First of all, right from the very start, I announce a propitious greeting for myself and for you, spectators.
I bring you Plautus, on my tongue, not in my hand; I ask that you receive him with kindly ears.
Now receive the plot and turn your attention; I will express it in as few words as I can.
§7atque hoc poetae faciunt in comoediis: §8omnis res gestas esse Athenis autumant, §9quo íllud vobis graecum videatur magis; §10ego nusquam dicam nisi ubi factum dicitur.
And this is what poets do in their comedies: they claim that all events took place at Athens, in order that it may seem more Greek to you; I shall say nowhere except where the event is said to have happened.
And indeed, although this plot is Greek-style, yet it is not Attic-style, but rather Sicilian-style.
§13huic argumento antelogium hoc fuit; §14nunc argumentum vobis demensum dabo, §15non modio, neque trimodio, verum ipso horreo: §16tantum ad narrandum argumentum ádest benignitas.
This was the prologue to this plot; now I will give you the plot measured out, not by the peck, nor by the three-peck, but by the granary itself: so great is the bounty for telling the plot.
§17mercator quidam fuit Syracusis senex, §18eí sunt nati filii gemini duo, §19ita forma simili pueri, út mater sua §20non internosse posset quae mammam dabat, §21neque adeo mater ipsa quae illos pepererat, §22ut quidem ille dixit mihi, qui pueros viderat: §23ego illós non vidi, ne quis vostrum censeat.
There was a certain old merchant at Syracuse, to him two twin sons were born, boys of such similar appearance that their own mother who gave them the breast could not tell them apart, nor indeed the mother herself who had given them birth, as at least that man told me who had seen the boys: I did not see them myself, lest any of you should think so.
§24postquam iam pueri septuennes sunt, pater §25oneravit navem magnam multis mercibus; §26imponit geminum álterum in navem pater, §27Tarentum avexit secum ad mercatum simul, §28illum reliquit alterum ápud matrem domi.
When the boys are now seven years old, the father loaded a large ship with much merchandise; the father puts one of the twins on board the ship, and took him away with him to Tarentum to trade, and left the other one at home with his mother.
§29Tarenti ludi forte erant, cum illuc venit.
It happened that there were games at Tarentum when he arrived there.
Many people had gathered, as is usual for games: the boy wandered away from his father among the people.
There was a certain merchant from Epidamnus there, who picks up the boy and carries him off to Epidamnus.
§34pater eius autem postquam puerum perdidit, §35animum despondit, eaque is aegritudine §36paucis diebus post Tarenti emortuost.
But after the father lost the boy, he lost heart, and from that grief he died at Tarentum a few days later.
§37postquam Syracusas de ea re rediit nuntius §38ad avom puerorum, puerum surruptum alterum §39patremque pueri Tarenti esse emortuom, §40immutat nomen avos huic gemino alteri; §41ita illum dilexit, qui subruptust, alterum: §42illius nomen indit illi qui domi est, §43Menaechmo, idem quod alteri nomen fuit; §44et ipsus eodem est avos vocatus nomine §45(propterea illius nomen memini facilius, §46quia illúm clamore vidi flagitarier).
When the news returned to Syracuse to the grandfather of the boys about this matter, that the one boy was stolen and that the father of the boy was dead at Tarentum, the grandfather changes the name of this other twin; he loved the other one who was stolen so much: he gives the name of that one to the one who is at home, Menaechmus, the same name that the other had; and the grandfather himself was called by the same name (for this reason I remember his name more easily, because I saw him being publicly summoned with shouting).
Lest you make a mistake later, I declare it to you beforehand right now: both twin brothers have the same name.
Now I must return to Epidamnus on foot, so that I may explain this matter to you precisely.
§51si quis quid vestrum Epidamnum curari sibi §52velit, audacter imperato et dicito, §53sed ita ut det unde curari id possit sibi.
If any of you wants anything taken care of for himself at Epidamnus, let him boldly command and speak, but only on condition that he gives the means from which it can be taken care of for him.
For unless a man gives money, he will have trifled; he who does give will have trifled even more.
§56verum illuc redeo unde abii, atque uno asto in loco.
But I return to the place from which I departed, and I stand in one place.
§57Epidamniensis ille, quem dúdum dixeram, §58geminum illum puerum qui surrupuit alterum, §59ei liberorum, nisi divitiae, nil erat: §60adoptat illum puerum surrupticium §61sibi filium eique uxorem dotatam dedit, §62eumque heredem fecit, quom ipse obiit diem.
That man of Epidamnus whom I mentioned just now, who stole that other twin boy, had no children, except his riches: he adopts that stolen boy as his son and gave him a well-dowered wife, and made him his heir when he himself met his death.
§63nam rus ut ibat forte, ut multum pluerat, §64ingressus fluvium rapidum ab urbe haud longule, §65rapidus raptori pueri subduxit pedes §66abstraxitque hominem in maximam malam crucem.
For as he was going by chance to the country, after it had rained heavily, having entered a rapid river not far from the city, the rapid current swept away the feet of the stealer of the boy and dragged the man off to utter destruction.
§67illi divitiae evenerunt maximae.
Extremely great riches fell to him.
§68is illic habitat geminus surrupticius.
That stolen twin lives there.
§69nunc ille geminus, qui Syracusis habet, §70hodie in Epidamnum veniet cum servo suo §71hunc quaeritatum geminum germanum suom.
Now that other twin, who lives at Syracuse, will come today to Epidamnus with his slave to search for this twin brother of his.
§72haec urbs Epidamnus est, dum haec agitur fabula: §73quando alia agetur, aliud fiet oppidum; §74sicut familiae quoque solent mutarier: §75modo †ni caditat leno, modo adulescens, modo senex, §76pauper, mendicus, rex, parasitus, hariolus §77Iuventus nomen fecit Peniculo mihi, §78ideo quia mensam, quando edo, detergeo.
This city is Epidamnus while this play is being performed: when another is performed, it will become another town; just as actors' households too are accustomed to be changed: now a pimp, now a young man, now an old man, a poor man, a beggar, a king, a parasite, a soothsayer The young men gave me the name of Peniculus, for the reason that when I eat, I wipe the table clean.
§79homines captivos qui catenis vinciunt §80et qui fugitivis servis indunt compedes, §81nimis stúlte faciunt mea quidem sententia.
Men who bind captives with chains and who put fetters on runaway slaves act too foolishly, in my opinion indeed.
§82nam homini misero si ad malum accedit malum,
For if evil is added to evil for a miserable man,