Humanitext Reader

Plautus · Miles Gloriosus §1323-1377

Philocomasium and Palaestrio's Feigned Farewell

Passage 23 of 24 · Latin

Summary

Philocomasium and Pleusicles (in disguise) play out a dramatic scene of fainting and embracing as they part. Palaestrio also bids a loyal farewell to his master Pyrgopolynices before departing, leaving the soldier alone to regret his foolishness in letting him go.

§1323et quia tecum eram, propterea ánimo eram ferocior: §1324eam nobilitatem amittendam video.
And because I was with you, for that reason I was more high-spirited in mind: I see that this nobility must be lost.
§1324bNe fle.
Do not weep.
§1324cNon queo, §1325quom te video.
I cannot help it, when I look at you.
§1325bHabe bonum animum.
Have courage.
§1325cScio ego quid doleat mihi.
I know what causes me pain.
§1326Nam nil miror, si libenter, Philocomasium, híc eras, §1327si forma huius, mores, virtus, animum attinuere hic tuom, §1328quóm ego servos quando aspicio hunc, lacrumo quia diiungimur.
For I do not wonder at all, Philocomasium, if you were gladly here, if his beauty, character, and virtue held your mind here, since even I, though a servant, when I look at him, weep because we are being separated.
§1329Obsecro licet complecti prius quam proficisco?
Please, may I embrace you before I depart?
§1329bLicet.
You may.
§1330O mi ócule, o mi ánime.
O my eye, o my soul!
§1330bObsecro, tene mulierem, §1331ne adfligatur.
Please, hold the woman, lest she fall.
§1331bQuid istuc quaesost?
What is that, pray?
§1331cQuia abs te abit, animo male §1332factum est huic repente miserae.
Because she is leaving you, this poor woman has suddenly fainted.
§1332bCurre intro atque ecferto aquam.
Run inside and bring out some water.
§1333Nihil aquam moror, quiescat malo.
I care nothing for water, I prefer she rest.
ne interveneris, §1334quaeso, dum resipiscit.
Do not interfere, please, while she recovers.
§1334bCapita inter se nimis nexa hisce habent.
These two have their heads far too closely joined together.
§1335non placet.
I do not like it.
labra ab labellis aufer, nauta, cave malo.
Take your lips away from her lips, sailor, watch out for trouble.
§1336Temptabam spiraret an non.
I was testing whether she was breathing or not.
§1336bAurem admotam oportuit.
You should have applied your ear.
§1337Si magis vís, eam omittam.
If you prefer it, I will let her go.
§1337bNolo, retine.
No, keep holding her.
§1337cAt ultro misero.
Then I will gladly let her go.
§1338Exite atque ecferte huc intus omnia quae isti dedi.
Come out and bring here from inside everything I gave to her.
§1339Etiam nunc saluto te, Lar familiaris, prius quam eo.
Even now I greet you, household Lar, before I go.
§1340conservi conservaeque omnis, bene valete et vivite, §1341bene quaeso inter vos dicatis mi med absenti tamen.
All fellow servants, male and female, farewell and live well, and please speak well of me among yourselves, even though I am absent.
§1342Age, Palaestrio, bono animo es.
Come, Palaestrio, be of good courage.
§1342bEheu, nequeo quin fleam, §1343quom abs te abeám.
Alas, I cannot help weeping, when I depart from you.
§1343bFer aequo ánimo.
Bear it with an even mind.
§1343cScio ego quid doleat mihi.
I know what causes me pain.
§1344Sed quid hoc? quae res? quid video? lux, salve
But what is this? What is the matter? What do I see? Hail, light!
§1345Iam resipisti?
Have you recovered now?
§1345bObsecro, quem amplexa sum
Please, what man have I embraced?
§1345ahominem? perii.
I am ruined.
sumne ego apud me?
Am I in my right mind?
§1345abNe time, voluptas mea.
Do not fear, my pleasure.
§1347Quid istuc est negoti?
What is that business?
§1347bAnimus hanc modo hic reliquerat.
Her consciousness had just left her here.
§1348† metuoque ut timeo, ne hoc tandem propalam fiat nimis.
And I fear and dread lest this should finally become too openly known.
§1349Quid id est?
What is that?
§1349bNos secundum ferri nunc per urbem haec omnia, §1350ne quis tibi hoc vítio vortat.
That all these things are now carried through the city after us, lest anyone turn this into a fault against you.
§1350bMea, non illorum dedi: §1351parvi ego illos fácio.
I gave my own things, not theirs: I care little for them.
agite, íte cum dis benevolentibus.
Go on, depart with the benevolent gods.
§1352Tua ego hoc causa dico.
I say this for your sake.
§1352bCredo.
I believe it.
§1352cIam vale.
Now farewell.
§1352dEt tu bene vale.
And you, farewell.
§1353Ite cito, iam ego adsequar vos: cúm ero pauca volo loqui. —
