§1Ne quis miretur qui sim, paucis eloquar.
Lest anyone wonder who I am, I will speak in few words.
I am the household god (Lar) of this family, from which you have just seen me coming out.
This house, I have now for many years possessed and cared for, already for the father and grandfather of him who now lives here.
§6sed mí avos huius obsecrans concredidit §7thensaurum aúri clam omnis: in medio foco §8defodit, venerans mé ut id servarem sibi.
But his grandfather, entreating me, entrusted to me a treasure of gold, secretly from everyone: in the middle of the hearth he buried it, worshiping me so that I might keep it for him.
§9is quoniam moritur (ita avido ingenio fuit), §10numquam indicare id filio voluit suo, §11inopemque optavit potius eum relinquere, §12quam eum thensaurum commonstraret filio; §13agri reliquit ei non magnum modum, §14quo cum labore magno et misere viveret.
Since he was dying (so greedy was his nature), he never wished to reveal it to his own son, and preferred to leave him destitute, rather than show that treasure to his son; He left him no large measure of land, on which he might live with great labor and miserably.
§15ubi is óbiit mortem qui mihi id aurum credidit, §16coepi observare, ecqui maiorem filius §17mihi honorem haberet quam eius habuisset pater.
When he died who had entrusted that gold to me, I began to watch whether his son would pay me greater honor than his father had paid.
And he, indeed, paid less and less, vastly less, to care for me, and less to bestow honors upon me.
§20item a me contra factum est, nam item obiit diem.
The same was done by me in return, for he also died.
§21is ex se húnc reliquit qui hic nunc habitat filium §22pariter moratum ut pater avosque huius fuit.
He left behind him this son who now lives here, of like character as his father and grandfather had been.
§23huic filia una est.
He has one daughter.
She, every day, always supplicates with incense, or wine, or something, and gives me wreaths.
eius honoris gratia §26feci, thensaurum ut hic reperiret Euclio, §27quo illam facilius nuptum, si vellet, daret.
Out of regard for her honor, I have brought it about that Euclio should find the treasure here, so that he might more easily give her in marriage, if he wished.
§28nam eam compressit de summo adulescens loco.
For a young man of very high station has violated her.
§29is scit adulescens quae sit quam compresserit, §30illa illum nescit, neque compressam autem pater.
That young man knows who she is whom he violated, she does not know him, and her father does not know that she was violated.
Today I will bring it about that this old man from next door shall ask her for himself as wife.
id ea faciam gratia, §33quo ille eam facilius ducat qui compresserat.
I will do this for this reason, so that he who violated her may marry her more easily.
§34et hic qui poscet eam sibi uxorem senex, §35is adulescentis illius est avonculus, §36qui illam stupravit noctu, Cereris vigiliis.
And this old man who will ask her for his wife, he is the uncle of that young man, who violated her by night, at the vigil of Ceres.
§37sed hic senex iam clamat intus ut solet.
But this old man is already shouting inside, as is his habit.
§38anum foras extrudit, ne sit conscia.
He is thrusting the old woman out of doors, lest she be aware of it.
§39credo aurum inspicere volt, ne subreptum siet.
I believe he wants to inspect the gold, lest it has been stolen.
§40Exi, ínquam.
Get out, I say!
age exi.
Come, get out!
exeúndum herclé tibi hinc est foras, §41circumspectatrix cum oculis emissiciis.
By Hercules, you must get out of here, you prying woman with spy-eyes.
§42Nam cur me miseram verberas?
Why indeed do you beat me, miserable as I am?
So that you may be miserable, and so that, evil as you are, you may lead an evil life, worthy of you.
§44Nam qua me nunc causa extrusisti ex aedibus?
For what reason have you now thrust me out of the house?
§45Tibi egó rationem reddam, stimulorum seges?
Am I to give an account to you, you harvest-field of whips?
§46illuc regredere ab ostio. illuc sis vide,
Go back over there, away from the door.
§47ut incédit.
Look there, please, how she walks!
at scin quo modo tibi res se habet?
But do you know how matters stand for you?
§48si hercle hodie fustem cepero aut stimulum in manum, §49testudineum istum tibi ego grandibo gradum.
If, by Hercules, I take a club or a whip in my hand today, I will quicken that tortoise-pace of yours for you.
Would that the gods would drive me to hanging, rather indeed than serve you on these terms.
§52At ut scelesta sola secum murmurat.
Ha, how the wicked wretch mutters to herself alone!
By Hercules, I will gouge out those eyes of yours, you wicked woman, so that you cannot watch me, to see what I am doing.
Go back further even now—even now—further—woah, stand there.
si hercle tu ex istoc loco §57digitum transvorsum aut unguem latum excesseris §58aut si respexis, donicum ego te iussero, §59continuo hercle ego te dedam discipulam cruci.
If, by Hercules, you from that spot move away by a finger's breadth or a nail's width, or if you look back, until I bid you, instantly, by Hercules, I will deliver you as a pupil to the cross.
§60scelestiorem me hac anu certo scio §61vidisse numquam, nimisque ego hanc metuo male, §62ne mi ex insidiis verba imprudenti duit §63neu persentiscat aurum ubi est absconditum, §64quae in occipitio quoque habet oculos pessima.
I know for certain that I have never seen anyone more wicked than this old woman, and I fear her terribly, lest she craftily deceive me when I am off my guard, or scent out where the gold is hidden, the worst of women, who has eyes in the back of her head too.
§65nunc ibo ut visam sitne ita aurum ut condidi, §66quod me sollicitat plurimis miserum modis. — §67Noenum mecastor quid ego ero dicam meo §68malae rei evenisse quamve insaniam, §69queo comminisci; íta me miseram ad hunc modum §70decies die uno saepe extrudit aedibus.
Now I will go to see whether the gold is just as I hid it, which worries me, miserable man, in so many ways.— By Castor, I cannot imagine what trouble has come upon my master, or what madness, I cannot think; so miserably, in this fashion, he often thrusts me, wretched as I am, ten times out of the house in a single day.