Nepos, Epaminondas 4

Epam. 4.1Tentāta autem eius est abstinentia ā Diomedonte Cyzicēnō: namque is rogātū Artaxerxis rēgis Epamīnōndam pecūniā corrumpendum suscēperat.

His integrity was put to the test by Diomedon of Cyzicus: for at the request of King Artaxerxes he had undertaken to corrupt Epaminondas with money.

Note. Tentāta: Nepos' spelling of temptāta. rogātū: ablative of rogātus, 'at the request of'. Epamīnōndam ... corrumpendum suscēperat: the gerundive with suscipiō expresses the task undertaken: 'had undertaken to corrupt Epaminondas'. The king is Artaxerxes II of Persia, who tried to buy influence in Greece.

Epam. 4.1Hic magnō cum pondere aurī Thēbās vēnit et Micythum adulēscentulum, quem tum Epamīnōndās plūrimum dīligēbat, quīnque talentīs ad suam perdūxit voluntātem.

He came to Thebes with a great weight of gold and, with five talents, won over to his purpose the young Micythus, whom Epaminondas was very fond of at the time.

Note. magnō cum pondere: with a preposition and an adjective, cum often stands between them. A talent was a very large sum, about 26 kg of silver.

Epam. 4.1Micythus Epamīnōndam convēnit et causam adventūs Diomedontis ostendit.

Micythus went to Epaminondas and explained why Diomedon had come.

Epam. 4.2At ille Diomedontī cōram "nihil" inquit "opus pecūniā est: nam sī rēx ea vult, quae Thēbānīs sunt ūtilia, grātiīs facere sum parātus, sīn autem contrāria, nōn habet aurī atque argentī satis.

But Epaminondas said to Diomedon to his face: "There is no need for money: for if the king wants what is good for the Thebans, I am ready to do it for nothing; but if he wants the opposite, he does not have enough gold and silver.

Note. nihil ... opus pecūniā est: opus est + ablative, 'there is no need of money'. grātiīs: 'for nothing' (later grātīs). sīn autem contrāria (vult): 'but if (he wants) the opposite'.

Epam. 4.2Namque orbis terrārum dīvitiās accipere nōlō prō patriae cāritāte.

For I would not take the riches of the whole world in exchange for my love of my country.

Note. orbis terrārum dīvitiās: 'the riches of the world'. prō: 'in exchange for'.

Epam. 4.3Tū quod mē incognitum tentāstī tuīque similem exīstimāstī, nōn mīror tibique ignōscō;

As for you, who tested me without knowing me and thought me like yourself, I am not surprised, and I forgive you;

Note. tentāstī, exīstimāstī: shortened perfects of tentāvistī, exīstimāvistī. tuī similem: similis takes the genitive or dative; with personal pronouns the genitive is usual.

Epam. 4.3sed ēgredere properē, nē aliōs corrumpās, cum mē nōn potuerīs.

but leave quickly, so that you do not corrupt others, since you could not corrupt me.

Note. ēgredere: imperative of the deponent ēgredior, 'go out'. cum mē nōn potuerīs: cum causal with the subjunctive, 'since you could not (corrupt) me'.

Epam. 4.3Et tū, Micythe, argentum huic redde, aut, nisi id cōnfestim facis, ego tē trādam magistrātuī."

And you, Micythus, give this man back his silver, or, unless you do it at once, I will hand you over to the magistrate."

Epam. 4.4Hunc Diomedōn cum rogāret, ut tūtō exīre suaque, quae attulerat, licēret efferre, "istud quidem" inquit "faciam, neque tuā causā, sed meā, nē, sī tibi sit pecūnia adēmpta, aliquis dīcat id ad mē ēreptum pervēnisse, quod dēlātum accipere nōluissem."

When Diomedon asked him that he be allowed to leave safely and take away the things he had brought, he said: "That I will do, not for your sake but for mine, so that, if your money is taken from you, no one can say that what I refused to take when it was offered came to me by robbery."

Note. nē ... aliquis dīcat: negative purpose. id ad mē ēreptum pervēnisse, quod dēlātum accipere nōluissem: 'that what I had refused to accept when it was offered came to me by robbery'.

Epam. 4.5Ā quō cum quaesīsset, quō sē dēdūcī vellet, et ille Athēnās dīxisset, praesidium dedit, ut tūtō pervenīret.

When he had asked him where he wanted to be taken, and Diomedon had said Athens, he gave him an escort so that he might get there safely.

Epam. 4.5Neque vērō id satis habuit, sed etiam, ut inviolātus in nāvem ēscenderet, per Chabriam Athēniēnsem, dē quō suprā mentiōnem fēcimus, effēcit.

And he did not think even that enough, but also arranged, through Chabrias the Athenian, whom we mentioned above, that he should board his ship unharmed.

Note. per Chabriam: 'through (the help of) Chabrias'. Nepos wrote a separate Life of Chabrias, hence dē quō suprā mentiōnem fēcimus.

Epam. 4.6Abstinentiae erit hoc satis testimōnium.

This will be proof enough of his integrity.

Epam. 4.6Plūrima quidem prōferre possumus, sed modus adhibendus est, quoniam ūnō hōc volūmine vītam excellentium virōrum complūrium conclūdere cōnstituimus, quōrum rēs sēparātim multīs mīlibus versuum complūrēs scrīptōrēs ante nōs explicārunt.

We could indeed bring forward a great deal more, but there must be a limit, since we have decided to include in this one volume the lives of many outstanding men, whose deeds a number of writers before us have set out separately in many thousands of lines.

Note. Nepos explains why he keeps the Life short: his book (volūmen, a papyrus roll) contains many lives. explicārunt = explicāvērunt. versuum: 'lines' of writing, not verses of poetry.