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Plautus · Bacchides §197-274

Chrysalus's Deceit and False Report to Nicobulus

Passage 4 of 19 · Latin

Summary

Chrysalus learns from Pistoclerus that Bacchis has been found but money is needed to secure her. When his master Nicobulus appears, Chrysalus devises a plan and falsely reports that they successfully recovered the gold from their host in Ephesus despite initial difficulties.

§197non impetratum id advenienti ei redderem?
Should I return it to him upon his arrival without it being accomplished?
§198regiones colere mavellem Acherunticas.
I would have preferred to dwell in the regions of Acheron.
§199_200Eho, an ínvenisti Bacchidem?
Hey, did you really find Bacchis?
§199_200bSamiam quidem.
A Samian indeed.
§201Vide quaeso, ne quis tractet illam indiligens; §202scis tu ut confringi vas cito Samium solet.
Please see to it that no careless person handles her; you know how easily a Samian vessel is wont to be broken.
§203Iamne ut soles?
Are you at it again as usual?
§203bDic ubi ea nunc est, obsecro.
Tell me where she is now, I beseech you.
§204Hic, exeuntem me unde aspexisti modo.
Here, in the place where you just saw me coming out.
§205Vt istúc est lepidum: proximae viciniae
How delightful that is!
§206habitat.
She lives in the immediate neighborhood.
ecquidnam meminit Mnesilochi?
Does she remember Mnesilochus at all?
§206bRogas?
Do you ask?
§207immo unice unum plurimi pendit.
Nay, she values him alone uniquely above all others.
§207bPapae.
Oh!
§208Immo ut eam credis? misera amans desiderat.
Nay, how do you think she is? Wretched in her love, she longs for him.
§209Scitum istuc.
That is pleasing.
§209bImmo, Chrysale, em non tantulum §210umquam intermittit tempus quin eum nominet.
Nay, Chrysalus, look, she never lets even so small a moment pass without naming him.
§211Tanto hercle melior.
By Hercules, so much the better.
§211bImmo— §211cImmo hercle abiero §212potius.
Nay— Nay, by Hercules, I had rather go away.
§212bNum invitus rem bene gestam audis eri?
Are you unwilling to hear of your master's success?
§213Non res, sed actor mihi cor odio sauciat.
Not the matter, but the actor wounds my heart with disgust.
§214etiam Epidicum, quam ego fabulam aeque ac me ipsum amo, §215nullam aeque invitus specto, sí agit Pellio.
Even the 'Epidicus', a play which I love as much as my own self, there is no play I watch so unwillingly if Pellio acts in it.
§216sed Bacchis etiam fortis tibi visast?
But did Bacchis seem beautiful to you too?
§216bRogas?
Do you ask?
§217ni nanctus Venerem essem, hanc Iunonem dicerem.
If I had not met Venus, I would call her Juno.
§218Edepol, Mnesiloche, ut hanc rem natam intellego, §219quod ames paratumst: quod des inventost opus.
By Pollux, Mnesilochus, as I understand how this matter has arisen, what you may love is ready; but what you may give must be found.
§220nam istic fortasse auro est opust.
For there is perhaps need of gold there.
§220bPhílippeo quidem.
With Philippian gold coins indeed.
§221Atque eo fortasse iám opust.
And there is perhaps need of it already.
§221bImmo etiam prius: §222nam iam huc adveniet miles.
Nay, even sooner; for already a soldier will come here.
§222bEt miles quidem?
A soldier indeed?
§223Qui de amittenda Bacchide aurum hic exiget.
Who will demand gold here for relinquishing Bacchis.
§224Veniat quando volt, atque ita ne mihi sit morae.
Let him come when he pleases, and so long as he does not cause me delay.
§225domist: non metuo nec ego quoiquam supplico, §226dum quidem hoc valebit pectus perfidia meum.
It is at home: I do not fear, nor do I entreat anyone, so long as this heart of mine is strong with trickery.
§227abi intro, ego hic curabo.
Go inside, I will take care of things here.
tu intus dicito §228Mnesilochum adesse Bacchidi.
You tell them inside that Mnesilochus is here for Bacchis.
§228bFaciam ut iubes. — §229Negotium hoc ad me adtinet aurarium.
I will do as you bid.— This money business belongs to me.
§230mille et ducentos Philippos áttulimus aureos §231Epheso, quos hospes debuit nostro seni.
We brought twelve hundred golden Philipps from Ephesus, which the host owed to our old man.
§232inde ego hodie aliquam machinabor machinam, §233unde aurum efficiam amanti erili filio.
From that, today I will devise some scheme, by which I may procure the gold for the master's loving son.
§234sed foris concrepuit nostra: quinam exit foras?
But our door has creaked: who on earth is coming out?
§235Ibo in Piraeum, visam écquae advenerit §236in portum ex Epheso navis mercatoria.
I will go to the Piraeus, to see if any merchant ship has arrived in port from Ephesus.
§237nam meus formidat animus, nostrum tam diu §238ibi desidere neque redire filium.
For my mind fears, since our son has been lingering there so long and not returning.
