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Plautus · Asinaria §384-445b

Leonida's Impersonation of Saurea before the Merchant

Passage 7 of 15 · Latin

Summary

As a merchant seeking to pay for the asses visits Demaenetus' house and is greeted by the slave Libanus, Leonida appears disguised as the steward Saurea, furiously berating Libanus and testing him on household matters to establish his persona in front of the visitor.

§384Quis nostras sic frangit fores? ohe, inquam, si quid audis. §385Nemo etiam tetigit.
"Who is breaking our doors so? Stop, I say, if you hear anything." "No one has even touched them yet.
sanun es? §385bAt censebam attigisse §386propterea, huc quia habebas iter.
Are you sane?" "But I thought you had touched them, because you were making your way here.
nolo ego fores conservas §387meas á te verberarier.
I do not wish my fellow-slave doors to be beaten by you.
sane ego sum amicus nostris. §388Pol haud periclum est, cardines ne foribus effringantur, §389si istoc exemplo omnibus qui quaerunt respondebis. §390Ita haec morata est ianua: extemplo ianitorem §391clamat, procul si quem videt ire ad se calcitronem.
Indeed, I am a friend to our household." "By Pollux, there is no danger of the hinges being broken off the doors, if you answer in that manner all who inquire." "Such is the character of this door: immediately it calls out the gatekeeper, if it sees any kicker coming towards it from afar.
§392sed quid venis? quid quaeritas? §392bDemaenetum volebam. §393Si sit domi, dicam tibi. §393bQuid eius atriensis? §394Nihilo mage intus est. §394bVbi est? §394cAd tonsorem ire dixit. §395Conveni.
But why do you come? What are you looking for?" "I wanted Demaenetus." "If he is at home, I will tell you." "What of his steward?" "He is not inside at all." "Where is he?" "He said he was going to the barber's." "I met him.
sed post non redit? §395bNon edepol.
But has he not returned afterwards?" "By Pollux, no.
quid volebas? §396Argenti viginti minas, si adesset, accepisset. §397Qui pro istuc? §397bAsinos vendidit Pellaeo mercatori §398mercatu. §398bScio.
What did you want?" "Twenty minae of silver; if he were here, he would have received them." "What is that for?" "He sold asses to a merchant of Pella at the market." "I know.
tu id nunc refers? iam hic credo eum adfuturum. §399Qua facie voster Saurea est? si is est, iam scire potero.
Do you bring that now? I believe he will be here soon." "What face does your Saurea have?
§400Macilentis malis, rufulus aliquantum, ventriosus, §401truculentis oculis, commoda statura, tristi fronte. §402Non potuit pictor rectius describere eius formam. §403Atque hercle ipsum adeo contuor, quassanti capite incedit.
If it is he, I shall be able to know soon." "With hollow cheeks, somewhat reddish-haired, pot-bellied, with fierce eyes, of medium height, with a frowning brow." "A painter could not have described his form more correctly." "And by Hercules, I see him himself indeed, walking with a shaking head.
§404quisque obviam huic occesserit irato, vapulabit. §405Siquidem hércle Aeacidinis minis animisque expletus incedit, §406si med iratus tetigerit, iratus vapulabit. §407Quid hoc sít negoti, neminem meum dictum magni facere?
Whoever meets this angry man will get a beating." "Even if, by Hercules, he comes filled with Aeacidian threats and wrath, if he touches me in his anger, he himself will get a beating in his anger." "What business is this, that no one values my word at a straw?
§408Libanum in tonstrinam ut iusseram venire, is nullus venit.
When I ordered Libanus to come to the barber's, he never came.
§409ne ille edepol tergo et cruribus consuluit haud decore. §410Nimis imperiosust. §410bVae mihi. §410cHodie salvere iussi §411Libanum libertum? iam manu emissus es?
By Pollux, he has consulted for his back and legs in a very unseemly manner." "He is exceedingly overbearing." "Woe is me." "Did I today bid Libanus the freedman good day?
§411bObsecro te. §412Ne tu hercle cum magno malo mihi obviam occessisti.
Have you already been manumitted?" "I beseech you." "Indeed, by Hercules, you have met me with great misfortune.
§413cur non venisti, ut iusseram, in tonstrinam? §413bHic me moratust. §414Siquidem hércle nunc summum Iovem te dicas detinuisse §415atque is precator adsiet, malam rem effugies numquam.
Why did you not come, as I had ordered, to the barber's?" "This gentleman delayed me." "Even if, by Hercules, you were to say that supreme Jupiter detained you, and he were present as an intercessor, you would never escape a beating.
§416tu, verbero, imperium meum contempsisti? §416bPerii, hospes. §417Quaeso hercle noli, Saurea, mea causa hunc verberare. §418Vtinam nunc stimulus in manu mihi sit. §418bQuiesce quaeso. §419Qui latera conteram tua, quae occalluere plagis.
