§260Quem ego intellexi illam haud minus quam se ipsum magnificare.
whom I have understood to cherish her no less than himself.
§261Neque adeo clam me est quam esse eum graviter laturum credam, §262Hoc si rescierit: eo domum studeo haec prius quam ille ut redeat.
And indeed it is not hidden from me how heavily I believe he will take it, if he finds this out; therefore I desire that she return home before he does.
§263Laches, et diligentiam vestram et benignitatem §264Novi; et quae dicis omnia esse ut dicis animum induco: §265Et te hoc mihi cupio credere: illam ad vos redire studeo,
Laches, I know both your diligence and your kindness; and I persuade myself that all the things you say are as you say: And I wish you to believe this of me: I desire that she return to you, if I could do it in any way.
What is it that prevents you from doing so?
§267Eho, numquidnam accusat virum?
Tell me, does she make any accusation against her husband?
§267bMinime; nam postquam attendi §268Magis, et vi coepi cogere ut rediret, sancte adiurat §269Non posse apud vos Pamphilo se absente perdurare.
Not at all; for after I paid closer attention, and began to force her by authority to return, she solemnly swears that she cannot remain at your house while Pamphilus is absent.
Perhaps different people have different faults: I was born with a gentle disposition; I cannot oppose my own people.
§271bHem, Sostrata!
Ah, Sostrata!
§271cHeu me miseram!
Alas, wretched me!
§272Certumne est istuc?
Is that certain?
§272bNunc quidem ut videtur: sed numquid vis?
For now indeed, as it seems; but do you want anything else?
§273Nam est quod me transire ad forum iam oporteat.
For there is a reason why I must go over to the forum now.
§273bEo tecum una.
I am going together with you.
§274Edepol ne nos sumus inique aeque omnes invisae viris, §275Propter paucas, quae omnes faciunt dignae ut videamur malo.
By Pollux, indeed we women are all equally and unjustly hated by our husbands, on account of a few, who make us all seem worthy of punishment.
§276Nam, ita me Di ament, quod me accusat nunc vir sum extra noxiam.
For, so help me the gods, as for what my husband now accuses me of, I am free from blame.
§277Sed non facile est expurgatu; ita animum induxerunt socrus §278Omnes esse iniquas: haud pol me quidem;
But it is not easy to clear oneself; they have so persuaded themselves that mothers-in-law are all unjust; by Pollux, not me indeed!
nam nunquam secus §279Habui illam ac si ex me esset nata: nec qui hoc mihi eveniat scio; §280Nisi pol filium multimodis iam exspecto ut redeat domum.
For I have never treated her otherwise than if she were my own daughter; nor do I know how this happens to me; except that, by Pollux, I am now eagerly expecting my son to return home in every way.
I believe that to no man have more bitter trials ever been presented from love than to me.
Heu me infelicem, hancine ego vitam parsi perdere?
Alas, unhappy me! Did I refrain from losing this life of mine?
§283Hacine causa ego cram tantopere cupidus redeundi domum, §284Cui quanto fuerat praestabilius ubivis gentium agere aetatem §285Quam huc redire, atque haec ita esse miserum me resciscere.
Was it for this reason that I was so exceedingly eager to return home, for whom how much better would it have been to spend my life anywhere in the world than to return here, and for wretched me to find out that things are thus.
§286Nam nos omnes, quibus est alicunde aliquis obiectus labos, §287Omne quod est interea tempus prius quam id rescitum est lucro est.
For to all of us, to whom some trouble from somewhere has been presented, all the time that passes before it is found out is so much gain.
§288At sic citius qui te expedias his aerumnis reperies.
But in this way you will more quickly find how to extricate yourself from these troubles.
§289Si non redisses, hae irae factae essent multo ampliores; §290Sed nunc adventum tuum ambas, Pamphile, scio reverituras.
If you had not returned, this anger would have become much greater; but now, Pamphilus, I know that both women will respect your arrival.
§291Rem cognosces; iram expedies; rursum in gratiam restitues.
You will learn the facts; you will clear away the anger; you will restore them back to favor.
§292Levia sunt haec quae tu pergravia esse in animum induxti tuum.
These things are light, which you have persuaded yourself are very heavy.
§293Quid consolare me? an quisquam usquam gentium est aeque miser?
Why do you console me? Is there anyone anywhere in the world equally wretched?
§294Prius quam hanc uxorem duxi habebam alibi animum amori deditum: §295Iam in hac re, ut taceam, cuivis facile scitu est quam fuerim miser: §296Tamen nunquam ausus sum recusare eam quam mihi obtrudit pater.
Before I married this wife, I had my mind devoted to love elsewhere: Now in this matter, to say nothing, it is easy for anyone to know how wretched I have been: Yet I never dared to refuse her whom my father thrust upon me.
§297Vix me illinc abstraxi, atque impeditum in ea expedivi animum meum, §298Vixque huc contuleram; hem, nova res orta est porro ab hac quae me abstrahat.
Hardly did I drag myself away from there, and extricated my entangled mind from her, and hardly had I directed it here; alas, a new trouble has arisen from her, which in turn drags me away.
§299Tum matrem ex ea re me aut uxorem in culpa inventurum arbitror; §300Quod ita quum esse invenero, quid restat nisi porro ut fiam miser?
Then, in this affair, I think I shall find either my mother or my wife in fault; and when I find that it is so, what remains but that I should be wretched henceforth?
§301Nam matris ferre iniurias me, Parmeno, pietas iubet.
For filial duty orders me, Parmeno, to bear my mother's wrongs.
§302Tum uxori obnoxius sum; ita olim suo me ingenio pertulit; §303Tot meas iniurias quae nunquam in ullo patefecit loco.
On the other hand, I am indebted to my wife; she bore with me in the past with such sweet temper; who never in any place revealed so many injuries of mine.
§304Sed magnum nescio quid necesse est evenisse, Parmeno, §305Unde ira inter eas intercessit quae tam permansit diu.
But something great, I know not what, must have happened, Parmeno, whence this anger arose between them which has lasted so long.
§306Haud quidem hercle parvum, si vis vero veram rationem exsequi.
Not a small thing indeed, by Hercules, if you wish to follow the true reasoning.
§307Non maximas quae maximae sunt interdum irae iniurias §308Faciunt; nam saepe est quibus in rebus alius ne iratus quidem est, §309Quum de eadem causa est iracundus factus inimicissimus.
It is not always the greatest injuries that produce the greatest angers; for often there are matters in which another would not even be angry, whereas an irritable man, from the same cause, is made a most bitter enemy.