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Plautus · Casina §415b-485

Result of the Lot and Chalinus Overhearing the Plot

Passage 7 of 14 · Latin

Summary

Cleostrata draws the lot and Olympio wins, leaving Chalinus devastated. While contemplating suicide, Chalinus overhears Lysidamus and Olympio plotting to use a neighbor's vacant house so that Lysidamus can secretly enjoy Casina.

§415bTeneo sortem.
I hold the lot.
§415cEcfer foras.
Bring it out.
§416Iamne mortuo'smortuus es?
Are you already dead?
§416bOstende.
Show it.
mea haec est.
This is mine.
§416cMala crux éast quidem.
It is indeed a bad cross.
§417Victus es, Chaline.
You are defeated, Chalinus.
§417bCum nos di iuvere, Olympio, §418gaudeo.
Since the gods have helped us, Olympio, I rejoice.
§418bPietate factum est mea atque maiorum meum.
It has happened through my piety and that of my ancestors.
§419Intro abi, uxor, atque adorna nuptias.
Go inside, wife, and prepare the wedding.
§419bFaciam ut iubes.
I will do as you order.
§420Scin tu rus hinc esse ad villam longe quo ducat?
Do you know that from here it is far to the country villa where she is to be led?
§420bScio.
I know.
§421Intro abi et, quamquam hoc tibi aegre est, tamen fac accures. §421bLicet.
Go inside, and although this is painful to you, yet see that you attend to it.
Very well.
§422Eamus nos quoque intro, hortemur ut properent.
Let us also go inside, let us urge them to hurry.
§422bNumquid moror?—
Am I delaying at all?
§423Nam praesente hoc plura verba fieri non desidero. —
For while this man is present, I do not desire more words to be made.
§424Si nunc me suspendam, meam operam luserim §425et praeter operam restim sumpti fecerim §426et meis inimicis voluptatem creaverim.
If I should hang myself now, I would throw away my labor, and besides my labor, I would make an expense of the rope, and I would create pleasure for my enemies.
§427quid opus est, qui sic mortuos? equidem tamen
What need is there, for one who is thus already dead?
§428sorti sum victus, Casina nubet vilico.
However, indeed, I am defeated by lot; Casina will marry the farm-bailiff.
§429atque id non tam aegrest iam, vicisse vilicum, §430quam id expetivisse opere tam magno senem, §431ne ea mihi daretur atque ut illi nuberet.
And that is not so painful now, that the farm-bailiff has won, as that the old man desired it with so great effort, lest she should be given to me, and that she should marry him.
§432ut illé trepidabat, ut festinabat miser;
How he was trembling, how he was hastening, the wretch!
§433ut sussultabat, postquam vicit vilicus.
How he was jumping up and down after the farm-bailiff won!
§434attat, concedam huc, audio aperiri foris,
Aha!
§435mei benevolentes atque amici prodeunt.
I will withdraw here; I hear the door being opened, my well-wishers and friends are coming out.
§436hinc ex insidiis hisce ego insidias dabo.
From this ambush here I will set an ambush for them.
§437Sine modo rus veniat: ego remittam ad te virum §438cum furca in urbem tamquam carbonarium.
Let him only come to the country: I will send the man back to you into the city with a fork like a charcoal-burner. With a fork into the city like a charcoal-burner.
§439Ita fieri oportet.
So it ought to be done.
§439bFactum et curatum dabo.
I will see it done and cared for.
§440Volui Chalinum, si domi esset, mittere §441tecum obsonatum, ut etiam in maerore insuper §442inimico nostro miseriam hanc adiungerem.
I wanted to send Chalinus, if he were at home, with you to buy provisions, so that even in his grief in addition, I might add this misery to our enemy.
§443Recessim cedam ad parietem, imitabor nepam; §444captandust horum clanculum sermo mihi.
I will retreat backward to the wall, I will imitate a crab; I must secretly catch their conversation.
§445nam illorum me alter cruciat, alter macerat.
For of them, one tortures me, the other wastes me away.
§446at candidatus cedit hic mastigia, §447stimulorum loculi.
But this white-robed candidate of a scoundrel is coming, this chest of whips!
protollo mortem mihi; §448certum est, hunc Acheruntem praemittam prius.
I postpone death for myself; it is resolved to send this fellow to Acheron first.
§449Vt tibi ego inventus sum obsequens.
How compliant I have been found towards you!
quod maxime §450cupiebas, eius copiam feci tibi.
What you most desired, I have made you have abundance of it.
§451erit hodie tecum quod amas clam uxorem.
Today what you love will be with you, secretly from your wife.
§451bTace.
Be silent.
§452ita me di bene ament, ut ego vix reprimo labra §453ob istánc rem quin te deosculer, voluptas mea.
So may the gods love me, that I can scarcely restrain my lips on account of that matter, from kissing you, my pleasure.
