Māne, dum viā Appiā celeriter vehuntur, Cornēliō Sextus: “Nūdius tertius,[1] pater,” inquit, “cum Capuae essēmus, aliquem audīvī dīcentem urbem illam ōlim gladiātōribus celeberrimam[2] fuisse. Quō modō hoc factum est?”
Tum pater: “Diū Capuae habēbātur[3] lūdus, ubi gladiātōrēs exercērentur; quī, cum eō genere pugnandī bene īnstitūtī essent, Rōmam missī sunt, ut ibi in harēnā populī dēlectātiōnis grātiā[4] operam ēderent. Neque enim est ūllum genus spectāculī quod plērīsque magis placeat.”
“Mihi quidem,” inquit, Drūsilla, “omnia eius modī crūdēlissīma videntur, et magis bēluīs digna quam hominibus.”[5]
“Semper fuērunt, nōnnūllī,” inquit, Cornēlius, “quī tēcum sentīrent. Ac Cicerō ipse quōdam locō tālia spectācula hīs verbīs improbat:[6] “Quae potest hominī esse polītō[7] dēlectātiō, cum aut homō imbēcillus ā valentissimā[8] bēstiā laniātur,[9] aut praeclāra bēstia vēnābulō trānsverberātur?”
“Atque īdem[10] aliō locō scrīpsit, sē cum eīs sentīre, quibus gladiātōrum spectācula inhūmāna vidērentur; — etsī exīstimat antīquitus aliter rem sē habuisse, cum capitis damnātī[11] inter sē dēpugnārent.”
“Dē hōc amplius, sī vīs, pater,” inquit, Sextus; “nam dē huius modī certāminibus numquam audīvī.”
- ↑ Nūdius tertius: adv. phrase, Day before yesterday.
- ↑ celeber, -bris, -bre, adj. filled.
- ↑ habēbātur, was maintained.
- ↑ grātiā: cf. the use of causā.
- ↑ bēluīs … hominibus: abl.
- ↑ improbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., condemn.
- ↑ polītus, -a, -um, adj., cultured.
- ↑ valēns, -entis, adj., powerful.
- ↑ laniō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tear to pieces.
- ↑ īdem: i.e., Cicero; trans., ‘likewise’.
- ↑ capitis damnātī (nom.): with force of a rel. clause. For capitis, see X, 60.
