Messalina lines 79-89: "Messalina is killed by the tribune"

For my own revision GCSE OCR 2025

adsidebat mater Lepida, quae florenti filiae haud concors fuerat;

Sitting beside her was her mother Lepida, who had not been in harmony with her daughter when she was flourishing,

sed supremis eius necessitatibuus ad miserationem versa suadebat ne percussorem opperiretur.

but in her final (hours of) need, having turned to pity, she advised her not to wait for an assassin.

transiisse vitam neque aliud quam mortem decoram quaerendum.

her life was past, and she should not seek anything other than a noble death.

sed nihil honestum inerat Messalinae animo, per libidines corrupto;

But there was nothing honourable in Messalina’s mind, which was corrupted by her lusts;

lacrimae et questus inriti effundebantur, cum impetu venientium pulsae sunt fores adstititque tribunus.

tears and futile complaints were pouring forth, when the doors were struck by the force of those arriving and the tribune stood nearby.

tunc primum Messalina fortunam suam intellexit ferrumque accepit;

Then for the first time Messalina recognised her fate and took up the sword;

quod frustra ingulo aut pectori per trepidationem admovens, ictu tribuni transigitur.

applying this in vain to her throat or chest because of her panic, she was pierced by the tribune’s blow.

corpus matri concessum.

The body was granted to the mother.