Humanitext Reader

Terence · Adelphoe §438-510

Hegio Denounces Aeschinus's Misdeed to Demea

Passage 10 of 18 · Latin

Summary

Demea learns from his old friend Hegio the shocking news that his son Aeschinus has violated and impregnated a freeborn girl, and now intends to abandon her. Hegio strongly demands that Demea and his family take moral responsibility as befits their high status.

§438Sed quis illic est procul quem video? estne hic Hegio, §439Tribulis noster? si satis cerno, is hercle est: vah,
Demea: But who is that far off whom I see? Is this Hegio, Demea: our fellow-tribesman? If I see clearly, by Hercules, it is he.
§440Homo amicus nobis iam inde a puero.
Ah, Demea: a man who has been a friend to us right from boyhood.
Di boni!
Good gods!
§441Nae illiusmodi iam nobis magna civium §442Penuria est: homo antiqua virtute ac fide.
Demea: Indeed, of that kind we now have a great Demea: scarcity of citizens: a man of ancient virtue and faith.
§443Haud cito mali quid ortum ex hoc sit publice.
Demea: Not easily would any evil arise from him to the public.
§444Quam gaudeo ubi etiam huius generis reliquias
Demea: How glad I am when I see even the remnants of this class Demea: still remaining!
§445Restare video! Ah, vivere etiam nunc libet.
Ah, even now it is a pleasure to live.
§446Opperiar hominem hic, ut salutem et conloquar.
Demea: I will wait for the man here, so that I may greet him and speak with him.
§447Pro Di immortales, facinus indignum, Geta.
Hegio: Pro immortal gods, a shameful deed, Geta!
§448Quid narras?
Geta: What are you saying?
§448bSic est factum.
Geta: So it was done.
§448cEx illan familia §449Tam illiberale facinus esse ortum? O Aeschine, §450Pol haud paternum istuc dedisti.
Hegio: That from that family Hegio: such an illiberal deed should have arisen? O Aeschinus, Hegio: by Pollux, you have done this not at all in your father's way.
§450bVidelicet §451De psaltria hac audivit: id illi nunc dolet §452Alieno: pater is nihili pendit.
Demea: (Aside) Clearly Demea: (Aside) he has heard about this music-girl: that pains him now, Demea: stranger as he is; the father thinks nothing of it.
Hei mihi!
Ah, me!
§453Utinam hic prope adesset alicubi, atque audiret haec.
Demea: (Aside) If only he were near here somewhere, and could hear these things.
§454Nisi facient quae illos aequum est, haud sic auferent.
Hegio: Unless they do what is fair for them to do, they shall not carry it off thus.
§455In te spes omnis, Hegio, nobis sita est.
Geta: All our hope, Hegio, is placed in you.
§456Te solum habemus: tu es patronus, tu parens: §457Ille tibi moriens nos commendavit senex.
Geta: We have you alone: you are our protector, you are our parent: Geta: that dying old man commended us to you.
§458Si deseris tu, periimus.
Geta: If you desert us, we are ruined.
§458bCave dixeris.
Hegio: Beware of saying so.
§459Neque faciam, neque me satis pie posse arbitror.
Hegio: Neither will I do it, nor do I think I can do so with proper piety.
§460Adibo.
Demea: I will go up to him.
Salvere Hegionem plurimum §461Iubeo.
I bid Hegio a very hearty Demea: good health.
§461bTe quaerebam ipsum.
Hegio: I was looking for you yourself.
Salve Demea.
Health to you, Demea.
§462Quid autem?
Demea: What is the matter?
§462bMaior filius tuus Aeschinus, §463Quem fratri adoptandum dedisti, neque boni §464Neque liberalis functus officium est viri.
Hegio: Your elder son Aeschinus, Hegio: whom you gave to your brother to be adopted, has performed the duty Hegio: of neither a good nor an honorable man.
§465Quid istuc est?
Demea: What is that?
§465bNostrum amicum noras Simulum §466Atque aequalem?
Hegio: You knew our friend Simulus, Hegio: and our contemporary?
§466bQuidni?
Demea: Why not?
§466cFiliam eius virginem §467Vitiavit.
Hegio: He has violated Hegio: his virgin daughter.
§467bHem!
Demea: Ah!
§467cMane; nondum audisti, Demea, §468Quod est gravissimum.
Hegio: Wait; you have not yet heard, Demea, Hegio: what is most serious.
§468bAn quid est etiam amplius?
Demea: Is there even something more?
§469Vero amplius; nam hoc quidem ferendum aliquo modo est: §470Persuasit nox, amor, vinum, adolescentia: §471Humanum est.
Hegio: More indeed; for this indeed is to be borne in some way: Hegio: night, love, wine, youth persuaded him; Hegio: it is human.
Ubi scit factum, ad matrem virginis §472Venit ipsus ultro lacrimans, orans, obsecrans, §473Fidem dans, iurans se illam ducturum domum.
When he knew it was done, to the mother of the virgin Hegio: he came himself of his own accord, weeping, praying, beseeching, Hegio: giving his word, swearing that he would lead her home as his wife.
§474Ignotum est; tacitum est; creditum est.
Hegio: He was pardoned; it was kept secret; he was believed.
Virgo ex eo §475Compressu gravida facta est: mensis hic decimus est.
The virgin from that Hegio: connection became pregnant: this is now the tenth month.
§476Ille bonus vir nobis psaltriam, si Dis placet, §477Paravit quicum vivat, illam deserit.
Hegio: That 'good man' for us, if it please the gods, Hegio: has procured a music-girl to live with, and deserts her.
§478Pro certon tu istaec dicis?
Demea: Do you say those things for certain?
§478bMater virginis §479In medio est; ipsa virgo; res ipsa: hic Geta §480Praeterea, ut captus est servorum non malus §481Neque iners, alit illas: solus omnem familiam §482Sustentat: hunc abduce, vinci; quaere rem.
Hegio: The mother of the virgin Hegio: is in public view; the virgin herself; the matter itself; and Geta here Hegio: besides, not a bad servant as servants go, Hegio: nor lazy, feeds them: he alone supports Hegio: the whole household: take him away, bind him, search out the truth.
§483Immo hercle extorque, nisi ita factum est, Demea.
Geta: Nay, by Hercules, torture me, if it was not done so, Demea.
§484Postremo non negabit: coram ipsum cedo.
Hegio: In short, he will not deny it: bring him face to face.
§485Pudet: nec quid agam neque quid huic respondeam §486Scio.
Demea: (Aside) I am ashamed; neither what to do nor what to answer him Demea: do I know.
§486bMiseram me, differor doloribus.
Sostrata: (From within) Miserable me! I am distracted with pains.
§487Iuno Lucina, fer opem: serva me, obsecro.
Sostrata: Juno Lucina, bring aid; save me, I beseech you.
§487bHem.
Hegio: Ah.
§488Numnam illa quaeso parturit?
Demea: Is she, I pray, in labor?
§488bCerte Hegio.
Geta: Certainly, Hegio.
§488cHem.
Hegio: Oh.
§489Illaec fidem nunc vestram implorat, Demea: §490Quod vos vis cogit, id voluntate impetret.
Hegio: She now implores your faith, Demea: Hegio: what force would compel you to do, let her obtain by your free will.
§491Haec primum ut fiant Deos quaeso ut vobis decet: §492Sin aliter animus vester est, ego, Demea, §493Summa vi defendam hanc atque illum mortuum.
Hegio: I pray the gods first that these things may be done as is fitting for you; Hegio: but if your mind is otherwise, Demea, Hegio: with the greatest strength I will defend her and that dead man.
§494Mihi cognatus erat: una a pueris parvulis §495Sumus educti; una semper militiae et domi §496Fuimus; paupertatem una pertulimus gravem.
Hegio: He was my kinsman: together from very small boys Hegio: we were brought up; we were always together in military service and at home; Hegio: we endured heavy poverty together.
§497Quapropter nitar, faciam, experiar, denique §498Animam relinquam potius quam illas deseram.
Hegio: Wherefore I will strive, I will do, I will try, and finally, Hegio: I will rather leave my life than desert them.
§499Quid mihi respondes?
Hegio: What do you answer me?
§499bFratrem conveniam, Hegio: §500Is quod mihi de hac re dederit consilium id sequar.
Demea: I will meet my brother, Hegio: Demea: whatever advice he gives me about this matter, I will follow it.
§501Sed Demea hoc tu facito, cum animo cogites §502Quam vos facillime agitis, quam estis maxime §503Potentes, dites, fortunati, nobiles, §504Tam maxime vos aequo animo aequa noscere §505Oportet, si vos vultis perhiberi probos.
Hegio: But Demea, see to this, that you ponder in your mind Hegio: how you live most easily, how you are most especially Hegio: powerful, rich, fortunate, noble; Hegio: so most especially it behooves you with an equal mind to recognize equal things, Hegio: if you wish to be accounted honest men.
§506Redito: fient quae fieri aequum est omnia.
Hegio: Return; all things which are fair to be done shall be done.
§507Decet te facere.
Hegio: It becomes you to do so.
Geta duc me intro ad Sostratam.
Geta, lead me inside to Sostrata.
§508Non me indicente haec fiunt.
Demea: Not without my foretelling do these things happen.
Utinam hic sit modo §509Defunctum: verum nimia illaec licentia §510Profecto evadet in aliquod magnum malum.
If only here it may be Demea: finished; but that excessive indulgence Demea: will surely turn out into some great evil.

