- 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-lat2:438-510
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Demea learns from his old friend Hegio the shocking news that his son Aeschinus has violated and impregnated a freeborn girl, and now intends to abandon her. Hegio strongly demands that Demea and his family take moral responsibility as befits their high status.
Sed quis illic est procul quem video? estne hic Hegio,
Demea: But who is that far off whom I see? Is this Hegio,
Tribulis noster? si satis cerno, is hercle est: vah,
Demea: our fellow-tribesman? If I see clearly, by Hercules, it is he. Ah,
Homo amicus nobis iam inde a puero. Di boni!
Demea: a man who has been a friend to us right from boyhood. Good gods!
Nae illiusmodi1 iam nobis magna civium
Demea: Indeed, of that kind we now have a great
Penuria est: homo antiqua virtute ac fide.
Demea: scarcity of citizens: a man of ancient virtue and faith.
Haud cito mali quid ortum ex hoc sit publice.
Demea: Not easily would any evil arise from him to the public.
Quam gaudeo ubi etiam huius generis reliquias
Demea: How glad I am when I see even the remnants of this class
Restare video! Ah, vivere etiam nunc libet.
Demea: still remaining! Ah, even now it is a pleasure to live.
Opperiar hominem hic, ut salutem et conloquar.
Demea: I will wait for the man here, so that I may greet him and speak with him.
Pro Di immortales, facinus indignum, Geta.
Hegio: Pro immortal gods, a shameful deed, Geta!
Quid narras?
Geta: What are you saying?
Sic est factum.
Geta: So it was done.
Ex illan familia
Hegio: That from that family
Tam illiberale facinus esse ortum? O Aeschine,
Hegio: such an illiberal deed should have arisen? O Aeschinus,
Pol haud paternum istuc dedisti.2
Hegio: by Pollux, you have done this not at all in your father’s way.
Videlicet
Demea: (Aside) Clearly
De psaltria hac audivit: id illi nunc dolet
Demea: (Aside) he has heard about this music-girl: that pains him now,
Alieno: pater is nihili pendit. Hei mihi!
Demea: stranger as he is; the father thinks nothing of it. Ah, me!
Utinam hic prope adesset alicubi, atque audiret haec.
Demea: (Aside) If only he were near here somewhere, and could hear these things.
Nisi facient quae illos aequum est, haud sic auferent.
Hegio: Unless they do what is fair for them to do, they shall not carry it off thus.
In te spes omnis, Hegio, nobis sita est.
Geta: All our hope, Hegio, is placed in you.
Te solum habemus: tu es patronus, tu parens:
Geta: We have you alone: you are our protector, you are our parent:
Ille tibi moriens nos commendavit senex.
Geta: that dying old man commended us to you.
Si deseris tu, periimus.
Geta: If you desert us, we are ruined.
Cave dixeris.3
Hegio: Beware of saying so.
Neque faciam, neque me satis pie posse arbitror.
Hegio: Neither will I do it, nor do I think I can do so with proper piety.
Adibo. Salvere Hegionem plurimum
Demea: I will go up to him. I bid Hegio a very hearty
Iubeo.4
Demea: good health.
Te quaerebam ipsum. Salve Demea.
Hegio: I was looking for you yourself. Health to you, Demea.
Quid autem?
Demea: What is the matter?
Maior filius tuus Aeschinus,
Hegio: Your elder son Aeschinus,
Quem fratri adoptandum dedisti, neque boni
Hegio: whom you gave to your brother to be adopted, has performed the duty
Neque liberalis functus officium est viri.
Hegio: of neither a good nor an honorable man.
Quid istuc est?
Demea: What is that?
Nostrum amicum noras Simulum
Hegio: You knew our friend Simulus,
Atque aequalem?
Hegio: and our contemporary?
Quidni?
Demea: Why not?
Filiam eius virginem
Hegio: He has violated
Vitiavit.
Hegio: his virgin daughter.
Hem!
Demea: Ah!
Mane; nondum audisti, Demea,
Hegio: Wait; you have not yet heard, Demea,
Quod est gravissimum.
Hegio: what is most serious.
An quid est etiam amplius?
Demea: Is there even something more?
Vero amplius; nam hoc quidem ferendum aliquo modo est:
Hegio: More indeed; for this indeed is to be borne in some way:
Persuasit nox, amor, vinum, adolescentia:
Hegio: night, love, wine, youth persuaded him;
Humanum est. Ubi scit factum, ad matrem virginis
Hegio: it is human. When he knew it was done, to the mother of the virgin
Venit ipsus ultro lacrimans, orans, obsecrans,
Hegio: he came himself of his own accord, weeping, praying, beseeching,
Fidem dans, iurans se illam ducturum domum.
Hegio: giving his word, swearing that he would lead her home as his wife.
Ignotum est; tacitum est; creditum est. Virgo ex eo
Hegio: He was pardoned; it was kept secret; he was believed. The virgin from that
Compressu gravida facta est: mensis hic decimus est.
Hegio: connection became pregnant: this is now the tenth month.
Ille bonus vir nobis psaltriam, si Dis placet,
Hegio: That ‘good man’ for us, if it please the gods,
Paravit quicum vivat, illam deserit.
