Messalina lines 60-75

mirum inter haec silentium Claudii:

During all this Claudius' silence was strange;

omnia liberto oboediebat;

in everything he obeyed his freedman;

qui contionem militum in castris paravit.

it was he who prepared the assembly of the soldiers in the camp.

apud eos praemonente Narcisso princeps pauca verba fecit:

In their presence, with Narcissus instructing them first, the emperor gave a few words:

continuus dehinc clamor militum nomina reorum et poenas flagitantium.

from then on there was a continuous uproar of soldiers demanding the names of the guilty and their punishment.

ductus Silius ad tribunal non defensionem, non moras temptavit,

Silius was brought to the platform and did not attempt a defence or any delaying tactics,

sed precatus est ut mors acceleraretur.

but prayed that his death be hastened.

interim Messalina Lucullianis in hortis prolatare vitam,

Meanwhile Messalina was prolonging her life in the Gardens of Lucullus,

componere preces, nonnulla spe et ira:

was thinking up prayers, with some hope and anger:

tantam superbiam etiam tum gerebat.

even then she was displaying such great arrogance.

ac nisi caedem eius Narcissus properavisset,

And if Narcissus had not hastened her execution,

vertisset pernicies in accusatorem.

she would have turned the ruin onto her accuser.

nam Claudius domum regressus, ubi cena vinoque incaluit,

For when Claudius had returned home, when he grew warm with dinner and wine,

imperavit ut femina misera (hoc enim verbo Claudium usum esse ferunt) ad causam dicendam postridie adesset.

he ordered that the poor woman (for they say that Claudius used this word) should be present the next day to plead her case.

quod ubi Narcissus audivi et languescere iram redire amorem vidit,

When Narcissus heard this and saw that his anger was dying down and his love returning,

timebat, si moraretur,

he feared, if he delayed,

propinquam noctem et uxorii cubiculi memoriam;

the approaching night and the memory of his wife's bedroom;