Nepos: LIBER DE EXCELLENTIBUS DVCIBUS EXTERARVM GENTIVM

[1] LYSANDER Lacedaemonius magnam reliquit sui famam, magis felicitate quam virtute partam. Atheniensis enim in Peloponnesios sexto et vicesimo anno bellum gerentes confecisse apparet. Id qua ratione consecutus sit, haud latet.

[1] LYSANDER the Lacedaemonian left a great fame of himself, won more by felicity than by virtue. For it appears that he brought to an end, in the twenty-sixth year, the war which the Athenians were waging against the Peloponnesians. By what method he achieved this is by no means hidden.

2 Non enim virtute sui exercitus, sed immodestia factum est adversariorum, qui, quod dicto audientes imperatoribus suis non erant, dispalati in agris relictis navibus in hostium venerunt potestatem. Quo facto Athenienses se Lacedaemoniis dediderunt.

2 For it was brought about not by the valor of his army, but by the immoderation of the adversaries, who, because they were not obedient to the orders of their commanders, having straggled in the fields with their ships left behind, came into the power of the enemies. This having been done, the Athenians surrendered themselves to the Lacedaemonians.

3 Hac victoria Lysander elatus, cum antea semper factiosus audaxque fuisset, sic sibi indulsit, ut eius opera in maximum odium Graeciae Lacedaemonii pervenerint.

3 Elated by this victory, since he had always previously been factious and audacious, Lysander so indulged himself that, by his efforts, the Lacedaemonians came into the greatest odium with Greece.

4 Nam cum hanc causam Lacedaemonii dictitassent sibi esse belli, ut Atheniensium impotentem dominationem refringerent, postquam apud Aegos flumen Lysander classis hostium est potitus, nihil aliud molitus est, quam ut omnes civitates in sua teneret potestate, cum id se Lacedaemoniorum causa facere simularet.

4 For whereas the Lacedaemonians kept asserting that their cause of war was to break the unrestrained domination of the Athenians, after Lysander, at the Aegos River, had gotten control of the enemy fleet, he attempted nothing else than to hold all the cities in his own power, while he pretended that he was doing this for the Lacedaemonians’ sake.

5 Namque undique, qui Atheniensium rebus studuissent, eiectis, decem delegerat in unaquaque civitate, quibus summum imperium potestatemque omnium rerum committeret. Horum in numerum nemo admittebatur, nisi qui aut eius hospitio contineretur aut se illius fore proprium fide confirmarat.

5 For indeed, everywhere, after those who had supported the interests of the Athenians had been driven out, he had selected ten men in each city, to whom he entrusted the supreme command and the authority over all affairs. Into the number of these no one was admitted, unless he was either bound to him by guest-friendship or had confirmed by a pledge that he would belong to him personally.

[2] Ita decemvirali potestate in omnibus urbibus constituta ipsius nutu omnia gerebantur. Cuius de crudelitate ac perfidia satis est unam rem exempli gratia proferre, ne de eodem plura enumerando defatigemus lectores.

[2] Thus, with decemviral power established in all the cities, everything was conducted at his nod. Of his cruelty and perfidy it is enough to bring forward one matter for the sake of example, lest by enumerating more of the same we weary the readers.

2 Victor ex Asia cum reverteretur Thasumque divertisset, quod ea civitas praecipua fide fuerat erga Athenienses - proinde ac si non iidem firmissimi solerent esse amici, qui constantes fuissent inimici - pervertere eam concupivit.

2 As victor, when he was returning from Asia and had turned aside to Thasos, because that city had been preeminent in fidelity toward the Athenians - just as if those who had been steadfast enemies were not the very ones who are wont to be the firmest friends - he conceived a desire to subvert it.

3 Vidit autem, nisi in eo occultasset voluntatem, futurum, ut Thasii dilaberentur consulerentque rebus suis ***

3 He saw, however, that unless he had occulted his will in this, it would come to pass that the Thasians would slip away and take counsel for their own affairs ***

[3] Itaque hi decemviralem illam potestatem ab illo constitutam sustulerunt. Quo dolore incensus iniit consilia reges Lacedaemoniorum tollere. Sed sentiebat id se sine ope deorum facere non posse, quod Lacedaemonii omnia ad oracula referre consuerant.

