Paternity isn't Patriotism: I Do Not Owe the State Children, Nepos, Epaminondas 10.1-2

10] Hic uxorem numquam duxit. In quo cum reprehenderetur, quod liberos non relinqueret, a Pelopida, qui filium habebat infamem, maleque eum in eo patriae consulere diceret, 'Vide', inquit 'ne tu peius consulas, qui talem ex te natum relicturus sis. Neque vero stirps potest mihi deesse. 2 Namque ex me natam relinquo pugnam Leuctricam, quae non modo mihi superstes, sed etiam immortalis sit necesse est.' 

-Cornelius Nepos, EPAMINONDAS 10.1-2

 

[Epaminondas] never got married. When Pelopidas criticized him for not having children, he reproached Pelopidas back for having a son with a bad reputation, saying it was worse to leave behind such a kid as an heir. “For,” he continued, “I leave behind a daughter: the Battle of Leuctra, which will not only outlive me, but will also live forever.”

 

 

CORNELIUS NEPOS	MAP:
Name: Cornelius Nepos Date:  110 - 25 BCE Works:  De Viris Illustribus	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Cornelius Nepos was a Roman author who was born in Cisalpine Gaul (now Northern Italy). He is best known for a series of biographies of great men of Greece and Rome.	Golden Age Rome