intervāllō[1] opus renovātum est ab imperātōre Claudiō, quō auctōre[2] legiōnēs sunt trānsvectae, victae gentēs, et rēgēs quīdam captī sunt.
“Ex illō tempore pars proxima Britanniae paulātim in fōrmam prōvinciae redācta est. Variā autem fortūnā rēs agēbātur, dōnec Iūlius Agricola, Tacitī socer,[3] īnsulae praepositus est.
“Ille incolās et aestāte et hieme lacessīvit. Quīn etiam longē in Calēdoniam penetrāvit, cum prius, ubi[4] īnsula angustissima est, praesidia tam multa collocāvisset, ut hostēs quasi in aliam īnsulam summovērentur.[5]
“Sed nē tum quidem perdomita est terra tōta; ac multīs post annīs ab imperātōre Hadriānō ferē eōdem locō līmes[6] trānsversus[7] ā lītore ad lītus ductus est, quō facilius impetūs barbarōrum coërcērī[8] possent. Nam etiam[9] hodiē hominēs, quī Calēdoniam incolunt, cultum Rōmānum abnuunt, ac semper rēbus novīs[10] student.”
“Haec omnia mē cupiditāte īnsulae adeundae incendunt,” inquit Sextus; “etsī haud velim, ut iste veterānus īnfēlīx, ibi oculōs perdere.”
“Mē spē oblectō,” inquit Drūsilla, “nōs diū pāce fruī[11] iam posse. Prō patriā morī decōrum[12] est, sī ita fāta ferunt;[13] sed optima est vīta quiēta.”
Iam autem tumultū subitō forīs exortō, vōx audīta est ancillae, quae clārē clāmābat latrōnēs in tēcta inrumpere.
Quō audītō, Pūblius, gladiō arreptō, forās celeriter ēgressus
- ↑ intervāllō, after an interval.
- ↑ quō auctōre, under whose command.
- ↑ socer, -erī, m., father-in-law.
- ↑ ubi, at the point where.
- ↑ summoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., remove, shut off.
- ↑ līmes, -itis, m., fortified wall.
- ↑ trānsversus, -a, -um, adj., straight across.
- ↑ coërceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus, tr., check.
- ↑ etiam, even.
- ↑ rēbus novīs, dat., revolution.
- ↑ fruor, fruī, frūctus sum, intr., enjoy.
- ↑ decōrus, -a, -um, adj., seemly, glorious. The sentiment is quoted from Horace.
- ↑ ferunt, demand.
