainted with.]
Is cum lacrimans dixisset
[When this man, as he wept, had blurted out,]
`O quam indigna perpeteris, Phocion!'
["O Phocion, how undeserved are these things you now suffer!"]
huic ille `At non inopinata' inquit:
[the other said back to him: "Yes, but not unexpected,]
`hunc enim exitum plerique clari viri habuerunt Athenienses'.
[you see, most Athenian men, who have made a name for themselves have shared this very same end."]
4 In hoc tantum feit odium multitudinis,
[At this point, the disgust of the crowd became so great,]
ut nemo ausus sit eum liber sepelire.
[that not a single free-born man dared to bury him.]
Itaque a servis sepultus est.
[And so, he was buried by slaves.]
Nepos, Pelopidas
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS PELOPIDAS
PELOPIDAS Thebanus, magis historicis quam vulgo notus.
[Pelopidas was a Theban, who was more known by historians than by the common public.]
Cuius de virtutibus dubito, quemadmodum exponam,
[Of whose qualities I doubt that I could describe each and every one,]
quod vereor;
[which is something I'm afraid of;]
si res explicare incipiam,
[if I can describe the situation,]
ne non vitam eius enarrare,
[and not only by laying out the account of his life,]
sed historiam videar scribere;
[but also if I can write a history;]
si tantummodo summas attigero,
[if I could only touch upon the key details,]
ne rudibus Graecarum litterarum minus dilucide appareat,
[that is, so that it not might appear less clear from a crude understanding of Greek literature,]
quantus fuerit ille vir.
[about how great this man was.]
Itaque utrique rei occurram,
[And so, on both accounts, let me run its course,]
quantum potuero,
[as much as I can manage,]
et medebor cum satietati tum ignorantiae lectorum.
[and since I will remedy both the satiety and ignorance of my readers.]
2 Phoebidas Lacedaemonius cum exercitum Olynthum duceret
[When Phoebidas, the Spartan, lead his forces to Olynthus,]
iterque per Thebas faceret,
[and made his way through Thebes,]
arcem oppidi, quae Cadmea nominatur, occupavit impulsu paucorum Thebanorum,
[he besieged the city's citadel, which is called the Cadmea,]
qui, adversariae factioni quo facilius resisterent, Laconum rebus studebant, idque suo privato, non publico fecit consilio.
[he did this by his own choice, not from his people's advice, thinking that people would resist their opposing faction, and start to support the actions of the Spartans.]
Quo facto eum Lacedaemonii ab exercitu removerunt
[But after this was done, the Spartans kicked him out of the army,]
pecuniaque multarunt,
[and fined him a sum of money,]
neque eo magis arcem Thebanis reddiderunt,
[nor did they restore the citadel to the Thebans anymore,]
quod susceptis inimicitiis satius ducebant eos obsideri quam liberari.
[than that they could more satisfactorily have these men reduced through siegefare, than for them to be freed, after hostilities had began.]
Nam post Peloponnesium bellum Athenasque devictas cum Thebanis sibi rem esse existimabant et eos esse solos,
[You see, after the Peloponnesian war, whereby Athens was completely beaten, they began to esteem that they shared a common affair with the Thebans, and these men were alone,]
qui adversus resistere auderent.
[even if they should dare to put up an resistence.]
Hac mente amicis suis summas potestates dederant
[And with this intention, they bestowed the greatest powers to their associates,]
alteriusque factionis principes partim interfecerant,
[and in part, had killed off the leading men of any opposing faction,]
alios in exsilium eiecerant;
[and they cast other men into exile.]
in quibus Pelopidas hic, de quo scribere exorsi sumus, pulsus patria carebat.
[and among these men, Pelopidas, at this point, after he was cast out, was deprived of his nation, and it's at this point that I've begun to write my account.]
[2] Hi omnes fere Athenas se contulerant,
[Almost all of these men had moved themselves to Athens,]
non quo sequerentur otium,
[for because they could live in peace there,]
sed ut, quem ex proximo locum fors obtulisset, eo patriam recuperare niterentur.
[but that they could fight to restore their nation, that is, the place that chance had previously passed over from their neighbor.]
Itaque cum tempus est visum rei gerendae,
[And so, when the time to carry this affair out appeared,]
communiter cum iis, qui Thebis idem sentiebant,
[when in alliance with those men who likewise sympathized with the Thebans,]
diem delegerunt ad inimicos opprimendos civitatemque liberandam eum,
[they assigned a day to attack their enemies, and liberate their city,]
quo maximi magistratus simul consuerant epulari.
[on which the leading officials of the government had grown accustomed to dine together.]
3 Magnae saepe res non ita magnis copiis sunt gestae;
[Often great affairs were not carried out by so great numbers of resources,]
sed profecto numquam tam ab tenui initio tantae opes sunt profligatae.
[but in every respect, never had so much of their resources been frittered away in such a scant amount of time.]
Nam duodecim adulescentuli coierunt ex iis,
[You see, 12 young youths meet from among these folks,]
qui exsilio erant multati,
[who had been previously punished with exile,]
cum omnino non essent amplius centum,
[while there was not more than a round hundred,]
qui tanto se offerrent periculo.
[who would offer to face such great danger.]
4 Qua paucitate percussa est Lacedaemoniorum potentia.
[But by this paucity of men, the power of the Spartans was thoroughly beaten.]
Hi enim non magis adversariorum factioni quam Spartanis eo tempore bellum intulerunt,
[You see, these men waged war, at that time, no more against the faction of their opponents, than against the Spartans,]
qui principes erant totius Graeciae;
[that is, whoever were the leading men of all of Greece;]
quorum imperii maiestas, neque ita multo post, Leuctrica pugna ab hoc initio perculsa concidit.
[there majesty taken from their control of the state, struck up a dust-up with Leuctra, from this very beginning, nor was it very much afterward.]
5 Illi igitur duodecim, quorum dux erat Pelopidas, cum Athenis interdiu exissent,
[Therefore, those famous twelve men, whose leader was Pelopidas, when they had left a little from Athens,]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS PELOPIDAS
PELOPIDAS Thebanus, magis historicis quam vulgo notus.
[Pelopidas was a Theban, who was more known by historians than by the common public.]
Cuius de virtutibus dubito, quemadmodum exponam,
[Of whose qualities I doubt that I could describe each and every one,]
quod vereor;
[which is something I'm afraid of;]
si res explicare incipiam,
[if I can describe the situation,]
ne non vitam eius enarrare,
[and not only by laying out the account of his life,]
sed historiam videar scribere;
[but also if I can write a history;]
si tantummodo summas attigero,
[if I could only touch upon the key details,]
ne rudibus Graecarum litterarum minus dilucide appareat,
[that is, so that it not might appear less clear from a crude understanding of Greek literature,]
quantus fuerit ille vir.
[about how great this man was.]
Itaque utrique rei occurram,
[And so, on both accounts, let me run its course,]
quantum potuero,
[as much as I can manage,]
et medebor cum satietati tum ignorantiae lectorum.
[and since I will remedy both the satiety and ignorance of my readers.]
2 Phoebidas Lacedaemonius cum exercitum Olynthum duceret
[When Phoebidas, the Spartan, lead his forces to Olynthus,]
iterque per Thebas faceret,
[and made his way through Thebes,]
arcem oppidi, quae Cadmea nominatur, occupavit impulsu paucorum Thebanorum,
[he besieged the city's citadel, which is called the Cadmea,]
qui, adversariae factioni quo facilius resisterent, Laconum rebus studebant, idque suo privato, non publico fecit consilio.
[he did this by his own choice, not from his people's advice, thinking that people would resist their opposing faction, and start to support the actions of the Spartans.]
Quo facto eum Lacedaemonii ab exercitu removerunt
[But after this was done, the Spartans kicked him out of the army,]
pecuniaque multarunt,
[and fined him a sum of money,]
neque eo magis arcem Thebanis reddiderunt,
[nor did they restore the citadel to the Thebans anymore,]
quod susceptis inimicitiis satius ducebant eos obsideri quam liberari.
