messalina - adultery

Messalina (adultery) - latin GCSE

messalina burned with a new and almost insane love.

Messalina novo et quasi insano amore incensa est.

for she was so enflamed for Gaius Silius, the most handsome of Roman youth, that she drove junia silana, a noble woman, out of her marriage and had him unburdened by a wife as her adulterous lover.

nam in C. Silium, iuventutis Romanae pulcherrimum, ita exarserat ut luniam silanam, nobilem feminam, matrimonio eius exturbaret liberoque adultero potiretur

silius was not unaware of the scandal or danger: but he understood that, if he refused, death would be certain and if he consented. there was some hope of concealing the crime; and at the same time he would recieve great rewards.

neque Silius flagitii aut periculi nescius erat: sed intellexit exitium, si abnueret, foro certum et, si consentiret, nonnulam facinoris celandi spem esse; simulque se magna praemia accepturum.

therefore he decided to neglect the future to enjoy the present.

igitur placuit neglegere futura praesentibus frui.

she came repeatedly to the house not furtively but with many friends, she was always with him whenever he appeared in public, she gave him wealth and honours;

illa non furtim sed multis cum comitibus ventitat domum, egredienti adhaeret, dat opes honoresque;

finally, the servants, freedmen and luxurious furnishings of the emperor were often seen at the house of the adulterer

postremo servi, liberti, paratus principis apud adulterum saepe videbantur.

but Claudius was unaware of the state of his marriage.

at Claudius matrimonii sui ignarus.

now Messalina on account of the ease of her adulteries, turned to new pleasures.

iam Messalina propter facilitatem adulteriorum ad novas libidines versa est

Silius, either with a fatal madness or thinking that the dangers themselves were a remedy against imminent dangers, urged the concealment to be broken off:

Silius, sive fatali insania an ipse pericula remedium imminentium periculorum ratus, abrumpi dissimulationem urgebat:

for obviously they need not wait until the emperor grew old.

quippe non expectandum, dum princeps senesceret.

he himself was unmarried, childless, ready for marriage and to adopt Britannicus.

se caelibem, orbum, nuptiis et adoptando Britannico paratum.

the same power would remain with Messalina, and her safety would be more secure if they forestalled Claudius, who was slow to suspect intrigue but quick to anger.

eandem Messalinae potentiam mansuram esse, addita securitate, si praevenirent Claudium, qui insidiis incautus sed ad iram celer esset.

Messalina hesitated for a long time, not through love of her husband, but fearing that silius having obtained the highest honours, might reject her; but at last she was persuaded.

Messalina, non amore in maritum, sed verita ne silius summa adeptus se sperneret, diu haesitavit; set tandem persuasum.

For she desired the name of marriage because of the magnitude of her outrageousness.

nomen enim matrimonii concupivit ob magnitudinem infamiae.

waiting only until Claudius set out for Ostia for the purpose of sacrificing, she celebrated all the ceremonies of marriage.

nec ultra morata quam dum sacrificii gratia Claudius Ostiam proficisceretur, cuncta nuptiarum sollemnia clebrat.