COTTA.
Noble Sejanus!
HATERIUS.
Honour’d Sejanus!
LATIARIS.
Worthy and great Sejanus!
ARRUNTIUS.
Gods! how the sponges open and take in,
And shut again! look, look! is not he blest
That gets a seat in eye-reach of him? more,
That comes in ear, or tongue-reach? O but most,
Can claw his subtle elbow, or with a buz
Fly-blow his ears?
PRÆTOR.
Proclaim the senate’s peace,
And give last summons by the edict.
PRÆCONES.
Silence!
In name of Cæsar, and the senate, silence!
Memmius Regulus, and Fulcinius Trio, consuls, these present kalends of June, with the first light, shall hold a senate, in the temple of Apollo Palatine: all that are fathers, and are registered fathers that have right of entering the senate, we warn or command you be frequently present, take knowledge the business is the commonwealth’s: whosoever is absent, his fine or mulct will be taken, his excuse will not be taken.
TRIO.
Note who are absent, and record their names.
REGULUS.
Fathers conscript, may what I am to utter
Turn good and happy for the commonwealth!
And thou, Apollo, in whose holy house
We here have met, inspire us all with truth,
And liberty of censure to our thought!
The majesty of great Tiberius Cæsar
Propounds to this grave senate, the bestowing
Upon the man he loves, honour’d Sejanus,
The tribunitial dignity and power:
Here are his letters, signed with his signet.
What pleaseth now the fathers to be done?
SENATORS.
Read, read them, open, publicly read them.