[than that they could more satisfactorily have these men reduced through siegefare, than for them to be freed, after hostilities had began.]
Nam post Peloponnesium bellum Athenasque devictas cum Thebanis sibi rem esse existimabant et eos esse solos,
[You see, after the Peloponnesian war, whereby Athens was completely beaten, they began to esteem that they shared a common affair with the Thebans, and these men were alone,]
qui adversus resistere auderent.
[even if they should dare to put up an resistence.]
Hac mente amicis suis summas potestates dederant
[And with this intention, they bestowed the greatest powers to their associates,]
alteriusque factionis principes partim interfecerant,
[and in part, had killed off the leading men of any opposing faction,]
alios in exsilium eiecerant;
[and they cast other men into exile.]
in quibus Pelopidas hic, de quo scribere exorsi sumus, pulsus patria carebat.
[and among these men, Pelopidas, at this point, after he was cast out, was deprived of his nation, and it's at this point that I've begun to write my account.]
[2] Hi omnes fere Athenas se contulerant,
[Almost all of these men had moved themselves to Athens,]
non quo sequerentur otium,
[for because they could live in peace there,]
sed ut, quem ex proximo locum fors obtulisset, eo patriam recuperare niterentur.
[but that they could fight to restore their nation, that is, the place that chance had previously passed over from their neighbor.]
Itaque cum tempus est visum rei gerendae,
[And so, when the time to carry this affair out appeared,]
communiter cum iis, qui Thebis idem sentiebant,
[when in alliance with those men who likewise sympathized with the Thebans,]
diem delegerunt ad inimicos opprimendos civitatemque liberandam eum,
[they assigned a day to attack their enemies, and liberate their city,]
quo maximi magistratus simul consuerant epulari.
[on which the leading officials of the government had grown accustomed to dine together.]
3 Magnae saepe res non ita magnis copiis sunt gestae;
[Often great affairs were not carried out by so great numbers of resources,]
sed profecto numquam tam ab tenui initio tantae opes sunt profligatae.
[but in every respect, never had so much of their resources been frittered away in such a scant amount of time.]
Nam duodecim adulescentuli coierunt ex iis,
[You see, 12 young youths meet from among these folks,]
qui exsilio erant multati,
[who had been previously punished with exile,]
cum omnino non essent amplius centum,
[while there was not more than a round hundred,]
qui tanto se offerrent periculo.
[who would offer to face such great danger.]
4 Qua paucitate percussa est Lacedaemoniorum potentia.
[But by this paucity of men, the power of the Spartans was thoroughly beaten.]
Hi enim non magis adversariorum factioni quam Spartanis eo tempore bellum intulerunt,
[You see, these men waged war, at that time, no more against the faction of their opponents, than against the Spartans,]
qui principes erant totius Graeciae;
[that is, whoever were the leading men of all of Greece;]
quorum imperii maiestas, neque ita multo post, Leuctrica pugna ab hoc initio perculsa concidit.
[there majesty taken from their control of the state, struck up a dust-up with Leuctra, from this very beginning, nor was it very much afterward.]
5 Illi igitur duodecim, quorum dux erat Pelopidas, cum Athenis interdiu exissent,
[Therefore, those famous twelve men, whose leader was Pelopidas, when they had left a little from Athens,]
Nepos, Miltiades
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:]
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:]
Nepos, Kings
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS REGES
[1] Hi fere fuerunt Graecae gentis duces,
[Only scarcely were there leaders of the Greek nation,]
qui memoria digni videantur,
[who might seem to be worthy of memory,]
praeter REGES.
[except for the kings.]
Namque eos attingere noluimus,
[For which reason, I didn't wish to touch upon them,]
quod omnium res gestae separatim sunt relatae.
[because the accomplishments of them all have been related by an individual basis.]
Neque tamen hi admodum sunt multi.
[Nevertheless, these men are quite numerous.]
2 Lacedaemonius autem Agesilaus nomine, non potestate fuit rex, sicut ceteri Spartani.
[And yet, Agesilaus the Spartan was king in title, but not in his position of power, like the rest of the Spartans.]
Ex iis vero, qui dominatum imperio tenuerunt, excellentissimi fuerunt,
[Out of these, indeed, those men who held hegemony over governance, were those who excelled most of all,]
ut nos iudicamus,
[as I would judge it,]
Persarum Cyrus et Darius, Hystaspi filius;
[Cyrus and Darius, son of Hystapos, both kings of Persia;]
quorum uterque privatus virtute regnum est adeptus.
[either of whom gained rule through the qualifications.]
Prior horum apud Massagetas in proelio cecidit;
[First of these men fell in battle in Massagetae;]
Darius senectute diem obiit supremum.
[Darius died in the very last extent of his old age.]
3 Tres sunt praeterea eiusdem generis: Xerxes et duo Artaxerxae,
[There are three more kings from this same stock: Xerxes and two Artaxerxes,]
Macrochir cognomine et Mnemon.
[one nicknamed Macrochir, or "Long Hand", and the other Mnemon.]
Xerxi maxime est illustre,
[Xerxes was by far the most illustrious,]
quod maximis post hominum memoriam exercitibus terra marique bellum intulit Graeciae.
[for the fact that he brought war to Greece, by land and sea, in the accompaniment of the greatest armies of human history.]
4 At Macrochir praecipuam habet laudem amplissimae pulcherrimaeque corporis formae,
[But Macrochir takes the foremost fame of having the strongest and most handsome figure of all,]
quam incredibili ornavit virtute belli:
[one which he adorned with with his unbelievable courage in battle:]
namque illo Perses nemo manu fuit fortior.
[For which matter, no man from Persian was stronger physically than him.]
Mnemon autem iustitiae fama floruit.
[Nevertheless, Mnemon gained his reputation from his justice.]
Nam cum matris suae scelere amisisset uxorem,
[You see, even when he divorced his wife, after a wicked scheme by his own mother,]
tantum indulsit dolori,
[he was stricken with such grief,]
ut eum pietas vinceret.
[that his familial duty prevailed over him.]
5 Ex his duo eodem nomine morbo naturae debitum reddiderunt;
[These two, both sharing the same name, succumbed to illness.]
tertius ab Artabano praefecto ferro interemptus est.
[The third was killed by Artabanus after being assassinated by the sword.]
[2] Ex Macedonum autem gente duo multo ceteros antecesserunt rerum gestarum gloria:
[On the other hand, two men from the race of Macedonians excelled the rest by virtue of their accomplishments:]
Philippus, Amyntae filius, et Alexander Magnus.
[Philip, son of Aymnta, and Alexander the Great.]
Horum alter Babylone morbo consumptus est:
[The latter of these men died from an illness in Babylon.]
Philippus Aegiis a Pausania, cum spectatum ludos iret, iuxta theatrum occisus est.
[Philip was assassinated near a theater in Aegiae by Pausanias, while was on his way to see public games,]
2 Unus Epirotes, Pyrrhus, qui cum populo Romano bellavit.
[There was a one king from Epirus named Pyrrhus, who waged war with the Roman people.]
Is cum Argos oppidum oppugnaret in Peloponneso,
[While he was besieging the city of Argos in the Peloponnesos, ]
lapide ictus interiit.
[he died from the blow of a slinger.]
Unus item Siculus, Dionysius prior.
[Likewise, there was a Sicilian king, Dionysius the Elder.]
Nam et manu fortis et belli peritus fuit et,
[By his account, he was physically capable, and experienced in battle,]
id quod in tyranno non facile reperitur,
[which is something that you won't easily find of a tyrant ruler,]
minime libidinosus, non luxuriosus,
[he was in no way prone to indulging himself, nor used to luxurious living,]
non avarus, nullius denique rei cupidus
[he was not greedy, and most of all, he was desirous of nothing]
nisi singularis perpetuique imperii ob eamque rem crudelis.
[except for his unshared and perpetual power, for whose sake, he was cruel.]
Nam dum id studuit munire,
[You see, so long as he focused his attention on securing this,]
nullius pepercit vitae,
[he spared nobody's life,]
quem eius insidiatorem putaret.
