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Terence · Eunuchus §631-691c

Phaedria's Return and the Capture of Dorus

Passage 13 of 20 · Latin

Summary

Phaedria turns back from going to the country and meets the panicked Pythias at home. She tells him that the eunuch he gifted has violated the girl and fled; Phaedria catches the real eunuch Dorus, but Pythias insists that this old man is not the youth who committed the crime.

§631Peiorem partem.
to the worse side.
Quid opus est verbis? dum haec puto §632Praeterii imprudens villam: longe iam abieram
What need of words? while I am thinking of these things, I passed the villa without realizing it: I had already gone far when I noticed it.
§633Cum sensi: redeo rursum, male vero me habens.
I turn back again, feeling really wretched.
§634Ubi ad ipsum veni diverticulum, constiti.
When I came to the very crossroad, I stopped.
§635Occepi mecum cogitare: "Hem! biduum hic §636Manendum est soli sine illa? quid tum postea?
I began to think to myself: "Well! must I stay here for two days, alone without her? what then after that?
§637Nihil est: quid? nihil? si non tangendi copia est, §638Eho, ne videndi quidem erit? si illud non licet,
It is nothing. What? Nothing? If there is no opportunity of touching her, well, will there not even be one of seeing her?
§639Saltem hoc licebit.
If that is not allowed, at least this will be.
Certe extrema linea §640Amare haud nihil est. "Villam praetereo sciens.
Certainly to love even at the furthest limit is not nothing." I pass the villa knowingly.
§641Sed quid hoc quod timida subito egreditur Pythias?
But what is this, that Pythias is suddenly coming out in terror?
§642Ubi ego illum scelerosum misera atque impium inveniam? aut ubi quaeram?
Where shall I, miserable woman, find that wicked and impious scoundrel? Or where shall I look for him?
§643Hocine tam audax facinus facere esse ausum?
That he should have dared to commit so bold a crime!
§643bPerii! hoc quid sit vereor.
I am ruined! I fear what this may be.
§644Quin etiam insuper scelus, postquam ludificatus est virginem, §645Vestem omnem miserae discidit; tum ipsam capillo conscidit.
Nay, what is more, as a crowning wickedness, after he defiled the girl, he tore all the clothes of the poor thing; then he dragged her by the hair.
§646Hem.
Ah!
§646bQui nunc si detur mihi, §647Ut ego unguibus facile illi in oculos involem venefico.
If only he were given to me now, how gladly I would fly at that scoundrel's eyes with my nails!
§648Nescio, quid profecto absente nobis turbatum est domi.
I know not what trouble has surely been stirred up at home in our absence.
§649Adibo.
I will go up to her.
Quid istuc? quid festinas? aut quem quaeris, Pythias?
What is the matter? Why are you in such a hurry? Or whom are you looking for, Pythias?
§650Ehem, Phaedria, ego quem quaeram? ine hinc quo dignus es cum donis tuis §651Tam lepidis?
Oh, Phaedria! Whom am I looking for? Go away from here to where you deserve, with your so very charming gifts! So charming, indeed?
§651bQuid istuc est rei?
What is the matter?
§652Rogas me? Eunuchum quem dedisti nobis quas turbas dedit!
Do you ask me? What a turmoil that eunuch you gave us has caused!
§653Virginem, herae quam dono dederat miles, vitiavit.
He has defiled the girl whom the soldier had given as a gift to my mistress.
§653bQuid ais?
What do you say?
§654Perii.
I am ruined.
§654bTemulenta es.
You are drunk.
§654cUtinam sic sient qui mihi male volunt.
I wish those who wish me ill were in such a state.
§655Au, obsecro, mea Pythias, quid istuc nam monstri fuit?
Oh, I beseech you, my Pythias, what on earth was this monstrous thing?
§656Insanis: qui istuc facere eunuchus potuit?
You are mad; how could a eunuch do such a thing?
§656bEgo illum nescio §657Qui fuerit: hoc quod fecit res ipsa indicat.
I do not know who he was; what he did, the fact itself shows.
§658Virgo ipsa lacrimat, neque cum rogites quid sit, audet dicere.
The girl herself is weeping, and when you ask what is the matter, she does not dare to speak.
§659Ille autem bonus vir nusquam apparet.
And that "good man" is nowhere to be seen.
Etiam hoc misera suspicor, §660Aliquid domo abeuntem abstulisse.
I, miserable as I am, even suspect this, that he stole something when he left the house.
§660bNequeo mirari satis §661Quo ille abire ignavus possit longius; nisi si domum §662Forte ad nos rediit.
I cannot wonder enough where that cowardly fellow could have gone any further, unless perhaps he has returned home to us.
§662bVise amabo num sit.
Go and see, please, if he is there.
§662cIam faxo scies.
I will make you know shortly.
§663Perii! obsecro tam infandum facinus, mea tu, ne audivi quidem.
