— Wha—? — Ambrose was so taken aback by this absurd tale that he briefly lost the power of coherent speech. — I could never have imagined such barbarism possible in a land renowned from north to south for the justice of Rampart... O tempora, o mores! I would gladly help you in this matter, but I am bound to fight a duel; perhaps someone else may aid you, or perhaps I can, but only a little later. Though if you ask me, slavery would be a better punishment here — we can discuss the details later.
Ambrose wrote nothing down on paper, for to write is the same as to speak, and if you utter a wish aloud, you may easily scare away your luck. Only the altar remained.
e si ieu muoir, er mi grans deliuriers