[this is, whomever he suspected to be a traitor against him.]
3 Hic cum virtute tyrannidem sibi peperisset,
[At this point, in accompaniment with his qualifications, he had secured a tyranny for himself,]
magna retinuit felicitate.
[he stayed in power with a great deal of good fortune.]
Maior enim annos LX natus decessit florente regno
[You see, he ended his flowering reign, after living 60 years,]
neque in tam multis annis cuiusquam ex sua stirpe funus vidit,
[nor, in such a long number of years, did he witness the death of any one of his descendants,]
cum ex tribus uxoribus liberos procreasset
[even though he had fathered children from three separate wives,]
multique ei nati essent nepotes.
[and there were a great deal of grandchildren born to him.]
[3] Fuerunt praeterea magni reges ex amicis Alexandri Magni,
[Besides that, there were great kings among the Alexander the Great's companions,]
qui post obitum eius imperia ceperunt,
[who took his imperial functions after his death,]
in his Antigonus et huius filius Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemaeus.
[among these being Antigonus and his son Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy.]
2 Ex his Antigonus in proelio, cum adversus Seleucum et Lysimachum dimicaret,
occisus est.
[From these men, Antigonus was killed in battle, when he tried to vie against Seleucus and Lysimachus,]
Pari leto affectus est Lysimachus ab Seleuco;
[and Lysimachus was killed in a similar case by Seleucus;]
namque societate dissoluta bellum inter se gesserunt.
[by which account, when their association dissolved, they waged war amongst themselves.]
3 At Demetrius, cum filiam suam Seleuco in matrimonium dedisset
[Demetrius, on the other hand, since he had given his own daughter in matrimony to Seleucus,]
neque eo magis fida inter eos amicitia manere potuisset,
[nor could their alliance be any more secure between them,]
captus bello in custodia socer generi periit a morbo.
[until the son-in-law, captured in battle by his father-in-law, died from an illness.]
4 Neque ita multo post Seleucus a Ptolemaeo Cerauno dolo interfectus est,
[Nor was it much longer after that when Seleucus was killed by a scheme on the part of Ptolemy Ceraunus,]
quem ille a patre expulsum Alexandrea, alienarum opum indigentem receperat.
[whom the latter had previously welcomed in Alexandria, when the formed was exiled by his father and was in need of another's resources.]
Ipse autem Ptolemaeus, cum vivus filio regnum tradidisset,
[But Ptolemy himself, when he had passed his kingdom down to his son while he was still alive,]
ab illo eodem vita privatus dicitur.
[is said to have been robbed of his life from that very same man.]
5 De quibus quoniam satis dictum putamus,
[Since I think enough has been said about these men,]
non incommodum videtur non praeterire Hamilcarem et Hannibalem,
[it doesn't seem like a bad point to pass through the lives of Hamilcar, and Hannibal,]
quos et animi magnitudine et calliditate omnes in Africa natos praestitisse constat.
[whom we have established had excelled all of the people born in Africa with the greatness and ambition of their mind.]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS REGES
[1] Hi fere fuerunt Graecae gentis duces,
[Only scarcely were there leaders of the Greek nation,]
qui memoria digni videantur,
[who might seem to be worthy of memory,]
praeter REGES.
[except for the kings.]
Namque eos attingere noluimus,
[For which reason, I didn't wish to touch upon them,]
quod omnium res gestae separatim sunt relatae.
[because the accomplishments of them all have been related by an individual basis.]
Neque tamen hi admodum sunt multi.
[Nevertheless, these men are quite numerous.]
2 Lacedaemonius autem Agesilaus nomine, non potestate fuit rex, sicut ceteri Spartani.
[And yet, Agesilaus the Spartan was king in title, but not in his position of power, like the rest of the Spartans.]
Ex iis vero, qui dominatum imperio tenuerunt, excellentissimi fuerunt,
[Out of these, indeed, those men who held hegemony over governance, were those who excelled most of all,]
ut nos iudicamus,
[as I would judge it,]
Persarum Cyrus et Darius, Hystaspi filius;
[Cyrus and Darius, son of Hystapos, both kings of Persia;]
quorum uterque privatus virtute regnum est adeptus.
[either of whom gained rule through the qualifications.]
Prior horum apud Massagetas in proelio cecidit;
[First of these men fell in battle in Massagetae;]
Darius senectute diem obiit supremum.
[Darius died in the very last extent of his old age.]
3 Tres sunt praeterea eiusdem generis: Xerxes et duo Artaxerxae,
[There are three more kings from this same stock: Xerxes and two Artaxerxes,]
Macrochir cognomine et Mnemon.
[one nicknamed Macrochir, or "Long Hand", and the other Mnemon.]
Xerxi maxime est illustre,
[Xerxes was by far the most illustrious,]
quod maximis post hominum memoriam exercitibus terra marique bellum intulit Graeciae.
[for the fact that he brought war to Greece, by land and sea, in the accompaniment of the greatest armies of human history.]
4 At Macrochir praecipuam habet laudem amplissimae pulcherrimaeque corporis formae,
[But Macrochir takes the foremost fame of having the strongest and most handsome figure of all,]
quam incredibili ornavit virtute belli:
[one which he adorned with with his unbelievable courage in battle:]
namque illo Perses nemo manu fuit fortior.
[For which matter, no man from Persian was stronger physically than him.]
Mnemon autem iustitiae fama floruit.
[Nevertheless, Mnemon gained his reputation from his justice.]
Nam cum matris suae scelere amisisset uxorem,
[You see, even when he divorced his wife, after a wicked scheme by his own mother,]
tantum indulsit dolori,
[he was stricken with such grief,]
ut eum pietas vinceret.
[that his familial duty prevailed over him.]
5 Ex his duo eodem nomine morbo naturae debitum reddiderunt;
[These two, both sharing the same name, succumbed to illness.]
tertius ab Artabano praefecto ferro interemptus est.
[The third was killed by Artabanus after being assassinated by the sword.]
[2] Ex Macedonum autem gente duo multo ceteros antecesserunt rerum gestarum gloria:
[On the other hand, two men from the race of Macedonians excelled the rest by virtue of their accomplishments:]
Philippus, Amyntae filius, et Alexander Magnus.
[Philip, son of Aymnta, and Alexander the Great.]
Horum alter Babylone morbo consumptus est:
[The latter of these men died from an illness in Babylon.]
Philippus Aegiis a Pausania, cum spectatum ludos iret, iuxta theatrum occisus est.
[Philip was assassinated near a theater in Aegiae by Pausanias, while was on his way to see public games,]
2 Unus Epirotes, Pyrrhus, qui cum populo Romano bellavit.
[There was a one king from Epirus named Pyrrhus, who waged war with the Roman people.]
Is cum Argos oppidum oppugnaret in Peloponneso,
[While he was besieging the city of Argos in the Peloponnesos, ]
lapide ictus interiit.
[he died from the blow of a slinger.]
Unus item Siculus, Dionysius prior.
[Likewise, there was a Sicilian king, Dionysius the Elder.]
Nam et manu fortis et belli peritus fuit et,
[By his account, he was physically capable, and experienced in battle,]
id quod in tyranno non facile reperitur,
[which is something that you won't easily find of a tyrant ruler,]
minime libidinosus, non luxuriosus,
[he was in no way prone to indulging himself, nor used to luxurious living,]
non avarus, nullius denique rei cupidus
[he was not greedy, and most of all, he was desirous of nothing]
nisi singularis perpetuique imperii ob eamque rem crudelis.
[except for his unshared and perpetual power, for whose sake, he was cruel.]
Nam dum id studuit munire,
[You see, so long as he focused his attention on securing this,]
nullius pepercit vitae,
[he spared nobody's life,]
quem eius insidiatorem putaret.
[this is, whomever he suspected to be a traitor against him.]
3 Hic cum virtute tyrannidem sibi peperisset,
[At this point, in accompaniment with his qualifications, he had secured a tyranny for himself,]
magna retinuit felicitate.
