Humanitext Reader

Plautus · Mercator §856-912

Eutychus Detains Charinus with Joyful News

Passage 14 of 16 · Latin

Summary

Eutychus appears before Charinus, who is about to go into exile, and detains him. Eutychus reveals that Charinus's mistress is at his own house, and Charinus, overjoyed, casts off his traveling clothes.

§856eundem ex confidente actutum diffidentem denuo.
And immediately make the same person, from being confident, distrustful again.
§857Cogito quonam égo illum curram quaeritatum.
I am thinking where on earth I should run to search for him.
§857bCerta res §858me usque quaerere illam, quoquo hínc abductast gentium; §859neque mihi ulla obsistet amnis nec mons neque adeo mare, §860nec calor nec frigus metuo neque ventum neque grandinem; §861imbrem perpetiar, laborem sufferam, solem, sitim; §862non concedam neque quiescam úsquam noctu neque dius §863prius profecto quam aut amicam aut mortem investigavero.
It is a certain thing that I will constantly search for her, to whatever part of the world she has been carried away from here; and neither any river, nor mountain, nor even the sea shall stand in my way, nor do I fear heat or cold, nor wind or hail; I will endure rain, I will bear toil, the sun, and thirst; I will not yield nor rest anywhere, by night or by day, until I have surely found either my mistress or my death.
§864Nescio quóia vox ad aures mi advolavit.
I know not whose voice has flown to my ears.
§864bInvoco §865vos, Lares viales, ut me bene tutetis.
I invoke you, Lares of the roads, that you protect me well.
§865bIuppiter, §866estne illic Charinus?
Eutychus: Jupiter, is that Charinus over there?
§866bCives, bene valete.
Charinus: Citizens, fare you well.
§866cIlico §867sta, Charine.
Eutychus: On the spot stand, Charinus.
§867bQui me revocat?
Charinus: Who calls me back?
§867cSpes, Salus, Victoria.
Eutychus: Hope, Safety, Victory.
§868Quid me voltis?
Charinus: What do you want with me?
§868bIre tecum.
Eutychus: To go with you.
§868cAlium comitem quaerite, §869non amittunt hi me comites qui tenent.
Charinus: Seek another companion, these companions who hold me do not let me go.
§869bQui sunt ei?
Eutychus: Who are they?
§870Cura, miseria, aegritudo, lacrumae, lamentatio.
Charinus: Care, misery, sickness of mind, tears, lamentation.
§871Repudia istos comites atque hoc respice et revortere.
Eutychus: Reject those companions, and look this way, and return.
§872Siquidem mecum fabulari vis, subsequere.
Charinus: If indeed you wish to talk with me, follow after.
§872bSta ilico.
Eutychus: Stand on the spot.
§873Male facis, properantem qui me commorare. sol abit.
Charinus: You do wrong, who delay me when I am in a hurry; the sun is setting.
§874Si huc item properes ut istuc properas, facias rectius: §875huc secundus ventus nunc est; cape modo vorsoriam: §876hic favonius serenust, istic auster imbricus; §877hic facit tranquillitatem, iste omnis fluctus conciet.
Eutychus: If you were to hurry this way just as you hurry that way, you would do more rightly; here is a favorable wind now; just take the sheet-rope (tack about); here the west wind is clear, there the south wind brings rain; this one brings tranquility, that one stirs up all the waves.
§878recipe te ad terram, Charine, huc.
return to land, Charinus, this way.
nonne ex advorso vides, §879nubis atra imberque ut instat? aspice ad sinisteram,
Do you not see opposite you, how a black cloud and rain are pressing on?
§880caelum ut est splendore plenum atque ut dei istuc vorti iubent?
Look to the left, how the sky is full of brightness, and how the gods command you to turn that way?
§881Religionem illic mi obiecit: recipiam me illuc.
Charinus: He has cast a religious scruple in my way there; I will return thither.
§881bSapis.
Eutychus: You are wise.
§882o Charine, contra pariter fer gradum et confer pedem, §883porge bracchium.
O Charinus, take your step to meet me likewise, and bring your foot close, stretch forth your arm.
§883bPrehende.
Charinus: Take hold.
iam tenes?
Do you have it now?
§883cTeneo.
Eutychus: I hold it.
§883dTene.
Charinus: Hold on.
§884Quo nunc ibas?
Eutychus: Where were you going just now?
§884bExulatum.
Charinus: Into exile.
§884cQuid ibi faceres?
Eutychus: What would you do there?
§884dQuod miser.
Charinus: What a miserable man does.
§885Ne pave, restituam iam ego te in gaudio antiquo ut sies.
Eutychus: Do not fear, I will now restore you so that you may be in your former joy.
§886maxime quod vis audire, id audies, quod gaudeas §887.
What you most wish to hear, that you shall hear, so that you may rejoice.
§888tuam amicam— §888bQuid eam?
your mistress— Charinus: What of her?
§888cVbi sit ego scio.
Eutychus: Where she is, I know.
§888dTune, obsecro?
Charinus: You? I beseech you!
§889Sanam et salvam.
Eutychus: Safe and sound.
§889bVbi eam salvam?
Charinus: Where is she safe?
