- 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.phi006.humanitext-lat2:142-198
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
After his conversation with Demea, Micio soliloquizes about Aeschinus's wild youth and heads to the forum. Meanwhile, Aeschinus, accompanied by Parmeno, asserts the freedom of the girl he took from the pimp Sannio, intimidating him.
Nonnihil molesta sunt haec mihi: sed ostendere
These things are somewhat troublesome to me: but I did not wish
Me aegre pati illi nolui: nam ita est homo;
to show him that I take them to heart: for such is the man;
Quum placo adversor sedulo et deterreo.1
when I try to soothe him, I diligently oppose and discourage him.
Tamen vix humane patitur: verum si augeam,
Yet he scarcely bears it like a gentleman: but if I should increase,
Aut etiam adiutor sim eius iracundiae,
or even be an assistant to his anger,
Insaniam profecto cum illo; etsi Aeschinus
I should certainly go mad along with him; although Aeschinus
Nonnullam in hac re nobis facit iniuriam.
does us some injustice in this matter.
Quam hic non amavit meretricem? aut cui non dedit
What courtesan has he not loved? Or to whom has he not given
Aliquid? postremo, nuper (credo iam omnium
something? Finally, lately (I believe he was already weary of
Taedebat) dixit velle uxorem ducere.
them all) he said he wanted to take a wife.
Sperabam iam defervisse adolescentiam:
I was hoping that his youth had already cooled down:
Gaudebam. Ecce autem de integro. Nisi quicquid est
I was rejoicing. But behold, all over again. Still, whatever it is,
Volo scire, atque hominem convenire si apud forum est.
I want to know, and to meet the man if he is at the forum.
Obsecro, populares, ferte misero atque innocenti auxilium:
I beseech you, fellow-citizens, bring aid to a miserable and innocent man:
Subvenite inopi.
succor the helpless.
Otiose nunc iam ilico hic consiste.
Quietly now, stand there on the spot.
Quid respectas? nihil pericli est: nunquam dum ego adero hic te tanget.
Why do you look back? There is no danger: as long as I am present here, he shall never touch you.
Ego istam invitis omnibus—
I, in spite of everyone—
Quamquam est scelestus non committet hodie unquam iterum ut vapulet.
Although he is a scoundrel, he will never today risk being beaten again.
Aeschine audi: ne te ignarum fuisse dicas meorum morum;
Listen, Aeschinus: lest you say you were ignorant of my character;
Leno ego sum.
I am a pimp.
Scio.
I know.
At ita ut usquam fuit fide quisquam optima.
But yet of as good faith as anyone ever was.
Tu quod te posterius purges hanc iniuriam mihi nolle
As for your clearing yourself afterwards that you did not wish
Factam esse huius non faciam:2 crede hoc; ego meum ius persequar;
this injury to be done to me, I shall not care a straw: believe this; I shall pursue my right;
Neque tu verbis solves unquam quod mihi re male feceris.
nor shall you ever with words make amends for what you have done wrong to me in deed.
Novi ego vestra haec:"Nollem factum;" iusiurandum dabitur te esse
I know these ways of yours: “I wish it hadn’t been done;” an oath will be taken that you are
Indignum iniuria hac; indignis quum egomet sim acceptus modis.
unworthy of this injury; when I myself have been treated in an unworthy manner.
Abi prae strenue ac fores aperi.
Go on before quickly and open the doors.
Ceterum hoc nihil facis.
But by this you effect nothing.
I intro iam nunc.
Go inside right now.
At enim non sinam.
But indeed I will not allow it.
Accede illuc Parmeno;
Step over there, Parmeno;
Nimium istoc abisti: hic propter hunc adsiste. Hem, sic volo.
you have gone too far that way: stand here close to him. There, that’s how I want it.
Cave nunc iam oculos a meis oculis quoquam demoveas tuos:
Mind now that you do not turn your eyes away from my eyes anywhere:
Ne mora sit si innuerim quin pugnus continuo in mala haereat.3
that there be no delay, if I nod, but that your fist immediately stick in his cheek.
Istuc volo ergo ipsum experiri.
That very thing then I want to experience.
Hem, serva: omitte mulierem.
Here, watch out: let go of the woman.
O facinus indignum!
O shameful deed!
Geminabit nisi caves.
He will double it unless you look out.
Hei misero mihi!
Woe to miserable me!
Non innueram: verum in istam partem potius peccato4 tamen.
I had not nodded: but yet err on that side rather than the other.
I nunc iam.
Go now indeed.
Quid hoc rei est! regnumne Aeschine hic tu possides?
What is this business! Do you, Aeschinus, hold kingly power here?
Si possiderem ornatus esses ex tuis virtutibus.
