§11ἡ Ῥωμαίων σύγκλητος ἀπόρρητόν τινα βουλὴν ἐβουλεύετο καθʼ αὑτὴν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας· ἀσάφειαν δὲ πολλὴν καὶ ὑπόνοιαν ἔχοντος τοῦ πράγματος, γυνὴ τἄλλα σώφρων, γυνὴ δέ, προσέκειτο τῷ ἑαυτῆς ἀνδρί, λιπαρῶς δεομένη πυθέσθαι τἀπόρρητον·
The Roman Senate deliberated on a secret matter by itself for many days; and since the affair carried much obscurity and suspicion, a woman, otherwise sensible but still a woman, pressed her husband, begging him earnestly to learn the secret.
ὅρκοι δὲ καὶ κατάραι περὶ σιωπῆς ἐγίγνοντο καὶ δάκρυα ποτνιωμένης αὐτῆς, ὡς πίστιν οὐκ ἐχούσης.
Oaths and curses concerning silence were made, and she shed tears in lamentation, as though she were not trusted.
ὁ δὲ Ῥωμαῖος ἐξελέγξαι βουλόμενος αὐτῆς τὴν ἀβελτερίαν
νικᾷς, ὦ γύναι
εἶπεν
ἀλλʼ ἄκουε φοβερὸν πρᾶγμα καὶ τεράστιον·
But the Roman, wishing to test her silliness, said, "You win, wife," and added, "but listen to a dreadful and portentous matter.
προσήγγελται γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων κόρυδον ὦφθαι πετόμενον κράνος ἔχοντα χρυσοῦν καὶ δόρυ·
For it has been reported to us by the priests that a crested lark has been seen flying, wearing a golden helmet and a spear.
σκεπτόμεθα δὴ τὸ τέρας εἴτε χρηστὸν εἴτε φαῦλόν ἐστι, καὶ συνδιαποροῦμεν τοῖς μάντεσιν·
We are considering whether this portent is favorable or bad, and we are at a loss together with the seers.
ἀλλὰ σιώπα
ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν ᾤχετʼ εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν·
But keep silent!" Having said this, he went away to the forum.
ἡ δὲ τῶν θεραπαινίδων εὐθὺς ἐφελκυσαμένη τὴν πρώτην εἰσελθοῦσαν, ἔπαιε τὸ στῆθος αὑτῆς καὶ τὰς τρίχας ἐσπάραττεν
οἴμοι
λέγουσα
τἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς πατρίδος·
And she, immediately drawing in the first of her maids who entered, beat her own breast and tore her hair, saying, "Alas for my husband and my country!
τί πεισόμεθα; βουλομένη καὶ διδάσκουσα τὴν θεράπαιναν εἰπεῖν
τί γὰρ γέγονεν; ὡς δʼ οὖν πυθομένης διηγήσατο καὶ προσέθηκε τὸν κοινὸν ἁπάσης ἀδολεσχίας ἐπῳδόν, τὸ
ταῦτα μηδενὶ φράσῃς ἀλλὰ σιώπα,
οὐ φθάνει τὸ θεραπαινίδιον ἀποχωρῆσαν αὐτῆς, καὶ τῶν ὁμοδούλων εὐθὺς ἣν μάλιστʼ εἶδε σχολάζουσαν ἐμβάλλει τὸν λόγον· ἐκείνη δὲ τῷ ἐραστῇ παραγενομένῳ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔφρασεν.
What will become of us?"—wishing and directing the maid to say, "Why, what has happened?" And when the maid, as expected, asked and learned, she narrated the story and added the common refrain of all talkativeness: "Do not tell this to anyone, but keep silent!" No sooner had the little maid departed from her than she immediately threw the story to whichever of her fellow servants she saw most at leisure; and that one, when her lover arrived, told it to him.
οὕτω δʼ εἰς ἀγορὰν τοῦ διηγήματος ἐκκυλισθέντος ὥστε προλαβεῖν τὸν πλασάμενον τὴν φήμην, ἀπαντήσας τις αὐτῷ τῶν γνωρίμων
ἀρτίως
εἶπεν
οἴκοθεν εἰς ἀγορὰν καταβαίνεις;
And so the story rolled out into the forum in such a way that it arrived before the one who had fabricated the rumor.
ἀρτίως
ἔφη ἐκεῖνος.
And someone of his acquaintances met him and said, "Did you just come down from home to the forum?" "Just now," he replied.
οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν ἀκήκοας; γέγονε γάρ τι καινόν; ἀλλὰ κόρυδος ὦπται πετόμενος κράνος ἔχων χρυσοῦν καὶ δόρυ, καὶ μέλλουσι περὶ τούτου σύγκλητον ἔχειν οἱ ἄρχοντες.
"Then you have heard nothing?" "Has something new happened?" "A crested lark has been seen flying, wearing a golden helmet and a spear, and the magistrates are about to hold a Senate meeting about this." He laughed and said, "Good heavens, what speed!
