SOMNIUM SCIPIONIS
- Cicero De Re Publica (54-51 B.C.)


12) Hic tu, Africane, ostendas (pres sbj) oportebit (fut ind) patriae lumen animi, ingenii consiliique tui.
"In this situation it will be your duty to make available to your fatherland the light of your mind, your genius and your wisdom.

sed eius temporis ancipitem video (pres ind) quasi fatorum viam.
Even now I see for you a somewhat uncertain fateful path.

nam cum aetas tua septenos octiens solis anfractus reditusque converterit (ftpf ind) ,
In the course of your years the sun shall have completed seven times eight turns and returns

duoque ii numeri,
and when these two numbers

(quorum uterque plenus alter altera de causa habetur (pres ind pass) ,
each of which is perfect but for different reasons)

circuitu naturali summam tibi fatalem confecerint (ftpf ind) ,)
have completed in the circuit of nature the sum of years fated for you

in te unum atque in tuum nomen se tota convertet (fut ind) civitas,
then the whole state will turn to you and to you alone and to your name.

te senatus, te omnes boni, te socii, te Latini intuebuntur (fut ind dep) , tu eris (fut ind) unus, in quo nitatur (pres sbj dep) civitatis salus,
The Senate, all good men, all the allies and all the Latins will look to you and you will be the one man on whom the security of the state will depend.

ac, ne multa, dictator rem publicam constituas (pres sbj) oportet (pres ind impersonal) ,
Indeed it will be proper at that time for you as Dictator to restore the Republic

si impias propinquorum manus effugeris (ftpf ind) .
but only if you can avoid the sacrilegious hands of those close to you."

Hic cum exclamasset (plupf sbj) Laelius ingemuissentque (plupf sbj) vehementius ceteri,
At this point Laelius cried out and the others groaned aloud

leniter arridens (part pres) Scipio, "St! quaeso (pres ind defect) ," inquit (pres/pf ind defect)
but Scipio himself laughed lightly and said: "Shush, I beg you.

"ne me e somno excitetis (pres sbj) , et parumper audite (imperative) cetera."
Do not wake me from my dream but listen to the rest for just a little while."