Humanitext Reader

Cornelius Nepos · Datames §7.1-7.3

Betrayal by Sisinas and Strategic Defense Against Autophrodates

Passage 7 of 11 · Latin

Summary

Betrayed and accused to the king by his eldest son Sisinas, Datames prepares to face the oncoming Autophrodates by choosing a strategically advantageous position.

§7.1Ab hoc tamen viro Sisinas, maximo natu filius, desciit ad regemque transiit et de defectione patris detulit.
Nevertheless, Sisinas, his eldest son, revolted from this man, went over to the king, and reported his father's defection.
quo nuntio Artaxerxes commotus, quod intellegebat sibi cum viro forti ac strenuo negotium esse, qui et prius cogitare quam conari consuesset et, cum cogitasset, facere auderet, Autophrodatem in Cappadociam mittit.
Artaxerxes, alarmed by this news, because he understood that he had to deal with a brave and energetic man, who was accustomed to reflect before he attempted anything and, when he had reflected, dared to act, sent Autophrodates into Cappadocia.
§7.2hic ne intrare posset, saltum, in quo Ciliciae portae sunt sitae, Datames praeoccupare studuit.
Lest this man should be able to enter, Datames strove to occupy beforehand the pass in which the Cilician Gates are situated.
§7.3sed tam subito copias contrahere non potuit.
But he could not collect his forces so suddenly.
a qua re depulsus cum ea manu, quam contraxerat, locum delegit talem, ut neque circumiretur ab hostibus neque praeteriret adversarius, quin ancipitibus locis premeretur, et, si dimicare vellet, non multum obesse multitudo hostium suae paucitati posset.
Disappointed in this attempt, he chose with the force which he had collected such a position that he could not be surrounded by the enemy, nor could his adversary pass by without being hard pressed in difficult ground, and, if he wished to fight, the multitude of the enemy could not do much harm to his own small force.

Notes

  1. §7.1quo nuntio — Connecting relative pronoun referring to the content of the previous sentence (Sisinas' betrayal), standing in the ablative of cause or means.
  2. §7.1sibi cum viro forti ac strenuo negotium esse — Accusative and infinitive construction in indirect discourse, functioning as the object clause of the main verb intellegebat. The idiom negotium esse alicui cum aliquo means 'to have to deal with someone'.
  3. §7.1consuesset — Syncopated form of the pluperfect subjunctive consuevisset. It forms part of the relative clause of characteristic (or subjunctive by attraction in indirect discourse) introduced by qui.
  4. §7.2hic — Not the adverb 'here', but the demonstrative pronoun (masculine nominative singular) referring to the recently mentioned Autophrodates, serving as the subject of posset.
  5. §7.3quin ancipitibus locis premeretur — A quin clause following the negative clause neque praeteriret adversarius ('nor could his adversary pass by'), meaning 'without being pressed' or 'but that he would be pressed', expressing result or attendant circumstance.

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Datames §7.1-7.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo014.humanitext-lat2:7.1-7.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.