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Plautus · Miles Gloriosus §376b-431

Philocomasium's False Dream and Return from Next Door

Passage 7 of 24 · Latin

Summary

Philocomasium deceives Sceledrus by telling a fabricated "dream" about her twin sister, and subsequently causes him further confusion by appearing from the neighbor's house acting as a complete stranger.

§376bVnde nísi domo?
Palaestrio: Where else but from home?
§376cDomo?
Sceledrus: From home?
§376dMé viden?
Philocomasium: Do you see me?
§376eTe video.
Sceledrus: I see you.
§377nimis mírumst facinus, quo modo haec hinc huc transire potuit; §378nam certo neque solariumst apud nós neque hortus ullus §379neque fénestra nisi clatrata; nam certe ego te hic intus vidi.
It is an extremely wondrous thing, how she could cross over from there to here; for certainly there is neither a balcony with us, nor any garden, nor any window unless barred; for certainly I saw you in here.
§380Pergin, sceleste, intendere hanc arguere?
Palaestrio: Do you persist, scoundrel, in striving to accuse her?
§380bEcastor ergo §381mi hau falsum evenit somnium, quod noctu hac somniavi.
Philocomasium: By Castor, then, my dream has not turned out false to me, which I dreamed this very night.
§382Quid somniasti?
Palaestrio: What did you dream?
§382bEgo eloquar.
Philocomasium: I will tell you.
sed amabo advortite animum.
But pray, pay attention.
§383hac nocte in somnis mea soror geminast germana visa §384venisse Athenis in Ephesum cum suo amatore quodam; §385ei ambo hóspitio huc in proxumum mihi devortisse visi.
Tonight in my sleep, my own twin sister seemed to have come from Athens to Ephesus with a certain lover of hers; they both seemed to have turned aside for lodging here next door to me.
§386Palaestrionis somnium narratur.
Sceledrus: (aside) It is Palaestrio’s dream that is being told.
perge porro.
Go on.
§387Ego laeta visa, quia soror venisset, propter eandem §388suspicionem maximam sum visa sustinere.
Philocomasium: I seemed to be glad because my sister had come, but on her account I seemed to undergo a very great suspicion.
§389nam arguere in somnis me meus mihi familiaris visust, §390me cum alieno adulescentulo, quasi nunc tu, esse osculatam, §391quom illa osculata mea soror gemina esset suompte amicum.
For in my sleep my housemate seemed to accuse me, that I had kissed with a strange young man, just as you do now, while that twin sister of mine had kissed her own lover.
§392id me insimulatam perperam falsum esse somniavi.
I dreamed that I had been falsely accused of this and that it was untrue.
§393Satin eadem vigilanti expetunt quae in somnis visa memoras?
Palaestrio: Do not the very same things happen to you awake which you relate to have seen in your sleep?
§394eu hércle praesens somnium.
Well done, by Hercules, a dream come true!
abi intro et comprecare.
Go inside and pray.
§395narrandum ego istuc militi censebo.
I think this should be told to the soldier.
§395bFacere certum est, §396neque me quidem patiar probri falso impune insimulatam.
Philocomasium: I am resolved to do so, nor indeed will I suffer myself to be falsely accused of a crime with impunity.
§397Timeo quid rerum gesserim, ita dorsus totus prurit.
Sceledrus: (aside) I fear what I have done, my whole back so itches.
§398Scin te periisse?
Palaestrio: Do you know that you are ruined?
§398bNunc quidem domi certo est.
Sceledrus: Now indeed she is certainly at home.
certa res est §399nunc nostrum observare ostium, ubi ubist.
It is a certain thing now to watch our door, wherever she may be.
§399bAt, Sceledre, quaeso, §400ut ad id exemplum somnium quam simile somniavit §401atque ut tu suspicatus es eam vídisse osculantem.
Palaestrio: But, Sceledrus, I pray, how similar a dream she dreamed according to that pattern, and just as you suspected that you saw her kissing.
§402Nescio quid credam egomet mihi iam, ita quod vidisse credo §403me id iam non vidisse arbitror.
Sceledrus: I do not know what I should believe myself now, so what I believe I saw I now think I did not see.
§403bNe tu hercle sero, opinor, §404resipisces: si ad erum haec res prius † devenerit, peribis pulchre.
Palaestrio: By Hercules, too late, I think, you will come to your senses: if this matter reaches the master first, you will perish beautifully.
§405Nunc demum experior, mi ob oculos caliginem opstitisse.
Sceledrus: Only now do I experience that a mist stood before my eyes.
§406Dudum edepol planum est id quidem, quae hic usque fuerit intus.
Palaestrio: By Pollux, that has been clear for a long time indeed, since she has been inside here all along.
§407Nihil habeo certi quid loquar: non vidi eam, etsi vidi.
Sceledrus: I have nothing certain to say: I did not see her, although I did.
§408Ne tu edepol stultitia tua nos paene perdidisti: §409dum te fidelem facere ero voluisti, absumptus esabsumptu's paene.
Palaestrio: By Pollux, indeed by your foolishness you have almost ruined us: while you wished to make yourself faithful to the master, you were almost destroyed.
§410sed fores vicini proxumi crepuerunt.
But the door of our closest neighbor has creaked.
conticiscam.
I will be silent.
§411Inde ignem in aram, ut Ephesiae Dianae laeta laudes §412gratesque agam eique ut Arabico fumificem odore amoene, §413quom me in locis Neptuniis templisque turbulentis §414servavit, saevis fluctibus ubi sum adflictata multum.
Philocomasium: (coming out of the neighbor's house) Put fire on the altar, so that joyful I may render praises and thanks, and burn for her sweet Arabic incense, since she has saved me in Neptunian realms and turbulent temples, where I was greatly tossed by savage waves.
§415Palaestrio, o Palaestrio.
Sceledrus: Palaestrio, oh Palaestrio!
§415bO Sceledre, Sceledre, quid vis?
Palaestrio: Oh Sceledrus, Sceledrus, what do you want?
§416Haec mulier, quae hinc exit modo, estne erilis concubina §417Philocomasium, an non est ea?
Sceledrus: This woman, who just comes out of here, is she the master’s mistress, Philocomasium, or is she not?
§417bHercle opinor, ea videtur.
Palaestrio: By Hercules, I think she seems to be she.
§418sed facinus mirum est, quo modo haec hinc huc transire potuit, §419si quidem east.
But it is a wondrous thing, how she could cross over from there to here, if indeed it is she.
§419bAn dubium tibi est eam esse hanc?
Sceledrus: Or do you have any doubt that she is this one?
§419cEa videtur.
Palaestrio: She seems to be she.
§420Adeamus, appellemus.
Sceledrus: Let us approach, let us accost her.
heus, quid istúc est, Philocomasium?
Ho there! What is that, Philocomasium?
§421quid tibi istic in istisce aedibus debetur, quid negotist?
What is owed to you there in those houses, what business is there?
§422quid nunc taces? tecum loquor.
Why are you silent now? I am speaking to you.
§422bImmo edepol tute tecum; §423nam haec nil respondet.
Palaestrio: Nay, by Pollux, you are speaking to yourself; for she answers nothing.
§423bTe adloquor, viti probrique plena, §424quae circum vicinos vagas.
Sceledrus: I am speaking to you, full of vice and shame, who wander around the neighbors.
§424bQuicum tu fabulare?
Philocomasium: With whom are you talking?
§425Quicum nisi tecum?
Sceledrus: With whom but with you?
§425bQuis tu homo es, aut mecum quid est negoti?
Philocomasium: What man are you, or what business is there with me?
§426Mé rogas homo qui sim?
Sceledrus: Do you ask me who I am?
§426bQuin ego hoc rogem quod nesciam?
Philocomasium: Why should I not ask what I do not know?
§427Quis ego sum igitur, si hunc ignoras?
Sceledrus: Who am I then, if you do not know him?
§427bMihi odiosus, quisquis es, §428et tu et hic.
Philocomasium: To me you are hateful, whoever you are, both you and this fellow.
§428bNon nos novisti?
Sceledrus: Do you not know us?
§428cNeutrum.
Philocomasium: Neither.
§428dMetuo maxume, §429Quid metuis?
Sceledrus: I fear greatly, Palaestrio: What do you fear?
§429bEnim ne nos nosmet perdiderimus uspiam; §430nam nec te neque me novisse ait haec.
Sceledrus: Lest indeed we have lost ourselves somewhere; for she says she knows neither you nor me.
§430bPersectari hic volo, §431Sceledre, nos nostri an alieni simus, ne dum quispiam
Palaestrio: I want to investigate here, Sceledrus, whether we are ourselves or others, lest while someone...

