§13Delectabatur laudibus suis Claudius, et cupiebat diutius spectare.
Claudius was delighted with his praises, and desired to watch longer.
Inicit illi manum Talthybius deorum et trahit capite obvoluto, ne quis eum possit agnoscere, per campum Martium, et inter Tiberim et viam tectam descendit ad inferos.
Talthybius of the gods laid his hand on him and dragged him with his head covered, so that no one could recognize him, through the Campus Martius, and between the Tiber and the covered way he descended to the underworld.
Antecesserat iam compendiaria Narcissus libertus ad patronum excipiendum, et venienti nitidus, ut erat a balineo, occurrit et ait:
"Quid di ad homines?"
"celerius"
inquit Mercurius
"et venire nos nuntia. "
Dicto citius Narcissus evolat.
Narcissus the freedman had already gone ahead by a shortcut to receive his patron, and met him as he came, shining, just as he was from the bath, and said: "What are the gods to men?" "Faster," said Mercury, "and announce that we are coming." Swifter than speech Narcissus flies away.
Omnia proclivia sunt, facile descenditur.
All is downhill, the descent is easy.
Itaque quamvis podagricus esset, momento temporis pervenit ad ianuam Ditis, ubi iacebat Cerberus vel ut ait Horatius
"belua centiceps. "
Pusillum perturbatur—subalbam canem in deliciis habere adsueverat—ut ilium vidit canem nigrum, villosum, sane non quem velis tibi in tenebris occurrere, et magna voce
"Claudius"
inquit
"veniet. "
Cum plausu procedunt cantantes:εὑρήκαμεν, συγχαίρωμεν.
Therefore, although he was gouty, in a moment of time he arrived at the gate of Dis, where Cerberus was lying, or as Horace says, "the hundred-headed beast." He was a little disturbed—he had been accustomed to keep a whitish female dog as a pet—when he saw that black, shaggy dog, surely not one you would like to meet in the darkness, and in a loud voice said: "Claudius will come." With applause they came forward, singing: "We have found him, let us rejoice together!" Here was C.
Hic erat C. Silius consul designatus, Iuncus praetorius, Sex.
Silius, consul elect, Iuncus of praetorian rank, Sex.
Traulus, M. Hel vius, Trogus, Cotta, Vettius Valens, Fabius equites R. quos Narcissus duci iusserat.
Traulus, M. Helvius, Trogus, Cotta, Vettius Valens, Fabius, Roman knights whom Narcissus had ordered to be led to execution.
Medius erat in hac cantantium turba Mnester pantomimus, quem Claudius decoris causa minorem fecerat.
In the middle of this crowd of singers was Mnester the pantomimist, whom Claudius for the sake of decency had made shorter.
Ad Messalinam—cito rumor percrebuit Claudium venisse—convolant: primi omnium liberti Polybius, Myron, Harpocras, Amphaeus, Pheronactus,quos Claudius omnes, necubi imparatus esset, praemiserat.
To Messalina—the rumor quickly spread that Claudius had come—they flocked together: first of all the freedmen Polybius, Myron, Harpocras, Amphaeus, Pheronactus, all of whom Claudius had sent ahead, lest he should be unprepared anywhere.
Deinde praefecti duo Iustus Catonius et Rufrius Pollio.
Then the two prefects Justus Catonius and Rufrius Pollio.
Deinde amici Saturninus Lusius et Pedo Pompeius et Lupus et Celer Asinius consulares.
Then his friends Saturninus Lusius and Pedo Pompeius and Lupus and Celer Asinius, of consular rank.
Novissime fratris filia, sororis filia, generi, soceri, socrus, omnes plane consanguinei.
Lastly, his brother's daughter, his sister's daughter, sons-in-law, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, clearly all his blood relatives.
Et agmine facto Claudio occurrunt.
And having formed a column, they met Claudius.
Quos cum vidisset Claudius, exclamat: πάντα φίλων πλήρη
"quomodo huc venistis vos?"
Tum Pedo Pompeius:
"Quid dicis, homo crudelissime? Quaeris, quomodo? Quis enim nos alius hue misit quam tu, omnium amicorum interfector? In ius eamus, ego tibi hic sellas ostendam.
When Claudius saw them, he exclaimed: "All is full of friends! How did you come here?" Then Pedo Pompeius: "What do you say, most cruel man? You ask how? For who else sent us here than you, the murderer of all your friends?
