Ad Alpēs/XXI

Caput XX	Caput XXII

CAPUT XXI

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 crūdēlissima 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.” Ac pater: “Eīs temporibus, dē quibus dīcit Cicerō, interdum capitis damnātīs data est facultās optandī utrum statim morerentur, an aliquamdiū operam in harēnā eā condiciōne ēderent, ut, sī post certum tempus adhūc superstitēs essent, tum līberī^[12] dīmitterentur. Cum hominēs ita inter sē dē lībertāte pugnārent, Cicerō certāmen honestius^[13] nec^[14] mōribus cīvitātis tam perniciōsum^[15] putābat.”

“Nōnne aliquid simile ab Hannibale factum est,” inquit Pūblius, “cum bellum Ītaliae īnferēns Alpēs trānsīret?”

“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Cum enim iam ad summōs^[16] montēs pervēnisset et brevī in Ītaliam dēscēnsūrus esset, mīlitēs suōs nōn sōlum verbīs sed etiam rēbus cohortandōs^[17] ratus, ad spectāculum eius^[18] modī eōs convocāvit:^[19]

“Captīvōs montānōs in mediō vīnctōs cōnstituit, armīsque ante pedēs eōrum prōiectīs, interpretem^[20] interrogāre iussit, num quis ferrō^[21] dēcertāre vellet, sī victor^[22] lībertātem arma equumque acciperet.

“Montānī omnēs ad ūnum cupidē ferrum pugnamque poposcērunt. Quārē sorte ēlēctī sunt, quī dēpugnārent. Interim aspiciēbant Hannibalis mīlitēs; quōrum mentēs maximē sunt cōnfirmātae, cum vidērent quam laetī in certāmen dēscenderent barbarī, quamque libenter mortem ipsam oppeterent.”

“Hoc quoque crūdēle mihi vidētur,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nūllane sunt spectācula, quae hominēs morī nōn cōgant?”

“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Saepe populī dēlectātiōnis causā variae rēs īnsolitae et mīrandae indūcuntur.^[23] Velut, Galba ille, quī posteā imperātor factus est, novum spectāculī genus, elephantōs fūnambulōs,^[24] ēdidit.^[25] Et ōlim nōtissimus eques Rōmānus, elephantō vectus per fūnem^[26] dēcurrit.”^[27]

“Vellem tum adfuissem,” inquit Cornēlia. “Tālia saltem perlibenter vīdissem. Erantne alia eōrum^[28] similia?”

At pater: “Nōmen Daedalī, crēdō, saepe audīvistī. Meministīne quid eius fīliō factum sit?”

“Meminī vērō,”^[29] inquit Cornēlia. “Daedalus ālās fēcit, quibus fīlius per āera^[30] magnum volāret. Īcarus autem ad sōlem propius^[31] accessit; cuius ārdōre, cērā^[32] mollītā,^[33] ālae solūtae sunt, ac puer īnfēlīx in mare praecipitātus est.”

Tum pater: “Imperātor Nerō ōlim in amphitheātrō idem temptārī voluit,” inquit. “Sed ‘Īcarus’ prīmō statim cōnātū^[34] dēcidit^[35] atque imperātōrem ipsum sanguine suō respersit.”

“Paene Rōmānī nōminis^[36] mē pudet,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum tālia audiō. Imperātōrem quam crūdēlem, quī hominēs tam perīculōsa temptāre coēgerit!”

“Aliud multō inhūmānius fēcit Caligula,” inquit pater. “Ille enim, cum ad cibum ferārum mūnerī praeparātārum^[37] pecudēs cārius^[38] comparārentur, ex capitis damnātīs dīcitur hominēs ēlēgisse, quibus ferae vēscerentur.”

“Quāle mōnstrum hominis!” inquit Drūsilla, “sī vērō homō omnīnō appellandus est.”

“Naumachiam^[39] quoque Nerō exhibuit,” inquit Cornēlius, “in lacū marīnā^[40] aquā replētō, ubi etiam bēluae nābant; atque ā Claudiō spectāculum simile ēditum est.

“Hic autem, cum prōpugnātōrēs^[41] (ut solent gladiātōrēs) conclāmāssent: ‘Avē,^[42] imperātor, moritūrī^[43] tē salūtant,’ diū dubitābat, an eōs inter sē pugnāre iubēret; postrēmō vērō ad pugnam compulit,^[44] signō proeliī ā Trītōne datō, quī māchinā ē mediō lacū ēmerserat.

“Sed iam illīs dē rēbus satis diū locūtī sumus. Fortasse tū, Drūsilla, līberīs aliquid iūcundius nārrābis.”

Illa prīmō abnuit; nam dīcēbat sē nūper minimum temporis lēctiōnī^[45] dedisse; cum autem Sextus et Cornēlia blandius ōrārent: “Adhūc^[46] puella,” inquit, “saepe dē rēge Midā fābulam audīvī. Hanc, sī vultis, vōbīs fortasse nārrāre possum.”

“Nārrā, sīs,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nōs ad audiendum parātī sumus.”

Tum māter: “Ōlim Midās, Phrygum rēx, grātiam maximam ā deō Bacchō iniit,^[47] quod^[48] Sīlēnum āmissum ad eum redūxerat. Quārē deus rēgī facultātem dedit, optandī quid prō praemiō accipere vellet. Atque ille stultus: ‘Effice,’ inquit, ‘ut omnia, quae corpore contigerō^[49] in aurum flāvum vertantur.’”

