LENTULUS REACHES HOME 207
adflictātī[1] nee sōlem discernere nee cursum tenēre poterāmus et omnia praesentem mortem intentabant. Trīs diēs[2] et trīs noctīs[2] sine rēmis vēlīsque agimur. Quārtō diē[3] prīmum terra visa est et violenter in saxa, quae nōn longē ā lītore aberant, dēiectī sumus. Tum vērō maiōra perīcula timēbāmus ; sed nauta quīdam, vir fortissimus, ex nāve in fluctūs iratōs dēsiluit ut fūnem[4] ad litus portāret; quam rem summō labōre vix effēcit. Ita omnēs servātī sumus. Grātiās igitur et honōrem Neptūnō debēmus, qui deus nōs ē perīculō ēripuit. Nunc Athēnis[5] sum, quō cōnfūgī ut mihi paucās horās ad quiētem darem.[6] Quam prīmum autem aliam nāvem condūcam ut iter ad Italiam reliquum cōnficiam et domum[7] ad meōs cārōs revertar. Salūtā nostrum Pūblium amīcissimē et valētūdinem tuam cūrā dīligenter. Kalendīs Martiīs.”[8]
LXIV. LENTULUS REACHES HOME • PUBLIUS VISITS POMPEII WITH HIS FATHER
Post paucōs diēs nāvis M. Cornēlī Lentulī portum Misēnī[9] petiit, quī portus nōn longē ā Pompēiīs situs est; quō in portū classis Rōmāna pōnebātur et ad pugnās nāvālīs ōrnābātur. Ibi nāvēs omnium generum cōnspicī poterant. Iamque incrēdibilī celeritāte nāvis longa quā Lentulus vehēbātur litorī adpropinquāvit; nam nōn sōlum ventō sed etiam rēmīs impellēbātur. In altā puppe stābat gubernātor et nōn procul aliquī mīlitēs Rōmānī cum armīs splendidīs, inter quōs clārissimus erat Lentulus. Deinde servī rēmīs contendere cessāvērunt;[10] nautae vēlum contrāxērunt et ancorās iēcērunt. Lentulus statim ē nāvī egressus est et ad[11] villam suam properāvit. Eum Iūlia, Pūblius, tōtaque familia excēpērunt. Quī[12] complexus, quanta gaudia fuērunt!
Postrīdiē eius diēī[13] Lentulus fīliō suō dixit, “Venī, mī Pūblī, mēcum.
- ↑ adflictātī, perf. passive part tossed about.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 What construction?
- ↑ diē, §501. 35.
- ↑ ut. . .portāret, § 501. 40.
- ↑ Athēnis, § 501. 36. 1.
- ↑ darem, cf. portāret l. 6
- ↑ Why not ad domum?
- ↑ Kalendīs Mārtiīs, the Calends or first of March; abl. of time, giving the date of the letter.
- ↑ Misenum had an excellent harbor, and under the emperor Augustus became the chief naval station of the Roman fleet. See map of Italy.
- ↑ Why is the infinitive used with cessāvērunt?
- ↑ See Plate I, Frontispiece.
- ↑ Observe that these words are exclamatory.
- ↑ Postrīdiē eius diēī, on the next day.
