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Plautus · Amphitruo §924-988

Jupiter's Reconciliation with Alcumena and Mercury's Scheme

Passage 16 of 19 · Latin

Summary

Jupiter (as Amphitruo) reconciles with Alcumena by taking an oath and orders preparations for a sacrificial feast. While Alcumena and Sosia go inside, Mercury arrives to prevent the real Amphitruo from entering the house.

§924da mihi hanc veniam, ignosce, irata ne sies.
Grant me this pardon, forgive me, do not be angry.
§925Ego istaec feci verba virtute irrita; §926nunc, quando factis me impudicis abstini, §927ab impudicis dictis avorti volo.
I have made those words of yours void by my virtue; now, since I have kept myself from unchaste deeds, I wish to turn away from unchaste words.
§928valeas, tibi habeas res tuas, reddas meas.
Farewell, keep your property to yourself, return mine.
§929iuben mi íre comites?
Do you order my companions to go with me?
§929bSanan es?
Are you in your right mind?
§929cSi non iubes, §930ibo egomet; comitem mihi Pudicitiam duxero.
If you do not order them, I will go by myself; I shall take Chastity as my companion.
§931Mane. arbitratu tuo ius iurandum dabo, §932me meam pudicam esse uxorem arbitrarier.
Wait. I will take an oath according to your own choice, that I believe my wife to be chaste.
§933id ego si fallo, tum te, summe Iuppiter, §934quaeso, Amphitruoni ut semper iratus sies.
If I break this oath, then you, supreme Jupiter, I pray that you may always be angry with Amphitruo.
§935A, propitius sit potius.
Ah, may he rather be propitious!
§935bConfido fore; §936nam ius iurandum verum te advorsum dedi.
I trust it will be so; for I have given a true oath in your presence.
§937iam nunc irata non es?
Are you now no longer angry?
§937bNon sum.
I am not.
§937cBene facis.
You do well.
§938nam in hominum aetate multa eveniunt huius modi: §939capiunt voluptátes, capiunt rursum miserias; §940irae interveniunt, redeunt rursum in gratiam.
For in human life many things of this sort happen: they receive pleasures, and in turn they receive miseries; angers intervene, and they return again into favor.
§941verum irae si quae forte eveniunt huius modi §942inter eos, rursum si reventum in gratiam est, §943bis tanto amici sunt inter se quam prius.
But if any angers of this sort happen by chance between them, if they return again into favor, they are twice as friendly to each other as before.
§944Primum cavisse oportuit ne diceres, §945verum eadem si isdem purgas mi, patiunda sunt.
First, you ought to have taken care not to say it, but if you clear yourself to me of those same things by the same means, they must be endured.
§946Iube véro vasa pura adornari mihi, §947ut quae ápud legionem vota vovi, si domum §948rediissem salvos, ea ego exsolvam omnia.
Now order clean vessels to be prepared for me, so that all the vows which I made in the army, if I should return home safe, I may pay them all.
§949Ego istuc curabo.
I will take care of that.
§949bEvocate huc Sosiam; §950gubernatorem qui in mea navi fuit §951Blepharonem arcessat, qui nobiscum prandeat.
Call Sosia out here; let him fetch Blepharo, who was the pilot on my ship, to dine with us.
§952is adeo inpransus ludificabitur, §953cum ego Amphitruonem collo hinc obstricto traham.
He indeed, going without his lunch, will be made a fool of, when I drag Amphitruo along, with his neck gripped tight.
§954Mirum quid solus secum secreto ille agat.
It is strange what he is doing alone with himself in secret.
§955atque aperiuntur aedes.
And the house is opening.
exit Sosia.
Sosia is coming out.
§956Ámphitruo, assum.
Amphitruo, I am here.
sí quid opus est, impera, imperium éxequar.
If there is any need, command, I shall execute your command.
§957Sosia, optume advenis.
Sosia, you arrive at the best time.
§957bIam pax est inter vos duos?
Is there peace between you two now?
§958nam quia vos tranquillos video, gaudeo et volup est mihi.
For because I see you calm, I rejoice and it is a pleasure to me.
§959atque ita servom par videtur frugi sese instituere: §960proinde eri ut sint, ipse item sit; voltum e voltu comparet: §961tristis sit, si eri sint tristes; hilarus sit, si gaudeant.
And so it seems fit for a worthy servant to conduct himself: just as his masters are, let him be likewise; let him match his countenance from their countenance: let him be sad, if his masters are sad; cheerful, if they rejoice.
§962sed age responde: iam vos rediistis in concordiam?