[he stayed in power with a great deal of good fortune.]
Maior enim annos LX natus decessit florente regno
[You see, he ended his flowering reign, after living 60 years,]
neque in tam multis annis cuiusquam ex sua stirpe funus vidit,
[nor, in such a long number of years, did he witness the death of any one of his descendants,]
cum ex tribus uxoribus liberos procreasset
[even though he had fathered children from three separate wives,]
multique ei nati essent nepotes.
[and there were a great deal of grandchildren born to him.]
[3] Fuerunt praeterea magni reges ex amicis Alexandri Magni,
[Besides that, there were great kings among the Alexander the Great's companions,]
qui post obitum eius imperia ceperunt,
[who took his imperial functions after his death,]
in his Antigonus et huius filius Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemaeus.
[among these being Antigonus and his son Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy.]
2 Ex his Antigonus in proelio, cum adversus Seleucum et Lysimachum dimicaret,
occisus est.
[From these men, Antigonus was killed in battle, when he tried to vie against Seleucus and Lysimachus,]
Pari leto affectus est Lysimachus ab Seleuco;
[and Lysimachus was killed in a similar case by Seleucus;]
namque societate dissoluta bellum inter se gesserunt.
[by which account, when their association dissolved, they waged war amongst themselves.]
3 At Demetrius, cum filiam suam Seleuco in matrimonium dedisset
[Demetrius, on the other hand, since he had given his own daughter in matrimony to Seleucus,]
neque eo magis fida inter eos amicitia manere potuisset,
[nor could their alliance be any more secure between them,]
captus bello in custodia socer generi periit a morbo.
[until the son-in-law, captured in battle by his father-in-law, died from an illness.]
4 Neque ita multo post Seleucus a Ptolemaeo Cerauno dolo interfectus est,
[Nor was it much longer after that when Seleucus was killed by a scheme on the part of Ptolemy Ceraunus,]
quem ille a patre expulsum Alexandrea, alienarum opum indigentem receperat.
[whom the latter had previously welcomed in Alexandria, when the formed was exiled by his father and was in need of another's resources.]
Ipse autem Ptolemaeus, cum vivus filio regnum tradidisset,
[But Ptolemy himself, when he had passed his kingdom down to his son while he was still alive,]
ab illo eodem vita privatus dicitur.
[is said to have been robbed of his life from that very same man.]
5 De quibus quoniam satis dictum putamus,
[Since I think enough has been said about these men,]
non incommodum videtur non praeterire Hamilcarem et Hannibalem,
[it doesn't seem like a bad point to pass through the lives of Hamilcar, and Hannibal,]
quos et animi magnitudine et calliditate omnes in Africa natos praestitisse constat.
[whom we have established had excelled all of the people born in Africa with the greatness and ambition of their mind.]
Nepos, Hamilcar
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS HAMILCAR
[1] HAMILCAR, Hannibalis filius, cognomine Barca, Carthaginiensis, primo Poenico bello,
[Hamilcar, the son of Hannibal <the Elder>, and nicknamed Barca, was a Carthaginian, in the first Punic War,]
sed temporibus extremis, admodum adulescentulus in Sicilia praeesse coepit exercitui.
[but in the very end of his life, he began, even as a very young man, to excel greatly in his deeds in Sicily.]
2 Cum ante eius adventum et mari et terra male res gererentur Carthaginiensium,
[Since, before his arrival, the affairs of the Carthaginians were going badly both on sea and land,]
ipse, ubi adfuit, numquam hosti cessit
[he himself, when he arrived, never backed down from the enemy]
neque locum nocendi dedit
[nor did he gave them any disadvantage]
saepeque e contrario occasione data lacessivit
[and often he toiled with the situation he was given, even from a hostile predicament,]
semperque superior discessit.
[and he always left the superior.]
Quo facto, cum paene omnia in Sicilia Poeni amisissent,
[After this fact, when barely the Carthaginians abandoned all their assets in Sicily,]
ille Erycem sic defendit,
[and he thusly held the Eryces,]
ut bellum eo loco gestum non videretur.
[even when the war did not seem to be waged in this location.]
3 Interim Carthaginienses classe apud insulas Aegatis a C. Lutatio, consule Romanorum,
superati statuerunt belli facere
[In the meantime, the Carthaginians, once they had been defeated by Gaius Lutatius, the consul of Rome, on the islands of Aegate, decided to be done with the war,]
finem eamque rem arbitrio permiserunt Hamilcaris.
[and by Hamilcar's advice, they attempted to put this affair to end.]
Ille etsi flagrabat bellandi cupiditate,
[Even though the man of topic was burning with a desire to continue fighting,]
tamen paci serviundum putavit,
[he still thought that he could safeguard peace,]
quod patriam, exhaustam sumptibus, diutius calamitates belli ferre non posse intellegebat,
[something which he through his country, now exhausted of its resources, could no long endure the calamities of the war,]
4 sed ita, ut statim mente agitaret,
[but so it happened that he could immediately stir it up in his mind,]
si paulum modo res essent refectae,
[if only to a small extent their affairs could be mended,]
bellum renovare Romanosque armis persequi,
[to renew the state of war, and pursue the wars in arms,]
donicum aut virtute vicissent aut victi manus dedissent
[until such point that they could either prevail by their courage, or once defeated, they could surrender their arms.]
5 Hoc consilio pacem conciliavit;
[he settled a peace accord with this intention;]
in quo tanta fuit ferocia,
[at which point, there was so much fierceness,]
cum Catulus negaret bellum compositurum,
[since Catulus refused to let the war be brought to an end,]
nisi ille cum suis, qui Erycem tenuerunt, armis relictis Sicilia decederent,
[unless <Hamilcar>, who held currently occupied Eryces, left Sicily and abandoned his military operations,]
ut succumbente patria ipse periturum se potius dixerit,
[and it resulted that he said that he could rather die himself, while his nation faded away,]
quam cum tanto flagitio domum rediret.
[than return home in a such a state of disgrace.]
Non enim suae esse virtutis arma a patria accepta adversus hostis adversariis tradere.
[You see, he would not turn over the arms of his courage, that he had received from his nation, to any opposing enemies.]
Huius pertinaciae cessit Catulus.
[Catulus then yielded to his steadfastness.]
[2] At ille ut Carthaginem venit, multo aliter, ac sperarat, rem publicam se habentem cognovit.
[But, he, as soon he arrived in Carthage, and he was hoping so all along, learned otherwise that his nation was opposed to the deal.]
Namque diuturnitate externi mali tantum exarsit intestinum bellum,
[For which matter, such a deadly war against an external menace raged on a daily basis,]
ut numquam in pari periculo fuerit Carthago, nisi cum deleta est.
[that Carthage would never be put in any similar position of danger, until such time that it was completely destroyed.]
2 Primo mercennarii milites, qui adversus Romanos fuerant, desciverunt;
[In the beginning, mercenary soldiers, who had previously opposed the Romans, joined up;]
quorum numerus erat XX milium.
[they numbered 20,000 in total.]
Hi totam abalienarunt Africam, ipsam Carthaginem oppugnarunt.
[These men abandoned Africa's side, and they besieged the very city of Carthage.]
3 Quibus malis adeo sunt Poeni perterriti,
[And the Carthaginians were so utterly terrified by these misfortunes,]
ut etiam auxilia ab Romanis petierint eaque impetrarint.
[that they sought and gained aid even from the Romans.]
Sed extremo, cum prope iam ad desperationem pervenissent,
[But in the end, when they had nearly now reached a point of desperation,]
Hamilcarem imperatorem fecerunt.
[they made Hamilcar their commander.]
4 Is non solum hostis a muris Carthaginis removit,
[He not only moved the enemy back from the walls of Carthage,]
cum amplius C milia facta essent armatorum,
[even he had drafted more than 100,000 armed men,]
sed etiam eo compulit,
[but he even pushed them all to such a point,]
ut locorum angustiis clausi plures fame quam ferro interirent.
[that the majority of them, now trapped by the narrowness of their positions, ended up dying from starvation than by the sword.]
