F. Bene est; Dignissima erat; cui semper plurimum tribui.
Good; she was a worthy lady; I always said so.
Falerni sume cyathum.
Have a glass of port.
S. Benigne dicis; dimidium:
You are very kind; half a glass;
bona venia uxoris tuae est mihi in animo
with the permission of your wife I am thinking of telling you
summas testamenti reddere;
the amounts in the will;
ad illam guoque pertinet.
it concerns her too.
(Testamenta allata resignat.)
(Opens the will he has brought.)
Post nonnulla famulis legata ita instituit:
After several bequests to servants, it states:
"Fratris filiae Mariae lego Persicam et Psittacum
To my brother's daughter Mary I leave the Persian and the Parrot,
quae animalia tantopere admirata est,
which animals she greatly admired,
certa fiducia se illis hospitium praebituram;
in the full confidence that she will provide a good home for them;
eidem etiam lego annulum meum gemmatum.
to her I also leave my diamond ring.
Nepoti ejusdem Mariae viro Georgio Fusco lego omne
To my niece Mary's husband George Black I leave
quod in hypogaeo superest vinum illud Falernum
all the wine that remains in my cellar because
quod semper laudabat."
he always praised it.
F. (In malam rem.)
(Black is unhappy.)
S. "Quod ad ceteras possessiones
As to my remaining possessions,
Georgius Fuscus heres esto ex asse:
let George Black inherit all:
(subridet Fuscus et uxori in aurem susurrat "ita ut dixi.")
(Black smiles and whispers in his wife's ear "as I said.")
S. (Conversa tabula)
(Turning the page)
"et rogo eum ut cum primum potuerit haereditatem adire,
"and I ask him to go to the inheritance as soon as possible,
omnibus et fundis et mobilibus venditis,
to sell both real property and chattel,
pecunias in cautionibus publica auctoritate factis
to deposit the money in a bank
collocet et fructus reddat nepoti mariti mei
and give the interest to my husband's nephew
Jacobo Albo et uxori suae in aetatem
John White and his wife for their lifetimes
aut utri eorum vita superarit:
or to whichever of them outlives the other:
eis mortuis ut inter liberos eorum caput dividat:
when they die, the capital is to be divided among their children:
aut liberis sine prole defunctis
or if their children die without offspring
caput reddat ad sodalitatem Anthropophagis Africanis
the capital goes to the African Cannibal Mission
informandis et nutriendis institutam:
established to educate and provide for them:
praemio sint fiduciario viginti in annum librae."
let the executor's pay be twenty pounds a year."
F. Anus odiosa et malefica!
Hateful and malicious old woman!
At enitar ut testamentum rescindatur;
I will try to overturn the will;
inofficiosi testamenti querelam instituam!
I will make a complaint about this useless will!
Delira fuit!
She was mad!
S. Immo mentis omnino compos fuit, Improbe:
On the contrary she was of completely sound mind, unworthy man:
sic summa fide clamabo et testabor.
I will affirm and witness to this.
Verba tua pro tempore et re indecora.
Your words are spontaneous and unfitting.
Tui piget me: evado.
I am ashamed of you: I shun you.
F. Maria!
Mary!