Production Notice, Prologue, and Davus and Geta — Terence, Phormio, lines production–69b, Latin & English

production

PHORMIO. ACTA LUDIS ROMANIS, L. POSTUMIO ALBINO, L. CORNELIO MERULA, AEDILIBUS CURULIBUS. EGERE L. AMBIVIUS TURPIO, L. ATILIUS PRAENEST1NUS. MODOS FECIT FLACCUS CLAUDII, TIBIIS IMPARIBUS. TOTA GRAECA APOLLODORU EPIDICAZOMENOS. FACTA EST IV. C. FANNIO, M. VALERIO, COSS.

PHORMIO. PERFORMED AT THE ROMAN GAMES, L. POSTUMIUS ALBINUS AND L. CORNELIUS MERULA BEING CURULE AEDILES. PRODUCED BY L. AMBIVIUS TURPIO AND L. ATILIUS PRAENESTINUS. MUSIC COMPOSED BY FLACCUS, SLAVE OF CLAUDIUS, FOR UNEQUAL FLUTES. THE WHOLE FROM THE GREEK PLAY EPIDICAZOMENOS BY APOLLODORUS. IT WAS PRODUCED AS HIS FOURTH PLAY IN THE CONSULSHIP OF C. FANNIUS AND M. VALERIUS.

POSTQUAM poeta vetus poetam non potest

Since the old poet cannot draw back our poet

Retrahere ab studio, et transdere hominem in otium,

from his pursuit, and drive him into leisure,

Maledictis deterrere ne scribat parat;

he prepares to deter him from writing by slandering him;

Qui ita dictitat, quas antehae fecit fabulas

for he repeatedly asserts that the plays our poet has previously produced

Tenui esse oratione et scriptura levi;¹

are written in a thin style and a trivial composition;

Quia nusquam insanum scripsit adolescentulum

because he has never written about a mad youth

Cervam videre fugere, et sectari canes,

seeing a hind fleeing and dogs pursuing,

Et eam plorare, orare ut subveniat sibi.

and her weeping and imploring him to help her.

Quod si intelligeret, olim quum stetit nova,

But if he had understood that, when his new play stood its ground in the past,

Actoris opera magis stetisse quam sua,

it was due more to the actor’s efforts than his own,

Minus multo audacter quam nunc laedit laederet.

he would slander with much less boldness than he does now.

Nunc si quis est qui hoc dicat, aut sic cogitet;

Now if there is anyone who says or thinks thus:

Vetus si poeta non lacessisset prior,

”If the old poet had not provoked him first,

Nullum invenire prologum potuisset novus

the new poet would have been unable to find any prologue

Quem diceret, nisi haberet cui malediceret;

to speak, having no one to abuse”;

Is sibi responsum hoc habeat; in medio omnibus

let him have this answer: that the prize has been placed in the midst

Palmam esse positam qui artem tractant musicam.

for all who practice the poetic art.

Ille ad famem hunc ab studio studuit reicere:

That man desired to drive this poet from his pursuit to starvation;

Hic respondere voluit, non lacessere.

this poet wished to reply, not to provoke.

Benedictis si certasset, audisset bene.

If he had competed with kind words, he would have heard kind words in return.

Quod ab ipso allatum est, sibi esse id rellatum putet.

Let him consider that what he brought is now paid back to him.

De illo iam finem faciam dicendi mihi,

I shall now make an end of speaking about him,

Peccandi quum ipse de se finem non facit:

since he himself makes no end of offending:

Nunc quid velim animum attendite. Apporto novam

now pay attention to what I wish. I bring a new

Epidicazomenon qnam vocant comoediam

comedy which the Greeks call Epidicazomenos,

Graeci, Latini Phormionem nominant;

and the Latins name Phormio;

Quia, primas partes qui aget, is erit Phormio

because Phormio, the parasite, will play the leading part,

Parasitus, per quem res agetur maxime,

through whom the business will be chiefly carried on,

Voluntas vestra si ad poetam accesserit.

if your goodwill is granted to the poet.

Date operam: adeste aequo animo per silentiumr;

Give your attention: be present with an impartial mind in silence,

Ne simili utamur fortuna atque usi sumus

so that we may not meet with a similar fortune to that we met

Quum per tumultum noster grex motus loco est;

when our troupe was driven from the stage by a tumult;

Quem actoris virtus nobis restituit locum,

which place the virtue of the actor restored to us,

Bonitasque vestra adiutans atque aequanimitas.

along with your assisting goodness and impartiality.

