Messalina

Messalina burned with a new and almost mad love.

Messalina novo et quasi insano amore incensa est.

For she had been so inflamed with love for Gaius Silius, the most handsome of Roman youth,

nam in

C. Silium, iuventutis Romanae pulcherrimum, ita exarserat

that she drove Junia Silana, a noble woman, out of marriage with him

ut Iuniam Silanam, nobilem feminam, matrimonio eius

and had an adulterer who was unencumbered.

exturbaret liberoque adultero potiretur.

Nor was Silius unaware of the scandal or danger:

neque Silius flagitii

aut periculi nescius erat:

but he understood that, if he refused, death would be certain

sed intellexit exitium, si abnueret,

fore certum et,

and, if he agreed, there was some hope of hiding the crime;

si consentiret, nonnullam facinoris celandi

spem esse;

and at the same time he would receive great rewards.

simulque se magna praemia accepturum.

Therefore he decided to ignore the future and enjoy the present.

igitur

placuit neglegere futura praesentibus frui.

She came repeatedly to his house, not secretly but with many companions,

illa non furtim

sed multis cum comitibus ventitat domum,

she is always with him when he goes out,

egredienti adhaeret,

she gives him money and honours;

dat opes honoresque;

finally the slaves, freedmen, belongings of the emperor were often seen at the house of her lover.

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

But Claudius was unaware of the state of his marriage.

at Claudius matrimonii sui erat ignarus.

Now Messalina, because of the ease of her adultery, turned to new pleasures.

iam Messalina propter facilitatem adulteriorum ad novas libidines versa est.

Silius, whether because of predestined madness

Silius, sive fatali insania

or thinking that dangers themselves were a cure for the threatening dangers,

an ipsa pericula remedium imminentium periculorum ratus,

was insisting that concealment be thrown off:

abrumpi dissimulationem urgebat:

indeed it was not necessary to wait for the emperor to grow old.

quippe non exspectandum, dum princeps senesceret.

He himself was unmarried, childless and prepared for marriage, and to adopt Britannicus.

se caelibem, orbum, nuptiis et adoptando Britannico paratum.

The same power would remain for Messalina,

eandem Messalinae potentiam mansuram esse,

with added security, if they forestalled Claudius,

addita securitate, si praevenirent Claudium,

who was not suspicious of a plot but was quick to anger.

qui insidiis incautus sed ad iram celer esset.

Messalina, not because of love for her husband,

Messalina, non amore in maritum

but fearing that Silius, having obtained supreme power, might reject her,

sed verita ne Silius summa adeptus se sperneret,

hesitated for a long time.

diu haesitavit;

But finally she was persuaded.

sed tandem persuasum.

For she longed for the name of marriage, because of the magnitude of its outrageousness.

nomen enim matrimonii concupivit ob magnitudinem infamiae.

Having waited only enough for Claudius to set out to Ostia to make a sacrifice,

nec ultra morata quam dum sacrificii gratia Claudius Ostiam proficisceretur,

she celebrates all the ceremonies of marriage.

cuncta nuptiarum sollemnia celebrat.

igitur domus principis inhorruit,

Therefore the household of the emperor shuddered,

maximeque ei qui potentiam habebant timuerunt ne res verterentur:

and most of all those who held power feared that the government might be overthrown.

spem tamen habebant,

However they had hope that,

si Claudio de atrocitate sceleris persuasissent,

if they persuaded Claudius of the enormity of the crime,

Messalinam posse opprimi sine quaestione damnatam;

Messalina might be able to be crushed, by being condemned without trial.

sed periculum esse ne ille defensionem audiret,

But they thought that there was a danger that he might listen to her defence,

neve clausae aures etiam confitenti non essent.

and that his ears might not be closed to Messalina even if she confessed.

Narcissus, occasiones quaerens,

Narcissus, looking for opportunities,

cum Caesar diu apud Ostiam moraretur,

while Claudius delayed for a long time at Ostia,

duas eius paelices largitione et promissis perpulit delationem subire.

prevailed upon two of his courtesans with bribery and promises to undertake the accusation.

exim Calpurnia (id alteri paelici nomen),

Then Calpurnia (that was the name of one courtesan),

ubi datum est secretum,

when a private interview was given,

ad genua Caesaris provoluta nupsisse Messalinam Silio exclamat;

having fallen down at the knees of Claudius, exclaims that Messalina has married Silius.

altera paelice haec confirmante,

With the other courtesan confirming these things,

Calpurnia cieri Narcissum postulat.

Calpurnia demands that Narcissus be summoned.

qui 'discidiumne tuum' inquit 'novisti?

He said 'Do you know about your divorce?

nam matrimonium Silii vidit populus et senatus et milites;

For the people and the senate and the soldiers have seen Silius' marriage;

ac nisi celeriter agis, tenet urbem maritus.'

and unless you act quickly, her husband holds the city.'

Meanwhile, not only rumour, but messengers from all directions hurry to Messalina

non solum rumor interea, sed undique nuntii ad Messalinam contendunt,

to report that Claudius had found out everything

qui Claudium omnia cognovisse

and was coming ready for revenge.

et venire promptum ultioni adferrent.