κἀκεῖνος γελάσας
φεῦ τοῦ τάχους
εἶπεν
ὦ γύναι, τὸ καὶ φθάσαι με τὸν λόγον εἰς ἀγορὰν προελθόντα
τούς μὲν οὖν ἄρχοντας ἐντυχὼν ἀπήλλαξε τῆς ταραχῆς τὴν δὲ γυναῖκα τιμωρούμενος, ὡς οἴκαδʼ εἰσῆλθεν,
ἀπώλεσάς μʼ
εἶπεν
ὦ γύναι· τὸ γὰρ ἀπόρρητον ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς οἰκίας πεφώραται δεδημοσιωμένον·
Wife, to think that my story has even got ahead of me and gone out to the forum!" So, meeting the magistrates, he relieved them of their confusion; and to punish his wife, as he entered his home, he said, "You have ruined me, wife.
ὥστε μοι φευκτέον ἐστὶ τὴν πατρίδα διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀκρασίαν. τρεπομένης δὲ πρὸς; ἄρνησιν αὐτῆς καὶ λεγούσης
οὐ· γὰρ ταῦτα μετὰ τριακοσίων ἤκουσας; ποίων
ἔφη
τριακοσίων;
For the secret has been tracked down as having been made public from my house, so that I must flee my country because of your incontinence." And when she turned to denial and said, "Did you not hear this along with three hundred others?" "What three hundred?" he said.
σοῦ βιασαμένης, ἐπλασάμην ἀποπειρώμενος. οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἀσφαλῶς πάνυ καὶ μετʼ εὐλαβείας, ὥσπερ εἰς ἀγγεῖον σαθρὸν οὐκ οἶνον οὐκ ἔλαιον ἀλλʼ ὕδωρ ἐγχέας, ἐπείρασε τὴν γυναῖκα.
"Since you forced me, I fabricated it to try you." This man indeed tried his wife very safely and with caution, as if pouring not wine or oil, but water into a leaky vessel.
Φούλβιος δʼ ὁ Καίσαρος ἑταῖρος τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ, γέροντος ἤδη γεγονότος ἀκούσας ὀδυρομένου τὴν περὶ τὸν οἶκον ἐρημίαν, καὶ ὅτι, τῶν μὲν δυεῖν αὐτῷ θυγατριδῶν ἀπολωλότων Ποστουμίου δʼ ὃς ἔτι λοιπός; ἐστιν ἐκ διαβολῆς τινος ἐν φυγῇ ὄντος, ἀναγκάζεται τὸν τῆς γυναικὸς υἱὸν ἐπεισάγειν τῇ διαδοχῇ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, καίπερ οἰκτίρων καὶ βουλευόμενος ἐκ τῆς ὑπερορίας ἀνακαλεῖσθαι τὸν θυγατριδοῦν·
But Fulvius, the companion of Caesar Augustus, when the emperor was already an old man, heard him lamenting the desolation of his house, and how, his two grandsons having perished and Postumus, who was still left, being in exile due to some slander, he was forced to bring in his wife's son to the succession of the empire, although he pitied and was deliberating to recall his grandson from abroad.
ταῦτʼ ὁ Φούλβιος ἀκούσας ἐξήνεγκε πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα, πρὸς δὲ Λιβίαν ἐκείνη, Λιβία δὲ καθήψατο πικρῶς Καίσαρος, εἰ πάλαι ταῦτʼ ἐγνωκὼς οὐ μεταπέμπεται τὸν θυγατριδοῦν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἔχθραν καὶ πόλεμον αὐτὴν τῷ διαδόχῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς καθίστησιν. ·
Fulvius, having heard this, carried it out to his wife, and she to Livia, and Livia bitterly attacked Caesar, asking why, if he had decided this long ago, he did not send for his grandson, but placed her in hatred and war with the successor of the rule.
ἐλθόντος οὖν ἕωθεν, ὡς εἰώθει, τοῦ Φουλβίου πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ εἰπόντος
χαῖρε, Καῖσαρ
ὑγίαινʼ
εἶπε
Φούλβιε.
When Fulvius came in the morning, as was his custom, to him and said, "Hail, Caesar," "Farewell, Fulvius," he replied.
κἀκεῖνος νοήσας ᾤχετʼ εὐθὺς ἀπιὼν οἴκαδε, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα μεταπεμψάμενος
ἔγνωκεν
ἔφη
Καῖσαρ, ὅτι τἀπόρρητον οὐκ ἐσιώπησα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέλλω ἀναιρεῖν ἐμαυτόν· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ
δικαίως
εἶπεν
ὅτι μοι τοσοῦτον συνοικῶν χρόνον οὐκ ἔγνως οὐδʼ ἐφυλάξω τὴν ἀκρασίαν·
And he, understanding, went away immediately to his home, and having summoned his wife, said, "Caesar has known that I did not keep the secret, and because of this I am about to kill myself." And the wife said, "Justly, since living with me for so long a time you did not know nor guard against my incontinence.
ἀλλʼ ἔασον ἐμὲ προτέραν
καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ ξίφος ἑαυτὴν προανεῖλε τἀνδρός.
But let me go first," and taking the sword she killed herself before her husband.