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Plautus · Poenulus §1187-1237

Hanno's Prayer and the Mock Summons of His Daughters

Passage 19 of 22 · Latin

Summary

Hanno prays to Jupiter for his lost daughters' freedom and approaches them. Agorastocles praises their virtue and, along with Hanno, stages a scene to mock-summon them to court in order to claim them.

§1187Iuppíter, qui genus colis álisque hominum, per quém vivimus vitálem aevom, §1188quem pénes spes vitae súnt hominum omniúm, da diem hunc sospítem quaeso, §1189† rebus meis agundis, ut quíbus annos multós carui quasque é patria §1190perdidi parvas † redde is libertatem, invictae praemium ut esse sciam pietati.
Jupiter, who cherish and nourish the race of men, through whom we live a life-giving age, in whose hands are the hopes of life of all men, grant this day to be safe, I pray, for the conducting of my affairs, so that those whom I have been without for many years, and whom I lost small from my homeland, restore to them their freedom, so that I may know it to be a reward for unconquered piety.
§1191Omnía faciet Iuppíter faxo, nam mi ést obnoxius ét me metuít.
Jupiter will do everything, I'll see to it, for he is obliged to me and fears me.
§1191bTace quaeso.
Be quiet, please.
§1191aNe lácruma, patrue.
Do not weep, uncle.
§1192Vt vólup est homini, méa soror, si quód agit cluet victória; §1193sicút nos hodie intér alias praestítimus pulchritúdine.
How delightful it is for a person, my sister, if what they do is celebrated as a victory; just as we today stood out in beauty among the others.
§1194Stultá, soror, magis es quám volo.
You are more foolish, sister, than I wish.
an tu éo pulchra videre, óbsecro, §1195si tíbi illi non os óblitumst fulígine?
Do you think, please, you look beautiful because of that, if your face was not smeared with soot there?
§1195bO pátrue, o patrue mí.
Oh uncle, oh my uncle!
§1195cQuid est, §1196fratris mei gnate, gnate, quid vis? expedi.
What is it, son of my brother, son, what do you want? Explain.
§1196bAt enim hóc volo agas.
But indeed I want you to attend to this.
§1196cAt enim ágo istuc.
But indeed I am attending to that.
§1197O pátrue mi patruíssime.
Oh my uncle, most uncle-like of uncles.
§1197bQuid est?
What is it?
§1197cÉst lepida et lauta.
She is charming and elegant.
út sapit.
How wise she is!
§1198Ingénium patris habet quód sapit.
She has her father's character, which is why she is wise.
§1199Quae rés? iam diu édepol sápientiám tuam haéc quidem abusast.
What's that? By Pollux, this girl has already long ago used up your wisdom.
§1200nunc hínc sapit, hinc sentít, quidquid sapit, éx meo amore.
Now she is wise from here, she feels from here, whatever she is wise, from my love.
§1201Nón eo genere súmus prognatae, tam étsi sumus servaé, soror, §1202ut deceat nos facere quicquam quod homo quisquam inrideat.
We are not born of such a class, even though we are slaves, sister, that it is fitting for us to do anything that anyone might mock.
§1203multa mulierum sunt vitia, sed hoc e multis maxumumst, §1204quom sibi nimis placent minusque áddunt operam, uti placeant viris.
Many are the faults of women, but this is the greatest of many, when they please themselves too much and pay too little attention to pleasing men.
§1205Nimiae voluptatist quod in extis nostris portentumst, soror, §1206quodque haruspéx de ambabus dixit.
It is a matter of greatest pleasure what was portended in our entrails, sister, and what the soothsayer said about both of us.
§1206bVelim de me aliquid dixerit.
I wish he had said something about me.
§1207Nos fore invíto domino nostro diebus paucis liberas.
That we would be free in a few days, against the will of our master.
§1208id ego nisi quid di aut parentes faxint, qui sperem hau scio.
As for that, unless the gods or our parents do something, I do not know how to hope for it.
§1209Mea fiducia hercle haruspex, patrue, his promisit, scio, §1210libertatem, quia me amare hanc scit.
By Hercules, on my credit, uncle, the soothsayer promised them freedom, I know, freedom, because he knows that I love her.
§1210bSoror, sequere hac.
Sister, follow this way.
§1210cSequor.
I follow.
§1211Prius quam abitis, vos volo ambas.
Before you go, I want you both.
nisi piget, consistite.
If it is not troublesome, stop.
§1212Quis revocat?
Who calls us back?
§1212bQui bene volt vobis facere.
He who wishes to do well to you.
§1212cFacere occasiost.
There is an opportunity to do so.
§1213sed quis homost?
But who is the man?
§1213bAmicus vobis.
A friend to you.
§1213cQui quidem inimicus non siet.
Provided that he is not an enemy.
§1214Bonus est hic homo, mea voluptas.
This is a good man, my delight.
§1214bPol istum malim quam malum.
By Pollux, I would rather have him than a bad one.
§1215Siquidem amicitiast habenda, cum hoc habendast.
If indeed friendship is to be held, it must be held with him.
§1215bHau precor.
I do not refuse.
§1216Multa bona volt vobis facere.
He wishes to do many good things for you.
§1216bBonus bonis bene feceris.
A good man, may you do well to good women.
§1219Patrue mi, ita me di amabunt, ut ego, si sim Iuppiter, §1220iam hercle ego illam uxorem ducam et Iunonem extrudam foras.
My uncle, so may the gods love me, as I, if I were Jupiter, would indeed, by Hercules, marry her now and turn Juno out of doors.
§1221ut pudice verba fecit, cogitate et commode, §1222ut modeste orationem praebuit.
How chastely she spoke, thoughtfully and appropriately, how modestly she delivered her speech.
§1222bCerto haec meast.
Certainly she is mine.
§1223sed ut astú sum adgressus ad eas.
But how craftily I have approached them.
§1223bLepide hercle atque commode.
Charmingly, by Hercules, and appropriately.
§1224Pergo etiam temptare?
Shall I go on trying them?
§1224bIn pauca confer: sitiunt qui sedent.
Bring it to a few words: those who are sitting are thirsty.
§1225Quid istic? quod faciundumst cur non agimus? in ius vos voco.
What of it? Why do we not do what is to be done? I summon you to court.
§1226Nunc, pátrue, tu frugí bonae es.
Now, uncle, you are of good worth.
tené.
Hold them.
vin ego hanc adpréndam?
Do you want me to seize her?
§1227An patruos est, Agorastocles, tuos hic?
Is this your uncle, Agorastocles?
§1227bIam faxo scibis.
Soon I will see that you know.
§1228nunc pol ego te ulciscar probe, nam faxo—mea eris sponsa.
Now, by Pollux, I shall avenge myself on you properly, for I shall see to it—you will be my betrothed.
§1229Ite in ius, ne moramini.
Go to court, do not delay.
antestare me atque duce.
Call me as witness and lead them.
§1230Ego te antestabor, postea hanc amabo atque amplexabor.
I shall call you as witness, and afterwards I shall love and embrace her.
§1231sed illúd quidem volui dícere—immo hercle díxi quod volebam.
But indeed I wanted to say that—nay, by Hercules, I have said what I wanted.
§1232Moramini.
You delay.
in ius vos voco, nisi honestiust prehendi.
I summon you to court, unless it is more honorable to be seized.
§1233Quid in iús vocas nos? quid tibi debemus?
Why do you summon us to court? What do we owe you?
§1233bDicet illi.
He will tell her.
§1234Etiam me meae latrant canes?
Do even my dogs bark at me?
§1234bAt tu hercle adludiato: §1235dato mihi pro offa savium, pro ósse linguam obicito.
But indeed, by Hercules, play along with them: give me a kiss instead of a piece of bread, offer your tongue instead of a bone.
§1236ita hanc canem faciam tibi oleo tranquilliorem.
Thus I will make this dog gentler than oil for you.
§1237Ite si ítis.
Go, if you are going.

