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Terence · Phormio §637-708

Phormio's Demands and Chremes' Offer of Payment

Passage 14 of 20 · Latin

Summary

Geta reports Phormio's steep demands for settling his debts, and Chremes offers to pay this sum to hasten the marriage. Finding himself cornered, Antipho confronts Geta in anger, but Geta explains his scheme to use the wedding preparation period to buy time.

§637Si tu aliquam partem aequi bonique dixeris, §638Ut est ille bonus vir, tria non commutabitis §639Verba hodie inter vos. " §639bQuis te istaec iussit loqui?
Geta: "If you suggest any share of what is fair and reasonable, since he is such an honest man, you two will not exchange three words today." Demipho: Who ordered you to say such things?
§640Immo non potuit melius pervenirier §641Eo quo nos volumus.
Geta: On the contrary, it was impossible to arrive more successfully at the point where we want to be.
§641bOccidi.
Antipho: (Aside) I am ruined.
§641cPerge eloqui.
Chremes: Go on, tell us.
§642A primo homo insanibat.
Geta: At first, the fellow was stark mad.
§642bCedo, quid postulat?
Chremes: Tell me, what does he demand?
§643Quid? nimium quantum libuit.
Geta: What? As much as ever he pleased, excessively.
§643bDie.
Demipho: Tell me.
§643cSi quis daret §644Talentum magnum. §644bImmo malum hercle: ut nihil pudet.
Geta: "If anyone would give," "a great talent." Demipho: No, a plague on him indeed! How he has no shame.
§645Quod dixi adeo ei. "Quaeso quid si filiam
Geta: That is why I said to him, "Pray, what if he were portioning out his only daughter?
§646Suam unicam locaret? parvi retulit §647Non suscepisse: inventa est quae dotem petat. "
It was of little consequence not to have brought her up, since one has been found to demand a dowry." To be brief, and to pass over his silly talk, this was in short his final proposal: "I," he said, "from the very beginning wanted to marry my friend's daughter, as was indeed just; for I kept thinking of her misfortune, in being given poor to a rich husband, into slavery.
§648Ad pauca ut redeam, ac mittam illius ineptias; §649Haec denique eius fuit postrema oratio: §650"Ego," inquit, "iam a principio amici filiam, §651Ita ut acquum fuerat, volui uxorem ducere: §652Nam mihi veniebat in mentem eius incommodum, §653In servitutem pauperem ad ditem dari: §654Sed mihi opus crat, ut aperte tibi nunc fabuler, §655Aliquantulum quae afferret qui dissolverem §656Quae debeo; et etiam nunc, si vult Demipho §657Dare quantum ab hac accipio quae sponsa est mihi, §658Nullam mihi malim quam istanc, uxorem dari. "
But I had need, to speak openly to you now, of a wife who would bring a little something with which to pay what I owe; and even now, if Demipho wishes to give as much as I am receiving with this one who is betrothed to me, I would prefer to have no wife given to me rather than her." Antipho: (Aside) Whether he is doing this out of folly or malice, I am uncertain; whether knowingly or unknowingly.
§659Utrum stultitia facere ego hunc an malitia §660Dicam, scientem an imprudentem, incertus sum. §661Quid si animam debet?
Demipho: What if he owes his very soul?
§661b"Ager oppositus est pignori, §662Ob decem minas," inquit. §662bAge, age; iam ducat: dabo.
Geta: "My land is mortgaged," he said, "for ten minae." Demipho: Well, well; let him marry her now; I will give it.
§663"Aediculae item sunt ob decem alias. "
Geta: "A small house likewise is mortgaged for another ten." Demipho: Oh!
§663bOi! hui!
Alas!
§664Nimium est.
Chremes: It is too much.
§664bNe clama: petito hasce a me decem.
Demipho: Do not cry out; you may demand these ten from me.
§665"Uxori emenda ancillula est: tum pluscula §666Supellectile opus est: opus est sumtu ad nuptias:
Geta: "A little maidservant must be bought for my wife; then a little more furniture is needed; there must be expense for the wedding.
§667His rebus sane pone," inquit, "decem minas. " §668Sexcentas proinde scribito iam mihi dicas.
For these things, set down surely," he said, "ten minae." Demipho: Then let him bring six hundred lawsuits against me now.
§669Nihil do: impuratus me ille ut etiam irrideat?
I will give nothing; is that scoundrel to laugh at me as well?
§670Quaeso, ego dabo, quiesce: tu modo filius §671Fac ut illam ducat nos quam volumus.
Chremes: Pray, I will give it, be quiet; do you only make your son marry her whom we wish.
§671bHei mihi, §672Geta, occidisti me tuis fallaciis.
Antipho: (Aside) Ah, wretched me, Geta, you have ruined me with your deceits.
§673Mea causa eiicitur: me hoc est aequum amittere.
She is cast out for my sake; it is fair for me to lose this.
§674"Quantum potest me certiorem," inquit, "face; §675Si illam dant, hanc ut mittam; ne incertus siem; §676Nam illi mihi dotem iam constituerunt dare. " §677Iam accipiat; illis repudium renuntiet; §678Hanc ducat.
Geta: "Let me know for certain as soon as possible," he said, "so that if they give her, I may dismiss this other; lest I be in uncertainty; for they have already resolved to give me the dowry." Chremes: Let him receive it now; let him send back a divorce to them; let him marry this one.
§678bQuae quidem illi res vertat male.
Demipho: And may this matter turn out ill for him!
§679Opportune adeo argentum nunc mecum attuli, §680Fructum quem Lemni uxoris reddunt praedia: §681Id sumam: uxori tibi opus esse dixero.
Chremes: Quite opportunely, I have just now brought money with me, the rent which my wife's estates at Lemnos bring in; I will take that; I will tell my wife that you had need of it.
§682Geta.
Antipho: Geta!
§682bHem.
Geta: Oh!
§682cQuid egisti?
Antipho: What have you done?
§682dEmunxi argento senes.
Geta: I have cleaned the old men out of their money.
§683Satin est id?
Antipho: Is that enough?
§683bNescio hercle: tantum iussus sum.
Geta: By Hercules, I do not know; I was only ordered to get so much.
§684Eho, verbero, aliud mihi respondes ac rogo?
Antipho: Ho, scoundrel, do you answer me something else than what I ask?
§685Quid ergo narras?
Geta: What do you mean then?
§685bQuid ego narrem? opera tua
Antipho: What should I say?
§686Ad restim mihi quidem res rediit planissime.
Thanks to your doing, matters have indeed come most clearly to the halter for me.
§687Ut te quidem omnes Di, Deaeque, Superi, Inferi, §688Malis exemplis perdant.
May all the gods and goddesses, above and below, destroy you with a wretched end.
Hem, si quid velis, §689Huic mandes, qui te ad scopulum e tranquillo auferat.
Look, if you want anything, you should entrust it to this fellow, who may carry you from a calm into a reef.
§690Quid minus utibile fuit quam hoc ulcus tangere, §691Aut nominare uxorem? iniecta est spes patri
What was less useful than to touch this sore, or to name my wife?
§692Posse illam extrudi. Cedo nunc porro, Phormio
Hope has been inspired in my father that she can be thrust out.
§693Dotem si accipiet, uxor ducenda est domum: §694Quid fiet?
Tell me now furthermore, if Phormio receives the dowry, he must take her home as his wife; what will happen?
§694bNon enim ducet.
Geta: But he will not marry her.
§694cNovi: caeterum, §695Quum argentum repetent, nostra causa scilicet §696In nervum potius ibit.
Antipho: I know; but, when they demand the money back, for our sake, of course, he will go to prison rather than refund it.
§696bNihil est, Antipho, §697Quin male narrando possit depravarier.
Geta: There is nothing, Antipho, that cannot be made worse by telling it badly.
§698Tu id quod boni est excerpis; dicis quod mali est.
You pick out what is good, and speak of what is bad.
§699Audi nunc contra iam: si argentum acceperit, §700Ducenda est uxor, ut ais: concedo tibi.
Now listen to the other side: if he receives the money, he must marry her, as you say; I grant you that.
§701Spatium quidem tandem apparandis nuptiis, §702Vocandi, sacrificandi dabitur paululum.
Yet, after all, some little time will be given for preparing the wedding, for inviting, and for sacrificing.
§703Interea amici quod polliciti sunt dabunt: §704Inde istis reddet.
Meanwhile, his friends will give what they have promised; out of that he will refund it to them.
§704bQuamobrem? aut quid dicet?
Antipho: For what reason? Or what will he say?
§704cRogas?
Geta: Do you ask?
§705"Quot res postilla monstra evenerunt mihi!
"How many portents have happened to me since then!
§706Introiit in aedes ater alienus canis; §707Anguis per impluvium decidit de tegulis; §708Gallina cecinit; interdixit hariolus;
A strange black dog entered into my house; a snake fell down from the tiles through the impluvium; a hen crowed; a soothsayer forbade it;"

