§295ex urbe ad mare huc prodimus pabulatum: §296pro exercitu gymnastico et palaestrico hoc habemus; §297echinos, lopadas, ostreas, balanos captamus, conchas, §298marinam urticam, musculos, plagusias striatas; §299post id piscatum hamatilem et saxatilem aggredimur. §300cibum captamus e mari: si eventus non evenit §301neque quicquam captumst piscium, salsi lautique pure §302domum redimus clanculum, dormimus incenati. §303atque ut nunc valide fluctuat mare, nulla nobis spes est: §304nisi quid conclarum capsimus, incenati sumus profecto. §305nunc Venerem hanc veneremur bonam, ut nos lepide adiuerit hodie. §306Animum adversavi sedulo, ne erum usquam praeterirem; §307nam cum modo exibat foras, ad portum se aibat ire, §308me huc obviam iussit sibi venire ad Veneris fanum. §309sed quos perconter commode eccos video astare.
We go out here from the city to the sea to forage:\n instead of gymnastic and palaestric exercise, we have this;\n we catch sea urchins, limpets, oysters, barnacles, mussels,\n sea anemones, mussels, striped flatfish;\n after that, we go about fishing with hooks and among the rocks.\n We catch our food from the sea: if success does not turn out\n and not any fish is caught, thoroughly salted and washed,\n we return home secretly and sleep dinnerless.\n And as the sea is now violently tossing, we have no hope:\n unless we catch some shellfish, we are surely dinnerless.\n Now let us worship this good Venus, that she may kindly help us today.\n I have paid attention carefully, lest I should pass my master by anywhere;\n for when he was just now going out, he said he was going to the harbor,\n and ordered me to come here to meet him at the temple of Venus.\n But look, I see some people standing there whom I may conveniently question.
I will approach them.\n Greetings, thieves of the sea, shell-gatherers and anglers,\n starving race of men.
quid agitis? ut peritis? §312Vt piscatorem aequomst, fame sitique §313ecquem adulescentem §314huc, dum hic astatis, strenua facie rubicundum fortem, §315qui tres secum homines duceret chlamydatos cum machaeris, §315avidistis vos venire? §316Nullum istac facie ut praedicas venisse huc scimus. §316bEcquem §317recalvom ac silanum senem, statutum, ventriosum, §318tortis superciliis, contracta fronte, fraudulentum, §319deorum ódium atque hominum, málum, mali viti probrique plenum, §320qui duceret mulierculas duas sécum satis venustas? §321Cum istius modi virtutibus operisque natus qui sit, §322eum quídem ad carnificem est aequius quam ad Venerem commeare. §323At si vidistis, dicite. §323bHuc profecto nullus venit. §324vale. — §324bValete.
How are you doing? How are you perishing?\n As is fitting for a fisherman, with hunger and thirst.\n Have you seen any young man\n here, while you are standing here, of vigorous countenance, ruddy, strong,\n who was leading three men with him wearing cloaks and with swords,\n have you seen come here?\n We know of no one of such an appearance as you describe having come here.\n What about any\n bald-in-front and flat-nosed old man, stout, pot-bellied,\n with twisted eyebrows, knit brow, deceitful,\n hated by gods and men, evil, full of bad vice and disgrace,\n who was leading two rather attractive young women with him?\n For one who is born with qualities and deeds of that kind,\n it is more fitting for him to go to the executioner than to Venus.\n But if you have seen him, tell me.\n Surely no one came here.\n Farewell.—\n Farewell.
credidi: factum est quod suspicabar, §325data verba ero sunt, leno abit scelestus exulatum, §326in navem ascendit, mulieres avexit: hariolus sum. §327is huc erum etiam ad prandium vocavit, sceleris semen. §328nunc quid mihi meliust, quam ilico hic opperiar erum dum veniat? §329eadém, sacerdos Veneria haec sí quid amplius scit, §330si videro, exquisivero: faciet me certiorem. §331Intellego: hanc quae proxuma est víllam Veneris fano §332pulsare iussisti atque aquam rogare. §332bCuia ad auris §333vox mi advolavit? §333bObsecro, quis hic loquitur? quém ego video? §334Estne Ampelisca haec quae foras e fano egreditur? §334bEstne hic §335Trachalio, quem conspicor, calator Plesidippi? §336East. §336bIs est.
