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Pagina:Ad Alpes.djvu/190

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“Iam enim advēnerant hostēs recentēs, essedīs[1] carrīsque[2] superstantēs,[3] quī ingentī sonitū rotārum cōnsternābant equōs, quibus tālis tumultus īnsolitus erat. Quae rēs Rōmānīs[4] victōriam paene explōrātam in fugam vertit.

“Decius, cum frūstrā suīs cēdentibus resistere cōnātūs esset: ‘Quid[5] ultrā moror,’[6] inquit, ‘mortem fātō dēbitam? Nostrae enim gentī datum est,[7] ut dēpellendīs cīvitātis perīculīs[8] piāculō[9] sīmus. Quārē ego, ut anteā[10] pater, nunc et mē ipsum et hostium legiōnēs dīs īnferīs dabō.’[11]

“Haec locūtus, M. Līvium, pontificem, quem abīre ā sē vetuerat, praeīre[12] iussit verba, quibus sē legiōnēsque hostium prō exercitū populī Rōmānī dēvovēret. Quō rīte factō, quā cōnfertissima cernēbātur Gallōrum aciēs, eā[13] concitāvit equum, īnfestīsque tēlīs sē īnferēns statim occīsus est.”

“Heu!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quā rē fit, obsecrō, ut fortissimī et optimī omnēs[14] exitūs tam miserōs inveniant?”

“Deciō quidem,” inquit pater, “illa mors prō patriā oppetītā pulcherrima vidēbātur; et populō Rōmānō certē multum[15] prōfuit.[16] Nam mīlitibus perterritīs iam rediit animus, et eō diē victōria clāra ā nostrīs parta est.”

“Quō modō animus mīlitibus redīre potuit,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum dux ab hostibus occīsus esset?”

At pater: “Pontificī Līviō līctōrēs[17] Decius trādiderat, eumque iusserat imperium suum recipere; quī, cum cōnsulem occīsum

  1. essedum, -ī, n., chariot.
  2. carrus, -ī, m., truck.
  3. superstāns, -antis, part., erect (upon).
  4. Rōmānīs: dat. of disadvantage.
  5. Quid, Why.
  6. moror: here trans., keep waiting, put off.
  7. datum est, it has been assigned.
  8. dēpellendīs . .. perīculīs: dat. of purp.
  9. piāculum, -ī, n., sacrifice; dat. of service in text.
  10. anteā: sc. fēcit.
  11. dabō, I will doom.
  12. praeīre, dictate.
  13. quā … eā, advs., where … there.
  14. omnēs: mod. of optimī.
  15. multum, adv.
  16. prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuī, intr., profit.
  17. līctor, -ōris, m., lictor. The lictors represented his authority as commander.