Exposure of Lysidamus, His Pardon, and the Epilogue — Plautus, Casina, lines 942–1018, Latin & English

942

nec quibus modis purgem scio me meae uxori.

nor do I know how to excuse myself to my wife.

atque expálliatus súm miser,

And I am stripped of my cloak, wretched me,

clandestinae núptiae.

by this secret wedding.

945

censeo

I think

mihi optumum est.

it is best for me.

intro ad uxorem meam

I will go inside to my wife

súfferamque eí meum térgum ob iniúriam.

and offer her my back for my wrongdoing.

séd ecquis est quí homo munús velit fúngier

But is there any man who would like to perform this duty

950

pró me?¹ quid núnc agam néscio, nisi ut ímprobos

for me? What to do now I do not know, except to imitate worthless

famulos imiter ac domo fugiam.

slaves and run away from home.

nam salus nulla est scapulis, si domum redeo.

For there is no safety for my shoulders if I return home.

nugas istic dicere licet. vapulo hercle ego invitus tamen

One may talk nonsense there. Yet, by Hercules, I am whipped against my will

etsi malum merui.

even though I deserved trouble.

955

hac dabo protinam me et fugiam.

I will betake myself this way immediately and run away.

Heus, sta ílico, amátor.

Hey, stand right there, lover.

Óccidi, revocór: quasi non aúdiam, abíbo.

I am ruined, I am called back: I will go away as if I do not hear.

Úbi tu es, qui cólere mores Mássilienses póstulas?

Where are you, who demand to respect Massilian customs?

nunc tu si vis subigitare me, probast occasio.

Now if you want to fondle me, there is a fine opportunity.

965

redi sis in cubiculum; periisti hercle. age, accede huc modo.

Please return to the bedroom; by Hercules, you are ruined. Come on, just step over here.

nunc ego tecum aequom arbitrum extra considium captavero.

Now outside of court, I will catch you with an impartial arbiter.

Perii, fusti defloccabit iam illic homo lumbos meos.

I am ruined, that man will soon strip my loins with a club.

hac iter faciundumst, nam illac lumbifragiumst obviam.

I must make my way this way, for a broken loin lies in wait that way.

Iubeo te salvere, amator.

I bid you greetings, lover.

Ecce autem uxor obviamst:

But look, my wife is in the way:

hac lupi, hac canes: lupina scaeva fusti rem gerit;

wolves this way, dogs that way: the wolfish omen does business with a club;

hercle opinor permutabo ego illuc nunc verbum vetus:

by Hercules, I think I will now change that old proverb:

hac ibo, caninam scaevam spero meliorem fore.

I will go this way, hoping that the dog-like omen will be better.

Quid agis, dismarite?

What are you doing, double-husband?

Mi vir, unde hoc ornatu advenis?

My husband, from where do you arrive in this attire?

975

quid fecisti scipione aut quod habuisti pallium?

What did you do with your staff, or what cloak did you have?

In adulterio, dum moechissat Casinam, credo perdidit.

In adultery, while he was playing the lecher with Casina, I believe he lost it.

Occidi.

I am ruined.

Etiamne imus cubitum? Casina sum.

Are we still going to bed? I am Casina.

I in malam crucem.

Go to a bad cross.

Non amas me?

Don’t you love me?

Quin responde, tuo quid factum est pallio?

But answer, what has been done with your cloak?

Bacchae hercle, uxor—

By Hercules, the Bacchae, wife—

Bacchae?

The Bacchae?

Bacchae hercle, uxor—

By Hercules, the Bacchae, wife—

Nugatur sciens,

He is playing the fool knowingly,

980

nam ecastor nunc Bacchae nullae ludunt.

for by Castor no Bacchae are celebrating now.

Oblitus fui,

I forgot,

sed tamén Bacchae—

but yet the Bacchae—

Quid, Bacchae?

What, Bacchae?

Sin id fieri non potest—

But if that cannot be—

Times ecastor.

By Castor, you are afraid.

Egone?

Me?

Mentire hercle. nam palles male.

By Hercules, you lie. For you are terribly pale.

ṇ quid me ṿẹ ụṣ am me rog̣ạs?

why do you ask me...?

ṃạḷẹ ṛ mihi

badly... to me

985

g̣̣ṛatulor.

I congratulate.

q̣ụ ṣẹṇex

which old man

ḥọ ọṇ ụ

...