I believed it: what I suspected has happened,\n my master has been deceived, the wicked pimp has gone into exile,\n he went on board a ship, carried off the women: I am a prophet.\n He even invited my master here for lunch, that seed of wickedness.\n Now what is better for me than to wait right here for my master until he comes?\n At the same time, if this priestess of Venus knows anything more,\n if I see her, I will inquire; she will inform me.\n I understand: you ordered me to knock at this villa which is next to the temple of Venus\n and ask for water.\n Whose voice\n has flown to my ears?\n Please, who is speaking here? Whom do I see?\n Is this Ampelisca who is coming out of the temple?\n Is this\n Trachalio whom I see, the servant of Plesidippus?\n It is she.\n It is he.
Trachalio, salve. §336cSalve, Ampelisca. §337quid agis tu? §337bAétatem haud malam male. §337cMelius ominare. §338Verum omnes sapientes decet conferre et fabulari. §339sed Plesidippus tuos erus ubi, amabo, est? §339bHeia vero, §340quasi non sit intus. §340bNeque pol est neque huc quidem ullus venit. §341Non venit? §341bVera praedicas. §341cNon est meum, Ampelisca. §342sed quam mox coctum est prandium? §342bQuod prandium, obsecro te? §343Nempe rém divinam facitis hic. §343bQuid somnias, amabo? §344Certe huc Labrax ad prandium vocavit Plesidippum §345erúm meum erus vestér. §345bPol haud miranda facta dicis: §346si deos decepit et homines, lenonum more fecit. §347Non rem divinam facitis hic vos neque erus? §347bHariolare. §348Quid tu agis hic igitur? §348bEx malis multis metuque summo §349capitalique ex periculo orbas auxilique opumque huc §350recepit ad se Veneria haec sacerdos me et Palaestram. §351An hic Palaestrast, obsecro, erí mei amica? §351bCerto. §352Inest lepos in nuntio tuo mágnus, mea Ampelisca. §353sed istúc periclum perlubet quod fuerit vobis scire. §354Confracta est, mi Trachalio, hac nocte navis nobis.
Trachalio, greetings!\n Greetings, Ampelisca.\n How are you doing?\n I pass a not-bad lifetime badly.\n Speak with better omen.\n But it is fitting for all wise people to gather and converse.\n But your master Plesidippus, where is he, please?\n Ah indeed,\n as if he were not inside.\n By Pollux, he is not, nor indeed has anyone come here.\n He has not come?\n You speak the truth.\n It is not my way, Ampelisca.\n But how soon is lunch cooked?\n What lunch, I pray you?\n Surely you are performing a sacrifice here.\n What are you dreaming, please?\n Certainly Labrax invited Plesidippus here for lunch,\n my master, your master did.\n By Pollux, you tell of deeds not to be wondered at:\n if he deceived gods and men, he acted in the manner of pimps.\n Are you not performing a sacrifice here, you and your master?\n You are talking nonsense.\n What are you doing here then?\n Out of many evils and greatest fear\n and from capital danger, deprived of help and resources, here\n this priestess of Venus received me and Palaestra under her care.\n Is Palaestra here, I pray, my master's beloved?\n Certainly.\n There is great charm in your news, my Ampelisca.\n But I would very much like to know what that danger of yours was.\n Our ship was wrecked last night, my Trachalio.\n What ship?
§355Quid navis? quae istaec fabulast? §355bNon audivisti, amabo, §356quo pacto leno clanculum nos hinc auferre voluit §357in Siciliam et quidquid domi fuit in navem imposivit? §358ea nunc perierunt omnia.
What story is that?\n Have you not heard, please,\n in what way the pimp secretly wanted to carry us away from here\n to Sicily and put whatever he had at home into the ship?\n All of those things have now perished.