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Plautus · Epidicus §1-60

Reunion of Epidicus and the Returning Thesprio

Passage 1 of 12 · Latin

Summary

The slave Thesprio returns from the campaign and reunites with Epidicus in Athens. Thesprio reveals that their young master, Stratippocles, lost his weapons in battle and borrowed money at high interest from a Theban money-lender for a new mistress, throwing Epidicus into a panic.

§1Heús, adulescens.
Hey there, young man.
§1bQuís properantem mé reprehendit pállio?
Who is holding me back by my cloak when I'm in a hurry?
§2Familiaris.
A close friend.
§2bFateor, nam odio es nimium familiariter.
I admit it, for you are annoyingly familiar.
§3Réspice vero, Thésprio.
Look back, Thesprio.
§3bOh, §4Epidicumne ego conspicor?
Oh, do I see Epidicus?
§5Satis recte oculis uteris.
You are using your eyes well enough.
§6Salve.
Greetings.
§6bDi dent quae velis.
May the gods grant what you wish.
§7veníre salvom gaudeo.
I am glad you have arrived safe.
§7bQuid ceterum?
What else?
§7cQuod eo adsolet: §8cena tibi dabitur.
What is customary on such occasions: a dinner will be given to you.
§8bSpondeo.
I promise.
§8cQuid?
What?
§8dMe accepturum, si dabis.
That I will accept it, if you give it.
§9Quid tú agis? ut vales? exemplum adesse intellego.
How are you doing? How is your health? I see a perfect specimen here.
euge, §10córpulentior videre atque habitior.
Well, well, you seem stouter and in better condition.
§10bHuic gratia.
Thanks to this.
§11Quám quidem te iam diu §11aperdidisse oportuit.
Which indeed you should have lost long ago.
§12Mínus iam furtificus sum quam antehac.
I am less of a petty thief now than before.
§12bQuid ita?
How so?
§12cRapio propalam.
I plunder openly.
§13Di immortales te infelicent, ut tu es gradibus grandibus.
May the immortal gods curse you, what giant strides you take.
§14nam út apud portum te conspexi, curriculo occepi sequi: §15vix adipiscendi potestas modo fuit.
For as soon as I spotted you at the harbor, I began to follow you on the run: I barely had the power to catch up with you just now.
§15bScurra es.
You are a jester.
§15cScio §16te esse equidem hominem militarem.
I know that you, for your part, are a military man.
§16bAudacter quam vis dicito.
Say that as boldly as you please.
§17quid ais? perpetuen valuisti?
Tell me, have you been in constant good health?
§17bVarie.
Variously.
§17cQui varie valent, §18capreáginum hominum nón placet mihi néque pantherinúm genus.
Those who are "variously" well, I don't care for that goat-like or panther-like breed of men.
§19Quid tíbi vis dicam nisi quod est? ut illaé res? responde.
What do you want me to tell you except what is? How are those matters? Answer.
§19bProbe.
Splendidly.
§20Quid erílis noster filius?
What about our master's son?
§20bValet púgilice atque athletice.
He is in robust health, like a boxer or an athlete.
§21Voluptábilem mihi nuntium tuo advéntu adportas, Thesprio.
You bring me delightful news with your arrival, Thesprio.
§22sed ubíst is?
But where is he?
§22bAdvenit simul.
He arrived at the same time.
§22cVbi is ergo est? nisi si in vidulo §23aut si in mellina attulisti.
Where is he then? Unless you've brought him in a suitcase or inside a leather bag.
§23bDi te perdant.
May the gods destroy you.
§23cTe volo— §24percóntari: operam da, ópera reddetúr tibi.
I want to— question you: pay attention, and attention will be paid to you.
§25Ius dícis.
You speak justly.
§25bMe decet.
It becomes me.
§25cIam tu autem nobis praeturam geris?
But are you now acting as praetor over us?
§26Quem díces digniorem esse hominem hódie Athenis alterum?
Whom will you say is another more worthy man in Athens today?
§26aAt únum a praetura tua, §27Epídice, abest.
But one thing from your praetorship, Epidicus, is missing.
§27bQuidnam?
What is that?
§27cScies: §28lictores duo, duo ulmei §28afasces virgarum.
You shall know: two lictors, and two elm-wood rods.
§28bVae tibi.
Plague on you.
§29sed quíd ais?
But what do you say?
§29bQuid rogas?
What do you ask?
§29cVbi árma sunt Stratíppocli?
Where are the arms of Stratippocles?
§30Pól illa ad hostis transfugerunt.
By Pollux, they have deserted to the enemy.
§30bArmane?
The arms?
§30cAtque equidem cito.
And indeed very quickly.
§30aSérione dicis tu?
Are you speaking in earnest?
§31aSério, inquam: hostes habent.
In earnest, I say: the enemy has them.
§32Édepol facinus improbum.
By Pollux, a shameful deed.
§32bAt iam ante alii fecerunt idem.
But others have already done the same thing before.
§33erit illi illa res honori.
That matter will be an honor to him.
§33bQui?
How?
§33cQuia ante aliis fuit.
Because it was so to others before.
§34Mulciber, credo, arma fecit quaé habuit Stratippocles: §35travolaverunt ad hostis.