[3] Therefore they removed that decemviral authority established by him. Inflamed by this grief, he entered into plans to remove the kings of the Lacedaemonians. But he perceived that he could not do this without the help of the gods, because the Lacedaemonians were accustomed to refer everything to the oracles.

Primum Delphicum corrumpere est conatus. Cum id non potuisset, Dodonam adortus est. Hinc quoque repulsus dixit se vota suscepisse, quae Iovi Hammoni solveret, existimans se Afros facilius corrupturum.

He first attempted to corrupt the Delphic [oracle]. When he could not do that, he assailed Dodona. Repulsed from here as well, he said that he had undertaken vows which he would pay to Jupiter Ammon, thinking that he would more easily corrupt the Africans.

3 Hac spe cum profectus esset in Africam, multum eum antistites Iovis fefellerunt. Nam non solum corrumpi non potuerunt, sed etiam legatos Lacedaemonem miserunt, qui Lysandrum accusarent, quod sacerdotes fani corrumpere conatus esset.

3 With this hope, when he had set out to Africa, the priests of Jupiter greatly disappointed him. For not only could they not be corrupted, but they even sent envoys to Lacedaemon to accuse Lysander, because he had attempted to corrupt the priests of the shrine.

4 Accusatus hoc crimine iudicumque absolutus sententiis, Orchomeniis missus subsidio occisus est a Thebanis apud Haliartum.

4 Accused on this charge and absolved by the sentences of the judges, sent to the Orchomenians as succor, he was slain by the Thebans near Haliartus.

5 Quam vere de eo foret iudicatum, oratio indicio fuit, quae post mortem in domo eius reperta est, in qua suadet Lacedaemoniis, ut regia potestate dissoluta ex omnibus dux deligatur ad bellum gerendum, sed sic scripta, ut deum videretur congruere sententiae, quam ille se habiturum pecunia fidens non dubitabat. Hanc ei scripsisse Cleon Halicarnassius dicitur.

5 How truly it had been judged about him, the oration was an indication—found after his death in his house—in which he urges the Lacedaemonians that, with the royal power dissolved, a leader be chosen from among all for waging war; but it was written in such a way that the god would seem to agree with the opinion which he did not doubt he would secure by money. Cleon of Halicarnassus is said to have written this for him.

[4] Atque hoc loco non est praetereundum factum Pharnabazi, satrapis regii. Nam cum Lysander praefectus classis in bello multa crudeliter avareque fecisset deque his rebus suspicaretur ad cives suos esse perlatum, petiit a Pharnabazo, ut ad ephoros sibi testimonium daret, quanta sanctitate bellum gessisset sociosque tractasset, deque ea re accurate scriberet: magnam enim eius auctoritatem in ea re futuram.

[4] And at this point the deed of Pharnabazus, the royal satrap, is not to be passed over. For when Lysander, prefect of the fleet, had done many things cruelly and greedily in the war, and suspected that a report about these matters had been carried to his fellow citizens, he asked from Pharnabazus that he give to the ephors testimony for him, as to with what sanctity he had conducted the war and handled the allies, and that he write accurately about this matter; for his authority in that affair would be great.

2 Huic ille liberaliter pollicetur; librum grandem verbis multis conscripsit, in quibus summis eum effert laudibus. Quem cum legisset probassetque, dum signatur, alterum pari magnitudine, tanta similitudine, ut discerni non posset, signatum subiecit, in quo accuratissime eius avaritiam perfidiamque accusarat.

2 To this he promised liberally; he composed a large book with many words, in which he exalts him with the highest praises. Which, when he had read and approved, while it was being sealed, he slipped underneath another of equal size, with such similarity that it could not be discerned, already sealed, in which he had most accurately accused his avarice and perfidy.

3 [Hunc] Lysander, domum cum redisset, postquam de suis rebus gestis apud maximum magistratum, quae voluerat, dixerat, testimonii loco librum a Pharnabazo datum tradidit. Hunc summoto Lysandro cum ephori cognossent, ipsi legendum dederunt. Ita ille imprudens ipse suus fuit accusator.

3 [This] Lysander, when he had returned home, after he had said before the supreme magistracy what he had wished about his achievements, delivered, in place of testimony, the book given by Pharnabazus. This, with Lysander removed, when the ephors had examined it, they themselves gave to be read. Thus he, imprudent, was himself his own accuser.