§61Néscio edepol quid tu timidus es, trepidas, Epidice, ita voltum tuom† §62videór videre commeruisse hic me absente in te aliquid mali.
By Pollux, I don't know why you are so fearful and trembling, Epidicus; looking at your expression, I seem to see that while I was away, some trouble has been deservedly brought upon you by your own doing.
§63Potin út molestus ne sies?
Can't you stop being annoying?
§63bAbeo.
I'm going.
§63cAsta, abire hinc non sinam.
Stay, I won't let you leave.
§64Quíd nunc me retinés?
Why are you holding me back now?
§64bAmatne ístam quam emit de praeda?
Does he love that girl whom he bought from the booty?
§64cRogas?
Do you ask?
§65deperit.
He is desperately in love.
§65bDetegetur corium de tergo meo. †
The hide will be stripped off my back.
§66Plusque amat quam te umquam amavit.
And he loves her more than he ever loved you.
§66bIuppiter te perduit.
May Jupiter destroy you.
§67Mítte nunciam, nam ílle me vetuit domum §68venire, ad Chaeribulum iussit huc in proxumum; §69íbi manere iussit, eo venturust ipsus.
Let me go now, for he forbid me to go home, ordered me to come here to Chaeribulus, next door; ordered me to wait there, he is coming there himself.
§69bQuid ita?
Why so?
§69cDicam: §70quía patrem prius convenire se non volt neque conspicari, §71quám id argentum, quod debetur pro illa, denumeraverit.
I'll tell you: because he doesn't want to meet his father or be seen by him, before he has paid down the money that is owed for her.
§72Eú edepol res turbulentas.
By Pollux, what a troubled state of affairs.
§72bMitte me ut eam nunciam.
Let me go so that I may go now.
When the old man knows this, my stern must perish completely.
What does that have to do with me, in what manner you perish?
Because I don't want to perish alone, I want you to perish with me, a well-wisher along with a well-wisher.
Go to utter ruin away from me with that deal of yours.
§79bI sane, siquidem festinas magis.
Go indeed, since you are in such a hurry.
§80Numquam hominem quemquam conveni, unde abierim lubentius. —
I have never met anyone from whom I departed more gladly.
§81Illic hinc abiit.
He has gone from here.
solus nunc es.
You are alone now.
quo in loco haec res sit vides, §82Epidice: nisi quid tibi in tete auxili est, absumptus es.
You see in what a position this matter stands, Epidicus: unless you have some help in yourself, you are done for.
§83tantae in te impendent ruinae: nisi suffulcis firmiter, §84non potes subsistere, itaque in te inruont montes mali.
Such ruin hangs over you: unless you prop it up firmly, you cannot stand, so mountains of evil are rushing upon you.
And nor does any plan please me now, as to how I may make myself free from this entanglement.
§87égo miser pérpuli §88meís dolis senem, ut censeret suam sese emere filiam: §89ís suo fílio §90fídicinam emit, quam ipse amat, quam ábiens mandavit mihi.
Wretched me, I induced the old man by my tricks to believe that he was buying his own daughter: he bought for his son a music-girl, whom he loves, whom he commissioned me to buy when he was leaving.
If he has now brought another one with him from the army for his pleasure, my hide is lost.
For when the old man perceives that he has been deceived, he will strip my back with rods.
§94át enim tu praecave.
But watch out!
§95át enim—bat enim, nihil est istuc.
"But indeed!"—"But-shmut indeed!" that's nothing.
plane hoc corruptumst caput.
This head of mine is completely ruined.
§96néquam homo es, Epidice.
You are a worthless fellow, Epidicus.
§97quí lubidost male loqui?
Why do you like to speak ill of yourself?
§97aquía tu tete deseris.
Because you desert yourself.
§98quíd faciam? mén rogas?
What shall I do? Are you asking me?
§99tu quidem antehac aliis solebas dare consilia mutua.
You indeed used to give reciprocal advice to others before this.
§100aliquid aliqua reperiundumst.
Something must be found in some way.
sed ego cesso ire obviam §101adulescenti, ut quid negoti sit sciam.
But I delay to go to meet the young man, to find out what the trouble is.
atque ipse illic est.
And there he is himself.
§102tristis est.
He is sad.
cum Chaeribulo incedit aequali suo.
He is walking with his companion Chaeribulus.
§103huc concedam, orationem unde horum placide persequar.
I will step aside here, whence I can quietly follow their conversation.
§104Rem tibi sum elocutus omnem, Chaeribule, atque admodum §105meorum maerorum atque amorum summam edictavi tibi.
Stratippocles: I have told you the whole matter, Chaeribulus, and indeed declared to you the sum of my griefs and loves.
§106Praeter aetatem et virtutem stultus es, Stratippocles.
Chaeribulus: Contrary to your age and manly character, you are foolish, Stratippocles.
§107idne pudet te, quia captivam genere prognatam bono
Are you ashamed of this, because you bought a captive girl born of a noble family from the booty?
§108de praeda es mercatus? quis erit, vitio qui id vortat tibi?
Who will there be to turn this to a fault in you?
§109Qui invident omnes inimicos mi illoc facto repperi; §110at pudicitiae eius numquam nec vim nec vitium attuli.
Stratippocles: Those who envy me, I have found them all to be my enemies by that deed; but to her chastity I have never brought force nor violation.
§111Iam istoc probior meo quidem animo, cúm in amore temperes.
Chaeribulus: By that very fact you are more honorable in my opinion, since you show restraint in love.
§112Nihil agit qui diffidentem verbis solatur suis; §113is est amicus, qui in re dubia re iuvat, ubi rest opus.
Stratippocles: He does nothing who consoles a despairing man with his words; he is a friend who, in a doubtful matter, helps with deeds when there is need of deed.
§114Quid tibi me vis facere?
Chaeribulus: What do you want me to do for you?
Stratippocles: To give forty minae of silver, to be paid to the moneylender, from whom I borrowed it on interest.
§116Si hercle haberem §116bNam quid te igitur retulit §117beneficum esse oratione, si ad rem auxilium emortuom est?
Chaeribulus: By Hercules, if I had it— Stratippocles: For what did it profit you then to be generous in speech, if in deed your help is dead?
§118Quin edepol egomet clamore differor, difflagitor.
Chaeribulus: Why, by Pollux, I myself am dinned for money.
§119Malim istius modi mihi amicos furno mersos quam foro.
Stratippocles: I'd rather have friends of that sort drowned in an oven than in the forum.
§120sed operam Epidici nunc me emere pretio pretioso velim.
But now I wish I could purchase the service of Epidicus at a high price.
§121quem quidem égo hominem irrigatum plagis pistori dabo, §122nisi hodie prius comparassit mihi quadraginta minas, §123quam argenti fuero elocutus ei postremam syllabam.
That man indeed, well soaked with blows, I will hand over to the miller, unless today he has got me forty minae, before I have spoken the last syllable of "silver" to him.