But come, answer: have you now returned to harmony?
§963Derides, qui scis haec dudum me dixisse per iocum.
You mock me, you who know that I said those things just now in jest.
§964An id ioco dixisti? équidem serio ac vero ratus.
Did you say that in jest? Indeed, I thought it was in earnest and true.
§965Habui expurigationem; facta pax est.
I have made my explanation; peace is made.
§965bOptume est.
That is excellent.
§966Ego rem divinam intus faciam, vota quae sunt.
I shall perform the sacred rite inside, which are the vows.
§966bCenseo.
I agree.
§967Tu gubernatorem a navi huc evoca verbis meis §968Blepharonem, qui re divina facta mecum prandeat.
Do you call the pilot here from the ship in my name, Blepharo, so that he may dine with me after the sacred rite is finished.
§969Iam hic ero, cum illic censebis esse me. —
I shall be here now, when you think I am there.
§969bActutum huc redi.
Return here immediately.
§970Numquid vis, quin abeam iam intro, ut apparentur quibus opust?
Do you wish anything else, or may I go inside now, so that what is needed may be prepared?
§971I sane, et quantum potest parata fac sint omnia.
Go indeed, and make all things ready as quickly as possible.
§972Quin venis quando vis intro? faxo haud quicquam sit morae. —
Why do you not come inside when you wish? I will make sure there is no delay.
§973Recte loquere et proinde diligentem ut uxorem decet.
You speak rightly and just as befits a diligent wife.
§974iam hisce ambo, et servos et era, frustra sunt duo, §975qui me Amphitruonem rentur esse: errant probe.
Now both of these, both servant and mistress, are deceived, the two of them, who think that I am Amphitruo: they are completely mistaken.
§976nunc tu divine húc fac adsis Sosia §977(audis quae dico, tam etsi praesens non ades), §978fac Amphitruonem ádvenientem ab aedibus §979ut abigas; quovis pacto fac commentus sis.
Now, you, divine Sosia, make sure you are present here (you hear what I say, although you are not present in person), make sure you drive away Amphitruo as he approaches the house; by whatever means, see to it that you devise a plan.
§980volo déludi illunc, dum cum hac usuraria §981uxore nunc mihi morigero.
I wish him to be deluded, while I enjoy myself now with this borrowed wife of mine.
haec curata sint §982fac sis, proinde adeo ut velle med intellegis, §983atque ut ministres mihi, mihi cum sacruficem.
See to it that these things are cared for, make sure you do, just as you understand that I wish, and that you serve me, when I sacrifice to myself.
§984Concédite atque abscédite omnes, dé via decédite,
Yield and depart, everyone, get out of the way!
§985nec quísquam tam audax fúat homo, qui óbviam obsistát mihi.
And let no man be so bold as to stand in my way.
§986nam mihi quidem hercle qui minus liceat deo minitarier §987populo, ni decedat mihi, quam servolo in comoediis?
For, by Hercules, why should it be less permitted for me, a god, to threaten the people, unless they make way for me, than for a wretched slave in comedies?
§988ille návem salvam nuntiat aut irati adventum senis:
He announces that the ship is safe, or the arrival of an angry old man:

Notes

  1. §925virtute — Ablative of means or cause, indicating that her husband's false accusations were rendered void by her own "virtue" (chastity).
  2. §934Amphitruoni ut semper iratus sies — A highly ironic syntactical structure where Jupiter (disguised as Amphitruo) shifts the target of divine wrath for perjury to the real Amphitruo, instead of the oath-taker himself.
  3. §942reventum in gratiam est — An impersonal passive construction using the perfect passive participle in the neuter singular (reventum, from revenio), expressing the act of "returning into favor (reconciliation)" without a specific subject.
  4. §970Numquid vis, quin abeam — A colloquial idiomatic expression in Roman comedy, meaning "Is there anything else you want to prevent me from going?", where the quin-clause functions as a clause of prevention or hindrance.
  5. §985fuat — An archaic and colloquial present subjunctive of sum (derived from fuo), equivalent to sit. Here it functions as a jussive or optative subjunctive expressing a prohibition or negative wish.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Amphitruo §924-988. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi001.humanitext-lat2:924-988

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