§457mater dicta quod sum, eo magis studeo vitae; §458quae ausa hunc sum, tantundem dolum nunc adgrediar.
Because I am called a mother, I care all the more for his life; I, who have dared this deception, will now embark on another trick of equal measure.
§459lucri causa avara probrum sum exsecuta, §460alienos dolores mihi supposivi; §461sed nullam rem oportet dolose adgrediri, §462nisi astu totam accurateque exsequare.
For the sake of gain, greedy as I am, I have carried out a shameful deed, I have substituted another's birth-pangs as my own; But one ought not to undertake any business with deceit, unless you carry it out completely and carefully with cunning.
You yourselves already see how I walk about, dressed up: I am now pretending that I am sick from childbirth.
§465mále quod mulier fácere incepit, nísi id efficere pérpetrat, §466id illi morbo, id illi seniost, ea illi miserae miseriast; §467bene si facere incepit, eius rei nimis cito odium percipit.
When a woman has begun to do something bad, unless she thoroughly accomplishes it, that is a disease to her, that is old age to her, that is misery to the wretched woman; but if she has begun to do something good, she very quickly conceives a dislike for it.
§468nimis quam paucae sunt defessae, male quae facere occeperunt, §469nimisque paucae efficiunt, si quid facere occeperunt bene: §470mulieri nimio male facere levius onus est quam bene.
How very few women are tired of doing bad once they have begun, and how very few accomplish it, if they have begun to do something good: for a woman, doing evil is a much lighter burden than doing good.
§471ego quod mala sum, matris opera mala sum et meapte malitia, §472quae me gravidam esse adsimulavi militi Babylonio: §473eam nunc malitiam accuratam miles inveniat volo.
As for my being bad, I am bad through my mother's help and my own malice, I who pretended to the Babylonian soldier that I was pregnant: I want the soldier to find that malice executed perfectly now.
§474is hic haud multo post, credo, aderit; nunc prius praecaveo sciens §475sumque ornata ita ut aegra videar, quasi puerperio cubem.
He will be here, I believe, not long after; now beforehand I take precautions knowingly and am dressed up so that I may seem sick, as if I were lying in childbed.
§476date mi huc stactam atque ignem in aram, ut venerem Lucinam meam.
Give me myrrh-oil here, and fire on the altar, so that I may worship my Lucina.
§477hic apponite atque abite ab oculis.
Place it here and get out of my sight.
eho, Pithecium, §478face ut accumbam, accede, adiuta.
Hey, Pithecium, make me lie down, come here, help me.
em sic decet puerperam.
Look, this is how a woman in childbed should be.
§479soleas mihi deduce, pallium inice in me huc, Archilis.
Take off my sandals, throw the cloak over me here, Archilis.
§480ubi es, Astaphium? fer huc verbenam mi intus et bellaria.
Where are you, Astaphium? Bring me verbena from inside and sweetmeats.
§481date aquam manibus.
Give water for my hands.
nunc ecastor adveniat miles velim.
Now, by Castor, I wish the soldier would arrive.
§482Ne expectetis, spectatores, meas pugnas dum praedicem: §483manibus duella praedicare soleo, haud in sermonibus.
Do not expect, spectators, that I should proclaim my battles: I am accustomed to proclaim my battles with my hands, not in words.
§484scio ego multos memoravisse milites mendacium: §485et Homeronida et postilla mille memorari pote, §486qui et convicti et condemnati falsis de pugnis sient.
I know that many soldiers have recounted lies: both Homer-mimics and a thousand others afterwards can be mentioned, who have been both convicted and condemned for their false battles.
§487non laudandust cui plus credit qui audit quam ille qui videt: §489pluris est oculatus testis unus quam auriti decem; §490qui audiunt audita dicunt, qui vident plane sciunt.
He is not to be praised to whom he who hears gives more credit than he who sees: One eyewitness is worth more than ten ear-witnesses; those who hear say what they have heard, those who see know clearly.
§491non placet quem scurrae laudant, manipularis mussitant, §492neque illi quorum lingua gladiorum aciem praestringit domi.
I do not like the one whom the city-wits praise, while his fellow-soldiers mutter against him, nor those whose tongue at home blunts the edge of swords.
§493strenui nimio plus prosunt populo quam arguti et cati: §494facile sibi facunditatem virtus argutam invenit, §495sine virtute argutum civem mihi habeam pro praefica, §496quae alios conlaudat, eapse sese vero non potest.
Active men benefit the people much more than the talkative and clever ones: valor easily finds a clever eloquence for itself, a clever citizen without valor I would regard as a hired mourning-woman, who praises others, but herself indeed she cannot.
§497nunc ad amicam decimo mense post Athenas Atticas §498viso, quam gravidam hic reliqui meo compressu, quid ea agat.
Now, in the tenth month, I am going to see my mistress, after leaving Attic Athens, whom I left here pregnant by my embrace, to see how she is doing.
§499Vide quis loquitur tam propinque.
See who is speaking so near.
The soldier, my Phronesium, Stratophanes is here for you.
nunc tibi opust, aegram ut te adsimules.
Now you need to pretend you are sick.
§500bTace.
Be silent.
§501cuí adhuc ego tam mala eram monetrix, me maleficio vinceres?
To whom I was such a bad counselor up to now, would you surpass me in wrongdoing?
§502Peperit mulier, ut ego opinor.
The woman has given birth, as I think.
§502bVin adeam ad hominem?
Do you want me to go to the man?
§502cVolo.
I do.
§503Euge, Astaphium eccam it mi advorsum.
Excellent, look, Astaphium is coming to meet me.
§503bSalve ecastor, Stratophanes.
Greetings, by Castor, Stratophanes.
sed peperitne, ópsecro, Phronesium?
But has Phronesium given birth, I beg you?
§505Peperit puerum nimium lepidum.
She has given birth to an exceedingly charming boy.
§505bEhem, ecquid mei similest?
Aha! Is he at all like me?
§505cRogas?
Do you ask?
§506quin ubí natust machaeram et clupeum poscebat sibi?
Why, as soon as he was born, did he not demand a sword and shield for himself?
§507Meus est, scio iam de argumentis.
He is mine, I know it now from these proofs.
§507bNimium tuí similest.
He is exceedingly like you.
§507cPapae,
Good heavens!
§508iam magnust? iamne iit ad legionem? ecquae spolia rettulit?
Is he big already? Has he already gone to the legion? Has he brought back any spoils?
§509Heia, nudius quintus natus ille quidem est.
Oh come, he was only born four days ago.
§509bQuid postea?
What of it?
§510inter tot dies quidem hercle iam aliquid actum oportuit.
Indeed, by Hercules, in so many days something ought to have been done already.
§511quid illi ex utero exitiost prius quam poterat ire in proelium?
What is the use of his coming out of the womb before he could go into battle?
§512Consequere atque illam saluta et gratulare illi.
Follow me and greet her, and congratulate her.
§512bSequor.
I follow.
§513Vbi illa, óbsecro, est quae me hic reliquit, eapse abiit? ubist?
Where is she, I beg, who left me here and went away herself? Where is she?
§514Adsum, adduco tibi exoptatum Stratophanem.
Here I am, I bring you the longed-for Stratophanes.
§514bVbi is est, obsecro?
Where is he, I beg?