[11,36] Ἔτι γὰρ αὐτῶν λεγόντων ἡσυχίαν γενέσθαι κελεύσας, ἐπειδὴ σιωπή τ´ ἐγένετο, καὶ πᾶς ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ὄχλος τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐλάμβανεν ἐπιθυμίᾳ γνώσεως τῶν ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ λεχθησομένων προαχθείς, πολλάκις ἐπιστρέψας τὸ πρόσωπον τῇδε καὶ τῇδε καὶ τὰ στίφη τῶν ἑταίρων, οἷς διειλήφει τὴν ἀγοράν, τοῖς ὄμμασι διαριθμησάμενος τοιάδ´ εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ δὲ περὶ τοῦδε τοῦ πράγματος, ὦ Οὐεργίνιε, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ σὺν τούτῳ παρόντες, οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ἀκήκοα, ἀλλὰ παλαίτερον ἔτι πρὶν ἢ τήνδε τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβεῖν. ὃν τρόπον δ´ ἔγνων, ἀκούσατε. ὁ πατὴρ ὁ Μάρκου Κλαυδίου τουδὶ τελευτῶν τὸν βίον ἠξίωσέ με τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ {παῖδα} καταλειπόμενον ἐπιτροπεῦσαι· πελάται δ´ εἰσὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἡμῶν ἐκ προγόνων. ἐν δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ἐπιτροπείας μήνυσις ἐγένετό μοι περὶ τῆς παιδός, ὡς ὑποβάλοιτο αὐτὴν Νομιτωρία λαβοῦσα παρὰ τῆς Κλαυδίου δούλης, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάσας ἔμαθον οὕτως ἔχον. ἐφάπτεσθαι μὲν οὖν ἐμαυτοῦ προσῆκέ μοι, βέλτιον δὲ ἡγησάμην τούτῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καταλιπεῖν, ὁπότε γένοιτο ἀνήρ, εἴτε βουληθείη τὴν παιδίσκην ἀπάγειν, εἴτε διαλύσασθαι πρὸς τοὺς τρέφοντας αὐτὴν χρηματισθεὶς ἢ χαρισάμενος. ἐν δὲ τοῖς μεταξὺ χρόνοις ἐγὼ μὲν εἰς τὰς πολιτικὰς πράξεις ἐγκυλισθεὶς οὐδὲν ἔτι τῶν Κλαυδίου πραγμάτων εἶχον ἐν φροντίδι. τούτῳ δ´, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸν ἴδιον ἐξετάζοντι βίον καὶ περὶ τῆς παιδίσκης ἡ μήνυσις ἀπεδόθη καθάπερ ἐμοὶ πρότερον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄδικον ἀξιοῖ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεραπαίνης γεγονυῖαν ἀπάγειν βουλόμενος. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀλλήλους ἔπεισαν αὐτοί, καλῶς ἂν εἶχεν· ἐπεὶ δ´ εἰς ἀμφισβήτησιν ἦλθε τὸ πρᾶγμα, μαρτυρῶ τ´ αὐτῷ ταῦτα καὶ κρίνω εἶναι τοῦτον τῆς παιδίσκης κύριον.

[11,36] For while they were still pleading their cause, he commanded silence; and when there was quiet and the whole crowd in the Forum began moving forward, prompted by a desire to know what he would say, he repeatedly turned his glance here and there, his eyes taking count of the bands of his partisans, who by his orders had posted themselves in different parts of the Forum, and then spoke as follows: "This is not the first time, Verginius and you who are present with him, that I have heard of this (p119) matter, but it was long ago, even before I assumed this magistracy. Hear, now, in what way it came to my knowledge. The father of Marcus Claudius here, when he was dying, asked me to be the guardian of his son, whom he was leaving a mere boy; for the Claudii are hereditary clients of our family. During the time of my guardianship information was given me regarding this girl, to the effect that Numitoria had palmed her off as her own child after receiving her from the slave woman of Claudius; and upon investigating this matter, I found it was so. Now I might myself have claimed what I had a right to claim, but I thought it better to leave the power of choice to my ward here, when he should come to man's estate, either to take away the girl, if he thought fit, or to come to an accommodation with those who were rearing her, by taking money for her or making a present of her. Since that time, having become involved in public affairs, I have given myself no further concern about the interests of Claudius. But he, it would seem, when taking account of his estate, also received the same information concerning the girl which had previously been given to me; and he is making no unjust demand when he wishes to take away the daughter of his own slave woman.Now if they had come to terms with one another, it would have been well; but since the matter has been brought into litigation, I give this testimony in his favour and declare him to be the girl's master."