Notes

  1. 383mea soror geminast germana visa / venisse — The verb `videor` ("to seem") forms a personal construction with the nominative subject `mea soror` and the infinitive `venisse` (nominativus cum infinitivo). `visa [est]` is the perfect passive participle in feminine nominative singular.
  2. 391quom illa osculata mea soror gemina esset suompte amicum — The conjunction `quom` (`cum`) is used here with the subjunctive pluperfect `esset [osculata]` to express a contrasting circumstance ("whereas..."). `osculata` is the participle of the deponent verb `osculor`. `suompte` is an archaic form of the possessive adjective `suum` with the emphatic suffix `-pte`.
  3. 399but ad id exemplum somnium quam simile somniavit — The conjunction `ut` here introduces an exclamation, meaning
  4. 411Inde ignem in aram, ut Ephesiae Dianae laeta laudes — An ellipsis of an imperative verb such as `indite` ("put") or `fer` ("bring"). `laeta` is a nominative feminine singular adjective modifying the subject, used adverbially ("joyfully").
  5. 429bEnim ne nos nosmet perdiderimus uspiam — Following the preceding `metuo` ("I fear"), the conjunction `ne` with the perfect subjunctive `perdiderimus` expresses an apprehension ("lest we have lost"). `enim` is used here emphatically ("indeed") rather than causally. `nosmet` is the accusative pronoun `nos` with the emphatic suffix `-met`.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Miles Gloriosus §376b-431. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi012.humanitext-lat2:376b-431

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