Omnia oppida abalienata, in his Uticam atque Hipponem, valentissima totius Africae, restituit patriae.
[He restored all the cities that had previously broken off, including Utica and Hippo among these, which were the strongest ones in all of Africa.]
5 Neque eo fuit contentus,
[And he was not content at that point,]
sed etiam finis imperii propagavit,
[but instead he expanded the boundaries of his empire,]
tota Africa tantum otium reddidit,
[and he returned such a great time of peace in the entirety of Africa,]
ut nullum in ea bellum videretur multis annis fuisse.
[such that no war seemed like it would come to pass in this region for many years.]
[3] Rebus his ex sententia peractis,
[When these affairs were settled according to his demands,]
fidenti animo atque infesto Romanis,
[with a consistent and dangerously hostile attitude towards the Romans,]
quo facilius causam bellandi reperiret,
[with which he could all the more easily rediscover a cause for war,]
effecit, ut imperator cum exercitu in Hispaniam mitteretur,
[he made sure that he was the lead commander to be sent to Spain with the army,]
eoque secum duxit filium Hannibalem annorum novem.
[and he took his son Hannibal there with him, who was nine years old.]
2 Erat praeterea cum eo adulescens illustris, formosus, Hasdrubal;
[On top of that, there was Hasdrubal at his side, an illustrious, handsome young man;]
quem nonnulli diligi turpius, quam par erat, ab Hamilcare loquebantur.
[whom a great deal of people used to say was never favored by Hamilcar, because he was a potential rival.]
Non enim maledici tanto viro deesse poterant.
[You see, no men of an ill tongue could miss out on the opportunity of envying such a great man.]
Quo factum est, ut a praefecto morum Hasdrubal cum eo vetaretur esse.
[So afterward, it turned out that Hasdrubal was stopped by one of their prefects from accompanying him.]
Huic ille filiam suam in matrimonium dedit,
[Our protagonist give his daughter to the fellow in matrimony,]
quod moribus eorum non poterat interdici socero genero.
[because, by their customs, a marriage alliance between father-in-law and son-in-law was not restricted by law.]
3 De hoc ideo mentionem fecimus,
[So far, I've already made mention of the fact]
quod Hamilcare occiso ille exercitui praefuit
[that, when Hamilcar died, the other took command of the military forces]
resque magnas gessit
[and accomplished tremendous feats]
et princeps largitione vetustos pervertit mores Carthaginiensium
[and, as commander, he overturned the time-honored traditions of the Carthiginians with his largesses,]
eiusdemque post mortem Hannibal ab exercitu accepit imperium.
[and after the death of this same fellow, Hannibal receive supreme command over the army.]
[4] At Hamilcar posteaquam mare transiit in Hispaniamque venit,
[But in the meantime, Hamilcar crossed over the sea, and arrived in Spain,]
magnas res secunda gessit fortuna;
[and he accomplished great successes and good fortune.]
maximas bellicosissimasque gentes subegit;
[he put down some of the most war-frenized nations there were;]
equis, armis, viris, pecunia totam locupletavit Africam.
[he enriched Africa with horses, weapons, slaves, and money.]
2 Hic cum in Italiam bellum inferre meditaretur, nono anno,
[At that point, while he was contemplating carrying out a campaign into Italy, in its ninth year,]
postquam in Hispaniam venerat,
[since he had arrived in Spain,]
in proelio pugnans adversus Vettones occisus est.
[he fell dead in battle fighting against the Vettones.]
3 Huius perpetuum odium erga Romanos maxime concitasse videtur secundum bellum Poenicum.
[His undying hatred towards the Romans seems most of all to have been the catalyst for the Second Punic War.]
Namque Hannibal, filius eius, assiduis patris obtestationibus eo est perductus,
[On that account, Hannibal, his son, was thoroughly inspired to this goal, after having to constantly swear to his father,]
ut interire quam Romanos non experiri mallet.
[that he would rather die than not attack the Romans head-on.]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS HAMILCAR
[1] HAMILCAR, Hannibalis filius, cognomine Barca, Carthaginiensis, primo Poenico bello,
[Hamilcar, the son of Hannibal <the Elder>, and nicknamed Barca, was a Carthaginian, in the first Punic War,]
sed temporibus extremis, admodum adulescentulus in Sicilia praeesse coepit exercitui.
[but in the very end of his life, he began, even as a very young man, to excel greatly in his deeds in Sicily.]
2 Cum ante eius adventum et mari et terra male res gererentur Carthaginiensium,
[Since, before his arrival, the affairs of the Carthaginians were going badly both on sea and land,]
ipse, ubi adfuit, numquam hosti cessit
[he himself, when he arrived, never backed down from the enemy]
neque locum nocendi dedit
[nor did he gave them any disadvantage]
saepeque e contrario occasione data lacessivit
[and often he toiled with the situation he was given, even from a hostile predicament,]
semperque superior discessit.
[and he always left the superior.]
Quo facto, cum paene omnia in Sicilia Poeni amisissent,
[After this fact, when barely the Carthaginians abandoned all their assets in Sicily,]
ille Erycem sic defendit,
[and he thusly held the Eryces,]
ut bellum eo loco gestum non videretur.
[even when the war did not seem to be waged in this location.]
3 Interim Carthaginienses classe apud insulas Aegatis a C. Lutatio, consule Romanorum,
superati statuerunt belli facere
[In the meantime, the Carthaginians, once they had been defeated by Gaius Lutatius, the consul of Rome, on the islands of Aegate, decided to be done with the war,]
finem eamque rem arbitrio permiserunt Hamilcaris.
[and by Hamilcar's advice, they attempted to put this affair to end.]
Ille etsi flagrabat bellandi cupiditate,
[Even though the man of topic was burning with a desire to continue fighting,]
tamen paci serviundum putavit,
[he still thought that he could safeguard peace,]
quod patriam, exhaustam sumptibus, diutius calamitates belli ferre non posse intellegebat,
[something which he through his country, now exhausted of its resources, could no long endure the calamities of the war,]
4 sed ita, ut statim mente agitaret,
[but so it happened that he could immediately stir it up in his mind,]
si paulum modo res essent refectae,
[if only to a small extent their affairs could be mended,]
bellum renovare Romanosque armis persequi,
[to renew the state of war, and pursue the wars in arms,]
donicum aut virtute vicissent aut victi manus dedissent
[until such point that they could either prevail by their courage, or once defeated, they could surrender their arms.]
5 Hoc consilio pacem conciliavit;
[he settled a peace accord with this intention;]
in quo tanta fuit ferocia,
[at which point, there was so much fierceness,]
cum Catulus negaret bellum compositurum,
[since Catulus refused to let the war be brought to an end,]
nisi ille cum suis, qui Erycem tenuerunt, armis relictis Sicilia decederent,
[unless <Hamilcar>, who held currently occupied Eryces, left Sicily and abandoned his military operations,]
ut succumbente patria ipse periturum se potius dixerit,
[and it resulted that he said that he could rather die himself, while his nation faded away,]
quam cum tanto flagitio domum rediret.
[than return home in a such a state of disgrace.]
Non enim suae esse virtutis arma a patria accepta adversus hostis adversariis tradere.
[You see, he would not turn over the arms of his courage, that he had received from his nation, to any opposing enemies.]
Huius pertinaciae cessit Catulus.
[Catulus then yielded to his steadfastness.]
[2] At ille ut Carthaginem venit, multo aliter, ac sperarat, rem publicam se habentem cognovit.
[But, he, as soon he arrived in Carthage, and he was hoping so all along, learned otherwise that his nation was opposed to the deal.]
Namque diuturnitate externi mali tantum exarsit intestinum bellum,
[For which matter, such a deadly war against an external menace raged on a daily basis,]
ut numquam in pari periculo fuerit Carthago, nisi cum deleta est.
[that Carthage would never be put in any similar position of danger, until such time that it was completely destroyed.]
