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Plautus · Aulularia §664-727

Theft of the Gold by Strobilus and Euclio's Despair

Passage 11 of 13 · Latin

Summary

Strobilus successfully steals the pot of gold after Euclio changes its hiding place. Meanwhile, Lyconides seeks his mother's assistance as Phaedria goes into labor, and Euclio falls into a state of frantic despair upon discovering the theft.

§664credo ecferet iam secum et mutabit locum.
I believe he will soon bring it out with him and change its place.
§665attat, foris crépuit.
Ah, the door creaked.
senex eccum aurum ecfert foras.
Look, there's the old man bringing the gold outside.
§666tantisper huc ego ad iánuam concessero.
In the meantime, I will withdraw here to the door.
§667Fide censebam maxumam multo fidem §668esse, ea sublevit os mihi paenissume:
I used to think that by far the greatest trust was in Faith; she has very nearly cheated me.
§669ni subvenisset corvos, periissem miser.
If the raven had not come to my help, I, wretched man, would have perished.
§670nimis hercle ego illum corvom ad me veniat velim, §671qui indicium fecit, ut ego ílli aliquid boni §672dicam; nam quod edit tam duim quam perduim.
By Hercules, I would very much wish that that raven who gave the warning would come to me, so that I might say something good to him; for as for what he may eat, I would as gladly give it as lose it.
§673nunc hoc ubi abstrúdam cogito solum locum.
Now I am thinking of a lonely place where I may hide this.
§674Silvani lucus extra murum est avius, §675crebro salicto oppletus.
The grove of Silvanus outside the wall is out of the way, filled with a thick willow copse.
ibi sumam locum.
There I will choose a place.
§676certumst, Silvano potius credam quam Fide. —
It is resolved, I will trust Silvanus rather than Faith.
§677Euge, euge, di me salvom et servatum volunt.
Excellent, excellent! The gods wish me safe and preserved.
§678iam ego illúc praecurram atque inscendam aliquam in arborem §679indeque óbservabo, aúrum ubi abstrudat senex.
Now I will run ahead there and climb into some tree, and from there I will watch where the old man hides the gold.
§680quamquam hic manere mé erus sese iusserat; §681certum est, malam rem potius quaeram cum lucro. —
Although my master had ordered me to remain here; it is resolved, I will rather seek trouble accompanied by profit.
§682Dixi tibi, mater, iuxta rem mecum tenes, §683super Euclionis filia.
I have told you, mother, you know the matter as well as I do, concerning Euclio's daughter.
nunc te obsecro §684resecroque, mater, quod dudum obsecraveram: §685fac mentionem cum avonculo, mater mea.
Now I beg you and entreat you again, mother, what I had begged just now: make mention of it to my uncle, my mother.
§686Scis tute facta velle me quae tu velis, §687et istúc confido a fratre me impetrassere; §688et causa iusta est, siquidem ita est ut praedicas, §689te eam cómpressisse vinulentum virginem.
You yourself know that I wish those things done which you wish, and I trust that I shall obtain that from my brother; and the cause is just, if indeed it is as you declare, that you, drunk, violated the maiden.
§690Egone ut te advorsum mentiar, mater mea?
Could I tell a lie against you, my mother?
§691Perii, mea nutrix.
I am undone, my nurse!
obsecro te, uterum dolet.
I beg you, my womb hurts.
§692Iuno Lucina, tuam fidem!
Juno Lucina, your protection!
§692bEm, mater mea, §693tibi rem potiorem verbo: clamat, parturit.
There, my mother, you have the fact stronger than words: she is crying out, she is giving birth.
§694Ei hac intro mecum, gnate mi, ad fratrem meum, §695ut istúc quod me oras impetratum ab eo auferam. —
Come inside this way with me, my son, to my brother, so that I may obtain from him that which you beg of me.
§696I, iam sequor te, mater.
Go, I will follow you now, mother.
sed servom meum §697Strobilum miror ubi sit, quem ego me iusseram §698hic opperiri.
But I wonder where my slave Strobilus is, whom I had ordered to wait for me here.
nunc ego mecum cogito: §699si mihi dat operam, me illi irasci iniurium est.
Now I think to myself: if he is working for me, it is unjust for me to be angry with him.
§700ibo intro, ubí de capite meo sunt comitia. —
I will go inside, where the assembly concerning my fate is being held.
§701Picis divitiis, qui aureos montes colunt, §702ego solus supero.
I alone surpass in wealth the Griffins who inhabit the golden mountains.
nam istos reges ceteros §703memorare nolo, hominum mendicabula: §704ego sum ille rex Philippus.
