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Plautus · Miles Gloriosus §932-989

Delivering the Fake Ring to Pyrgopolynices

Passage 16 of 24 · Latin

Summary

After Palaestrio and Periplectomenus finalize their conspiracy and head inside, the soldier Pyrgopolynices appears. Palaestrio presents him with a ring supposedly from his neighbor's wife, persuading him to dismiss his current mistress with gifts to make room for her, just as the maid Milphidippa steps outside.

§932a tua uxore mihi datum esse eamque illum deperire.
that it was given to me by your wife, and that she is dying of love for him.
§933hanc ad nos, quom extemplo a foro veniemus, mittitote, §934quasi clanculum ad eum missa sit.
Send her to us as soon as we come from the forum, as if she had been sent to him secretly.
§934bFaciemus.
Periplectomenus: We shall do so.
alia cura.
Worry about other things.
§935Vos modo curate, ego illúm probe iam oneratum huc acciebo. — §936Bene ambula, bene rem geras.
Palaestrio: You only take care of it; I shall now summon him here, well primed. — Periplectomenus: Fare you well, manage the matter well.
egone hoc si efficiam plane, §937ut concubinam militis meus hospes habeat hodie §938atque hinc Athenas avehat, si hodie hunc dolum dolamus, §939_940quid tibi ego mittam muneris!
If I can achieve this completely, so that my guest may have the soldier's mistress today and carry her away hence to Athens, if today we fashion this device, what a gift shall I send to you!
§939_940bDatne ab se mulier operam?
Does the woman render her assistance of her own accord?
§941Lepidissume et compsissume.
Most charmingly and most elegantly.
§941bConfido confuturum.
I trust it will turn out well.
§942ubi facta erit conlatio nostrarum malitiarum, §943haud vereor ne nos subdola perfidia pervincamur.
when the comparison of our wickednesses has been made, I by no means fear lest we should be overcome by crafty perfidy.
§944Abeamus ergo intro, haec uti meditemur cogitate, §945ut accurate et commode hoc quod agendumst exsequamur, §946ne quid, ubi miles venerit, titubetur.
Let us therefore go inside, so that we may ponder these things thoughtfully, so that we may execute what must be done accurately and conveniently, lest there be any stumbling when the soldier comes.
§946bTu morare. — §947Vólup est, quod agas, si id procedit lepide atque ex sententia; §948nam ego hodie ad Seleucum regem misi parasitum meum, §949ut latrones quos conduxi hinc ad Seleucum duceret, §950qui eius regnum tutarentur, mihi dum fieret otium
You wait. — Pyrgopolynices: It is a pleasure, what you do, if it proceeds charmingly and according to your wish; for today I sent my parasite to King Seleucus, to lead the mercenaries whom I hired from here to Seleucus, to defend his kingdom, while leisure is made for me.
§951Quin tu tuam rem cura potius quam Seleuci, quae tibi §952condicio nova et lúculenta fertur per me interpretem.
Palaestrio: Why don't you care for your own business rather than Seleucus's, which for you a new and excellent offer is brought through me as intermediary.
§953Immo omnis res posteriores pono atque operam do tibi.
Pyrgopolynices: Nay, I put all other things behind and give my attention to you.
§954loquere: auris meas profecto dedo in dicionem tuam.
Speak: indeed I surrender my ears to your authority.
§955Circumspice dum, ne quis nostro hic auceps sermoni siet.
Palaestrio: Look around then, lest there be any eavesdropper to our conversation here.
§956nam hoc negoti clandestino ut agerem mandatumst mihi.
For I have been commissioned to manage this business secretly.
§957Nemo adest.
Pyrgopolynices: No one is here.
§957bHunc arrabonem amoris primum a me accipe.
Palaestrio: First, receive from me this pledge of love.
§958Quid hic? unde est?
Pyrgopolynices: What is this? Where is it from?
§958bA luculenta átque festiva femina, §959quae te amat tuamque éxpetessit pulcram pulcritudinem; §960eius nunc mi ánulum ad te ancilla porro ut deferrem dedit.
Palaestrio: From an excellent and delightful woman, who loves you and longs for your beautiful beauty; now her maid gave me her ring to deliver further to you.
§961Quid ea? ingenuan an festuca facta e serva liberast?
Pyrgopolynices: What of her? Is she freeborn, or is she a freedwoman made free from a slave by the rod?
§962Vah, egone ut ad te ab libertina esse auderem internuntius, §963qui ingenuis satis résponsare nequeas quae cupiunt tui?
Palaestrio: Oh, would I dare to be a messenger to you from a freedwoman, you who cannot satisfy enough the freeborn women who desire you?
§964_965Nuptan est an vidua?
Pyrgopolynices: Is she married or a widow?
§964_965bEt nupta et vidua.
Palaestrio: Both married and a widow.
§964_965cQuo pacto potis §966nupta et vidua esse eadem?
Pyrgopolynices: How is it possible for the same woman to be married and a widow?
§966bQuia adulescens nuptast cum sene.
Palaestrio: Because she, a young woman, is married to an old man.
§967Euge.
Pyrgopolynices: Excellent.
§967bLepida et liberali formast.
Palaestrio: She is of a charming and noble form.
§967cCave mendacium.
Pyrgopolynices: Beware of a lie.
§968Ad tuam formam illa una dignast.
Palaestrio: She alone is worthy of your beauty.
§968bHercle pulchram praedicas.
Pyrgopolynices: By Hercules, you declare her beautiful.
§969sed quis east?
But who is she?
§969bSenis huius uxor Periplectomeni ex proxumo; §970ea demoritur te atque ab illo cupit abire: odit senem.
Palaestrio: The wife of this old man, Periplectomenus, from next door; she is dying for love of you and desires to depart from him; she hates the old man.
§971nunc te orare atque obsecrare iussit, ut eam copiam §972sibi potestatemque facias.
Now she has ordered me to pray and beseech you, that you grant her this opportunity and power.
§972bCupio hercle equidem, si illa volt.
Pyrgopolynices: By Hercules, indeed I desire it, if she wishes.
§973Quae cupit?
Palaestrio: What, she who desires?
§973bQuid illá faciemus concubina, quae domist?
Pyrgopolynices: What shall we do with that mistress who is at home?
§974Quin tu illam iube abs te abire quo lubet: sicut soror
Palaestrio: Why don't you order her to depart from you wherever she likes?
§975eius huc gémina venit Ephesum et mater, accersuntque eam.
Just as her twin sister and mother have come here to Ephesus, and are summoning her.
§976Eho tu, an venit Ephesum mater eius?
Pyrgopolynices: Oh really? Has her mother come to Ephesus?
§976bAiunt qui sciunt.
Palaestrio: So say those who know.
§977Hercle occasionem lepidam, ut mulierem excludam foras.
Pyrgopolynices: By Hercules, a charming opportunity to shut the woman out of doors.
§978Immo vin tu lepide facere?
Palaestrio: Navy, do you wish to do it charmingly?
§978bLoquere et consilium cedo.
Pyrgopolynices: Speak and give me your counsel.
§979Vin tu illam actutum amovere, a te ut abeat per gratiam?
Palaestrio: Do you wish to remove her immediately, so that she departs from you with good grace?
§980Cupio.
Pyrgopolynices: I desire it.
§980bTum te hoc facere oportet.
Palaestrio: Then you ought to do this.
tibi divitiarum adfatimst: §981iube sibi aurum atque ornamenta, quae illi instruxti mulieri, §982dono habere, auferre abs te quo lubeat sibi.
You have abundance of riches: order her to have as a gift for herself the gold and ornaments which you provided for that woman, and to carry them away from you wherever she pleases.
§983Placet ut dicis; sed ne et istam amittam et haec mutet fidem §984vide modo.
Pyrgopolynices: I agree as you say; but see only that I do not both lose that one and this one break her faith. Only watch out.
§984bVah delicatus esdelicatu's, quae te tamquam oculos amet.
Palaestrio: Oh, you are too particular, since she loves you as her own eyes.
§985Venus me amat.
Pyrgopolynices: Venus loves me.
§985bSt tace, aperitur foris, concede huc clanculum.
Palaestrio: Sh, be quiet, the door is being opened; withdraw here secretly.
§986haec celox illiust, quae hinc egreditur, internuntia, §988quae anulum istunc attulit quem tibi dedi.
This is her "cutter", who is coming out from here, her intermediary, who brought that ring which I gave to you.
§988bEdepol haec quidem §989bellulast.
Pyrgopolynices: By Pollux, she indeed is pretty.

