Humanitext Reader

Plautus · Mostellaria §388-457

Tranio's Scheme and the Arrival of Theopropides

Passage 7 of 18 · Latin

Summary

Tranio orders Philolaches and the others to retreat inside and devises a plan to keep the returning father, Theopropides, away. When the father arrives and starts knocking on the door, Tranio dramatically confronts him, warning him for having touched the house.

§388Nullus sum.
(Philo.) I am undone.
§388bTaceas: ego qui istaec sedem meditabor tibi.
(Tran.) Be quiet: I am the one who will devise a plan to soothe that fear for you.
§389satin habes, si ego advenientem íta patrem faciam tuom, §390non modo ne intro eat, verum etiam ut fugiat longe ab aedibus?
Is it enough for you, if I make your arriving father, not only not go inside, but even flee far from the house?
§391vos modo hinc abite intro atque haec hinc propere amolimini.
You only depart from here inside and clear these things away from here quickly.
§392Vbi ego ero?
(Philo.) Where will I be?
§392bVbi maxime esse vis: cum hác, cum istac eris.
(Tran.) Where you most want to be: you will be with this girl, with that girl.
§393Quid si igitur abeamus hinc nos?
(Phil.) What if we then depart from here?
§393bNon hoc longe, Delphium.
(Tran.) Not far from here, Delphium.
§394nam intus potate hau tantillo hác quidem causa minus.
For drink inside, not a bit less on this account indeed.
§395Ei mihi, quam ístaec blanda dicta quo evenant madeo metu.
(Phil.) Ah me, how I sweat with fear as to where those smooth words of yours will end.
§396Potin animó ut sis quieto et facias quod iubeo?
(Tran.) Can you be of quiet mind and do what I order?
§396bPotest.
(Philo.) It is possible.
§397Omnium primum, Philematium, intro abi, et tu, Delphium.
(Tran.) First of all, Philematium, go inside, and you, Delphium.
§398Morigerae tibi erimus ambae.
(Del.) We will both be obedient to you.
§398bIta ille faxit Iuppiter.
(Tran.) May great Jupiter bring that to pass.
§399animum advorte nunciam tu quae volo accurarier.
Now pay attention, you, to what I want to be cared for.
§400omnium primumdum aédes iam face occlusae sient; §401intus cave muttire quemquam siveris.
First of all, see to it that the house is now shut up; take care not to allow anyone to mutter inside.
§401bCurabitur.
(Philo.) It will be cared for.
§402Tamquam si intus natus nemo in aedibus habitet.
(Tran.) Just as if not a single soul born lived inside the house.
§402bLicet.
(Philo.) Very well.
§403Neu quisquam responset, quando hasce aedis pultabit senex.
(Tran.) And let no one answer when the old man knocks on this house.
§404Numquid aliud?
(Philo.) Anything else?
§404bClavem mi harunc aedium Laconicam §405iam iube efferri intus: hasce ego aedis occludam hinc foris.
(Tran.) Order the Laconian key of this house to be brought out from inside now: I will lock this house from the outside.
§406In tuam cústodelam meque et meas spes trado, Tranio. —
(Philo.) Into your guardianship I hand over both myself and my hopes, Tranio.
§407Pluma haud interest, patronus an cliens probior siet.
(Tran.) There is not a feather's difference whether a patron or a client is more honest.
§409Homini, cui nulla in pectore est audacia, §411quamvis desubito facile est facere nequiter: §412verum id videndum est, id viri docti est opus, §413quae designata sint et facta nequiter, §414tranquille cuncta et ut proveniant sine malo, §415ne quid potiatur, quam ob rem pigeat vivere.
For a man who has no boldness in his chest, it is easy to do mischief suddenly; but this must be seen to, this is the work of a clever man, that what has been planned and done badly, all may turn out quietly and without harm, lest he suffer anything that makes him regret living.
§416sicut ego efficiam, quae facta hic turbavimus, §417profecto ut liqueant omnia et tranquilla sint §418neque quicquam nobis pariant ex se incommodi.
Just as I will make sure that what we have disturbed here, all indeed turns out clear and quiet, nor brings any trouble to us from itself.
§419sed quid tu egredere, Sphaerio?
But why are you coming out, Sphaerio?
§419bIamiam
(Sphae.) Right now.
§419cOptime. §420praeceptis paruisti.
(Tran.) Excellent.
§420bIussit maximo §421opere orare, ut patrem aliquo absterreres modo, §422ne intro iret ad se.
(Sphae.) He ordered me to beg you earnestly to scare off his father in some way, lest he go inside to him.
