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Plautus · Stichus §478-539

Gelasimus's Rejection and the Reunion with Antipho

Passage 8 of 12 · Latin

Summary

The parasite Gelasimus persistent begs Epignomus for a dinner invitation but is rejected due to arriving foreign ambassadors, prompting him to curse the weasel's omen. Afterwards, the returned Pamphilippus and his father-in-law Antipho meet Epignomus, rejoicing in their reconciliation and planning future dinners.

§478alium convivam quaerito tibi in hunc diem.
Look for another guest for yourself for today.
§479Quin tu promittis?
Why don't you promise?
§479bNon graver, si possiem.
I would not be reluctant, if I could.
§480Vnum quidem hercle certo promitto tibi: §481libens accipiam certo, si promiseris.
By Hercules, one thing indeed I certainly promise you: I will gladly accept, certainly, if you promise.
§482Valeas.
Farewell.
§482bCertumnest?
Is it settled?
§482cCertum.
Settled.
cenabo domi.
I shall dine at home.
§484sed—quoniam nil processit hac, ego ivero §485apertiore magis via; ita plane loquar: §486vin ad te ad cenam veniam?
But—since nothing succeeded this way, I shall go by a more open path; I will speak so plainly: Do you want me to come to your house for dinner?
§486bSi possim, velim; §487verum hic apud me cenant alieni novem.
If I could, I would like to; but here nine strangers are dining with me.
§488Hau postulo equidem med in lecto accumbere: §489scis tu me esse unisubselli virum.
Indeed I do not demand to recline on a couch: you know that I am a man of a single bench.
§490At ei óratores sunt popli, summi viri; §491Ambracia veniunt huc legati publice.
But they are spokesmen of the people, topmost men; they come here as ambassadors from Ambracia on public business.
§492Ergo oratores populi, summates viri, §493summi accubent, ego infimatis infimus.
Therefore, let the spokesmen of the people, the highest men, recline at the top, and let me, the lowest of the low, be at the bottom.
§494Haud aequomst te inter oratores accipi.
It is by no means fair for you to be received among the spokesmen.
§495Equidem hercle orator sum, sed procedit parum.
By Hercules, I indeed am a spokesman too, but it succeeds very little.
§496Cras de reliquiis nos volo.
Tomorrow I want us to dine on the leftovers.
multum vale.
Fare very well.
§497Perii hercle vero plane, nihil obnoxie.
By Hercules, indeed I have perished utterly, in no submissive way.
§498uno Gelasimo minus est quam dudum fuit.
There is one Gelasimus less than there was just now.
§499certumst mustelae posthac numquam credere, §500nam incertiorem nullam novi bestiam; §501quaen eapse deciens in die mutat locum, §502ea ego auspicavi ín re capitali mea?
It is resolved never to believe a weasel hereafter, for I know no beast more uncertain; which itself changes its place ten times a day— did I take an omen from her in my life-and-death matter?
§503certumst amicos convocare, ut consulam §504qua lege nunc med essurire oporteat. —
It is resolved to call my friends together, to consult by what regulation I ought to starve now.
§505Íta me di bene amént measque mihi servassint filias, §506ut mihi volup est, Pamphilippe, quia vos in patriam domum §507rediisse video bene gesta re ambos, te et fratrem tuom.
So may the gods love me well and preserve my daughters for me, as it is a pleasure to me, Pamphilippus, because I see that you both have returned to your native home with affairs well managed, you and your brother.
§508Satis abs te accipiam, nisi videam mihi te amicum esse, Antipho; §509nunc quia té amicum mihi experior esse, credetur tibi.
I should accept it as enough from you, unless I saw that you are a friend to me, Antipho; now because I experience that you are a friend to me, you shall be believed.
§510Vocem ego te ad me ad cenam, frater tuos ni dixisset mihi, §511te apud se cenaturum esse hodie, quom me ad se ad cenam vocat.
I should have invited you to my house for dinner, if your brother had not told me that you were going to dine at his house today, when he invited me to his house for dinner.
§512et magis pár fuerat me vobis dare cenam advenientibus, §513quam me ad illúm promittere, nisi nollem ei advorsarier.
And it would have been more fitting for me to give a dinner to you on your arrival, than for me to promise to go to his house, unless I had been unwilling to oppose him.
§514nunc me gratiam abs te inire verbis nil desidero: §515cras apud me éritis et tu et ille cum vostris uxoribus.
Now I do not desire to win gratitude from you by words at all: tomorrow both you and he shall be at my house with your wives.
§516At apud mé perendie.
But at my house the day after tomorrow.
nam ille heri me iam vocaverat §517in hunc diem.
For he had already invited me yesterday for today.
sed satin ego tecum pacificatus sum, Antipho?
But am I sufficiently reconciled with you, Antipho?
§518Quando ita rem gessistis ut vos velle amicosque addecet, §519pax commersque est vobis mecum.
Since you have managed affairs as is fitting for you and your friends to wish, there is peace and intercourse for you with me.
nam hoc tu facito ut cogites: §520ut cuique homini res paratast, périnde amicis utitur: §521si res firma, item fírmi amici sunt; sin res laxe labat, §522itidem amici conlabascunt: res amicos invenit.
For make sure to reflect on this: according as each man's fortune is set up, just so he makes use of friends: if fortune is firm, likewise the friends are firm; but if fortune wavers loosely, likewise the friends collapse together: fortune finds friends.
§523Iam redeo.
Now I return.
nimiast voluptas, ubi diu afueris domo, §524domum ubi rédieris, sí tibi nullast aegritudo animo obviam.
It is too great a pleasure, when you have been away from home for a long time, when you return home, if no anxiety meets your mind.
§525nam ita me absente familiarem rem uxor curavit meam, §526omnium me éxilem atque inanem fecit aegritudinum.
for in my absence my wife took care of my household property in such a way that she made me free and empty of all anxieties.
§527sed eccum fratrem Pamphilippum, incedit cum socero suo.
But look, there is my brother Pamphilippus; he is walking with his father-in-law.
§528Quid agitur, Epignome?
How are things going, Epignomus?
§528bQuid tu? quam dudum in portum venis?
How about you? How long ago did you come into port?
§529Hau longissume.
Not very long ago.
§529bPostilla iam iste est tranquillus tibi?
Since then, is that man already calm toward you?
§530Magis quam mare quo ambo estis vecti.
More so than the sea on which you both were carried.
§530bFacis ut alias res soles.
You do as you are accustomed to do in other matters.
§531hodiene exoneramus navem, frater?
Are we unloading the ship today, brother?
§531bClementer volo.
I want to do it gently.
§532nos potius oneremus nosmet vícissatim voluptátibus.
Let us rather, in turn, load ourselves with pleasures.
§533quam mox coctast cena? inpransus ego sum.
How soon is dinner cooked? I have not had lunch.
§533bAbi intro ad me et lava.
Go inside to my house and wash.
§534Deos salutatum atque uxorem módo intro devortor domum; §535haec si ita ut volo conficio, continuo ad te transeo.
I am turning aside inside home just now to greet the gods and my wife; if I finish these things as I wish, I will cross over to you immediately.
§536Apud nos eccillam festinat cum sorore uxor tua.
At our house, look there, your wife is hurrying with her sister.
§537Optumest, iam istoc morai minus erit.
Excellent, now there will be less delay on that account.
iam ego apud te ero.
I shall be with you immediately.
§538Prius quam abis, praesente ted huic apologum agere unum volo.
Before you go away, with you present, I want to tell one fable to this man.
§539Maxume.
By all means.

