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Plautus · Poenulus §290-342

Adelphasium on Virtue and Agorastocles Approaching

Passage 5 of 22 · Latin

Summary

Agorastocles and Milphio banter with wordplay about love and mud, after which the sisters Adelphasium and Anterastilis appear and discuss the value of character over gold. As they walk to the temple of Venus, Agorastocles attempts to converse with Adelphasium.

§290nam illa mulier lapidem silicem subigere, ut se amet, potest.
(Agorastocles) For that woman can even subdue a hard flint stone to make it love her.
§291Pol id quidem hau mentire, nam tu es lapide silice stultior, §292qui hanc ames.
(Milphio) By Pollux, you are not lying indeed; for you are stupider than a flint stone, since you love her.
§292bAt vide sis, cum illac numquam limavi caput.
(Agorastocles) But look, please, I have never rubbed heads with her.
§293Curram igitur aliquo ad piscinam aut ad lacum, limum petam.
(Milphio) I will run, then, somewhere to a pool or a lake, and fetch some mud.
§294Quid eo opust?
(Agorastocles) What is the need of that?
§294bEgo dicam: ut illi ét tibi limem caput.
(Milphio) I will tell you: so that I may rub the head of both her and you.
§295I in malam rem.
(Agorastocles) Go to the gallows.
§295bIbi sum équidem.
(Milphio) I am already there indeed.
§295cPerdis.
(Agorastocles) You are ruining everything.
§295dTaceo.
(Milphio) I am silent.
§295eAt perpetuo volo.
(Agorastocles) But I want you to be so forever.
§296Enim vero, ere, meo me lacessis ludo et delicias facis.
(Milphio) Indeed, master, you are provoking me with my own game and being playful.
§297Satis nunc lepide ornatam credo, soror, te tibi viderier; §298sed ubi exempla conferentur meretricum aliarum, ibi tibi §299erit cordolium, si quam ornatam melius forte aspexeris.
(Adelphasium) Sister, I believe you seem to yourself to be adorned prettily enough now; but when the examples of other courtesans are compared, then to you there will be heartache, if by chance you see any adorned better.
§300Invidia in me numquam innatast neque malitia, mea soror.
(Anterastilis) Envy or malice has never been born in me, my sister.
§301bono med esse ingenio ornatam quam auro multo mavolo: §302aurum, id fortuna invenitur, natura ingenium bonum.
I much prefer to be adorned with a good character than with much gold: gold is found by fortune, a good character by nature.
§304meretricem pudorem gerere magis decet quam purpuram: §306pulchrum ornatum turpes mores peius caeno conlinunt, §307lepidi mores turpem ornatum facile factis comprobant.
it is more fitting for a courtesan to wear modesty than purple: ugly manners defile a beautiful attire worse than mud, charming manners easily justify an ugly attire by their deeds.
§308Eho tu, vin tu facinus facere lepidum et festivom?
(Agorastocles) Hey you, do you want to do a charming and festive deed?
§308bVolo.
(Milphio) I do.
§309Potesne mi auscultare?
(Agorastocles) Can you listen to me?
§309bPossum.
(Milphio) I can.
§309cAbi domum ac suspende te.
(Agorastocles) Go home and hang yourself.
§310Quam ob rem?
(Milphio) For what reason?
§310bQuia iam numquam audibis verba tot tam suavia.
(Agorastocles) Because now you will never again hear so many words so sweet.
§311quid tibi opust vixisse? ausculta mihi modo ac suspende te.
what need is there for you to have lived? Just listen to me and hang yourself.
§312Siquidem tu es mecum futurus pro uva passa pensilis.
(Milphio) If indeed you are going to hang with me like a dried grape.
§313At ego amo hanc.
(Agorastocles) But I love her.
§313bAt ego esse et bibere.
(Milphio) But I love to eat and drink.
§313cEho tu, quid ais?
(Agorastocles) Hey you, what are you saying?
§313dQuid rogas?
(Milphio) What do you ask?
§314Viden tu? pleni oculi sorderum quí erant, iam splendent mihi.
(Agorastocles) Do you see? Her eyes, which were full of dirt, are now shining for me.
§315Immo etiam in medio oculo paullum sordest.
(Milphio) Nay, indeed even in the middle of her eye there is a little dirt.
§315bCedo sis dexteram.
(Agorastocles) Give me your right hand, please.
§316Vt quidem tu huius oculos inlutis manibus tractes aut teras?
(Milphio) So that indeed you may touch or rub her eyes with unwashed hands?
§317Nimia nos socordia hodie tenuit.
(Adelphasium) Too much sluggishness has held us today.
§317bQua de re, obsecro?
(Anterastilis) Regarding what, pray?
§318Quia non iam dudum ante lucem ad aedem Veneris venimus, §319primae ut inferremus ignem in aram.
(Adelphasium) Because we did not come to the temple of Venus long before dawn, so that we might be the first to bring fire onto the altar.
§319bAha, non factost opus: §320quaé habent nocturna ora, noctu sacruficatum ire occupant.