Therefore they separate, Messalina to the Gardens of Lucullus, Silius, to disguise his fear, to the forum.

igitur Messalina Lucullianos in hortos, Silius dissimulando metui ad forum digrediuntur.

She, however, although the disaster prevented planning,

illa tamen, quamquam res adversae consilium eximerent,

immediately decided to go to meet and to be seen by her husband

ire obviam et aspici a marito statim constituit,

- a ploy which had often been a life-saver for her -

quod saepe ei fuerat subsidium;

and she sent orders that Britannicus and Octavia should go to the arms of their father.

misitque ut Britannicus et Octavia in complexum patris irent.

And meanwhile, with three companions in total

atque interim, tribus omnino comitantibus

- so sudden was her desertion -

- tam repens erat solitudo -

after she went through the city on foot,

postquam per urbem pedibus ivit,

in a cart in which garden-refuse is removed, she takes the road to Ostia.

vehiculo, quo purgamenta hortorum eripiuntur, Ostiensem viam intrat.

She aroused no pity from the citizens, because the appalling nature of the scandals carried more weight.

nullam misericordiam civibus commovit quia flagitiorum deformitas praevalebat.

And now she was in Claudius' sight and shouting repeatedly that he listen to the mother of Octavia and Britannicus.

et iam erat in aspectu Claudii clamitabatque ut audiret Octaviae et Britannici matrem.

Narcissus, however, shouted her down, recalling Silius and their marriage.

Narcissus tamen obstrepuit, Silium et nuptias referens;

At the same time he handed over notebooks as proof of her debauchery,

simul codicillos libidinum indices tradidit,

with which to distract the attention of Claudius.

quibus visus Caesaris averteret.

Not long afterwards his children were presented to him as he was entering Rome,

nec multo post urbem ingredienti offerebantur liberi,

but Narcissus ordered them to be removed.

sed Narcissus amoveri eos iussit.

Amidst all of this, Claudius' silence was remarkable:

mirum inter haec silentium Claudii:

he obeyed his freedman in everything;

omnia liberto oboediebat;

it was his freedman who arranged for an assembly of the troops in their headquarters.

qui contionem militum in castris paravit.

Among them, with Narcissus forewarning the emperor, the emperor said a few words.

apud eos praemonente Narcisso princeps pauca verba fecit:

Thereafter, there was continuous uproar among the soldiers, demanding the names of the guilty and their punishments.

continuus dehinc clamor militum nomina reorum et poenas flagitantium.

Silius, led onto the platform, attempted no defence, no delay,

ductus Silius ad tribunal non defensionem, non moras temptavit,

but instead prayed that his death might be quick.

sed precatus est ut mors acceleraretur.

Meanwhile Messalina prolonged her life in the Gardens of Lucullus and composed prayers, with some hope and anger:

interim Messalina Lucullianis in hortis prolatare vitam, componere preces, nonnulla spe et ira:

such great arrogance even then was she displaying.

tantam superbiam etiam tum gerebat.

And if Narcissus had not sped up her execution, she would have turned the ruin on her accuser.

ac nisi caedem eius Narcissus properavisset, vertisset pernicies in accusatorem.

For Claudius, having returned home, when he had relaxed with dinner and wine,

nam Claudius domum regressus, ubi cena vinoque incaluit,

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

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

When Narcissus heard this and saw that Claudius' anger was weakening and his love returning,

quod ubi Narcissus audivit et languescere iram redire amorem vidit,

he feared, if he delayed, the approaching night and the memory of the marriage-bed.

timebat, si moraretur, propinquam noctem et uxorii cubiculi memoriam;

Therefore he rushes out and orders the centurions and a tribune who was present to carry out the execution:

igitur prorumpit denuntiatque centurionibus et tribuno, qui aderat, exsequi caedem:

"Thus the emperor orders."

ita imperatorem iubere.

missus quoque unus e libertis:

One of the freedmen was also sent.

is raptim in hortos praegressus repperit Messalinam, humi fusam;

He, having gone on ahead hurriedly into the gardens, found Messalina, sprawled on the ground.

adsidebat mater Lepida,

Sitting beside her was her mother Lepida,

quae florenti filiae haud concors fuerat;

who had not been on friendly terms with her daughter while she prospered,

sed supremis eius necessitatibus ad misericordiam versa suadebat ne percussorem opperiretur:

but having turned to pity at her final hour of need, was persuading her not to await the executioner:

transiisse vitam neque aliud quam mortem decoram quaerendum.

her life had finished and nothing other than a decent death should be sought.

sed nihil honestum inerat Messalinae animo, per libidines corrupto;

But nothing honourable was in Messalina's mind, corrupted by lust.

lacrimae et questus inriti effundebantur,

Tears and useless complaints were pouring out,

cum impetu venientium pulsae sunt fores adstititque tribunus.

when the doors were broken down by the force of those coming and the tribune stood there.

tunc primum Messalina fortunam suam intellexit ferrumque accepit;

Then for the first time Messalina realised her misfortune and accepted the sword.

quod frustra iugulo aut pectori per trepidationem admovens,

While applying it ineffectively, on account of her trembling, to her throat and chest,

ictu tribuni transigitur.

she is stabbed by a blow from the tribune.

corpus matri concessum est.

Her body was handed over to her mother.

You did it!!!