- Source
- Terence. Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex. Parry, Edward St. John, editor. London: Whittaker and Co.; George Bell, 1857.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi004.humanitext-lat2:709-761
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Geta urges Antipho to bring the good news to Phaedria, while Demipho and Chremes hasten to make contract arrangements and explain the marriage plan to Nausistrata. Afterwards, Chremes encounters Sophrona, the nurse from his time in Lemnos, and is overjoyed to discover that Antipho's wife, Phanium, is actually his own daughter.
Haruspex vetuit ante brumam aliquid novi
Geta: “The soothsayer forbade starting any new
Negoti incipere; quae causa est iustissima."
business before the winter solstice; which is a most valid excuse.”
Haec fient.
These things will be done.
Ut modo fiant.
Antipho: If only they may be done!
Fient: me vide.
Geta: They will be done; trust me.
Pater exit: abi, die, esse argentum, Phaedriae.
Your father is coming out: go, tell Phaedria that the money is ready.
Quietus esto, inquam: ego curabo ne quid verborum duit.1
Demipho: Be quiet, I say: I will take care that he does not give us any trick.
Hoc temere nunquam amittam ego a me quin mihi testes adhibeam:2
I will never rashly let this money go from me without employing witnesses;
Cui dem, et quamobrem dem, commemorabo.
I will record to whom I give it, and for what reason.
Ut cautus est, ubi nihil opus est!
Geta: (Aside) How cautious he is, where there is no need!
Atqui ita opus facto est;3 at matura, dum libido eadem haec manet;
Chremes: Yet so it must be done; but make haste, while this same inclination of his remains;
Nam, si altera illaec magis instabit, forsitan nos reiciat.
for if that other girl presses harder, perhaps he may reject us.
Rem ipsam putasti.
Demipho: You have hit the mark.
Duc me ad eum ergo.
Lead me to him then.
Non moror.
Geta: I am not delaying.
Ubi hoc egeris,
Chremes: When you have done this,
Transito ad uxorem meam, ut conveniat hanc prius quam hinc abeat:
go over to my wife, so that she may meet her before she goes away from here;
Dicat nos dare eam Phormioni nuptum, ne succenseat;
let her say that we are giving her to Phormio to be married, so that she may not be angry;
Et magis esse illum idoneum, qui ipsi sit familiarior;
and that he is more suitable, as he is more closely related to her;
Nos nostro officio nihil digresses esse; quantum is voluerit
that we have in no way departed from our duty; and that as much dowry
Datum esse dotis.
as he wanted has been given.
Quid tua, malum, id refert?
Demipho: What the plague does that matter to you?
Magni, Demipho.
Chremes: Highly, Demipho.
Non satis est tuum te officium facere, si non id fama approbat.
It is not enough for you to do your duty, if public opinion does not approve it.
Volo ipsius quoque voluntate hoc fieri, ne se eiectam praedicet.
I want this to be done with her own consent too, so that she may not say she has been cast out.
Idem ego istuc facere possum.
Demipho: I can do that same thing.
Mulier mulieri magis congruit.
Chremes: A woman is more suitable for a woman.
Rogabo.
Demipho: I will ask her.
Ubi illas ego nunc reperire possim cogito.
Chremes: I am thinking where I can find those women now.
Quid agam? quem mihi amicum inveniam misera? aut quo consilia haec referam? aut
Sophrona: What shall I do? Whom shall I find as a friend in my misery? Or where shall I refer these counsels? Or
Unde mihi auxilium petam?
where shall I seek help?
Nam vereor hera ne ob meum suasum indigne iniuria afficiatur:
For I fear lest my mistress, through my persuasion, may be undeservedly and injuriously treated;
Ita patrem adolescents facta haec tolerare audio violenter.
so violently do I hear that the young man’s father is bearing these occurrences.
Nam quae haec anus est exanimata, a fratre quae egressa est meo?
Chremes: (Aside) Who is this breathless old woman, who has come out from my brother’s house?
Quod ut facerem egestas me impulit; quum scirem infirmas nuptias
Sophrona: Poverty drove me to do this; though I knew this marriage
Hasce esse; ut id consulerem, interea vita ut in tuto foret.
was unstable; that I might provide for her, so that meanwhile her life might be in safety.
Certe edepol, nisi me animus fallit, aut parum prospiciunt oculi,
Chremes: (Aside) Certainly, by Pollux, unless my mind deceives me, or my eyes see poorly,
Meae nutricem gnatae video.
I see my daughter’s nurse.
Neque ille investigatur—
Sophrona: Nor is he found—
Quid ago?
Chremes: What shall I do?
Qui est eius pater.
Sophrona: Who is her father.
Adeo? an maneo, dum ea quake loquitur magis cognosco?