(Milphio) Aha, there is no need of that: those who have nightly faces anticipate by going to sacrifice at night.
§321prius quam Venus expergiscatur, prius deproperant sedulo §322sacruficare; nam vigilante Venere si veniant eae, §323ita sunt turpes, credo ecastor Venerem ipsam e fano fugent.
Before Venus wakes up, they eagerly hasten beforehand to sacrifice; for if they should come while Venus is awake, they are so ugly, I believe by Castor they would drive Venus herself out of the temple.
§324Milphio.
(Agorastocles) Milphio.
§324bEdepol Milphionem miserum.
(Milphio) By Pollux, wretched Milphio!
quid nunc vis tibi?
What do you want for yourself now?
§325Opsecro hercle, ut mulsa loquitur.
(Agorastocles) I beseech you by Hercules, how sweetly she speaks.
§325bNil nisi laterculos, §326sesumam papaveremque, triticum et frictas nuces.
(Milphio) Nothing but bricks, sesame and poppy, wheat and roasted nuts.
§327Ecquid amare videor?
(Agorastocles) Do I seem to love at all?
§327bDamnum, quod Mercurius minime amat.
(Milphio) Loss, which Mercury loves least of all.
§328Namque edepol lucrum amare nullum amatorem addecet.
(Agorastocles) For indeed, by Pollux, it is not fitting for any lover to love profit.
§329Eamus, mea germana.
(Adelphasium) Let us go, my sister.
§329bAge sis, ut lubet.
(Anterastilis) Come, please, as you please.
§329cSequere hac.
(Adelphasium) Follow this way.
§329dSequor.
(Anterastilis) I am following.
§330Eunt hae.
(Agorastocles) They are going.
§330bQuid si adeamus?
(Milphio) What if we approach?
§330cAdeas.
(Agorastocles) Approach.
§330dPrimum prima salva sis, §331et secunda tu secundo salve in pretio; tertia §332salve extra pretium.
(Milphio) First of all, first lady, hail, and second lady, hail to you in second value; and third one, hail outside of value.
§332bTum pol ego et oleum et operam perdidi.
(Milphio) Then, by Pollux, I have lost both oil and labor.
§333Quo te agis?
(Agorastocles) Where are you going?
§333bEgone? in aedem Veneris.
(Adelphasium) Me? To the temple of Venus.
§333cQuid eo?
(Agorastocles) Why there?
§333dVt Venerem propitiem.
(Adelphasium) To propitiate Venus.
§334Eho, an irata est? propitia hercle est.
(Agorastocles) Hey, is she angry? By Hercules, she is propitious.
vel ego pro illa spondeo.
I even guarantee on her behalf.
§335quid tu ais?
what do you say?
§335bQuid mihi molestu's, opsecro?
(Adelphasium) Why are you annoying to me, pray?
§335cAha, tam saeviter.
(Agorastocles) Aha, so harshly!
§336Mitte, amabo.
(Adelphasium) Let me go, please.
§336bQuid festinas? turba nunc illi est.
(Agorastocles) Why are you hurrying? There is a crowd there now.
§336cScio.
(Adelphasium) I know.
§337sunt illi aliae quas spectare ego, et me spectari volo.
there are other women there whom I want to look at, and I want to be looked at by them.
§338Qui lubet spectare turpes, pulchram spectandam dare?
(Agorastocles) How is it pleasing to look at ugly ones, and to offer a beautiful one to be looked at?
§339Quia apud aedem Veneris hodie est mercatus meretricius: §340eo conveniunt mercatores, ibi ego me ostendi volo.
(Adelphasium) Because at the temple of Venus today there is a courtesans' market: merchants gather there, and there I want to show myself.
§341Invendibili merci oportet ultro emptorem adducere: §342proba mers facile emptorem reperit, tam etsi in abstruso sitast.
For unsalable merchandise, one must importunately bring a buyer; good merchandise easily finds a buyer, even if it is placed in a hidden spot.

Notes

  1. 301bono med esse ingenio ornatam — The subject accusative of the infinitive `esse` is expressed by the early Latin accusative form `med` (= `me`). `bono... ingenio` is an ablative of quality.
  2. 292qui hanc ames — The relative pronoun `qui` introduces a causal relative clause ('since you love her'), which takes the subjunctive mood `ames`.
  3. 311quid tibi opust vixisse? — The impersonal construction `opus est` ('there is need') is used here with the accusative `quid`, the dative `tibi`, and the perfect infinitive `vixisse` acting as the object of need.
  4. 320sacruficatum ire occupant — The verb `occupant` ('they anticipate / hasten') takes the infinitive `ire`, which in turn is followed by the accusative supine `sacruficatum` expressing purpose.
  5. 332boleum et operam perdidi — An idiomatic expression 'lost both oil and labor', referring to wasting oil (of a lamp or athletic training) and effort, meaning 'to labor in vain'.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Poenulus §290-342. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi015.humanitext-lat2:290-342

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