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Cornelius Nepos · Agesilaus §7.1-7.4

Fundraising for Sparta and His Simple Lifestyle

Passage 7 of 8 · Latin

Summary

Agesilaus continued to support Sparta after its decline in the battle of Leuctra by securing funds, and despite receiving magnificent gifts from foreign rulers, he maintained an extremely simple, traditional lifestyle.

§7.1Sine dubio post Leuctricam pugnam Lacedaemonii se numquam refecerunt neque pristinum imperium recuperarunt, cum interim numquam Agesilaus destitit quibuscumque rebus posset patriam iuvare.
Without a doubt, after the battle of Leuctra, the Lacedaemonians never recovered themselves, nor did they regain their former empire, while in the meantime Agesilaus never ceased to aid his country by whatever means he could.
§7.2nam cum praecipue Lacedaemonii indigerent pecunia, ille omnibus, qui a rege defecerant, praesidio fuit: a quibus magna donatus pecunia patriam sublevavit.
For as the Lacedaemonians were particularly in need of money, he was a protection to all who had revolted from the king; and gifted by them with a large sum of money, he relieved his country.
§7.3atque in hoc illud inprimis fuit admirabile, cum maxima munera ei ab regibus ac dynastis civitatibusque conferrentur, quod nihil umquam domum suam contulit, nihil de victu, nihil de vestitu Laconum mutavit.
And in this, the following was especially admirable: that although the greatest gifts were bestowed on him by kings, rulers, and states, he never brought anything home to his own house, and changed nothing of the food or clothing of the Laconians.
§7.4domo eadem fuit contentus, qua Eurysthenes, progenitor maiorum suorum, fuerat usus: quam qui intrarat, nullum signum libidinis, nullum luxuriae videre poterat, contra ea plurima patientiae atque abstinentiae.
He was content with the same house which Eurysthenes, the progenitor of his ancestors, had used; and whoever entered it could see no sign of self-indulgence, none of luxury, but on the contrary, very many of endurance and self-restraint.
sic enim erat instructa, ut in nulla re differret a cuiusvis inopis atque privati.
For it was so furnished that in no respect did it differ from that of any poor private citizen.

Notes

  1. §7.1quibuscumque rebus posset — The ablative of means `rebus` with the indefinite relative pronoun `quibuscumque` modifies the infinitive `iuvare`. The verb `posset` (imperfect subjunctive of `posse`) is in the subjunctive due to a restrictive or characterising relative clause ('by whatever means he might be able'), influenced also by the historical sequence of tenses.
  2. §7.2omnibus ... praesidio fuit — A double dative construction, where `omnibus` is the dative of reference and `praesidio` is the dative of purpose or effect, meaning 'he served as a protection to all.'
  3. §7.2a quibus magna donatus pecunia — The verb `donare` in the active voice takes the construction `donare aliquem aliqua re` (to present someone with something). Here, in the passive voice, the person (Agesilaus) becomes the subject of the participle `donatus`, while the ablative of the thing given (`magna pecunia`) is retained.
  4. §7.3illud ... quod — `illud` is an anticipatory demonstrative pronoun (nominative) pointing forward to the following `quod` clause (the noun clause of fact introducing 'the fact that...'). Thus, the clauses beginning with `quod` express the actual substance of `illud` and function as the subject.
  5. §7.4quam qui intrarat — `quam` is the accusative relative pronoun referring to `domo` / `domus` in the previous sentence, serving as the direct object of `intrarat` (syncopated form of `intraverat`). Meanwhile, `qui` is a relative pronoun meaning 'he who' or 'whoever' with its antecedent (`is`) omitted, acting as the subject of the main verb `poterat`.
  6. §7.4a cuiusvis inopis atque privati — After the preposition `a`, the genitive forms of the substantival adjectives `inopis` (poor person) and `privati` (private citizen) appear, with the noun `domo` (house) omitted after them. It thus means 'from the house of any poor and private citizen.'

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Agesilaus §7.1-7.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo017.humanitext-lat2:7.1-7.4

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