Young man, pray, what business have you with me, that you should speak ill of me, an unknown man, unwittingly?
§496an tibi malam rem vis pro male dictis dari?
Or do you wish a bad deal to be given to you for your bad words?
§497†Pol eam quidem edepol te dedisse intellego.
By Pollux, indeed, by Pollux, I understand that you have already given it to me.
§498Responde, adulescens, quaeso, quid nomen tibist?
Answer, young man, pray, what is your name?
§499Etiam derides, quasi nomen non noveris?
Are you still mocking me, as if you did not know my name?
§500Non edepol ego te, quod sciam, umquam ante hunc diem §501vidi neque novi; verum certo, quisquis es, §502si aéquom facias, mihi odiosus ne sies.
By Pollux, as far as I know, I have never before this day seen you or known you; but certainly, whoever you are, if you would do what is fair, do not be troublesome to me.
§503Menaechme, vigila.
Menaechmus, wake up.
§503bVigilo hercle equidem, quod sciam.
By Hercules, I indeed am awake, as far as I know.
§504Non me novisti?
You don't know me?
§504bNon negem, si noverim.
I would not deny it, if I knew you.
§505Tuom parasitum non novisti?
You don't know your parasite?
Your brain is not sound, young man, I understand.
Answer, did you steal that mantle from your wife today and give it to Erotium?
By Hercules, I have no wife, nor have I given it to Erotium, nor have I stolen the mantle.
§510bSatin sanus es?
Are you quite sane?
§511occisast haec res.
The business is ruined.
non ego te indutum foras §512exire vidi pallam?
Didn't I see you wearing the mantle coming out of doors?
§512bVae capiti tuo.
Woe to your head.
§513omnis cinaedos esse censes, tu quia es?
Do you think everyone is a degenerate, because you are one?
§514_515tun med indutum fuisse pallam praedicas?
Do you declare that I was wearing the mantle?
§516Ego hercle vero.
By Hercules, indeed I do.
§516bNon tu abis quo dignus es?
Won't you go where you deserve?
§517aut te piari iube, homo insanissime.
Or bid yourself be purified, you most insane man.
§518Numquam edepol quisquam me exorabit, quin tuae §519uxori rem omnem iám, uti sit gesta, eloquar; §520omnes in te istaec recident contumeliae: §521faxo haud inultus prandium comederis. —
By Pollux, no one will ever persuade me not to tell your wife everything now, just as it happened; all those insults will fall back upon you: I will make sure you have not eaten that lunch unpunished.
§522Quid hoc ést negoti? satine, ut quemque conspicor,
What business is this?
§523ita me ludificant? sed concrepuit ostium.
Is it enough that, as I see anyone, they mock me in this way? But the door creaked.
§524Menaechme, amare ait te multum Erotium, §525ut hoc una opera sibi ad aurificem deferas, §526atque huc ut addas auri pondo únciam §527iubeasque spinter novom reconcinnarier.
Menaechmus, Erotium says she loves you very much, so that you may take this at the same time to the goldsmith for her, and that you may add an ounce of gold to it, and order a new bracelet to be refitted.
Both that and anything else, if she wants anything to be cared for, tell her I will care for it, whatever she wants.
§530Scin quid hoc sit spinter?
Do you know what this bracelet is?
§530bNescio, nisi aureum.
I don't know, except that it is golden.
This is what you said you once stole secretly from the chest of your wife.
§533Numquam hercle factum est.
By Hercules, that was never done.
§533bNon meministi, obsecro?
Don't you remember, I pray?
§534redde igitur spinter, si non meministi.
Return the bracelet then, if you don't remember.
§534bMane.
Wait.
§535immo equidem memini.
Nay, indeed I remember.
nempe hoc est, quod illí dedi.
Surely this is what I gave to her.
§536Istuc.
That's it.
§536bVbi illae armillaé sunt, quas una dedi?
Where are those armlets which I gave together with it?
§537Numquam dedisti.
You never gave them.
§537bNam pol hoc unum dedi.
Why, by Pollux, I gave only this one.
§538Dicam curare?
Shall I say that you will care for it?
§538bDicito: curabitur.
Say so: it shall be cared for.
§539_540et palla et spinter faxo referantur simul.
I will make sure that both the mantle and the bracelet are returned together.
§541Amabo, mi Menaechme, inauris da mihi §542faciendas pondo duom nummum, stalagmia, §543ut te libenter videam, quom ad nos veneris.
Please, my Menaechmus, give me some earrings to be made of two nummi weight, pendants, so that I may see you gladly when you come to us.
§544Fiat.
Let it be done.
cedo aurum, ego manupretium dabo.
Give me the gold, I will pay for the workmanship.
§545Da sodes abs te: ego post reddidero tibi.
Give it from yourself, please; I will return it to you later.
§546Immo cedo abs te: ego post tibi reddam duplex.
Nay, give it from yourself; I will return it to you double later.
§547Non habeo.
I don't have it.
§547bAt tu, quando habebis, tum dato.
But you, when you have it, give it then.
§548Numquid vis?—
Do you want anything else?
Tell her I will care for these— so that they may be sold for as much as possible and for whatever they can fetch.
§550iamne abiit intro? abiit, operuit fores.
Has she already gone inside? She has gone, she shut the doors.
§551di me quidem omnes adiuvant, augent, amant.
All the gods indeed help, prosper, and love me.
But why do I delay, while opportunity and time are given to me, to depart from these brothel-like places?
§554propera, Menaechme, fer pedem, confer gradum.
Hasten, Menaechmus, move your feet, quicken your pace.
§555demam hanc coronam atque abiciam ad laevam manum, §556ut, siquis sequatur, hac me abiisse censeant.
I will take off this garland and throw it away to the left, so that, if anyone pursues, they may think I have gone this way.
I will go and meet my servant, if I can, so that he may know from me these good things which the gods give me.
§559Egone hic me patiar frustra in matrimonio, §560ubi vir compilet clanculum quidquid domist §561atque ea ad amicam deferat?
Shall I endure myself here in marriage in vain, where my husband secretly plunders whatever is in the house and carries it off to his mistress?
§561bQuin tu taces?
Why don't you keep quiet?
§562manufesto faxo iam opprimes: sequere hac modo.
I will make sure you catch him in the act; just follow this way.
Drunk, he was carrying the mantle to the embroiderer with a garland, which he stole from you from the house today.
§565sed eccám coronam quám habuit.
But look, here is the garland which he had.
num mentior?
Do I lie?
§566em hac ábiit, si vis persequi vestigiis.
See, he went this way, if you wish to follow by his tracks.