§454Quid, deosculere? quae res? quae voluptas tua?
What, kiss? What's this? What pleasure of yours?
§455ecfodere hercle hic volt, credo, vesicam vilico. †
By Hercules, this man wants, I believe, to dig out the farm-bailiff's bladder.
§456Ecquid amas nunc me?
Do you love me at all now?
§456bImmo edepol me quam te minus.
Nay, by Pollux, myself less than you.
§457licetne amplecti te?
Is it permitted to embrace you?
§457bQuid, amplecti?
What, embrace?
§457cLicet.
It is permitted.
§458Vt, quia te tango, mel mihi videor lingere.
How, because I touch you, I seem to myself to lick honey!
§459Vltro te, amator, apage te a dorso meo.
Away with you, lover, get away from my back!
§460Illuc est, illuc, quod hic hunc fecit vilicum: §461eidem me pridem, cum ei advorsum veneram, §462facere atriensem voluerat sub ianua.
That is it, that is why this man made him farm-bailiff: formerly, when I had gone to meet him, he had wanted to make me, the same person, a hall-porter under the door.
§463Vt tibi morigerus hodie, ut voluptati fui.
How compliant I have been to you today, how much of a pleasure!
§464Vt tibi, dum vivam, bene velim plus quam mihi.
How I wish well to you, as long as I live, more than to myself.
§465Hodie hercle, opinor, hi conturbabunt pedes: §466solet hic barbatos sane sectari senex.
By Hercules, today, I think, these men will entangle their feet; for this old man is truly accustomed to chase bearded men.
§467Vt ego hodie Casinam deosculabor, ut mihi §468bona multa faciam clam meam uxorem.
How I shall kiss Casina today, how I shall do many good things for myself, secretly from my wife.
§468bAttatae,
Aha!
§469nunc pol ego demum in rectam redii semitam.
By Pollux, now at last I have returned to the right path.
§470hic ipsus Casinam deperit.
This man himself is desperately in love with Casina.
habeo viros.
I have the men.
§471Iam hercle amplexari, iam osculari gestio.
By Hercules, already I long to embrace, already to kiss.
§472Sine prius deduci.
Let her first be led away.
quid, malum, properas?
Why, plague on it, do you hurry?
§472bAmo.
I am in love.
§473At non opinor fieri hoc posse hodie.
But I don't think this can be done today.
§473bPotest, §474siquidém cras censes te posse emitti manu.
It can, if indeed you think you can be set free tomorrow.
§475Enim véro huc aures magis sunt adhibendae mihi: §476iam ego uno in saltu lepide apros capiam duos.
Indeed, my ears must be applied more to this: now I shall neatly catch two wild boars in one leap.
§477Apud hunc sodalem meum atque vicinum mihi §478locus est paratus: ei ego amorem omnem meum §479concredui; is mihi se locum dixit dare.
At the house of this companion and neighbor of mine, a place is prepared; to him I have entrusted all my love; he said he would give me the place.
§480Quid eius uxor? ubi erit?
What of his wife? Where will she be?
§480bLepide repperi.
I have found it out neatly.
§481mea uxór vocabit huc eam ad se in nuptias, §482ut hic sit secum, se adiuvet, secum cubet; §483ego iussi, et dixit se facturam uxor mea.
My wife will invite her here to herself for the wedding, so that she may be here with her, help her, and sleep with her; I ordered it, and my wife said she would do so.
§484illa hic cubabit, vir aberit faxo domo; §485tu rus uxorem duces: id rus hic erit
She will sleep here; I will make sure the husband is away from home; you will lead your wife to the country: that country will be here.

Notes

  1. 424luserim — Apodosis to the conditional clause `Si nunc me suspendam` (present subjunctive, future less vivid). The perfect subjunctives (`luserim`, `fecerim`, `creaverim`) are frequently used in early Latin as equivalents to the present subjunctive in potential apodoses, emphasizing the completed action of the potential result.
  2. 439bFactum et curatum dabo — The construction of `dabo` with a perfect passive participle is common in early and colloquial Latin, functioning similarly to a future perfect ("I will have it done") or expressing a strong resolve to see the action completed.
  3. 452ita me di bene ament, ut — A formulaic expression of oath or strong assertion. Literally, "so may the gods love me, as I [do/am]...", meaning "as surely as I hope for the gods' favor, I am...". The `ut` clause introduces the actual state of affairs.
  4. 484faxo — An archaic and colloquial future form (originally `fac-so`, equivalent to `faciam`). Here used parenthetically as "I will see to it," translating to: "the husband will be away from home, I'll make sure of it."

Cite this passage

Plautus, Casina §415b-485. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:415b-485

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