§1084Immo omnes sani sunt profecto. §1084bAt me uxor insanum facit §1085suis foedis factis. §1085bAt ego faciam, tu idem ut aliter praedices, §1086Ámphitruo, piam et pudicam ésse tuam uxorem ut scias.
"Nay, indeed, all are surely of sound mind." "But my wife makes me mad with her shameful deeds." "But I shall make you speak otherwise of the same matter, Amphitruo, so that you may know your wife is pious and chaste.
§1087de ea re signa atque argumenta paucis verbis eloquar.
Concerning that matter, I shall state signs and proofs in few words.
§1088omnium primum: Alcumena geminos peperit filios. §1089Ain tu, geminos? §1089bGeminos. §1089cDi me servant. §1089dSine me dicere, §1090ut scias tibi tuaeque uxori deos esse omnis propitios. §1091Loquere. §1091bPostquam parturire hodie uxor occepit tua, §1092ubi utero exorti dolores, ut solent puerperae §1093invocat deos immortales, ut sibi auxilium ferant, §1094manibus puris, capite operto.
First of all: Alcumena has given birth to twin boys." "Did you say twins?" "Twins." "The gods are saving me." "Allow me to speak, so that you may know that all the gods are favorable to you and your wife." "Speak." "After your wife began to be in labor today, when pains arose in her womb, as is customary for women in labor, she called upon the immortal gods to bring her help, with pure hands and covered head.
íbi continuo contonat §1095sonitu maxumo; aedes primo ruere rebamur tuas.
Then, immediately it thundered with a very great sound; at first we thought your house was falling.
§1096aedes totae confulgebant tuae, quasi essent aureae. §1097Quaeso absolvito hinc me extemplo, quando satis deluseris. §1098quid fit deinde? §1098bDum haec aguntur, interea uxorem tuam §1099neque gementem neque plorantem nostrum quisquam audivimus; §1100ita profecto sine dolore peperit. §1100bIam istuc gaudeo, §1101utut erga me merita est. §1101bMitte ista atque haec quae dicam accipe.
All your house shone brightly, as if it were of gold." "I pray you, release me from here at once, when you have mocked me enough." "What happened then?" "While these things were being done, meanwhile, your wife was heard neither groaning nor weeping by any of us; thus indeed she gave birth without pain." "I am glad of that already, however she has deserved toward me." "Dismiss those things and receive these which I shall say.
§1102postquam peperit, pueros lavere iussit nos.
After she gave birth, she ordered us to wash the boys.
occepimus.
We began.
§1103sed puer ille quém ego lavi, ut magnust et multum valet!
But that boy whom I washed, how big he is and how strong!
§1104neque eum quisquam colligare quivit incunabulis. §1105Nimia mira memoras; si istaec vera sunt, divinitus §1106non metuo quin méae uxori latae suppetiae sient. §1107Magis iam faxo mira dices.
Nor could anyone bind him with swaddling clothes." "You relate too many wonders; if those things are true, from heaven I do not fear but that broad help has been supplied to my wife." "I will soon make you say even greater wonders.
postquam in cunas conditust, §1108devolant angues iubati deorsum in impluvium duo §1109maximi: continuo extollunt ambo capita. §1109bEi mihi. §1110Ne pave.
After he was placed in the cradle, two crested serpents, very large, fly down into the impluvium below; immediately both raise their heads." "Woe to me." "Do not fear.
sed angues oculis omnis circumvisere.
But the serpents looked all around with their eyes.
§1111postquam pueros conspicati, pergunt ad cunas citi.
After they caught sight of the boys, they advanced quickly to the cradle.
§1112ego cunas recessim rursum vorsum trahere et ducere, §1113metuens pueris, mihi formidans; tantoque angues acrius §1114persequi.
I dragged and pulled the cradle backward and forward, fearing for the boys, trembling for myself; and the serpents pursued all the more fiercely.
postquam conspexit angues ille alter puer, §1115citus e cunis exilit, facit recta in anguis impetum: §1116alterum altera prehendit eos manu perniciter. §1117Mira memoras, nimis formidolosum facinus praedicas; §1118nam mihi horror membra misero percipit dictis tuis.
After that other boy saw the serpents, he quickly leapt from the cradle, made an attack straight at the serpents: swiftly he grabbed them, one in each hand." "You relate wonders, you declare too formidable a deed; for a shudder seizes my limbs, wretched me, at your words.
§1119quid fit deinde? porro loquere.
What happened then?
§1119bPuer ambo angues enicat.
Speak on." "The boy killed both serpents.
§1120dum haec aguntur, voce clara exclamat uxorem tuam— §1121Quis homo? §1121bSummus imperator divom atque hominum Iuppiter.
While these things were being done, a loud voice called your wife—" "What man?" "The supreme commander of gods and men, Jupiter.
§1122is se dixit cum Alcumena clam consuetum cubitibus, §1123eumque filium suom esse qui illos angues vicerit; §1124alterum tuom esse dixit puerum. §1124bPol me haud paenitet, §1125si licet boni dimidium mihi dividere cum Iove.
He said that he had secretly lain with Alcumena, and that the son who conquered those serpents was his own; the other boy, he said, was yours." "By Pollux, I am not at all displeased, if it is permitted for me to divide half of a good thing with Jupiter.
§1126abi domum, iube vasa pura actutum adornari mihi, §1127ut Iovis supremi multis hostiis pacem expetam.
Go home, order clean vessels to be prepared for me immediately, that I may seek peace from supreme Jupiter with many sacrificial victims.
§1128ego Teresiam coniectorem ádvocabo et consulam §1129quid faciundum censeat; simul hanc rem ut facta est eloquar.
I shall call Tiresias the prophet and consult him on what he thinks should be done; at the same time, I shall declare this matter as it happened.
§1130sed quid hoc? quam valide tonuit.
But what is this? How strongly it thundered.
di, obsecro vostram fidem. §1131Bono ánimo es, adsum auxílio, Amphitruo, tíbi et tuis: §1132nihil est quod timeas.
O gods, I implore your protection!" "Be of good courage, Amphitruo, I am present with help for you and yours: there is nothing for you to fear.
hariolos, haruspices §1133mitte omnes; quae futura et quae facta eloquar, §1134multo adeo melius quam illi, quom sum Iuppiter.
Dismiss all soothsayers and diviners; I shall declare what is to be and what has been, much better indeed than they, since I am Jupiter.
First of all, I took the use of Alcumena's body, and made her pregnant with a son by my intercourse.
You likewise made her pregnant, when you set out for the army: she gave birth to two at once in a single birth.
One of them, who was begotten from our seed, shall bring you immortal glory by his deeds.
§1141tu cum Alcumena uxore antiquam in gratiam §1142redi: haud promeruit quam ob rem vitio vorteres; §1143mea vi subactast facere.
Return to your former favor with your wife Alcumena: she has not deserved that you should turn this to her blame; she was forced to do so by my power.
ego in caelum migro. — §1144Fáciam ita ut iubés et te oro, prómissa ut servés tua.
I depart into heaven." "I shall do as you command, and I pray you to keep your promises.
§1145ibo ad uxorem intro, missum facio Teresiam senem.
I shall go inside to my wife, and dismiss the old Tiresias.
§1146nunc, spectatores, Iovis súmmi causa clare plaudite.
Now, spectators, applaud loudly for the sake of supreme Jupiter."