Humanitext Reader

Terence · Adelphoe §882-945b

Demea's Excessive Generosity and Pressure on Micio to Marry

Passage 17 of 18 · Latin

Summary

Demea begins acting affably toward the slaves Syrus and Geta, and orders the wall between Micio's and the bride's houses to be demolished to join them. He then pressures Micio into marrying the bride's elderly mother.

§882Si id fit dando atque obsequendo, non posteriores feram.
Demea: If that is done by giving and yielding, I will not be left behind.
§883Deerit. Id mea minime refert qui sum natu maximus.
Money will run short, but that is of very little concern to me, who am the oldest.
§884Heus, Demea, rogat frater ne abeas longius.
Syrus: Hey, Demea, your brother asks that you do not go too far away.
§885Quis homo? O Syre noster salve: quid fit? quid agitur?
Demea: Who is that? Oh, our Syrus, greetings! How goes it? What's doing?
§886Recte.
Syrus: Fine.
§886bOptime est.
Demea: [To himself] Excellent.
Iam nunc haec tria primum addidi §887Praeter naturam: "O noster! quid fit? quid agitur?" §888Servum haud illiberalem praebes te; et tibi §889Libens bene faxim.
Just now I have added these three expressions first, contrary to my nature: "Our Syrus! How goes it? What's doing?" [To Syrus] You show yourself to be a servant by no means illiberal; and to you I would gladly do a favor.
§889bGratiam habeo.
Syrus: I am grateful.
§889cAtqui, Syre, §890Hoc verum est; et ipsa re experiere propediem.
Demea: But, Syrus, this is true; and you will soon experience it in reality.
§891Hera, ego huc ad hos provisam quam mox virginem
Geta: [To himself] Mistress, I will go look in on these people to see how soon they will summon the young lady.
§892Arcessant: sed eccum Demeam.
But here is Demea.
Salvus sies.
Greetings.
§893O, qui vocare?
Demea: Oh, what is your name?
§893bGeta.
Geta: Geta.
§893cGeta, hominem maximi §894Preti te esse hodie animo iudicavi meo:
Demea: Geta, I have judged in my mind today that you are a man of the greatest worth.
§895Nam is mihi profecto est servus spectatus satis §896Cui dominus curae est, ita uti tibi sensi, Geta:
For indeed he is a sufficiently proven servant to me who cares for his master, just as I perceived in you, Geta.
§897Et tibi ob eam rem, si quid usus venerit, §898Libens bene faxim. Meditor esse affabilis;
And for that reason, if any opportunity arises, I would gladly do you a favor. [To himself] I am practicing being affable, and it is going well.
§899Et bene procedit. §899bBonus es quum hace existimas.
Geta: You are kind when you think so.
§900Paulatim plebem primulum facio meam.
Demea: [To himself] Little by little I am making the common folk my own first.
§901Occidunt me quidem dum nimis sanctas nuptias §902Student facere: in apparando consumunt diem.
Aeschines: [To himself] They are killing me indeed while they are eager to make the wedding too solemn; they waste the whole day in preparation.
§903Quid agitur, Aeschine?
Demea: What is doing, Aeschines?
§903bEhem, pater mi, tu hic eras?
Aeschines: Ah, my father, were you here?
§904Tuus hercle vero et animo et natura pater, §905Qui te amat plus quam hosce oculos: sed cur non domum §906Uxorem arcessis?
Demea: Your father indeed, by Jove, both in affection and by nature, who loves you more than these eyes. But why do you not summon your wife home?
§906bCupio: verum hoc mihi morae est; §907Tibicina, et Hymenaeum qui cantent.
Aeschines: I wish to, but this is a delay to me: the flute-player and those who should sing the wedding-hymn.
§907bEho, §908Vin tu huic seni auscultare?
Demea: Hey, are you willing to listen to this old man?
§908bQuid?
Aeschines: What?
§908cMissa haec face, §909Hymenaeum, turbas, lampadas, tibicinas;
Demea: Let all these things go: the wedding-hymn, the crowds, the torches, the flute-players.
§910Atque hanc in horto maceriam iube dirui, §911Quantum potest;
And order this garden wall to be pulled down, as quickly as possible.
hac transfer; unam fac domum; §912Traduce et matrem et familiam omnem ad nos.
Bring her over through here; make it one house; bring both her mother and the whole household over to us.
§912bPlacet, §913Pater lepidissime.
Aeschines: I like that, most delightful father!
§913bEuge! iam lepidus vocor.
Demea: [To himself] Bravo!
§914Fratri aedes fient perviae: turbam domum §915Adducet; sumtum admittet; multa.
Now I am called "delightful." My brother's house will be made passable; he will bring a crowd home, he will incur expense; many things will happen.
Quid mea?
What is that to me?
§916Ego lepidus ineo gratiam.
I, being delightful, win favor.
Iube nunc iam §917Dinumeret illi Babylo viginti minas.
Let him now order Babylo to count out twenty minae for him.
§918Syre, cessas ire ac facere?
[To Syrus] Syrus, do you hesitate to go and do it?
§918bQuid ago?
Syrus: What should I do?
§918cDirue.
Demea: Pull it down.
§919Tu illas abi et traduce.
