Demipho and Charinus Outbidding Each Other — Plautus, Mercator, lines 410–466, Latin & English

410

atque, ut nunc sunt maledicentes homines, uxori meae

Demipho: And, as people are slanderous nowadays, they might accuse my wife

mihique obiectent lenocinium facere. nam quid eost opus?

and me of keeping a brothel. For what need is there of her?

Hercle qui tu recte dicis, et tibí adsentior.sed quid illá nunc fiet?¹

Charinus: By Hercules, you speak rightly, and I agree with you. But what will become of her now?

Recte.² ego emero matri tuae

Demipho: It will be fine. I will buy for your mother

ancillam viraginem aliquam non malam, forma mala,

some robust maidservant, not bad, but of bad appearance,

415

ut matrem addecet familias, aut Syram aut Aegyptiam:

as becomes a mistress of the house, either a Syrian or an Egyptian:

ea molet, coquet, conficiet pensum, pinsetur flagro,

she will grind, cook, complete her task of spinning, and be beaten with the whip,

neque propter eam quicquam eveniet nostris foribus flagiti.

nor because of her will any disgrace happen to our doors.

Quid si igitur reddatur illi unde empta est?

Charinus: What if, then, she should be returned to the one from whom she was bought?

Minime gentium.

Demipho: By no means in the world.

Dixit se redhibere, si non placeat.

Charinus: He said he would take her back if she did not please.

Nihil istoc opust:

Demipho: There is no need of that:

420

litigari nolo ego usquam, tuam autem accusari fidem;

I do not want to litigate anywhere, nor your good faith to be accused;

multo edepol si quid faciendumst facere damni mavolo,

by Pollux, if anything must be done, I would much rather suffer a loss,

quam opprobramentum aut flagitium muliebre exferri domo.

than that disgrace or a scandal concerning a woman should be carried out of the house.

me tibi illam posse opinor luculente vendere.

I think I can sell her for you very profitably.

Dum quidem hercle ne minoris vendas³ quám ego emi, pater.

Charinus: Provided, indeed, by Hercules, that you do not sell her for less than I bought her, father.

Tace modo: senex est quidam, qui illam mandavit mihi

Demipho: Just be silent: there is a certain old man who commissioned me

ut emerem aut ad istanc faciem.

to buy her or one of that appearance.

At mihi quidam adulescens, pater,

Charinus: But, father, a certain young man

mandavit ad illam faciem, ita ut illaec est, emerem sibi.

commissioned me to buy for him one of that appearance, just as she is.

Viginti minis opinor posse me illam vendere.

Demipho: I think I can sell her for twenty minae.

430

At ego si velim, iam dantur septem et viginti minae.

Charinus: But as for me, if I wished, twenty-seven minae are already offered.

At ego—

Demipho: But I—

Quin ego, inquam—

Charinus: Nay, I say—

Ah, nescis quid dicturus sum, tace.

Demipho: Ah, you do not know what I am going to say, be silent.

tris minas accudere etiam possum, ut triginta sient.

I can also add three minae, so that they may be thirty.

Quo vortisti?

Charinus: Whither have you turned?

Ad illum qui emit.

Demipho: To him who is buying.

Vbinamst is homo gentium?

Charinus: Where in the world is that man?

Eccillum⁴ video. iubet quínque me addere etiam nunc minas.

Demipho: Look, I see him there. He orders me to add five minae even now.

Hercle illunc divi infelicent, quisquis est.

Demipho: By Hercules, may the gods curse him, whoever he is.

Ibidem mihi

Charinus: In that very same place

etiam nunc adnutat addam sex minas.

he nods to me even now to add six minae.

Septem mihi.

Demipho: Seven for me.

Numquam edepol me vincet hodie.

By Pollux, he will never beat me today.

Commodis poscit, pater.

Charinus: He demands on favorable terms, father.

Nequiquam poscit: ego habeo.

Demipho: He demands in vain: I have her.

At illic pollicitust prior.

Charinus: But he promised first.

440

Nihili facio.

Demipho: I care nothing for that.

Quinquaginta poscit.

Charinus: He offers fifty minae.

Non centum datur.

Demipho: She is not given for a hundred.

potine ut ne licitere⁵ advorsum mei animi sententiam?

Can you not bid against my mind’s wish?

maximam hercle habebis praedam: ita ille est, quoi emitur, senex;

By Hercules, you will have a very great profit: such is that old man for whom she is being bought;

sanus non est ex amore illius. quod posces feres.

he is not sane out of love for her. Whatever you demand, you will get.

Certe edepol adulescens ille, cui ego emo, efflictim perit

Charinus: Certainly, by Pollux, that young man for whom I am buying is desperately

445

eius amore.

dying of love for her.

Multo hercle ille magis senex, si tu scias.