If I held it, you would have been decorated according to your virtues.
Quid tibi rei mecum est?
What business have you with me?
Nihil.
Nothing.
Quid? nostin qui sim?
What? Do you know who I am?
Non desidero.
I do not desire to.
Tetigin tui quicquam?
Did I touch anything of yours?
Si attigisses ferres infortunium.
If you had touched it, you would have suffered misfortune.
Qui tibi magis licet meam habere pro qua ego argentum dedi?
How is it more lawful for you to keep my girl for whom I paid money?
Responde.
Answer.
Ante aedes non fecisse erit melius hic convicium;
It will be better not to make a clamor here before the house;
Nam si molestus pergis esse iam intro abripiere atque ibi
for if you persist in being troublesome, you shall be dragged inside immediately and there
Usque ad necem operiere loris.
covered with lashes even to death.
Loris liber?
With lashes, a free man?
Sic erit.
So it shall be.
O hominem impurum! hicine libertatem aiunt aequam esse omnibus?
O impure man! Is it here that they say liberty is equal to all?
Si satis iam debacchatus es leno audi si vis nunc iam.
If you have now raged enough, pimp, listen now if you please.
Egon debacchatus sum autem, an tu in me?
Have I raged, or you against me?
Mitte ista, atque ad rem redi.
Dismiss those things, and return to the matter.
Quam rem? quo redeam?
What matter? Whither should I return?
Iamne me vis dicere id quod ad te attinet?
Do you wish me now to say that which concerns you?
Cupio; aequi modo aliquid.
I desire it; only let it be something fair.
Vah! leno iniqua me non vult loqui.
Bah! A pimp does not wish me to speak unjust things.
Leno sum, fateor, pernicies communis adolescentium;
I am a pimp, I confess, the common ruin of youth;
Periurus, pestis; tamen tibi a me nulla orta est iniuria.
a perjurer, a pestilence; yet no injury has arisen to you from me.
Nam hercle etiam hoc restat.
By Hercules, indeed even this remains.
Illuc quaeso redi quo coepisti, Aeschine.
I pray you return to that point where you began, Aeschinus.
Minis viginti tu illam emisti; quae res tibi vertat male.
You bought her for twenty minae; may which business turn out badly for you.
Argenti tantum dabitur.
Just so much money shall be given.
Quid si ego tibi illam nolo vendere,
What if I do not wish to sell her to you?
Coges me?
Will you force me?
Minime.
By no means.
Namque id metui.
For indeed I feared that.
Neque vendendam censeo,
Nor do I think she should be sold,
Quae libera est; nam ego liberali illam assero5 causa manu.
she who is free; for I assert her freedom by legal claim.
Nunc vide utrum vis; argentum accipere, an causam meditari tuam?
Now see which you wish; to receive the money, or to prepare your case?
Delibera hoc dum ego redeo leno.
Deliberate on this while I return, pimp.
Pro supreme Iupiter!
O supreme Jupiter!
Minime miror qui insanire occipiunt ex iniuria.
I do not wonder at all at those who begin to go mad from injury.
Domo me eripuit; verberavit; me invito abduxit meam:
He dragged me from my house; he beat me; he carried off my girl against my will:
- 144adversor sedulo et deterreo
The main verbs adversor (deponent, first person singular) and deterreo (first person singular) follow the temporal clause introduced by quum (cum) placo ("when I try to soothe [him]"). This depicts Micio's approach where, even in trying to pacify Demea, he actively opposes and deters him to keep his anger in check.
- 163huius non faciam
The genitive huius is a genitive of value, used with a demonstrative force (often accompanied by a gesture like a snap of fingers) to mean "I shall not care a straw for it." The entire structure places the appositive quod-clause ("As for the fact that you will excuse yourself later...") at the beginning, serving as the object of evaluation for the main clause.
- 171quin pugnus continuo in mala haereat
The conjunction quin is used here after a negative expression of delay (ne mora sit, "lest there be delay") to introduce a subjunctive clause (haereat) meaning "but that [your fist] immediately stick." The word mala is not the neuter plural of the adjective malus, but the accusative of māla ("cheek" or "jaw"), functioning with the preposition in to mean "in the cheek."
- 174peccato
This is the future imperative (second-person singular) of the verb pecco ("to sin, err"). It is used here to issue a firm instruction or advice: "if you must err, you shall err on that side."
- 194liberali causa manu assero
A legal technical phrase related to the Roman lawsuit for claiming freedom (vindicatio in libertatem). The expression asserere manu refers to laying a hand on a person in court to assert either ownership or freedom. Here, combined with liberali causa ("on the ground of her being free"), it indicates Aeschinus's intention to legally assert the girl's status as a freeborn woman.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1