[To Aeschines] You, go and bring them over.
§919bDi tibi, Demea, §920Bene faciant quum te video nostrae familiae §921Tam ex animo factum velle.
Aeschines: May the gods, Demea, bless you when I see you wish our family's interest so heartily.
§921bDignos arbitror.
Demea: I judge you worthy.
§922Quid ais tu?
Aeschines: What do you say?
§922bSic opinor.
Demea: So I think.
§922cMulto rectius est §923Quam illam puerperam nunc duci huc per viam §924Aegrotam.
It is much better than for that sick girl who has just given birth to be led here through the street.
§924bNihil enim vidi melius, mi pater.
Aeschines: Indeed, I have seen nothing better, my father.
§925Sic soleo: sed eccum Micio egreditur foras.
Demea: That is my way. But here is Micio coming out.
§926Iubet frater? ubi is est? Tun iubes hoc, Demea?
Micio: My brother orders? Where is he? Did you order this, Demea?
§927Ego vero iubeo et in hac re et aliis omnibus §928Quam maxime unam facere nos hanc familiam, §929Colere, adiuvare, adiungere.
Demea: Indeed I order it, both in this matter and in all others: that we make this household one as much as possible, to cherish, help, and join together.
§929bIta quaeso, pater.
Aeschines: Please, father.
§930Haud aliter censeo.
Micio: I do not think otherwise.
§930bImmo hercle ita nobis decet.
Demea: Nay, by Jove, so it is fitting for us.
§931Primum huius uxoris est mater.
First, there is the mother of his wife.
§931bQuid postea?
Micio: What then?
§932Proba et modesta.
Demea: A good and respectable woman.
§932bIta aiunt.
Micio: So they say.
§932cNatu grandior.
Demea: Advanced in years.
§933Scio.
Micio: I know.
§933bParere iam diu haec per annos non potest; §934Nec qui eam respiciat quisquam est: sola est.
Demea: She cannot bear children anymore due to her age; nor is there anyone to care for her: she is alone.
§934bQuam hic rem agit?
Micio: [To himself] What is he driving at?
§935Hanc te aequum est ducere; et te operam ut fiat dare.
Demea: It is right for you to marry her; and for you to see that it is done.
§936Me ducere autem?
Micio: Me marry her?
§936bTe.
Demea: You.
§936cMe?
Micio: Me?
§936dTe inquam.
Demea: You, I say.
§936eIneptis.
Micio: You are silly.
§936fSi tu sis homo, §937Hic faciat.
Demea: [To Aeschines] If you are a man, he should do it.
§937bMi pater.
Aeschines: My father.
§937cQuid? tu autem huic, asine, auscultas?
Micio: What? Do you listen to this ass, you blockhead?
§937dNihil agis: §938Fieri aliter non potest.
Demea: It is no use: it cannot be done otherwise.
§938bDeliras.
Micio: You are mad.
§938cSine te exorem, mi pater.
Aeschines: Let me persuade you, my father.
§939Insanis: aufer.
Micio: You are insane; stop.
§939bAge da veniam filio.
Demea: Come, yield to your son.
§939cSatin sanus es? ego
Micio: Are you quite in your senses?
§940Novus maritus anno demum quinto et sexagesimo §941Fiam, atque anum decrepitam ducam? Idne estis auctores mihi?
Am I, a new bridegroom at sixty-five years of age, to marry a decrepit old woman? Is that what you advise me?
§942Fac: promisi ego illis.
Aeschines: Do it; I have promised them.
§942bPromisti autem? de te largitor, puer.
Micio: You promised, did you? Be generous from your own resources, boy.
§943Age; quid si quid te maius oret?
Demea: Come; what if he asked something greater of you?
§943bQuasi non hoc sit maximum.
Micio: As if this were not the greatest.
§944Da veniam.
Demea: Yield.
§944bNe gravere.
Aeschines: Do not be reluctant.
§944cFac promitte.
Demea: Go on, promise.
§944dNon omittis?
Micio: Won't you leave me alone?
§945Non, nisi te exorem.
Aeschines: No, not unless I persuade you.
§945bVis est haec quidem.
Micio: This is indeed force.

Notes

  1. 883qui sum natu maximus — The antecedent of the relative pronoun "qui" is the first-person singular "I" implied in the possessive adjective "mea" (my) of the preceding clause "id mea minime refert". Thus, the verb "sum" in the relative clause is in the first person singular.
  2. 889bene faxim — "faxim" is an archaic or colloquial perfect subjunctive form (equivalent to "fecerim") in the first person singular. Here, it functions as an optative or potential subjunctive, expressing the speaker's willingness to perform a favor.
  3. 913biam lepidus vocor — "lepidus" is a characteristic adjective in Roman comedy meaning "charming, delightful, or witty." Demea, who has just been praised as "pater lepidissime" (most delightful father) by his son for granting his wish, reflects on this title with self-mockery and satisfaction.
  4. 936fSi tu sis homo — "sis" is a present subjunctive (conditional), and "faciat" is a present subjunctive of command or hortatory in the main clause. It translates to "If you were a man, he (Micio) should do this (marry)."

Cite this passage

Terence, Adelphoe §882-945b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi006.humanitext-lat2:882-945b

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.