Notes

  1. 932eamque illum deperire — The verb `deperire`, which is originally intransitive ("to perish"), is used here transitively in a colloquial sense meaning "to be desperately in love with," taking `eam` as its direct object. The entire phrase is part of an accusative-and-infinitive construction functioning as indirect discourse dependent on `praedicabo` in §931, with `illum` (referring to the soldier) as the subject accusative.
  2. 936egone hoc si efficiam plane — The verbs in the `si` clauses, `efficiam` and `dolamus` (§938), are in the present subjunctive, representing a future-less-vivid or potential condition. The apodosis features `quid ... muneris`, where `muneris` is a partitive genitive modified by the interrogative/exclamatory pronoun `quid`.
  3. 962egone ut ad te ab libertina esse auderem internuntius — The clause starting with `egone` (the personal pronoun with the enclitic interrogative `-ne`) followed by `ut` and the imperfect subjunctive `auderem` represents a "subjunctive of indignation" or "repudiating subjunctive." It expresses strong rejection or disbelief ("As if I would dare...!" or "How could I possibly dare...!").
  4. 971ut eam copiam sibi potestatemque facias — The `ut` clause is a noun clause (indirect command or subjunctive of petition) dependent on the verbs of beseeching, `orare atque obsecrare` (§971), in the main clause. The phrase `copiam potestatemque facias` (with `facias` in the present subjunctive) is an idiomatic expression meaning "to grant opportunity and power (access)."

Cite this passage

Plautus, Miles Gloriosus §932-989. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi012.humanitext-lat2:932-989

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