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Plautus · Bacchides §535c-595

The Two Bacchises and the Clarified Mistake

Passage 9 of 19 · Latin

Summary

Mnesilochus confronts Pistoclerus, accusing him of betrayal, but the misunderstanding is cleared up when he learns that there are twin sisters named Bacchis. Meanwhile, a parasite sent by a soldier arrives to demand gold or her departure, clashing fiercely with Pistoclerus.

§535cAdibo contra et contollam gradum.
[Mnesilochus] I will go to meet him and quicken my step.
§536salvos sis, Mnesiloche.
[Pistoclerus] Hail, Mnesilochus.
§536bSalve.
[Mnesilochus] Hail.
§536cSalvos quom peregre advenis, §537cena detur.
[Pistoclerus] Since you arrive safely from abroad, let dinner be given to you.
§537bNon placet mi cena quae bilem movet.
[Mnesilochus] A dinner that stirs up anger does not please me.
§538Numquae advenienti aegritudo obiecta est?
[Pistoclerus] Has any trouble been cast in your way upon your arrival?
§538bAtque acerruma.
[Mnesilochus] And a most bitter one.
§539Vnde?
[Pistoclerus] From where?
§539bAb homine quem mi amicum esse arbitratus sum antidhac.
[Mnesilochus] From a man whom I believed to be my friend before this.
§540Multi more isto atque exemplo vivont, quos cum censeas §541esse amicos, reperiuntur falsi falsimoniis, §542lingua factiosi, inertes opera, sublesta fide.
[Pistoclerus] Many live in that manner and by that example, whom when you think to be friends, are found false with falsehoods, busy with their tongues, lazy in deed, of little faith.
§543nullus est quoi non invideant rem secundam optingere; §544sibi ne ínvideatur, ipsi ignavia recte cavent.
There is no one whose good fortune they do not envy; lest they themselves be envied, they guard themselves well by their own laziness.
§545Edepol ne tu illorum mores perquam meditate tenes.
[Mnesilochus] By Pollux, you indeed know their ways very thoroughly.
§546sed etiam unum hoc: ex ingenio malo malum inveniunt suo: §547nulli amici sunt, inimicos ipsi in sese omnis habent.
But also this one thing: from their own evil character they find evil: they are friends to no one, and they have everyone as an enemy to themselves.
§548ei se cum frustrantur, frustrari alios stolidi existumant.
While they deceive themselves, they foolishly think they are deceiving others.
§549sicut est hic, quem esse amicum ratus sum atque ipsus sum mihi: §550ille, quod in se fuit, accuratum habuit quod posset mali §551faceret in me, inconciliaret copias omnis meas.
Just like this man, whom I thought to be a friend, and indeed my very self: he, as far as was in his power, took diligent care of what evil he could do to me, and to ruin all my resources.
§552Improbum istunc esse oportet hominem.
[Pistoclerus] That man must be a scoundrel.
§552bEgo ita esse arbitror.
[Mnesilochus] I think so.
§553Obsecro hercle loquere, quis is est.
[Pistoclerus] I pray, by Hercules, speak, who is he?
§553bBenevolens vivit tibi.
[Mnesilochus] He lives as a well-wisher to you.
§554nam ni ita esset, tecum orarem ut éi quod posses mali §555facere faceres.
For if it were not so, I would beg you to do him whatever evil you could.
§555bDic modo hominem qui sit: si non fecero §556ei male aliquo pacto, me esse dicito ignavissimum.
[Pistoclerus] Just tell me who the man is: if I do not do evil to him in some way, call me the most cowardly of men.
§557Nequam homost, verum hercle amicus est tibi.
[Mnesilochus] He is a worthless man, but by Hercules, he is a friend to you.
§557bTanto magis §558dic quis est; nequam hominis ego parvi pendo gratiam.
[Pistoclerus] All the more, tell me who he is; I care little for the favor of a worthless man.
§559Video non potesse quin tibi eius nomen eloquar.
[Mnesilochus] I see that I cannot but tell you his name.
§560Pistoclere, perdidisti me sodalem funditus.
Pistoclerus, you have utterly ruined me, your companion.
§561Quid istuc est?
[Pistoclerus] What is that?
§561bQuid est? misine ego ad te ex Epheso epistulam
[Mnesilochus] What is it?
§562super amica, ut mi invenires?
Did I not send a letter to you from Ephesus concerning my mistress, so that you might find her for me?
§562bFateor factum, et repperi.
[Pistoclerus] I confess it was done, and I found her.
§563Quid? tibi non erat meretricum aliarum Athenis copia
[Mnesilochus] What?
§564quibuscum haberes rem, nisi cum illa quám ego mandassem tibi §565occiperes tute † amare et mi ires consultum male?
Was there not a plenty of other courtesans in Athens for you with whom to have dealings, unless you yourself began to love her whom I had entrusted to you, and went to act maliciously toward me?
§566Sanun es?
[Pistoclerus] Are you sane?
§566bRem repperi omnem ex tuo magistro.
[Mnesilochus] I found out the whole matter from your teacher.
ne nega.
Do not deny it.
