§505itaque hic est quod me detinet negotium.
(Dordalus) 'And so, this is the business that detains me.
The Persians have captured Chrysopolis, a city in Arabia, an ancient town full of good things.
That plunder is being gathered so that an auction may be held publicly; that matter keeps me away from home.
I wish assistance and hospitality to be provided to that man who brings the tablets to you.
cura quae is volet, §512nam is mihi honores suae domi habuit maxumos. §513Quíd id ad me aut ad meam rem refert, Persae quid rerum gerant §514aut quid erus tuos?
Take care of what he wants, for he showed me the greatest honors at his own home.' What does it concern me or my interest, what business the Persians are conducting, or what your master is doing?
§514bTace, stultiloque; nescis quid te instet boni §515neque quam tibi Fortuna faculam lucrifera adlucere volt.
(Toxilus) Be silent, you foolish talker; you do not know what good is in store for you, nor what a lucrative torch Fortune wishes to shine upon you.
§516Quae istaec lucrifera est Fortuna?
(Dordalus) What is that lucrative Fortune?
§516bIstas, quae norunt, roga.
(Toxilus) Ask those tablets, which know.
§517ego tantumdem scio quantum tu, nisi quod pellegi prior.
I know just as much as you do, except that I read them through first.
§518sed, ut occepisti, ex tabellis nosce rem.
But, as you began, learn the business from the tablets.
§518bBene me mones.
(Dordalus) You advise me well.
§519fac silentium.
Keep silence.
§519bNunc ad illud venies quod refert tua.
(Toxilus) Now you will come to that which concerns you.
§520Iste quí tabellas adfert adduxit simul §521forma expetenda liberalem virginem, §522furtivam, abductam ex Arabia penitissuma; §523eam te volo accurare ut istic veneat.
(Dordalus) 'The man who brings the tablets has brought along at the same time a freeborn maiden of desirable beauty, a stolen girl, carried off from the deepest part of Arabia; I want you to take care that she is sold there.
And let him buy her at his own risk who shall purchase her: no one will guarantee nor give her by formal transfer (mancipium).
§526probum et numeratum argentum ut accipiat face.
See to it that he receives good and counted money.
§527haec cura, et hospes cura ut curetur.
Take care of these things, and see that the guest is taken care of.
vale. §528Quíd igitur? postquam recitasti quod erat cerae creditum,
Farewell.' (Toxilus) What now, then?
§529iam mihi credis?
After you have read aloud what was entrusted to the wax, do you believe me now?
§529bVbi nunc illest hospes, qui hasce huc attulit?
(Dordalus) Where is that guest now, who brought these things here?
§530Iam hic credo aderit: arcessivit illam a navi.
(Toxilus) I believe he will be here shortly; he went to fetch her from the ship.
quam ob rem ego argentum enumerem foras? §532nisi mancipio accipio, quid eo mi opus est mercimonio?
Why should I pay out money unless I receive her by formal transfer? What use is that merchandise to me?
§533Tacen an non taces? numquam ego te tam esse matulam credidi.
(Toxilus) Will you be quiet or not? I never believed you were such a blockhead.
§534quid metuis?
What do you fear?
§534bMetuo hercle vero.
(Dordalus) By Hercules, I do fear indeed.
sensi ego iam compluriens, §535neque mi haud imperito eveniet, tali ut in luto haeream.
I have felt it already several times, and it will not happen to me, inexperienced as I am, to get stuck in such mud.
§536Nil pericli mihi videtur.
(Toxilus) There seems to be no danger to me.
§536bScio istuc, sed metuo mihi.
(Dordalus) I know that, but I fear for myself.
§537Mea quidem istuc nil refert: tua ego hoc facio gratia, §538ut tibi recte conciliandi primo facerem copiam.
(Toxilus) Indeed, that concerns me not at all; I am doing this for your sake, so that I might first give you the opportunity of making a good bargain.
§539_540Gratiam habeo.
(Dordalus) I am grateful.
sed te de aliis, quam alios de te suaviust §541fieri doctos.
But it is more pleasant that you should be made wise by others, than others by you.
(Toxilus) Lest anyone indeed from deepest Arabia should pursue her.
etiam tu illam destinas?
Do you still intend to buy her?
§543bAequa dicis.
(Toxilus) You speak reasonably.
séd optume eccum ipse advenit §544hospes ille, qui has tabellas attulit.
But look, very opportunely he arrives himself, that guest who brought these tablets.
§544bHicinest?
(Dordalus) Is this the one?
§544cHic est.
(Toxilus) This is he.
§545Haecine illást furtiva virgo?
(Dordalus) Is this that stolen maiden?
(Toxilus) I know just as much as you do, except that indeed, by Pollux, she is of a freeborn appearance, whoever she is.
§547Sat edepol concinnast facie.
(Dordalus) By Pollux, she has a quite handsome face.
§547bVt contemptim carnufex.
(Toxilus, aside) How contemptuously the rogue examines her!
§548taciti contemplemur formam.
Let us contemplate her beauty in silence.
§548bLaudo consilium tuom.
(Dordalus) I praise your plan.
§549Satin Athenae tibi sunt visae fortunatae atque opiparae?
(Sagaristio) Did Athens seem to you sufficiently fortunate and splendid?
§550Vrbis speciem vidi, hominum móres perspexi parum.
(Maiden) I saw the appearance of the city, but I have perceived little of the character of the people.
§551Numquid in principió cessavit verbum docte dicere?
(Toxilus) Did she fail at the very beginning to speak wisely?
§552Hau potui etiam in primo verbo perspiceré sapientiam.
(Dordalus) I could not yet perceive wisdom in her very first word.
§553Quid id quod vidisti? ut munitum muro tibi visum oppidumst?
(Sagaristio) What of that which you saw? How did the town seem to you, well fortified with a wall?
§554Si incolae bene sunt morati, pulchre munitum arbitror.
(Maiden) If the inhabitants are of good character, I think it is beautifully fortified.
§555perfidia et pecúlatus ex urbe et avaritia si exulant, §556quarta invidia, quinta ambitio, sexta óbtrectatio, §557septimum periurium, §557bEuge.
If treachery, embezzlement, and avarice are exiled from the city, fourthly envy, fifthly ambition, sixthly slander, seventhly perjury, (Toxilus) Well done!
§557cOctava indiligentia, §558nona iniuria, decimum, quod pessimum adgressust, scelus: §559haec unde aberunt, ea urbs moenita muro sat erit simplici; §560ubi ea aderúnt, centumplex murus rebus servandis parumst.
(Maiden) eighthly negligence, ninthly injustice, and tenthly crime, which is the worst to perpetrate: where these are absent, that city will be sufficiently fortified by a single wall; where they are present, a hundredfold wall is insufficient for preserving property.
§561Quid ais tu?
(Toxilus) What do you say?
§561bQuid vis?
(Dordalus) What do you want?
(Toxilus) You are among those ten companions; you ought to go into exile from here.
§562bQuid iam?
(Dordalus) Why now?
§562cQuia periurus es.
(Toxilus) Because you are a perjurer.
§563Verba quidem haud indocte fecit.
(Dordalus) Indeed, she spoke not unwisely.
§563bEx tuo, inquam, usust: eme hanc.
(Toxilus) I say it is for your benefit: buy her.
§564Edepol qui cum hanc magis contemplo, magis placet.
(Dordalus) By Pollux, the more I contemplate her, the more she pleases me.
(Toxilus) If you buy her, immortal gods, no other pimp will be wealthier than you.