- 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-lat2:71-141
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
As Micio finishes his monologue on his educational philosophy, an angry Demea arrives to accuse Aeschinus of a violent housebreaking. Micio defends the youth's actions as a phase and proposes that they each take care of one of the two brothers.
Si sperat fore clam1 rursum ad ingenium redit.
If he hopes it will be secret, he returns to his natural inclination again.
Ille quem beneficio adiungas ex animo facit;
The man whom you attach to yourself by kindness acts from the heart;
Studet par referre: praesens absensque idem erit.
he strives to return the like: present or absent, he will be the same.
Hoc patrium est, potius consuefacere filium
This is a father’s duty, rather to accustom his son
Sua sponte recte facere quam alieno metu.
to do right of his own accord than through fear of another.
Hoc pater ac dominus interest:2 hoc qui nequit,
In this a father differs from a master: he who cannot do this,
Fateatur nescire imperare liberis.
let him confess that he does not know how to rule free children.
Sed estne hic ipsus de quo agebam? et certe is est.
But is this the very man of whom I was speaking? Indeed it is he.
Nescio quid tristem video: credo iam ut solet
I see him looking sad, I know not why: I believe now, as usual,
Iurgabit. Salvum te advenire, Demea,
he will scold. Demea, we are glad
Gaudemus.
that you have arrived safe.
Ehem, opportune: te ipsum quaerito.
Ah, opportune! I was looking for you.
Quid tristis es?
Why are you sad?
Rogas me, ubi nobis Aeschinus
Do you ask me, when we have Aeschinus
Siet, quid tristis ego sim?
in such a state, why I am sad?
Dixine hoc fore?
Didn’t I say this would happen?
Quid fecit?
What has he done?
Quid ille fecerit? quem neque pudet
What has he done? He who is ashamed of nothing,
Quicquam; nec metuit quemquam; neque legem putat
nor fears anyone, nor thinks that any law
Tenere se ullam: nam illa quae antehac facta sunt
binds him; for those things which were done before this
Omitto: modo quid designavit!
I pass over: what has he just now committed!
Quidnam id est?
What in the world is it?
Fores effregit atque in aedes irruit
He broke open the doors and rushed into
Alienas: ipsum dominum atque omnem familiam
another’s house: the master himself and all the household
Mulcavit usque ad mortem: eripuit mulierem
he beat almost to death: he carried off the woman
Quam amabat. Clamant omnes indignissime
whom he loved. All cry out that it was a most shameful
Factum esse. Hoc advenienti quot mihi, Micio,
deed. How many told me this, Micio,
Dixere! in ore est omni populo. Denique,
as I was coming! It is in the mouth of all the people. Finally,
Si conferendum exemplum est, non fratrem videt
if an example is to be compared, does he not see his brother
Rei dare operam, ruri esse parcum ac sobrium?
attending to business, living frugally and soberly in the country?
Nullum huius simile factum. Haec quum illi, Micio,
No deed like this of his. When I say these things to him, Micio,
Dico tibi dico: tu illum corrumpi sinis.
I say them to you: you allow him to be ruined.
Homine imperito nunquam quicquam iniustius,
Never was there anything more unjust than an ignorant man,
Qui nisi quod ipse fecit nihil rectum putat.
who thinks nothing is right except what he himself has done.
Quorsum istuc?
Whither does that tend?
Quia tu Demea haec male iudicas.
Because you, Demea, judge these things wrongly.
Non est flagitium, mihi crede, adolescentulum
It is not a crime, believe me, for a young man
Scortari neque potare; non est; neque fores
to wench or to drink; it is not; nor to break open
Effringere. Haec si neque ego neque tu fecimus,
doors. If neither I nor you did these things,
Non siit egestas facere nos. Tu nunc tibi
poverty did not allow us to do them. Do you now reckon
Id laudi ducis quod tum fecisti inopia?
that as a praise to yourself which you then did from want?
Iniurium est; nam si esset unde id fieret,
It is unjust; for if there had been the means wherewith it could be done,
Faceremus: et tu illum tuum, si esses homo,
we would have done it; and you, if you were a man, would have allowed
Sineres3 nunc facere, dum per aetatem licet,
that son of yours to do it now, while his age permits,
Potius quam, ubi te exspectatum eiecisset foras,
rather than, when he had thrown you out after waiting for your death,
Alieniore aetate post faceret tamen.
he should do it afterwards at a less fitting age.
