lacū marīnā[1] aquā replētō, ubi etiam bēluae nābant; atque ā Claudiō spectāculum simile ēditum est.
“Hic autem, cum prōpugnātōrēs[2] (ut solent gladiātōrēs) conclāmāssent: ‘Avē,[3] imperātor, moritūrī[4] tē salūtant,’ diū dubitābat, an eōs inter sē pugnāre iubēret; postrēmō vērō ad pugnam compulit,[5] 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[6] dedisse; cum autem Sextus et Cornēlia blandius ōrārent: “Adhūc[7] 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,[8] quod[9] 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[10] 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[11] aurea facta sunt; quī, dīves et miser, quid faceret,[12] nōn habēbat.”
- ↑ marīnus, -a, -um, adj., sea.
- ↑ prōpugnātor, -ōris, m., fighter.
- ↑ aveō, -ēre, intr.; imper., avē, hail.
- ↑ moritūrī: taking the place of a rel. clause.
- ↑ compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., force.
- ↑ lēctiō, -ōnis, f., reading.
- ↑ Adhūc, (while) still.
- ↑ grātiam maximam, etc., freely, laid the god under very heavy obligation.
- ↑ quod, in that.
- ↑ contingō, -tingere, -tigī, -tāctus, tr., touch.
- ↑ tāctus, -ūs, m., touch.
- ↑ quid faceret, etc.: cf. IX, 45.
