before the plaintiff explains how that treasure is his, or how it came into his father's monument.
§14Dehinc ne frustretur ipse se, aut sic cogitet, §15"Defunctus iam sum, nihil est quod dicat mihi; "
Henceforth, let him not deceive himself, or think thus: "I am already done with it, there is nothing he can say to me"; I warn him not to err, and to cease to attack.
§16Is ne erret moneo et desinat lacessere. §17Habeo alia multa quae nunc condonabitur; §18Quae proferentur post, si perget laedere §19Ita ut facere instituit.
I have many other things which for now shall be overlooked; which will be brought forward later, if he continues to offend as he has begun to do.
Quam nunc acturi sumus §20Menandri Eunuchum postquam Aediles emerunt,
The play which we are now about to act, Menander's Eunuch, after the Aediles purchased it, he managed to obtain for himself an opportunity of inspecting it.
When the magistrates were present, the performance began.
§23Exclamat furem non poetam fabulam §24Dedisse, et nihil dedisse verborum tamen; §25Colacem esse Naevi et Plauti veterem fabulam; §26Parasiti personam inde ablatam et militis.
He cried out that a thief, not a poet, had produced the play, and yet had deceived no one by his words; that it was the Colax, an old play of Naevius and Plautus; and that the characters of the parasite and the soldier were stolen from it.
If that is a fault, the fault is the ignorance of the poet, not of one who intended to commit a theft.
§29Id ita esse vos iam iudicare poteritis.
That this is so, you will now be able to judge.
§30Colax Menandri est; in ea est parasitus Colax, §31Et miles gloriosus; eas se non negat §32Personas transtulisse in Eunuchum suam §33Ex Graeca; sed eas fabulas factas prius §34Latinas scisse sese id vero pernegat.
There is a Colax of Menander; in it there is a parasite, Colax, and a bragging soldier; these characters he does not deny that he transferred into his own Eunuch from the Greek; but that those plays had previously been made into Latin, he indeed utterly denies that he knew.
§35Quod si personis iisdem uti aliis non licet, §36Qui magis licet currentes servos scribere, §37Bonas matronas facere, meretrices malas, §38Parasitum edacem, gloriosum militem, §39Puerum supponi, falli per servum senem, §40Amare, odisse, suspicari? Denique
But if it is not allowed to use the same characters, how is it more allowed to write of running slaves, to represent good matrons, bad courtesans, a greedy parasite, a bragging soldier, a child being substituted, an old man being deceived by a slave, to love, to hate, to suspect?
§41Nullum est iam dictum, quod non dictum sit prius.
In short, nothing is said now that has not been said before.
Therefore it is fair that you should understand and pardon, if the moderns do what the ancients used to do.
Give your attention, and listen in silence, so that you may thoroughly learn what the Eunuch means.
§46Quid igitur faciam? non eam? ne nunc quidem
PHAEDRIA: What then shall I do? Shall I not go? Not even now, when I am invited of her own accord?
Or should I rather so resolve not to endure the insults of courtesans?
§49Exclusit: revocat.
She shut me out; she recalls me.
Redeam? non, si me obsecret.
Shall I return? No, not if she should entreat me.
§50Si quidem hercle possis, nihil prius neque fortius: §51Verum si incipies, neque pertendes naviter, §52Atque ubi pati non poteris, cum nemo expetet, §53Infecta pace, ultro ad eam venies, indicans §54Te amare et ferre non posse, actum est: ilicet:
PARMENO: If indeed, by Hercules, you could do so, nothing would be better or more courageous; but if you begin, and do not persist in it resolutely, and when you cannot endure it, when no one asks for you, peace being unmade, you come to her of your own accord, showing that you love her and cannot bear it, it is all over; it is done: you are ruined.
§55Peristi. Eludet, ubi te victum senserit.
She will tease you when she perceives you are conquered.
§56Proin tu dum est tempus etiam atque etiam cogita, §57Here, quae res in se neque consilium neque modun §58Habet ullum eam consilio regere non potes.
Therefore, while there is time, think of it again and again, master; a matter which in itself has neither reason nor any rule cannot be managed by reason.
§59In amore haec omnia insunt vitia; iniuriae, §60Suspiciones, inimicitiae, indutiae, §61Bellum, pax rursum.
In love, all these evils are inherent: insults, suspicions, enmities, truces, war, then peace again.
Incerta haec si tu postules §62Ratione certa facere, nihilo plus agas §63Quam si des operam ut cum ratione insanias.
If you expect to make these uncertain things certain by reason, you would do no more than if you should strive to be mad with reason.
§64Et quod nunc tute tecum iratus cogitas, §65"Egone illam quae illum? quae me? quae non? sine modo:
And as for what you are now in your anger thinking to yourself: "Shall I go to her who accepted him? who shut me out? who did not accept me?
§66Mori me malim: sentiet qui vir siem; " §67Haec verba una mehercle falsa lacrimula, §68Quam oculos terendo misere vix vi expresserit, §69Restinguet: et te ultro accusabit: et dabis §70Ei ultro supplicium.
Just let me alone; I would rather die; she shall feel what a man I am"; these words, by Hercules, with one little false tear, which she with difficulty by squeezing has scarcely forced from her eyes, she will extinguish; and she will moreover accuse you, and you will of your own accord plead for her mercy.
§70bO indignum facinus! nunc ego et
PHAEDRIA: Oh, shameful deed!
§71Illam scelestam esse et me miserum sentio; §72Et taedet; et amore ardeo; et prudens sciens, §73Vivus vidensque pereo; nec quid agam scio.
Now I feel both that she is wicked, and that I am wretched; and I am weary of it, yet I burn with love; and knowingly and willingly, alive and seeing, I perish; nor do I know what to do.
§74Quid agas nisi ut te redimas captum quam queas
PARMENO: What should you do but redeem yourself, being captured, as cheaply as you can?
If you cannot for a very little, then at what price you can; and do not afflict yourself.
§76bItane suades?
PHAEDRIA: Is that what you advise?
§76cSi sapis: §77Neque praeterquam quas ipse amor molestias §78Habet addas, et illas quas habet recte feras.
PARMENO: If you are wise: and do not add to those troubles which love itself has, and those which it has, bear them properly.
But look, here she comes out herself, the ruin of our estate; for she intercepts what we ought to obtain.
§81Miseram me! vereor ne illud gravius Phaedria §82Tulerit, neve aliorsum atque ego feci acceperit, §83Quod heri intromissus non est.
THAIS: Wretched me! I fear lest Phaedria should have taken it too heavily, or should have taken it otherwise than I intended, because he was not admitted yesterday.
§83bTotus Parmeno
PARMENO: Completely, Parmeno.