Pagina:Ad Alpes.djvu/193

quam poterat maximē ōrnātō īnsidēns,^[1] armātus sē in hiātum immīsit.

“Dōna et frūgēs^[2] super eum ā multitūdine virōrum et mulierum congesta^[3] sunt; et locus ‘lacus Curtius’ appellātus est, quod ille vītam suam ibi prō perpetuitāte^[4] reī pūblicae largītus^[5] erat.”

“Mihi quidem,” inquit Cornēlius, “ille vir vidētur etiam tālī ēlogiō^[6] dignus, quāle Simōnidēs scrīpsit in^[7] Lacedaemoniōs, quī Thermopylīs^[8] cecidērunt:

“‘Dīc, hospes, Spartae,^[9] nōs tē hīc vīdisse iacentīs,

Dum sānctīs patriae lēgibus obsequimur.’”^[10]

“Haec omnia ēgregia et maximē laudanda sunt,” inquit Cornēlia; “sed exitūs habent, quī maestitiam maximam mihi iniciant. Nōnne tū vīs, pater, aliquid iūcundius nārrāre?”

“Ita vērō,” inquit ille. “Expōnam, sī vīs, quō modō Caesar dictātor inopiam aquae sublevāverit, cum Alexandrēae^[11] ab hostibus obsidērētur:

“Urbs illa est ferē tōta suffossa,^[12] specūsque^[13] ad flūmen Nīlum pertinentēs^[14] habet, quibus aqua in prīvātās domōs indūcitur; ubi paulātim liquēscit^[15] ac subsīdit.^[16] Nam cum prīmō ē Nīlō īnfluit,

1. īnsidēns, -entis, part., sitting astride.
2. frūx, frūgis, f., fruit of the earth.
3. congesta: neut.; ref. to things.
4. perpetuitās, -ātis, f., continuance, immortality.
5. largior, -īrī, -ītus sum, tr., sacrifice.
6. ēlogium, -ī, n., epitaph.
7. in, for.
8. Thermopylīs: loc. of Thermopylae.
9. Spartae: loc.
10. obsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum, intr., be obedient; trans. phrase, ‘in obedience to,’ etc.
11. Alexandrēae: loc.
12. suffossus, -a, -um, part., undermined.
13. specūs: acc. pl.
14. ad … pertinentēs: i.e., connected (by a main channel) with the river.
15. liquēscō, liquēscere, licuī, intr., become clear.
16. subsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessum, intr., settle.