§397nam mihi iam video propter te victitandum sorbilo, §398itaque iam quasi ostreatum tergum ulceribus gestito
(Milphio) For I see that now because of you I must live by sipping, and so now I carry a back like an oyster-shell with welts because of your love.
§399propter amorem vestrum. §399bAmabo, men prohibere postulas §400ne te verberet magis quám ne mendax me advorsum siet?
(Adelphasium) Please, do you expect me to prevent him from beating you more than from being a liar towards me?
§401Aliquid huic responde, amabo, commode, ne incommodus
(Anterastilis) Please, answer him something nicely, so he won't be a nuisance to us.
§402nobis sit. nam detinet nos de nostro negotio.
For he is keeping us from our business.
§403Verum.
(Adelphasium) True.
etiam tibi hanc amittam noxiam unam, Agorastocles.
I will also let go this one offense for you, Agorastocles.
§404non sum irata.
I am not angry.
§404bNon es?
(Agorastocles) You are not?
§404cNon sum.
(Adelphasium) I am not.
§404dDa ergo, ut credam, savium.
(Agorastocles) Give me a kiss then, so I may believe it.
§405Mox dabo, quom ab re divina rediero.
(Adelphasium) I will give it soon, when I return from the divine service.
§405bI ergo strenue.
(Agorastocles) Go then quickly.
§406Sequere me, soror.
(Adelphasium) Follow me, sister.
§406bAtque audin etiam? Veneri dicito
(Agorastocles) And do you hear too?
§407multam meis verbis salutem.
Say a warm hello to Venus in my name.
§407bDicam.
(Adelphasium) I will.
§407cAtque hoc audi.
(Agorastocles) And hear this.
§407dQuid est?
(Adelphasium) What is it?
§408Paucis verbis rem divinam facito.
(Agorastocles) Perform the divine service in few words.
atque audin? respice.
And do you hear? Look back.
§409respexit.
(Agorastocles) She looked back.
idem edepol Venerem credo facturam tibi.
By Pollux, I believe Venus will do the same for you.
§410quid nunc mi es auctor, Milphio?
What do you advise me now, Milphio?
§410bVt me verberes §411atque auctionem facias: nam impunissume §412tibi quidem hercle vendere hasce aedis licet.
(Milphio) That you beat me and hold an auction: for by Hercules you may sell this house with absolute impunity.
§413Quid iam?
(Agorastocles) Why so?
§413bMaiorem partem in ore habitas meo.
(Milphio) You live for the most part in my mouth.
§414Supersede istis verbis.
(Agorastocles) Cease those words.
§414bQuid nunc vis tibi?
(Milphio) What do you want for yourself now?
(Agorastocles) Three hundred Philippi to my bailiff Collybiscus I gave just now, before you called me out.
§417nunc opsecro te, Milphio, hanc per dexteram §418perque hanc sororem laevam perque oculos tuos §420perque tuam libertatem— §420bEm nunc nihil opsecras.
Now I beseech you, Milphio, by this right hand, and by this left sister of hers, and by your eyes, and by your freedom— (Milphio) Look, now you are asking nothing.
§421Mi Milphidisce, mea commoditas, mea salus, §422fac quod facturum te esse promisti mihi, §423ut ego hunc lenonem perdam.
(Agorastocles) My dear Milphidiscus, my convenience, my salvation, do what you promised me you would do, so that I may ruin this pimp.
§423bPerfacile id quidemst.
(Milphio) That indeed is very easy.
§424i, adduce testis tecum; ego intus interim §425iam et ornamentis meis et sycophantiis §426tuom exornabo vilicum.
Go, bring witnesses with you; meanwhile inside I will now deck out your bailiff with my ornaments and trickery.
propera atque abi.
Hurry and depart.
§427Fugio.
(Agorastocles) I'm flying.
§427bMeum est ístuc magis officium quam tuom.
(Milphio) That duty of yours is more mine than yours.
(Agorastocles) Shall I, shall I, if you execute this nicely— (Milphio) Just go.
(Agorastocles) By Hercules, I wouldn't deserve— (Milphio) Oh— (Agorastocles) Vah— (Milphio) Just go.
§431Quantum Acheruntest mortuorum.
(Agorastocles) Not as many as there are dead in Acheron.
§431bEtiamne abis?
(Milphio) Are you still here?
§432Neque quantum aquaist in mari.
(Agorastocles) Nor as much water as there is in the sea.
§432bAbiturun es?
(Milphio) Are you going to go?
§433Neque nubes omnes quantumst.
(Agorastocles) Nor all the clouds there are.
§433bPergin pergere?
(Milphio) Are you continuing to go on?
§434Neque stellae in caelo.
(Agorastocles) Nor the stars in the sky.
§434bPergin auris tundere?
(Milphio) Are you continuing to pound my ears?
(Agorastocles) Neither this nor that nor—indeed in truth seriously— nor—by Hercules in truth—what need is there of words? Why not?
What in a single word—one is allowed to say anything here— nor—by Hercules in truth seriously, you know how?
So may the gods love me, do you want me to speak in good faith, which is permitted between us? So may Jupiter, you know how it seems?
§441scin quam videtur? credin quod ego fabuler?
Do you believe what I am saying?
§442Si nequeo facere ut abeas, egomet abiero; §443nam isti quidem hercle orationi Oedipo §444opust cóniectore, qui Sphingi interpres fuit.
(Milphio) If I cannot make you go away, I myself will go away; for by Hercules that speech of yours needs Oedipus as an interpreter, who was the interpreter for the Sphinx.
— §445Illic hínc iratus abiit.
(Agorastocles) He went away angry from here.
nunc mihi cautio est, §446ne meámet culpa meo amori obiexim moram.
Now I must take care, lest by my own fault I put a delay on my love.
I will go and summon witnesses, since Love orders me, a free man, to be obedient to my slave.
§449Di illum infelicent omnes, qui post hunc diem §450leno ullam Veneri umquam immolarit hostiam §451quive ullum turis granum sacruficaverit.
(Lycus) May all the gods make them wretched, whoever after this day, being a pimp, ever immolates any victim to Venus or sacrifices any grain of incense.
§452nam ego hodie infelix dis meis iratissumis §453sex immolavi ágnos, nec potui tamen §454propitiam Venerem facere utí esset mihi.
For today, wretched man, with my gods being most angry, I immolated six lambs, and yet I could not make Venus propitious to me.
§455quoniam litare nequeo, ábii illim ilico §456iratus, votui éxta prosicarier; §457eo pacto avarae Veneri pulchre adii manum.
Since I cannot get a favorable omen, I went away from there immediately in anger, and forbade the entrails to be cut off for offering; in this way I finely cheated greedy Venus.
When she did not wish to have enough of what was sufficient, I made a pause.
sic ago, sic me decet.
Thus I act, thus it becomes me.
§460ego faxo posthac di deaeque ceteri §461contentiores mage erunt atque avidi minus, §462quom scibunt, Veneri ut adierit leno manum.
I will make sure hereafter that the other gods and goddesses will be more content and less greedy, when they know how a pimp cheated Venus.
§463condigne haruspex, non homo trioboli,
Worthily the haruspex, a man not worth three obols...