§239Extexam ego illum pulchre iam, si di volunt.
I will fleece him beautifully now, if the gods are willing.
§240haud dormitandumst: opus est chryso Chrysalo.
There must be no sleeping: Chrysalus has need of gold.
§241adibo hunc, quem quidem ego hódie faciam hic arietem §242Phrixi, itaque tondebo auro usque ad vivam cutem.
I will approach him, whom indeed today I will make here into the ram of Phrixus, and so fleece him of his gold all the way to the quick.
§243servos salutat Nicobulum Chrysalus.
The servant Chrysalus greets Nicobulus.
§244Pro di immortales, Chrysale, ubi mist filius?
By the immortal gods, Chrysalus, where is my son?
§245Quin tu salutem primum reddis quam dedi?
Why don't you first return the greeting I gave you?
§246Salve.
Greetings.
sed ubinamst Mnesilochus?
But where on earth is Mnesilochus?
§246bVivit, valet.
He lives, and is well.
§247Venitne?
Has he come?
§247bVenit.
He has come.
§247cEuax, aspersisti aquam.
Excellent! You have sprinkled water on me.
§248benene usque valuit?
Has he been quite well all along?
§248bPancratice atque athletice.
Like a pancratiast and an athlete.
§249Quid hoc? qua causa éum in Ephesum miseram,
What about this?
§250accepitne aurum ab hospite Archidemide?
Did he receive the gold from our host Archidemides, for which purpose I had sent him to Ephesus?
§251Heu, cor meum et cerebrum, Nicobule, finditur, §252istius hominis ubi fit quomque mentio.
Alas, Nicobulus, my heart and my brain are split open whenever mention is made of that man.
§253tun hospitem illum nominas hostem tuom?
Do you call that man a host, who is your enemy?
§254Quid ita, obsecro hercle?
Why so, by Hercules, I pray?
§254bQuia edepol certo scio, §255Volcanus, Luna, Sol, Dies, dei quattuor, §256scelestiorem nullum inluxere alterum.
Because, by Pollux, I know for certain, that Vulcan, Luna, Sol, and Dies—those four divinities— have never shone upon another more wicked.
§257Quamne Archidemidem?
Whom? Archidemides?
§257bQuam, inquam, Archidemidem.
Him, I say, Archidemides.
§258Quid fecit?
What did he do?
§258bQuid non fecit? quin tu id me rogas?
What did he not do? Why don't you ask me that?
§259primumdum infitias ire coepit filio, §260negare se debere tibi triobulum.
First of all, he began to deny it to your son, saying that he did not owe you even a triobolus.
§261continuo ántiquom hospitem nostrum sibi §262Mnesilochus advocavit, Pelagonem senem; §263eo praésente homini extemplo ostendit symbolum, §264quem tute dederas, ad eum ut ferret, filio.
Straightway Mnesilochus called to his aid our ancient host, the old man Pelagon; in his presence, he immediately showed the man the token which you yourself had given to your son to carry to him.
§265Quid ubi ei ostendit symbolum?
What happened when he showed him the token?
§265bInfit dicere §266adulterinum et non eum esse symbolum.
He began to say that the token was counterfeit and not the genuine one.
§267quotque innocenti ei dixit contumelias!
And how many insults did he heap upon that innocent boy!
§268adulterare eum aibat rebus ceteris.
He said that he was accustomed to forging other things as well.
§269Habetin aurum? íd mihi dici volo.
Have you got the gold? I want that to be told to me.
§270Postquam quidem praétor recuperatores dedit, §271damnatus demum, vi coactus reddidit §272ducentós et mille Phílippum.
After indeed the praetor appointed recuperators, having been condemned at last, under compulsion he restored the twelve hundred Philipps.
§272bTantum debuit.
That was the exact amount he owed.
§273Porro etiam ausculta pugnam quam voluit dare.
Furthermore, listen to the trick he wanted to play.
§274Etiamnest quid porro?
Is there even something further?

Notes

  1. 197redderem — Imperfect subjunctive. It functions as a deliberative subjunctive referring to past time, expressing impossibility or the inappropriateness of the action ("Should I have returned...?").
  2. 205proximae viciniae — Genitive of place or quality, functioning adverbially to mean "in the immediate neighborhood".
  3. 240chryso Chrysalo — A wordplay combining the ablative of chrysus (from Greek χρυσός, "gold") and the dative of the slave's name Chrysalus. The impersonal construction `opus est` grammatically takes the ablative of the thing needed (chryso) and the dative of the person who needs it (Chrysalo).
  4. 272Phílippum — A contracted genitive plural form of Philippus (instead of Philipporum), referring to the Macedonian gold coins, modified by the numeral `ducentos et mille` (1200), demonstrating an archaic nominal inflection.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Bacchides §197-274. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi004.humanitext-lat2:197-274

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