In Verrem 2.4.5-7 Flashcards
Verum ut ad illud sacrarium redeam,
In truth so that I return to the shrine,
signum erat hoc quod dico Cupidinis e marmore,
there was this statue, which I speak of, of Cupid, out of marble,
ex altera parte Hercules egregie factus ex aere.
on the other side Hercules having been made from bronze excellently.
Is dicebatur esse Myronis, ut opinor, et certe.
That was said to be of Myron, as I believe, and certainly.
Item ante hos deos erant arulae,
Also before those gods there were little altars,
quae cuivis religionem sacrari significare possent.
which can indicate to whoever the holiness of the
Erant aenea duo praeterea signa,
In addition there were two bronze statues,
non maxima verum eximia venustate,
not the greatest but with excellent beauty,
virginali habitu atque vestitu,
with maidenly appearance and clothing,
quae manibus sublatis sacra quaedam more Atheniensium virginum reposita in capitibus sustinebant;
which with hands having been up they were holding up sacred objects in the custom of Athenian maidens placed on their heads;
Canephoroe ipsae vocabantur; sed earum artificem—
they themselves were called the Canephorae, but their maker -
quem? quemnam? recte admones—Polyclitum esse dicebant.
whom? Which?… You advise me rightly they called him Polycletus
Messanam ut quisque nostrum venerat,
Whenever any one of our citizens went to Messana,
haec visere solebat; omnibus haec ad visendum patebant cotidie;
he was accustomed to see these things; they were accessible/available every day to all for seeing;
domus erat non domino magis ornamento quam civitati.
the house was not more than an ornament to the master than to the city-state.
C. Claudius, cuius aedilitatem magnificentissimam scimus fuisse,
Gaius Claudius, whose aedileship we know was most magnificent,
usus est hoc Cupidine tam diu dum forum dis immortalibus populoque Romano habuit ornatum,
used this (statue of) Cupid, for so long while he kept the forum decorated for the immortal gods and the Roman people,
et, cum hospes esset Heiorum,
and, because he was a guest friend of the Heii family,
Mamertini autem populi patronus, ut illis benignis usus est ad commodandum,
moreover was the patron of the Mamertine people,—as he enjoyed their kindness(es) for lending (the Cupid),
sic ipse diligens fuit ad reportandum.
so he was diligent for bringing it back.
Nuper homines nobilis eius modi, iudices,—
There have lately been noble men of the same kind, O judges;—
sed quid dico ‘nuper’? immo vero modo ac plane paulo ante vidimus,
but why do I say “recently”? but on the contrary we have seen clearly now and a little before,
qui forum et basilicas non spoliis provinciarum sed ornamentis amicorum,
who decorated the forum and the basilicas not with spoils of the provinces but with decorations of their friends,
commodis hospitum non furtis nocentium ornarent;
with loans of a guest friends, not with the thefts of guilty men.
qui tamen signa atque ornamenta sua cuique reddebant,
Nevertheless men who were returning their statues and ornaments to each person,
non ablata ex urbibus sociorum atque amicorum quadridui causa,
not [ablata ex urbibus sociorum atque amicorum] for the sake of a period of four days,
per simulationem aedilitatis, domum deinde atque ad suas villas auferebant.
then they were carrying away (the statues) to their home and to their villas through the pretense of aedileship.
Haec omnia quae dixi signa, iudices, ab Heio e sacrario Verres abstulit;
All these statues which I have mentioned, judges, Verres took away from Heius from his shrine;
nullum, inquam, horum reliquit neque aliud ullum tamen praeter unum pervetus ligneum, Bonam Fortunam, ut opinor;
he left not one of these things, I say, nor anything else however except one old wooden statue, Good Fortune, as I believe;
eam iste habere domi suae noluit.
that he did not want to have it in his house
Pro deum hominumque fidem!
Oh! For the good faith of gods and men!
quid hoc est? quae haec causa est, quae ista impudentia?
What is this? What is the cause? What is this shamelessness of yours?
Quae dico signa, antequam abs te sublata sunt,
The statues I am mentioning, before they were taken away by you to Messana,
Messanam cum imperio nemo venit quin viserit.
no one with power came to Messana that didn’t see these statues.
Tot praetores, tot consules in Sicilia cum in pace tum etiam in bello fuerunt, tot homines cuiusque modi—
There were so many praetors, so many consuls in Sicily both in peace and also in war; so many men of every kind as there have been—
non loquor de integris, innocentibus, religiosis —
I am not talking about honest men, blameless men, scrupulous men,
tot cupidi, tot improbi, tot audaces, quorum nemo sibi tam vehemens,
but so many greedy, so many wicked, so many?? men, of whom?
tam potens, tam nobilis visus est qui ex illo sacrario quicquam poscere aut tollere aut attingere auderet:
dared to look/seek anything from that shrine, to take anything away from that shrine, or to touch anything from that shrine.
Verres quod ubique erit pulcherrimum auferet?
Will Verres carry off that which will be very beautiful everywhere?
nihil habere cuiquam praeterea licebit?
In addition/moreover, will it not be permitted for anyone to have anything?
tot domus locupletissimas istius domus una capiet?
Will that one house of that man contain/capture so many wealthy houses?
Idcirco nemo superiorum attigit ut hic tolleret?
For this reason none of his predecessors touched (the statue) so he may carry this away?
ideo C. Claudius Pulcher rettulit ut C. Verres posset auferre?
Likewise/for the reason did Gaius Claudius Pulcher bring it back so that Gaius Verres was able to take it away?
At non requirebat ille Cupido lenonis domum ac meretriciam disciplinam;
But that Cupid was not seeking the home of a pimp and the education/training belonging to a prostitute;
facile illo sacrario patrio continebatur;
he was easily confined/kept in that ancestral shrine;
Heio se a maioribus relictum esse sciebat in hereditate sacrorum,
he/the statue knew that he was left to Heius by his ancestors in the inheritance of sacred things;
non quaerebat meretricis heredem.
he was not seeking the heir of a harlot/prostitute.
