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Cornelius Nepos · Datames §2.1-2.5

Campaign in Paphlagonia and the Capture of Thuys

Passage 2 of 11 · Latin

Summary

Datames rises in rank due to his achievements in suppressing rebels, and is then ordered to subdue Thuys, the ruler of Paphlagonia, who refuses to obey the king. After escaping an assassination plot, Datames perseveres alone and captures Thuys alive.

§2.1Pari se virtute postea praebuit, cum Autophrodates iussu regis bello persequeretur eos qui defecerant.
He afterward showed equal valor when Autophrodates, by the king's command, pursued those who had revolted in war.
namque huius opera hostes, cum castra iam intrassent, multis milibus regiorum interfectis profligati sunt exercitusque reliquus conservatus regis est: qua ex re maioribus rebus praeesse coepit.
For by his effort the enemy, although they had already entered the camp, were routed after many thousands of the king's men had been slain, and the remainder of the king's army was saved; as a result of which, he began to be placed in command of greater affairs.
§2.2erat eo tempore Thuys dynastes Paphlagoniae, antiquo genere, ortus a Pylaemene illo, quem Homerus Troico bello a Patroclo interfectum ait.
At that time, Thuys was the ruler of Paphlagonia, of an ancient family, descended from that famous Pylaemenes whom Homer says was killed by Patroclus in the Trojan War.
§2.3is regi dicto audiens non erat.
He was not obedient to the command of the king.
quam ob causam bello eum persequi constituit eique rei praefecit Datamen, propinquum Paphlagonis: namque ex fratre et sorore erant nati.
For this reason, the king resolved to pursue him in war, and put Datames in charge of that affair, who was a relative of the Paphlagonian; for they were born of a brother and a sister.
quam ob causam Datames primum experiri voluit, ut sine armis propinquum ad officium reduceret.
For this reason, Datames wished first to try to reduce his relative to his duty without arms.
ad quem cum venisset sine praesidio, quod ab amico nullas vereretur insidias, paene interiit: nam Thuys eum clam interficere voluit.
When he had come to him without a guard, because he feared no treachery from a friend, he almost perished; for Thuys wished to kill him secretly.
§2.4erat mater cum Datame, amita Paphlagonis.
Datames' mother was with him, who was the aunt of the Paphlagonian.
§2.5ea quid ageretur resciit filiumque monuit.
She discovered what was being done and warned her son.
ille fuga periculum evitavit bellumque indixit Thuyni.
He avoided the danger by flight and declared war on Thuys.
in quo cum ab Ariobarzane, praefecto Lydiae et Ioniae totiusque Phrygiae, desertus esset, nihilo segnius perseveravit vivumque Thuyn cepit cum uxore et liberis.
Though he was deserted in this war by Ariobarzanes, the governor of Lydia, Ionia, and all Phrygia, he persevered no less actively and captured Thuys alive, together with his wife and children.

Notes

  1. §2.1multis milibus regiorum interfectis — An ablative absolute construction with the noun milibus and the perfect participle interfectis. In this context, it expresses a concessive background ("although many thousands of the king's men had been slain") in relation to the main verb profligati sunt.
  2. §2.2quem Homerus Troico bello a Patroclo interfectum ait — An accusative with infinitive construction (indirect speech) functioning as the object of ait, where the relative pronoun quem acts as the subject accusative and the perfect participle interfectum (with esse omitted) acts as the infinitive.
  3. §2.3regi dicto audiens non erat — The idiom dicto audiens sum ("I am obedient to") governs the dative case. Here, regi is the dative dependent on this expression.
  4. §2.3quod ab amico nullas vereretur insidias — A causal quod-clause. The subjunctive vereretur is used instead of the indicative to indicate a subjective reason (i.e., the thought in Datames' own mind: "because he believed there was no treachery to fear"), rather than an objective fact.
  5. §2.5quid ageretur — An indirect question clause acting as the direct object of the verb resciit ("discovered"). The verb ageretur is in the imperfect subjunctive passive.

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Datames §2.1-2.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo014.humanitext-lat2:2.1-2.5

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