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Plautus · Trinummus §402-473

Philto's Proposal of a Dowryless Marriage to Lesbonicus

Passage 7 of 19 · Latin

Summary

While Lesbonicus and his servant Stasimus argue over wasted money and debts, Philto arrives to propose a dowryless marriage between Lesbonicus's sister and his son. Lesbonicus refuses due to unequal social status, but Philto tries to persuade him with a banquet analogy.

§402Minus quíndecim dies sunt, quom pro hisce aedibus §403minas quadraginta accepisti a Callicle.
It is less than fifteen days since, for this house, you received forty minae from Callicles.
§404estne hoc quod dico, Stasime?
Is this what I say, Stasimus?
§404bQuom considero, §405meminisse videor fieri.
When I consider, I seem to remember it happening.
§405bQuid factumst eo?
What was done with it?
§406Comessum, expotum; exussum: elotum in balineis, §407piscator, pistor apstulit, lanii, coqui, §408holitores, myropolae, aucupes: confit cito; §409non hercle minus divorse distrahitur cito, §410quam si tu obicias formicis papaverem.
It was eaten up, drunk up, washed away, and bathed away in the baths; the fishmonger, the baker carried it off, the butchers, the cooks, the greengrocers, the perfumers, the poulterers: it is quickly finished; by Hercules, it is distributed in different directions no less quickly than if you were to throw poppy seed to ants.
§411Minus hercle in istis rebus sumptumst sex minis.
By Hercules, less than six minae were spent on those things.
§412Quid quod dedisti scortis?
What about what you gave to courtesans?
§412bIbidem una traho.
I count that in the same place.
§413Quid quod égo defrudavi?
What about what I embezzled?
§413bEm, istaec ratio maxumast.
Ah, that is the greatest account of all.
§414Non tibi illud apparere, si sumas, potest; §415nisi tu immortale rere esse argentum tibi.
It cannot be visible to you if you spend it, unless you think your money is immortal.
§416Sero atque stulte, prius quod cautum oportuit, §417postquam comedit rem, post rationem putat.
Too late and foolishly, what ought to have been guarded against beforehand, after he has devoured his property, he calculates the account afterwards.
§418Nequaquam argenti ratio comparet tamen.
Nevertheless, the account of the money by no means balances.
§419Ratio quidem hercle apparet: argentum οἴχεται.
By Hercules, the calculation is indeed clear: the money is gone.
§420minas quadraginta accepisti a Callicle, §421et ille aédis mancipio abs te accepit?
You received forty minae from Callicles, and did he receive the house in formal transfer from you?
§421bAdmodum.
Exactly.
§422Pol opino adfinis noster aedis vendidit; §423pater quom peregre veniet, in portast locus, §424nisi forte in ventrem filio conrepserit.
By Pollux, I think our relative has sold the house; when his father comes back from abroad, his place is at the gate, unless by chance he creeps into his son's stomach.
§425Trapezítae mille drachumarúm Olympico, §426quas de ratione dehibuisti, redditae?
To the banker, were the thousand drachmae for Olympicus, which you owed according to the account, paid back?
§427Nempe quás spopondi.
Surely those for which I stood security.
§427bImmó quas dependi inquito §428pro illo adulescente, quem tu esse aibas divitem.
Rather, say "which I paid down" on behalf of that young man whom you said was rich.
§429Factum.
It was done.
§429bVt quidem illud perierit.
So that indeed it is lost.
§429cFactum id quoque est.
That also was done.
§430nam nunc eum vidi miserum et me eius miseritumst.
For now I have seen him in misery and I have pitied him.
§431Miseret te aliorum, tui nec miseret nec pudet.
You pity others, but you neither pity nor are ashamed of yourself.
§432Tempust adeundi.
It is time to go up to them.
§432bÉstne hic Philto qui advenit?
Is this Philto who is coming?
§433is herclest ipsus.
By Hercules, it is he himself.
§433bEdepol né ego istum velim §434meum fíeri servom cum suo peculio.
By Pollux, I would really like him to become my slave with his own private property.
§435Erum atque servom plurumum Philto iubet §436salvere, Lesbonicum et Stasimum.
Philto bids the master and the slave, Lesbonicus and Stasimus, a very hearty greeting.
§436bDi duint §437tibi, Philto, quaequomque optes.
May the gods give to you, Philto, whatever you may wish.
quid agit filius?
How is your son?
§438Bene volt tibi.
He wishes you well.
§438bEdepol mutuom mecum facit.
By Pollux, he does the same as I do.
§439Nequam illud verbumst bene volt , nisi qui bene facit. §440ego quoque volo esse liber: nequiquam volo; §441hic postulet frugi esse: nugas postulet.
That expression "he wishes well" is worthless unless one does well; I too wish to be free, but I wish in vain; he may demand to be respectable, but he demands nonsense.
§442Meus gnátus me ad te misit, inter te atque nos §443adfinitatem ut conciliarem et gratiam.
My son has sent me to you, so that between you and us I might bring about an alliance by marriage and goodwill.
§444tuam vólt sororem ducere uxorem; et mihi §445sententia eademst et volo.
He wishes to take your sister as his wife; and for me the opinion is the same and I wish it.
§445bHau nosco tuom: §446bonis tuis rebus meas res inrides malas.
I do not recognize your usual character: in your prosperous circumstances you mock my bad fortune.
§447Homo ego sum, homo tu es: ita me amabit Iuppiter, §448neque te derisum advenio neque dignum puto.
I am a human being, you are a human being: so may Jupiter love me, I neither come to mock you, nor do I think you deserve it.
§449verum hoc quod dixi: meus me oravit filius, §450ut tuam sororem poscerem uxorem sibi.
But this is what I said: my son begged me to ask for your sister as a wife for himself.
§451Mearúm me rerum novisse aequomst ordinem. §452cum vostra nostra non est aequa factio.
It is right for me to know the condition of my own affairs; our family status is not equal to yours.
§453adfinitatem vobis aliam quaerite.
Seek another marriage alliance for yourselves.
§454Satin tu es sanus mentis aut animi tui, §455qui condicionem hanc repudies? nam illum tibi
Are you quite sane in your mind or soul, who reject this proposal?
§456ferentárium esse amicum inventum intellego.
For I understand that he has been found to be a friend in need to you.
§457Abin hínc dierecte?
Will you not go away from here straight to the gallows?
§457bSi hercle ire occipiam, votes.
By Hercules, if I began to go, you would forbid me.
§458Nisi quid me aliud vis, Philto, respondi tibi.
Unless you wish anything else from me, Philto, I have answered you.
§459Benigniorem, Lesbonice, te mihi, §460quam nunc experior esse, confido fore; §461nam et stulte facere et stulte fabularier, §462utrumque, Lesbonice, in aetate hau bonumst.
Lesbonicus, I trust that you will be more kindly disposed toward me than I now experience you to be; for both to act foolishly and to speak foolishly, both, Lesbonicus, are by no means good at your age.
§463Verum hercle hic dicit.
By Hercules, he speaks the truth.
§463bOculum ego ecfodiam tibi, §464si verbum addideris.
I will dig your eye out if you add another word.
§464bHercle qui dicam tamen; §465nam si sic non licebit, luscus dixero.
By Hercules, I will say it nevertheless; for if it is not allowed this way, I will say it as a one-eyed man.
§466Ita tu nunc dicis, non esse aequiperabiles §467vostras cum nostris factiones atque opes?
Do you say so now, that your family connections and wealth are not equal to ours?
§468Dico.
I do.
§468bQuid? nunc si in aedem ad cenam veneris
What?
§469atque ibi opulentus tibi par forte obvenerit §470(adposita cena sit, popularem quam vocant), §471si illi congestae sint epulae a cluentibus: §472si quid tibi placeat quod illi congestum siet, §473edisne an incenatus cum opulento accubes?
If you now go to a temple for dinner, and there a rich man happens to be your equal companion, where a dinner is served, such as they call a public one, if feasts have been piled up for him by his clients: if anything that has been piled up for him should please you, would you eat, or would you lie beside the rich man dinnerless?

