Brutus, or On Eminent Orators Passage 260

inquit Brutus; aut quis est iste C. Rusius? Et ille: Fuit accusator, inquit, vetus, quo accusante C. Hirtilium Sisenna defendens dixit quaedam eius sputatilica esse crimina. tum C. Rusius: Circumvenior, inquit, iudices, nisi subvenitis. Sisenna quid dicat nescio; metuo insidias. Sputatilica, quid est hoc? sputa quid sit scio, tilica nescio. Maximi risus; sed ille tamen familiaris meus recte loqui putabat esse inusitate loqui.

asked Brutus. “And who is this Gaius Rusius?” “He was an old-time prosecutor,” Atticus replied. “When he was prosecuting Gaius Hirtilius, Sisenna, in the defense, called some of the charges against him ‘spittleworthy.’ Then Gaius Rusius said: ‘Judges, I am being ensnared unless you come to my aid. I do not know what Sisenna is saying; I fear an ambush. “Spittleworthy,” what is that? I know what “spittle” means, but I do not know “worthy.”’ There was tremendous laughter. Yet that friend of mine still thought that speaking correctly meant speaking unusually.”

demanda Brutus. « Et qui est ce C. Rusius ? » Atticus répondit : « Ce fut un ancien accusateur. Comme il accusait C. Hirtilius, Sisenna, qui défendait celui-ci, déclara que certains de ses griefs étaient sputatilica. Alors C. Rusius s’écria : “On me tend un piège, juges, si vous ne venez à mon secours. Je ne comprends pas ce que dit Sisenna ; je crains une embûche. Sputatilica, qu’est-ce donc ? Je sais ce qu’est sputa, mais tilica, je l’ignore.” On éclata de rire. Pourtant, cet ami que j’avais croyait que parler correctement, c’était parler d’une manière inusitée. »