§244neque tippulae levius pondust, quam fides lenonia.
And the weight of a water-spider is not lighter than a pimp's faith.
§245Dic amabo.
(Sophoclidisca) Tell me, please.
§245bDic amabo.
(Paegnium) Tell me, please.
§245cNolo ames.
(Sophoclidisca) I don't want you to love me.
§245dFacile impetras.
(Paegnium) You obtain that easily.
§246Tecum habeto.
(Sophoclidisca) Keep it to yourself.
§246bEt tu hoc taceto.
(Paegnium) And you keep quiet about this.
§246cTacitum erit.
(Sophoclidisca) It shall be kept silent.
§246dCelabitur.
(Paegnium) It shall be concealed.
§247Toxilo has fero tabellas tuo ero.
(Sophoclidisca) I am carrying these tablets to Toxilus, your master.
§247bAbi, eccillum domi.
(Paegnium) Go, look, there he is at home.
§248at ego hánc ad Lemniselenem tuam eram opsignatam abietem.
(Paegnium) But I am carrying this sealed fir-tablet to Lemniselene, your mistress.
§249Quid istic scriptum?
(Sophoclidisca) What is written there?
(Paegnium) Just like you, if you don't know, I don't know; except perhaps sweet words.
§250bÁbeo.
(Sophoclidisca) I am leaving.
§250cEt ego ábiero. —
(Paegnium) And I shall have gone.
§250dAmbula. —
(Sophoclidisca) Walk on.
§251Ióvi opulento, íncluto, §252Ope gnáto, suprémo, validó, viripoténti, §253opés, spes bonás, copiás commodánti §254lubens vítulorque merito, §255quiá meo amico amíciter hanc cómmoditatis cópiam §256danúnt, argenti mutui ut éi egenti opem adferam; §257quód ego non magis sómniabam neque opinabar neque censebam, §258eam fore mihi occasionem, ea nunc quasi decidit de caelo; §259nam erus meus me Eretriam misit, domitos boves ut sibi mercarer, §260dedit argentum, nam ibi mercatum dixit esse die septumi: §261stultus, qui hoc mihi daret argentum, cuius ingenium noverat.
(Sagaristio) To wealthy, famous Jupiter, born of Ops, supreme, strong, powerful over men, who grants wealth, good hopes, and abundance, I gladly offer thanksgiving, as is well deserved, because they friendly give to my friend this abundance of convenience, so that I may bring help of borrowed money to him in his need; which I was no more dreaming of, nor expecting, nor thinking, that such an opportunity would be mine, which now has as it were fallen from heaven; for my master sent me to Eretria, to buy trained oxen for him, and gave me money, for he said there was a market there on the seventh day; fool, to give this money to me, whose character he knew.
§262nam hoc argentum álibi abutar: boves, quos emerem, non erant; §263nunc et amico prosperabo et genio meo multá bona faciam, §264diu quo bene erit, die úno absolvam: tux tax tergo erit meo.
for I will misapply this money elsewhere: the oxen which I was to buy were not there; now I will both benefit my friend and do many good things for my own genius, what would have been good for a long time, I will finish in a single day: there will be "tux tax" on my back.
non curo.
I don't care.
§265nunc amico homini boves dómitos mea ex crumina largiar.
now I will bestow trained oxen on a friendly man from my own purse.
§266nam id demum lepidumst, triparcos homines, vetulos, avidos, aridos §267béne admordere, qui salinum servo obsignant cum sale.
for that indeed is charming, to bite well those triple-stingy men, old, greedy, dry, who seal up the salt-cellar with the salt from a slave.
§268virtús, ubi occásio admonet, dispicere.
It is virtue, when opportunity prompts, to discern.
quid faciet mihi?
What will he do to me?
§269verberibus caedi iusserit, compédes impingi? vapulet,
Will he order me to be beaten with lashes, or shackles to be struck on?
§270ne sibi me credat supplicem fore: vae illi, nil iam mihi novi §271offérre potest, quin sím peritus.
Let him be beaten, lest he believe that I will be a suppliant to him: woe to him, he can bring nothing new to me, but that I am experienced in it.
sed Toxili §271apúerum Paegnium eccum.
But look, Toxilus's boy Paegnium.
§272Pensúm meum, quod datumst, cónfeci.
(Paegnium) I have finished my task which was given to me.
nunc dómum propero.
Now I am hurrying home.
§272bMane, etsí properas.
(Sagaristio) Wait, even if you are in a hurry.
§273Paégnium, ausculta.
Paegnium, listen.