§567perdidisti me.
You have ruined me.
§567bEtiamne ultro tuis me prolectas probris?
[Pistoclerus] Do you still provoke me further with your insults?
§568Quid? amas Bacchidem?
[Mnesilochus] What? Do you love Bacchis?
§568bDuas ergo hic intus eccas Bacchides.
[Pistoclerus] Look, there are two Bacchises in here.
§569Quid? duas?
[Mnesilochus] What? Two?
§569bÁtque ambas sorores.
[Pistoclerus] And both sisters.
§569cLoqueris nunc nugas sciens.
[Mnesilochus] You are speaking nonsense now on purpose.
§570Postremo, si pergis parvam mihi fidem arbitrarier, §571tollam ego ted in collum atque intro hinc auferam.
[Pistoclerus] Finally, if you continue to have little faith in me, I will carry you on my neck and carry you off inside from here.
§571bImmo ibo, mane.
[Mnesilochus] No, I will go, stay.
§572Non maneo, neque tu me habebis falso suspectum.
[Pistoclerus] I will not stay, nor shall you hold me falsely suspected.
§572bSequor. — §573Parasitus ego sum hominis nequam atque improbi, §574militis, qui amicam secum avexit ex Samo.
[Mnesilochus] I follow.— [Parasite] I am the parasite of a worthless and wicked man, a soldier, who carried off his mistress with him from Samos.
§575nunc me ire iussit ad eam et percontarier, §576utrum aurum reddat anne eat secum semul.
Now he has ordered me to go to her and inquire, whether she will return the gold or go along with him.
§577tu dudum, puere, cum illac usque isti semul: §578quae harum sunt aedes, pulta.
You, boy, went along with her all the way just now: which of these is the house, knock.
adi actutum ad fores.
Go quickly to the door.
§579recede hinc dierecte.
Go away from here to ruin.
ut pulsat propudium!
How the scoundrel knocks!
§580comesse panem tris pedes latum potes, §581fores pultare nescis.
You can eat a loaf of bread three feet wide, but you do not know how to knock at a door.
ecquis in aedibust?
Is anyone in the house?
§582heus, ecquis hic est? ecquis hoc aperit ostium?
Ho, is anyone here? Is anyone opening this door?
§583ecquis éxit?
Is anyone coming out?
§583aQuid istuc? quae istaec est pulsatio?
[Pistoclerus] What is that? What is that knocking?
§584quae te mala crux agitat, quí ad istunc modum §585alieno viris tuas extentes ostio?
What evil torment plagues you, that in this manner you stretch your strength against another's door?
§586fores paene exfregisti.
You have almost broken the door down.
quid nunc vis tibi?
What do you want now?
§587Adulescens, salve.
[Parasite] Young man, hail.
§587bSalve.
[Pistoclerus] Hail.
sed quem quaeritas?
But whom are you seeking?
§588Bacchidem.
[Parasite] Bacchis.
§588bVtram ergo?
[Pistoclerus] Which one, then?
§588cNil scio nisi Bacchidem.
[Parasite] I know nothing except Bacchis.
§589paucis: me misit miles ad eam Cleomachus, §590vel ut ducentos Phílippos reddat aureos §591vel ut hinc in Elatiam hodie eat secum semul.
In short: the soldier Cleomachus sent me to her, either so that she may return two hundred golden Philipps or go along with him to Elatia today.
§592Non it.
[Pistoclerus] She is not going.
negat se ituram.
She says she will not go.
abi et renuntia.
Go away and report back.
§593alium illa amat, non illum.
She loves another, not him.
duc te ab aedibus.
Take yourself away from the house.
§594Nimis iracunde.
[Parasite] Too angrily.
§594bAt scin quam iracundus siem?
[Pistoclerus] But do you know how angry I can be?
§595ne tíbi hercle haud longe est os ab infortunio,
Indeed, by Hercules, your face is not far from misfortune,

Notes

  1. 550accuratum habuit quod posset mali faceret in me — faceret is the subjunctive imperfect in an object clause introduced by accuratum habuit ('he took diligent care'), where ut is omitted. quod posset mali means 'whatever evil he could,' with mali being a partitive genitive qualifying quod.
  2. 565mi ire consultum male — consultum is the supine of purpose from the verb consulo, combined with the motion verb ire to express intention ('to go to act maliciously toward me'). mi is the dative of reference/disadvantage depending on consulo male.
  3. 568beccas — A colloquial Early Latin portmanteau combining the demonstrative interjection ecce ('behold') and the accusative plural feminine pronoun has ('them'). Combined with hic intus ('in here'), it means 'behold them, the two Bacchises, in here.'
  4. 584qui ad istunc modum alieno viris tuas extentes ostio — qui is a relative pronoun introducing a clause of cause or characteristic ('since you...'), which explains why the verb extentes is in the subjunctive (present). alieno ostio is an ablative of place where ('at/against another's door').

Cite this passage

Plautus, Bacchides §535c-595. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi004.humanitext-lat2:535c-595

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