But who rushes in with such bewildered steps, or what does he bear in his panting breast?
Whosoever of the leader's soldiers keeps watch in the palace, let him defend the court which the madness of the people threatens!
§782trepidi cohortes ecce praefecti trahunt §783praesidia ad urbis, victa nec cedit metu §784concepta rabies temere, sed vires capit.
Lo, the anxious prefects are leading the cohorts to the defenses of the city; nor does the madness once conceived yield, conquered by fear easily, but rather gathers strength.
§785Quis iste mentes agitat attonitus furor?
What is that bewildered madness that agitates their minds?
The ranks, struck by favor for Octavia, and rendered savage, are rushing toward a monstrous crime.
§788Quid ausa facere quove consilio doce.
Teach me what they have dared to do, or with what plan.
They prepare to restore to the daughter of the deified Claudius her household gods and her brother's bed, the rightful share of the empire.
§791Quos iam tenet Poppaea concordi fide?
Which Poppaea now holds in harmonious faith?
§792Hic urit animos pertinax nimium favor §793et in furorem temere praecipites agit: §794quaecumque claro marmore effigies stetit §795aut aere fulgens, ora Poppaeae gerens, §796afflicta vulgi manibus et saevo iacet §797eversa ferro; membra per partes trahunt §798deducta laqueis, obruunt turpi diu §799calcata caeno, verba conveniunt feris §800immixta factis quae timor reticet meus.
Here, this too persistent favor burns their minds and drives them headlong blindly into madness: whatever statue stood in bright marble or shining in bronze, bearing the features of Poppaea, lies cast down by the hands of the rabble and overturned by cruel iron; they drag the limbs, torn down by ropes, limb by limb, and overwhelm them, trampled for a long time in filthy mud; words fit for wild beasts are mixed with their deeds, which my fear keeps silent.
§801sepire flammis principis sedem parant, §802populi nisi irae coniugem reddat novam, §803reddat penates Claudiae victus suos.
They prepare to encircle the seat of the prince with flames, unless he restores the new wife to the anger of the people, and, vanquished, restores her own household gods to the daughter of Claudius.
That he himself may know the movements of the citizens, I shall not delay with my voice to execute the orders of the prefect.
§806Quid fera frustra bella movetis?
Why do you stir up fierce wars in vain?
§807invicta gerit tela Cupido: §808flammis vestros obruet ignes §809quis extinxit fulmina saepe §810captumque Iovem caelo traxit.
Cupid wields unconquered weapons: with his flames he will overwhelm your fires, who has often extinguished thunderbolts and dragged captive Jupiter from heaven.
Struck by him, you will pay sad penalties with your blood.
§813non est patiens fervidus irae §813bfacilisque regi: §814ille ferocem iussit Achillem §815pulsare lyram, §816fregit Danaos, fregit Atridem, §817regna evertit Priami, claras §817bdiruit urbes: §818et nunc animus quid ferat horret §819vis immitis violenta dei.
The fiery god is not patient of anger, nor easy to be ruled: he ordered fierce Achilles to strike the lyre, he broke the Danaans, broke the son of Atreus, overturned the kingdoms of Priam, and demolished famous cities: and now my mind shudders at what the relentless, violent force of the god may bring.
§820O lenta nimium militis nostri manus §821et ira patiens post nefas tantum mea, §822quod non cruor civilis accensas faces §823extinguit in nos, caede nec populi madet §824funerea Roma quae viros tales tulit.
Oh, too slow is the hand of our soldier, and my anger too patient after such a great crime, since civil blood does not extinguish the torches lighted against us, nor does funereal Rome drip with the slaughter of the people who bore such men.
§827at illa. cui me civium subicit furor, §828suspecta coniunx et soror semper mihi, §829tandem dolori spiritum reddat meo §830iramque nostram sanguine extinguat suo.
But she, to whom the madness of the citizens subjects me, a wife always suspected and always a sister to me, let her at last yield her breath to my sorrow, and extinguish our wrath with her own blood.
§825admissa sed iam morte puniri parum est: §826graviora meruit impium plebis scelus: §831mox tecta flammis" concitant urbis meis, §832ignes ruinae noxium populum premant §833turpisque egestas, saeva cum luctu fames.
But to be punished by death alone is now too little for the crime committed: the impious crime of the plebeians has deserved graver things: soon they shall stir up the roofs of the city with my flames, let the fires of ruin crush the noxious people, and shameful poverty, and savage hunger with grief.
§834exultat ingens saeculi nostri bonis §835corrupta turba nec capit clementiam §836ingrata nostram ferre nec pacem potest, §837sed inquieta rapitur hinc audacia, §838hinc temeritate fertur in praeceps sua: §839malis domanda est et gravi semper iugo §840premenda, ne quid simile temptare audeat §841contraque sanctos coniugis vultus meae §842attollere oculos: fracta per poenas metu §843parere discet principis nutu sui.
The vast crowd, corrupted by the blessings of our age, exults and cannot receive clemency, ungrateful, it cannot bear our peace, but is swept away on this side by restless audacity, on that side is carried into headlong ruin by its own rashness: it must be tamed by evils and always pressed down by a heavy yoke, lest it dare to attempt anything similar, or dare to lift its eyes against the sacred countenance of my wife: broken by fear through penalties, they shall learn to obey the nod of their prince.
But I see approaching the man whom rare piety and loyalty, well known, has placed in charge of my camp.
The madness of the people has been suppressed by the slaughter of a few who rashly resisted for a long time, as I bring word.
§848Et hoc sat est? sic miles audisti ducem?
And is this enough? Did you thus, soldier, listen to your leader?
§849compressit! haec vindicta debetur mihi?
Suppressed it! Is this the vengeance owed to me?
§850Cecidere motus impio ferro duces.
The leaders of the rebellion have fallen by the impious sword.
§851Quid illa turba, petere quae flammis meos §852ausa est penates, principi legem dare, §853abstrahere nostris coniugem caram toris, §854violare quantum licuit incesta manu
What of that crowd, which dared to seek my household gods with flames, to give law to the prince, to drag away the dear wife from our marriage bed, to violate as much as they could with unchaste hand and dreadful voice?
§855et voce dira? debita poena vacat?
Does the owed penalty go unpunished?
§856Poenam dolor constituet in cives tuos?
Will your anger ordain punishment upon your citizens?
§857Constituet, aetas nulla quam famae eximat.
It shall ordain it, which no age shall take away from fame.
§858Tua temperet nos ira, non noster timor.
Let your anger govern us, not our fear.
§859Iram expiabit prima quae meruit meam.
She who first deserved my anger shall expiate it.
§860Quam poscat ede, nostra ne parcat manus.
Declare whom you demand, so that our hand may not spare.
§861Caedem sororis poscit et dirum caput.
It demands the slaughter of my sister and her dreadful head.
§862Horrore vinctum trepidus astrinxit rigor.
A trembling stiffness has bound me, gripped by horror.
§863Parere dubitas?
Do you hesitate to obey?
§864Quod parcis hosti.
Because you spare the enemy.
§865Si scelera cepit.
If she has turned to crimes.
§866Populi furor.
It was the madness of the people.
§867Qui concitare potuit.
Who was able to stir it up.
Woman, to whom nature gave a mind prone to evil, has equipped her breast with deceits for doing harm.
§870Sed vim negavit,
But she denied her strength.
§871esset, sed aegras frangeret vires timor
Even if there were strength, fear would break those weak powers.