Demipho: Much more, by Hercules, is that old man, if you only knew.

Numquam edepol fuit neque fiet ille senex insanior

By Pollux, father, that old man never was nor will be more madly

ex amore quam ille adulescens cui ego do hanc operam, pater.

in love than that young man for whom I am taking this trouble.

Quiesce, inquam. istanc rém ego recte videro.

Demipho: Quiet, I say. I will see to that matter properly myself.

Quid ais?

Charinus: What do you say?

Quid est?

Demipho: What is it?

Non ego illám mancupio accepi.⁶

Charinus: I did not receive her by formal ownership transfer.

Sed ille illam accipiet. sine.

Demipho: But he will receive her. Let it be.

450

Non potes tu lege vendere illam.

Charinus: You cannot sell her by law.

Ego aliquid videro.

Demipho: I will see to something.

Post autem communest illa mihi cum álio. qui scio⁷

Charinus: Moreover, she is common to me with another. How do I

quid sit ei animi, venirene eam velit an non velit?

know what his mind is, whether he wants her to be sold or does not want?

Ego scio velle.

Demipho: I know he wants to.

At pol ego esse credo aliquem qui non velit.

Charinus: But by Pollux, I believe there is someone who does not want to.

Quid id mea refert?

Demipho: What does that matter to me?

Quia illi suam rem esse aequomst in manu.

Charinus: Because it is right that his property should be in his own hands.

455

Quid ais?b Communis mihi illa est cum illo: is hic nunc non adest.

Charinus: She is common to me with him: he is not present here now.

Prius respondes quam rogo.

Demipho: You answer before I ask.

Prius tú emis quam vendo, pater.

Charinus: You buy before I sell, father.

nescio, inquam, velit ille illam necne abalienarier.

Demipho: I say, I do not know whether he wants her to be alienated or not.

Quid? illi quoidam qui mandavit tibi si emetur, tum volet,

What? If she is bought for that certain person who commissioned you, then he will want it,

sí ego emo illi qui mandavit, tum ille nolet? nihil agis.

but if I buy for the one who commissioned me, then he will not want it? You accomplish nothing.

460

numquam edepol quisquam illam habebit potius quam ille quem ego volo.

By Pollux, no one shall ever have her rather than he whom I wish.

Certumnest?

Charinus: Is it resolved?

Censen certum esse? quin ad navem iam hinc eo,

Demipho: Do you think it is not resolved? Why, I am going from here to the ship right now;

ibi venibit.

she shall be sold there.

Vin me tecum illo ire?

Charinus: Do you want me to go there with you?

Nolo.

Demipho: I do not want.

Non places.

Charinus: You are not pleasing.

Meliust te, quae sunt mandatae res tibi, praevortier.

Demipho: It is better for you to attend to the things that have been entrusted to you.

Tu prohibes.

Charinus: You prevent me.

At me incusato: te fecisse sedulo.⁸

Demipho: But accuse me: that you did it diligently.

465

ad portum ne bitas, dico iam tibi.

Do not go to the harbor, I tell you now.

Auscultabitur.

Charinus: It shall be obeyed.

Ibo ad portum. ne hic resciscat, cauto opust: non ipse emam,

Charinus: (to himself) I will go to the harbor. There is need of caution lest he find out: I will not buy her myself,

Syntax notes8 items

413quid illá nunc fiet?
The ablative (illā) is used with fio (or facio) in a colloquial idiom meaning "what will become of" or "what will be done with" someone or something.
413bRecte
An adverbial formulaic expression used by Demipho to interrupt and reassure Charinus, meaning "it's all right" or "don't worry."
424_425Dum quidem hercle ne minoris vendas
dum with the present subjunctive (vendas) and negative ne introduces a proviso clause, meaning "provided that... not..." or "as long as you do not...".
434_435Eccillum
A colloquial and archaic contraction of the particle ecce ("behold") and the accusative demonstrative pronoun illum, meaning "behold him" or "there he is."
441potine ut ne licitere
potine is a contraction of the impersonal potisne [est] ("is it possible?"). It is followed by ut ne and the subjunctive (licitere, 2nd person singular present subjunctive of the deponent verb licitor), expressing an annoyed request: "is it possible that you do not bid?" or "can you please not bid?".
449Non ego illám mancupio accepi.
The phrase mancipiō accipere is a legal expression meaning to receive property through the formal Roman transfer of ownership (mancipatio).
451qui scio
Here, quī is an archaic interrogative adverb (derived from an ablative) meaning "how," modifying the main verb sciō in a direct question.
464bAt me incusato: te fecisse sedulo.
The future imperative second-person singular incūsātō ("accuse me [later]") is followed by an accusative with infinitive clause (AcI) tē fēcisse sēdulō ("that you acted diligently"), which explains the ground or content of the accusation.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi011.humanitext-lat2:410-466