Geta's Scheme to Raise Money for Phaedria — Terence, Phormio, lines 515b–567, Latin & English

515b

Haud longum est id quod orat, Dorio: exoret sine:

Antipho: What he asks is not much, Dorio; let him prevail upon you.

Idem hoc tibi quod bene promeritus fueris conduplicaverit.

This same favor will return to you double for the good service you have rendered.

Verba istaec sunt.

Dorio: Those are mere words.

Pamphilamne hac urbe privari sines?

Antipho: Will you allow Pamphila to be taken away from this city?

Tum praeterea horunc amorem distrahi poterin pati?

Then, besides, can you bear to see the love of these two torn apart?

Neque ego, neque tu.

Dorio: It matters neither to me nor to you.

Di tibi omnes id quod es dignus duint.

Antipho: May all the gods give you what you deserve.

520

Ego te complures adversum ingenium meum menses tuli

Dorio: I have put up with you for many months, contrary to my nature,

Pollicitantem, nihil ferentem, flentem: nunc contra omnia haec,

promising, bringing nothing, weeping. Now, contrary to all this,

Repperi qui det neque lacrimet; da locum melioribus.

I have found someone who pays and does not weep; give place to your betters.

Certe hercle, ego si satis commemini, tibi quidem est olim dies

Antipho: Certainly, by Hercules, if I remember rightly, you had a day formerly fixed,

Quam ad dares¹ huic praestituta.

on which you were to deliver her to him.

Factum.

Dorio: It was so.

Num ego istuc nego?

Do I deny it?

525

Iam ea praeteriit?

Antipho: Has that day already passed?

Non; verum haec ei antecessit.

Dorio: No, but this one has come before it.

Non pudet

Antipho: Are you not ashamed of

Vanitatis?

your deceitfulness?

Minime, dum ob rem.

Dorio: Not at all, as long as it is profitable.

Sterquilinium.

Geta: You dunghill!

Dorio,

Phaedria: Dorio,

Itane tandem facere oportet?

is this how you ought to act in the end?

Sic sum: si placeo, utere.

Dorio: That’s how I am; if you like me, deal with me.

Sicine hunc decipis?

Antipho: Do you deceive him in this way?

Immo enimvero, Antipho, hic me decipit:

Dorio: Nay, on the contrary, Antipho, he deceives me.

Nam hic me huiusmodi esse scibat; ego hunc esse aliter credidi.

For he knew I was a man of this sort; I believed him to be otherwise.

530

Iste me fefellit; ego isti nihilo sum aliter ac fui.

He has deceived me; I am no different to him than I have always been.

Sed utut haec sunt, tamen hoc faciam: cras mane argentum mihi

But however this may be, yet I will do this: tomorrow morning

Miles dare se dixit: si mihi prior tu attuleris, Phaedria,

the soldier said he would give me the money. If you bring it to me first, Phaedria,

Mea lege utar, ut potior sit qui prior ad dandum est. Vale.

I will follow my rule, that he who is first to pay has the preference. Farewell.

Quid faciam? Unde ego nunc tam subito huic argentum inveniam miser,

Phaedria: What shall I do? Where shall I now, poor wretch, find the money for him so suddenly,

535

Cui minus nihilo est? quod si hic potuisset nunc exorarier

I who have less than nothing? But if he could have been prevailed upon

Triduum hoc, promissum fuerat.

for these three days, the money had been promised.

Itane hunc patiemur, Geta,

Antipho: Shall we allow him, Geta,

Fieri miserum, qui me dudum, ut dixti, adiurit comiter,

to be made miserable, who lately, as you said, assisted me so kindly?

Quin, quum opus est, beneficium rursum ei experiamur reddere?

Why not, now that there is need, try to return the favor to him in our turn?

Scio quidem hoc esse aequum.

Geta: Indeed, I know this is fair.

Age ergo, solus servare hunc potes.

Antipho: Come then, you alone can save him.

540

Quid faciam?

Geta: What shall I do?

Invenias argentum.

Antipho: Find the money.

Cupio; sed id unde edoce.

Geta: I wish to, but tell me where from.

Pater adest hic.

Antipho: My father is here.

Scio; sed quid tum?

Geta: I know; but what of it?

Ah, dictum sapienti sat est.

Antipho: Ah, a word to the wise is enough.

Itane?

Geta: Is it so?

Ita.

Antipho: Yes.

Sane hercle pulchre suades: etiam tu hinc abis?²

Geta: By Hercules, you advise me beautifully indeed. Are you also going to drive me away from here?

