[87] (1) Cēterum nequeō in animum indūcere tam stultum Aemiliānum esse, ut arbitrētur mihi litterās puerī et eiusdem accūsātōris meī offutūrās.

(2) Fuit et illa commentīcia epistula neque meā manū scrīpta neque vērisimiliter cōnficta, quā vidērī volēbant blanditiīs ā mē mulierem sollicitātam. Cūr ego blandīrem, sī magīā cōnfīdēbam? (3) Quā autem viā ad istōs pervēnit epistula, ad Pudentillam scīlicet per aliquem fidēlem missa, ut in rē tālī accūrārī solet? (4) Cūr praetereā tam vitiōsīs verbīs, tam barbarō sermōne ego scrīberem, quem īdem dīcunt nēquāquam Graecae linguae imperītum? Cūr autem tam absurdīs tamque tabernāriīs blanditiīs subigitārem, quem īdem aiunt versibus amātōriīs satis scītē lascīvīre? (5) Sīc est profectō, cuivīs palam est: hic, quī epistulam Pudentillae Graecātiōrem legere nōn potuerat, hanc ut suam facilius lēgit et aptius commendāvit.

(6) Sed iam dē epistulīs satis dictum habēbō, sī hoc ūnum addiderō: Pudentillam, quae scripserat dissimulāmentī causā et dērīdiculī:

ἐλθὲ τοίνυν, ἕως ἔτι σωφρονῶ

post hāsce litterās ēvocāsse ad sē fīliōs et nurum, cum hīs fermē duōbus mēnsibus conversātam. (7) Dicat hic pius fīlius, quid in eō tempore sequius agentem vel loquentem mātrem suam propter īnsāniam vīderit; neget eam ratiōnibus villicōnum et ūpiliōnum et equīsōnum sollertissimē subscrīpsisse; (8) neget frātrem suum Pontiānum graviter ab eā monitum, ut sibi ab īnsidiīs Rufīnī cavēret; neget vērē obiūrgātum, quod litterās, quās ad eum mīserat, vulgō circumtulisset nec tamen bonā fidē lēgisset; (9) neget post ista quae dīxī mātrem suam mihi apud vīllam iam prīdem condictō locō nupsisse.

(10) Quippe ita placuerat, in suburbānā vīllā potius ut coniungerēmur, nē cīvēs dēnuō ad sportulās convolārent, cum haud prīdem Pudentilla dē suō quīnquāginta mīlia nummum in populum expūnxisset eā diē, quā Pontiānus uxōrem dūxit et hīc puerulus togā est involūtus, (11) praetereā, ut convīviīs multīs ac molestiīs supersedērēmus, quae fermē ex mōre novīs marītīs obeunda sunt.

    nequeō nequīre nequiī/nequīvī nequitum: to be unable

    indūcō inducere indūxī inductus: to bring, induce

    stultus –a –um: foolish

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

    accūsātor –ōris m.: the accuser

    obsum obesse offuī offutūrus: to harm, injure, disadvantage

    (2)

    commentīcius –a –um: fabricated, feigned

    vērīsimilis –e: plausible, probable

    cōnfingō –fingere –fīnxī –fictum: to fabricate, feign

    blanditia –ae f.: flattery, compliment; pick-up line

    sollicitō sollicitāre sollicitāvī sollicitātus: to stir up; proposition, woo

    (3)

    blandior blandīrī blandītus sum: to flatter, charm

    magīa –ae f.: magic, sorcery

    cōnfīdō cōnfīdere cōnfīsus sum: to rely on (+ abl.)

    Pudentilla –ae f.: Pudentilla (name)

    accūrō –cūrāre: to give close attention to, take care of

    (4)

    vitiōsus –a –um: faulty, incorrect

    nēquāquam: by no means, in no way

    Graecus (Grāius) –a –um: Greek, of Greece

    imperītus –a –um: unskilled, inexperienced

    absurdus –a –um: absurd

    tabernārius –ī m.: relating to a taberna, cook shop or tavern; common, low, "bar-room"

    subigitō –āre –āvī –ātus: to attempt to arouse, tease

    versus versūs m.: line (of poetry)

    amātōrius –a –um: of lovers; inducing love

    scītē: cleverly, ingeniously

    lascīviō –īre –īvī –ītum: to be wanton, frisk, frolic

    (5)

    profectō: surely

    quīvīs quaevīs quodvīs or (subst.) quidvīs: who or what you please

    palam: openly, obviously

    Graecātus -a -um: written in idiomatic Greek

    commendō commendāre commendāvī commendātus: to make attractive, render agreeable

    (6)

    dissimulāmentum –ī n.: irony

    dērīdiculus –a –um: mocking, joking, teasing

    -ce: intensifying demonstrative particle (equivalent to γέ)

    ēvocō ēvocāre ––– ēvocātus: summon

    nurus –ūs f.: daughter–in–law

    fermē: almost, nearly

    mēnsis mēnsis m.: month

    conversor –ārī –ātus sum: to live with or among

    secus; comp. sequior –ius: otherwise, differently; badly, worse

    (7)

    īnsānia –ae f.: madness

    vīllicō -ōnis m.: an estate overseer (typically a freedman) = vilicus

    ūpiliō –ōnis m.: a shepherd

    equīsō –ōnis m.: a groom, stableboy

    sollers sollertis: skilled, expert

    subscrībō –scrībere –scrīpsī –scrīptum: to write under, sign; audit

    (8)

    Pontiānus –ī m.: Pontianus (name)

    īnsidiae īnsidiārum f. pl.: ambush

    Rūfīnus –ī m.: Rufinus (name)

    obiurgō –āre –āvī –ātum: to rebuke, scold

    circumferō –ferre –tulī –lātus: to bear round; pass around

    vīlla vīllae f.: country house, villa

    prīdem: long ago

    (9)

    condīcō –dīcere –dīxī –dictum: to agree upon, arrange

    nūbō nūbere nūpsī nūptum: to marry

    suburbānus –a –um: located outside the city

    (10)

    coniungō coniungere coniūnxī coniūnctus: to join together

    dēnuō: a second time, again

    sportula –ae f.: a little basket; a gift (given to clients)

    convolō –āre: to come hastily together, to flock

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

    nummus –ī m.: coin, money

    expungō –ere –unxī –unctus: to prick, to mark off on a list, to record as paid out

    Pontiānus –ī m.: Pontianus (name)

    puerulus –ī m.: little boy

    toga togae f.: toga

    (11)

    involvō –ere –volvī –volūtus: to wrap in

    molestia molestiae f.: trouble, annoyance

    super–sedeō –sedēre –sēdī –sessum: to pass over, forbear, dispense with (+ dat.)

    fermē: almost, nearly

    marītus –a –um: married partner

    obeō obīre obiī/obīvī obitum: to attend (to), deal with, go to

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