Notes

  1. 441illiusmodi — illiusmodi, containing the genitive of the noun modus, serves as a genitive of quality with an adjectival function modifying civium, meaning "of that kind".
  2. 450haud paternum istuc dedisti — The verb dedisti (dare) is used not in the sense of "to give" but "to commit" or "to perform an action"; paternum functions adverbially, meaning "not at all in a fatherly manner have you done that."
  3. 458bCave dixeris — The imperative cave (from cavere) followed by the perfect subjunctive dixeris is a standard Latin construction for a negative command (prohibition) with ne omitted, meaning "do not say so."
  4. 460Salvere Hegionem plurimum iubeo — The phrase salvere iubere (+ accusative) is a standard Latin idiom for greeting, structured as an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction, meaning "I bid Hegio to be in the best of health."
  5. 480ut captus est servorum — The phrase ut captus est (+ genitive) is a limiting idiomatic expression meaning "according to the capacity or standard of", signifying here "considering the capacity or standard of slaves."
  6. 490Quod vos vis cogit, id voluntate impetret — The antecedent of the relative clause quod vos vis cogit ("what force [vis] compels you [vos]") is id in the main clause, and impetret is a present subjunctive of wish or exhortation, advising them to do willingly what legal power would otherwise enforce.

Cite this passage

Terence, Adelphoe §438-510. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi006.humanitext-lat2:438-510

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