The optio is walking through the camp. He meets Strythio who has already returned to camp.

heus, Strythio! hc ven! tibi aliquid dcere vol.

(Hey, Strythio! Come here! I want to say something to you.)

Strythio: nl m vexre! occuptus sum. Modestum quaer, quod puella eum exspectat. hercle! puellam pulchrirem
numquam vidi. vx eius est suvissima; ocul eius...........

(Don't bother me! I am busy. I am looking for Modestus, because a girl is waiting for him. By Hercules! I have never seen
a more beautiful girl. Her voice is very sweet; her eyes ....)

Opt: m Strythi, quamquam occuptissimus es, dbs maxim cum dligenti m audre. centurine nostr missus
sum. centuri t iubet ad carcerem statim festnre.

(My dear Strythio, even if you are very busy, you have to listen very carefully to me. I have been sent by our centurion.
The centurion commands you to hurry to the prison immediately.)

Str: insnit centuri! innocns sum.

(The centurion is crazy! I am innocent.)

Opt: tac ! centuri Modestum quoque iussit ad carcerem festnre.

(Shut up? The centurion also commands Modestus to hurry to the prison.)

Stryth: des tests faci. innocents sumus. nullum facinus commisimus.

(I call upon the gods as witnesses. We are innocent. We didn't commit any crime.)

Opt: caudex ! tac ! difficile est rem tibi explicre ! Valerius, centuri noster, vs ambs carcerem custodre iussit.

(Blockhead! Shut up! It is hard to explain the matter to you! Valerius, our centurion, is commanding you two to guard
the prison.)

Stry: nl m vituperre! rem nunc intelleg! Valerius ns vult custds carceris esse. decrum est Valeri ns ligere,
quod fortissim sumus. ego et Modestus, cum in fric mlitrmus, sl ttam prvinciam custdibmus.

(Don't yell at me! I understand the matter now! Valerius wants us to be prison guards. It is proper for Valerius to choose
us, because we are very brave. Modestus and I, when we were fighting in Africa, guarded the whole province all by
ourselves.)

Opt: quamquam fortissim estis, dligentiam quoque maximam praestre dbtis. nam inter captvs est Vercobrix,
iuvenis magnae dignittis, cuius pater est prnceps Deceanglrum. necesse est vbs Vercobrigem dligentissim
custdre.

(Although you are very brave, you will also need to be extremely watchful. For one of the captives is Vercobrix, a young
man of great worth, whose father is a prince of the Deceangli. It is necessary for you to guard Vercobrix very carefully.)

Stry: nl anxius esse, m opti. nbs nihil difficile est, quod fortissim sumus, ut ante dx. t red ad Valerium. dc
Valeri haec omnia verba. nl quicquam omittere! 'Strythi, mles leginis secundae, Valeri, centurin leginis
secundae, saltem plrimam dcit. opti, t missus, mandta tua nbs tulit. ns mandts tus parents, ad statinem
prcdimus.'

(Don't worry, Optio. Nothing is hard for us, because we are very brave, as I said before. Go back to Valerius. Tell Valerius
all these words. Don't leave out any of them! "Strythio, a soldier of the second legion, salutes Valerius, a centurion of
the second legion. The optio, sent by you, carried your commands to us. In obedience to your commands, we are
proceeding to our station.")

(They leave. The optio is looking for the centurion, and Strythio is looking for his friend.)