GCSE Prose Set Text - Arria (3.2)

deinde apud Claudium

Then, in the presence of Claudius

inquit ... uxori Scriboniani

she said to the wife of Scribonianus

cum illa profiteretur indicium

when she (the wife) was volunteering evidence against her husband's associates

'egone te audiam

Am I to listen to you (sg.)

cuius in gremio Scribonianus occisus est

in whose lap Scribonianus died

et vivis?

and you (sg.) lived / live?

ex quo manifestum est

From this it was clear that

ei consilium pulcherrimae mortis

her plan of a very beautiful death

non subitum fuisse

was not impulsive

quin etiam, cum Thrasea gener eius deprecaretur

Indeed, when Thrasea Paetus, her son-in-law, was begging her

ne mori pergeret

not to carry out her resolve to die

interque alia dixisset

and amongst other things he had said

'vis ergo filiam tuam,'

Therefore do you (sg.) want your daughter

mori mecum

to die with me

si mihi pereundum fuerit?

if I had to die?

respondit: 'si ... vixerit

She replied: "If she shall have lived

tam diu tantaque concordia tecum

for so long a time and with such great harmony with you (sg.)

quam ego cum Paeto, volo.'

as I (did) with Paetus, I (would) want it.

hoc responso

With this response

auxerat ... curam suorum

she had increased the concern of her household

diligentius custodiebatur

she began to be guarded more carefully

hoc sensit

she noticed this

et ... inquit

and she said

'nihil agitis

You (pl.) will achieve nothing

potestis enim efficere

For you (pl.) are able to effect

ut male moriar

that I die badly

ut non moriar

that I do not die

non potestis (efficere).'

you (pl.) are not able to effect.

dum haec dicit

While she said these things

exsiluit e sede

she leapt up from her seat

-que ... caput ... impegit

and she dashed her head

adverso(que) muro

against the opposite wall

ingenti impetu

with a huge force

et decidit.

and she fell down.

focilata, ... inquit

Having been revived, she said

'dixeram vobis me inventuram esse

I had said to you (pl.) that I would find

ad mortem viam

a way to death

quamlibet duram

no matter how harsh

si vos (viam) facilem negavissetis,.'

if you (pl.) denied an easy way to death.

vale.

Farewell.