Amicus summus meus et popularis Geta

My best friend and fellow countryman, Geta,

Heri ad me venit. Erat ei de ratiuncula

came to me yesterday. He had a very small remnant

Iampridem apud me reliquum pauxillulum

of a little account left with me some time ago;

Nummorum; id ut conficerem. Confeci: affero.

he wanted me to make it up. I have done so, and I bring it.

Nam herilem filium eius duxisse audio

For I hear that his master’s son has married

Uxorem: ei, credo, munus hoc corraditur.

a wife; this present, I suppose, is being scraped together for her.

Quam inique comparatum est hi qui minus habent

How unfairly things are arranged for those who have less,

Ut semiper aliquid addant divitioribus.

so that they must always add something to the richer!

Quod ille unciatim vix de demenso suo,

What that poor wretch has barely saved up, ounce by ounce, from his allowance,

Suum defrudans genium, comparsit miser,

cheating his own genius,

Id illa universum abripiet, haud existimans

that woman will sweep away all at once, not considering

Quanto labore partum. Porro autem Geta

with how much labor it was won. And furthermore, Geta

Ferietur alio munere, ubi hera pepererit;

will be struck with another present when his mistress gives birth;

Porro autem alio, ubi erit puero natalis dies;

then with another when it is the child’s birthday;

Ubi initiabunt. Omne hoc mater auferet:

and when they initiate him. The mother will carry off all this:

Puer causa erit mittendi. Sed videon Getam?

the child will be the excuse for sending. But do I see Geta?

Si quis me quaeret rufus—

Geta: If any red-haired man asks for me—

Praesto est; desine.

Davus: He is here; cease.

Oh!

Geta: Oh!

At ego obviam conabar tibi, Dave.

Geta: Why, I was trying to meet you, Davus.

Accipe, hem,

Davus: Take it, here;

Lectum est: conveniet numerus quantum debui.

it is all counted out: the sum will agree with what I owed.

Amo te, et non neglexisse habeo gratiam.

Geta: I love you, and I thank you for not neglecting it.

Praesertim ut nunc sunt mores. Adeo res redit;

Especially as manners are nowadays. Things have come to this:

Si quis quid reddit, magna habenda est gratia.

if anyone pays anything back, great thanks must be given.

Sed quid tu es tristis?

Davus: But why are you sad?

Egone? neseis quo in metu et

Geta: I? You do not know in what fear and

Quanto in periclo simus?

in how great danger we are!

Quid istuc est?

Davus: What is that?

Scies,

Geta: You shall know,

Modo ut tacere possis.

if only you can keep silent.

Abi sis, insciens.

Davus: Go on, silly man!

Cuius tu fidem in pecunia perspexeris,

When you have proved someone’s faith in money matters,

Verere verba ei credere? ubi quid mihi lucri est

do you fear to trust him with words? Where is there any profit for me

Te fallere?

in deceiving you?

Ergo ausculta.

Geta: Then listen.

Hanc operam tibi dico.

Davus: I devote this attention to you.

Senis nostri, Dave, fratrem maiorem Chremem

Geta: Our old master’s elder brother, Chremes, Davus,

Nostine?

do you know him?

Quidni?

Davus: Why not?

Quid? eius gnatum Phaedriam?

Geta: What about his son, Phaedria?

Tamquam te.

Davus: As well as I know you.

Evenit senibus ainbobus simul,

Geta: It happened to both old men at the same time:

Iter illi in Lelmnum ut esset, nostro in Ciliciam

that the one had a journey to Lemnos, and our master to Cilicia,

Ad hospitem antiquum: is senem per epistolas

to an old guest-friend; he enticed the old man by letters,

Pellexit, modo non montes auri pollicens.

promising almost mountains of gold.

Cui tanta erat res, et supererat?

Davus: To him who had so great a fortune and more than enough?

Desinas:

Geta: Cease.

Syntax notes1 item

4quas antehae fecit fabulas / Tenui esse oratione et scriptura levi
"quas antehae fecit fabulas" has the relative pronoun "quas" attracting its antecedent "fabulas" into the relative clause. The entire phrase functions as the subject accusative of the infinitive "esse", dependent on the verb "dictitat".

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi004.humanitext-lat2:production-69b