2 Primo mercennarii milites, qui adversus Romanos fuerant, desciverunt;
[In the beginning, mercenary soldiers, who had previously opposed the Romans, joined up;]
quorum numerus erat XX milium.
[they numbered 20,000 in total.]
Hi totam abalienarunt Africam, ipsam Carthaginem oppugnarunt.
[These men abandoned Africa's side, and they besieged the very city of Carthage.]
3 Quibus malis adeo sunt Poeni perterriti,
[And the Carthaginians were so utterly terrified by these misfortunes,]
ut etiam auxilia ab Romanis petierint eaque impetrarint.
[that they sought and gained aid even from the Romans.]
Sed extremo, cum prope iam ad desperationem pervenissent,
[But in the end, when they had nearly now reached a point of desperation,]
Hamilcarem imperatorem fecerunt.
[they made Hamilcar their commander.]
4 Is non solum hostis a muris Carthaginis removit,
[He not only moved the enemy back from the walls of Carthage,]
cum amplius C milia facta essent armatorum,
[even he had drafted more than 100,000 armed men,]
sed etiam eo compulit,
[but he even pushed them all to such a point,]
ut locorum angustiis clausi plures fame quam ferro interirent.
[that the majority of them, now trapped by the narrowness of their positions, ended up dying from starvation than by the sword.]
Omnia oppida abalienata, in his Uticam atque Hipponem, valentissima totius Africae, restituit patriae.
[He restored all the cities that had previously broken off, including Utica and Hippo among these, which were the strongest ones in all of Africa.]
5 Neque eo fuit contentus,
[And he was not content at that point,]
sed etiam finis imperii propagavit,
[but instead he expanded the boundaries of his empire,]
tota Africa tantum otium reddidit,
[and he returned such a great time of peace in the entirety of Africa,]
ut nullum in ea bellum videretur multis annis fuisse.
[such that no war seemed like it would come to pass in this region for many years.]
[3] Rebus his ex sententia peractis,
[When these affairs were settled according to his demands,]
fidenti animo atque infesto Romanis,
[with a consistent and dangerously hostile attitude towards the Romans,]
quo facilius causam bellandi reperiret,
[with which he could all the more easily rediscover a cause for war,]
effecit, ut imperator cum exercitu in Hispaniam mitteretur,
[he made sure that he was the lead commander to be sent to Spain with the army,]
eoque secum duxit filium Hannibalem annorum novem.
[and he took his son Hannibal there with him, who was nine years old.]
2 Erat praeterea cum eo adulescens illustris, formosus, Hasdrubal;
[On top of that, there was Hasdrubal at his side, an illustrious, handsome young man;]
quem nonnulli diligi turpius, quam par erat, ab Hamilcare loquebantur.
[whom a great deal of people used to say was never favored by Hamilcar, because he was a potential rival.]
Non enim maledici tanto viro deesse poterant.
[You see, no men of an ill tongue could miss out on the opportunity of envying such a great man.]
Quo factum est, ut a praefecto morum Hasdrubal cum eo vetaretur esse.
[So afterward, it turned out that Hasdrubal was stopped by one of their prefects from accompanying him.]
Huic ille filiam suam in matrimonium dedit,
[Our protagonist give his daughter to the fellow in matrimony,]
quod moribus eorum non poterat interdici socero genero.
[because, by their customs, a marriage alliance between father-in-law and son-in-law was not restricted by law.]
3 De hoc ideo mentionem fecimus,
[So far, I've already made mention of the fact]
quod Hamilcare occiso ille exercitui praefuit
[that, when Hamilcar died, the other took command of the military forces]
resque magnas gessit
[and accomplished tremendous feats]
et princeps largitione vetustos pervertit mores Carthaginiensium
[and, as commander, he overturned the time-honored traditions of the Carthiginians with his largesses,]
eiusdemque post mortem Hannibal ab exercitu accepit imperium.
[and after the death of this same fellow, Hannibal receive supreme command over the army.]
[4] At Hamilcar posteaquam mare transiit in Hispaniamque venit,
[But in the meantime, Hamilcar crossed over the sea, and arrived in Spain,]
magnas res secunda gessit fortuna;
[and he accomplished great successes and good fortune.]
maximas bellicosissimasque gentes subegit;
[he put down some of the most war-frenized nations there were;]
equis, armis, viris, pecunia totam locupletavit Africam.
[he enriched Africa with horses, weapons, slaves, and money.]
2 Hic cum in Italiam bellum inferre meditaretur, nono anno,
[At that point, while he was contemplating carrying out a campaign into Italy, in its ninth year,]
postquam in Hispaniam venerat,
[since he had arrived in Spain,]
in proelio pugnans adversus Vettones occisus est.
[he fell dead in battle fighting against the Vettones.]
3 Huius perpetuum odium erga Romanos maxime concitasse videtur secundum bellum Poenicum.
[His undying hatred towards the Romans seems most of all to have been the catalyst for the Second Punic War.]
Namque Hannibal, filius eius, assiduis patris obtestationibus eo est perductus,
[On that account, Hannibal, his son, was thoroughly inspired to this goal, after having to constantly swear to his father,]
ut interire quam Romanos non experiri mallet.
[that he would rather die than not attack the Romans head-on.]
Nepos, Cato the Elder
Cornelius Nepos
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS M. CATO
[1] M. CATO, ortus municipio Tusculo adulescentulus, priusquam honoribus operam daret,
[Marcus Cato was raised as a youth in the city of Tusculum, and before he spent his time pursuing positions of power,]
versatus est in Sabinis,
[he was educated among the tribes of the Sabines,]
quod ibi heredium a patre relictum habebat.
[as he took possession of the inheritance left behind by his father.]
Inde hortatu L. Valerii Flacci, quem in consulatu censuraque habuit collegam, ut M. Perpenna censorius narrare solitus est, Romam demigravit in foroque esse coepit.
[Thence, by the encouragement of Lucius Valerius Flaccus, whom he enjoyed as a colleague during his time as consul and censor, as Marcus Perpenna the censor was accustomed to relate, he moved down to Rome, and began to make appearances in the Forum.]
2 Primum stipendium meruit annorum decem septemque.
[He gained his first official service at age 17.]
Q. Fabio M. Claudio consulibus tribunus militum in Sicilia fuit.
[He was a military tribune in Sicily in the counsel years of Quintus Fabius and Marcus Claudius.]
Inde ut rediit, castra secutus est C. Claudii Neronis,
[Thence as soon as he returned home, he joined the military camps of Gaius Claudius Nero,]
magnique opera eius existimata est in proelio apud Senam,
[and his efforts in the Battle of Sena was judged to be of great significance,]
quo cecidit Hasdrubal, frater Hannibalis.
[that is, the one in which Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, died.]
3 Quaestor obtigit P. Africano consuli;
[He was appointed quaestor to the consul Publius Africanus;]
cum quo non pro sortis necessitudine vixit:
[with this position he did not find success, considering his lack of good fortune.]
namque ab eo perpetua dissensit vita.
[by this account, his life constantly took a turn from this moment.]
4 Aedilis plebi factus est cum C. Helvio.
[He was elected aedile of the plebs alongside Gaius Helvius.]
Praetor provinciam obtinuit Sardiniam, ex qua, quaestor superiore tempore ex Africa decedens,
[As praetor, he obtained the province of Sicily, from which position, as quaestor, as soon as he left from Africa before that,]
Q. Ennium poetam deduxerat;
[he met the poet Quintus Ennius.]
quos non minoris aestimamus quam quemlibet amplissimum Sardiniensem triumphum.
[these were the men whom we judge to be no less than any of the greatest triumphs he accomplished in Sardinia.]
[2] Consulatum gessit cum L. Valerio Flacco,
[He performed his duty as consul alongside Lucius Valerius Flaccus,]
sorte provinciam nactus Hispaniam citeriorem,
[after he acquired the province of Nearer Spain by lot,]
exque ea triumphum deportavit.
[and from this province he gained a triumphal procession.]