Notes

  1. §1189rebus meis agundis, ut quibus... — This passage contains obeli indicating textual corruption. The conjunction ut does not govern a subjunctive verb as expected, but leads directly to the imperative redde ('restore'). This suggests either a colloquial leap due to emotional urgency or a loss of text in the manuscript tradition.
  2. §1191faxo — faxo is an archaic, colloquial future perfect form of facere (equivalent to fecero). It functions here as a parenthetical idiom meaning 'I will see to it' or 'I guarantee.'
  3. §1192cluet victoria — cluet is the third person singular present of clueo ('to be named, spoken of'). The phrase cluet victoria means 'is celebrated as a victory' or 'is rumored to be successful.' volup is an archaic apocopated form of the adverb volupe, functioning here impersonally to mean 'delightful.'
  4. §1215bHau precor — precor here means not merely 'to pray' but 'to pray against, deprecate, or object to.' Combined with the negative particle hau, it forms a litotes meaning 'I do not pray against it' or 'I have no objection / I welcome it.'
  5. §1224bsitiunt qui sedent — qui sedent ('those who are sitting') refers directly to the theater audience. Agorastocles' remark that they are getting thirsty is a metatheatrical joke characteristic of Plautine comedy, breaking the dramatic illusion to urge Hanno to wrap up the scene quickly.
  6. §1229antestare — antestare is the singular imperative of the deponent verb antestari ('to call as witness'). In Roman legal procedures for summons (in ius vocatio), the summoner would touch the earlobe of a bystander to formally secure them as a witness before dragging the defendant to court. Here Hanno instructs Agorastocles to act as this witness.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Poenulus §1187-1237. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi015.humanitext-lat2:1187-1237

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