Nepos, Epaminondas 8

Epam. 8.1Postquam domum reditum est, collēgae eius hōc crīmine accūsābantur.

After they returned home, his colleagues were accused of this offence.

Note. Postquam domum reditum est: impersonal passive, 'after they returned home'.

Epam. 8.1Quibus ille permīsit, ut omnem causam in sē trānsferrent suāque operā factum contenderent, ut lēgī nōn oboedīrent.

He allowed them to put the whole blame on him and to maintain that it was through his doing that they had disobeyed the law.

Note. suā operā factum: 'that it had been done through his doing'. ut lēgī nōn oboedīrent: noun clause explaining factum.

Epam. 8.1Quā dēfēnsiōne illīs perīculō līberātīs nēmō Epamīnōndam respōnsūrum putābat, quod quid dīceret nōn habēret.

Since by this defence they were freed from danger, nobody thought that Epaminondas would answer, because he would have nothing to say.

Epam. 8.2At ille in iūdicium vēnit, nihil eōrum negāvit, quae adversāriī crīminī dabant, omniaque, quae collēgae dīxerant, cōnfessus est neque recūsāvit quōminus lēgis poenam subīret, sed ūnum ab iīs petīvit, ut in sepulcrō suō īnscrīberent: "Epamīnōndās ā Thēbānīs morte multātus est, quod eōs coēgit apud Leuctra superāre Lacedaemoniōs, quōs ante sē imperātōrem nēmō Boeōtōrum ausus sit aspicere in aciē, quodque ūnō proeliō nōn sōlum Thēbās ab interitū retrāxit, sed etiam ūniversam Graeciam in lībertātem vindicāvit eōque rēs utrōrumque perdūxit, ut Thēbānī Spartam oppugnārent, Lacedaemoniī satis habērent, sī salvī esse possent, neque prius bellāre dēstitit, quam Messēnē restitūtā urbem eōrum obsidiōne clausit."

But he came into court, denied none of the things his opponents charged him with, admitted everything his colleagues had said, and did not refuse to suffer the penalty of the law; but he asked one thing of them, that they inscribe on his tomb: "Epaminondas was punished with death by the Thebans because he forced them to defeat the Spartans at Leuctra, whom before he was general no Boeotian had dared to look at in battle, and because with one battle he not only saved Thebes from destruction but also set all Greece free, and brought the affairs of both peoples to the point that the Thebans were attacking Sparta and the Spartans thought themselves lucky if they could survive; and he did not stop fighting until he had restored Messene and shut their city in under siege."

Note. quōminus ... subīret: after recūsō, quōminus means 'from (suffering)'. The proposed epitaph is in direct speech. Leuctra (371 BC) broke Spartan power; afterwards Epaminondas invaded Laconia and refounded Messene (369 BC), freeing the Messenians whom Sparta had held as helots for centuries.

Epam. 8.5Haec cum dīxisset, rīsus omnium cum hilaritāte coortus est, neque quisquam iūdex ausus est dē eō ferre suffrāgium.

When he had said this, everyone burst out laughing, and not one juror dared to cast a vote against him.

Note. risus ... coortus est: 'laughter broke out'. The epitaph listed his achievements so well that the trial became absurd.

Epam. 8.5Sīc ā iūdiciō capitis maximā discessit glōriā.

So from a trial for his life he came away with the greatest glory.

Note. iūdicium capitis: 'a trial for one's life'.