[97] (1) Audīstīne vocābula, quae mihi Pontiānus frāter tuus tribuerat, mē parentem suum, mē dominum, mē magistrum cum saepe aliās, tum in extrēmō tempore vītae vocāns? Postquam ... (2) tuās quoque parēs epistulās prōmerem, sī vel exiguam moram tantī putārem. Potius testāmentum illud recēns tuī frātris quamquam imperfectum tamen prōferrī cuperem, in quō meī officiōsissimē et honestissimē meminit. (3) Quod tamen testāmentum Rufīnus neque comparārī neque perficī passus est pudōre perditae hērēditātis, quam paucōrum mēnsium, quibus socer Pontiānī fuit, magnō quidem pretiō noctium computārat. (4) Praetereā nesciō quōs Chaldaeōs cōnsuluerat, quō lucrō fīliam collocāret; quī, ut audiō, – utinam illud nōn vērē respondissent! – prīmum eius marītum in paucīs mēnsibus moritūrum. Cētera enim dē hērēditāte, ut adsolent, ad cōnsulentis vōtum cōnfīnxērunt.

(5) Vērum, ut dīī voluēre, quasi caeca bēstia in cassum hiāvit. Pontiānus enim fīliam Rufīnī male compertam nōn modo hērēdem nōn relīquit, sed nē honestō quidem lēgātō impertīvit, (6) quippe quī eī ad ignōminiam lintea adscrībī ducentōrum ferē dēnāriōrum iusserit, ut intellegerētur īrātus potius aestimāsse eam quam oblītus praeterīsse. (7) Scripsit autem hērēdēs tam hōc testāmentō quam priōre, quod lectum est, mātrem cum frātre; cui, ut vidēs, admodum puerō eandem illam fīliae suae māchinam Rufīnus admovet ac mulierem aliquam multō nātū maiōrem, nūperrimē uxōrem frātris, miserō puerō obicit et obsternit.

    vocābulum –ī n.: a designation, name

    Pontiānus –ī m.: Sicinius Pontianus, Roman knight, elder son of Sicinius Amicus and Aemilia Pudentilla, now dead

    tribuō tribuere tribuī tribūtus: to assign

    pārens –entis: parent

    aliās: at another time

    prōmō –ere –prōmpsī –prōmptus: to produce (a document), bring forth

    (2)

    exiguus –a –um: small, little

    testāmentum testāmentī n.: will, testament

    imperfectus –a –um: unfinished

    prōferō prōferre prōtulī prōlātus: to bring forth

    officiōsus –a –um: dutiful

    Rūfīnus –ī m.: Herennius Rufinus, allegedly son of a bankrupt father, father of (Herennia)

    (3)

    perficiō perficere perfēcī perfectus: to complete, accomplish

    hērēditās hērēditātis f.: inheritance

    mēnsis mēnsis m.: month

    socer socerī m.: father–in–law

    computō –āre: to sum up, reckon, compute

    Chaldaeus –a –um: Chaldaean, astrologer, fortune-teller

    (4)

    lucrum lucrī n.: gain, profit

    collocō collocāre collocāvī collocātus: to place, settle (in a marriage)

    utinam: "if only!" introduces an optative subjunctive

    marītus –ī m.: husband

    adsoleō (assoleō) –ēre (only in 3rd person): to be accustomed

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

    bestia –ae f.: beast, creature

    (5)

    cassus –a –um: void, futile

    hiō hiāre hiāvī hiātus: to gape at (with desire), drool over

    comperiō comperīre comperī compertus: to find out by investigation, discover, learn

    hērēs hērēdis m./f.: heir

    legātum –ī n.: legacy, bequest (a gift designated in a will)

    impertiō impertīre: to present with a share of (+ abl.)

    īgnōminia īgnōminiae f.: disgrace

    (6)

    linteum –ī n.: linen cloth, linen goods, such as cloaks

    ascrībō (adscr–) ascrībere ascrīpsī ascrīptum: to bequeath, to designate as a gift in a will

    ducentī –ae –a; ducentēsimus –a –um: 200; 200th

    dēnārius –iī m.: a Roman silver coin

    aestimō aestimāre aestimāvī aestimātus: to appraise

    oblīvīscor oblīvīscī oblītus sum: to forget

    praetereō praeterīre praeterīvī/praeteriī praeteritus: to go by

    hērēs hērēdis m./f.: heir

    (7)

    testāmentum testāmentī n.: will, testament

    admodum: completely, quite

    māchina māchinae f.: siege machine

    Rūfīnus –ī m.: Herennius Rufinus, allegedly son of a bankrupt father, father of (Herennia)

    admoveō admovēre admōvī admōtus: to move to, bring to

    nātus -ūs m.: birth (order)

    nūper: not long ago

    obiiciō obiicere obiēcī obiectus: to throw in the way, foist upon

    obsternō –ere –strāvī –strātus: to stretch out in front of

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