[86] (1) Athēniēnsēs quidem propter commūne iūs hūmānitātis ex captīvīs epistulīs Philippī Macedonis hostis suī ūnam epistulam, cum singulae pūblicē legerentur, recitārī prohibuērunt, quae erat ad uxōrem Olympiadem cōnscrīpta. Hostī potius pepercērunt, nē marītāle sēcrētum dīvulgārent, praeferendum ratī fās commūne propriae ultiōnī. (2) Tālēs hostēs adversum hostem; tū quālis fīlius adversum mātrem? Vidēs quam similia contendam. Tū tamen fīlius mātris epistulās dē amōre, ut ais, scrīptās in istō coetū lēgis, in quō sī aliquem poētam lascīviōrem iubērēris legere, profectō nōn audērēs: pudōre tamen aliquō impedīrēre. (3) Immō enim nunquam mātris tuae litterās attigissēs, sī ūllās aliās litterās attigissēs.
(4) At quam <nequiter> ausus es tuam ipsīus epistulam legendam dare, quam nimis irreverenter, nimis contumēliōsē et turpiter dē mātre tuā scrīptam, cum adhūc in eius sinū alerēre, mīserās clanculō ad Pontiānum, scīlicet nē semel peccāssēs ac tam bonum tuum factum optūtū capesseret. (5) Miser, nōn intellegis iccircō patruum tuum hoc fierī passum, quod sē hominibus pūrgāret, sī ex litterīs tuīs nōscerētur tē etiam prius quam ad eum commigrāssēs, etiam cum mātrī blandīrēre, tamen iam tum volpiōnem et impium fuisse.
Vocabulary
Athēniensis –e: Athenian
hūmānitās hūmānitātis f.: humanity, kindness
captīvus –a –um: captured
Philippus –ī m.: Phillip V, king of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great
Macedō –ōnis m.: a Macedonian
recitō recitāre recitāvī recitātus: to read aloud
Olympias –adis f.: Olympias, wife of Philip and mother of Alexander the Great
cōnscrībō cōnscrībere cōnscrīpsī cōnscrīptus: to write
marītālis –e: relating to marriage or a married pair
sēcrētum -ī n.: a secret
dīvulgō –āre: to make public
praeferō praeferre praetulī praelātus: to prefer
fās n.: (what is divinely) right; (what is) permitted
ultiō –ōnis f.: act of vengeance
(2)
adversum: towards, in regard to
contendō contendere contendī contentus: to compare
coitus (coetus) coitūs m.: meeting together; sexual union
lascīvus –a –um: playful, wanton, lascivious
impediō impedīre impedīvī/impediī impedītus: to hinder
profectō: surely
(3)
immō: in fact, on the contrary
attingō attingere attigī attāctus: to touch
nequiter: wickedly
(4)
irreverēns –entis: disrespectful, irreverent
contumeliosē: abusively, insultingly
clanculō (adv. and prep.): secretly, privately
Pontiānus –ī m.: Sicinius Pontianus: Roman knight, elder son of Sicinius Amicus and Aemilia Pudentilla, now dead.
optūtus –ūs m.: a looking at; look, gaze (> obtueor)
capessō capessere capessiī/capessīvī capessitus: to grasp (physically or mentally)
(5)
idcircō or iccircō: on that account
patruus patruī m.: uncle
pūrgō pūrgāre pūrgāvī pūrgātus: to absolve, exonerate, free from blame
commigrō –āre: to remove somewhere with all one's effects, migrate
blandior blandīrī blandītus sum: to flatter, charm
vulpiō (volpiō) –ōnis m.: one cunning as a fox
impius –a –um: disloyal