Notes

  1. 637aequi bonique — `aequi bonique` are neuter genitives of quality or partitive genitives modifying `aliquam partem` (literally, "some part of what is fair and good"). The expression `tria non commutabitis verba` ("you will not exchange three words") is an idiomatic exaggeration meaning they will reach an agreement quickly with very few words.
  2. 640pervenirier — An archaic form of the present passive infinitive (equivalent to the standard `perveniri`), used here with `non potuit` in an impersonal passive construction. Literally, "it could not have been arrived at more successfully," meaning they could not have reached their desired goal any better.
  3. 646parvi retulit — The perfect tense `retulit` of the impersonal verb `refert` ("it matters, is of importance") combined with `parvi`, a genitive of value or importance. The phrase `parvi retulit` means "it was of little consequence" or "it mattered little," taking the following infinitive clause `non suscepisse` ("not to have brought up/acknowledged the child") as its subject.
  4. 655qui — An old ablative or adverbial form (equivalent to `quo` or `quibus`), functioning as a relative adverb of means or purpose. Here it introduces the relative clause of purpose `qui dissolverem...` with the imperfect subjunctive `dissolverem` ("by which I might pay off..."), modifying the implied portion or dowry (`aliquantulum`).
  5. 668scribito iam mihi dicas — A legal idiom combining `dicas`, the accusative plural of `dica` (borrowed from Greek δίκη, meaning "lawsuit"), and `scribito`, the future imperative of `scribere` ("to write down lawsuits/indictments"). `Sexcentas` ("six hundred") is a conventional Latin exaggeration for an indefinitely large number, expressing Demipho's angry refusal: "Then let him bring countless lawsuits against me now."
  6. 673me hoc est aequum amittere — An accusative and infinitive construction `me... amittere` serving as the subject of the impersonal phrase `aequum est` ("it is fair/just"). `hoc` (losing his wife) is the direct object of `amittere`, forming Antipho's bitter and self-deprecating aside.
  7. 686Ad restim mihi quidem res rediit — `res redit ad restim` (literally, "the matter has returned to the rope/halter") is a colloquial Latin idiom expressing extreme despair, meaning "things have come to such a pass that I might as well hang myself." It highlights Antipho's utter desperation at the prospect of losing his wife due to Geta's schemes.

Cite this passage

Terence, Phormio §637-708. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi004.humanitext-lat2:637-708

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