Pro Iupiter! tu homo adigis me ad insaniam.
By Jupiter! you, man, drive me to madness.
Non est flagitium, facere haec adolescentulum?
Is it not a crime for a young man to do these things?
Ah,
Ah,
Ausculta: ne me obtundas de hac re saepius.
listen: do not dun me about this matter so often.
Tuum filium dedisti adoptandum mihi:
You gave your son to me to be adopted:
Is meus est factus: si quid peccat Demea,
he has become mine: if he does any wrong, Demea,
Mihi peccat: ego illi maximam partem feram.
he does wrong to me: I shall bear the greatest part of the cost.
Obsonat, potat, olet unguenta; de meo.
He feasts, he drinks, he smells of perfumes; it is at my expense.
Amat; a me argentum dabitur dum erit commodum:
He loves; money shall be given by me as long as it is convenient:
Ubi non erit fortasse excludetur foras.
when it is not, perhaps he will be shut out of doors.
Fores effregit; restituentur: discidit
He broke open doors; they shall be restored: he tore
Vestem; resarcietur. Est, Dis gratia,
a garment; it shall be mended. There is, thanks to the Gods,
Et unde haec fiant, et adhuc non molesta sunt.
both whence these things may be supplied, and so far they are not troublesome.
Postremo aut desine, aut cedo quemvis arbitrum:
Finally, either leave off, or bring in any arbitrator you please:
Te plura in hac re peccare ostendam.
I will show that you err more in this matter.
Hei mihi!
Woe is me!
Pater esse disce ab illis qui vere sciunt.
Learn to be a father from those who truly know.
Natura tu illi pater es, consiliis ego.
By nature you are his father, but by advice I am.
Tun consulis quicquam?
Do you advise anything?
Ah, si pergis abiero.
Ah, if you go on, I will go away.
Sicine agis?
Is this the way you act?
An ego toties de eadem re audiam?
Am I to hear so many times about the same thing?
Curae est mihi.
It is a care to me.
Et mihi curae est: verum Demea
And it is a care to me: but, Demea,
Curemus aequam uterque partem: tu alterum,
let us each care for our equal share: you for the one,
Ego item alterum; nam ambos curare propemodum
I likewise for the other; for to care for both is almost
Reposcere illum est quem dedisti.
to demand back him whom you gave.
Ah, Micio.
Ah, Micio.
Mihi sic videtur.
So it seems to me.
Quid istic?4 tibi si istic placet,
What of it? If that pleases you,
Profundat, perdat, pereat: nihil ad me attinet.
let him squander, destroy, perish: it is nothing to me.
Iam si verbum unum posthac—
If from now on one single word—
Rursum, Demea,
Again, Demea,
Irascere?
are you angry?
An non credis? repeto quem dedi?
Do you not believe me? Am I demanding back him whom I gave?
Aegre est: alienus non sum: si obsto, hem, desino.
It is painful: I am not a stranger: if I stand in the way, well, I stop.
Unum vis curem; curo; et est Dis gratia
You wish me to care for the one; I care for him; and thanks to the Gods,
Quum ita ut volo est. Iste tuus ipse sentiet
he is just as I wish. That one of yours will feel it himself
Posterius—nolo in illum gravius dicere.
later—I do not wish to say anything harsher against him.
Nec nihil neque omnia haec sunt quae dicit; tamen
These things which he says are neither nothing nor everything; yet
- 71fore clam
The word "fore" is the shortened future infinitive of "esse" (futurus esse). It forms an accusative with infinitive clause dependent on "sperat", where the subject accusative (such as "id") is omitted, meaning "if he hopes it will be secret." "clam" is used adverbially.
- 76Hoc pater ac dominus interest
"hoc" acts as an ablative of respect or accusative of respect ("in this point"). "pater ac dominus" are the subjects of "interest", which is treated here as a personal verb meaning "differs" rather than in its impersonal construction.
- 107si esses homo, sineres
A conditional sentence contrary to fact in the present, using the imperfect subjunctive ("esses... sineres"). It implies "if you were a (proper) human being, you would allow (which you do not)." Here "homo" connotes a humane or reasonable person.
- 133bQuid istic?
A colloquial idiom common in Roman comedy, used when a speaker gives up an argument or yields to another. It translates to "Very well then!" or "What of it!" showing concession.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1