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Terence · Eunuchus §386-455

Chaerea's Disguise and the Boasting of Thraso

Passage 9 of 20 · Latin

Summary

Parmeno and Chaerea decide to carry out their plan, and Chaerea goes inside to disguise himself as the eunuch. Meanwhile, the boastful captain Thraso arrives with his parasite Gnatho, bragging about his wit, before greeting Thais as she appears.

§386Quod qui rescierint culpent: illud merito factum omnes putent.
Those who find out about this would blame it; everyone would think that other thing was deservedly done.
§387Quid istic? si certum est facere facias: verum ne post conferas §388Culpam in me.
What of it? If you are determined to do it, do it; but do not lay the blame on me afterwards.
§388bNon faciam.
I will not do so.
§388cIubesne?
Do you order it?
§388dIubeo, cogo, atque impero.
I order, I compel, and I command.
§389Numquam defugiam auctoritatem: sequere.
I will never shirk the responsibility; follow me.
§389bDi vortant bene.
May the gods turn it out well.
§390Magnas vero agere gratias Thais mihi?
Is Thais really very grateful to me?
§391Ingentes.
Enormously.
§391bAin tu? laeta est?
Do you say so? Is she happy?
§391cNon tam ipso quidem §392Dono quam abs te datum esse: id vero serio §393Triumphat.
Not so much indeed for the gift itself as because it was given by you; for that she is truly in a state of triumph.
§393bHuc proviso ut, ubi tempus siet, §394Deducam: sed eccum militem.
I am coming out here to see that, when the time comes, I may lead them in; but look, there is the captain.
§394bEst istuc datum §395Profecto ut grata mihi sint quae facio omnia.
It is indeed my natural lot that everything I do is pleasing.
§396Adverti hercle animum.
By Hercules, I have noticed that.
§396bVel rex semper maximas §397Mihi agebat quidquid feceram; aliis non item.
Even the king always gave me the greatest thanks, whatever I had done; not so to others.
§398Labore alieno magnam partam gloriam §399Verbis saepe in se transmovet qui habet salem, §400Quod in te est.
A man who has wit often transfers to himself by words the great glory won by another's labor, which is in you.
§400bHabes.
You have it.
§400cRex te ergo in oculis— §400dScilicet.
Therefore the king held you in his eyes— Of course.
§401Gestare.
—to carry you.
§401bVero: credere omnem exercitum, §402Consilia.
True: he trusted the entire army and his counsels to me.
§402bMirum.
Wonderful.
§402cTum sicubi eum satietas §403Hominum, aut negoti si quando odium ceperat, §404Requiescere ubi volebat, quasi—nostin?
Then, if ever disgust with men or weariness of business had seized him, when he wanted to rest, as if—you know?
§404bScio: §405Quasi ubi illam exspueret iniseriam ex animo.
I know: as if when he would spit out that wretchedness from his mind.
§405bTenes.
You have it.
§406Tum me convivam solum abducebat sibi.
Then he would take me alone as his guest.
§406bHui!
Wow!
§407Regem elegantem narras.
You describe a refined king.
§407bImmo sic homo est §408Perpaucorum hominum.
Nay, indeed, he is a man of very few men.
§408bImmo nullorum arbitror, §409Si tecum vivit.
Nay, of none, I think, if he lives with you.
§409bInvidere omnes mihi; §410Mordere clanculum: ego non flocci pendere.
Everyone envied me, bit at me secretly; I didn't care a straw.
§411Illi invidere misere: verum unus tamen §412Impense, elephantis quem Indicis praefecerat.
They envied me miserably; but one however exceedingly, whom he had put in charge of the Indian elephants.
§413Is ubi molestus magis est, "Quaeso," inquam, "Strato, §414Eone es ferox quia habes imperium in belluas?" §415Pulchre mehercle dictum, et sapienter.
When he became more troublesome, "I ask you, Strato," said I, "are you so fierce because you have power over beasts?" By Hercules, beautifully and wisely said!
Papae!
Oh!
§416Iugularas hominem.
You had cut the man's throat.
Quid ille?
What did he do?
§416bMutus ilico.
Dumb on the spot.
§417Quidni esset?
Why wouldn't he be?
§417bDi vestram fidem! hominem perditum §418Miserumque, et illum sacrilegum.
By the faith of the gods! A ruined and wretched man, and that other one a scoundrel.
§418bQuid illud Gnatho
What about that other matter, Gnatho?
§419Quo pacto Rhodium tetigerim in convivio,
Have I never told you how I touched a Rhodesian at a banquet?
§420Numquam tibi dixi? §420bNumquamn: sed narra, obsecro.
Never; but tell me, I pray.
§421Plus millies audivi.
I've heard it more than a thousand times.
§421bUna in convivio §422Erat hic quem dico Rhodius adolescentulus.
Together at a banquet there was this young Rhodesian man whom I am speaking of.
§423Forte habui scortum: coepit ad id alludere, §424Et me irridere.
By chance I had a courtesan with me; he began to play up to her and mock me.
"Quid agis," inquam, "homo impudens? §425Lepus es, et pulpamentum quaeris?" §425bHa, ha, he.
"What are you doing, shameless man?" said I, "You are a hare, and do you seek game?" Ha, ha, he!
§426Quid est?
What is it?
§426bFacete, lepide, laute; nihil supra.
Witty, charming, elegant; nothing could be better!
§427Tuumne, obsecro te, hoc dictum erat? vetus credidi.
I pray you, was this saying yours? I believed it was an old one.
§428Audieras?
Had you heard it?
§428bSaepe; et fertur in primis.
Often; and it is reported among the very best.
§428cMeum est.
It is mine.
§429Dolet dictum imprudenti adolescenti et libero.
That saying hurts a thoughtless and free-born youth.
§430At te Di perdant.
But may the gods destroy you.
§430bQuid ille, quaeso?
What did he do, pray?
§430cPerditus.
Ruined.
§431Risu omnes qui aderant emoriri: denique §432Metuebant omnes iam me.
All who were present were dying of laughter; in short, everyone now feared me.
§432bNon iniuria.
Not without reason.
§433Sed heus tu, purgone ego me de istac Thaidi, §434Quod ear me amare suspicata est?
But tell me, should I clear myself to Thais about that suspicion that she thinks I love her?
§434bNihil minus.
Nothing of the sort.
§435Immo auge magis suspicionem.
Nay, rather, increase the suspicion.
§435bCur?
Why?
§435cRogas?
You ask?
§436Scin? si quando illa mentionem Phaedriae §437Facit, aut si laudat, te ut male urat.
You know, if ever she mentions Phaedria or praises him, it is to burn you terribly.
§437bSentio.
I feel it.
§438Id ut ne fiat haec res sola est remedio.
That this may not happen, this is the only remedy.
§439Ubi nominabit Phaedriam, tu Pamphilam §440Continuo: si quando illa dicet, "Phaedriam §441Commissatum intromittamus:" tu, "Pamphilam §442Cantatum provocemus. "Si laudabit haec §443Illius formam, tu huius contra.
When she names Phaedria, you name Pamphila immediately; if she ever says, "Let's let Phaedria in to make merry," you say, "Let's call Pamphila out to sing." If she praises his beauty, you praise hers in return.
Denique §444Par pro pari referto, quod eam mordeat.
In short, return like for like, so that it may sting her.
§445Siquidem me amaret, tum istuc prodesset, Gnatho.
If indeed she loved me, Gnatho, then that would be useful.
§446Quando illud quod tu das exspectat atque amat, §447Iam dudum te amat, iam dudum illi facile fit §448Quod doleat; metuit semper quem ipsa nunc capit §449Fructum ne quando iratus tu alio conferas.
Since she expects and loves that which you give, she has loved you long ago; long ago it has become easy to give her cause for pain; she always fears lest in anger you should some day transfer elsewhere the profit she now receives.
§450Bene dixti: at mihi istuc non in mentem venerat.
You have spoken well; but that had not come into my mind.
§451Ridiculum: non enim cogitaras: caeterum §452Idem hoc tute melius quanto invenisses Thraso!
Ridiculous! For you had not thought of it; otherwise, how much better would you yourself have devised this very same thing, Thraso!
§453Audire vocem visa sum modo militis.
I seemed just now to hear the voice of the captain.
§454Atque eccum.
And there he is.
Salve mi Thraso.
Greetings, my Thraso.
§454bO Thais mea, §455Meum suavium, quid agitur? ecquid nos amas
Oh, my Thais, my sweet, how is it going? Do you love me at all?

