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Plautus · Mercator §523b-587

Pasicompsa's Situation and Demipho's Joy

Passage 9 of 16 · Latin

Summary

Through the dialogue between Lysimachus and Pasicompsa, a misunderstanding occurs, while Demipho rejoices in having acquired his mistress and discusses with Lysimachus their secret plans and a place to house her.

§523bEm istaec hercle res est.
Look, by Hercules, that is the very thing.
§524ovem tibi eccillam dabo, natam annos sexaginta, §525peculiarem.
I will give you that sheep over there, sixty years old, as your private property.
§525bMi senex, tam vetulam?
My old gentleman, such an old one?
§525cGeneris graecist; §526eam si curabis, perbonast, tondetur nimium scite.
It is of Greek breed; if you take care of her, she is excellent, she will be shorn exceedingly skillfully.
§527Honoris causa quidquid est quod dabitur gratum habebo.
Whatever is given out of respect, I will accept with gratitude.
§528Nunc, mulier, ne tu frustra sis, mea non es, ne arbitrere.
Now, woman, lest you be mistaken, you are not mine, do not think so.
§529Dic igitur quaeso, quoia sum?
Tell me then, please, whose am I?
§529bTuo ero redempta es rursum; §530ego te redemi, ílle mecum oravit.
You have been bought back for your master; I bought you, but he entreated me.
§530bAnimus rediit, §531si mecum servatur fides.
My spirit has returned, if faith is kept with me.
§531bBono animo es, liberabit §532ille te homo: ita edepol deperit, atque hodie primum vidit.
Be of good cheer, he will set you free, that man will: by Pollux, he is so desperately in love with you, and yet he only saw you for the first time today.
§533Ecastor iam bienniumst, quom mecum rem coëpit.
By Castor, it is already two years since he began his relation with me.
§534nunc, quando amicum te scio esse illius, indicabo.
now, since I know you are his friend, I will disclose it.
§535Quid ais tu? iam bienniumst, quom tecum rém habet?
What is that you say? Is it already two years since he has had to do with you?
§535bCerto; §536et intér nos coniuravimus, ego cum illo et ille mecum: §536aego cum viro et ílle cum muliere, nisi cum illo aut ille mecum, §537neuter stupri causa caput limaret.
Certainly; and we swore an oath between us, I to him and he to me: I with my husband and he with his woman, unless I with him or he with me, neither of us would pollute ourselves for the sake of debauchery.
§537bDi immortales,
Immortal gods!
§538etiam cum uxore non cubet?
Does he not even sleep with his wife?
§538bAmabo, án maritust?
Please, is he married?
§539neque est neque erit.
He neither is, nor will be.
§539bNolim quidem.
Indeed I should hope not.
homo hercle periuravit.
By Hercules, the man has perjured himself.
§540Nullum adulescentem plus amo.
There is no young man I love more.
§540bPuer est ille quidem, stulta.
Indeed he is a child, foolish girl.
§541nam illi quidem hau sane diust quom dentes exciderunt.
for indeed it is not very long since his teeth fell out.
§542Quid, dentes?
What, teeth?
§542bNihil est.
It is nothing.
sequere sis.
Follow, please.
hunc me diem unum oravit §543ut apud me praehiberem locum, ideo quia uxor rurist.
He entreated me for this one day that I would afford a place at my house, for the reason that his wife is in the country.
§544Tandem impetravi ut egomet me corrumperem: §545emptast amica clam uxorem et clam filium.
Demipho: (to himself) At last I have obtained permission to corrupt myself: a mistress has been bought secretly from my wife and secretly from my son.
§546certumst, antiqua recolam et servibo mihi.
It is resolved, I will revive ancient memories and serve myself.
§547decurso spatio breve quod vitae relicuomst §548voluptáte, vino et amore delectavero.
Having run my course, what brief remainder of life is left I will delight with pleasure, wine, and love.
§549nam hanc se bene habere aetatem nimiost aequius.
for it is exceedingly fair that this age should keep itself well.
§550adulescens quom sis, tum quom est sanguis integer, §551rei tuae quaerundae convenit operam dare; §552demum igitur quom sis iam senex, tum in otium §553te conloces, dum potes ames: id iam lucrumst §554quod vivis.
When you are a young man, when your blood is fresh, it is fitting to bestow labor on seeking your fortune; then at last, when you are already an old man, then establish yourself in leisure, and love while you can: that is already profit that you live.
hoc ut dico, factis persequar.
As I say this, I will follow it with deeds.
§555interea tamen huc intro ad me invisam domum: §556uxor me exspectat iam dudum esuriens domi; §557iam iurgio enicabit, si intro rediero.
