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Cornelius Nepos · Pausanias §3.1-3.7

Pausanias' Persian Ways and Imprisonment in Sparta

Passage 3 of 5 · Latin

Summary

Pausanias openly displayed his ambitions by adopting Persian luxury and haughty behavior. Sparta recalled and briefly imprisoned him, but they delayed final judgment due to a lack of decisive evidence.

§3.1At ille post non multo sua sponte ad exercitum rediit et ibi non stolida, sed dementi ratione cogitata patefecit: non enim mores patrios solum, sed etiam cultum vestitumque mutavit.
But not long afterwards, he returned to the army of his own accord, and there, in a manner not foolish but rather insane, disclosed his designs; for he changed not only his native customs, but even his lifestyle and dress.
§3.2apparatu regio utebatur, veste Medica; satellites Medi et Aegyptii sequebantur; epulabatur more Persarum luxuriosius, quam qui aderant perpeti possent; §3.3aditum petentibus non dabat, superbe respondebat, crudeliter imperabat.
He used royal luxury, and Median garb; Median and Egyptian bodyguards followed him; he banqueted in the Persian fashion more sumptuously than those who were present could tolerate; he did not grant access to those seeking an audience, he answered haughtily, and commanded cruelly.
Spartam redire nolebat; Colonas, qui locus in agro Troade est, se contulerat; ibi consilia cum patriae tum sibi inimica capiebat.
He did not wish to return to Sparta; he had betaken himself to Colonae, which is a place in the territory of Troas; there he was forming plans hostile both to his country and to himself.
§3.4id postquam Lacedaemonii rescierunt, legatos cum clava ad eum miserunt, in qua more illorum erat scriptum: nisi domum reverteretur, se capitis eum damnaturos.
After the Lacedaemonians found this out, they sent envoys to him with a staff, on which was written in their custom: that unless he returned home, they would condemn him to death.
§3.5hoc nuntio commotus, sperans se etiamtum pecunia et potentia instans periculum posse depellere, domum rediit.
Moved by this message, hoping that he could even then ward off the threatening danger by means of his money and power, he returned home.
huc ut venit, ab ephoris in vincla publica est coniectus: licet enim legibus eorum cuivis ephoro hoc facere regi.
When he arrived here, he was cast into the public prison by the ephors; for by their laws, it is permitted for any of the ephors to do this to the king.
hinc tamen se expedivit, neque eo magis carebat suspicione: nam opinio manebat eum cum rege habere societatem.
From this, however, he freed himself, but he was no more free from suspicion on that account; for the opinion remained that he had an alliance with the king.
§3.6est genus quoddam hominum, quod Hilotae vocatur, quorum magna multitudo agros Lacedaemoniorum colit servorumque munere fungitur.
There is a certain class of men called Helots, a great multitude of whom till the fields of the Lacedaemonians and perform the duty of slaves.
hos quoque sollicitare spe libertatis existimabatur.
He was thought to be soliciting these also with the hope of freedom.
§3.7sed quod harum rerum nullum erat apertum crimen, quo coargui posset, non putabant de tali tamque claro viro suspicionibus oportere iudicari et exspectandum, dum se ipsa res aperiret.
But because there was no open charge concerning these matters by which he could be convicted, they did not think that a judgment ought to be passed on so great and famous a man on the basis of suspicions, and that they should wait until the matter itself should reveal itself.

Notes

  1. 3.1post non multo — multo is an ablative of degree of difference modifying the adverbial post ('afterward'). It literally means 'afterward by not much,' i.e., 'not long afterward.'
  2. 3.2luxuriosius, quam qui aderant perpeti possent — possent is a subjunctive of characteristic or result in a relative clause introduced by quam after a comparative. It expresses 'more sumptuously than those present could [possibly] tolerate.'
  3. 3.5hoc facere regi — regi is a dative acting as the indirect object of the infinitive facere ('to do this to the king'), which forms the subject clause of the impersonal verb licet.
  4. 3.7dum se ipsa res aperiret — The imperfect subjunctive aperiret with the conjunction dum ('until') expresses anticipation or expected purpose on the part of the subjects of the main verb ('waiting for the matter to reveal itself').

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Pausanias §3.1-3.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo004.humanitext-lat2:3.1-3.7

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