Arria: third story Flashcards
Scribonianus arma Illyrico contra Claudium moverat; fuerat Paetus in partibus, et occiso Scriboniano Romam trahebatur.
Scribonianus had taken up arms against Claudius in Illyricum; Paetus had been on his side, and Scribonianus, having been killed, he was being brought back to Rome.
erat ascensurus navem; Arria milites orabat ut simul imponeretur.
He was about to board the ship; Arria begged the soldiers that she should be put on board together with him.
‘nonne’ inquit ‘dabitis consulari viro servos aliquos, quorum e manu cibum capiat, a quibus vestiatur, a quibus calcietur? omnia haec ego sola praestabo.’
‘Surely,’ she said, ‘you would assign to a man of consular rank some servants, from whose hands he might take food, by whom he might be dressed and by whom he might he might be shoed? I alone shall take care of all there (tasks).’
non impetravit: conduxit piscatoriam naviculam ingentemque navem minima secuta est.
She did not succeed; she hired a small fishing boat, and followed the huge ship in her tiny boat.
deinde apud Claudium uxori Scriboniani, cum illa profiteretur indicium, ‘egone’ inquit ‘te audiam, cuius in gremio Scribonianus occisus erat, et vivis?’
Then, in the presence of Claudius, she said to the wife of Scribonianus, when that woman was offering evidence, ‘Am I to listen to you, in whose lap Scribonianus was killed, and you are (still) alive?’
ex quo manifestum est ei consilium pulcherrimae mortis non subitum fuisse.
From this it is clear that for her the plan of a very glorious death was not a sudden (one).
quin etiam, cum Thrasea gener eius deprecaretur ne mori pergeret, interque alia dixisset: ‘vis ergo filiam tuam, si mihi pereundum fuerit, mori mecum?’, respondit: ‘si tam diu tantaque concordia vixerit tecum quam ego cum Paeto, volo.’
Even when her son-in-law, Thrasea was begging (her) not to carry out her resolve to dies, and among other things had said to her: ‘So, would you wish your daughter, if it were necessary for me to die, to die with me?’ she replied: ‘If she had lived for so long a time and in such great harmony with you as I (have) with Paetus, I would wish (it).’
auxerat hoc responso curam suorum; diligentius custodiebatur; hoc sensit et ‘nihil agitis’ inquit; ‘potestis enim efficere ut male moriar, ut non moriar non potestis.’
By this response she had increased the concern of her family; she was watched more carefully; she noticed this, and said ‘You are achieving nothing; for you can bring (it) about that I die with difficulty, (but) you cannot bring (it) about that I do not die.’
dum haec dicit, exsiluit e sede adversoque muro caput ingenti impetu impegit et decidit.
While she was saying this, she leapt up out of her chair and dashed her head with great force against the wall opposite, and collapsed.
focilata ‘dixeram’ inquit ‘vobis me inventuram esse quamlibet duram ad mortem viam, si vos facilem negavissetis.’
Having been revived, she said: ‘I had said to you that I should find a way to death, however hard, if you denied (me) an easy (one).’
vale.
Farewell.
