VIDAS

Cornelio Nepote es el biógrafo latino más antiguo cuya obra sobrevive en la actualidad, o dicho de otro modo, el autor de la primera serie de biografías políticas llegada del mundo grecolatino. Su De viris illustribus tuvo como modelo a Varrón, Santra e Higino, y constaban (como mínimo) de dieciséis libros, de los que muy poco se ha conservado. Se trataba de un proyecto ambicioso: un conjunto de biografías paralelas de personalidades romanas y extranjeras que habían descollado como reyes, generales, oradores, poetas, filósofos, historiadores o gramáticos.

De estos grupos sólo nos han alcanzado las "Vidas de generales extranjeros", compuestas por 23 biografías, en las que priman las del ámbito griego –nueve del siglo V a.C. (Temístocles, Arístides, Pausanias, Milcíades, Alcibíades...) y diez de la época helenística (Dión, Epaminondas, Pelópidas, Agesilao...)–, a las que hay que sumar las de los cartagineses Amílcar y Aníbal y algunas más. Nepote no incurre en el encomio ni el panegírico simple, sino que busca la ecuanimidad necesaria según la función que él atribuía al género biográfico: aprovechar deleitando y proporcionar modelos aleccionadores.

El trabajo de Nepote influyó notablemente en las Vidas paralelas de Plutarco (publicadas también en Biblioteca Clásica Gredos).
Escasos vestigios de su obra ha dejado este indagador de vidas ajenas. Nació hacia 100 a.C. probablemente en la Galia Cisalpina; se instaló en Roma, donde se dedicó al estudio y a la erudición, no a la carrera política; atildado, se relacionó con Cicerón y Ático, en cuya villa participaba en disquisiciones intelectuales de sobremesa; murió hacia el año 27-24 a.C.

Introducción, traducción y notas de M. Segura Moreno. Revisada por J. Higueras Maldonado.

"in Antient history Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus Siculus, Cornelius Nepos, Livy, Sallust, Caesar, Tacitus form such a body as the Student would easily fill up in the after-portions of his life." - Thomas Jefferson to Jason Chamberlain, 1 Jul. 1814 [PTJ:RS 7:447-448]

"... [would be suitable for children] when at the reading school. Nothing would interest them more than such works as Cornelius Nepos." - Thomas Jefferson to Thomas J. Rogers, December 1823

"in Antient history Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus Siculus, Cornelius Nepos, Livy, Sallust, Caesar, Tacitus form such a body as the Student would easily fill up in the after-portions of his life." - Thomas Jefferson to Jason Chamberlain, 1 Jul. 1814 [PTJ:RS 7:447-448]

"... [would be suitable for children] when at the reading school. Nothing would interest them more than such works as Cornelius Nepos." - Thomas Jefferson to Thomas J. Rogers, December 1823

"in Antient history Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus Siculus, Cornelius Nepos, Livy, Sallust, Caesar, Tacitus form such a body as the Student would easily fill up in the after-portions of his life." - Thomas Jefferson to Jason Chamberlain, 1 Jul. 1814 [PTJ:RS 7:447-448]

"... [would be suitable for children] when at the reading school. Nothing would interest them more than such works as Cornelius Nepos." - Thomas Jefferson to Thomas J. Rogers, 20 December 1823

This is an instance where the combining on Library Thing works against some discussion of a work. Rolfe's work was intended for second year Latin students, and it is my assumption that this was at a university level, rather than high school. This third edition is noted for some slight revisions, that is "...the quantities have been made to conform with the lists in the Appendix to Bennett's Latin Grammar."

It's a fine book, presented in the original form, with notes explaining details such as colloquialisms of the day, and difficult words (encompassing perhaps one fourth of the book), and (of course) student exercises added at the end. The vocabulary begins with a re-pagination, and the words in it are what I based my assumptions as to the age level it was intended for.

The book itself is in less than "good" condition, as antique books go, with some loose pages, and some writing on the margins (and a slight amount of underlining), nearly all in pencil, but some in ink.

The lives themselves are worth reading, and I would recommend this work. If Latin is not your forte, try one of the excellent translations. ( )