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Plautus · Curculio §544-604b

Discovery of the Fraud and Rage of Therapontigonus

Passage 9 of 11 · Latin

Summary

Therapontigone discovers that both Lyco and Cappadox have handed over his money and the maiden to a supposed freedman named Summanus, who is actually the parasite Curculio playing a trick using a stolen ring.

§544is Summanum se vocari dixit, éi reddidi.
He said his name was Summanus; I returned it to him.
§546quos tu mihi luscos libertos, quos Summanos somnias?
What one-eyed freedmen, what Summanuses of mine are you dreaming of?
§547nec mihi quidém libertus ullust.
I don't even have any freedman.
§547bFácis sapientius §548quam pars † lenonum, libertos quí habent et eos deserunt.
You act more wisely than the section of pimps who have freedmen and abandon them.
§549Quid feci †
What did I do?
§549bQuod mandasti feci, túi honoris gratia, §550tuom qui signum ad me attulisset, nuntium ne spernerem.
I did what you ordered, for the sake of your honor, so that I would not slight the messenger who brought me your signet.
§551Stultior stulto fuisti, qui tabellis crederes.
You were more foolish than a fool, to trust in tablets.
§552Quis res publica et privata geritur, nonne eis crederem?
By which public and private business is conducted, should I not trust them?
§553ego abeo, tibi res solutast recte.
I am leaving; your business is properly settled.
bellator, vale.
Farewell, warrior.
§554Quid valeam?
Why should I be well?
§554bAut tu aegrota aetatem, si lubet, per me quidem. — §555Quid ego nunc faciam? quid refert me fecisse regibus
Or be sick for a lifetime, if you like, as far as I'm concerned. — What should I do now?
§556ut mi oboedirent, si hic me hodie umbraticus deriserit?
What does it matter that I made kings obey me, if this stay-at-home fellow has made a fool of me today?
§557Quoi homini di sunt propitii, ei non esse iratos puto.
To whichever man the gods are favorable, I suppose they are not angry with him.
§558postquam rem divinam feci, venit in mentem mihi, §559ne trapezita exulatum abierit, argentum ut petam, §560ut ego potius comedim quam ille.
After I performed the sacrifice, it came to my mind, lest the banker should have gone into exile, that I should ask for the money, so that I might consume it rather than he.
§560bIusseram salvere te.
I had bidden you good day.
§561Therapontigone Platagidore, salve; salvos quom advenis §562in Epidaurum, hic hodie apud me—numquam delinges salem.
Therapontigone Platagidore, greetings; since you arrive safe in Epidaurus, today here at my house — you will never lick any salt.
§563Bene vocas, verum locata res est—ut male sit tibi.
A kind invitation, but the business is already settled — may it go ill with you.
§564sed quid agit meum mercimonium ápud te?
But how is my merchandise doing at your place?
§564bNil apud mé quidem, §565ne facias testis, neque equidem debeo quicquam.
Nothing at my place, indeed, don't bring witnesses, and indeed I don't owe you anything.
§565bQuid est?
What is that?
§566Quod fui iuratus feci.
I did what I swore to do.
§566bReddin an non virginem, §567prius quam te huic meae machaerae óbicio, mastigia?
Are you returning the maiden or not, before I expose you to this sword of mine, you scoundrel?
§568Vapulare ego te vehementer iubeo: ne me territes.
I order you to be soundly thrashed; don't try to scare me.
§569illa abductast, tu auferere hinc a me, si perges mihi §570male loqui, profecto, cuí ego nisi malum nil debeo.
She has been taken away; you will be carried away from here by me, if you continue to speak ill to me, indeed — you to whom I owe nothing but trouble.
§571Mihin malum minitare?
Are you threatening me with trouble?
§571bAtque edepol non minitabor, sed dabo, §572mihi si perges mólestus esse.
And by Pollux, I won't just threaten, but I'll give it, if you continue to be troublesome to me.
§572bLeno minitatur mihi, §573meaeque pugnae proeliares plurimae optritae iacent?
A pimp threatens me, and my many battle victories lie trampled in the dust?
§574at ita me machaera et clupeus §575bene iuvent pugnantem in acie: nisi mi virgo redditur, §576iam ego te faciam ut hic formicae frustillatim differant.
But so may my sword and shield assist me well fighting in the battle line: unless the maiden is returned to me, I will soon make you so that the ants here carry you away piece by piece.
§577At ita me volsellae, pecten, speculum, calamistrum meum §578bene me amassint meaque axitia linteumque extersui, §579ut ego tua magnifica verba néque istas tuas magnas minas §580non pluris facio quam ancillam meam quae latrinam lavat.
And so may my tweezers, comb, mirror, curling iron love me well, and my scissors and drying towel, that I care for your grandiose words and your great threats no more than my maidservant who washes out the latrine.
§581ego illam reddidi qui argentum a te attulit.
I handed her over to the one who brought the money from you.
§581bQuis is est homo?
Who is that man?
§582Tuom libertum ésse aiebat sese Summanum.
He said he was your freedman Summanus.
§582bMeum?
Mine?
§583attat, Curculio hercle verba mihi dedit, cum cogito.
Ah! By Hercules, now that I think about it, Curculio has deceived me!
§584is mihi anulum subripuit.
He stole my ring from me.
§584bPerdidistin tu anulum?
Did you lose your ring?
§585miles pulchre centuriatus est expuncto in manipulo.
The soldier has been beautifully appointed centurion in a disbanded company.
§586Vbi nunc Curculionem inveniam?
Where will I find Curculio now?
§586bIn tritico facillume, §587vel quingentos curculiones pro uno faxo reperias.
Very easily in wheat, you could easily find five hundred weevils instead of one.
§588ego abeo, vale atque salve. — §588bMale vale, male sit tibi.
I am leaving, farewell and be well. — Fare ill, and may it go badly with you.
§589quid ego faciam? maneam an abeam? sicin mi esse os oblitum?
What should I do? Should I stay or leave? Has my face been smeared like this?
§590cupio dare mercedem qui illunc ubi sit commonstret mihi.
I desire to give a reward to whoever will show me where that fellow is.
§591Antiquom poëtam audivi scripsisse in tragoedia, §592mulieres duas peiores esse quam unam.
I heard that an old poet wrote in a tragedy, that two women are worse than one.
res itast.
That's how it is.
§593verum mulierem peiorem quam haec amica est Phaedromi §594non vidi aut audivi, neque pol dici nec fingi potest §595peior quam haec est: quae ubi me habere hunc conspicatast anulum, §596rogat unde habeam.
But a woman worse than this mistress of Phaedromus I have never seen or heard of, nor, by Pollux, can one be described or imagined worse than she is: who, as soon as she saw that I had this ring, asked where I got it.
quid id tu quaeris? quia mi quaesitost opus. §597nego me dicere.
'Why do you ask?' 'Because I need to find out.' I refused to tell.
ut eum eriperet, manum arripuit mordicus.
To snatch it away, she grabbed my hand with her teeth.
§598vix foras me abripui atque effugi.
I barely tore myself away and fled outdoors.
apage istanc canículam.
Away with that little bitch!
§599Phaedrome, propera.
Phaedromus, hurry!
§599bQuid properem?
Why should I hurry?
§599cParasitum ne amiseris.
Don't lose the parasite.
§600magna res est.
It is a great matter.
§600bNulla est mihi, nam quam habui absumpsi celeriter.
I have none, for what I had I quickly spent.
§601Teneo.
I have him.
§601bQuid negotist?
What's the matter?
§601cRogita unde istunc habeat anulum.
Ask him where he got that ring.
§602pater istum meus gestitavit
My father used to wear that one.
§602bAt mea matertera.
But my maternal aunt did.
§603Mater ei utendum dederat.
My mother had given it to him to use.
§603bPater † uois rusum tibi.
And your father returned it to you?
§604Nugas garris.
You are talking nonsense.
§604bSoleo, nam propter eas vivo facilius.
I usually do, for because of them I live more easily.

