Pliny - The Ghost

• erat Athenis spatiosa et capax domus sed infamis et pestilens

  There was in Athens a spacious and roomy house but it also had a bad reputation and it was haunted
• per silentium noctis sonus ferri, et si attenderes acrius,

  Through the silence of the night a noise of iron could be heard, and if you were to listen carefully
• strepitus vinculorum longius primo, deinde e proximo reddebatur

  the sounds of chains would be heard, first from far away, then from very nearby:
• mox adparebat idolon, senex macie et squalore confectus

  soon a ghost appeared, an old man worn out by emaciation (very thin) and filth
• promissa barba horrenti capillo; cruribus compedes, manibus catenas gerebat quatiebatque.

  with an uncut beard and bristling hair; he was wearing shackles on his legs and chains on his hands and was shaking them
• venit Athenas philosophus Athenodorus, legit titulum auditoque pretio

  To Athens came a philosopher called Athenodorus, he read the notice and having heard the price,
• quia suspecta vilitas, percunctatus omnia docetur ac nihilo minus, immo tanto magis conductit.

  since its cheapness made him suspicious, having made enquiries, he was told the whole story, and nonetheless, in fact all the more eagerly, he rented it.
• ubi coepit advesperascere, iubet sterni sibi in prima domus parte,

  when it began to go dark, he ordered a bed to be made from him in the front part of the house,
• poscit pugillares stilum lumen, suos omnes in interiora dimittit;

  he demanded wax tablets, a stylus and a light, and he sent all his slaves inside;
• ipse ad scribendum animum oculos manum intendit, ne vacua mens audita simulacra et inanes sibi metus fingeret.

  he himself turned his mind, eyes and hand to writing, in case an empty mind imagined the ghost he had heard about and insubstantial fears for itself.
• initio, quale ubique, silentium noctis: dein concuti ferrum, vincula moveri.

  At the beginning there was the silence of the night, just like everywhere else: then iron started rattling, chains were moved.
• ille non tollere oculos, non remittere stilum, sed offirmare animum auribusque praetendere.

  That man did not lift his eyes, nor let go of his stylus, but concentrated his mind and blocked his ears.
• tum crebrescere fragor, adventare et iam ut in limine, iam ut intra limen audiri.

  Then the crashing increased, it (the crashing noise) approached as if in the doorway, now it was heard as if inside the door.
• respicit, videt agnosatque narratam sibi effigiem.

  He looked round, he saw and he recognised the image which had been told to him.
• stabat innuebatque digito similis vocanti.

  It stood there, and made a sign with its finger, like someone calling him.
• hic contra ut paulum exspectaret manu significat rursusque ceris et stilo incumbit.

  Athenodorus, in response, made a sign with his hand that he should wait a while, and once again applied himself to his wax tablets and his pen.
• illa scribentis capiti catenis isonabat.

  The ghost began to rattle its chains over the head of the man as he was writing.
• respicit rursus idem quod prius innuentem, nec moratus tollit lumen et sequitur.

  He looked round at the ghost again making the same signal as before. With no further delay, he lifted his lamp and followed it. (1 latin sentence, 2 english sentences)
• ibat illa lento gradu quasi gravis vinculis.

  The ghost started to move with a slow step, as though weighed down by its chains.
• postquam deflexit in aream domus, repente dilapsa deserit comitem.

  After it turned into the courtyard of the house, it suddenly vanished, deserting its companion.
• desertus herbas et folia concerpta signum loco ponit.

  Left on his own, Athenodorus picked up grass and leaves, and placed them to mark the spot (where the ghost vanished).