in forō ā praetōriānīs[1] occīsus est, et Othō (ut audīvistī) sē ipse interfēcit. Interim imperium Vitelliō ā mīlitibus dēlātum erat; ac postrēmō Vespasiānus quoque ā suīs imperātor salūtātus est. Quārē Vitellium tollere necesse erat.”
“Ipsene Vespasiānus aderat, cum Vitellius occīsus est?” inquit Sextus.
“Nūllō modō,” inquit frāter. “Cōpiās suās praemīserat; ipse autem itinere longiōre in Ītaliam tendēbat, atque aliquamdiū in Aegyptō morātus est.”
“Ubi agēbat[2] ille,” inquit Cornēlia, “eō tempore, quō ā mīlitibus imperātor salūtātus est?”
“Erat tum cum exercitū in Iūdaeā,” inquit Pūblius, “ubi incolae sēditiōsē[3] sē gerēbant. Sed gentem illam iam paene subēgerat, obsidiōne[4] Hierosolymōrum exceptā, quam cōnficiendam Titō fīlīō relīquit.”
“Nisi fallor,” inquit Drūsilla, “dē patriā Annae nostrae nunc loquiminī.”
Adnuit[5] Anna, quae maesta sedēbat, cum suae gentis prīstinae glōriae[6] eī in mentem venīret.
Tum Cornēlia: “Nōlī maerēre, Anna mea,”[7] inquit. “Nōnne potes aliquid iūcundum reminīscī, quod dē patriā tuā nōbīs nārrāre velīs?”
Illa prīmō negābat; cum autem līberī blandius īnstārent, postrēmō: “Per fīnēs nostrōs,” inquit, “fertur[8] amnis Iordānēs, quī nusquam ad mare pervenit. Ūnum enim atque alterum[9] lacum perfluit,[10] tum tertiō[11] acceptus ibi retinētur; nam hic lacus exitum nūllum habet.
- ↑ praetōriānī, -ōrum, m., the pretorians.
- ↑ agēbat: cf. XIX, 17.
- ↑ sēditiōsē, adv., rebelliously.
- ↑ obsidiō, -ōnis, f., siege.
- ↑ adnuō, -ere, -uī, intr., nod (assent).
- ↑ prīstinae glōriae: gen. with verbal phrase of remembering.
- ↑ mea, freely, dear.
- ↑ fertur, rolls, flows.
- ↑ alterum, a second.
- ↑ perfluō, -fluere, -flūxī, tr., pass through.
- ↑ tertiō: sc. lacū, namely, the Dead Sea, a detailed description of which is given in the Histories of Tacitus.
