[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.
Vocabulary
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