§889cEgo scio.
Eutychus: I know.
§889dEgo me mavelim.
Charinus: I would rather it were myself.
§890Potin ut animo sis tranquillo?
Eutychus: Can you be of a tranquil mind?
§890bQuid si mi animus fluctuat?
Charinus: What if my mind is tossing?
§891Ego istum in tranquillo quieto tuto sistam: ne time.
Eutychus: I will place it in a tranquil, quiet, and safe harbor; fear not.
§892Obsecro te, loquere propere ubi sit, ubi eam videris.
Charinus: I beseech you, speak quickly where she is, where you saw her.
§893quid taces? dic.
Why are you silent? Speak.
enicas me miserum tua reticentia.
You are killing miserable me with your silence.
§894Non longe hinc abest a nobis.
Eutychus: She is not far away from here, from us.
§894bQuin ergo commostras, si vides?†
Charinus: Why then do you not show her, if you see her?
§895Non video hercle nunc, sed vidi modo.
Eutychus: By Hercules, I do not see her now, but I saw her just now.
§895bQuin égo videam facis?
Charinus: Won't you make me see her?
§896Faciam.
Eutychus: I will do so.
§896bLongum istuc amantist.
Charinus: That is too long for a lover.
§896cEtiam metuis? omnia
Eutychus: Are you still afraid?
§897commonstrabo.
All things I will point out.
amicior mihi nullus vivit atque is est §898qui illam habet, neque est quoi magis me vélle melius aequóm siet.
No one lives more friendly to me than he is, who has her, nor is there anyone for whom it is more proper that I should wish well.
§899Non curo istunc, de illa quaero.
Charinus: I do not care about that man, I am asking about her.
§899bDe illa ergo ego dico tibi.
Eutychus: It is about her indeed that I am telling you.
§900sane hoc non in mentem venit dudum, ut ubi sit dicerem.
Indeed, this did not come into my mind just now, to say where she is.
§901Dic igitur, ubi illa est?
Charinus: Tell me then, where is she?
§901bIn nostris aedibus.
Eutychus: In our house.
§901cAedis probas, §902si tu vera dicis; pulchre aédificatas arbitro.
Charinus: You commend the house, if you speak the truth; I judge it beautifully built.
§903sed qui ego istúc credam? vidistin an de audito nuntias?
But how am I to believe that? Did you see her yourself, or do you report from hearsay?
§904Egomet vidi.
Eutychus: I saw her myself.
§904bQuis eam adduxit ad vos?
Charinus: Who brought her to your place?
§904cVt inique rogas.
Eutychus: How unfairly you ask.
§906quid tua refert, qui cum istac venerit?
What does it matter to you, who came with her?
§906bDum istic siet.
Charinus: As long as she is there.
§905vera dicis?
Are you speaking the truth?
§905bNil, Charine, te quidem quicquam pudet; §907est profecto.
Eutychus: Really, Charinus, you are not ashamed of anything at all; she is there indeed.
§907bOpta ergo ob istunc nuntium quid vis tibi.
Charinus: Choose then, on account of this news, whatever you want for yourself.
§908Quid si optabo?
Eutychus: What if I choose?
§908bDeos orato ut eius faciant copiam.
Charinus: Pray to the gods that they grant you abundance of her.
§909Derides.
Eutychus: You are mocking.
§909bServata res est demum, si illam videro.
Charinus: The matter is saved at last, if I shall see her.
§910sed quin ornatum hunc reicio? heus, aliquis actutum huc foras
But why don't I cast off this traveling attire?
§911exite illinc, pallium mi ecferte.
Hey, someone quickly out here come out from there, bring out my cloak for me.
§911bEm, nunc tu mihi places.
Eutychus: There, now you please me.
§912Optume advenis, pueré, cape chlamydem atque istic sta ilico,
Charinus: You come most opportunely, boy; take the cloak and stand there on the spot,

Notes

  1. 857quaeritatum — Accusative supine expressing purpose, used with the verb of motion `curram` ("to run") to mean "in order to search for."
  2. 858gentium — Partitive genitive modifying the adverb `quoquo` ("whithersoever"), forming the idiomatic phrase meaning "to whatever part of the world."
  3. 864quoia — Archaic possessive adjective `quius, quia, quium` ("whose", equivalent to the later genitive `cuius`), feminine nominative singular agreeing with `vox`.
  4. 873commorare — Second-person singular present indicative of the deponent verb `commoror` ("to delay"), using the archaic ending `-re` instead of `-ris`. It functions within the relative clause introduced by `qui` (not an imperative).
  5. 898quoi magis me velle melius aequom siet — The phrase `velle melius` is an idiomatic equivalent of `bene velle` ("to wish well to someone"). `quoi` is the dative relative pronoun governing this idiom. The accusative-and-infinitive clause (`me velle`) acts as the subject of `aequom siet` ("it would be fair/proper"), meaning "there is no one for whom it would be more proper that I wish well."

Cite this passage

Plautus, Mercator §856-912. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi011.humanitext-lat2:856-912

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