ɐbˌaʊt ðɪ ˈɔːθɚ, ˈeɪ.dʒˈiː. wˈeɪ vˈɛntʃɚz ðˈæt "mˈækəlˌeɪz ɡˈɛs ðæt hiː wʌz sˌʌm stˈɜːdi ˈoʊld sɛntʃˈʊɹɹiən hˌuː fˈɔːt bˈɛɾɚ ðɐn hiː ɹˈoʊt ɪz pˈɑːsᵻbli nˌɑːt fˈɑːɹ ˈɔf ðə tɹˈuːθ".
About the author, A.G. Way ventures that "Macaulay's guess that he was some 'sturdy old centurion who fought better than he wrote' is possibly not far off the truth".