Notes

  1. §546somnias — The verb somniare ('to dream of') takes quos ... libertos, quos Summanos in the accusative as its direct objects, meaning 'What freedmen, what Summanuses of mine are you imagining?'
  2. §551qui tabellis crederes — The relative clause with qui + imperfect subjunctive (crederes) functions adverbially to explain the reason or ground ('in that you trusted tablets') for the preceding evaluation (Stultior stulto fuisti).
  3. §552Quis — An archaic contracted form of quibus (ablative plural). It refers back to tabellis in the previous sentence, serving as an ablative of instrument ('by means of which').
  4. §559exulatum — The accusative supine of the verb exulare ('to go into exile'). Used with the verb of motion abierit, it expresses purpose ('to go into exile').
  5. §574at ita me machaera et clupeus / bene iuvent — A formula of oath-taking (a variation of 'so help me...'). It functions as 'so may my sword and shield help me, as surely as [the following consequence will happen] unless the maiden is returned.'
  6. §585centuriatus est — The passive perfect of centuriare ('to appoint as centurion'). The phrase 'appointed centurion in a disbanded company' is a military-themed sarcasm meaning 'gloriously swindled and left with nothing.'
  7. §600bNulla est mihi — A play on the double meaning of 'res' (both 'matter/thing' and 'property/wealth'). Planesium means 'it is a great matter,' but Phaedromus jokingly replies 'I have no wealth.'

Cite this passage

Plautus, Curculio §544-604b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi008.humanitext-lat2:544-604b

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

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