Chremes: Shall I go up? Or shall I stay, until I learn more of what she is saying?
Quod si eum nunc reperire possim, nihil est quod verear.
Sophrona: But if I could find him now, there is nothing for me to fear.
Ea est ipsa:
Chremes: It is she herself;
Colloquar.
I will speak to her.
Quis hic loquitur?
Sophrona: Who is speaking here?
Sophrona.
Chremes: Sophrona.
Et meum nomen nominat?
Sophrona: And does he name my name?
Respice ad me.
Chremes: Look back at me.
Di, obsecro vos, estne hic Stilpho?
Sophrona: O gods, I beseech you, is this Stilpho?
Non.
Chremes: No.
Negas?
Sophrona: Do you deny it?
Concede hinc a foribus paululum istorsum, sodes, Sophrona.
Chremes: Step aside a little way from the door over there, please, Sophrona.
Ne me istoc posthac nomine appellassis.4
Do not call me by that name hereafter.
Quid? non, obsecro, es
Sophrona: Why? Are you not, I beseech you,
Quem semper te esse dictitasti?
the one you always used to say you were?
St!
Chremes: Sh!
Quid has metuis fores?
Sophrona: Why do you fear this door?
Conclusam hic habeo uxorem saevam: verum istoc de nomine
Chremes: I have a fierce wife shut up here; but as for that name,
Eo perperam olim dixi ne vos forte imprudentes foris
I once falsely said it so that you might not, by chance, carelessly blab it outside,
Effutiretis, atque id porro aliqua uxor mea rescisceret.
and so my wife might somehow find it out.
Istoc pol nos te hic invenire miserae nunquam potuimus.
Sophrona: By Pollux, that is why we, miserable women, could never find you here.
Eho, die mihi, quid rei tibi est cum familia hac unde exis?
Chremes: Tell me, what business have you with this house from which you came out?
Ubi illae sunt?
Where are they?
Miseram me!
Sophrona: Wretched me!
Hem, quid est? vivuntne?
Chremes: Oh, what is it? Are they alive?
Vivit gnata:
Sophrona: Your daughter is alive;
Matrem ipsam ex aegritudine miseram mors consecuta est.
death overtook her poor mother because of her grief.
Male factum.
Chremes: It is sad.
Ego autem quae essem anus deserta, egens, ignota,
Sophrona: But I, being a deserted, poor, unknown old woman,
Ut potui nuptum5 virginem locavi huic adolescenti
married the maiden as best I could to this young man
Harum qui est dominus aedium.
who is the master of this house.
Antiphonine?
Chremes: To Antipho?
Hem! illi ipsi.
Sophrona: Yes, to him indeed.
Quid? duasne is uxores habet?
Chremes: What? Has he two wives?
Au, obsecro: unam ille quidem hanc solam.
Sophrona: Oh, I pray, no; indeed he has only this one.
Quid illam alteram quae dicitur cognata?
Chremes: What about that other one who is said to be his relative?
Haec ergo est.
Sophrona: Why, this is she.
Quid ais?
Chremes: What do you say?
Composito factum est quomodo hanc amans habere posset
Sophrona: It was done by arrangement so that he, being in love, might have her
Sine dote.
without a dowry.
Di vestram fidem, quam saepe forte temere
Chremes: O gods, on your faith! How often by chance and unexpectedly
Eveniunt quae non audeas optare! Offendi adveniens
things happen which you would not dare to hope for! On my return, I find
Quicum volebam, atque ut volebam, collocatam filiam.
my daughter married to whom I wanted, and just as I wanted.
Quod nos ambo opere maximo dabamus operam ut fieret,
What we both were taking the greatest pains to bring about,
Sine nostra cura, maxima sua cura, haec sola fecit.
without our care, by her own greatest care, this woman alone has accomplished.
- 713ne quid verborum duit
duit is an archaic subjunctive present active third-person singular of dare (corresponding to classical det). The phrase verba dare (literally "to give words") is an idiom meaning "to deceive." Here, quid verborum contains a partitive genitive, meaning "lest he give any words (lest he deceive us)."
- 714quin mihi testes adhibeam
This is a quin clause following a negative main clause (nunquam amittam), forming an adverbial clause of limitation/condition: "without employing witnesses" or "lest I should not employ witnesses." The subjunctive present adhibeam is used.
- 716opus facto est
An idiomatic Latin construction where opus est (there is need) is combined with the ablative of the perfect participle facto, meaning "it is necessary to be done" or "so it must be done."
- 742appellassis
An archaic/sigmatic perfect subjunctive form (equivalent to classical appellaveris). Used here with the adverb ne to express a strong prohibition ("do not call").
- 752nuptum
The accusative of the supine of the verb nubere (to marry), used with the verb of placing/giving locavi to express purpose: "to be married" or "for the purpose of marrying."