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Cornelius Nepos · On Kings §3.1-3.5

Fates of the Diadochi and the Carthaginian generals

Passage 3 of 3 · Latin

Summary

The author outlines the fates and violent deaths of the successor kings who ruled after Alexander the Great, and transitions to introducing the Carthaginian generals Hamilcar and Hannibal.

§3.1Fuerunt praeterea magni reges ex amicis Alexandri Magni, qui post obitum eius imperia ceperunt, in eis Antigonus et huius filius Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemaeus.
There were besides great kings from among the friends of Alexander the Great, who took power after his death; among them were Antigonus and his son Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy.
§3.2ex his Antigonus in proelio, cum adversus Seleucum et Lysimachum dimicaret, occisus est.
Of these, Antigonus was killed in battle while fighting against Seleucus and Lysimachus.
pari leto affectus est Lysimachus ab Seleuco: namque societate dissoluta bellum inter se gesserunt.
Lysimachus was affected by a similar death by Seleucus; for, their alliance having been dissolved, they waged war against each other.
§3.3at Demetrius, cum filiam suam Seleuco in matrimonium dedisset neque eo magis fida inter eos amicitia manere potuisset, captus bello in custodia socer generi periit a morbo.
But Demetrius, although he had given his daughter in marriage to Seleucus, and yet a faithful friendship could not remain between them any the more for that, having been captured in war, died of disease in custody—the father-in-law under the guard of his son-in-law.
§3.4neque ita multo post Seleucus a Ptolemaeo Cerauno dolo interfectus est, quem ille a patre expulsum Alexandrea alienarum opum indigentem receperat.
Not so long afterward, Seleucus was killed by treachery by Ptolemy Ceraunus, whom he had received when Ceraunus, expelled by his father from Alexandria, was in need of foreign resources.
ipse autem Ptolemaeus, cum vivus filio regnum tradidisset, ab illo eodem vita privatus dicitur.
Moreover, Ptolemy himself, although he had handed over the kingdom to his son while alive, is said to have been deprived of life by that very same son.
§3.5De quibus quoniam satis dictum putamus, non incommodum videtur non praeterire Hamilcarem et Hannibalem, quos et animi magnitudine et calliditate omnes in Africa natos praestitisse constat.
Since we think enough has been said about these men, it seems not inconvenient to not pass over Hamilcar and Hannibal, who, it is well known, surpassed all those born in Africa both in greatness of mind and in cunning.

Notes

  1. §3.3socer generi — The nominative socer (father-in-law, in apposition with Demetrius) and the genitive generi (son-in-law) are juxtaposed to highlight their close relationship and the contrast. generi modifies in custodia, meaning 'under the custody of his son-in-law (Seleucus)'.
  2. §3.4quem ille a patre expulsum Alexandrea alienarum opum indigentem receperat — The subject of the clause is ille (Seleucus), the verb is receperat, and the object is the relative pronoun quem (Ptolemy Ceraunus). The perfect passive participle expulsum (with Alexandrea as an ablative of separation) and the present active participle indigentem (governing the genitive alienarum opum) both adjectivally modify the object quem.
  3. §3.5quos et animi magnitudine et calliditate omnes in Africa natos praestitisse constat — An accusative with infinitive (AcI) clause serves as the subject of the impersonal verb constat ('it is well known'). The accusative relative pronoun quos is the subject of the infinitive praestitisse, while omnes in Africa natos is its direct object. animi magnitudine et calliditate are ablatives of respect.

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, On Kings §3.1-3.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo021.humanitext-lat2:3.1-3.5

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