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Terence · Andria §692-749b

Pamphilus's Vow and Davus's Scheme with the Baby

Passage 14 of 18 · Latin

Summary

Pamphilus declares his eternal devotion to Glycerium, and Davus devises a new scheme by instructing Mysis to place the baby in front of Chremes's door. When Chremes arrives, Davus pretends to return from the forum to begin his charade.

§692Age si hic non insanit satis sua sponte instiga.
Charinus: Come, if he is not crazy enough of his own accord, egg him on further.
§692bAtque edepol §693Ea res est: proptereaque nunc misera in maerore est.
Mysis: And by Pollux, that is the case; and therefore now the poor girl is in grief.
§693bMysis, §694Per omnes tibi adiuro deos numquam eam me deserturum; §695Non si capiundos mihi sciam esse inimicos omnes homines.
Pamphilus: Mysis, I swear to you by all the gods that I will never desert her; not even if I knew that all men must be made my enemies.
§696Hanc mihi expetivi, contigit: conveniunt mores: valeant
I sought her for myself, I obtained her; our characters agree.
§697Qui inter nos discidium volunt: hanc nisi mors mihi adimet nemo.
Let them depart, who want a separation between us; no one but death shall take her from me.
§698Resipisco.
Charinus: I am coming to my senses.
§698bNon Apollinis magis verum atque hoc responsum est.
This response is not more true than Apollo's own.
§699Si poterit fieri ut ne pater per me stetisse credat §700Quo minus hae fierent nuptiae, volo.
Pamphilus: If it can be managed so that my father does not believe it was my doing that this wedding did not take place, I wish it.
Sed si id non poterit, §701Id faciam in proclivi quod est per me stetisse ut credat.
But if that cannot be, I will do what is easy, to make him believe it was indeed my doing.
§702Quis videor?
How do I seem to you?
§702bMiser aeque atque ego.
Charinus: As wretched as I am.
§702cConsilium quaero.
Pamphilus: I am looking for a plan.
§702dFortis!
Davus: Brave!
§703Scio quid conere?
Charinus: Do I know what you are attempting?
§703bHoc ego tibi profecto effectum reddam.
Davus: I will certainly bring this about for you.
§704Iam hoc opus est.
Pamphilus: There is need of this right now.
§704bQuin iam habeo.
Davus: But I already have it.
§704cQuid est?
Charinus: What is it?
§704dHuic, non tibi habeo, ne erres.
Davus: I have it for him, not for you, lest you mistake.
§705Sat habeo.
Charinus: I have enough.
§705bQuid facies? cedo.
Pamphilus: What will you do? Tell me.
§705cDies mihi hic ut satis sit vereor §706Ad agendum: ne vacuum esse me nunc ad narrandum credas.
Davus: I fear that this day will not be sufficient for me for acting; so do not believe that I am now free for telling.
§707Proinde hinc vos amolimini: nam mihi impedimento estis.
Therefore, clear out of here, both of you; for you are a hindrance to me.
§708Ego hanc visam.
Pamphilus: I will go to see her.
§708bQuid tu? quo hinc te agis?
Davus: What about you? Where are you going from here?
§708cVerum vis dicam?
Charinus: Do you want me to tell the truth?
§708dImmo etiam §709Narrationis incipit mihi initium.
Davus: Nay indeed, the beginning of a story is starting for me.
§709bQuid me fiet?
Charinus: What will become of me?
§7110Eho tu impudens non satis habes quod tibi dieculam addo §711Quantum huic promoveo nuptias?
Davus: Hey, you impudent fellow, is it not enough for you that I give you a short delay, by as much as I postpone the wedding for him?
§711bDave attamen.
Charinus: Davus, yet still...
§711cQuid ergo?
Davus: What then?
§712Ut ducam.
Charinus: That I may marry her.
§712bRidiculum.
Davus: Ridiculous.
§712cHuc face ad me ut venias si quid poteris.
Charinus: See to it that you come to my house, if you can do anything.
§713Quid veniam? nihil habeo.
Davus: Why should I come? I have nothing.
§713bAt tamen siquid.
Charinus: But still, if anything.
§713cAge veniam.
Davus: Well, I will come.
§713dSi quid §714Domi ero.
Charinus: If anything, I shall be at home.
§714bTu Mysis dum exeo parumper opperire hic.
Davus: You, Mysis, wait here for a little while until I come out.
§715Quapropter?
Mysis: Why?
§715bIta facto est opus.
Davus: It is necessary to do so.
§715cMatura.
Mysis: Hurry.
§715dIam inquam hic adero.
Davus: I say I will be here immediately.
§716Nihilne esse proprium cuiquam? Di vestram fidem:
Mysis: Is nothing secure for anyone? Ye gods, by your faith!
§717Summum bonum esse herae putavi hunc Pamphilum, §718Amicum, amatorem, virum in quovis loco §719Paratum: verum ex eo nunc misera quem capit
I thought this Pamphilus was my mistress's supreme good, a friend, a lover, a husband ready in any place; but indeed from him now, poor girl, what grief she receives!
§720Dolorem! facile hic plus mali est, quam illic boni.
Clearly there is more evil here than there was good there.
§721Sed Davus exit.
But Davus is coming out.
Mi homo quid istuc obsecro est?
My good man, what is that, pray?
§722Quo portas puerum?
Where are you carrying the child?
§722bMysis nunc opus est tua §723Mihi ad hanc rem exprompta memoria atque astutia.
Davus: Mysis, now I need your ready memory and cleverness for this business.
§724Quidnam incepturus?
Mysis: What are you about to begin?
§724bAccipe a me hunc ocius, §725Atque ante nostram ianuam appone.
Davus: Take this child from me quickly, and place him before our door.
§725bObsecro §726Humine?
Mysis: Pray, on the ground?
§726bEx ara hinc sume verbenas tibi §727Atque eas substerne.
Davus: Take sacred herbs for yourself from this altar here, and strew them underneath.
§727bQuamobrem id tute non facis?
Mysis: Why don't you do that yourself?
§728Quia si forte opus sit ad herum iurandum mihi §729Non apposuisse ut liquido possim.
Davus: Because, if by chance there should be need for me to swear to my master, I may be able to do so with a clear conscience that I did not place him.
§729bIntelligo: §730Nova nunc religio in te istaec incessit cedo?
Mysis: I understand; has this new religious scruple just come upon you? Tell me.
§731Move ocius te, ut quid agam porro intelligas.
Davus: Move yourself quickly, so that you may understand what I am going to do next.
§732Pro Iupiter.
O Jupiter!
§732bQuid est?
Mysis: What is it?
§732cSponsae pater intervenit.
Davus: The bride's father is coming.
§733Repudio quod consilium primum intenderam.
I reject the plan I had first intended.
§734Nescio quid narres.
Mysis: I don't know what you are talking about.
§734bEgo quoque hinc ab dextera §735Venire me assimulabo: tu ut subservias §736Orationi ut quomque opus sit verbis vide.
Davus: I also from here, on the right, will pretend that I am coming; see that you assist my speech with words, however there is need.
§737Ego quid agas nihil intelligo: sed si quid est §738Quod mea opera opus sit vobis, aut tu plus vides, §739Manebo, ne quod vestrum remorer commodum.
Mysis: I don't understand at all what you are doing; but if there is anything in which you need my help, or if you see further, I will remain, lest I delay your advantage.
§740Revertor postquam quae opus fuere ad nuptias §741Gnatae paravi, ut iubeam arcessi.
Chremes: I am returning, after preparing what was necessary for my daughter's wedding, to bid them summon him.
Sed quid hoc?
But what is this?
§742Puer hercle est.
By Hercules, it's a baby.
Mulier tune apposuisti hunc?
Woman, did you place this here?
§742bUbi illic est?
Mysis: Where is he?
§743Non mihi respondes?
Chremes: Do you not answer me?
§743bNusquam est: vae miserae mihi, §744Reliquit me homo atque abiit.
Mysis: He is nowhere; woe to wretched me, the man has left me and gone away.
§744bDi vestram fidem, §745Quid turbae est apud forum? quid illic hominum litigant?
Davus: Ye gods, by your faith, what a crowd there is in the forum! What a lot of men are disputing there!
§746Tum annona cara est: quid dicam aliud nescio.
Besides, provisions are dear; I don't know what else to say.
§747Cur tu obsecro hic me solam?
Mysis: Why, pray, did you leave me here alone?
§747bQuae est haec fabula?
Chremes: What story is this?
§748Eho Mysis, puer hic unde est? quisve huc attulit?
Davus: Hey, Mysis, where is this baby from? Or who brought him here?
§749Satin sanus es qui me id rogites?
Mysis: Are you quite sane to ask me that?
§749bQuem igitur rogem?
Davus: Whom should I ask then?

