[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.
Vocabulary
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