DI: Lesson - Reading Passage, Story Summary

Story Summary

As we continue reading the story Caedes Intellecta, it is important to remind ourselves of what has happened previously and the events that we can expect to read about in the upcoming chapter. So, let's review and get ready for the next part of the story!

The image depicts a papyrus scroll from the 3rd century BCE. 

Story Notes

While Pseudolus was busy considering his next move, Tiberius went to his mother's house. The report from the slave at the funeral had shaken Tiberius deeply. Tiberius was still quite young, at only 19, but was already emerging as a great soldier, even if he was not the most clever. He had been to Spain with Augustus and Marcellus and had performed admirably in battle, even leading a small group of young recruits. While some considered that he should be jealous of Marcellus, he had enjoyed a friendship with the clever young man and had even given him a Spanish sword as a gift. What did these rumors of murder mean for him and his mother?

Pseudolus, as soon as Selene left, decided to send a message to Maecenas, but he knew the message needed to be discreet, so he kept specifics out. As he waited for a response from his powerful ally, he researched poisons and poisoning. He discovered a rich history of this method of assassination. It was often considered a method of murder only used by women, as it did not involve any physical violence - the Roman view of women did not accommodate a strong physical presence for women. He read intricate stories of terrible poisons and those women who had wielded them. And then there were the more recent accounts - who were the famous poisoners of his age, he wondered.  

Maecenas received Pseudolus' message and immediately understood its implications. As he reflected on Pseudolus' note, it occurred to him that it was not uncommon for poisoning to be used as a tool to remove possible heirs. He hastily crafted a response, hidden in a poem, trusting Pseudolus to be as clever as advertised. No sooner had he sent the message than a slave from Livia's household came to him, requesting his presence the next day. Maecenas left careful instructions with his trusted slave, Anna, and prepared for what was to come next.