§422bQuin etiam illi hoc dicito, §423facturum me, ut ne etiam aspicere aedis audeat, §424capite obvoluto ut fugiat cum summo metu.
(Tran.) Indeed, tell him this too, that I will make it so that he won't even dare to look at the house, but will flee with his head covered in supreme fear.
§425clavem cedo atque abi intro atque occlude ostium, §426et ego hinc occludam. —iube venire nunciam.
Give me the key and go inside and shut the door, and I will lock it from here.—Tell him to come now.
§427ludos ego hodie vivo praesenti hic seni §428faciam, quod credo mortuo numquam fore.
I will make sport today of this old man while he is alive and present, which I believe will never happen to him when dead.
§429concedam a foribus huc, hinc speculabor procul, §430unde advenienti sarcinam imponam seni.
I will withdraw from the door to here, from here I will watch from afar, whence I can lay the burden of lies upon the arriving old man.
§431Habeo, Neptune, gratiam magnam tibi, §432quom med amisisti abs te vix vivom domum.
(Theo.) I return great thanks to you, Neptune, since you let me go from you back home scarcely alive.
§433verum si posthac me pedem latum modo §434scies ímposisse in undam, hau causast, ilico §435quod nunc voluisti facere quin facias mihi.
But if hereafter you know that I have set even a foot's breadth upon the wave, there is no reason why you shouldn't immediately do to me what you just now wanted to do.
§436apage, apage te a me nunciam post hunc diem: §437quod crediturus tibi fui, omne credidi.
Away, away with you from me now after this day: whatever I was going to trust you with, I have trusted.
§438Edepol, Neptune, peccavisti largiter, §439qui occasionem hanc amisisti tam bonam.
(Tran.) By Pollux, Neptune, you made a big mistake, who let slip such a good opportunity.
§440Triennio post Aegypto advenio domum; §441credo exspectatus veniam familiaribus.
(Theo.) After three years I arrive home from Egypt; I believe I will come expected and welcome to my family.
§442Nimio edepol ille potuit exspectatior §443venire, qui te nuntiaret mortuom.
(Tran.) By Pollux, he could have come much more welcome, who would announce that you were dead.
§444Sed quid hoc? occlusa ianua est interdius.
(Theo.) But what is this? The door is shut during the day.
§445pultabo.
I'll knock.
heus, ecquis intust? aperitin fores?
Hey, is anyone inside? Are you opening the doors?
§446Quis homo est, qui nostras aedes accessit prope?
(Tran.) Who is this man who has approached near our house?
§447Meus sérvos hic quidem est Tranio.
(Theo.) Indeed, this is my slave Tranio.
§447bO Theopropides, §448ere, salve, salvom te advenisse gaudeo.
(Tran.) O Theopropides, master, hail! I am glad that you have arrived safe.
§449usquin valuisti?
Have you been well all along?
§449bVsque ut vides.
(Theo.) All along, as you see.
§449cFactum optime.
(Tran.) That's excellent.
§450Quid vos? insanin estis?
(Theo.) What about you? Are you crazy?
§450bQuidum?
(Tran.) How so?
§450cSic, quia §451foris ámbulatis, natus nemo in aedibus §452servat, neque qui recludat neque † quis respondeat.
(Theo.) Like this, because you are walking outside, and not a single soul born guards inside the house, nor is there anyone to open nor anyone to answer.
§453pultando paene confregi hasce ambas foris.
I almost broke both of these doors down by knocking.
§454_455Eho an tú tetigisti has aedis?
(Tran.) What? Did you touch this house?
§454_455bCur non tangerem?
(Theo.) Why shouldn't I touch it?
§456quin pultando, inquam, paene confregi foris.
Indeed, by knocking, I say, I almost broke down the doors.
§457Tetigistin?
(Tran.) Did you touch it?

Notes

  1. 398bfaxit — An archaic subjunctive (historically a sigmatic aorist optative), equivalent to classical "fecerit" or "faciat", expressing a wish ("May Jupiter bring that to pass").
  2. 412viri docti est opus — A genitive of characteristic ("viri docti") used with "est" and the noun "opus", meaning "it is the task/work of a clever man."
  3. 434hau causast... quin facias — The "non causa est quin..." construction (there is no reason/excuse why ... should not), introducing a subjunctive clause with "quin" after a negative expression. It means "there is no reason why you shouldn't immediately do to me what you just now wanted to do."

Cite this passage

Plautus, Mostellaria §388-457. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi013.humanitext-lat2:388-457

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.