Micio Persuades Demea and Demea's Soliloquy — Terence, Adelphoe, lines 818–881, Latin & English

818

De summa nihil decedet: quod hinc accesserit,

Nothing will be lost from the capital: whatever comes from here,

Id de lucro putato esse omne. Haec si voles

consider it all as pure profit. If you are willing

820

In animo vere cogitare, Demea,

to reflect on these things truly in your mind, Demea,

Et mihi, et tibi, et illis demseris¹ molestiam.

you will have removed trouble from me, from yourself, and from them.

Mitto rem: consuetudinem ipsorum.

Demea: I let the property pass: what about their character?

Mane:

Micio: Wait:

Scio: istuc ibam. Multa in homine, Demea,

I know: I was coming to that point. There are many signs, Demea,

Signa insunt ex quibus coniectura facile fit,

from which a conjecture is easily made,

825

Duo quum idem faciunt, saepe ut possis dicere,²

when two do the same thing, so that you can often say,

Hoc licet impune facere huic, illi non licet;

”This one is permitted to do this with impunity, that one is not permitted”;

Non quod dissimilis res sit, sed quod is qui facit:

not because the action is different, but because of the one who does it.

Quae ego illis inesse video, ut confidam fore

I see these qualities in them, so that I trust things will be

Ita ut volumus: video sapere, intelligere, in loco

just as we wish: I see they have sense, understanding, reverence in the proper place,

830

Vereri, inter se amare: scires³ liberum

and mutual affection: you would know their liberal

Ingenium atque animum; quovis illos tu die

character and disposition; you may bring them back

Reducas. At enim metuas ne ab re sint tamen

on any day you please. But indeed you may fear that they are yet

Omissiores paullo. O noster Demea,

a little too neglectful of property. O our Demea,

Ad omnia alia aetate sapimus rectius:

in all other things we grow wiser with age:

835

Solum unum hoc vitium senectus affert hominibus;

old age brings only this one vice to men;

Attentiores sumus ad rem omnes quam sat est:

we are all more attentive to property than is enough:

Quod illos sat aetas acuet.

as for that, age will sharpen them enough.

Ne nimium modo

Demea: Only let not those fine reasonings of yours, Micio,

Bonae tuae istae nos rationes, Micio,Et tuus iste animus aequus, subvertant.

and that easy-going disposition of yours, ruin us.

Tace:

Micio: Be quiet:

840

Non fiet: mitte iam istaec: da te hodie mihi:

it won’t happen. Dismiss those thoughts now. Give yourself to me today:

Exporge frontem.

smooth your brow.

Scilicet, ita tempus fert;

Demea: To be sure, the occasion requires it;

Faciendum est: caeterum rus eras cum filioCum primo lucu.

it must be done. But tomorrow, at first light, I go to the country with my son.

Immo de nocte censeo;

Micio: Nay, I think even by night;

Hodie modo hilarum fac te.

today only make yourself cheerful.

Et istam psaltriam

Demea: And that music-girl

845

Una illuc mecum hinc abstraham.

I will drag away with me from here to that place.

Pugnaveris.

Micio: You will have triumphed.

Eo pacto prorsum illic alligaris filium:

By that means you will tie down your son there completely:

Modo facito ut illam serves.

only see to it that you keep her.

Ego istuc videro:

Demea: I will see to that:

Atque illi favillae plena, funi,⁴ ac pollinis,

and I will make sure she is full of ashes, smoke, and flour,

Coquendo sit faxo, et molendo: praeter haec

busy with cooking and grinding; besides these things,

850

Meridie ipso faciam ut stipulam colligat:

at very midday I will make her gather straw:

Tam excoctam reddam atque atram quam carbo est.

I will render her as parched and black as a charcoal.

Placet:

Micio: Excellent:

Nunc mihi videre sapere; atque equidem filium

now you seem to me to be wise; and indeed,

Tum etiam si nolit cogam ut cum illa una cubet.

I will compel your son, even if he is unwilling, to sleep with her.

Derides? fortunatus qui istoc animo sies.

Demea: Are you mocking? Fortunate are you to be of such a mind.

855

Ego sentio—

I feel—

Ah, pergisne?

Micio: Ah, are you going on?

Iam iam desino.

Demea: Right now, I stop.

I ergo intro, et cui rei est ei rei hunc sumamus diem.

Micio: Go in then, and let us spend this day for the purpose for which it is.