Notes

  1. §386Quod qui rescierint culpent — The subjunctives culpent and putent function as potential subjunctives (or expressing a hypothetical judgment) in the apodosis to the conditional relative clause qui rescierint ('those who should find out about this'). Quod is a relative pronoun referring to the previously mentioned plan of tricking the father.
  2. §390Magnas vero agere gratias Thais mihi — agere is a historical infinitive used with the subject Thais (nominative singular) to describe a past ongoing action or state with vividness ('Is Thais really very grateful to me?').
  3. §398Labore alieno magnam partam gloriam verbis saepe in se transmovet qui habet salem — The clause qui habet salem serves as the relative clause qualifying an implied subject (such as is) of the main verb transmovet. The core structure is qui habet salem, [is] saepe transmovet in se verbis gloriam... ('he who has wit often transfers to himself by words the glory...'). partam is a perfect participle modifying gloriam.
  4. §400cRex te ergo in oculis— — The idiom in oculis gestare ('to cherish highly', literally 'to carry in one's eyes') is split across the dialogue between Gnatho and Thraso. Gnatho begins with Rex te ergo in oculis, Thraso interrupts with Scilicet, and Gnatho finishes the idiom with Gestare (historical infinitive).
  5. §446iam dudum illi facile fit quod doleat — The clause quod doleat ('that which may cause her pain' or 'her grieving') acts as the logical subject of facile fit ('it is easy for that which pains her to happen', i.e., 'it is easy to make her suffer'). The subjunctive doleat characterizes the nature of the pain.

Cite this passage

Terence, Eunuchus §386-455. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi003.humanitext-lat2:386-455

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