Messalina Lines 48-70

atque interim, tribus omnino comitantibus - tam repens erat solitudo -

And meanwhile, with only three attendants - so sudden was her solitude -

postquam per urbem pedibus ivit, vehiculo, quo purgamenta hortorum eripiuntur, Ostiensem viam intrat.

after she went through the city on foot, she got onto the road to Ostia in a cart, in which garden rubbish was being removed.

nullam miscericordiam civibus commovit quia flagitiorum deformitas praevalebat.

She aroused no pity from the citizens because the appalling nature of her scandals prevailed.

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

And now she was in the sight of Claudius and kept on shouting that he should listen to the mother of Britannicus and Octavia.

Narcissus tamen obstrepuit, Silium et nuptias referens; simul condicillos libidinum indices tradidit, quibus visus Caesaris averteret.

Narcissus however shouted her down, reminding him of Silius and the wedding; at the same time he handed over notebooks as proof of her lustful behavior, with which he might turn away the emperor’s attention.

nec multo post urbem ingredienti offerebantur liberi, sed Narcissus amoveri eos iussit.

And not much later, his children were being offered to him as he was entering the city, but Narcissus ordered them to be removed.

mirum inter haec silentium Claudii; omnia liberto oboediebat; qui contionem militum in castris paravit.

Throughout these things there was a strange silence in Claudius; he was obeying his freedman in everything; it was he who prepared the assembly of soldiers in the camp.

apud eos praemonente Narcisso princeps pauca verba fecit: continuus dehinc clamor militum nomina reorum et poenas flagitantium.

With Narcissus forewarning them, the emperor said a few words in their presence: from then on there was continuous shouting of the soldiers, demanding the names of the guilty and their punishments.

ductus Silius ad tribunal non defensionem, non moras temptavit, sed precatus est ut mors acceleraretur.

Silius, having been led to the platform, attempted no defense, no delaying tactics, but he prayed that his death might be hastened.

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

Meanwhile, Messalina was prolonging her life in the Gardens of Lucullus, she was composing 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, vertisset pernicies in accusatorem.

And if Narcissus had not hastened her execution, ruin may well have turned upon her accuser.