Notes

  1. §419argentum οἴχεται — The Greek verb οἴχεται (is gone) is suddenly inserted into the Latin dialogue. The mixing of Greek vocabulary in Roman comedy was used for comic effect, representing slave humor, colloquialisms, or preserving the tone of the Greek New Comedy originals.
  2. §421οἴχεται. — Refers to "mancipium" (or mancipatio), a formal transfer of property under Roman civil law. It denotes the strict ceremonial procedure required to transfer ownership of key assets (res mancipi), such as houses or land, confirming that the house legally passed to Callicles.
  3. §427bοἴχεται. — In contrast to Lesbonicus's spopondi (promised/guaranteed), Stasimus urges him to use dependi (weighed out/paid down). This choice emphasizes the painful reality of having actually paid the money and suffered the loss, rather than just having performed a legal guarantee.
  4. §433bvelim meum fieri servom cum suo peculio — A humorous aside by the slave Stasimus, wishing to make the wealthy old Philto his own slave "with his private property (peculium)." While a slave could hold a peculium (an allowance permitted by the master), a slave owning a free man with his property is legally impossible, presenting a comical fantasy of role reversal.
  5. §456ferentarium — Refers to a light-armed skirmisher (ferentarius) in the Roman army. Because of their role in rushing quickly to reinforce the main army in emergencies, it is used here metaphorically to mean a "friend in need" or a timely helper in difficult times.

Cite this passage

Plautus, Trinummus §402-473. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi019.humanitext-lat2:402-473

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