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Plautus · Curculio §483-543b

Handover of the Girl and Arrival of Therapontigonus

Passage 8 of 11 · Latin

Summary

Curculio, in disguise, successfully takes possession of the girl Planesium from the pimp, amid a flurry of mutual insults targeting pimps and money-lenders. Shortly afterward, the soldier Therapontigonus arrives and demands his deposited money from the banker Lyco, only to find out it has already been handed over to his supposed one-eyed freedman.

§484vel qui ipsi vorsant vel qui aliis ubi vorsentur praebeant.
or those who themselves practice it, or those who provide a place for others where they may do so.
§486sed interim fores crepuere: linguae moderandum est mihi. — §487I tú prae, virgo: nón queo quod póne me est serváre.
But meanwhile the doors have creaked; I must control my tongue. — You go on ahead, maiden; I cannot guard what is behind me.
§488et aurum et vestem omnem suam esse aiebat quam haec haberet.
And he was saying that all the gold and clothing she has belonged to him.
§489Nemo it infitias.
No one denies that.
§489bAt tamen meliusculum est monere.
But still, it is somewhat better to warn you.
§490Memento promisisse te, si quisquam hanc liberali §491causa manu assereret, mihi omne argentum redditum iri, §492minas triginta.
Remember that you promised, if anyone should claim her as free in a lawsuit, all the money would be returned to me, thirty minae.
§492bMeminero, de istoc quietus esto.
I will remember, rest easy about that.
§493et nunc idem dico.
And now I say the same thing.
§493bEt quidem meminisse ego haec volam te.
And indeed I will want you to remember this.
§494Memini, et mancupio tibi dabo.
I remember, and I will give her to you by formal transfer.
§494bEgon ab lenone quicquam §495mancupio accipiam, quibus sui nihil est nisi una lingua,
Should I accept anything by formal transfer from a pimp, who have nothing of their own except a single tongue, who swear falsely if anything has been entrusted to them?
§496qui abiurant si quid creditum est? alienos mancupatis, §497alienos manu emittitis alienisque imperatis, §498nec vobis auctor ullus est nec vosmet estis ulli.
You formally transfer others' property, you manumit others' slaves and give orders to others' slaves, nor is there any guarantor for you, nor are you yourselves guarantors for anyone.
§499item genus est lenonium inter homines meo quidem animo §500ut muscae, culices, cimices pedesque pulicesque: §501odio et malo et molestiae, bono usui estis nulli, §502nec vobiscum quisquam in foro frugi consistere audet; §503qui constitit, culpant eum, conspicitur vituperatur, §504eum rem fidemque perdere, tam etsi nil fecit, aiunt.
Likewise, the pimping race among men is, in my opinion, just like flies, gnats, bedbugs, lice, and fleas: you exist for hatred, harm, and annoyance, and are of no good use to anyone, nor does anyone of worth dare to stand with you in the forum; whoever has stood with you, they blame him, he is stared at and reproached, they say that he is ruining his property and reputation, even if he did nothing.
§505Edepol lenones meo animo novisti, lusce, lepide.
By Pollux, one-eyed man, you know pimps delightfully according to my own mind.
§506Eodem hércle vos pono et paro: parissimi estis hibus:
By Hercules, I place and class you in the same category: you are most like them.
§507hi saltem in occultis locis prostant, vos in foro ipso; §508vos faenore homines, hi male suadendo et lustris lacerant.
they at least prostitute themselves in hidden places, you in the forum itself; you tear men to pieces with interest, they with bad counsel and brothels.
§509rogitationis plurimas propter vos populus scivit, §510quas vos rogatas rumpitis: aliquam reperitis rimam; §511quasi aquam ferventem frigidam esse, ita vos putatis leges.
The people have passed very many laws because of you, which, once passed, you break: you find some loophole; just as you think boiling water is cold, so you regard the laws.
§512Tacuisse mavellem.
I would rather have kept silent.
§512bHau male meditate maledicax es.
You are abusive with no little preparation.
§513Indignis si male dicitur, male dictum id esse dico, §514verum si dignis dicitur, bene dictumst meo quidem animo.
If abuse is spoken to the undeserving, I say it is abuse; but if it is spoken to the deserving, it is well spoken, in my opinion.
§515ego mancupem te nil moror nec lenonem alium quemquam.
I care nothing for your formal transfer, nor that of any other pimp.
§516Lyco, numquid vis?
Lyco, is there anything you want?
§516bBene vale.
Farewell.
§516cVale.
Farewell.
§516dHeus tu, tibi ego dico.
Hey you, I'm talking to you.
§517Eloquere, quid vis?
Speak, what do you want?
§517bQuaeso, ut hanc cures, ut bene sit isti.
I beg you to take care of her, so that it may go well with her.
