Nepos, Epaminondas 2

Epam. 2.1Nātus igitur patre, quō dīximus, genere honestō, pauper iam ā maiōribus relictus est, ērudītus autem sīc ut nēmō Thēbānus magis.

He was born, then, of the father we have named, of an honourable family, but already left poor by his ancestors; yet he was educated as no other Theban was.

Note. Nātus ... patre ... genere honestō: ablatives of origin, 'born of the father ..., of an honourable family'. sīc ut nēmō Thēbānus magis: supply ērudītus est, 'educated as no Theban (was) more'.

Epam. 2.1Nam et citharizāre et cantāre ad chordārum sonum doctus est ā Dionȳsiō, quī nōn minōre fuit in mūsicīs glōriā quam Dāmōn aut Lamprus, quōrum pervulgāta sunt nōmina, cantāre tībiīs ab Olympiodōrō, saltāre ā Calliphrone.

For he was taught to play the lyre and to sing to the sound of the strings by Dionysius, who had no less glory in music than Damon or Lamprus, whose names are widely known; to play the pipes by Olympiodorus, and to dance by Calliphron.

Note. doctus est + infinitive: 'he was taught to play and to sing'. The teachers are given with ā/ab + ablative of the agent. nōn minōre ... glōriā: ablative of quality, 'of no less fame'. Damon was the famous Athenian music theorist, friend of Pericles.

Epam. 2.2At philosophiae praeceptōrem habuit Lȳsim Tarentīnum, Pȳthagorēum: cui quidem sīc fuit dēditus, ut adulēscēns trīstem ac sevērum senem omnibus aequālibus suīs in familiāritāte anteposuerit;

But for philosophy he had as his teacher Lysis of Tarentum, a Pythagorean, to whom he was so devoted that as a young man he preferred that gloomy and strict old man to all his companions as a friend;

Note. Lȳsim is a Greek accusative in -im. The Pythagoreans, followers of Pythagoras, were strongest in the Greek cities of southern Italy such as Tarentum. ut ... anteposuerit: result clause; the perfect subjunctive stresses a fact in past time.

Epam. 2.2neque prius eum ā sē dīmīsit, quam in doctrīnīs tantō antecessit condiscipulōs, ut facile intellegī posset parī modō superātūrum omnēs in cēterīs artibus.

and he did not let him go from his side until he had so far outstripped his fellow pupils in learning that it could easily be seen he would surpass everyone in the other arts in the same way.

Note. prius ... quam: 'not ... before', the two parts of priusquam split. superātūrum: future participle with esse understood, in indirect statement after intellegī: '(that) he would surpass'.

Epam. 2.3Atque haec ad nostram cōnsuētūdinem sunt levia et potius contemnenda;

Now these things, by our standards, are trivial and rather to be despised;

Epam. 2.3at in Graeciā, utique ōlim, magnae laudī erant.

but in Greece, at least in the old days, they were a great source of praise.

Note. magnae laudī erant: a 'double dative' (predicative dative laudī with the dative of amount magnae): 'were a source of great praise'.

Epam. 2.4Postquam ephēbus est factus et palaestrae dare operam coepit, nōn tam magnitūdinī vīrium servīvit quam vēlōcitātī: illam enim ad athlētārum ūsum, hanc ad bellī exīstimābat pertinēre.

After he came of age and began to train in the wrestling school, he cared less for great strength than for speed: the one, he thought, served the needs of athletes, the other the needs of war.

Note. ephēbus: a Greek youth who had reached the age (about 18) of formal military training. palaestra: the wrestling ground. illam ... hanc: 'the former (strength) ... the latter (speed)'; supply ūsum with bellī.

Epam. 2.4Itaque exercēbātur plūrimum currendō et luctandō ad eum fīnem, quoad stāns complectī posset atque contendere.

So he trained most of all in running and in wrestling, to the point where he could grapple and struggle standing up.

Note. currendō et luctandō: ablative gerunds, 'by running and wrestling'. quoad ... posset: 'to the point where he could', the subjunctive showing purpose.

Epam. 2.4In armīs vērō plūrimum studiī cōnsūmēbat.

But he spent the most effort of all on arms.