Sagae thessalae

iuvenis ego Mileto profectus

iuvenis ego Mileto profectus

when I was a young man, having set out from Miletus

ad spectaculum Olympicum

for the Olympic Games,

cum haec etiam loca ... visitare cuperem

since I also wanted to visit these areas

provinciae clarae

of the famous province

peragrata tota Thessalia

Having travelled through the whole of Thessaly

Larissam perveni

I arrived at Larissa

ac dum urbem pererrans

And while wandering through the city

tenuato viatico

with my travelling allowance diminished

fomenta quaero*

I was looking for remedies

paupertati meae

for my poverty

senem conspicio*

I caught sight of an old man

medio in foro

in the middle of the forum

insistebat lapidem

He was standing on a stone

magnaque voce praedicabat

and was proclaiming in a loud voice

si quis ... vellet

that if anyone was willing

mortuum custodire

to guard a dead man

magnum praemium accepturum esse

he would receive a great reward

et ... inquam

And I said

cuidam praetereunti

to a certain somebody passing by

"quid hoc ... audio?"

"what's this I hear?"

"hic mortui solent aufugere?"

"Do the dead usually run away around here?

"tace," respondit ille

"Be quiet," he replied

"nam puer ... es"

"For you are a boy"

"et satis peregrinus"

"and a mere stranger"

"meritoque nescis in Thessalis te esse"

"and naturally you don't know that you are in Thessaly"

"ubi sagae ora mortuorum semper demorsicant"

"where witches always bite pieces out of the faces of the dead"

"quae sunt illis artis magicae supplementa"

"these are ingredients for them in their magic art"

contra ego ... inquam

In reply I said

"quali custodela ... opus est?"

"What sort of protection is needed?"

"iam primum" respondit ille

"To begin with" he replied

"totam noctem eximie vigilandum est"

"the whole night you must stay fully awake"

"apertis et inconivis oculis"

"with eyes open and sleepless"

"semper in cadaver intentis"

"directed always at the corpse"

"nec acies usquam devertenda est"

"Your glance must not be turned away anywhere else"

"cum illae pessimae sagae"

"since those very wicked witches"

"latenter arrepant"

"creep up secretly"

"forma in quodvis animal conversa"

"with their shape changed into any kind of animal"

"nam ... induunt"

"for they take the form of"

"et aves et canes et mures"

"both birds, and dogs and mice"

“immo vero etiam muscas, induunt”

“and indeed even flies”

his cognitis

After finding this out

animum meum commasculo

I strengthened my spirit

et statim accedens senem ... inquam

and, approaching the old man at once, I said

"clamare ... iam desine"

"Stop shouting now!"

"adest custos paratus"

"A guard is here ready"

vix finieram

I had scarcely finished

et statim me perducit

and he led me at once

ad domum quandam

to a certain house

ubi demonstrat

where he pointed

matronam flebilem

to a weeping woman

fuscis vestimentis contectam

dressed in dark clothes

illa surrexit

She got up

et ad cubiculum me induxit

and led me into a bedroom

ibi ... manu revelavit

There she uncovered with her hand

corpus splendentibus linteis coopertum

a body wrapped in shining-white sheets

ubi singula anxie demonstravit, exiit

When she had anxiously pointed out the individual features, she went out

sic desolatus

Thus, left alone

ad cadaveris solacium

to the care of the corpse

perfrictis oculis et paratis ad vigilliam

with my eyes rubbed and ready for guard duty

dum animum meum permulcebam cantationibus

while I was soothing my mind with songs

usque ad mediam noctem pervigilabam

I stayed awake right up until the middle of the night

tum autem mihi formido cumulatior

But then my terror became greater

cum repente

when suddenly

introrepens mustela

a weasal, creeping in

contra me constitit

stopped in front of me

oculosque in me fixit

and fixed its eyes on me

tanta fiducia

such great self-confidence

in tantulo animali

in so small an animal

mihi turbavit animum

disturbed my mind

denique sic illi ... inquam

Finally, I spoke to it in this way

"abi ... scelesta bestia"

"Go away, you wicked beast"

"antequam meam vim celeriter experiaris! abi!"

"before you quickly experience my strength! Go away!"

mustela terga vertit

the weasal turned its back

et e cubiculo protinus exit

and went out of the bedroom immediately

sine mora

without delay

somnus tam profundus

a sleep so deep

me repente demergit

suddenly overwhelmed me

ut ne deus quidem Delphicus ipse

that not even the god of Delphi himself

facile discernere posset

could easily decide

ex duobus nobis iacentibus

from the two of us lying down

quis esset magis mortuus

who was the more dead

tandem prima luce expergitus

having woken up at last at dawn

et magno pavore perterritus

and terrified by great panic

cadaver accurro

I ran over to the corpse

et admoto lumine

and after I brought a lamp near

revelatoque eius vultu

and uncovered his face

omnia diligenter inspicio

I carefully inspected everything

nihil deest

nothing was missing

ecce uxor misera flens introrumpit

Look, the miserable wife burst in, weeping

cadavere inspecto

when she had inspected the corpse

reddit sine mora praemium

she handed over my reward without delay

“per fidem vestram” inquit “cives,

“for the sake of your honour, citizens” he said

per pietatem publicam,

“for the sake of public duty,

perempto civi subsistite et extremum facinus…severiter vindicate

help a murdered citizen and severely punish the vilest crime

istius feminae nefariae scelestaeque (severiter vindicate)

of that wicked and evil woman over there

haec enim

for this woman

nec ullus alius

and no one else

miserum iuvenem… exstinxit veneno”

destroyed with poison the poor young man

sororis meae filium

my sister’s son

in adulteri gratiam

to please her lover