§952sí fidem modo dás mihi te nón fore infídum.
if only you give me your word that you will not be faithless.
§953Dó fidem tibi, fídus ero, quísquis es.
I give you my word, I will be faithful, whoever you are.
§953bAúdi.
Listen.
§954furtum égo vidi qui fáciebat; §955norám dominum, id cui fíebat, §956post ád furem egomet dévenio §957feroque eí condicionem hóc pacto: §958“ego istúc furtum scio cuí factum est; §959nunc míhi si vis dare dímidium, indícium domino nón faciam. ”
I saw a man committing a theft; I knew the master to whom it was being done, afterwards I went to the thief himself and made him a proposal in this manner: "I know to whom that theft was done; now, if you want to give me half, I will not inform the master." He made no answer to me.
§960is míhi nihil etiam réspondit. quid inde aéquom est dari mihi? dímidium
What is fair to be given to me from that?
§961volo ut dícas.
Half I want you to say.
§961bImmo hercle étiam amplius, nam nísi dat, domino dícundum
Nay, by Hercules, even more, for unless he gives it, I think he should be denounced to his master.
§962censeó.
I think.
§962bTuo consilió faciam.
I will act on your advice.
nunc ádvorte animum; námque hoc omne
Now pay attention; for all this concerns you.
§963Vídulum istum cúiust novi ego hóminem iam pridem.
That trunk, whose it is, I have known the man for a long time.
§963bQuid est?
What is it?
§964Et quo pacto periit.
And how it was lost.
But I know how it was found, and I know the man who found it, and I know who is now the owner.
§966nihilo pol pluris tua hoc quam quanti illud refert mea: §967ego illum novi cuius nunc est, tu illum cuius antehac fuit.
By Pollux, your knowledge is of no more value than how much that concerns me: I know the one whose it is now, you know the one whose it was before.
§968hunc homo feret a me nemo, ne tu te speres potis.
No man shall carry this away from me, do not hope that you are able to.
§969Non ferat si dominus veniat?
Would he not carry it away if the owner should come?
No one was born as its owner, lest you be deceived, except me, who caught this in my hunting.
§971Itane vero?
Is that so?
§971bEcquem esse dices in mari piscem meum?
Can you say that any fish in the sea is mine?
§972quos cum capio, siquidem cepi, mei sunt; habeo pro meis, §973nec manu adseruntur neque illinc partem quisquam postulat.
Which when I catch, if indeed I have caught them, are mine; I keep them as mine, nor are they claimed by law, nor does anyone demand a share of them.
§974in foro palam omnes vendo pro meis venalibus.
I sell them all openly in the forum as my own property.
§975mare quidem commune certost omnibus.
The sea indeed is surely common to all.
§975bAdsentio:
I agree.
§976qui minus hunc communem quaeso mi esse oportet vidulum?
Why, pray, should this trunk be any less common to me?
§977in mari inventust communi.
It was found in the common sea.
§977bEsne impudenter impudens?
Are you shamelessly shameless?
§978nam si istuc ius sit quod memoras, piscatores perierint.
For if that law you mention were valid, fishermen would be ruined.
§979quippe quom extemplo in macellum pisces prolati sient, §980nemo emat, suam quisque partem piscium poscant sibi, §981dicant, in mari communi captos.
For as soon as the fish were brought to the market, no one would buy them, everyone would demand their share of the fish for themselves, and say that they were caught in the common sea.
§981bQuid ais, impudens?
What are you saying, shameless fellow?
§982ausu's etiam comparare vidulum cum piscibus?
Did you dare to compare a trunk with fish?
§983eadem tandem res videtur?
Does it really seem to be the same thing?
It is not in my power: when I cast my net and hook, whatever is caught I pull out.
§985meum quod rete atque hami nancti sunt, meum potissimumst.
What my net and hooks have got is mine above all.
§986Immo hercle haud est, siquidem quod vas excepisti.
Nay, by Hercules, it is not, if indeed you have hauled up a vessel.
§986bPhilosophe.
You philosopher!
§987Sed tu enumquam piscatorem vidisti, venefice, §988vidulum piscem cepisse aut protulisse ullum in forum?
But did you ever, you sorcerer, see a fisherman catch a trunk-fish, or bring any into the market?
§989non enim tu híc quidem occupabis omnis quaestus quos voles: §990et vitorem et piscatorem te esse, impure, postulas.
You shall not indeed monopolize all the trades you wish: you claim to be both a basket-maker and a fisherman, dirty fellow.
§991vel te mihi monstrare oportet piscis qui sit vidulus, §992vel quod in mari non natum est neque habet squamas ne feras.
Either you must show me what fish a trunk is, or you must not carry away what was not born in the sea and has no scales.
§993Quid, tu numquam audisti esse antehac vidulum piscem?
What, have you never heard before that there is a trunk-fish?
§994bImmo est profecto; ego, qui sum piscator, scio; §995verum raro capitur, nullus minus saepe ad terram venit.
Nay, there is indeed; I, who am a fisherman, know it; but it is rarely caught, none comes to land less often.
§996Nil agis, dare verba speras mihi te posse, furcifer.
You are doing nothing, you rascal, you hope you can deceive me.
§997Quo colore est, hoc colore capiuntur pauxilluli; §998sunt alii puniceo corio, magni item; atque atri.
Of this color, very few of them are caught; there are others with purple skin, also large, and black ones.
§998bScio.
I know.
§999tu hercle, opino, in vidulum te bis convertes, nisi caves: §1000fiet tibi puniceum corium, postea atrum denuo.
By Hercules, I think you will turn twice into a trunk, unless you watch out: you will have purple skin, and afterwards black again.
§1001Quod scelus hodie hoc inveni.
What a pest I have found today!
§1001bVerba facimus, it dies.
We are wasting words, the day is passing.
§1002vide sis, cuius arbitratu nos vis facere.
See, please, by whose arbitration you want us to act.
ita enim vero.
Yes, indeed.
§1003bStultus es.
You are a fool.
§1003cSalve, Thales.
Hail, Thales!
§1004Tu istunc hodie non feres, nisi das sequestrum aut arbitrum, §1005quoius haec res arbitratu fiat.
You shall not carry that away today, unless you give a stakeholder or an arbitrator, by whose decision this matter may be settled.
§1005bQuaeso, sanus es?
Pray, are you sane?
§1006Elleborosus sum.
I need hellebore.
§1006bAt ego cerritus, hunc non amittam tamen.
But I am crazy, yet I will not let this go.