[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. 

    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

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