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Plutarch · Life of Flamininus §1.1-1.4

Character of Flamininus and His Early Career

Passage 1 of 21 · Greek

Summary

The appearance and character of Titus Quinctius Flamininus are described, followed by his early military career in the war against Hannibal and his successful civil and military leadership in Tarentum and new colonies.

§1.1ὃν δὲ παραβάλλομεν αὐτῷ, Τίτος Κοΐντιος Φλαμινῖνος, ἰδέαν μὲν ὁποῖος ἦν πάρεστι θεάσασθαι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Ῥώμῃ χαλκῆς εἰκόνος, ἣ κεῖται παρὰ τὸν μέγαν Ἀπόλλωνα τὸν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος ἀντικρὺ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου, γράμμασιν Ἑλληνικοῖς ἐπιγεγραμμένη, τὸ δὲ ἦθος ὀξὺς λέγεται γενέσθαι καὶ πρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ πρὸς χάριν.
As for the man whom we compare with him, Titus Quinctius Flamininus, what he was like in appearance is possible for those who wish to see from his bronze statue in Rome, which stands by the side of the great Apollo from Carthage, opposite the circus, inscribed with Greek characters; but as to his character, he is said to have been quick both to anger and to favor.
§1.2οὐ μὴν ὁμοίως, ἀλλʼ ἐλαφρὸς μὲν ἐν τῷ κολάζειν καὶ οὐκ ἐπίμονος, πρὸς δὲ τὰς χάριτας τελεσιουργός καὶ τοῖς εὐεργετηθεῖσι διὰ παντὸς ὥσπερ εὐεργέταις εὔνους, καὶ πρόθυμος, ὡς κάλλιστα τῶν κτημάτων, τοὺς ἐν πεπονθότας ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ περιέπειν ἀεὶ καὶ σῴζειν.
Not, indeed, in like manner, but rather he was lenient in punishing and not persistent, while in bestowing favors he was complete, and towards those who had received his benefits he was throughout life well-disposed as if they were his benefactors, and eager to protect and preserve always those who had been well treated by him, as if they were the fairest of his possessions.
φιλοτιμότατος δὲ καὶ φιλοδοξότατος ὢν ἐβούλετο τῶν ἀρίστων καὶ μεγίστων πράξεων αὐτουργὸς εἶναι, καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις εὖ παθεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς εὖ ποιῆσαι δυναμένοις ἔχαιρε, τοὺς μὲν ὕλην τῆς ἀρετῆς, τοὺς δὲ ὥσπερ ἀντιπάλους πρὸς δόξαν ἡγούμενος.
And being extremely ambitious and fond of glory, he wished to be the personal agent of the finest and greatest deeds, and rejoiced more in those who needed to receive benefits than in those who were able to confer them, considering the former as material for his virtue, and the latter as rivals for glory.
§1.3παιδευθεὶς δὲ παιδείαν τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐθῶν τῶν στρατιωτικῶν, πολλοὺς τότε καὶ μεγάλους τῆς Ῥώμης ἀγωνιζομένης ἀγῶνας καὶ τῶν νέων εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ στρατεύεσθαι στρατηγεῖν διδασκομένων, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἀννίβαν πολέμῳ χιλίαρχος ὑπατεύοντι Μαρκέλλῳ συνεστρατεύσατο.
Having been trained in the discipline of military customs, at a time when Rome was waging many great struggles and the young men were being taught from the very beginning to command while serving in the army, he first served as a military tribune under Marcellus, who was then consul, in the war against Hannibal.
§1.4καὶ Μάρκελλος μὲν ἐνέδρᾳ περιπεσὼν ἐτελεύτησε, Τίτος δὲ τῆς περὶ Τάραντα χώρας καὶ Τάραντος αὐτοῦ τὸ δεύτερον ἡλωκότος ἔπαρχος ἀποδειχθείς εὐδοκίμησεν οὐχ ἧττον ἐπὶ τοῖς δικαίοις ἢ κατὰ τὴν στρατείαν.
And while Marcellus died having fallen into an ambush, Titus, having been appointed commander of the district around Tarentum and of Tarentum itself, which had been captured for the second time, won a high reputation no less for his justice than for his military service.
διὸ καὶ πεμπομένων ἀποίκων εἰς δύο πόλεις, Νάρνειάν τε καὶ Κῶνσαν, ἄρχων ᾑρέθη καὶ οἰκιστής.
For this reason, when colonists were being sent to two cities, Narnia and Cossa, he was chosen as commissioner and founder.

Notes

  1. §1.1ὃν δὲ παραβάλλομεν αὐτῷ — The relative pronoun ὃν at the beginning of the sentence refers to the main subject Τίτος Κοΐντιος Φλαμινῖνος through a kind of prolepsis. Syntactically, it functions as the object of παραβάλλομεν, but its position before the main subject creates an anticipatory construction.
  2. §1.1ἰδέαν — Accusative of respect (specification), meaning 'with respect to his appearance.'
  3. §1.2τοὺς μὲν ὕλην... τοὺς δὲ ὥσπερ ἀντιπάλους — The pronoun τοὺς μὲν refers to the previously mentioned τοῖς δεομένοις εὖ παθεῖν (those who needed to receive benefits), and τοὺς δὲ refers to τοῖς εὖ ποιῆσαι δυναμένοις (those who were able to confer them). They appear in the accusative as the direct objects of the participle ἡγούμενος.
  4. §1.3τῆς Ῥώμης ἀγωνιζομένης... τῶν νέων... διδασκομένων — Both τῆς Ῥώμης ἀγωνιζομένης and τῶν νέων... διδασκομένων are genitive absolute constructions with present participles, describing the background circumstances or reasons for the main verb συνεστρατεύσατο.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Flamininus §1.1-1.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg028.humanitext-grc2:1.1-1.4

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