Decision to Draw Lots and Preparations by Lysidamus and Olympio — Plautus, Casina, lines 292–359b, Latin & English

292

optio haec tua est: utram harum vis condicionem accipe.

This choice is yours: accept whichever of these conditions you wish.

Liber si sim, meo periclo vivam; nunc vivo tuo.¹

If I were free, I would live at my own risk; now I live at yours.

de Casina certum est concedere homini nato nemini.

Concerning Casina, I am resolved to yield to no living man.

295

Intro abi atque actutum uxorem huc evoca ante aedis cito,

Go inside and quickly, straightway call my wife out here before the house,

et sitellam huc tecum efferto cúm aqua, et sortis.

and bring out the urn here with you with water, and the lots.

Satis placet.

Satisfactory enough.

Ego pol istam iam aliquovorsum tragulam² decidero.

By Pollux, I shall soon settle that spear in some direction.

nam si sic nihil impetrare potero, saltem sortiar.

for if in this way I can obtain nothing, at least I will draw lots.

ibi ego te et suffragatores tuos ulciscar.

there I will take vengeance on you and your supporters.

Attamen

And yet,

300

mi obtinget sors.

the lot will fall to me.

Vt quidem pol pereas cruciatu malo.

So indeed, by Pollux, may you perish by a miserable torture.

Mi illa nubet, machinare quid lubet quo vis modo.

She will marry me; plot what you please in whatever way you wish.

Abin hinc ab oculis?

Will you get out of my sight from here?

Invitus me vides, vivam tamen.—

You see me unwillingly, yet I shall live. —

Sumne ego miser homo? satin omnes res sunt advorsae mihi?

Am I not a wretched man? Are not all things adverse enough to me?

iam metuo, ne Olympionem mea uxor exoraverit

Already I fear lest my wife may have persuaded Olympio

305

ne Casinam ducat: si id factum est, ecce me nullum senem;

not to marry Casina: if that is done, lo, I am a ruined old man;

si non impetravit, etiam specula in sortist mihi.

if she did not succeed, I still have a glimmer of hope in the lot.

si sors autem decolassit, gladium faciam culcitam

But if the lot fails, I will make a sword my pillow

eumque incumbam. sed progreditur optume eccum Olympio.

and throw myself upon it. But behold, Olympio is coming out opportunely.

Vna edepol opera in furnum calidum condito

By Pollux, with the same effort you might put me into a hot oven

310

atque ibi torreto me pro pane rubido,

and toast me there instead of a brown loaf of bread,

era, qua istuc opera a me impetres quod postulas.

mistress, by which effort you might obtain from me that which you demand.

Salvos sum, salva spes est, ut verba audio.

I am safe, my hope is safe, as far as I hear his words.

Quid tu me tua, era, libertate territas?

Why do you terrify me, mistress, with your offer of freedom?

qui si tu nolis filiusque etiam tuos,

for even if you should be unwilling, and your son as well,

315

vobis invitis atque amborum ingratiis³

in spite of you both and against the will of both,

una libella liber possum fieri.

I can become free for a single farthing.

Quid istúc est? quicum litigas, Olympio?

What is that? With whom are you quarreling, Olympio?

Cum eadem qua tu semper.

With the same woman with whom you always do.

Cum uxoré mea?

With my wife?

Quam tu mi uxorem? quasi venator tu quidem es:

What wife of yours are you talking about? You are indeed just like a hunter:

320

dies átque noctes cum cane aetatem exigis.

day and night you spend your life with a dog.

Quid agit, quid loquitur tecum?

What is she doing, what is she saying to you?

Orat, obsecrat,

She begs, she entreats,

ne Casinam uxorem ducam.

that I should not marry Casina.

Quid tu postea?

What did you do then?

Negavi enim ipsi me concessurum Iovi,

For I denied that I would yield to Jupiter himself,

si is mecum oraret.

if he should entreat me.

Di te servassint mihi.

May the gods preserve you for me.

325

Nunc in fermento totast, ita turget mihi.

Now she is all in a ferment, she is so swollen with rage against me.

Ego edepol illam mediam diruptam velim.

By Pollux, I wish she were burst in two.

Credo edepol esse, siquidem tu frugi bonae es.

By Pollux, I believe it would be so, if indeed you are of good worth.

verum edepol tua mihi odiosa est amatio:

But by Pollux, your loving is hateful to me:

inimica est tua uxor mihi, inimicus filius,

your wife is hostile to me, your son is hostile,

330

inimici familiares.

your household servants are hostile.