“Haud stultus mihi rēx fuisse vidētur,” inquit Sextus; “nam istō modō dīvitiās maximās facillimē comparāre potuit.”

“Ipsī quoque,” inquit māter, “rēs prīmō ita sē habēre vidēbātur. Cum autem cibum capere vellet, et ministrī mēnsās dapibus optimīs exstrūxissent, tum haec quoque omnia rēgis tāctū^[50] aurea facta sunt; quī, dīves et miser, quid faceret,^[51] nōn habēbat.”

“Mortālem īnfēlīcem!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quō modō ex tantīs malīs sē expedīvit?”^[52]

Tum māter: “Ad caelum bracchia tollēns: ‘Dā veniam, pater Bacche,’ inquit; ‘peccāvī. Sed miserēre,^[53] precor, mēque ex hōc malō ēripe.’

“Quō audītō, deus mītis revocāvit mūnus, et Midae imperāvit ut quōdam in fonte lavārētur. Quod cum factum esset, vīs^[54] aurea ex corpore rēgis in aquam cessit; ac trāditum est in harēnā flūminis, quod inde oritur, grāna^[55] aurea etiam hodiē reperīrī posse.”

“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Hoc vērum esse vix crēdere possum.”

At māter: “Idem dīcēs, cum vōbīs aliud nārrāverō, quod posteā huic rēgī accidit:

“Nam deus Pān, dum nymphīs tenerīs carmina fistulā^[56] modulātur,^[57] glōriārī ausus est sē Apollinem ipsum cantū^[58] superāre posse. Quārē illī duo ad certāmen sub Tmōlō iūdice^[59] vēnērunt; quō in certāmine Pān facile victus est.

“Tmōlī iūdicium omnibus placuit; Midās sōlus dissentiēbat.^[60] Quam ob rem prō tantā stultitiā Apollō aurēs rēgis in spatium trāxit, eāsque in speciem asinī aurium mūtāvit. Itaque Midās, ut hoc vitium^[61] turpe tegeret, semper posteā caput tiārā^[62] vēlāre^[63] coāctus est.”

Dum haec dīcuntur, nūbēs in caelō cōgēbantur, brevīque imber frīgidus^[64] cōnsecūtus est. Viātōrēs, in vīllā quādam duās hōrās morātī, multō ante noctem tamen potuērunt Fundōs pervenīre; ubi ad dēversōrium sine morā sē contulērunt.

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References

1. Nūdius tertius: adv. phrase, Day before yesterday.
2. celeber, -bris, -bre, adj. filled.
3. habēbātur, was maintained.
4. grātiā: cf. the use of causā.
5. bēluīs … hominibus: abl.
6. improbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., condemn.
7. polītus, -a, -um, adj., cultured.
8. valēns, -entis, adj., powerful.
9. laniō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tear to pieces.
10. īdem: i.e., Cicero; trans., ‘likewise’.
11. capitis damnātī (nom.): with force of a rel. clause. For capitis, see X, 60.
12. līberī: pred. nom.
13. honestus, -a, -um, adj., honorable.
14. nec, and not.
15. perniciōsus, -a, -um, adj., harmful.
16. summōs: cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
17. cohortor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., encourage.
18. eius: i.e., the following.
19. convocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. call together.
20. interpres, -etis, m., interpreter.
21. ferrō: i.e., gladiō.
22. victor, freely, in case of victory.
23. indūcuntur: i.e., are displayed.
24. fūnambulus, -a, -um, adj., rope-walking.
25. ēdidit, exhibited.
26. fūnem, tight-rope.
27. dēcurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursum, tr. and intr., ride down.
28. eōrum: neut.; dept. on similia.
29. vērō, indeed.
30. āer, āeris, m., the heavens; āera, acc. sing., Greek decl.
31. propius: cf. longius, XI, 15.
32. cēra, -ae, f., wax.
33. molliō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., soften.
34. prīmō statim cōnatū: cf. XVII, 91.
35. dēcidō, -cidere, -cidī, intr., fall down.
36. Rōmānī nōminis, the name ‘Roman.’
37. praeparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., secure in advance.
38. cārē, adv., at a high price. For comp., cf. saepius, IX, 88.
39. naumachia, -ae, f., sham naval battle.
40. marīnus, -a, -um, adj., sea.
41. prōpugnātor, -ōris, m., fighter.
42. aveō, -ēre, intr.; imper., avē, hail.
43. moritūrī: taking the place of a rel. clause.
44. compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., force.
45. lēctiō, -ōnis, f., reading.
46. Adhūc, (while) still.
47. grātiam maximam, etc., freely, laid the god under very heavy obligation.
48. quod, in that.
49. contingō, -tingere, -tigī, -tāctus, tr., touch.
50. tāctus, -ūs, m., touch.
51. quid faceret, etc.: cf. IX, 45.
52. expediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr.; sē expedīre, escape.
53. misereor, -ērī, -itus sum, intr., pity. Imper. in text.
54. vīs, potency.
55. grānum, -ī, n., grain.
56. fistula, -ae, f., pipe; trans. abl., ‘on.’
57. modulor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., play.
58. cantū: abl. of spec.
59. sub Tmōlō iūdice: i.e., with Tmolus as umpire.
60. dissentiō, -sentīre, -sēnsī, -sēnsum, intr., dissent.
61. vitium, -ī, n., blemish.
62. tiāra, -ae, f., turban.
63. vēlō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., cover.
64. frīgidus, -a, -um, adj., cold.

Caput XX	Caput XXII