2 Ibi cum diutius moraretur, P. Scipio Africanus, consul iterum,
[When he remained there for quite a long time, Publius Scipio Africanus, consul for a second time,]
cuius in priori consulatu quaestor fuerat,
[in whose first term as consul he served as quaestor,]
voluit eum de provincia depellere
[he wished to cast this man out of his province]
et ipse ei succedere
neque hoc per senatum efficere potuit,
[and he himself could neither succeed him, nor have this enacted through senatorial procedure,]
cum quidem Scipio principatum in civitate obtineret,
[since in fact, Scipio could obtain hegemony over the state,]
quod tum non potentia, sed iure res publica administrabatur.
[from the fact that the republic was not governed at that time by sheer power, but by law.]
Qua ex re iratus senatu, consulatu peracto privatus in urbe mansit.
[From this affair, he, pissed at the senate, stayed in the city as a private citizens, after his consulship came to an end.]
3 At Cato, censor cum eodem Flacco factus, severe praefuit ei potestati.
[But Cato, as soon as he was elected censor with the very same fellow, Flaccus, made use of his political power in a harsh manner.]
Nam et in complures nobiles animadvertit et multas res novas in edictum addidit,
[You see, he both turned his attention to a great deal of nobles, and added many new conditions to his mandate,]
qua re luxuria reprimeretur,
[in such a way that their luxurious lifestyle began to be targeted,]
quae iam tum incipiebat pullulare.
[which, by that time, was already beginning to get ridiculous.]
4 Circiter annos octoginta, usque ad extremam aetatem ab adulescentia,
[Roundabout his eightieth year, from his young days all the way to the very last point of his life,]
rei publicae causa suscipere inimicitias non destitit.
[he never cease to stir up hostilities for the sake of the republic.]
A multis temptatus non modo nullum detrimentum existimationis fecit,
[Although he was challenged by many, he not caused no damage to his esteem,]
sed, quoad vixit, virtutum laude crevit.
[but instead, so long as he lived, he increased from the praise his virtues attracted.]
[3] In omnibus rebus singulari fuit industria.
[In all his affairs, he applied a unique work ethic.]
Nam et agricola sollers et peritus iuris consultus et magnus imperator et probabilis orator et cupidissimus litterarum fuit.
[You see, he was an expert farmer, experienced master of the law, commanding military leader, formidable speaker, and the most eager to absorb literature of all.]
2 Quarum studium etsi senior arripuerat,
[Even as a very old man, he had taken a passion for these things,]
tamen tantum progressum fecit,
[and yet he made such great progress,]
ut non facile reperiri possit neque de Graecis neque de Italicis rebus,
[such that nothing could be discovered easily that pertained to the affairs of Greece and Italy ,]
quod ei fuerit incognitum.
[that he was not familiar with.]
Ab adulescentia confecit orationes.
[He made public speeches since he was young man.]
Senex historias scribere instituit.
[As an old fellow, he wrote histories.]
3 Earum sunt libri VII.
[There are 7 total volumes of these.]
Primus continet res gestas regum populi Romani:
[The first one covers the achievements of the Roman people under the kings:]
secundus et tertius, unde quaeque civitas orta sit Italica;
[the second and third ones cover the origin of each city in Italy;]
ob quam rem omnes Origines videtur appellasse.
[that seems to be a fitting explanation for why he had called all of these "The Origins".]
In quarto autem bellum Poenicum est primum, in quinto secundum.
[On the contrary, the first Punic War is covered in the fourth one, and the Second war in the fifth one.]
4 Atque haec omnia capitulatim sunt dicta.
[And all of these things were dictated chapter by chapter.]
Reliquaque bella pari modo persecutus est usque ad praeturam Servii Galbae, qui diripuit Lusitanos;
[In like fashion, he ran through the remaining wars all the way to the prefecture of Servius Galba, who lay waste to Lusitania;]
atque horum bellorum duces non nominavit,
[and he did not mention of the names of these wars' generals,]
sed sine nominibus res notavit.
[instead he explained the affairs without the mention of names.]
In eisdem exposuit, quae in Italia Hispaniisque aut fierent aut viderentur admiranda.
[In the same books, he revealed the notable events that happened or seem worthy of awe in Italy and in both territories of Spain.]
In quibus multa industria et diligentia comparet, nulla doctrina.
[In these, he writes with a great deal of industry and diligence, and no use of propaganda.]
5 Huius de vita et moribus plura in eo libro persecuti sumus,
[I've gone through the life of this man and his customs to a great extent in the book,]
quem separatim de eo fecimus rogatu T. Pomponii Attici.
[that I wrote separtable about him, at the request of Titus Pomponius Atticus.]
Quare studiosos Catonis ad illud volumen delegamus.
[And so, I direct scholars of Cato to that aforesaid volume.]
100-24 BCE
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era/Golden Age of Latin Literature)
CORNELI NEPOTIS M. CATO
[1] M. CATO, ortus municipio Tusculo adulescentulus, priusquam honoribus operam daret,
[Marcus Cato was raised as a youth in the city of Tusculum, and before he spent his time pursuing positions of power,]
versatus est in Sabinis,
[he was educated among the tribes of the Sabines,]
quod ibi heredium a patre relictum habebat.
[as he took possession of the inheritance left behind by his father.]
Inde hortatu L. Valerii Flacci, quem in consulatu censuraque habuit collegam, ut M. Perpenna censorius narrare solitus est, Romam demigravit in foroque esse coepit.
[Thence, by the encouragement of Lucius Valerius Flaccus, whom he enjoyed as a colleague during his time as consul and censor, as Marcus Perpenna the censor was accustomed to relate, he moved down to Rome, and began to make appearances in the Forum.]
2 Primum stipendium meruit annorum decem septemque.
[He gained his first official service at age 17.]
Q. Fabio M. Claudio consulibus tribunus militum in Sicilia fuit.
[He was a military tribune in Sicily in the counsel years of Quintus Fabius and Marcus Claudius.]
Inde ut rediit, castra secutus est C. Claudii Neronis,
[Thence as soon as he returned home, he joined the military camps of Gaius Claudius Nero,]
magnique opera eius existimata est in proelio apud Senam,
[and his efforts in the Battle of Sena was judged to be of great significance,]
quo cecidit Hasdrubal, frater Hannibalis.
[that is, the one in which Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, died.]
3 Quaestor obtigit P. Africano consuli;
[He was appointed quaestor to the consul Publius Africanus;]
cum quo non pro sortis necessitudine vixit:
[with this position he did not find success, considering his lack of good fortune.]
namque ab eo perpetua dissensit vita.
[by this account, his life constantly took a turn from this moment.]
4 Aedilis plebi factus est cum C. Helvio.
[He was elected aedile of the plebs alongside Gaius Helvius.]
Praetor provinciam obtinuit Sardiniam, ex qua, quaestor superiore tempore ex Africa decedens,
[As praetor, he obtained the province of Sicily, from which position, as quaestor, as soon as he left from Africa before that,]
Q. Ennium poetam deduxerat;
[he met the poet Quintus Ennius.]
quos non minoris aestimamus quam quemlibet amplissimum Sardiniensem triumphum.
[these were the men whom we judge to be no less than any of the greatest triumphs he accomplished in Sardinia.]
[2] Consulatum gessit cum L. Valerio Flacco,
[He performed his duty as consul alongside Lucius Valerius Flaccus,]
sorte provinciam nactus Hispaniam citeriorem,
[after he acquired the province of Nearer Spain by lot,]
exque ea triumphum deportavit.
[and from this province he gained a triumphal procession.]
2 Ibi cum diutius moraretur, P. Scipio Africanus, consul iterum,
[When he remained there for quite a long time, Publius Scipio Africanus, consul for a second time,]
cuius in priori consulatu quaestor fuerat,
[in whose first term as consul he served as quaestor,]
voluit eum de provincia depellere
[he wished to cast this man out of his province]
et ipse ei succedere
neque hoc per senatum efficere potuit,
[and he himself could neither succeed him, nor have this enacted through senatorial procedure,]
cum quidem Scipio principatum in civitate obtineret,
[since in fact, Scipio could obtain hegemony over the state,]
quod tum non potentia, sed iure res publica administrabatur.
