§198Quid ais tu? quae numquam fuit praegnas, qui parere potuit?
What are you saying? How could she give birth who was never pregnant?
§199nam équidem illi uterum, quod sciam, numquam extumere sensi.
For indeed, as far as I know, I never noticed her belly swelling.
§200Celabat metuebatque te, ne tu sibi persuaderes, §201ut abortioni operam daret puerumque ut enicaret.
She was keeping it secret and was afraid of you, lest you should persuade her to work for an abortion and kill the child.
Then, by Pollux, the father of that boy is the Babylonian soldier, whose arrival she is now waiting for.
Indeed, as it was announced by him, they say he will be here soon.
nondum advenisse miror.
I wonder that he has not yet arrived.
§205Ibo igitur intro?
Shall I go inside then?
§205bQuippini? tam audacter quam domum ad te; §206nam tu quidem edepol noster es etiam nunc, Diniarche.
Why not? As boldly as into your own house; for indeed, by Pollux, you are ours even now, Diniarchus.
§207Quam mox te huc recipis?
How soon will you return here?
§207bIam hic ero: propest, profecta quo sum.
I shall be here soon: the place where I am going is nearby.
§208Redi véro actutum.
Do return immediately, then.
ego interim hic apud vos opperibor. — §209Hahahaé, requievi,
In the meantime, I will wait here at your house.— Ha, ha, ha!
§210quia íntro abiit odiúm meum.
I can breathe again, because that pest of mine has gone inside.
§211tandém sola súm.
At last I am alone.
nunc quidém meo arbitrátu §212loquár liberé quae volam ét quae lubébit.
Now indeed, at my own pleasure, I will speak freely what I wish and what pleases me.
§213huic hómini amanti méa era apud nos naéniam dixit domi, §214nam fundi et aedis obligatae sunt ob Amoris praedium.
My mistress has sung the funeral song at our house for this loving man, for his lands and house have been mortgaged for Love's estate.
§215verum apud hunc mea era sua consilia summa eloquitur libere, §216magisque ádeo ei consiliarius hic amicust quam auxiliarius.
But my mistress freely speaks her highest plans in his presence, and indeed, this friend is more of a counselor to her than a helper.
§217dum fuit, dedit; nunc nihil habet: quod habebat nos habemus, §218iste id habet quod nos habuimus.
While he had, he gave; now he has nothing: what he had, we have, and he has that which we had.
humanum facinus factumst.
A very human business has been done.
§219actutum fortunae solent mutari, varia vitast:
Fortune is wont to change quickly; life is full of variety.
§220nos divitem istum meminimus atque iste pauperes nos: §221verterunt sese memoriae; stultus sit qui id miretur.
We remember him rich, and he remembers us poor: Memories have turned themselves around; he would be a fool who should wonder at it.
§222si eget, necessest nos pati: amavit, aequom ei factum est.
If he is in need, we must endure it: he loved, and it serves him right.
§223piaculumst miserere nos hominum rei male gerentum.
It is a sin to pity men who manage their affairs badly.
§227meretricem sentis similem ésse condecet, §228quémquem hominem attigerit, profecto ei aut malum aut damnum dare.
It is fitting that a courtesan be like a thorn-bush, that whatever man she touches, she is sure to cause him either pain or loss.
§229numquam amatoris meretricem oportet causam noscere, §230quin, ubi nil det, pro infrequente eum mittat militia domum.
A courtesan ought never to listen to a lover's excuses, but, when he gives nothing, she should send him home as a deserter from service.
§231nec umquam erit probus quísquam amator nisi qui rei inimicust suae.
Nor will there ever be any good lover unless he is an enemy to his own estate.
§232nugae sunt nisi, modo quom dederit, dare iam lubeat denuo; §233is amatur hic apud nos, qui quod dedit id oblitust datum.
It is nothing unless, when he has just given, he already pleases to give again anew; he is loved here at our house, who has forgotten that what he gave was given.
§234dum habeat, dúm amet; ubi nil habeat, alium quaestum coepiat.
While he has, let him love; when he has nothing, let him start some other trade.
§235aequo animo, ipse si nihil habeat, aliis quí habent, det locum.
With an easy mind, if he himself has nothing, let him yield his place to others who do.
But men proclaim that we are wont to deal badly with them, and that we are greedy.
qui sumus? quid male nos agimus tandem?
How are we so? What bad thing do we do, pray?
§239nam ecastor numquam satis dedit suae quísquam amicae amator, §240neque pol nos satis accepimus neque umquam úlla satis poposcit.
For, by Castor, no lover has ever given enough to his mistress, nor, by Pollux, have we received enough, nor has any woman ever demanded enough.
§241nam quando sterilis est amator ab datis, §242si negat se habere quod det, soli credimus, §243nec satis accipimus, satis cum quod det non habet: §244semper datores novos oportet quaerere, §245qui de thensauris integris demus danunt.
For when a lover is barren in respect to gifts, if he denies having anything to give, we believe him alone, nor do we receive enough, since he doesn't have enough to give: we must always seek new givers, who give us gifts from untouched treasuries.
§246velút hic agrestis est adulescens, qui hic habet, §247nimis pól mortalis lepidus nimisque probus dator.
Just like this rustic young man who lives here, by Pollux, a very charming fellow and an extremely fine giver.
§250sed est huic unus servos violentissimus, §251qui ubi quámque nostrarum videt prope hasce aédis adgrediri, §252item ut de frumento anseres, clamore absterret abigit; §253ita est agrestis.
But he has one extremely violent slave, who, when he sees any of our women approaching near this house, scares them off and drives them away with shouting, just like geese from corn; he is so rustic.
sed fores, quidquid ést futurum, feriam.
But, whatever shall be, I will knock on the door.
§254_255ecquis huíc tutelam ianuae gerit? ecquis intus exit?
Is anyone keeping guard over this door? Is anyone coming out from inside?
§256Quís illic est qui tam proterve nostras aedis arietat?
Who is that over there who batters our house so insolently?
§257Ego sum, respice ad me.
It's me, look back at me.
§257bQuid ego? nonne egó videor tibi?
What about me? Do I not seem to be looking at you?