Notes

  1. 695capiundos mihi sciam esse inimicos — capiundos is an archaic spelling of capiendos. Together with esse, it forms a passive periphrastic infinitive representing obligation or necessity, with mihi functioning as the dative of agent: 'that all men must be made enemies by me.' This acts as the accusative and infinitive clause dependent on sciam.
  2. 699per me stetisse credat — The idiom stare per aliquem quominus (with subjunctive) means 'to be someone's fault that something is prevented or does not happen.' Here, the perfect infinitive stetisse is used in an indirect statement after credat: 'lest my father believe it was my fault that these nuptials did not take place.' This contrasts with the same construction in §701, where he says it would be easy to make his father believe it was indeed his fault.
  3. 710non satis habes quod tibi dieculam addo — The phrase satis habere followed by a quod clause means 'to be satisfied with the fact that.' Dieculam is a diminutive of dies, meaning 'a little day' or 'a brief respite.' Davus is asking Charinus: 'Are you not satisfied with the fact that I am granting you a little delay?'
  4. 728opus sit ad herum iurandum mihi — iurandum is a gerundive (passive future participle). The impersonal construction opus est with the dative of agent (mihi) means 'there is need for me to.' Attached to ad herum, it means 'if by chance there should be need for me to swear to my master.'

Cite this passage

Terence, Andria §692-749b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi001.humanitext-lat2:692-749b

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