" §14Ducit illum ad tribunal Aeaci: is lege Cornelia quae de sicariis lata est, quaerebat.
Let us go to court; I will show you the benches here." He led him to the tribunal of Aeacus: he was conducting the inquiry under the Cornelian law which was passed concerning assassins.
Postulat, nomen eius recipiat; edit subscriptionem: occisos senatores XXXV, equites R. CCXXI, ceteros ὅσα ψάμαθός τε κόνις τε. . Advocatum non invenit.
He demanded that he accept his name; he published the charge: thirty-five senators killed, two hundred and twenty-one Roman knights, and others "as many as the sand and dust." He did not find an advocate.
Tandem procedit P. Petronius, vetus convictor eius, homo Claudiana lingua disertus, et postulat advocationem.
At last P. Petronius came forward, an old companion of his, a man eloquent in the Claudian tongue, and demanded a hearing.
Non datur.
It was not granted.
Accusat Pedo Pompeius magnis clamoribus.
Pedo Pompeius accused him with loud shouts.
Incipit patronus velle respondere.
The patron began to wish to reply.
Aeacus, homo iustissimus, vetat, et illum altera tantum parte audita condemnat et ait: αἴκε πάθοι τά τʼ ἔρεξε, δίκη κʼ ἰθεῖα γένοιτο.
Aeacus, a most just man, forbade it, and having heard only one side, condemned him and said: "If one should suffer what he did, there would be straight justice." A great silence fell.
Ingens silentium factum est. Stupebant omnes novitate rei attoniti, negabant hoc unquam factum.
All were astounded, astonished by the novelty of the thing, and said that this had never been done before.
Claudio magis iniquum videbatur quam novum.
To Claudius it seemed more unjust than novel.
De genere poenae diu disputatum est, quid illum pati oporteret.
Concerning the kind of punishment they disputed for a long time, what he ought to suffer.
Erant qui dicerent, Sisyphum satis diu laturam fecisse, Tantalum siti periturum nisi illi succurreretur, aliquando Ixionis miseri rotam sufflaminandam.
There were those who said that Sisyphus had carried his burden long enough, Tantalus would perish of thirst unless he were helped, and the wheel of poor Ixion should at last be braked.
Non placuit ulli ex veteribus missionem dari, ne vel Claudius unquam simile speraret.
It did not please anyone that discharge should be given to any of the old ones, lest even Claudius should ever hope for the like.
Placuit novam poenam constitui debere, excogitandum illi laborem irritum et alicuius cupiditatis speciem sine effectu.
It was agreed that a new punishment must be established, a fruitless labor must be devised for him, and some appearance of desire without effect.
Tum Aeacus iubet illum alea ludere pertuso fritillo.
Then Aeacus ordered him to play with dice with a bottomless dice-box.
Et iam coeperat fugientes semper tesseras quaerere et nihil proficere.
And already he had begun to seek the always escaping dice and to accomplish nothing.
§15"
Nam quotiens missurus erat resonante fritillo,
utraque subducto fugiebat tessera fundo.
"For as often as he was about to throw from the resounding dice-box, each die would escape from the withdrawn bottom.
Cumque recollectos auderet mittere talos,
fusuro similis semper semperque petenti,
decepere fidem: refugit digitosque per ipsos
fallax adsiduo dilabitur alea furto.
And when he dared to throw the recollected dice, like one always about to pour and always seeking, they deceived his trust: the deceitful die fled back and slipped through his very fingers in constant theft.
Sic cum iam summi tanguntur culmina montis,
irrita Sisyphio volvuntur pondera collo.
Thus when the heights of the highest mountain are already touched, the useless weights roll down from the Sisyphian neck." Suddenly C.
"
Apparuit subito C. Caesar et petere ilium in servitutem coepit; producit testes, qui illum viderant ab illo flagris, ferulis, colaphis vapulantem.
Caesar appeared and began to claim him as a slave; he produced witnesses who had seen him being beaten by him with whips, rods, and blows.
Adiudicatur C. Caesari;
He was adjudged to C.
Caesar illum Aeaco donat.
Caesar; Caesar gave him to Aeacus.
Is Menandro liberto suo tradidit, ut a cognitionibus esset.
He delivered him to his freedman Menander, to be his clerk for judicial hearings.