Non triumpho ex nuptiis tuis si nihil nanciscor mali,

Am I not triumphing enough from your marriage if I escape any harm,

Ni etiam nunc me huius causa quaerere in malo iubeas³ crucem?

unless even now, for his sake, you order me to seek a gallows in my misfortune?

545

Verum hic dicit.

Phaedria: He speaks the truth.

Quid? ego vobis, Geta, alienus sum?

What? Geta, am I a stranger to you?

Haud puto.

Geta: I do not think so.

Sed parumne est quod omnibus nunc nobis succenset senex,

But is it too little that the old man is now angry with all of us,

Ni instigemus etiam ut nullus locus relinquatur preci?

unless we also instigate him so that no room is left for entreaty?

Alius ab oculis meis illam in ignotum hinc abducet locum? Hem!

Phaedria: Shall another carry her away from before my eyes to some unknown place? Alas!

Tum igitur dum licet dumque adsum loquimini mecum, Antipho;

Then, therefore, while it is allowed and while I am here, speak with me, Antipho;

550

Contemplamini me.

look upon me.

Quamobrem? aut quidnam facturus es cedo?

Antipho: Why? Or what, pray, are you going to do? Tell me.

Quoquo hinc asportabitur terrarum certum est persequi,

Phaedria: Wherever in the world she is carried away from here, I am resolved to follow,

Aut perire.

or to perish.

Di bene vertant, quod agas; pedetentim tamen.

Geta: May the gods prosper what you do; slowly, however.

Vide si quid opis potes afferre huic.

Antipho: See if you can bring any help to him.

Si quid? quid?

Geta: Any help? What?

Quaere, obsecro,

Antipho: Seek, I beseech you,

Ne quid plus minusve faxit quod nos post pigeat, Geta.

Geta, lest he do anything more or less which we may afterwards regret.

555

Quaero. Salvus est, ut opinor; verum enim metuo malum.

Geta: I am seeking. The solution is safe, I think; but indeed, I fear trouble.

Noli metuere: una tecum bona mala tolerabimus.

Antipho: Do not fear; together with you we will bear both good and bad fortune.

Quantum tibi opus est argenti? loquere.

Geta: How much money do you need? Speak.

Solae triginta minae.

Phaedria: Only thirty minae.

Triginta? hui percara est, Phaedria.

Geta: Thirty? Oh, she is very dear, Phaedria.

Istaec vero vilis est.

Phaedria: Indeed, she is cheap.

Age, age; inventas reddam.

Geta: Well, well; I will see that it is found.

O lepidum!

Phaedria: Oh, delightful!

Aufer te hinc.

Geta: Off with you.

Iam opus est.

Phaedria: It is needed now.

Iam feres.

Geta: You shall have it directly.

560

Sed opus est mihi Phormionem ad hanc rem adiutorem dari.

But I need Phormio to be given to me as an assistant in this matter.

Praesto est: audacissime oneris quidvis impone, et feret.

Antipho: He is ready; lay upon him any burden as boldly as you please, and he will bear it.

Solus est homo amico amicus.

He is the only man who is a true friend to his friend.

Eamus ergo ad eum ocius.

Geta: Let us go to him then, quickly.

Numquid est quod opera mea vobis opus sit?

Antipho: Is there anything for which you need my help?

Nihil: verum abi domum;

Geta: Nothing; but go home;

Et illam miseram, quam ego nunc intus scio esse exanimatam metu,

and comfort that poor woman, whom I now know to be swooning with fear inside;

565

Consolare: Cessas?

do you delay?

Nihil est aeque quod faciam libens.

Antipho: There is nothing I would do so gladly.

Qua via istuc facies?

Phaedria: By what way will you do that?

Dicam in itinere: modo te hinc amove.

Geta: I will tell you on the way; only move yourself away from here.

Quid qua profectus causa hinc es Lemnum, Chreme,

Demipho: What about the cause for which you set out from here to Lemnos, Chremes?

Syntax notes3 items

524Quam ad dares
An instance of anastrophe where the preposition ad is placed after its relative pronoun object quam. The noun dies, when meaning a fixed day or deadline, is frequently feminine, which accounts for the feminine singular accusative form of the relative pronoun.
542cetiam tu hinc abis?
The present indicative in a question (etiam ... abis?) is used as an expression of indignation or an impatient command, meaning "Are you off from here too?" or "Get out of here as well."
544Ni etiam nunc... iubeas
The ni (a variant of nisi) clause with the present subjunctive iubeas introduces a condition that adds a further grievance to the negative main clause ("I do not triumph... even if..."). It implies: "as if it weren't enough, do you now also order me to..."

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

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi004.humanitext-lat2:515b-567