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Plautus · Mostellaria §672-744_745

Tranio Delays the Inspection and Approaches Simo

Passage 11 of 18 · Latin

Summary

Theopropides wishes to inspect the newly bought house, but Tranio delays him by mentioning the women inside, and then approaches the owner Simo who just exited his house, starting to reveal his master's sudden return.

§672si redditurus non es, non emit bona.
If you are not going to return the money, then he did not buy it in good faith.
§673non in loco emit perbono?
Didn't he buy it in a very good location?
§673bImmo in optumo.
Nay, in the very best.
§674cupio hercle inspicere hasce aedis.
By Hercules, I desire to inspect this house.
pultadum fores §675atque evoca aliquem íntus ad te, Tranio.
Knock on the door, and call someone out to you from within, Tranio.
§676Ecce autem perii.
Look, indeed I am ruined.
nunc quid dicam nescio.
Now I do not know what to say.
§677iterum iam ad unum saxum me fluctus ferunt.
The waves are carrying me again to the same single rock.
§678quid nunc? non hercle quid nunc faciam reperio: §679manufesto teneor.
What now? By Hercules, I do not find what I should do now: I am caught red-handed.
§679bEvocadum aliquem ocius, §680roga círcumducat.
Call someone out rather quickly, ask him to lead us around.
§680bHeus tu, at hic sunt mulieres: §681videndumst primum, utrum eae velintne an non velint.
Hey you, but there are women here: we must see first whether they are willing or not willing.
§682Bonum aequomque oras.
You ask what is right and fair.
i, percontare et roga.
Go, inquire and ask.
§683ego hic tantisper, dum exis, te opperiar foris.
I will wait for you here outside for a while, until you come out.
§684Di te deaeque ómnes funditus perdant, senex, §685itá mea consilia undique oppugnas male.
May all the gods and goddesses utterly destroy you, old man, so badly do you attack my plans on all sides.
§686euge, optume eccum aédium dominus foras §687Simo progreditur intus.
Excellent! Look, the owner of the house, Simo, is coming out from within.
huc concessero, §688dum mihi senatum consili in cor convoco.
I will withdraw here, while I call a senate of counsel in my heart.
§689igitur tum accedam hunc, quando quid agam invenero.
Then indeed I will approach him, when I have found what I should do.
§690Mélius anno hóc mihi nón fuit domi, §691néc quod una ésca me iúverit magis.
I haven't had it better at home this year, nor did any single meal please me more.
§692prándium uxór mihi pérbonum dedit, §693núnc dormitúm iubet me íre: minime.
My wife gave me an excellent lunch, now she tells me to go to sleep: by no means.
§694nón mihi fórte visum ílico fuit, §695mélius quom prándium quám solet dedit: §696vóluit in cúbiculum abdúcere me anus.
Indeed it didn't seem to me accidental right then, when she gave a better lunch than she is accustomed to: the old woman wanted to draw me away into the bedroom.
§697nón bonust sómnus de prándio.
Sleep after lunch is not good.
apage.
Go away!
§698clánculum ex aédibus me édidi foras.
Secretly I have come out of the house.
§699tóta turgét mihi uxór, scio, domi.
My wife is swelling with anger at home, I know.
§700Rés parata ést mala in vésperum huic seni.
Bad business is prepared for this old man for the evening.
§701nam ét cenandum ét cubandúmst ei male.
For both dining and sleeping will be bad for him.
§702Quóm magis cógito cúm meo animo: §703sí quis dotátam uxorem átque anum habet, §704néminem sóllicitat sópor: ibi omnibus §705íre dormítum odio est véluti nunc mihi
The more I ponder in my mind: if anyone has a well-dowried and old wife, no sleep solicits anyone: there, to everyone, going to sleep is hateful, just as it is to me now.
§706éxsequi cérta res ést, ut abeam §707pótius hinc ád forum quám domi cubem.
It is a settled thing to carry out, that I go away rather from here to the forum than sleep at home.
§708átque pol néscio, ut móribus sient §709vóstrae: haec sát scio quám me habeat male.
And indeed by Pollux I do not know how your wives are in manners: yours: this one, I know well enough how badly she treats me.
§710péius posthác fore quám fuit mihi.
It will be worse hereafter than it has been for me.
§711Ábitus tuos tíbi, senex, fécerit male: §712níhil erit, quód deorum úllum accusites; §713te ípse iure óptimo mérito incusés licet.
Your going out will have done you harm, old man: there will be nothing for which you should accuse any of the gods; you may blame yourself with the best right and merit.
§714témpus nunc ést senem hunc ádloqui mihi.
Now is the time for me to speak to this old man.
§715hóc habet.
He's got it.
répperi quí senem dúcerem, §716quó dolo a mé dolorém procul péllerem.
I've found how I might lead the old man on, by which trick I might drive pain far away from me.
§717áccedam.
I will approach.
dí te ament plúrimum, Simo.
May the gods love you very much, Simo.
§718Sálvos sis, Tránio.
Greetings, Tranio.
§718bÚt vales?
How are you?
§718cNón male.
Not badly.
§719quíd agis?
What are you doing?
§719bHominem óptumum téneo.
I am holding a most excellent man.
§719cAmicé facis, §720quóm me laudás.
You act friendlily, since you praise me.
§720bDecet.
It is fitting.
§720cCérte.
Certainly.
quin mutuomst: §721hércle ted haú bonum téneo servóm manu.
Indeed, it is mutual: by Hercules, I hold you as a not-at-all good slave by the hand.
§722quíd nunc? quam móx?
What now? How soon?
§722bQuid est?
What is it?
§722cQuód solet fíeri hic §723íntus.
What is accustomed to happen here within.
§723bQuid id est?
What is that?
§723cScis iam quíd loquar.
You know already what I am talking about.
síc decet.
It is fitting.
§724morem geras.
You should indulge yourself.
§725víta quam sít brevis, simul cógita.
At the same time, ponder how short life is.
§726quid ehem, §727víx tandem percépi super his rébus nostris té loqui.
What—ah, I have only just perceived that you are speaking about these affairs of ours.
§728músice hercle ágitis aetátem, ita ut vós decet, §729_730vino et victu probo, piscatu electili §731vitam colitis. †
By Hercules, you spend your life musically, just as it becomes you, with fine wine and food, and choice fish, you cultivate life.
§731bImmo vita antehac erat: §732nunc nobis omnia haec exciderunt simul.
Nay, that was life before this: now all these things have fallen away from us at once.
§733Quidum?
How so?
§733bIta óppido occidimus omnes, Simo.
We are so utterly ruined, Simo.
§734Non taces? prospere vobis cuncta usque adhuc §735processerunt.
Won't you hold your tongue? Everything up to this point has gone successfully for you.
§735bIta ut dicis facta hau nego.
I do not deny that it has been as you say.
§736nos profecto probe ut voluimus viximus.
Indeed we lived finely, just as we wished.
§737séd, Simo, ita nunc ventus navem nostram deseruit.
But Simo, the wind has now so deserted our ship.
§737bQuid est?
What is it?
§738quó modo?
In what way?
§738bPéssimo.
In the worst way.
§738cQuaéne subdúcta erat §739túto in terra?
The one which had been drawn up safely on land?
§739bEí.
Alas!
§739cQuid est?
What is it?
§739dMé miserum, occidi.
Wretched me, I am ruined!
§740Quí?
Why?
§740bQuia venit navis, nostrae navi quae frangat † ratem.
Because a ship has come which will shatter the raft of our ship.
§741Vellem út tu velles, Tranio.
I could wish it were as you wish, Tranio.
sed quid est negoti?
But what is the matter?
§741bEloquar.
I will speak out.
§742erus péregre venit.
My master has come from abroad.
§742bTunc tibi portenditur, §743inde férriterium, postea crux.
Then for you it is portended, next the iron-room, afterwards the cross.
§743bPer tua te genua obsecro, §744_745ne indícium ero facias meo.
By your knees I beseech you, not to reveal anything to my master.