§518bene ego istam eduxi meae domi et pudice.
I brought her up well and chastely at my house.
§518bSi huius miseret, §519ecquid das qui bene sit?
If you feel pity for her, will you give something so that she may be well off?
§519bMalúm.
A beating.
§519cOpust hóc qui te procures.
This is what you need to take care of yourself.
§520Quid stulta ploras? ne time, bene hercle vendidi égo te;
Why do you weep, foolish girl?
§521fac sis bonae frugi sies, sequere istum bella belle.
Do not fear, by Hercules, I have sold you well; see that you are of good conduct, follow him beautifully and beautifully.
§522Summane, numquid nunciam me vis?
Summanus, do you want anything more of me now?
§522bVale atque salve, §523nam et operam et pecuniam benigne praebuisti.
Farewell and be well, for you have kindly provided both your trouble and money.
§524Salutem multam dicito patrono.
Give heartiest greetings to your master.
§524bNuntiabo. — §525Numquid vis, leno?
I will deliver the message. — Do you want anything, pimp?
§525bIstas minas decem, qui me procurem, §526dum melius sit mihi, des.
Those ten minae, to take care of myself with, until I feel better, please give them to me.
§526bDabuntur, cras peti iubeto. — §527Quando bene gessi rem, volo hic in fano supplicare.
They shall be given; order them to be asked for tomorrow. — Since I have conducted my business well, I want to make an offering here in the temple.
§528nam illam minis olim decem puellam parvolam emi, §529sed eum qui mi illam vendidit numquam postilla vidi; §530periisse credo.
For I once bought that girl as a tiny child for ten minae, but the man who sold her to me, I have never seen since then; I believe he died.
quíd id mea refert? ego argentum habeo.
What does that matter to me? I have the money.
§531quoi hómini di sunt propitii, lucrum ei profecto obiciunt.
To the man to whom the gods are favorable, they indeed throw gain in his way.
§532nunc rei divinae operam dabo. certumst bene me curare. —
Now I will attend to the divine service.
§533Nón ego nunc medíocri incedo irátus iracúndia, §534sed eapse illa qua excidionem facere condidici oppidis.
I am resolved to take good care of myself. — I am not walking about now with an ordinary anger, but with that very same anger with which I have learned to destroy cities.
§535nunc nisi tu mihi propere properas dare iam triginta minas, §536quas ego apud te deposivi, vitam propera ponere.
Now unless you make haste and quickly return to me those thirty minae, which I deposited with you, make haste to lose your life.
§537Non edepol nunc ego te mediocri macto infortunio, §538sed eopse illo quo mactare soleo quoi nil debeo.
By Pollux, I am not visiting you now with an ordinary misfortune, but with that very same which I am accustomed to inflict on him to whom I owe nothing.
§539Ne te mi facias ferocem aut supplicare censeas.
Do not act fiercely toward me or think of begging.
§540Nec tu me quidem umquam subiges, redditum ut reddam tibi, §541nec daturus súm.
Nor will you ever force me to return what has already been returned to you, nor am I going to give it.
§541bIdem ego istuc quom credebam credidi, §542te nihil esse redditurum.
I believed that very same thing when I trusted you, that you would return nothing.
§542bQuor nunc a me igitur petis?
Why then do you ask from me now?
§543Scire volo quoi reddidisti.
I want to know to whom you returned it.
§543bLusco liberto tuo,
To your one-eyed freedman.

Notes

  1. §491redditum iri — A future passive infinitive, formed by combining the accusative supine (redditum) with the passive infinitive of eo (iri). Here, it functions within the indirect statement (AcI) dependent on 'memento promisisse' to express a future passive action: 'that all the money would be returned'.
  2. §506hibus — Archaic Latin dative/ablative plural form of the demonstrative pronoun 'is, ea, id' (equivalent to classical 'iis' or 'eis'). Here it functions as a dative dependent on 'parissimi' ('most like them').
  3. §534eapse — Archaic Latin feminine singular ablative of the intensive pronoun 'ipsa' (equivalent to classical 'ipsa', here preserving the older form where '-pse' is attached to 'ea'). It emphasizes the preceding ablative 'iracundia' (anger).
  4. §541bquom credebam credidi — The conjunction 'quom' is an archaic form of 'cum'. Used here with the imperfect indicative 'credebam' to denote the point of time when the soldier entrusted his money. Combined with the main verb 'credidi' ('I believed'), it conveys the ironic meaning: 'At the very time I was trusting you, I already believed (knew) that you would return nothing'.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Curculio §483-543b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi008.humanitext-lat2:483-543b

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