Chapter III.—Argument:  Octavius, Displeased at the Act of This Superstitious Man, Sharply Reproaches Minucius, on the Ground that the Disgrace of This Wicked Deed is Reflected Not Less on Himself, as Cæcilius’ Host, Than on Cæcilius.

Then Octavius said:  “It is not the part of a good man, my brother Marcus, so to desert a man who abides by your side at home and abroad, in this blindness of vulgar ignorance, as that you should suffer him in such broad daylight as this to give himself up to stones, however they may be carved into images, anointed and crowned; since you know that the disgrace of this his error redounds in no less degree to your discredit than to his own.”  With this discourse of his we passed over the distance between the city and the sea, and we were now walking on the broad and open shore.  There the gently rippling wave was smoothing the outside sands as if it would level them for a promenade; and as the sea is always restless, even when the winds are lulled, it came up on the shore, although not with waves crested and foaming, yet with waves crisped and curling.  Just then we were excessively delighted at its vagaries, as on the very threshold of the water we were wetting the soles of our feet, and it now by turns approaching broke upon our feet, and now the wave retiring and retracing its course, sucked itself back into itself.  And thus, slowly and quietly going along, we tracked the coast of the gently bending shore, beguiling the way with stories.  These stories were related by Octavius, who was discoursing on navigation.  But when we had occupied a sufficiently reasonable time of our walk with discourse, retracing the same way again, we trod the path with reverted footsteps.  And when we came to that place where the little ships, drawn up on an oaken framework, were lying at rest supported above the (risk of) ground-rot, we saw some boys eagerly gesticulating as they played at throwing shells into the sea.  This play is:  To choose a shell from the shore, rubbed and made smooth by the tossing of the waves; to take hold of the shell in a horizontal position with the fingers; to whirl it along sloping and as low down as possible upon the waves, that when thrown it may either skim the back of the wave, or may swim as it glides along with a smooth impulse, or may spring up as it cleaves the top of the waves, and rise as if lifted up with repeated springs.  That boy claimed to be conqueror whose shell both went out furthest, and leaped up most frequently.

CAPUT III.

ARGUMENTUM.---Superstitiosi hominis actum indigne ferens Octavius, Minucio acriter exprobrat hujus impii facinoris in famiam non minorem in ipsum, utpote 0238A Coecilii hospitem, quam in eumdem Caecilium redundare.

Tunc Octavius ait: Non boni viri est, Marce frater, hominem domi forisque lateri tuo inhaerentem, sic in hac imperitiae vulgaris caecitate deserere, ut tam luculento die in lapides eum patiaris impingere, effigiatos sane, et unctos, et coronatos; quum scias hujus erroris non minorem ad te quam ad ipsum infamiam redundare. Cum hoc sermone ejus medium spatium civitatis emensi, jam liberum littus tenebamus. Ibi arenas extimas, velut sterneret ambulacro 0239A perfundens lenis unda tendebat: et, ut semper mare etiam positis flatibus, inquietum est, etsi non canis spumosisque fluctibus exibat ad terram, tamen crispis torosisque. Ibidem erroribus delectati perquam sumus, quum in ipso aequoris limine plantas tingeremus, quod vicissim nunc appulsum nostris pedibus alluderet, fluctus nunc, relabens ac vestigia retrahens in sese resorberet. Sensim itaque tranquilleque progressi, oram curvi molliter littoris, iter fabulis fallentibus, legebamus. Hae fabulae erant Octavii, disserentis de navigatione, narratio. Sed ubi eundi spatium satis justum cum sermone consumpsimus, eamdem emensi viam rursus, versis vestigiis, terebamus. Et quum ad id loci ventum est ubi subductae naviculae, substratis 0239B roboribus, a terrena labe suspensae quiescebant; pueros videmus, certatim gestientes, testarum in mare jaculationibus ludere. Is lusus est: testam teretem, 0240A jactatione fluctuum laevigatam, legere de littore; eam testam plano situ digitis comprehensam, inclinem ipsum atque humilem, quantum potest, super undas irrotare, ut illud jaculum, vel dorsum maris raderet, enataret, dum leni impetu labitur; vel summis fluctibus tonsis emicaret, emergeret, dum assiduo saltu sublevatur. Is se in pueris victorem ferebat, cujus testa et procurreret longius, et frequentius exsiliret.