Notes

  1. 481libens accipiam certo, si promiseris — This clause functions as the contents of the "one thing" promised in the previous line. Gelasimus uses the future perfect `promiseris` in the condition and the future indicative `accipiam` in the conclusion, jokingly promising that he will definitely accept the invitation if Epignomus makes it.
  2. 488Hau postulo equidem med in lecto accumbere — The verb `postulo` (demand) governs an accusative and infinitive construction (`med` [archaic for `me`] + `accumbere`). The verb `accumbere` refers to the Roman custom of reclining on a couch (`lectus`) during a formal dinner.
  3. 493summi accubent, ego infimatis infimus — A contrast between `summi` (the highest, the ambassadors) and `infimus` (the lowest, Gelasimus himself). `infimatis` is the nominative singular of the adjective `infimas` (of the lowest class), which here goes with `infimus` to emphasize Gelasimus's extremely low status.
  4. 495Equidem hercle orator sum — A wordplay on the word `oratores` (ambassadors/spokesmen) used in the previous lines. Gelasimus claims to be an `orator` too, playing on the secondary meaning of the word as "pleader" or "entreater" who begs for food.
  5. 505Íta me di bene amént... ut mihi volup est — A solemn asseveration in the form of `ita... ut...` ("so may the gods love me... as this is a pleasure to me"), used to assert strongly that something is true. It features the optative subjunctives `ament` and `servassint` (syncopated archaic form of `servaverint`).
  6. 510Vocem ego te ad me ad cenam, frater tuos ni dixisset mihi — A past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The apodosis verb `vocem` functions as an imperfect subjunctive (equivalent to `vocarem`), while the protasis has the pluperfect subjunctive `dixisset`. It means 'I would have invited you, if your brother had not told me...'

Cite this passage

Plautus, Stichus §478-539. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi018.humanitext-lat2:478-539

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