[89] (1) Dē aetāte vērō Pudentillae, dē quā post ista satis cōnfīdenter mentītus es, ut etiam sexāgintā annōs nātam dīcerēs nubsisse, dē eā tibi paucīs respondēbō: nam necesse nōn est in rē tam perspicuā plūribus disputāre.

(2) Pater eius nātam sibi fīliam mōre cēterōrum professus est. Tabulae eius partim tabulāriō pūblicō, partim domō adservantur, quae iam tibi ob os obiciuntur. (3) Porrige tū Aemiliānō tabulās istās: līnum cōnsīderet, signa quae impressa sunt recognōscat, cōnsulēs legat, annōs computet, quōs sexāgintā mulierī adsignābat. (4) Probet quīnque et quīnquāgintā: lūstrō mentītus sit. Parum hoc est, līberālius agam; nam et ipse Pudentillae multōs annōs largītus est. Redōnābō igitur vicissim decem annōs: Mezentius cum Ulixe errāvit. Quīnquāgintā saltem annōrum mulierem ostendat.

(5) Quid multīs? Ut cum quadruplātōre agam, bis duplum quīnquennium faciam, vīgintī annōs semel dētraham. Iubē, Maxime, cōnsulēs computārī. Nisi fallor, inveniēs nunc Pudentillae haud multō amplius quadrāgēnsimum annum aetātis īre. (6) Ō falsum audāx et nimium! Ō mendācium vīgintī annōrum exiliō pūniendum! Dīmidiō tanta, Aemiliāne, mentīris, falsa audēs sesquealtera. Sī trīgintā annōs prō decem dīxissēs, possēs vidērī computātiōnis gestū errāsse, quōs circulāre dēbueris digitōs aperuisse. (7) Cum vērō quadrāgintā, quae facilius cēterīs porrēctā palmā significantur, ea quadrāgintā tū dīmidiō augēs, nōn potes digitōrum gestū errāsse, nisi forte trīgintā annōrum Pudentillam ratus bīnōs cuiusque annī cōnsulēs numerāstī.

    Pudentilla –ae f.: Aemilia Pudentilla, married first to Sicinius Amicus and then to Apuleius; mother of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens.

    cōnfīdenter: boldly

    mentior mentīrī mentītus: to lie

    sexāgintā; sexāgēsimus –a –um: 60, 60th

    nūbō nūbere nūpsī nūptum: to marry

    perspicuus –a –um: transparent, clear

    disputō disputāre disputāvī disputātus: to discuss, debate, argue

    profiteor profitērī professus sum: to declare, register publicly

    (2)

    tabula tabulae f.: tablet; public record

    tabulārium –ī n.: depository of records

    adservō adservāre adservāvī adservātus: to preserve, guard, watch

    obiiciō obiicere obiēcī obiectus: to present

    porrigō porrigere porrēxī porrēctum: to stretch forth, hold out

    (3)

    Aemiliānus –ī m.: Sicinius Aemilianus, principal accuser, uncle of Sicinius Pontianus and Sicinius Pudens.

    līnum –ī n.: a string or thread; the thread with which letters were bound and legal instruments sealed

    cōnsīderō -āre: to look at closely, examine

    imprimō –primere –pressī –pressum: press on, imprint, stamp

    recognōscō recognōscere recognōvī recognitus: to examine, recognize

    computō –āre: to sum up, reckon, compute

    sexāgintā; sexāgēsimus –a –um: 60, 60th

    adsignō –āre: to assign

    (4)

    quīnque; quīntus –a –um: 5; 5th

    quīnquāgintā; quīnquāgēsimus –a –um: 50; 50th

    lustrum –ī n.: a period of five years

    mentior mentīrī mentītus: to lie

    līberālis līberālis līberāle: generous

    Pudentilla –ae f.: Pudentilla (name)

    largior –īrī –ītus sum: bestow

    redōnō –āre: to restore

    vicissim or vice: in turn

    Mēzentius –iī m.: Mezentius, a character from the Aeneid

    Ulixēs (Ulyssēs) –is (–eī or –ī) m.: Ulysses, Odysseus

    quīnquāgintā; quīnquāgēsimus –a –um: 50; 50th

    saltem or saltim: at least, at any rate

    quadruplātor –ōris m.: an informer

    (5)

    bis: twice

    duplus –a –um: double

    quinquennium –(iī) n.: a period of five years

    vīgintī; vīcēsimus –a –um: 20; 20th

    dētrahō –ere –trāxī –tractum: to take away from, subtract

    Māximus –ī m.: Maximus, judge in the case

    amplius: further, more, in addition

    quādrāginta; quādrāgesimus –a –um: 40; 40th

    mendācium –ī n.: lie

    (6)

    pūniō –īre –īvī –ītum: to punish

    dimidius -a -um: half

    mentior mentīrī mentītus: to lie

    sēsquealter –era –erum: one and a half times

    trīgintā; trīcēsimus or trīcēnsimus –a –um: 30; 30th

    computātiō –iōnis f.: calculation, reckoning

    gestus –ūs m.: gesture

    circulō –āre –āvī –ātus: to make circular or round

    digitus digitī m.: finger

    quādrāginta; quādrāgesimus –a –um: 40; 40th

    (7)

    porrigō porrigere porrēxī porrēctum: to stretch forth

    palma palmae f.: hand, palm

    significō significāre significāvī significātus: to indicate

    trīgintā; trīcēsimus or trīcēnsimus –a –um: 30; 30th

    bīnī –ae –a: double

    numerō numerāre numerāvī numerātus: to count

    article Nav
    Previous