“Hospitēs nihil suspicantēs discessērunt, homō vērō celeriter domum sē contulit. Hōrā cōnstitūtā ad aedēs cīvis locuplētis rediērunt peregrīnī; unde dērīsī in dēversōrium rūrsus sē recipere coāctī sunt.
“Postrīdiē in forō hominem vīdērunt, eumque incūsāvērunt. Ille autem dīxit eōs similitūdine aedium dēceptōs esse, sēque domī multam ad noctem[1] exspectāsse.
“Interim servō suō imperāverat ut ā vīcīnō vāsa, vestīmenta, et eius modī alia ūtenda[2] rogāret. Quae cum comparāta esse putāret, hospitēs domum dēdūxit, cum simulāret[3] sē maiōrēs aedēs suās amīcō cuidam ad nūptiās commodāsse.
“Dum ibi cēnant, subitō puer[4] nūntiat argentum repetī; nam sollicitus factus erat is, quī id commodāverat. ‘Apage!’ inquit cīvis noster ēgregius; ‘aedēs commodāvī, familiam[5] dedī. Argentum quoque vult? Etsī hospitēs habeō, tamen id quoque commodābō; nōs interim Samiīs[6] dēlectābimur.’”
“Hahahae!” inquit mercātor. “Spērō hospitēs miserōs cēnam saltem gustāsse, priusquam ea quoque auferrētur.”
“Nihil amplius adeptī sunt,” inquit Cornēlius; “et iūre exīstimāvērunt sēcum male āctum esse.”
At alter:[7] “Hīs[8] audītīs etiam magis mē omnium peregrīnōrum īnfēlīcium miseret. Et maximē doleō exīstimātiōnem[9] populī Rōmānī pendēre cōgī tālibus ex cīvibus, quālem tū modo dīcēbās.”[10] Quae cum dīxisset, in sōle cōnsēdit; Cornēlius autem cum fīliīs ambulāre persevērāvit, dōnec accessit Cornēlia, quae: “Exīstimō,” inquit, “mē avēs quāsdam volantēs procul cernere. Eāsne vidēs, Sexte?”
“Paucās cernere mihi videor,” inquit Sextus. “Ex altō[11]
- ↑ multam ad noctem, until far into the night; cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
- ↑ ūtenda, as a loan; cf. exhibendas, II, 30.
- ↑ cum simulāret: cf. I, 61.
- ↑ puer: the slave.
- ↑ familiam, household slaves.
- ↑ Samiīs: ie., earthenware; sc. vāsīs; abl. case.
- ↑ alter: i.e., the trader.
- ↑ Hīs: sc. verbīs.
- ↑ exīstimātiō, -ōnis, f., reputation.
- ↑ dīcēbās, mentioned
- ↑ altō: cf. English ‘the deep’.
