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Plautus · Casina §292-359b

Decision to Draw Lots and Preparations by Lysidamus and Olympio

Passage 5 of 14 · Latin

Summary

Lysidamus and Chalinus dispute over Casina, and decide to resolve the issue through drawing lots. Afterward, Lysidamus meets with Olympio, and they prepare for the drawing of lots against Chalinus to overcome Cleostrata's fierce opposition.

§292optio haec tua est: utram harum vis condicionem accipe.
This choice is yours: accept whichever of these conditions you wish.
§293Liber si sim, meo periclo vivam; nunc vivo tuo.
If I were free, I would live at my own risk; now I live at yours.
§294de Casina certum est concedere homini nato nemini.
Concerning Casina, I am resolved to yield to no living man.
§295Intro abi atque actutum uxorem huc evoca ante aedis cito, §296et sitellam huc tecum efferto cúm aqua, et sortis.
Go inside and quickly, straightway call my wife out here before the house, and bring out the urn here with you with water, and the lots.
§296bSatis placet.
Satisfactory enough.
§297Ego pol istam iam aliquovorsum tragulam decidero.
By Pollux, I shall soon settle that spear in some direction.
§298nam si sic nihil impetrare potero, saltem sortiar.
for if in this way I can obtain nothing, at least I will draw lots.
§299ibi ego te et suffragatores tuos ulciscar.
there I will take vengeance on you and your supporters.
§299bAttamen §300mi obtinget sors.
And yet, the lot will fall to me.
§300bVt quidem pol pereas cruciatu malo.
So indeed, by Pollux, may you perish by a miserable torture.
§301Mi illa nubet, machinare quid lubet quo vis modo.
She will marry me; plot what you please in whatever way you wish.
§302Abin hinc ab oculis?
Will you get out of my sight from here?
§302bInvitus me vides, vivam tamen. — §303Sumne ego miser homo? satin omnes res sunt advorsae mihi?
You see me unwillingly, yet I shall live. — Am I not a wretched man? Are not all things adverse enough to me?
§304iam metuo, ne Olympionem mea uxor exoraverit §305ne Casinam ducat: si id factum est, ecce me nullum senem; §306si non impetravit, etiam specula in sortist mihi.
Already I fear lest my wife may have persuaded Olympio not to marry Casina: if that is done, lo, I am a ruined old man; if she did not succeed, I still have a glimmer of hope in the lot.
§307si sors autem decolassit, gladium faciam culcitam §308eumque incumbam.
But if the lot fails, I will make a sword my pillow and throw myself upon it.
sed progreditur optume eccum Olympio.
But behold, Olympio is coming out opportunely.
§309Vna edepol opera in furnum calidum condito §310atque ibi torreto me pro pane rubido, §311era, qua istuc opera a me impetres quod postulas.
By Pollux, with the same effort you might put me into a hot oven and toast me there instead of a brown loaf of bread, mistress, by which effort you might obtain from me that which you demand.
§312Salvos sum, salva spes est, ut verba audio.
I am safe, my hope is safe, as far as I hear his words.
§313Quid tu me tua, era, libertate territas?
Why do you terrify me, mistress, with your offer of freedom?
§314qui si tu nolis filiusque etiam tuos, §315vobis invitis atque amborum ingratiis §316una libella liber possum fieri.
for even if you should be unwilling, and your son as well, in spite of you both and against the will of both, I can become free for a single farthing.
§317Quid istúc est? quicum litigas, Olympio?
What is that? With whom are you quarreling, Olympio?
§318Cum eadem qua tu semper.
With the same woman with whom you always do.
§318bCum uxoré mea?
With my wife?
§319Quam tu mi uxorem? quasi venator tu quidem es:
What wife of yours are you talking about?
§320dies átque noctes cum cane aetatem exigis.
You are indeed just like a hunter: day and night you spend your life with a dog.
§321Quid agit, quid loquitur tecum?
What is she doing, what is she saying to you?
§321bOrat, obsecrat, §322ne Casinam uxorem ducam.
She begs, she entreats, that I should not marry Casina.
§322bQuid tu postea?
What did you do then?
§323Negavi enim ipsi me concessurum Iovi, §324si is mecum oraret.
For I denied that I would yield to Jupiter himself, if he should entreat me.
§324bDi te servassint mihi.
May the gods preserve you for me.
§325Nunc in fermento totast, ita turget mihi.
Now she is all in a ferment, she is so swollen with rage against me.
§326Ego edepol illam mediam diruptam velim.
By Pollux, I wish she were burst in two.
§327Credo edepol esse, siquidem tu frugi bonae es.
By Pollux, I believe it would be so, if indeed you are of good worth.
§328verum edepol tua mihi odiosa est amatio: §329inimica est tua uxor mihi, inimicus filius, §330inimici familiares.
