“Puerōs fēlīcēs!” inquit Sextus. “Exīstimō mē aliquandō in illam īnsulam beātam migrātūrum.”
“Ego vellem[1] adfuissem,” inquit Pūblius, “cum Caesar prīmum Britanniam attigit. Quantā fuit virtūte ille signifer, quī in flūctūs dēsiluit suōsque in hostēs[2] dūxit!”
“Rēs ibi hodiē longē aliter sē habent,” inquit Torquātus. “Nullī bellātōrēs barbarī, in lītore congregātī,[3] advenās harēnā prohibent. Sed ubique tūtō mercātōrēs commeant[4] ultrō citrōque.”
“Aliāsne quoque in partēs iter nūper fēcistī?” inquit Cornēlius.
“Maximē vērō,” inquit Torquātus. “Ē Britanniā profectus, usque ad Suionēs pervēnī. Ibi quoque noctēs tam brevēs sunt ut sōlis fulgor stēllās obscūret. Quīn etiam aliquōs audīvī, cum dīcerent[5] sē sōlis currum ē marī ēmergentem audīsse, atque fōrmās quoque equōrum vīdisse et capitis radiōs.”
“Illud est maius quam ut ego crēdam,”[6] inquit Sextus. “Tūne,[7] pater, tālia crēdis?”
“Illud quidem vix crēdibile est,” inquit Cornēlius. “Sed, Torquāte, cum loca tam multa adieris, age nunc, itinera tua ōrdine audiāmus.” Quā cohortātiōne inductus, Torquātus ōrdinem exposuit itinerum suōrum, ab eō tempore exōrsus, quō[8] eum novissimē[9] vīderant.
Iam autem līberīs erat tempus cubitum[10] eundī; ac Sextus et Cornēlia perinvītī cum mātre in conclāvia proxima sē recēpērunt. Tum Sextus: “Perrārō, māter, tū aliquid nōbīs nārrās. Minimē somnīculōsī[11] sumus, et libentissimē ā tē fābulam audiāmus.”
- ↑ vellem: cf. I, 58.
- ↑ hostēs: drawn up on the shore to prevent a landing.
- ↑ congregō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., gather.
- ↑ commeō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., travel.
- ↑ cum dicerent: i.e., dicentēs.
- ↑ maius quam ut … crēdam, too much for me to believe.
- ↑ Tūne: i.e., Tū + ne.
- ↑ quō: i.e., when.
- ↑ novissimē, adv., last.
- ↑ cubitum: supine.
- ↑ somnīculōsus, -a, -um, adj. sleepy.
