audiēbāmus; quī miser, iam senex factus, in silvīs ā ferīs occīsus est.”
“Ego quoque dē āthlētā quōdam aliquid nārrāre possum,” inquit Pūblius, “nisi iam satis superque[1] dē eius generis hominibus audīvistis.”
“Perge porrō dīcere,” inquit Sextus. “Ego saltem audīre volō.”
Tum frāter: “Polydamās, āthlēta nōbilis, dīcitur ōlim tempestāte subitā in spēluncam cum comitibus aliquot refugere esse coāctus. Sed brevī aquae incursū[2] spēlunca ipsa labefactārī coepta est,[3] ac comitēs, ruīnam veritī, celeriter forās sē prōiēcērunt.
“Ipse autem Polydamās intus sōlus restābat, umerīs validīs sē mōlem quamvīs[4] magnam sustinēre posse ratus. Quae rēs eum multum fefellit; nam onere hūmānō corpore[5] potentiōre[6] ēlīsus est.”
“Haec quoque trīstia sunt,” inquit Cornēlia. “Sed istīus hominis mē minus miseret, quod in eō tanta erat stultitia.”
“Aliud est simile apud Tacitum,” inquit Pūblius; “etsī ibi dē mīlite, nōn dē āthlētā agitur.”
“Hoc quoque,” inquit Sextus, “libenter audiēmus.”
Tum frāter: “Ōlim, cum imperātor Tiberius cum quibusdam comitibus in spēluncā cibum caperet, subitō dēlāpsīs saxīs quīdam[7] ex servīs ēlīsī sunt.
“Convīvae cēterī, summā celeritāte ē spēluncā fūgērunt; Seiānus autem, genū[8] et manibus super Tiberium suspēnsus,[9] saxīs incidentibus sē opposuit,[10] atque tālī habitū repertus est ā mīlitibus, quī celeriter subsidiō vēnērunt.”
- ↑ superque, and more (than enough).
- ↑ incursus, -ūs, m., inrush.
- ↑ coepta est: pass. because of pass. infin.
- ↑ quamvīs, adv., however; mod. of magnam.
- ↑ hūmānō corpore: abl. with comp.
- ↑ potēns, -entis, adj., powerful. The weight was too great for human strength.
- ↑ quīdam, some.
- ↑ genū, -ūs, n., knee.
- ↑ suspēnsus, -a, -um, part., arched over.
- ↑ oppōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., oppose, set against.
