Plautus · Miles Gloriosus §490-563b

Sceledrus's Search of Both Houses and Apology

Passage 9 of 24 · Latin

Summary

Periplectomenus fiercely rebukes Sceledrus, who tries to defend himself. Urged by the old man to check both houses, Sceledrus finds the identical-looking woman in each place, admits his mistake, and begs for forgiveness.

§490tractatam et ludificatam, ingenuam et liberam?

handled and made sport of, she being freeborn and free?

§491Perii hercle, hic ad me recta habet rectam viam.

By Hercules, I am ruined! This man is making a straight way straight toward me.

§492metuo, illaec mihi res ne malo magno fuat, §493quantum hunc audivi facere verborum senem.

I fear lest that matter may turn out to be a great evil for me, from what I have heard this old man make of words.

§494Accedam ad hominem.

I will approach the man.

tun, Sceledre, hic, scelerum caput, §495meam ludificavisti hospitam ante aedis modo?

Is it you, Sceledrus, here, you head of villainy, who just now made sport of my female guest in front of the house?

§496Vicine, ausculta quaeso.

Neighbor, listen, I beg you.

§496bEgo auscultem tibi?

I listen to you?

§497Expurigare volo me.

I wish to clear myself.

§497bTun te expuriges, §498qui facinus tantum tamque indignum feceris?

You clear yourself, who have committed so great and so unworthy an outrage?

§499an quia latrocinamini, arbitramini §500quidvis licere facere vobis, verbero?

Or because you act as robbers, do you think that anything is permitted for you to do, you scoundrel?

§501Licetne?

Is it allowed?

§501bAt ita me di deaeque omnis ament, §502nisi mihi supplicium virgeum de te datur §503longum diutinumque, a mane ad vesperum, §504quod meas confregisti imbricis et tegulas, §505ibi dum condignam te sectatus essectatu's simiam, §506quodque inde inspectavisti meum apud me hospitem §507amplexum amicam, quom osculabatur, suam, §508quodque cóncubinam erilem insimulare ausus es §509probri pudicam meque summi flagiti, §510tum quod tractavisti hospitam ante aedis meam: §511nisi mihi supplicium stimuleum de te datur, §512dedecoris pleniorem erum faciam tuom, §513quam magno vento plenumst undarum mare.

But so may all the gods and goddesses love me, unless a punishment with rods is given to me upon you, long and lasting, from morning to evening, because you broke my roof-tiles and gutter-tiles, while there you chased a monkey well worthy of you, and because from there you spied upon my guest at my house, embracing his mistress, when he was kissing her, and because you dared to accuse your master's mistress of unchastity, she who is chaste, and me of the greatest outrage, and then because you handled my female guest in front of my house: unless a punishment with goads is given to me upon you, I will make your master fuller of disgrace, than the sea is full of waves when a great wind blows.

§514Ita sum coactus, Periplectomene, ut nesciam §515utrum me postulare prius tecum aequom siet; §516nisi si istaec non est haec neque haec istast, mihi §517me expurigare tibi videtur aequius; §518sicut etiam nunc nescio quid viderim: §519itast ista huius similis nostrai tua, §520siquidem non eadem est.

I am so hard pressed, Periplectomenus, that I do not know which it is fair for me to demand first with you; unless indeed that woman is not this one, nor this one that one, to me it seems more just to clear myself to you; just as even now I do not know what I saw: for that woman of yours is so like this one of ours, if indeed she is not the same.

§520bVise ad me intro, iam scies.

Look inside my house, you will soon know.

§521Licetne?

Is it permitted?

§521bQuin te iubeo; et placide noscita.

Rather I command you; and recognize her quietly.

§522Ita facere certum est. —

I am resolved to do so.

§522bHeus, Philocomasium, cito §523transcurre curriculo ad nos, ita negotiumst.

Ho there, Philocomasium, quickly run across to us, that is the plan.

§524post, quando exierit Sceledrus a nobis, cito §525transcurrito ad vos rursum curriculo domum.

afterwards, when Sceledrus has gone out from us, quickly run back home to your house again.

§526nunc pol ego metuo ne quid infuscaverit.

Now, by Pollux, I fear lest she should have spoiled anything.

§527si hic non videbit mulierem — aperitur foris.

If he does not see the woman here—the door is opening.

§528Pro di immortales, similiorem mulierem

Oh, immortal gods!

§529_530magisque eándem, ut pote quae non sit eadem, non reor §531deos fácere posse.

A more similar woman, and more identical—seeing that she is not the same—I do not think the gods can make.

