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Cornelius Nepos · Eumenes §4.1-4.4

Single Combat with Neoptolemus and Craterus' Funeral

Passage 4 of 13 · Latin

Summary

Eumenes fights Neoptolemus in single combat and kills him, though he is wounded himself. He also buries the fallen Crateros with honors and sends his bones to his family.

§4.1Quorum acerrimo concursu cum magnam partem diei esset pugnatum, cadit Crateros dux et Neoptolemus, qui secundum locum imperii tenebat.
When they had fought for a great part of the day in a most fierce clash, the general Crateros fell, as well as Neoptolemus, who held the second post of command.
cum hoc concurrit ipse Eumenes.
Eumenes himself clashed with the latter.
§4.2qui cum inter se complexi in terram ex equis decidissent, ut facile intellegi possent inimica mente contendisse animoque magis etiam pugnasse quam corpore, non prius distracti sunt, quam alterum anima relinqueret.
Who, when they had fallen from their horses to the ground, locked in each other's grasp—so that it could easily be understood that they had contended with hostile minds and had fought even more with spirit than with body—were not separated before life left one of them.
ab hoc aliquot plagis Eumenes vulneratur, neque eo magis ex proelio excessit, sed acrius hostes institit.
Eumenes was wounded by him with several blows, but he did not on that account withdraw from the battle, but pressed on the enemy more fiercely.
§4.3hic equitibus profligatis, interfecto duce Cratero, multis praeterea et maxime nobilibus captis pedester exercitus, quod in ea loca erat deductus, ut invito Eumene elabi non posset, pacem ab eo petiit.
Here, the cavalry having been routed, the general Crateros killed, and moreover many, and especially the most noble, captured, the infantry army, because it had been led into such positions that it could not escape against Eumenes' will, sought peace from him.
quam cum impetrasset, in fide non mansit et se, simulac potuit, ad Antipatrum recepit.
When they had obtained this, they did not remain faithful, but as soon as they could, betook themselves to Antipater.
§4.4Eumenes Craterum ex acie semivivum elatum recreare studuit; cum id non posset, pro hominis dignitate proque pristina amicitia (namque illo usus erat Alexandro vivo familiariter) amplo funere extulit ossaque in Macedoniam uxori eius ac liberis remisit.
Eumenes strove to revive Crateros, who had been carried off the battlefield half-dead; when he could not do this, in accordance with the man's dignity and their former friendship (for he had associated with him familiarly while Alexander was alive), he buried him with a splendid funeral and sent his bones back to Macedonia to his wife and children.

Notes

  1. 4.1Quorum — Relative connection (genitive plural). The antecedent is the implied soldiers in the collective noun 'equitatu' in the preceding clause, meaning 'by their most fierce clash'.
  2. 4.1cum magnam partem diei esset pugnatum — Impersonal passive construction within a cum-clause (esset pugnatum is third-person singular pluperfect subjunctive passive). 'magnam partem' is an accusative of duration of time, meaning 'when it had been fought for a great part of the day'.
  3. 4.2ut facile intellegi possent — Adverbial clause of result (ut with subjunctive possent). The subject of 'possent' is 'qui' (the two of them), functioning with the passive infinitive 'intellegi' to mean 'so that they could easily be understood to have...'.
  4. 4.3invito Eumene — Ablative absolute consisting of a noun (Eumene) and an adjective (invito), with the participle of the copula omitted. It means 'against Eumenes' will' or 'without Eumenes' consent'.
  5. 4.4Alexandro vivo — Ablative absolute consisting of a noun (Alexandro) and an adjective (vivo), with the participle of the copula omitted, meaning 'while Alexander was alive'.

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Eumenes §4.1-4.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo018.humanitext-lat2:4.1-4.4

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