Tum maximā vōce agricola: “Dēscende, mastīgia, priusquam tē hāc furcā trānsfīgam.”
“Tantum strepitum facit canis,” inquit Stasimus, “ut nihil plānē audīre possim. Dīxistīne tē mihi aliquid datūrum?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit agricola, īrā ēlātus. “Malum[1] maximum tibi dabō, furcifer, sī umquam manūs tibi iniciam.”
At Stasimus, quasi audīre attentē cōnārētur: “Mālae[2] meae rēctē sē habent,” inquit, “sed aurēs mūnere suō fungī nōlunt.”
“Haec furca mūnere suō fungētur,” inquit agricola, “nisi tū īlicō in terram tē dēmittēs. Dēscendis an nōn dēscendis?”
“Nunc quidem,” inquit Stasimus, “nōn dēscendō;[3] nam in rāmō sedeō.”
Quō audītō, agricola furibundus[4] in arborem furcam prōicere parābat, cum Pūblius ē saxō vōcem ēmittēns:[5] “Heus tū,” inquit. “Quid, obsecrō, factum est? Servum nostrum Stasimum ego quaerō. Sī eum in hīs locīs vagantem vīdistī, ostende, sīs.”
Cui agricola: “Quisquis[6] es, adulēscēns, hominī negōtiōsō molestiam[7] exhibēs. Nam fūrem manifestum canis in hanc arborem refugere coēgit, cui nūllō modō persuādēre potuī ut inde dēscenderet.”
“Id minimē mīrandum est,” inquit Pūblius rīdēns, “cum[8] canis saevus arborem cūstōdiat et tū hominem dēscendentem[9] furcā accipere parātus sīs. Sed suspicor hunc esse servum, quem quaerō. Māne ille ē dēversōriō ōva ēmptum profectus est; at nunc, ut vidētur, mōre suō turbās hīc impudenter[10] concitat.”
“Quis sit, plānē nesciō,” inquit agricola dentibus frendēns.[11]
- ↑ Malum: i.e., a beating.
- ↑ Mālae, punning on Malum, line 63.
- ↑ nōn dēscendō: punning on the tense.
- ↑ furibundus, -a, -um, adj., crazed with anger.
- ↑ ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send forth; vōcem ēmittere, shout.
- ↑ quisquis, quicquid, indef. rel. pron., whoever, whatever.
- ↑ molestia, -ae, f., annoyance.
- ↑ cum, in view of the fact that.
- ↑ dēscendentem: the part. approximates the force of a cond. clause.
- ↑ impudenter, adv., shamelessly.
- ↑ frendēns, -entis, part., grinding.