Quid id refert tua?

What does that matter to you?

unus tibi hic dum propitius sit Iuppiter,⁴

As long as this one Jupiter is propitious to you,

tu istos minutos cave deos flocci feceris.

take care not to value those tiny gods a straw.

Nugae sunt istae magnae. quasi tu nescias,

Those are great nonsense. As if you didn’t know

repente ut emoriantur humani Ioves.

how suddenly human Jupiters die.

335

responde: si tu Iuppiter sis mortuos,

Answer me: if you, Jupiter, should be dead,

cum ad deos minoris redierit regnum tuom,

when your kingdom has returned to the lesser gods,

quis mihi subveniet tergo aut capiti aut cruribus?

who will protect my back or my head or my legs?

Opinione melius res tibi habeát tua,

Your situation will be better than you think,

si hoc impetramus, ut ego cum Casina cubem.

if we obtain this point, that I may sleep with Casina.

340

Non hercle opinor posse, ita uxor acriter

By Hercules, I do not think it is possible, so fiercely does your wife

tua instat, ne mihi detur.

insist that she should not be given to me.

At ego sic agam:

But I will act thus:

coniciam sortis in sitellam et sortiar

I will cast the lots into the urn and draw lots

tibi et Chalino. íta rem natam intellego:

for you and Chalinus. I understand the matter has come to this:

necessum est vorsis gladiis depugnarier.

it is necessary to fight it out with drawn swords.

345

Quid si sors aliter quam voles evenerit?

What if the lot should turn out otherwise than you wish?

Bene dice. dis sum fretus, deos sperabimus.

Speak of good omen. I rely on the gods; we will hope in the gods.

Non ego istud verbum émpsim tittibilicio;⁵

I wouldn’t buy that word for a straw;

nam omnes mortales dis sunt freti, sed tamen

for all mortals rely on the gods, but yet

vidi ego dis fretos saepe multos decipi.

I have often seen many who relied on the gods be deceived.

350

St, táce parumper.

Sh! Be silent for a moment.

Quid vis?

What do you want?

Eccum exit foras

Behold, he is coming out

Chalinus intus cum sitella et sortibus.

Chalinus from inside with the urn and the lots.

nunc nos conlatis signis depugnabimus.

now we shall fight with opposing standards.

Fáce, Chaline, certiorem me, quid meus vir me velit.

Chalinus, make me informed of what my husband wants of me.

Ille edepol videre ardentem te extra portam mortuam.

By Pollux, he wishes to see you dead and burning outside the gate.

355

Credo ecastor velle.

By Castor, I believe he wishes it.

At pol ego hau credo, sed certo scio.

But by Pollux, I don’t just believe it, but I know it for certain.

Plus artificum est mihi quam rebar: hariolum hunc habeo domi.

There are more experts for me than I thought: I have this fortune-teller at home.

quid si propius attollamus signa eamusque obviam?

What if we raise our standards closer and go to meet them?

sequere. quid vos agitis?

Follow me. What are you doing?

Adsunt quae imperavisti omnia:

Everything is here that you ordered:

uxor, sortes, situla atque egomet.

your wife, the lots, the urn, and myself.

Te uno adest plus quam ego volo.

There is one of you present more than I want.

Syntax notes5 items

293tuo
The noun periculo is omitted after tuo. The ablative periculo, shifting from 'danger' to 'risk, responsibility, or charge', indicates that Chalinus's life and survival are under his master's responsibility.
297tragulam
The phrase tragulam decidere (literally, 'to settle the javelin') is a figurative and colloquial idiom meaning to bring a dispute, plot, or troublesome matter to a resolution.
315ingratiis
The form ingratiis is the plural ablative of the noun ingratia. Modified by the genitive amborum, it functions adverbially to mean 'against the will of both' or 'in spite of both'.
331Iuppiter
Here 'hic Iuppiter' (this Jupiter) is a metaphor referring to the master himself (Lysidamus) who holds absolute power within the household, in contrast to his wife and son who are described as 'minutos deos' (minor gods).
347empsim tittibilicio
The form empsim is an archaic perfect subjunctive equivalent to emerim, functioning as a potential subjunctive. The ablative tittibilicio is an ablative of value representing something utterly worthless. The phrase means 'I would not buy that word for a straw.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:292-359b