Plutarch, Cicero, 28

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[1] ἐκ τούτων ἐγίνετο πολλοῖς ἐπαχθής· καὶ οἱ μετὰ Κλωδίου συνέστησαν ἐπʼ αὐτόν ἀρχὴν τοιαύτην λαβόντες. ἦν Κλώδιος ἀνὴρ εὐγενής, τῇ μὲν ἡλικίᾳ νέος, τῷ δὲ φρονήματι θρασὺς καὶ αὐθάδης, οὗτος ἐρῶν Πομπηίας τῆς Καίσαρος γυναικός εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ παρεισῆλθε κρύφα, λαβὼν ἐσθῆτα καὶ σκευὴν ψαλτρίας· ἔθυον γὰρ αἱ γυναῖκες τὴν ἀπόρρητον ἐκείνην καὶ ἀθέατον ἀνδράσι θυσίαν ἐν τῇ τοῦ Καίσαρος οἰκίᾳ, καὶ παρῆν ἀνὴρ οὐδείς·

[2] ἀλλὰ μειράκιον ὢν ἔτι καὶ μήπω γενειῶν ὁ Κλώδιος ἤλπιζε λήσεσθαι διαδὺς πρὸς τὴν Πομπηίαν μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν, ὡς δʼ εἰσῆλθε νυκτὸς εἰς οἰκίαν μεγάλην, ἠπορεῖτο τῶν διόδων· καὶ πλανώμενον αὐτόν ἰδοῦσα Αὐρηλίας θεραπαινὶς τῆς Καίσαρος μητρός, ᾔτησεν ὄνομα, φθέγξασθαι δʼ ἀναγκασθέντος ἐκείνου καὶ φήσαντος ἀκόλουθον Πομπηίας ζητεῖν Ἄβραν τοὔνομα, συνεῖσα τὴν φωνὴν οὐ γυναικείαν οὖσαν ἀνέκραγε καὶ συνεκάλει τὰς γυναῖκας.

[3] αἱ δʼ ἀποκλείσασαι τὰς θύρας καὶ πάντα διερευνώμεναι λαμβάνουσι τὸν Κλώδιον εἰς οἴκημα παιδίσκης, ᾗ συνεισῆλθε, καταπεφευγότα. τοῦ δὲ πράγματος περιβοήτου γενομένου Καῖσάρ τε τὴν Πομπηΐαν ἀφῆκε καὶ δίκην¹ ἀσεβείας ἀπεγράψατο τῷ Κλωδίῳ.

Cicero. Plutarch. Cambridge, MA. 1919.

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Current edition Perseus

Κικέρων (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VII. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.)

Translations (1)

Cicero Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VII. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.) — 28 focus

[1] As a consequence of this he became odious to many; and besides, the partisans of Clodius combined against him on the following ground. Clodius was a man of noble birth, young in years, but bold and presumptuous in spirit. This man, being in love with Pompeia, Caesar’s wife, got into his house secretly, by assuming the dress and guise of a lute-player; for the women of Rome were celebrating in Caesar’s house that mysterious rite which men were not allowed to witness,¹ and no man was there;

[2] but being still a beardless youth Clodius hoped without being noticed to slip through to Pompeia along with the women. But since he got in at night and the house was large, he lost his way in the passages; and as he was wandering about, a maid of Aurelia, Caesar’s mother, caught sight of him and asked him his name. Being thus compelled to speak, he said that he was looking for an attendant of Pompeia named Abra, whereupon the maid, perceiving that his voice was not that of a woman, raised a cry and called the women together.

[3] These shut the doors, searched carefully all about, and found Clodius, who had taken refuge in the chamber of the girl with whom he came into the house. The affair having become noised abroad, Caesar divorced Pompeia and had an action for sacrilege brought against Clodius.

Notes on the current edition

Cicero

1. δίκην before this word Sintenis and Bekker assume a lacuna in the text, where once stood some such phrase as εἶς τῶν δημάρχων (Plutarch, Caesar, x. 5). So (substantially) Graux.

Plutarch Cicero 28

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