For those other kings, I do not care to mention them, mere beggars of men: I am that great King Philip.
o lepidum diem.
Oh, delightful day!
§705nam ut dudum hinc abii, multo illo adveni prior §706multoque prius me conlocavi in arborem §707indéque spectabam aúrum ubi abstrúdebat senex.
For when I departed from here just now, I arrived there much earlier than he, and much earlier placed myself in a tree, and from there I watched where the old man was hiding the gold.
§708ubi ille ábiit, ego me deorsum duco de arbore, §709exfodio aulam auri plenam.
When he departed, I brought myself down from the tree, dug up the pot full of gold.
inde ex eo loco §710video recipere se senem; ille me non videt, §711nam ego declinavi paululum me extra viam.
Then from that place I saw the old man returning; he did not see me, for I turned aside a little out of the way.
§712attat, eccum ipsum.
Ah, look, there he is himself.
íbo ut hoc condam domum. —
I will go to hide this at home.
§713Perii ínterii occidi.
I am ruined, perished, dead!
quó curram? quo nón curram? tene, téne.
Where am I to run? Where am I not to run? Hold him, hold him!
quem? quis?
Whom? Who?
§714nesció, nil video, caécus eo atque equidém quo eam aut ubi sim aút qui sim §715nequeó cum animo certum ínvestigare.
I do not know, I see nothing, I go blind, and indeed where I am going, or where I am, or who I am, I cannot determine in my mind.
óbsecro vos ego, mi aúxilio, §716oro óbtestor, sitís et hominem demónstretis, quis eam ábstulerit.
I beseech you, be an aid to me, I pray and entreat, and show the man, who has carried it off.
§717quid est? quíd ridetis? nóvi omnes, scio fúres esse hic cómplures, §718qui véstitu et creta óccultant sese átque sedent quasi sínt frugi.
What is it? Why are you laughing? I know you all, I know there are many thieves here, who hide themselves with clothes and chalk, and sit as if they were honest.
§719quid aís tu? tibi credére certum est, nam essé bonum ex voltu cógnosco.
What do you say? I am resolved to believe you, for I know from your face that you are good.
§720hem, némo habet horum? occídisti.
Ah, none of these has it? You have slain me.
dic ígitur, quis habet? néscis?
Tell me then, who has it? You do not know?
§721heu mé miserum, miseré perii, male pérditus, pessime ornatus eo:
Alas, wretched me, miserably have I perished, badly ruined, most wretchedly treated do I go!
§722tantúm gemiti et mali maéstitiaeque hic diés mi optulít, famem et paúperiem.
so much of groaning and of evil and of sadness has this day brought to me, hunger and poverty.
§723perditíssimus ego sum omnium ín terra; nam quid mi ópust vita, qui tántum auri §724perdidí, quod concustódivisedúlo? egomet me défraudavi
I am the most ruined of all men on earth; for what need have I of life, who have lost so much gold, which I guarded so carefully?
§725animúmque meum geniúmque meum; nunc eó alii laetíficantur §726meo málo et damno.
I myself cheated myself, both my own soul and my own genius; now others are made glad by it, at my misfortune and loss.
pati néqueo.
I cannot bear it.
§727Quínam homo hic ante aédis nostras éiulans conquéritur maerens?
Who on earth is this man wailing, complaining, and grieving before our house?

Notes

  1. 668sublevit os — The phrase `sublinere os` literally means 'to smear someone's face (while they are asleep)', which metaphorically developed into the colloquial idiom 'to cheat, deceive'. Here, the subject `ea` (Fides) is said to have cheated `mihi` (Euclio).
  2. 670velim ... veniat — `velim` is a present subjunctive expressing a potential wish ('I would wish'). It is followed directly by the subjunctive `veniat` without the conjunction `ut`, a construction common in colloquial Latin to express a strong wish.
  3. 672duim quam perduim — `duim` and `perduim` are archaic forms of the present subjunctive, corresponding to the classical `dem` (from `dare`) and `perdam` (from `perdere`). Here they form an expression of indifference or resignation: 'I would as soon give it as lose it.'
  4. 713quo curram? — The present subjunctives `curram` and `eam` (in §714) are examples of the deliberative subjunctive, used here to express the speaker's extreme confusion and panic ('Where am I to run?').
  5. 715mi auxilio — This is a 'double dative' construction, combining the dative of person `mi` (shortened form of `mihi`) with the dative of purpose/service `auxilio` ('be for an aid [to me]').

Cite this passage

Plautus, Aulularia §664-727. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi003.humanitext-lat2:664-727

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