Lectitō › Cornelius Nepos › Life of Epaminondas
Nepos, Epaminondas 9
Death at Mantinea
Nepos, Epaminondas. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōEpam. 9.1Hic extrēmō tempore imperātor apud Mantinēam cum aciē īnstrūctā audācius īnstāret hostēs, cognitus ā Lacedaemoniīs, quod in ūnīus perniciē eius patriae sitam putābant salūtem, ūniversī in ūnum impetum fēcērunt neque prius abscessērunt, quam magnā caede ēditā multīsque occīsīs fortissimē ipsum Epamīnōndam pugnantem, sparō ēminus percussum, concidere vīdērunt.
At the end, as commander at Mantinea, when with his line drawn up he was pressing the enemy too boldly, he was recognized by the Spartans; and because they thought their country's safety lay in the destruction of this one man, they all made an attack on him alone, and did not draw back until, after great slaughter and the death of many, they saw Epaminondas himself, fighting most bravely, struck from a distance by a light spear, fall.
Note. Mantinea (362 BC) was Epaminondas' last battle. audācius: comparative adverb, 'too boldly'. quod ... sitam putābant salūtem: 'because they thought their country's safety lay in ...'. neque prius ... quam ... vīdērunt: 'did not draw back before they saw'. The accusative and infinitive Epamīnōndam ... concidere depends on vīdērunt.
Epam. 9.2Huius cāsū aliquantum retardātī sunt Boeōtī, neque tamen prius pugnā excessērunt, quam repugnantēs prōflīgārunt.
His fall held the Boeotians back a little, yet they did not leave the fight before they had routed the enemy who resisted them.
Note. aliquantum: 'somewhat'. prius ... quam ... prōflīgārunt (= prōflīgāvērunt): 'before they had routed'.
Epam. 9.3At Epamīnōndās, cum animadverteret mortiferum sē vulnus accēpisse simulque, sī ferrum, quod ex hastīlī in corpore remānserat, extrāxisset, animam statim ēmissūrum, usque eō retinuit, quoad renūntiātum est vīcisse Boeōtōs.
But Epaminondas, realizing that he had received a mortal wound, and also that if he pulled out the iron point that had stayed in his body from the shaft he would die at once, kept it in until it was reported that the Boeotians had won.
Note. sī ... extrāxisset: pluperfect subjunctive standing for a future perfect in indirect speech, 'if he pulled out'. ēmissūrum (esse): future infinitive. ūsque eō ... quoad: 'all the time until'.
Epam. 9.4Id postquam audīvit, satis" inquit "vīxī: invictus enim morior."
When he heard this, he said: "I have lived long enough: for I die unconquered."
Note. Satis vīxī: a famous last saying; invictus 'unconquered' explains why he can die content.
Epam. 9.4Tum ferrō extrāctō cōnfestim exanimātus est.
Then the iron was drawn out and he died at once.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| extrēmus, -a, -um | last, extreme, furthest |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| audācter (adv.; comp. audācius) | boldly |
| īnstō, -āre, -stitī | press on; be at hand |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| perniciēs, -ēī f. | ruin, destruction |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| patria, -ae, f. | fatherland, country |
| situs, -a, -um | placed, situated |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| ūniversus, -a, -um | all together, whole, entire, all |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| abscēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go away, withdraw |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| caedēs, -is, f. | cutting down, killing, slaughter |
| ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | put forth, give out, utter |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| sparus, -ī m. | a small hunting spear |
| ēminus (adv.) | at a distance, from afar |
| percutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus | strike through, strike |
| concidō, -ere, concidī | fall down, collapse |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| aliquantum, -quantī, n. | somewhat |
| retardō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hold back, slow down, check |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| repugnō, -pugnāre, -pugnāvī, -pugnātus | fight against, struggle, resist |
| prōflīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | rout, defeat utterly |
| at, conj. | but |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| mortifer, -fera, -ferum | death-bringing, deadly |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| vulnus, vulneris, n. | wound |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| sī, conj. | if |
| ferrum, -ī n. | iron; iron point, sword |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| hastīle, -is n. | spear shaft |
| corpus, corporis, n. | body |
| remaneō, -ēre, -mānsī | stay behind, remain |
| extrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -trāctus | draw or drag out, release, rescue |
| anima, -ae, f. | breath, soul, life |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send out or forth |
| ūsque, adv. | all the time; ūsque ad, as far as, until; quō ūsque, see quō |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or keep back, keep, restrain; hold fast |
| quoad (conj.) | as long as; until |
| renūntiō, -nūntiāre, -nūntiāvī, -nūntiātus | bring back word, report, announce |
| vincō, -ere, vīcī, victum | conquer, defeat |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctus | live |
| invictus, -a, -um | unconquered, unbeaten |
| enim, conj. | for |
| morior, morī, mortuus | die |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| cōnfestim (adv.) | at once, immediately |
| exanimō, -animāre, -animāvī, -animātus | put out of breath, fatigue, tire, exhaust; stupefy; kill |