Nunquam ita quisquam bene subducta ratione ad vitam fuit

Demea: No one has ever had his life’s account so well calculated

Quin⁵ res, aetas, usus semper aliquid apportet novi,

but that circumstances, age, and experience always bring something new,

Aliquid moneat; ut illa quae te scire credas nescias,

and teach some lesson; so that you do not know what you believe you know,

860

Et quae tibi putaris prima in experiendo repudies:

and in experience you reject what you had thought to be of primary importance.

Quod nunc mihi evenit; nam ego vitam duram quam vixi usque adhuc

This is indeed what now happens to me; for that harsh life which I have lived up to this point,

Prope iam excurso spatio mitto. Id quamobrem? Re ipsa repperi

now when my course is almost run, I abandon. Why so? I have found by experience itself

Facilitate nihil esse homini melius neque clementia.

that nothing is better for a man than gentleness and clemency.

Id esse verum ex me atque ex fratre cuivis facile est noscere.

That this is true, anyone may easily learn from me and from my brother.

865

Ille suam semper egit vitam in otio, in conviviis,

He has always spent his life in leisure, in banquets,

Clemens, placidus, nulli laedere os, arridere omnibus:

gentle, mild, offending no one to his face, smiling upon all:

Sibi vixit; sibi sumtum fecit: omnes bene dicunt, amant.

he lived for himself, spent on himself: everyone speaks well of him, loves him.

Ego ille agrestis, saevus, tristis, parcus, truculentus, tenax,

I, that rustic, harsh, gloomy, stingy, fierce, tenacious man,

Duxi uxorem: quam ibi miseriam vidi! Nati filii,

took a wife: what misery I saw there! Sons were born,

870

Alia cura. Porro autem illis dum studeo ut quam plurimum

another care. Furthermore, while I was eager to make as much

Facerem, contrivi in quaerendo vitam atque aetatem meam.

as possible for them, I wore out my life and age in acquiring it.

Nunc exacta aetate hoc fructi pro labore ab his fero,

Now, at the end of my life, I receive this fruit of my labor from them:

Odium. Ille alter sine labore patria potitur commoda:

hatred. That other, without labor, enjoys the father’s advantages:

Illum amant, me fugitant: illi credunt consilia omnia;

they love him, they avoid me: they entrust all their secrets to him;

875

Illum diligunt; apud illum sunt ambo: ego desertus sum.

they cherish him; both are with him: I am deserted.

Illum ut vivat optant; meam autem mortem exspectant. Scilicet

They pray that he may live; but they await my death. To be sure,

Ita eos meo labore eductos maximo hic fecit suos

thus has he made those who were brought up with my greatest labor his own,

Paulo sumptu: miseriam omnem ego capio; hic potitur gaudia.

with little expense: I take all the misery; he enjoys the joys.

Age, age, nunc iam experiamur porro contra quid ego possiem

Come, come, now let us try on the contrary how much I can

880

Blande dicere, aut benigne facere, quando eo provocat.

speak softly, or act kindly, since he challenges me to it.

Ego quoque a meis me amari et magni pendi postulo:

I also demand that I be loved and highly valued by my own:

Syntax notes5 items

821demseris
The second-person singular future perfect indicative (or perfect subjunctive) of the verb demo (to remove). In this context, it functions as a future perfect indicating a result that will have been accomplished upon the fulfillment of the condition "si voles."
825Duo quum idem faciunt, saepe ut possis dicere
The conjunction "ut" in the clause "saepe ut possis dicere" introduces a consecutive (result) clause dependent on the "signa" mentioned in the preceding line, indicating that the signs are so clear "that you can often say..." even when two people do the same thing.
830scires
Subjunctive imperfect, expressing a potential past action or the apodosis of an implied condition, meaning "you would/might recognize (their noble nature if you were to look closely)."
848funi
While many modern editions emend this word to "fumi" (of smoke), if the manuscript reading "funi" is retained, it is interpreted in connection with ropes or binding as a source of labor and grubbiness, parallel with "favillae" (ashes) and "pollinis" (flour) as agents of her physical degradation.
857Nunquam ita quisquam bene subducta ratione ad vitam fuit / quin
The correlative structure "nunquam ita... quin..." forms a double negation that yields a strong affirmation: "no one has ever lived with his life's plan so well calculated but that (or without) circumstances, age, and experience always bringing something new."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi006.humanitext-lat2:818-881