I am ruined! I beseech you, my dear, I never even heard of such an unspeakable crime.
§664At pol ego amatores mulierum esse audieram eos maximos, §665Sed nihil potesse; verum miserae non in mentem venerat; §666Nam illum aliquo conclusissem, neque illi commisissem virginem.
But by Pollux, I had heard that they are the greatest lovers of women, but can do nothing; but it had not occurred to my wretched mind; for otherwise I would have shut him up somewhere, and would not have entrusted the girl to him.
§667Exi foras, sceleste: at etiam restitas §668Fugitive? prodi, male conciliate.
Come out, scoundrel! Do you still resist, you runaway? Come forward, you bad bargain!
§668bObsecro.
I beseech you.
§668cOh, §669Illud vide, os ut sibi distorsit carnufex.
Oh, look at that, how the executioner's meat distorts his face!
§670Quid huc tibi reditio est? vestis quid mutatio?
Why have you returned here? Why this change of clothes?
§671Quid narras? Paulum si cessassem, Pythias, §672Domi non offendissem; ita iam ornarat fugam.
What are you saying? Pythias, if I had delayed but a little, I would not have found him at home; he had already so prepared his flight.
§673Habesne hominem amabo?
Do you have the man, pray?
§673bQuidni habeam?
Why shouldn't I have him?
§673cFactum bene!
Well done!
§674Istuc pol vero bene.
Indeed, by Pollux, that is well.
§674bUbi est?
Where is he?
§674cRogitas? non vides?
Do you ask? Don't you see him?
§675Videam? obsecro quem?
I see him? I beseech you, whom?
§675bHunc scilicet.
This man, of course.
§675cQuis hic est homo?
Who is this man?
§676Qui ad vos deductus hodie est.
The one who was brought to you today.
§676bHunc oculis suis §677Nostrarum numquam quisquam vidit, Phaedria.
This man, none of our women has ever seen with her eyes, Phaedria.
§678Non vidit?
Not seen him?
§678bAn tu hunc credidisti esse, obsecro, §679Ad nos deductum?
Did you believe, I pray, that this was the one brought to us?
§679bNamque alium habui neminem.
Why, I had no other.
Oh!
§680Ne comparandus hic quidem ad illum est: ille erat §681Honesta facie et liberali.
This one is not even to be compared to that one: he was of a handsome and noble appearance.
§681bIta visus est §682Dudum, quia varia veste exornatus fuit: §683Nunc eo tibi videtur foedus, quia illam non habet.
So he seemed just now, because he was adorned with a variegated garment: now he seems ugly to you for this reason, because he does not have it.
§684Tace, obsecro; quasi vero paulum intersiet.
Be quiet, please; as if indeed there were only a little difference.
§685Ad nos deductus hodie est adolescentulus, §686Quem tu videre vero velles, Phaedria.
The one brought to us today was a youth, Phaedria, whom you indeed would have liked to see.
§687Hic est vetus, victus, veternosus senex, §688Colore mustelino.
This is an old, worn-out, lethargic old man, of a weasel color.
§688bHem, quae haec est fabula?
Ah, what story is this?
§689Eo redigis me ut quid egerim egomet nesciam.
You reduce me to a point where I don't know what I myself have done.
§690Eho tu! emine ego te?
Hey you! Did I buy you?
§690bEmisti.
You bought me.
§690cIube, mihi denuo §691Respondeat.
Order him to answer me again.
§691bRoga.
Ask him.
§691cVenistine hodie ad nos? negat.
Did you go to them today? He says no.

Notes

  1. 631Peiorem partem — This continues from "cogitare, et ea omnia in" at the end of the previous chunk. Combined with the preposition "in", "in peiorem partem" forms an idiomatic phrase meaning "in a worse light" or "unfavorably", modifying the action of thinking or interpreting.
  2. 639extrema linea — Literally "at the furthest line." It metaphorically means "from a distance," "indirectly," or "at the very least." Derived from the outer boundaries in painting or racecourses, it expresses Phaedria's resigned state of mind that loving someone from afar, even without physical contact, is not entirely worthless.
  3. 647Ut ego unguibus facile illi in oculos involem — This subjunctive clause functions as an expression of strong desire or result, introduced by "ut," dependent on the preceding conditional clause "Qui nunc si detur mihi" (If only he were given to me now). It conveys an active wish: "how I would fly at his eyes."
  4. 662cIam faxo scies — "faxo" is an archaic colloquial form equivalent to the future perfect "fecero." Here it functions as the main verb, taking the future indicative "scies" without a conjunction (an ellipsis of "ut"). It expresses a strong promise or assurance: "I will make you know right away."

Cite this passage

Terence, Eunuchus §631-691c. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi003.humanitext-lat2:631-691c

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