ụṇc̣ cạsiṇụst | — |

now Casinus...

quị ḥịc̣ lem frus ṛạm ḍịs

here...

qui étiam me miserum famosum fecit flagitiis suis.

who has also made wretched me famous for his disgraceful deeds.

Non taces?

Won’t you be silent?

Non herle vero taceo. nam tu maxumo

Indeed, by Hercules, I will not be silent. For you with the greatest

me opsecravisti opere, Casinam ut poscerem uxorem mihi

effort entreated me to ask for Casina as a wife for myself

túi amoris causa.

for the sake of your love.

Ego istuc feci?

Did I do that?

Immo Hector Ilius

No, Hector of Ilium

te quidem oppresset.

must have overwhelmed you.

Feci égo istaec dicta quae vos dicitis?

Did I do those things which you say?

Rogitas etiam?

Do you even ask again?

Si quidem hercle feci, feci nequiter.

If indeed, by Hercules, I did it, I did it wickedly.

Redi modo huc intro: monebo, si qui meministi minus.

Just go back inside here: I will remind you, if you remember anything less.

Hercle, opinor, potius vobis credam quod vos dicitis.

By Hercules, I think I would rather believe what you say.

1000

sed, uxor, da viro tuo hanc veniam. Myrrhina, ora Cleostratam;

But, wife, give your husband this pardon. Myrrhina, entreat Cleostrata;

si umquam posthac aut amasso Casinam aut occepso² modo,

if ever hereafter I either love Casina or even begin to,

ne ut eam amasso, sí ego umquam adeo posthac tale admisero

let alone love her, if I ever hereafter commit such a thing,

nulla causast, quin pendentem me, uxor, virgis verberes.

there is no reason, wife, why you should not hang me up and beat me with rods.

Censeo ecastor veniam hanc dandam.

By Castor, I think this pardon should be given.

Faciam ut iubes.

I will do as you command.

1005

propter eam rem hanc tibi nunc veniam minus gravate prospero,

For that reason, I now grant you this pardon less reluctantly,

hanc ex longa longiorem ne faciamus fabulam.

lest we make this long play even longer.

Non irata es?

You are not angry?

Non sum irata.

I am not angry.

Tuaen fidei credo?

Do I trust your word?

Meae.

My word.

Lepidiorem uxorem nemo quisquam quam ego habeo hanc habet.

No one has a more delightful wife than I have this one.

Age tu, redde huic scipionem et pallium.

Come, you, return to him his staff and cloak.

Tene, si lubet.

Take it, if you like.

1010

mihi quidem edepol insignite factast magna iniuria:

By Pollux, indeed, a distinguished and great injury has been done to me:

duobus nupsi, neuter fecit quod novae nuptae solet.

I married two men, and neither did what is customary for a new bride.

Spectatores, quod futurumst intus, id memorabimus.

Spectators, what is to happen inside, we will relate.

haec Casina huius reperietur filia esse ex proxumo

This Casina will be found to be the daughter of this neighbor,

eaque nubet Euthynico nostro erili filio.

and she will marry Euthynicus, our master’s son.

1015

nunc vos aequomst manibus meritis meritam mercedem dare:³

Now it is right for you to give with deserving hands a deserved reward:

qui faxit, clam uxorem ducet semper scortum quod volet;

he who does so will always secretly sleep with whatever courtesan he wishes;

verum qui non manibus clare, quantum poterit, plauserit,

but he who does not applaud clearly with his hands as much as he can,

ei pro scorto supponetur hircus unctus nautea.

to him, instead of a courtesan, a dirty goat smeared with bilge-water will be substituted.

Syntax notes3 items

949–950qui homo munus velit fungier pro me
The verb fungier is an archaic passive infinitive form (equivalent to classical fungi). Although a deponent verb which typically governs the ablative case in classical Latin, here it governs the accusative munus, a characteristic syntax of early Latin.
1001–1002amasso ... occepso
amasso and occepso are archaic future perfect (or perfect subjunctive) forms (corresponding to classical amavero and coepero). They are used in the conditional si-clause to express a future hypothetical action.
1015manibus meritis meritam mercedem dare
The sequence of manibus, meritis, meritam, mercedem creates a powerful rhetorical effect through both alliteration (the repetition of the initial 'm') and polyptoton (using words derived from the same root mereri in different forms).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:942-1018