You, whip-rascal, have you despised my command?" "I am undone, guest." "Pray, by Hercules, do not, Saurea, beat this man on my account." "Would that a goad were now in my hand!" "Be quiet, pray." "To bruise your ribs, which have grown calloused with blows.
§420abscede ac sine me hunc perdere, qui semper me ira incendit, §421cui numquam unam rem me licet semel praecipere furi, §422quin centiens eadem imperem atque ogganniam, itaque iam hercle §423clamore ac stomacho non queo labori suppeditare.
Stand aside and let me destroy this scoundrel, who always inflames me with anger, to whom I, as a thief, am never allowed to give a single order once, without commanding and growling the same things a hundred times; and so now, by Hercules, with shouting and anger I am unable to hold out for my work.
§424iussin, sceleste, ab ianua hoc stercus hinc auferri?
Did I not order, you scoundrel, this dung to be carried away from the door?
§425iussin columnis deici operas araneorum?
Did I not order the cobwebs to be swept down from the columns?
§426iussin in splendorem dari bullas has foribus nostris?
Did I not order these studs on our doors to be made bright?
§427nihil est: tamquam si claudus sim, cum fustist ambulandum.
It is nothing: just as if I were lame, I must walk with a stick.
§428quia triduom hoc unum modo foro operam adsiduam dedo, §429dum reperiam qui quaeritet argentum in faenus, hic vos §430dormitis interea domi, atque erus in hara, haud aedibus, habitat.
Because for these three days alone I give constant attention to the forum, while I find someone who seeks money on interest, you meanwhile sleep here at home, and the master lives in a sty, not in a house.
§431em ergo hóc tibi. §431bHospes, te obsecro, defende. §431cSaurea, oro, §432mea causa ut mittás. §432bEho, ecquis pro vectura olivi §433rem solvit? §433bSolvit. §433cCui datumst? §433dSticho vicario ipsi §434tuo. §434bVáh, delenire apparas, scio mihi vicarium esse, §435neque eo esse servom in aedibus eri quí sit pluris quam illest.
Take this then!" "Guest, I beseech you, defend me!" "Saurea, I pray, on my account, let him go." "Ho, has anyone paid the money for the carriage of the olive oil?" "He has paid." "To whom was it given?" "To your deputy Stichus himself." "Ah, you prepare to soothe me; I know I have a deputy, and that there is no slave in the master's house who is of more value than he is.
§436sed vina quaé heri vendidi vinario Exaerambo, §437iam pró eis satis fecit Sticho? §437bFecisse satis opinor, §438nam vidi huc ipsum adducere trapezitam Exaerambum. §439Sic dedero.
But for the wine which I sold yesterday to Exaerambus the wine-merchant, has he already satisfied Stichus?" "I think he has satisfied him, for I saw Exaerambus himself bringing the banker here." "Thus I will have it.
prius quae credidi vix anno post exegi; §440nunc satagit: adducit domum etiam ultro et scribit nummos. §441Dromo mercedem rettulit? §441bDimidio minus opinor. §442Quid relicuom? §442bAibat reddere quom extemplo redditum esset; §443nam retineri, ut quod sit sibi operis locatum efficeret. §444Scyphos quos utendos dedi Philodamo, rettulitne? §445Non etiam.
What I previously trusted, I with difficulty recovered a year after; now he is busy: he even brings him to the house of his own accord and enters the money." "Has Dromo brought back his wages?" "Less by half, I think." "What of the rest?" "He said he would pay as soon as it was paid back to him; for it was retained so that he might finish the work that had been let to him." "Has he brought back the cups which I gave to Philodamus to use?" "Not yet." "What, not yet?
§445bHem non? si velis da, commoda homini amico.
If you wish, give and lend to a friendly man!"

Notes

  1. 386fores conservas meas — The noun 'fores' (doors) is humorous modified by 'conservas' (fellow-maidservants), personifying the doors of the household as if they were fellow slaves.
  2. 405Aeacidinis minis animisque — Referring to Achilles (grandson of Aeacus), implying heroic or extreme anger and threats. It compares the mock-rage of Saurea (Leonida) to the legendary wrath of Achilles.
  3. 407neminen meum dictum magni facere — An accusative with infinitive of exclamation, expressing indignation or surprise ('To think that no one values my word!').
  4. 421quin centiens eadem imperem — Introduced by 'quin' after a negative expression ('numquam... licet'), leading a subjunctive clause of result/restriction: 'without my commanding the same things a hundred times'.
  5. 445bsi velis da — The conditional 'si' clause followed by the imperative 'da' ('give, if you wish'), conveying a sarcastic warning or resignation about lending things to friends.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Asinaria §384-445b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi002.humanitext-lat2:384-445b

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