§273bEmere oportet, quem tibi oboediré velis.
(Paegnium) You ought to buy one whom you wish to obey you.
§273cAsta.
(Sagaristio) Stop.
(Paegnium) You would cause trouble, as I think, if I owed you anything, who are nevertheless so troublesome now.
§275bScelerate, etiam respicis?
(Sagaristio) You rascal, are you even looking back?
§276Scio ego quid sim aetatis, eo istuc maledictum impune auferes.
(Paegnium) I know what my age is, therefore you shall carry off that insult with impunity.
§277Vbi Tóxilus est tuus érus?
(Sagaristio) Where is Toxilus, your master?
§277bVbi illí libet, néque te consulit.
(Paegnium) Wherever he pleases, and he doesn't consult you.
(Sagaristio) Are you still going to tell where he is, you sorcerer?
§279Néscio, inquam, ulmítriba tu.
(Paegnium) I don't know, I say, you elm-threshed rascal.
§280Male dícis maiorí.
(Sagaristio) You speak ill to an elder.
§280bPrior proméritus perpetiáre.
(Paegnium) Having deserved it first, you should endure it.
§280aservam operam, linguam liberam erus iussit med habere.
My master ordered me to have a slave's labor, but a free tongue.
§281Dicisne mi, ubi sit Toxilus?
(Sagaristio) Do you tell me where Toxilus is?
§281bDico ut perpetuo pereas.
(Paegnium) I tell you to go and be hanged forever.
§282Caedere hodie tu restibus.
(Sagaristio) You shall be beaten with ropes today.
§282bTua quidem, cucule, causa!
(Paegnium) For your sake indeed, you cuckoo!
§283non hercle, si os perciderim tibi, metuam, morticine.
By Hercules, I would not fear if I smashed your face, you corpse.
§284Video ego te: iam incubitatus es.
(Paegnium) I see you: you have already been layed upon.
§284bIta sum.
(Sagaristio) I am.
quid id ad te?
What does that matter to you?
§285at non sum, ita ut tu, gratiis.
(Paegnium) But I am not, as you are, for free.
§285bConfidens.
(Sagaristio) Bold rascal.
§285cSum hercle vero.
(Paegnium) By Hercules, I certainly am.
§286nam ego me confido liberum fore, tu te numquam speras.
For I trust that I will be free, while you never hope so for yourself.
§287Potin ut molestus ne sies?
(Sagaristio) Can you not be troublesome?
§287bQuod dicis facere non quis.
(Paegnium) What you say, you cannot do yourself.
§288Abi in malam rem.
(Sagaristio) Go to hell.
§288bAt tu domum: nam ibi tibi parata praestost.
(Paegnium) But you go home: for there it is ready and waiting for you.
§289Vadatur hic me.
(Sagaristio) He is binding me to bail.
§289bVtinam vades desint, in carcere ut sis.
(Paegnium) I wish there were no bailsmen, so that you would be in prison.
§290Quid hoc?
(Sagaristio) What is this?
§290bQuid est?
(Paegnium) What is it?
§290cEtiam, scelus, male loquere?
(Sagaristio) Still, you rascal, do you speak ill?
(Paegnium) Finally, that it may be allowed, since you are a slave, for a slave to speak ill to you.
§291bItane? specta
(Sagaristio) Is it so?
§292quid dedero.
Watch what I will give you.
§292bNil, nam nil habes.
(Paegnium) Nothing, for you have nothing.
(Sagaristio) May all the gods and goddesses destroy me— (Paegnium) I am a friend, I wish that what you opt for should happen to you.
(Sagaristio) And let that happen, unless today, if I catch you, I drive you into the ground with fists.
§295Tun me defigas? te cruci ipsum adfigent propediem alii.
(Paegnium) You drive me down? Others will drive you yourself to the cross very soon.
(Sagaristio) May the gods and goddesses destroy you—you know what I was going to say further from here, if I were not able to control my tongue.
potin abeas?
Can you go away?
§297bAbigis facile.
(Paegnium) You drive me away easily.
§298nam umbra mea iam intus vapulat. —
For my shadow is already being beaten inside.
§298bVt istúnc di deaeque perdant.
(Sagaristio) May the gods and goddesses destroy that fellow.
§299tamquam proserpens bestiast bilinguis et scelestus.
He is like a creeping beast, double-tongued and wicked.
§300hercle illum abiisse gaudeo.
By Hercules, I am glad he has gone.
foris aperit, eccere autem §301quem convenire maxime cupiebam egreditur intus.
The door opens, but look, the very person I most desired to meet is coming out from within.