Hegio: has procured a music-girl to live with, and deserts her.
Pro certon tu istaec dicis?
Demea: Do you say those things for certain?
Mater virginis
Hegio: The mother of the virgin
In medio est; ipsa virgo; res ipsa: hic Geta
Hegio: is in public view; the virgin herself; the matter itself; and Geta here
Praeterea, ut captus est servorum5 non malus
Hegio: besides, not a bad servant as servants go,
Neque iners, alit illas: solus omnem familiam
Hegio: nor lazy, feeds them: he alone supports
Sustentat: hunc abduce, vinci; quaere rem.
Hegio: the whole household: take him away, bind him, search out the truth.
Immo hercle extorque, nisi ita factum est, Demea.
Geta: Nay, by Hercules, torture me, if it was not done so, Demea.
Postremo non negabit: coram ipsum cedo.
Hegio: In short, he will not deny it: bring him face to face.
Pudet: nec quid agam neque quid huic respondeam
Demea: (Aside) I am ashamed; neither what to do nor what to answer him
Scio.
Demea: do I know.
Miseram me, differor doloribus.
Sostrata: (From within) Miserable me! I am distracted with pains.
Iuno Lucina, fer opem: serva me, obsecro.
Sostrata: Juno Lucina, bring aid; save me, I beseech you.
Hem.
Hegio: Ah.
Numnam illa quaeso parturit?
Demea: Is she, I pray, in labor?
Certe Hegio.
Geta: Certainly, Hegio.
Hem.
Hegio: Oh.
Illaec fidem nunc vestram implorat, Demea:
Hegio: She now implores your faith, Demea:
Quod vos vis cogit, id voluntate impetret.6
Hegio: what force would compel you to do, let her obtain by your free will.
Haec primum ut fiant Deos quaeso ut vobis decet:
Hegio: I pray the gods first that these things may be done as is fitting for you;
Sin aliter animus vester est, ego, Demea,
Hegio: but if your mind is otherwise, Demea,
Summa vi defendam hanc atque illum mortuum.
Hegio: with the greatest strength I will defend her and that dead man.
Mihi cognatus erat: una a pueris parvulis
Hegio: He was my kinsman: together from very small boys
Sumus educti; una semper militiae et domi
Hegio: we were brought up; we were always together in military service and at home;
Fuimus; paupertatem una pertulimus gravem.
Hegio: we endured heavy poverty together.
Quapropter nitar, faciam, experiar, denique
Hegio: Wherefore I will strive, I will do, I will try, and finally,
Animam relinquam potius quam illas deseram.
Hegio: I will rather leave my life than desert them.
Quid mihi respondes?
Hegio: What do you answer me?
Fratrem conveniam, Hegio:
Demea: I will meet my brother, Hegio:
Is quod mihi de hac re dederit consilium id sequar.
Demea: whatever advice he gives me about this matter, I will follow it.
Sed Demea hoc tu facito, cum animo cogites
Hegio: But Demea, see to this, that you ponder in your mind
Quam vos facillime agitis, quam estis maxime
Hegio: how you live most easily, how you are most especially
Potentes, dites, fortunati, nobiles,
Hegio: powerful, rich, fortunate, noble;
Tam maxime vos aequo animo aequa noscere
Hegio: so most especially it behooves you with an equal mind to recognize equal things,
Oportet, si vos vultis perhiberi probos.
Hegio: if you wish to be accounted honest men.
Redito: fient quae fieri aequum est omnia.
Hegio: Return; all things which are fair to be done shall be done.
Decet te facere. Geta duc me intro ad Sostratam.
Hegio: It becomes you to do so. Geta, lead me inside to Sostrata.
Non me indicente haec fiunt. Utinam hic sit modo
Demea: Not without my foretelling do these things happen. If only here it may be
Defunctum: verum nimia illaec licentia
Demea: finished; but that excessive indulgence
Profecto evadet in aliquod magnum malum.
Demea: will surely turn out into some great evil.
- 441illiusmodi
illiusmodi, containing the genitive of the noun modus, serves as a genitive of quality with an adjectival function modifying civium, meaning "of that kind".
- 450haud paternum istuc dedisti
The verb dedisti (dare) is used not in the sense of "to give" but "to commit" or "to perform an action"; paternum functions adverbially, meaning "not at all in a fatherly manner have you done that."
- 458bCave dixeris
The imperative cave (from cavere) followed by the perfect subjunctive dixeris is a standard Latin construction for a negative command (prohibition) with ne omitted, meaning "do not say so."
- 460Salvere Hegionem plurimum iubeo
The phrase salvere iubere (+ accusative) is a standard Latin idiom for greeting, structured as an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction, meaning "I bid Hegio to be in the best of health."
- 480ut captus est servorum
The phrase ut captus est (+ genitive) is a limiting idiomatic expression meaning "according to the capacity or standard of", signifying here "considering the capacity or standard of slaves."
- 490Quod vos vis cogit, id voluntate impetret
The antecedent of the relative clause quod vos vis cogit ("what force [vis] compels you [vos]") is id in the main clause, and impetret is a present subjunctive of wish or exhortation, advising them to do willingly what legal power would otherwise enforce.