Virgil, Aeneid 4.1-12
at rēgīna gravī iamdūdum saucia cūrā
vulnus alit vēnīs et caecō carpitur īgne.
multa virī virtus animō multusque recursat
gentis honōs; haerent īnfīxī pectore vultūs
verbaque nec placidam membrīs dat cūra quiētem.
postera Phoebeā lustrābat lampade terrās
ūmentemque Aurōra polō dīmōverat umbram,
cum sīc ūnanimam adloquitur male sāna sorōrem:
'Anna soror, quae mē suspēnsam insomnia terrent!
quis novus hic nostris successit sēdibus hospēs, 10
quem sēsē ōre ferēns, quam fortī pectore et armis!
crēdō equidem, nec vāna fidēs, genus esse deōrum.
Operatives, you have seen positive purpose clauses in the past. They use ut as a conjunction. Look at the following example:
Recentiī ad Aegyptium iērunt ut Lapidem quaererent.
The Recentii went to Egypt in order that they might search for the Lapis.
Or, in more fluid English:
The Recentii went to Egypt to search for the Lapis.
To make a negative purpose clause, simply use the conjunction nē instead of ut.
Augustus Lapidem cēlāvit nē hostēs eum invenīret.
Augustus hid the Lapis so that the enemies would not find it.
| adnuō, adnuere, adnuī, - | to nod, to make a sign, to give assent | verb |
| anhēlō, anhēlāre, anhēlāvī, anhēlātus | to exhale, to breathe out, to gasp | verb |
| caecus, caeca, caecum | blind, obscured | adjective |
| dēsuper | from above | adverb |
| dissimilis, dissimile | unlike, dissimilar | adjective |
| lābor, lābī, lapsus sum | to glide, slip, sink | verb |
| mundus, -ī - m | world | noun |
| obrēpō, obrēpere, obrēpsī, obrēptus | to creep up to, to approach stealthily | verb |
| paulus, paula, paulum | a little | adjective |
| quālis, quāle | of what sort? of what kind? | adjective |
| realitas, realitatis - f | reality | noun |
| sīcārius, sīcāria, sīcārium | murderous, (as a substantive adjective - assassin) | adjective |
| somnium, somniiī - n | a dream | noun |
| trabs, trabis - f | beam, timber, rafter | noun |
| tremō, tremere, tremuī, - | to shake, to tremble | verb |
Episode A
Well this is a shocking turn of events, operatives. We're not exactly sure why Salvia would appear in the marginalia of a scroll of book 4 of the Aeneid inside Gaius Maecenas' house in Rome. Could this be on account of the strange dream you encountered while with the witch in the Subura? We did pick up some artefacts inside of the transmission when you returned to Maecenas' house in the exemplum with Secundus. Maybe those have altered the present recreation? In any case, it would be very beneficial for you to think about who could have possibly written those words in the marginalia and what motivation they would have for doing so. There are quite a few potential solutions to this puzzle.
Episode B
Sīcāriī! Homicide was not uncommon in the ancient world, especially in a city as large as Rome. It is clear that whoever is behind this, they don't want Gaius Recentius in the picture any longer. Our advice is to do what you must to protect yourselves and, more importantly, Gaius and the family home.