Notes

  1. 672bona — An elliptical expression referring back to `bona fide` in the previous line. It forms Tranio's wordplay where the reality or 'good faith' of the purchase depends on whether the money is returned.
  2. 674pultadum — The imperative form `pulta` combined with the enclitic suffix `-dum`, common in colloquial language to slightly soften or emphasize an exhortation or command.
  3. 690Mélius anno hóc mihi nón fuit domi — The neuter comparative adverb `melius` is used with the impersonal expression `fuit mihi`, literally meaning 'it has not been better for me at home this year', indicating a subjective peak of satisfaction.
  4. 713te ípse iure óptimo mérito incusés licet — The impersonal verb `licet` combined directly with the subjunctive `incuses` (without `ut`), expressing permission or concession: 'it is permitted that you accuse yourself' or 'you may well blame yourself'.
  5. 715hóc habet — A colloquial idiom meaning 'he's hit' or 'I've got him', originally derived from the gladiatorial arena where spectators shouted when a combatant received a decisive blow.
  6. 721hércle ted haú bonum téneo servóm manu — `teneo manu` (literally 'I hold by the hand') means to possess or keep as a slave. `hau bonum` modifies the accusative object `ted... servom` ('you, a not-at-all good slave').

Cite this passage

Plautus, Mostellaria §672-744_745. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi013.humanitext-lat2:672-744_745

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