sērō[1] sēnsit sē ā prīncipibus circumventum esse; ēdictum enim rēgis semel prōpositum nec rescindī[2] nec mūtārī poterat.
“Omnia maerēns temptāvit, quō modō vātem cōnservāret, sed nihil reperiēbat; cumque prīncipēs convēnissent hominisque mortem postulārent, trīstis vātem ad bēstiās damnāre coāctus est.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Haec mihi vehementer displicent.[3] Nōnne modo dīxī mē[4] iam diū[5] caedis sanguinisque taedēre?”
At Anna: “Manēdum,”[6] inquit, “dum reliqua audiās. Vātēs interim nihil[7] terrēbātur; sed in spēluncam leōnum plēnam dēmissus, cum saxum magnum suprā collocātum esset nē quā[8] effugere posset, laudēs tamen clārē deō suō cantāvit.
“Iam rēx, vigiliīs dispositīs, animō maximē conturbātō domum sē contulerat, ubi nec cibum capere nec somnō quiēscere potuit; sed noctem tōtam sollicitus vigilābat. Cum diēs dēmum illūxisset,[9] ē lectō surrēxit et celeriter ad spēluncam pervēnit. Quō ubi ventum est, vōce lāmentābilī: ‘Vērī deī vātēs,’ inquit, ‘adhūc vīvis?’
“Tum ē spēluncā audīta est vōx vātis: ‘Semper vīvās, ō rēx! Salvus sum; nam deus patrius nūntium mīsit, quī faucēs[10] leōnum praeclūderet.’[11] Quō audītō, rēx gaudiō ēlātus saxum āmovērī iussit; vātēsque incolumis ē spēluncā in lūcem redditus est.”
“Euge!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quam gaudeō rem ēventum tam fēlīcem habuisse!”
At Sextus: “Quid factum est,[12] obsecrō, illīs prīncipibus scelestīs, quī tantum dolum frūstrā fabricātī[13] erant?”
- ↑ sērō, too late.
- ↑ rescindō, -scindere, -scidī, -scissus, tr., revoke.
- ↑ displiceō, -ēre, -uī, -itum, intr., be displeasing.
- ↑ mē: obj. of taedēre.
- ↑ iam diū: see note on IV, 113.
- ↑ -dum: particle, just (wait).
- ↑ nihil: adv. acc.; cf. III, 40.
- ↑ quā: cf. eā, IV, 9.
- ↑ illūcēscō, -lūcēscere, -lūxī, intr., dawn.
- ↑ faux, faucis, f.; pl., jaws.
- ↑ praeclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus, tr., shut, stop.
- ↑ factum est, with abl., became (of).
- ↑ fabricor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. devise