I believe Mulciber made the arms which Stratippocles had: they flew away to the enemy.
§35bTum ille prognatus Theti §36sine perdat: alia apportabunt éi Nerei filiae.
Then let that son of Thetis lose them: the daughters of Nereus will bring him others.
§37id módo videndum est, ut materies suppetat scutariis, §38si in singulis stipendiis is ad hostis exuvias dabit.
Only we must see to it that material is supplied to the shield-makers, if he is going to give spoils to the enemy at every single campaign.
§39Supersede istis rebus iam.
Cease talking about those things now.
§39bTu ipse, ubi lubet, finem face.
Do you yourself make an end of it when you please.
§40Desiste percontarier.
Cease questioning me.
§40bLoquere ipse: ubist Stratippocles?
Speak yourself then: where is Stratippocles?
§41Est causa qua causa simul mecum ire veritust.
There is a reason why he was afraid to come along with me.
§41bQuidnam id est?
What on earth is it?
§42Patrem videre se nevolt etiam nunc.
He doesn't want to see his father even now.
§42bQuapropter?
For what reason?
§42cScies.
You shall know.
§43quia forma lepida et liberali captivam adulescentulam §44dé praeda mercatust.
Because a young captive girl of charming and noble appearance he has purchased from the booty.
§44bQuid ego ex te audio?
What am I hearing from you?
§44cHoc quod fabulor.
This that I am telling you.
§45Cúr eam emit?
Why did he buy her?
§45bAnimi causa.
For the sake of his whim.
§45cQuót illic homo animos habet?
How many hearts does that man have?
§46nam cérto, prius quam hinc ád legionem abiít domo, §47ipsús mandavit mi, áb lenone ut fídicina, §48quam amábat, emeretúr sibi.
For certainly, before he left home from here for the army, he himself commissioned me to purchase from the pimp a music-girl, whom he loved, for him.
id ei ímpetratum réddidi.
I have fulfilled that request for him.
§49Vtcúmque in alto ventust, Epidice, exim velum vortitur.
Whichever way the wind blows on the deep sea, Epidicus, the sail is turned accordingly.
§50Vaé misero mihí, male perdidit me.
Alas, wretched me! He has utterly ruined me.
§50bQuíd istuc? quidnam est?
What is that? What on earth is it?
§51Quid istanc quam emit, quanti eam emit?
As for this girl he bought, how much did he buy her for?
§51bVili.
For a cheap price.
§51cHaud istuc te rogo.
I'm not asking you that.
§52Quid ígitur?
What then?
§52bQuot minis?
How many minae?
§52cTot: quadraginta minis.
Just so many: forty minae.
§53íd adeo argentum ab danista apud Thébas sumpsit faenore, §54in dies minasque argenti singulas nummis.
Moreover, he borrowed that money on interest from a money-lender at Thebes, at the rate of a silver coin per day for each single mina of silver.
§54bPapae.
Heavens!
§55Ét is danista advenit una cúm eo, qui argentum petit.
And that money-lender has arrived along with him, demanding the money.
§56Di immortales, ut ego interii basilice.
Immortal gods, how royally ruined I am!
§56bQuid iam? aut quid est, §57Epídice?
Why now? Or what is the matter, Epidicus?
§57bPerdidit me.
He has ruined me.
§57cQuís?
Who?
§57dIlle qui arma pérdidit.
He who lost his arms.
§58Nam quíd ita?
Why, how so?
§58bQuia cottidie ipse ad me ab legione epistulas §59mittebat—sed taceam optumum est,
Because he himself used to send me letters every day from the army— but it is best to be silent.
§60plus scire satiust quam loqui servom hominem.
It is better for a slave to know more than he speaks.
ea sapientia est.
That is wisdom.

Notes

  1. §10bHuic gratia. — Meaning "Thanks to this." The demonstrative pronoun `huic` (dative feminine, agreeing with an implied noun like `gratiae` or referring physically to his own stomach/well-being) expresses gratitude to his bodily health.
  2. §18capreáginum hominum nón placet mihi néque pantherinúm genus. — A play on words responding to Thesprio's answer `varie` ("variously" or "spottedly") in the preceding line. Epidicus interprets `varie` as having spots, joking that he does not like the spotted breed of goat-like or panther-like men.
  3. §25cpraeturam geris — The phrase meaning "to hold the praetorship" (a Roman magistracy). Thesprio uses this sarcastically against the slave Epidicus who is acting grandly, leading to the joke in line 28 about lictors and elm-wood rods (fasces) used for punishing slaves.
  4. §54in dies minasque argenti singulas nummis — An expression indicating exorbitant interest. `nummis` (ablative, "by silver coins/nummi") modifies `in dies` ("daily") and `minas singulas` ("per single mina"), describing an extremely high interest rate of one nummus per mina per day.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Epidicus §1-60. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi009.humanitext-lat2:1-60

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