Go quickly, I will catch up with you shortly: I want to say a few words to my master.
§1354quamquam alios fideliores semper habuisti tibi §1355quam me, tamen tibi habeo magnam gratiam rerum omnium; §1356et, si íta sententia esset, tibi servire malui §1357multo, quám alii libertus esse.
Although you have always held others more faithful to you than me, yet I have great gratitude to you for all things; and, if such had been your decision, I would have much preferred to serve you as a slave than to be a freedman to another.
§1357bHabe bonum animum.
Have courage.
§1358Eheu, quom venit mi in mentem, ut mores mutandi sient, §1359muliebris mores discendi, obliscendi stratiotici.
Alas, when it comes into my mind that my habits must be changed, womanish habits learned, and military ones forgotten.
§1360Fac sis frugi.
See that you are honest.
§1360bIam non possum, amisi omnem lubidinem.
I can no longer be so, I have lost all desire.
§1361I, sequere illos, ne morere.
Go, follow them, do not delay.
§1361bBene vale.
Farewell.
§1361cEt tu bene vale.
And you, farewell.
§1362Quaeso memineris, si forte liber fieri occeperim §1363(mittam nuntium ad te), ne me deseras.
Please remember, if by chance I should begin to be free (I will send a message to you), do not desert me.
§1363bNon est meum.
It is not my way.
§1364Cogitato identidem, tibi quam fidelis fuerim.
Think from time to time how faithful I have been to you.
§1365si id facies, tum demum scibis, tibi qui bonus sit, qui malus.
If you do that, then at last you will know who is good to you and who is bad.
§1366Scio et perspexi saepe.
I know and have often perceived it.
§1366bVerum cum antehac, hodie maxume §1367scies: immo hodie me tuom factum faxo post dices magis.
But though before this, today you will know it most of all; nay, today I will make you say even more afterwards that I have been yours.
§1368Vix reprimor quin te manere iubeam.
I am scarcely restrained from ordering you to stay.
§1368bCave istuc feceris: §1369dicent te mendacem nec verum esse, fide nulla esse te, §1370dicent servorum praeter me esse hic fidelem neminem.
Beware of doing that: they will say that you are a liar and untruthful, and that you have no honor; they will say that there is no faithful servant here except me.
§1371nam si honeste censeam te facere posse, suadeam; §1372verum non potest.
For if I thought you could do it honorably, I would advise it; but it cannot be.
cave fáxis.
Beware of doing it.
§1372bAbi iam.
Go now.
§1372cPatiar quidquid est.
I will endure whatever it is.
§1373Bene vale igitur.
Farewell then.
§1373bIre meliust strenue. —
It is better to go quickly.
§1373cEtiam nunc vale.
Even now, farewell.
§1374ante hoc factum hunc sum arbitratus semper servom pessumum: §1375eum fidelem mi esse invenio.
Before this deed I always thought this was the worst servant; now I find him to be faithful to me.
cum egomet mecum cogito, §1376stulte feci qui hunc amisi.
When I think it over with myself, I acted foolishly in letting him go.
íbo hinc intro nunciam §1377ad amores meos.
Now I will go inside from here to my love.
sed, sensi, hinc sonitum fecerunt foris.
But, wait, I perceived they made a sound at the door here.

Notes

  1. 1328quóm ego servos quando aspicio hunc — servos is the archaic nominative singular (= servus). Here Pleusicles, disguised as a sailor (acting as a servant), refers to himself: "even I, though a servant." hunc is the accusative pointing to Pyrgopolynices.
  2. 1334bCapita inter se nimis nexa hisce habent — nexa habent is a construction of "habeo + perfect participle," indicating the maintenance of a resulting state. hisce is the archaic nominative plural hice (from hi) with the suffix -ce, functioning as the subject ("these two").
  3. 1350ne quis tibi hoc vítio vortat — vitio vortat is a double dative construction consisting of the indirect object tibi and the predicative dative vitio (fault, blame), meaning "lest anyone turn this into a fault against you."
  4. 1367me tuom factum faxo post dices magis — faxo is an archaic shortened form of faciam or fecero. It functions like a parenthetical expression meaning "I will see to it" or "I guarantee," emphasizing a strong assurance along with the accusative-with-infinitive clause me tuom factum [esse] and the following dices: "I guarantee that afterwards you will say even more that I have been yours."

Cite this passage

Plautus, Miles Gloriosus §1323-1377. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi012.humanitext-lat2:1323-1377

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.