Meanwhile, however, I will visit inside here at my house: my wife has been waiting for me for a long time at home, hungry; she will kill me with scolding directly, if I return inside.
§558verum hercle postremo, utut est, non ibo tamen, §559sed hunc vicinum prius conveniam quam domum §560redeam; ut mihi aedis aliquas conducat volo, §561ubi habitet istaec mulier.
But by Hercules, in the end, however it is, I will not go in, but I will meet this neighbor before I return home; I want him to lease some house for me where that woman may dwell.
atque eccum it foras.
And look, there he comes out.
§562Adducam ego illum iam ad te, si convenero.
Lysimachus: I will bring him to you directly, if I meet him.
§563Me dicit.
Demipho: He is talking about me.
§563bQuid ais, Demipho?
Lysimachus: What do you say, Demipho?
§563cEst mulier domi?
Demipho: Is the woman at home?
§564Quid censes?
Lysimachus: What do you think?
§564bQuid si visam?
Demipho: What if I visit her?
§564cQuid properas? mane.
Lysimachus: Why are you hurrying? Wait.
§565Quid faciam?
Demipho: What should I do?
§565bQuod opust facto facito ut cogites.
Lysimachus: Make sure you consider what needs to be done.
§566Quid cogitem? equidem hercle opus hoc facto existimo, §567ut illo íntro eam.
Demipho: What should I consider? By Hercules, I indeed think there is need of doing this, namely, that I go in there.
§567bItane vero, vervex? intro eas?
Lysimachus: Is it really so, you wether? You go in?
§568Quid aliud faciam?
Demipho: What else should I do?
§568bPrius hoc ausculta, atque ades: §569prius etiamst, quod te facere ego aequom censeo.
Lysimachus: Listen to this first, and pay attention: there is even something beforehand, which I think it fair for you to do.
§570nam nunc si illuc intro ieris, amplecti voles, §571confabulari atque osculari.
for if you go in there now, you will want to embrace her, to chat and to kiss her.
§571bTu quidem §572meum animum gestas: scis quid acturus siem.
Demipho: You indeed possess my mind: you know what I am going to do.
§573Pervorse facies.
Lysimachus: You will act perversely.
§573bQuodne ames— §573cTanto minus.
Demipho: What, that which you love— Lysimachus: So much the less.
§574ieiunitatis plenus, anima foetida, §575senex hircosus tu osculere mulierem?
Full of hunger, with foul breath, you, a goatish old man, would kiss a woman?
§576utíne adveniens vomitum excutias mulieri?
so that on arriving you would make the woman vomit?
§577scio pol te amare, quom istaec praemonstras mihi.
Demipho: By Pollux, I know you understand love, since you point out these things to me.
§578Quid si igitur unum faciam hoc? si censes, coquom
What if I do this one thing then?
§579aliquem arripiamus, prandium qui percoquat §580apud te hic usque ad vesperum.
If you agree, let us grab some cook, who may prepare a luncheon here at your house all the way until evening.
§580bEm istuc censeo.
Lysimachus: Look, I agree to that.
§581nunc tu sapienter loquere atque amatorie.
now you speak wisely and like a lover.
§582Quid stamus? quin ergo imus atque obsonium §583curamus, pulchre ut simus?
Demipho: Why are we standing? Why then do we not go and procure provisions, so that we may have a fine time?
§583bEquidem te sequor.
Lysimachus: Indeed I follow you.
§584atque hercle invenies tu locum illi, si sapis: §585nullum hercle praeter hunc diem illa apud med erit.
and by Hercules, you will find a place for her, if you are wise: by Hercules, she shall not be at my house beyond this day.
§586metuo ego uxórem, cras si rure redierit §587ne illam hic offendat.
I fear my wife, lest if she returns from the country tomorrow she should find her here.

Notes

  1. 524natam annos sexaginta — The age of "sixty years" for a sheep (`ovem`) is highly unrealistic; Lysimachus is humorously or ironically referring to his own elderly wife metaphorically as a "sheep."
  2. 537caput limaret — `caput limare` (literally "to file/rub the head") is an idiomatic expression here combined with `stupri causa`, meaning either "to engage in illicit intercourse" (rubbing heads together) or "to damage or pollute one's character/reputation" through adultery.
  3. 565bQuod opust facto — The construction of `opus est` + perfect participle ablative (`facto`) means "what needs to be done." The relative pronoun `quod` functions as the grammatical subject of this construction.
  4. 576utíne — The conjunction `ut` with the interrogative enclitic `-ne` attached. Here, it introduces the subjunctive of disbelief or indignation in an independent clause ("Is it possible that...?").

Cite this passage

Plautus, Mercator §523b-587. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi011.humanitext-lat2:523b-587

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