[from the fact that the republic was not governed at that time by sheer power, but by law.]
Qua ex re iratus senatu, consulatu peracto privatus in urbe mansit.
[From this affair, he, pissed at the senate, stayed in the city as a private citizens, after his consulship came to an end.]
3 At Cato, censor cum eodem Flacco factus, severe praefuit ei potestati.
[But Cato, as soon as he was elected censor with the very same fellow, Flaccus, made use of his political power in a harsh manner.]
Nam et in complures nobiles animadvertit et multas res novas in edictum addidit,
[You see, he both turned his attention to a great deal of nobles, and added many new conditions to his mandate,]
qua re luxuria reprimeretur,
[in such a way that their luxurious lifestyle began to be targeted,]
quae iam tum incipiebat pullulare.
[which, by that time, was already beginning to get ridiculous.]
4 Circiter annos octoginta, usque ad extremam aetatem ab adulescentia,
[Roundabout his eightieth year, from his young days all the way to the very last point of his life,]
rei publicae causa suscipere inimicitias non destitit.
[he never cease to stir up hostilities for the sake of the republic.]
A multis temptatus non modo nullum detrimentum existimationis fecit,
[Although he was challenged by many, he not caused no damage to his esteem,]
sed, quoad vixit, virtutum laude crevit.
[but instead, so long as he lived, he increased from the praise his virtues attracted.]
[3] In omnibus rebus singulari fuit industria.
[In all his affairs, he applied a unique work ethic.]
Nam et agricola sollers et peritus iuris consultus et magnus imperator et probabilis orator et cupidissimus litterarum fuit.
[You see, he was an expert farmer, experienced master of the law, commanding military leader, formidable speaker, and the most eager to absorb literature of all.]
2 Quarum studium etsi senior arripuerat,
[Even as a very old man, he had taken a passion for these things,]
tamen tantum progressum fecit,
[and yet he made such great progress,]
ut non facile reperiri possit neque de Graecis neque de Italicis rebus,
[such that nothing could be discovered easily that pertained to the affairs of Greece and Italy ,]
quod ei fuerit incognitum.
[that he was not familiar with.]
Ab adulescentia confecit orationes.
[He made public speeches since he was young man.]
Senex historias scribere instituit.
[As an old fellow, he wrote histories.]
3 Earum sunt libri VII.
[There are 7 total volumes of these.]
Primus continet res gestas regum populi Romani:
[The first one covers the achievements of the Roman people under the kings:]
secundus et tertius, unde quaeque civitas orta sit Italica;
[the second and third ones cover the origin of each city in Italy;]
ob quam rem omnes Origines videtur appellasse.
[that seems to be a fitting explanation for why he had called all of these "The Origins".]
In quarto autem bellum Poenicum est primum, in quinto secundum.
[On the contrary, the first Punic War is covered in the fourth one, and the Second war in the fifth one.]
4 Atque haec omnia capitulatim sunt dicta.
[And all of these things were dictated chapter by chapter.]
Reliquaque bella pari modo persecutus est usque ad praeturam Servii Galbae, qui diripuit Lusitanos;
[In like fashion, he ran through the remaining wars all the way to the prefecture of Servius Galba, who lay waste to Lusitania;]
atque horum bellorum duces non nominavit,
[and he did not mention of the names of these wars' generals,]
sed sine nominibus res notavit.
[instead he explained the affairs without the mention of names.]
In eisdem exposuit, quae in Italia Hispaniisque aut fierent aut viderentur admiranda.
[In the same books, he revealed the notable events that happened or seem worthy of awe in Italy and in both territories of Spain.]
In quibus multa industria et diligentia comparet, nulla doctrina.
[In these, he writes with a great deal of industry and diligence, and no use of propaganda.]
5 Huius de vita et moribus plura in eo libro persecuti sumus,
[I've gone through the life of this man and his customs to a great extent in the book,]
quem separatim de eo fecimus rogatu T. Pomponii Attici.
[that I wrote separtable about him, at the request of Titus Pomponius Atticus.]
Quare studiosos Catonis ad illud volumen delegamus.
[And so, I direct scholars of Cato to that aforesaid volume.]
Martial, Spectacular Sights 6
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Belliger inuictis quod Mars tibi seruit in armis,
[Whatever warmongering Mars keeps secures through your arms,]
non satis est, Caesar, seruit et ipsa Venus.
[it is not enough, Caesar, as what Venus herself secures.]
VIb
Prostratum uasta Nemees in ualle leonem
nobile et Herculeum fama canebat opus.
[Fame used to sing about the leon that was slain the vast valley of Nemea and Hercules' noble deed.]
Prisca fides taceat:
[Let old belief now shut its trap:]
nam post tua munera, Caesar,
hoc iam femineo Marte fatemur agi.
[you see, Caesar, after your munificent deeds, I can confess that this deed was done by some female version of Mars.]
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Belliger inuictis quod Mars tibi seruit in armis,
[Whatever warmongering Mars keeps secures through your arms,]
non satis est, Caesar, seruit et ipsa Venus.
[it is not enough, Caesar, as what Venus herself secures.]
VIb
Prostratum uasta Nemees in ualle leonem
nobile et Herculeum fama canebat opus.
[Fame used to sing about the leon that was slain the vast valley of Nemea and Hercules' noble deed.]
Prisca fides taceat:
[Let old belief now shut its trap:]
nam post tua munera, Caesar,
hoc iam femineo Marte fatemur agi.
[you see, Caesar, after your munificent deeds, I can confess that this deed was done by some female version of Mars.]
Martial, Spectacular Sights 5
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Iunctam Pasiphaen Dictaeo credite tauro:
[Believe that Pasiphae, the girl of Dicte, was tied to a bull:]
uidimus, accepit fabula prisca fidem.
[we can see it: the old story gains your trust.]
Nec se miretur, Caesar, longaeua uetustas:
[Nor, Caesar, can long-lived old age wonder upon it:]
quidquid fama canit, praestat harena tibi.
[whatever famous stories sing, now stands in the arena before you.]
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Iunctam Pasiphaen Dictaeo credite tauro:
[Believe that Pasiphae, the girl of Dicte, was tied to a bull:]
uidimus, accepit fabula prisca fidem.
[we can see it: the old story gains your trust.]
Nec se miretur, Caesar, longaeua uetustas:
[Nor, Caesar, can long-lived old age wonder upon it:]
quidquid fama canit, praestat harena tibi.
[whatever famous stories sing, now stands in the arena before you.]
Martial, Spectacular Sights 4
Marcus Valerius Martialis
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Turba grauis paci placidaeque inimica quieti,
[The crowd grows glum in peace, and hostile in quiet tranquility,]
quae semper miseras sollicitabat opes,
[which always worries about its miserable opulence,]
traducta est +Getulis+ nec cepit harena nocentis:
[and sand is led across, nor did take anything from the dangerous Getulians. <suggestions?>]
et delator habet quod dabat exilium.
[and the spy takes possession whatever will bestow exile.]
Exulat Ausonia profugus delator ab urbe: 5
[The spy, on the lamb, flees in exile from his Italian town:]
haec licet inpensis principis adnumeres.
[You can undoubtedly count off things like these among the endeavors of the emperor.]
1st-2nd c. AD (over 1,900 years ago)
Trans. RMBullard
Latin (Silver Age)
Turba grauis paci placidaeque inimica quieti,
[The crowd grows glum in peace, and hostile in quiet tranquility,]
quae semper miseras sollicitabat opes,
[which always worries about its miserable opulence,]
traducta est +Getulis+ nec cepit harena nocentis:
[and sand is led across, nor did take anything from the dangerous Getulians. <suggestions?>]
et delator habet quod dabat exilium.
[and the spy takes possession whatever will bestow exile.]
Exulat Ausonia profugus delator ab urbe: 5
[The spy, on the lamb, flees in exile from his Italian town:]
haec licet inpensis principis adnumeres.
[You can undoubtedly count off things like these among the endeavors of the emperor.]
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