Philippics Passage 73

plus ille poterat. itaque excussis tuis vocibus et ad te et ad praedes tuos milites misit, cum repente a te praeclara illa tabula prolata est . qui risus hominum , tantam esse tabulam, tam varias, tam multas possessiones, ex quibus praeter partem Miseni nihil erat quod is qui auctionaretur posset suum dicere. auctionis vero miserabilis aspectus: vestis Pompei non multa eaque maculosa; eiusdem quaedam argentea vasa conlisa, sordidata mancipia, ut doleremus quicquam esse ex illis reliquiis quod videre possemus.

He was the stronger. So, disregarding your protests, he sent soldiers against you and your sureties. Then suddenly you produced that splendid auction catalogue. How people laughed that the catalogue was so extensive and contained so many varied properties, though apart from the share at Misenum there was nothing that the auctioneer could call his own. The spectacle of the auction itself was pitiable: a small quantity of Pompeius's clothing, and that stained; some battered silver vessels of his; and filthy slaves, so that we grieved that anything remained among those relics for us to see.

Il était le plus fort. Aussi, après avoir rejeté tes protestations, il envoya des soldats contre toi et tes garants. C’est alors que tu produisis soudain ce magnifique registre. Quels éclats de rire, en voyant un registre si considérable, des possessions si nombreuses et si diverses, parmi lesquelles, hormis une partie du domaine de Misène, rien n’appartenait à celui qui organisait la vente! Quel spectacle lamentable que cet encan: quelques vêtements de Pompée, tachés de surcroît; quelques pièces d’argenterie du même homme, bosselées; des esclaves crasseux, au point de nous faire souffrir qu’il restât de ces reliques quelque chose que nous pussions voir.