Pro Caelio 65

The plot fails

potueruntne magis tempore prosilire quam cum Licinius venisset, cum in manu teneret veneni pyxidem?

Could they have jumped out at a better time than once Licinius had arrived, while he was holding the box of poison in his hand?

quae cum iam erat tradita servis, si evasissent subito ex balneis mulieris amici Liciniumque comprehendissent,

If, when this had been by now been handed over to the slaves, the friends of the woman had suddenly rushed out from the baths and caught Licinius,

imploraret hominum fidem atque a se illam pyxidem traditam pernegaret.

he would have begged for the protection of the people and would have denied that that box had been handed over by him.

quem quo modo illi reprehenderent?

How would they have proved him wrong?

vidisse se dicerent?

They would have said that they saw him?

primum ad se vocarent maximi facinoris crimen;

First, they would have called down upon themselves the charge of a very great crime;

deinde id se vidisse dicerent quod quo loco conlocati fuerant non potuissent videre.

second, they would have said that they saw from the place they had been stationed something which they could not have seen.

tempore igitur ipso se ostenderunt, cum Licinius venisset, pyxidem expediret, manum porrigeret, venenum traderet.

And so, they showed themselves at that very moment, once Licinius had arrived, he was getting out the box, he was stretching out his hand, was handing over the poison.

mimi ergo iam exitus, non fabulae;

Therefore, this is by now the end of a farce, not of a play;

in quo cum clausula non invenitur, fugit aliquis e manibus, dein scabilla concrepant, aulaeum tollitur.

in which, when a conclusion cannot be found, someone escapes from another’s hands, then the clappers sound, the curtain goes up.