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Plautus · Aulularia §263b-331

Wedding Preparations and Gossip on Euclio's Miserliness

Passage 5 of 13 · Latin

Summary

Euclio agrees to marry his daughter to Megadorus without a dowry and starts preparing for the wedding. Pythodicus, Megadorus's slave-leader, and the hired cooks divide the provisions while gossiping about Euclio's extreme stinginess.

§263bIstuc.
(Euclio) Just so.
ei et vale.
Go on, and farewell.
§264Heus, Pythodice, sequere propere me ad macellum strenue. — §265Illic hinc abiit.
(Megadorus) Hey, Pythodicus, follow me quickly and briskly to the market.— (Euclio) He has gone from here.
di immortales, obsecro, aurum quid valet.
Immortal gods, I pray, what is gold worth!
§267id inhiat, ea affinitatem hanc obstinavit gratia.
He gapes for it, and for its sake he persisted in this alliance.
§268ubi tu es, quae deblateravisti iam vicinis omnibus,
Where are you, you who have already blabbed to all the neighbors that I am going to give a dowry to my daughter?
§269meae me filiae daturum dotem? heus, Staphyla, te voco.
Hey, Staphyla, I am calling you.
§270ecquid audis? vascula intus pure propera atque elue: §271filiam despondi ego: hodie huic nuptum Megadoro dabo.
Do you hear anything? Hurry and wash out the vessels inside cleanly: I have betrothed my daughter: today I will give her in marriage to this Megadorus.
§272Di bene vortant.
(Staphyla) May the gods turn it to good.
verum ecastor non potest, subitum est nimis.
But by Castor, it cannot be, it is too sudden.
§273Tace atque abi.
(Euclio) Be quiet and go inside.
curata fac sint cum a foro redeam domum; §274atque aedis occlude; iám ego hic adero. — §274bQuid ego nunc agam?
See that things are prepared when I return home from the forum; and lock up the house; I shall be back here soon.— (Staphyla) What shall I do now?
§275nunc nobis prope adest exitium, mi atque erili filiae, §276nunc probrum atque partitudo prope adest ut fiat palam; §277quod celatum atque occultatum est usque adhuc, nunc non potest.
Now destruction is near for us, for me and my master's daughter, now shame and childbirth are near to becoming public; what has been hidden and concealed until now can no longer be so.
§278ibo intro, ut erus quae imperavit facta, cum veniat, sient.
I will go inside, so that what my master has ordered may be done when he comes.
§279nam ecastor malum maerore metuo ne mixtum bibam. — §280Postquam óbsonavit erus et conduxit coquos §281tibicinasque hasce apud forum, edixit mihi §282ut dispertirem obsonium hic bifariam.
For by Castor, I fear I may drink trouble mixed with sorrow.— (Pythodicus) After my master bought provisions and hired the cooks and these flute-players at the forum, he ordered me to divide the provisions here into two parts.
§283Me quidem hercle, dicam tibi palam, non divides; §284si quo tu totum me ire vis, operam dabo.
(Anthrax) By Hercules, I tell you openly, you shall not divide me; if you want me to go whole anywhere, I will give my service.
§285Bellum et pudicum vero prostibulum popli.
(Pythodicus) A beautiful and modest public prostitute indeed.
§286post si quis vellet, te haud non velles dividi.
Afterwards, if anyone wished, you would not be unwilling to be divided.
§287Atque ego istuc, Anthrax, alio vorsum dixeram, §288non istuc quo tu insimulas.
And yet, Anthrax, I had said that in another sense, not in that which you insinuate.
sed erus nuptias §289meus hodie faciet.
But my master is celebrating a wedding today.
§289bCuius ducit filiam?
(Anthrax) Whose daughter is he marrying?
§290Vicini huius Euclionis senis e proximo.
(Pythodicus) The daughter of this old neighbor Euclio from next door.
§291ei adeo obsoni hinc iussit dimidium dari, §292cocum alterum itidemque alteram tibicinam.
Therefore, he ordered half of the provisions to be given here, one cook and likewise one flute-player.
§293Nempe huc dimidium dicis, dimidium domum?
(Anthrax) Do you mean half here, half at home?
§294Nempe sícut dicis.
(Pythodicus) Just as you say.
§294bQuíd? hic non poterat de suo §295senex óbsonari filiai nuptiis?
(Anthrax) What? Could not this old man provide food from his own means for his daughter's wedding?
§296Vah.
(Pythodicus) Pshaw!
§296bQuid negotist?
(Anthrax) What is the matter?
§296cQuid negoti sit rogas?
(Pythodicus) Do you ask what the matter is?
§297pumex non aeque est aridus atque hic est senex.
A pumice stone is not as dry as this old man is.
§298Ain tandem?
(Anthrax) Really?
§298bIta esse ut dixi. tute existuma:
(Pythodicus) It is just as I said.
§299suam rem periisse seque eradicarier. §300quin divom atque hominum clamat continuo fidem, §301de suo tigillo fumus si qua exit foras.
Judge for yourself: he cries out that his property is ruined and he is being root-and-branch destroyed, indeed, he cries out continuously for the help of gods and men, if any smoke comes out of his roof-tile.
§302quin cum it dormitum, follem obstringit ob gulam.
Indeed, when he goes to sleep, he ties a bag over his throat.
§303Cur?
(Anthrax) Why?
§303bNe quid animae forte amittat dormiens.
(Pythodicus) Lest by chance he should lose any breath while sleeping.
§304Etiamne obturat inferiorem gutturem, §305ne quid animai forte amittat dormiens?
(Anthrax) Does he also block up his lower throat, lest by chance he should lose any breath while sleeping?
§306Haec mihi te ut tibi med aequom est, credo, credere.
(Pythodicus) I believe you believe this, just as it is right for me to believe you.
§307Immo equidem credo.
(Anthrax) Indeed, I do believe it.
§307bAt scin etiam quo modo?
(Pythodicus) But do you also know in what manner?
§308aquam hercle plorat, cum lavat, profundere.
By Hercules, he weeps at pouring out the water when he washes.
§309Censen talentum magnum exorari pote §310ab istóc sene ut det, qui fiamus liberi?
(Anthrax) Do you think a great talent can be obtained from that old man by begging, so that we may become free?
§311Famem hercle utendam si roges, numquam dabit.
(Pythodicus) By Hercules, if you should ask to borrow hunger, he would never give it.
§312quin ipsi pridem tonsor unguis dempserat: §313collegit, omnia abstulit praesegmina.
Indeed, lately when a barber cut his nails, he gathered and carried away all the clippings.
§314Edepol mortalem parce parcum praedicas.
(Anthrax) By Pollux, you describe an extremely stingy mortal.
§315Censen vero esse parcum et misere vivere?
(Pythodicus) Do you really think he is stingy and lives miserably?
§316pulmentum pridem éi eripuit miluos: §317homo ad praetorem plorabundus devenit; §318infit ibi postulare plorans, eiulans, §319ut sibi liceret miluom vadarier.
Lately, a kite snatched away his porridge: the man came weeping to the praetor; there, weeping and wailing, he began to demand that he be allowed to hold the kite to bail.
§320sescenta sunt quae memorem, si sit otium.
There are six hundred things I could mention if there were leisure.
§321sed uter vestrorum est celerior? memora mihi.
But which of you two is faster? Tell me.
§322Ego, et multo melior.
(Congrio) I, and much better.
§322bCocum ego, non furem rogo.
(Pythodicus) I am asking for a cook, not a thief.
§323Cocum ergo dico.
(Congrio) I say a cook, then.
§323bQuid tu ais?
(Pythodicus) What do you say?
§323cSic sum ut vides.
(Anthrax) I am as you see.
§324Cocus ille nundinalest, in nonum diem §325solet ire coctum.
(Congrio) That one is a weekly market cook; he is accustomed to go to cook only on the ninth day.
§325bTun, trium litterarum homo, §326me vituperas? fur.
(Anthrax) Do you, a man of three letters, abuse me? Thief.
§326bEtiam fur, trifurcifer.
(Congrio) Yes, thief, and triple scoundrel.
§327Tace nunciam tu, atque agnum hinc uter est pinguior §328cape atque abi intro ad nos.
(Pythodicus) Now hold your tongue, both of you, and whichever lamb is the fatter, take it, Anthrax, and go inside to our house.
§328bLicet. — §328cTu, Congrio, §328aquem illic reliquit agnum, eum sume atque abi §329intro illuc, et vos illum sequimini.
(Anthrax) Very well.— (Pythodicus) You, Congrio, take the lamb which he has left there and go inside there, and you others follow him.
§330vos ceteri ite huc ad nos.
The rest of you, come here to our house.
§330bHercle iniuria §331dispertivisti: pinguiorem agnum isti habent.
(Congrio) By Hercules, you have divided them unfairly: they have the fatter lamb.

