In Verrem 2.4.17-19 Flashcards
Quid sedes, Verres?
Why do you sit, Verres?
quid exspectas?
What are you waiting for?
quid te a Centuripina civitate, [circumveniri atque opprimi dicis]
Why [do you say that you are encircled in and overwhelmed] by the city of Centuripae,
a Catinensi, ab Halaesina, a Tyndaritana,
by Catania, by Haleesa, by Tyndaris,
Hennensi, Agyrinensi ceterisque Siciliae civitatibus
by Enna, by Agyrium, and by the other cities of Sicily
circumveniri atque opprimi dicis?
[why] do you say that you are encircled in and overwhelmed?
Tua te altera patria,
Your second fatherland Messana,
quem ad modum dicere solebas,
in the way you are accustomed to say,
Messana circumvenit,
surrounds you; your own Messana,
—tua, inquam, Messana, tuorum adiutrix scelerum,
I say, the helper of your crimes,
libidinum testis,
the witness of your lusts,
praedarum ac furtorum receptrix.
the receiver of your loot and your thefts.
Adest enim vir amplissimus eius civitatis
For the most honorable man of that city is present,
legatus huius iudici causa domo missus princeps laudationis tuae,
sent for the sake of this trial the leader/chief of your praising,
qui te publice laudat,
who praises you publicly
—ita enim mandatum atque imperatum est;
for thus it was commanded and ordered;
tametsi rogatus de cybaea tenetis memoria quid responderit:
although he was asked about the cargo ship you have in your memory that which he responded:
aedificatam publicis operis publice coactis,
that it had been built by public workers, having been compelled officially/publicly,
eique aedificandae publice Mamertinum senatorem praefuisse.
and that a Mamertine senator had been put in charge of the thing to be built.
Idem ad vos privatim, iudices, confugit;
The same man privately flees to you, judges;
utitur hac lege qua iudicium est,
he uses this law in accordance with which this court exists/by means of which there is a trial,
communi arce sociorum.
a common refuge of our allies.
Tametsi lex est de pecuniis repetundis,
Although there is a law for recovering money (concerning extortion),
ille se negat pecuniam repetere,
he denies that he is seeking money,
quam ereptam non tanto opere desiderat:
although having been taken (from him can be supplied) he does not desire it so much:
sacra se maiorum suorum repetere abs te dicit,
he says that he seeks from you the sacred objects of his ancestors,
deos penatis te patrios reposcit.
he demands the ancestral household gods from you.
Ecqui pudor est, ecquae religio, Verres, ecqui metus?
Have you any shame, Verres? have you any religion? have you any fear?
Habitasti apud Heium Messanae,
You lived at Heius’s house at Messana;
res illum divinas apud eos deos in suo sacrario prope cotidiano facere vidisti;
you saw him almost daily perform ritual sacrifices in his shrine in the presence of those gods.
non movetur pecunia,
He is not influenced by money;
denique quae ornamenti causa fuerunt non requirit;
finally he does not ask for those things which were for the sake of ornamentation;
tibi habe Canephoros, deorum simulacra restitue.
Keep the Canephorae for yourself, restore the images of the gods.
Quae quia dixit,
Because he said these things,
quia tempore dato modeste apud vos socius amicusque populi Romani questus est,
because he complained as an ally and friend of the Roman people modestly in your presence with time granted,
quia religioni suae non modo in dis patriis repetendis
not only in seeking the return of the paternal gods
sed etiam in ipso testimonio ac iure iurando proximus fuit,
but also in the testimony itself and in swearing the oath,
hominem missum ab isto scitote esse Messanam de legatis unum,
know that a man was sent by that guy to Messana alone from the ambassadors
—illum ipsum qui navi istius aedificandae publice praefuit,
– that very man who was in charge of building the ship of that guy officially
—qui a senatu peteret ut Heius adficeretur ignominia.
– to seek from the senate that Heius was affected by this condemnation by disgrace.
Homo amentissime, quid putasti?
Most insane man what did you think?
impetraturum te?
That you would accomplish (this)?
quanti is a civibus suis fieret,
Were you ignorant about how much he was valued by his own citizens,
quanti auctoritas eius haberetur ignorabas?
in what esteem his authority was held?
Verum fac te impetravisse,
Suppose you had accomplished it,
fac aliquid gravius in Heium statuisse Mamertinos:
suppose that the Mamertines had decided on something more serious against Heius,
quantam putas auctoritatem laudationis eorum futuram,
how much authority of their panegyric do you think there will be
si in eum quem constet verum pro testimonio dixisse poenam constituerint?
if they decide on a punishment against the man whom it is agreed spoke indeed before the truth as a witness?
Tametsi quae est ista laudatio,
Although what is that praise,
cum laudator interrogatus laedat necesse est?
when is it necessary that the praiser, having been questioned (in court), does harm?
Quid?
What?
isti laudatores tui nonne testes mei sunt?
Are those praisers of yours not my witnesses?
Heius est laudator: laesit gravissime.
Heius is a praiser; he has done harm most seriously.
Producam ceteros:
I will bring forward the rest:
reticebunt quae poterunt libenter,
they will gladly be silent about what they are able to be silent about,
dicent quae necesse erit ingratiis.
they will say what will be necessary unwillingly/for the unwilling.
Negent isti onerariam navem maximam aedificatam esse Messanae?
Should they deny that a big cargo ship was built for that man at Messana?
Negent, si possunt.
Let them deny it if they can.
Negent ei navi faciundae senatorem Mamertinum publice praefuisse?
Would they deny that a Mamertine senator was officially put in charge of building that ship?
Vtinam negent!
If only they would deny it!
Sunt etiam cetera;
There are also other points
quae malo integra reservare,
which I prefer to keep untouched,
ut quam minimum dem illis temporis
so that as little as possible of time to those guys
ad meditandum confirmandumque periurium.
for thinking about and strengthening their perjury.
