[
71]
Trimalchio cheered up at this dispute and
said,“Ah, my friends, a slave is a man and drank his mother's milk like
ourselves, even if cruel fate has trodden him down. Yes, and if I live they
shall soon taste the water of freedom. In fact I am setting them all free in my
will. I am leaving a property and his good woman to Philargyrus as well, and to
Cario a block of buildings, and his manumission fees, and a bed and bedding. I
am making Fortunata my heir, and I recommend her to all my friends. I am making
all this known so that my slaves may love me now as it I were dead.” They
all began to thank their master for his kindness, when he turned serious, and had a
copy of the will brought in, which he read aloud from beginning to end, while the
slaves moaned and groaned. Then he looked at Habinnas and said, “Now tell me,
my dear friend: you will erect a monument as I have directed? I beg you
earnestly to put up round the feet of my statue my little dog, and some wreaths,
and bottles of perfume, and all the fights of Petraites,
1
[p. 139] so that your kindness may bring me a life after death; and I
want the monument to have a frontage of one hundred feet and to be two hundred
feet in depth. For I should like to have all kinds of fruit growing round my
ashes, and plenty of vines. It is quite wrong for a man to decorate his house
while he is alive, and not to trouble about the house where he must make a
longer stay. So above all things I want added to the inscription, 'This monument
is not to descend to my heir.' I shall certainly take care to provide in my will
against any injury being done to me when I am dead. I am appointing one of the
freedmen to be caretaker of the tomb and prevent the common people from running
up and defiling it. I beg you to put ships in full sail on the monument, and me
sitting in official robes on my official seat, wearing five gold rings and
distributing coin publicly out of a bag;
2 you remember that I gave a free dinner worth two denarii a
head. I should like a dining-room table put in too, if you can arrange it. And
let me have the whole people there enjoying themselves. On my right hand put a
statue of dear Fortunata holding a dove, and let her be leading a little dog
with a waistband on; and my dear little boy, and big jars sealed with gypsum, so
that the wine may not run out. And have a broken urn carved with a boy weeping
over it. And a sundial in the middle, so that anyone who looks at the time will
read my name whether he likes it or
[p. 141] not. And again, please think
carefully whether this in scription seems to you quite appropriate: 'Here lieth
Caius Pompeius Trimalchio, freedman of Maecenas.
3 The degree of Priest of Augustus was conferred upon him in his
absence. He might have been attendant on any magistrate in Rome, but refused
it.
4 God-fearing, gallant, constant, he
started with very little and left thirty millions. He never listened to a
philosopher. Fare thee well, Trimalchio: and thou too, passer-by.” '