Notes

  1. §263bIstuc — Neuter accusative (or nominative) singular of the demonstrative pronoun, literally "that of yours," used here as a colloquial formula of agreement or confirmation: "Just so," or "Let it be as you say (i.e., that my daughter brings no dowry)."
  2. §271nuptum — The accusative supine (first supine) of the verb nubo (to marry, wed), expressing purpose. Combined with dabo (I will give), it forms the idiomatic expression "I will give in marriage."
  3. §276prope adest ut fiat palam — The adverb of proximity prope combined with the impersonally used adest, followed by an ut-clause introducing a result or noun clause, literally meaning "it is near at hand that it should become public."
  4. §283non divides — A second-person singular future indicative, which here functions as a strong prohibition or refusal ("you shall not divide me"). This is a humorous wordplay by Anthrax, playing on his name (meaning "coal" or "charcoal") and Pythodicus's order to divide the provisions.
  5. §298bIta esse ut dixi — An infinitive clause in indirect discourse. Replying to the question "Ain tandem?" (Really?), the main verb of speaking/thinking and the accusative subject (e.g., id, rem) are omitted, forming the elliptical statement "[I say that it] is so, as I said."
  6. §306Haec mihi te ut tibi med aequom est, credo, credere — A highly complex sentence with heavy hyperbaton (displaced word order). The structure can be untangled as: ut aequom est te credere mihi, (ita) credo med credere tibi ("As it is fair for you to believe me, so I believe that I believe you"). Here te is the subject of credere in the ut-clause, mihi its dative, and med (an archaic accusative form of me) is the accusative subject of credere following credo.
  7. §325btrium litterarum homo — Literally "a man of three letters," a famous comic circumlocution for fur (thief), which consists of three letters (f-u-r), used here as a mocking and insulting term.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Aulularia §263b-331. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi003.humanitext-lat2:263b-331

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