A few months before the murder [of Domitian] a raven perched on the Capitol and croaked out the words: "All will be well!" – a portent which some wag explained in the following verse:
There was a raven, strange to tell,
Perched upon Jove's own gable, whence
He tried to tell us "All is well!" –
But had to use the future tense. (Suetonius)

A few months before the murder [of Domitian] a raven perched on the Capitol and croaked out the words: "All will be well!" – a portent which some wag explained in the following verse: There was a raven, strange to tell, Perched upon Jove's own gable, whence He tried to tell us "All is well!" – But had to use the future tense.

Suetonius

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capitol few following future gable portent raven strange tell tense try use well words months

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