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Cornelius Nepos · Iphicrates §3.1-3.4

Protection of the Macedonian House, Trial, and Son

Passage 3 of 3 · Latin

Summary

The character of Iphicrates, his protection of the Macedonian royal children, his trial, and an anecdote illustrating the wit of his son Menestheus are described.

§3.1Fuit autem et animo magno et corpore imperatoriaque forma, ut ipso aspectu cuivis iniceret admirationem sui,
Moreover, he was of a great mind and of a body and appearance suitable for a general, so that by his very aspect he inspired admiration of himself in anyone.
§3.2sed in labore nimis remissus parumque patiens, ut Theopompus memoriae prodidit, bonus vero civis fideque magna.
But, as Theopompus has recorded, he was too remiss and little enduring in labor, yet a good citizen and of great fidelity.
quod cum in aliis rebus declaravit, tum maxime in Amyntae Macedonis liberis tuendis.
He showed this not only in other matters, but especially in protecting the children of Amyntas the Macedonian.
namque Eurydice, mater Perdiccae et Philippi, cum his duobus pueris Amynta mortuo ad Iphicraten confugit eiusque opibus defensa est.
For Eurydice, the mother of Perdiccas and Philip, fled to Iphicrates with these two boys after the death of Amyntas, and was protected by his resources.
§3.3vixit ad senectutem placatis in se suorum civium animis.
He lived to old age, with the feelings of his fellow citizens pacified toward him.
causam capitis semel dixit, bello sociali, simul cum Timotheo, eoque iudicio est absolutus.
He once pleaded a capital cause, during the Social War, together with Timotheus, and was acquitted in that trial.
§3.4Menesthea filium reliquit ex Thraessa natum, Coti regis filia, is cum interrogaretur, utrum pluris, patrem matremne, faceret, matrem inquit.
He left a son, Menestheus, born of a Thracian woman, the daughter of King Cotys.
id cum omnibus mirum videretur, at ille merito inquit facio: nam pater, quantum in se fuit, Thraecem me genuit, contra ea mater Atheniensem.
When he was asked which of the two he valued more, his father or his mother, he replied, "My mother." When this seemed strange to everyone, he said, "I do so with good reason; for my father, as far as was in his power, begot me as a Thracian, but on the other hand my mother begot me as an Athenian."

Notes

  1. §3.1animo magno et corpore imperatoriaque forma — Coordinative ablatives of quality serving as predicates for the verb fuit. The phrases et animo magno and et corpore imperatoriaque forma are placed in parathesis.
  2. §3.1admirationem sui — sui is the genitive of the third-person reflexive pronoun, functioning as an objective genitive dependent on the noun admirationem.
  3. §3.2in Amyntae Macedonis liberis tuendis — A gerundive construction in the ablative case governed by the preposition in. Semantically, it means "in protecting the children of Amyntas."
  4. §3.3causam capitis semel dixit — causam dicere is an idiomatic expression meaning "to plead one's cause" or "to stand trial." The genitive capitis (of the head/life) indicates the nature of the charge, implying a capital charge.
  5. §3.4utrum pluris, patrem matremne, faceret — The tense of faceret matches the past sequence triggered by interrogaretur. pluris is a genitive of value, with facio pluris meaning "to value more highly." It forms an indirect double question introduced by utrum... -ne.
  6. §3.4quantum in se fuit — A restrictive or idiomatic parenthetical clause introduced by the relative quantum, meaning "as far as was in his power" or "as far as lay in him."

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Iphicrates §3.1-3.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo011.humanitext-lat2:3.1-3.4

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