Tum maximā vōce agricola: “Dēscende, mastīgia, priusquam tē hāc furcā trānsfīgam.”
“Tantum strepitum facit canis,” inquit Stasimus, “ut nihil plānē audīre possim. Dīxistīne tē mihi aliquid datūrum?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit agricola, īrā ēlātus. “Malum[1] maximum tibi dabō, furcifer, sī umquam manūs tibi iniciam.”
At Stasimus, quasi audīre attentē cōnārētur: “Mālae[2] meae rēctē sē habent,” inquit, “sed aurēs mūnere suō fungī nōlunt.”
“Haec furca mūnere suō fungētur,” inquit agricola, “nisi tū īlicō in terram tē dēmittēs. Dēscendis an nōn dēscendis?”[3]
“Nunc quidem,” inquit Stasimus, “nōn dēscendō; nam in rāmō sedeō.”
Quō audītō, agricola furibundus[4] in arborem furcam prōicere parābat, cum Pūblius ē saxō vōcem ēmittēns:[5] “Heus tū,” inquit. “Quid, obsecrō, factum est? Servum nostrum Stasimum ego quaerō. Sī eum in hīs locīs vagantem vīdistī, ostende, sīs.”
Cui agricola: “Quisquis[6] es, adulēscēns, hominī negōtiōsō molestiam[7] exhibēs. Nam fūrem manifēstum canis in hanc arborem refugere coēgit, cui nūllō modō persuādēre potuī ut inde dēscenderet.”
“Id minimē mīrandum est,” inquit Pūblius rīdēns, “cum[8] canis saevus arborem cūstōdiat et tū hominem dēscendentem[9] furcā accipere parātus sīs. Sed suspicor hunc esse servum, quem quaerō. Māne ille ē dēversōriō ōva ēmptum profectus est; at nunc, ut vidētur, mōre suō turbās hīc impudenter[10] concitat.”
“Quis sit, plānē nesciō,” inquit agricola dentibus frendēns.[11]
- ↑ Malum: i.e., a beating.
- ↑ Mālae, punning on Malum, line 63.
- ↑ nōn dēscendō: punning on the tense.
- ↑ furibundus, -a, -um, adj., crazed with anger.
- ↑ ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send forth; vōcem ēmittere, shout.
- ↑ quisquis, quicquid, indef. rel. pron., whoever, whatever.
- ↑ molestia, -ae, f., annoyance.
- ↑ cum, in view of the fact that.
- ↑ dēscendentem: the part. approximates the force of a cond. clause.
- ↑ impudenter, adv., shamelessly.
- ↑ frendēns, -entis, part., grinding.