But by Pollux, your loving is hateful to me: your wife is hostile to me, your son is hostile, your household servants are hostile.
§330bQuid id refert tua?
What does that matter to you?
§331unus tibi hic dum propitius sit Iuppiter, §332tu istos minutos cave deos flocci feceris.
As long as this one Jupiter is propitious to you, take care not to value those tiny gods a straw.
§333Nugae sunt istae magnae.
Those are great nonsense.
quasi tu nescias, §334repente ut emoriantur humani Ioves.
As if you didn't know how suddenly human Jupiters die.
§335responde: si tu Iuppiter sis mortuos, §336cum ad deos minoris redierit regnum tuom, §337quis mihi subveniet tergo aut capiti aut cruribus?
Answer me: if you, Jupiter, should be dead, when your kingdom has returned to the lesser gods, who will protect my back or my head or my legs?
§338Opinione melius res tibi habeát tua, §339si hoc impetramus, ut ego cum Casina cubem.
Your situation will be better than you think, if we obtain this point, that I may sleep with Casina.
§340Non hercle opinor posse, ita uxor acriter §341tua instat, ne mihi detur.
By Hercules, I do not think it is possible, so fiercely does your wife insist that she should not be given to me.
§341bAt ego sic agam: §342coniciam sortis in sitellam et sortiar §343tibi et Chalino.
But I will act thus: I will cast the lots into the urn and draw lots for you and Chalinus.
íta rem natam intellego: §344necessum est vorsis gladiis depugnarier.
I understand the matter has come to this: it is necessary to fight it out with drawn swords.
§345Quid si sors aliter quam voles evenerit?
What if the lot should turn out otherwise than you wish?
§346Bene dice.
Speak of good omen.
dis sum fretus, deos sperabimus.
I rely on the gods; we will hope in the gods.
§347Non ego istud verbum émpsim tittibilicio; §348nam omnes mortales dis sunt freti, sed tamen §349vidi ego dis fretos saepe multos decipi.
I wouldn't buy that word for a straw; for all mortals rely on the gods, but yet I have often seen many who relied on the gods be deceived.
§350St, táce parumper.
Sh! Be silent for a moment.
§350bQuid vis?
What do you want?
§350cEccum exit foras §351Chalinus intus cum sitella et sortibus.
Behold, he is coming out Chalinus from inside with the urn and the lots.
§352nunc nos conlatis signis depugnabimus.
now we shall fight with opposing standards.
§353Fáce, Chaline, certiorem me, quid meus vir me velit.
Chalinus, make me informed of what my husband wants of me.
§354Ille edepol videre ardentem te extra portam mortuam.
By Pollux, he wishes to see you dead and burning outside the gate.
§355Credo ecastor velle.
By Castor, I believe he wishes it.
§355bAt pol ego hau credo, sed certo scio.
But by Pollux, I don't just believe it, but I know it for certain.
§356Plus artificum est mihi quam rebar: hariolum hunc habeo domi.
There are more experts for me than I thought: I have this fortune-teller at home.
§357quid si propius attollamus signa eamusque obviam?
What if we raise our standards closer and go to meet them?
§358sequere.
Follow me.
quid vos agitis?
What are you doing?
§358bAdsunt quae imperavisti omnia: §359uxor, sortes, situla atque egomet.
Everything is here that you ordered: your wife, the lots, the urn, and myself.
§359bTe uno adest plus quam ego volo.
There is one of you present more than I want.

Notes

  1. 293tuo — The noun periculo is omitted after tuo. The ablative periculo, shifting from 'danger' to 'risk, responsibility, or charge', indicates that Chalinus's life and survival are under his master's responsibility.
  2. 297tragulam — The phrase tragulam decidere (literally, 'to settle the javelin') is a figurative and colloquial idiom meaning to bring a dispute, plot, or troublesome matter to a resolution.
  3. 315ingratiis — The form ingratiis is the plural ablative of the noun ingratia. Modified by the genitive amborum, it functions adverbially to mean 'against the will of both' or 'in spite of both'.
  4. 331Iuppiter — Here 'hic Iuppiter' (this Jupiter) is a metaphor referring to the master himself (Lysidamus) who holds absolute power within the household, in contrast to his wife and son who are described as 'minutos deos' (minor gods).
  5. 347empsim tittibilicio — The form empsim is an archaic perfect subjunctive equivalent to emerim, functioning as a potential subjunctive. The ablative tittibilicio is an ablative of value representing something utterly worthless. The phrase means 'I would not buy that word for a straw.'

Cite this passage

Plautus, Casina §292-359b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:292-359b

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