Seneca, Octavia, lines 430-450
Tier 2
Seneca: diu vitia collecta per tot aestates redundant in nos: premimur gravi saeculo, quō scelera regnant, furēns impietās saevit, potens libido dominatur turpī Venere. Luxuria, victrix, rapit immensās opēs orbis iam prīdem avarīs manibus ut perdat.
sed ecce! Nerō fertur attonitō gressū et vultū trucī. quid ferat, horreō mente.
Nero: peragē imperata! mitte quī referat mihi abscisum caput Plautī Sullaeque caesī!
Praefectus: haud morābor iussa. petam castra confestim!
Se: decet constituī nihil temerē in propinquōs.
Ne: est facile esse iustō cuī pectus vacat metū.
Se: clementia est magnum remedium timoris.
Ne: extinguere hostem est maxima virtus ducis.
Se: servāre cīvēs est maior patrī patriae.
Ne: praecipere mitem senem convenit puerīs.
Se: fervida adolescentia regenda est magis.
Ne: reor in hāc aetate esse satis consiliī.
Se: ut superī (deī) semper comprobent tua facta.
Ne: verebor deōs stulte, cum ipse faciam (aliquid).
Tier 3
- Seneca: collecta vitia per tot aetates diu
- in nos redundant: saeculo premimur gravi,
- quo scelera regnant, saeuit impietas furens,
- turpi libido Venere dominatur potens,
- luxuria victrix orbis immensas opes
- iam pridem avaris manibus, ut perdat, rapit.
- sed ecce, gressu fertur attonito Nero
- trucique vultu. quid ferat mente horreo.
- Nero: perage imperata: mitte, qui Plauti mihi
- Sullaeque caesi referat abscisum caput.
- Praefectvs: iussa haud morabor: castra confestim petam.
- Se: nihil in propinquos temere constitui decet.
- Ne: iusto esse facile est cui vacat pectus metu.
- Se: magnum timoris remedium clementia est.
- Ne: extinguere hostem maxima est virtus ducis.
- Se: servare cives maior est patriae patri.
- Ne: praecipere mitem convenit pueris senem.
- Se: regenda magis est fervida adolescentia.
- Ne: aetate in hac satis esse consilii reor.
- Se: ut facta superi comprobent semper tua.
- Ne: stulte verebor, ipse cum faciam, deos.
Operatives, examine at the following sets of words:
| cēna | dinner | cēnula | little dinner |
| puer | boy | puerulus | little boy |
| puella | girl | puellula | little girl |
| lapis | stone | lapillus | little stone |
The words in the left hand column you should recognize as normal nouns. The words in the right hand column are what we call diminutives. Diminutives are simply words which denote a smaller version of main noun. Notice that this diminution is achieved by taking off the nominative singular ending from the main noun and adding either -ul or -lul + us, a, um. Once again, the important thing here is not so much that you will be asked to form diminutives, but that you are able to recognize them in print.
Here are some common diminutives and their main nouns:
| nāvis | ship | nāvicula | little ship |
| fābula | story | fābella | little story |
| gladius | sword | gladiōlus | little sword |
| homō | man | homunculus | little man |
| servus | slave | servulus | little slave |
| fīlia | daughter | fīliōla | little daughter |
| liber | book | libellus | little book |
| calx | stone | calculus | pebble |
| granum | grain | granulum | small grain, granule |
Well, things have taken an interesting turn, operatives. We can't quite make sense of what Salvia is getting at here. All of our internal data suggests that she was a creation of the TSTT in the internal simulation, not an independent AI, although she certainly is acting as if she is one. We suggest that you play along with her line of questioning and think about the nature of the LAPIS, especially in light of the plot against Nero, his Domus Aurea, and everything that has led up to this point. Is it possible that Nero did have possession of the LAPIS but did not understand it's true nature?
It may be worth considering what replaced the Domus Aurea after Nero's reign ended.