§531bQuid nunc?

What now?

§531cCommerui malum.

I have fully deserved punishment.

§532Quid igitur? eanest?

What then? Is it she?

§532bEtsi east, non est ea.

Although she is she, she is not she.

§533Vidistin istam?

Did you see her?

§533bVidi, et illam et hospitem, §534complexam atque osculantem.

I saw her, and both her and the guest, embracing and kissing.

§534bEanest?

Is it she?

§534cNescio.

I do not know.

§535Vin scire plane?

Do you wish to know clearly?

§535bCupio.

I desire to.

§535cAbi intro ad vos domum §536continuo, vide sitne istaec vostra intus.

Go inside home to your house immediately; see if that woman of yours is inside.

§536bLicet, §537pulchre admonuisti.

Very well, you have advised me beautifully.

iám ego ad te exibo foras. —

I will come out to you here again immediately.

§538Numquam edepol hominem quemquam ludificarier §539magis facete vidi et magis miris modis.

By Pollux, I never saw any man made sport of more wittily or in more wonderful ways.

§540sed eccum egreditur.

But look, here he comes out.

§540bPeriplectomene, te opsecro §541per deos atque homines perque stultitiam meam §542perque tua genua — §542bQuíd opsecras me?

Periplectomenus, I beseech you by gods and men, and by my own foolishness, and by your knees— What do you beseech me for?

§542cInscitiae §543meae et stultitiae ignoscas.

Forgive my ignorance and foolishness.

nunc demum scio §544me fuisse excordem, caecum, incogitabilem.

Now at last I know that I have been mindless, blind, and thoughtless.

§545nam Philocomasium eccam intus.

For look, Philocomasium is inside.

§545bQuid nunc, furcifer?

What now, you scoundrel?

§546vidistin ambas?

Did you see both?

§546bVidi.

I saw them.

§546cErum exhibeas volo.

I wish you would show them to your master.

§547Meruisse equidem me maxumum fateor malum, §548et tuae fecisse me hospitae aio iniuriam; §549sed meam esse erilem concubinam censui, §550cui me custodem erus addidit miles meus.

Indeed I confess that I have deserved the greatest punishment, and I declare that I have done an injustice to your female guest; but I thought she was my master's mistress, to whom my master, the soldier, appointed me as a guard.

§551nam ex uno puteo similior numquam potis §552aqua aquai sumi quam haec est atque ista hospita.

For from one well, more similar water is never able to be drawn than this woman and that female guest are like each other.

§553et me despexe ad te per impluvium tuom §554fateor.

And that I looked down toward you through your skylight, I confess.

§554bQuid ni fateare, ego quod viderim? §555et ibi osculantem meum hospitem cum ista hospita

And did you see my guest kissing there with that female guest?

§556vidisti? §556bVidi (cur negem quod viderim?), §557sed Philocomasium me vidisse censui.

I saw (why should I deny what I saw?), but I thought I had seen Philocomasium.

§558Ratun istic me hominem esse omnium minimi preti, §559si ego me sciente paterer vicino meo §560eam fieri apud me tam insignite iniuriam?

Did you think that I was a man of the least value of all, if, with my knowledge, I should allow to my neighbor such a notorious injustice to be done at my house?

§561Nunc demum a me insipienter factum esse arbitror, §562cum rem cognosco; at non malitiose tamen §563feci.

Now at last I think it was done foolishly by me, now that I know the facts; but yet I did not do it maliciously.

§563bImmo indigne; nám hominem servom suos

Nay, shamefully; for a servant to his own—

Notes

492fuat — An archaic present subjunctive, equivalent to 'sit'. It is used in a 'ne' clause introduced by the verb of fearing 'metuo', expressing apprehension.
501bAt ita me di deaeque omnis ament, nisi — A conventional oath formula in Roman comedy, meaning 'So may all the gods and goddesses love me, unless...'. It implies that the speaker forfeits divine favor if the condition in the 'nisi' clause is not fulfilled, serving as a strong assertion or threat.
529_530ut pote quae non sit eadem — The 'utpote qui' construction taking the subjunctive mood. While normally expressing a causal relationship, here it carries a concessive force ('even though she is not the same'), emphasizing the astonishing similarity of the two women.
552aqua aquai — The form 'aquai' is the archaic genitive singular (-ai) of the first-declension noun 'aqua'. The phrase 'similior aqua aquai' (more similar than water is to water) is a proverbial comparison used to describe two identical things.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Miles Gloriosus §490-563b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi012.humanitext-lat2:490-563b

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