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Cornelius Nepos · Themistocles §3.1-3.4

Battle of Artemisium and Retreat to Salamis

Passage 3 of 10 · Latin

Summary

While Themistocles' naval plan was unpopular and a land force sent to Thermopylae was wiped out, the Greek allied fleet fought the Persian fleet to a draw at Artemisium but subsequently retreated to Salamis to avoid being surrounded.

§3.1Huius consilium plerisque civitatibus displicebat et in terra dimicari magis placebat.
His plan was displeasing to most of the states, and it was more pleasing to fight on land.
itaque missi sunt delecti cum Leonida, Lacedaemoniorum rege, qui Thermopylas occuparent longiusque barbaros progredi non paterentur.
Therefore, chosen men were sent with Leonidas, king of the Lacedaemonians, to occupy Thermopylae and not to allow the barbarians to advance further.
ii vim hostium non sustinuerunt eoque loco omnes interierunt.
These did not withstand the force of the enemy, and all perished in that place.
§3.2at classis communis Graeciae trecentarum navium, in qua ducentae erant Atheniensium, primum apud Artemisium inter Euboeam continentemque terram cum classiariis regiis conflixit.
But the common fleet of Greece, consisting of three hundred ships, in which two hundred were of the Athenians, first clashed with the king's marines near Artemisium, between Euboea and the mainland.
angustias enim Themistocles quaerebat, ne multitudine circumiretur.
For Themistocles was seeking narrow straits, lest he should be surrounded by the multitude.
§3.3hinc etsi pari proelio discesserant, tamen eodem loco non sunt ausi manere, quod erat periculum, ne, si pars navium adversariorum Euboeam superasset, ancipiti premerentur periculo.
Although they had departed from here after an indecisive battle, nevertheless they did not dare to remain in the same place, because there was a danger lest, if a part of the enemy's ships had rounded Euboea, they would be pressed by a double danger.
§3.4quo factum est ut ab Artemisio discederent et exadversum Athenas apud Salamina classem suam constituerent.
As a result of this, they departed from Artemisium and stationed their fleet near Salamis, opposite Athens.

Notes

  1. 3.1dimicari — Impersonal passive infinitive of the intransitive verb dimico, expressing the action of fighting without a specific subject. Combined with magis placebat, it means "it was more pleasing to fight on land."
  2. 3.1qui Thermopylas occuparent — The relative pronoun qui introduces a relative clause of purpose with the subjunctive imperfect (occuparent and paterentur), meaning "in order to occupy...". The antecedent is delecti.
  3. 3.3pari proelio — Ablative of manner or circumstance, meaning "after an indecisive battle" or "with an equal combat."
  4. 3.3ne, si pars navium adversariorum Euboeam superasset, ancipiti premerentur periculo — A clause introduced by ne dependent on the noun periculum ("danger lest..."). In accordance with the past tense of the main clause (erat), the conditional clause is in the pluperfect subjunctive (superasset) and the apodosis (the main verb of the ne clause) is in the imperfect subjunctive (premerentur) due to the sequence of tenses.
  5. 3.4quo factum est ut — The relative pronoun quo (neuter singular ablative) at the beginning of the sentence is a connecting relative meaning "whereby" or "as a result of this." It goes with the impersonal construction factum est followed by an ut clause (a noun clause of result).

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Themistocles §3.1-3.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo002.humanitext-lat2:3.1-3.4

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