Amphitryo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi: Amphitryon, The Comedy of Asses, The Pot of Gold, The Two; Bacchises, The CaptivesPlautus, Titus Maccius
General
Amphitryo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi: Amphitryon, The Comedy of Asses, The Pot of Gold, The Two; Bacchises, The Captives
Plautus, Titus Maccius
Latin drama (Comedy); Latin drama (Comedy) -- Translations into English
Say that a treacherous act, a disloyal thought were things
undreamed of even in the dark hours of distress. When my
father knows of this, Tyndarus, knows what your spirit
toward his son and himself has been, he will never be so
niggardly as not to set you free at his own expense; and
if I return, I will put forth my own efforts to make him
the more ready to do it.
nam tua opera et comitate et virtute et sapientia 410
fecisti ut redire liceat ad parentis denuo,
cum apud hunc confessus es et genus et divitias meas:
quo pacto emisisti e vinclis tuom erum tua sapientia.
For it is through your efforts and good will and devotion
and wisdom that I have a chance to go back to my parents
once more, inasmuch as you informed this gentleman of my
family and wealth: thanks to your wisdom in doing so, your
master’s fetters have been removed.
_Philocr._
Feci ego ista ut commemoras, et te meminisse id gratum est mihi.
merito tibi ea venerunt a me; nam nunc, Philocrates,
si ego item memorem quae me erga multa fecisti bene,
nox diem adimat; nam quasi servos meus esses, nihilo setius
tu mihi obsequiosus semper fuisti.
Right you are, sir, so I did, and I’m glad you remember it.
You deserve anything I’ve done for you, too; why, sir, if I
was to go on like that now and mention how many good turns
you’ve done me, it would take all day and more; why, it was
just as if you had been my slave, not a bit different, the
deferential way you’ve always treated me.
_Hegio_
Di vostram fidem,
hominum ingenium liberale. ut lacrumas excutiunt mihi.
videas corde amare inter se. quantis lautus laudibus 420
suom erum servos collaudavit.
(_half aside_) Bless my soul, what noble natures! Dear,
dear, it brings the tears to my eyes! You can see they are
simply devoted to each other. The way that splendid slave
praised his own master--a perfect panegyric!
_Tynd._
Pol istic me haud centesimam
partem laudat quam ipse meritust ut laudetur laudibus.
Heavens, sir, he doesn’t praise me a hundredth part as much
as he deserves to be praised himself.
_Hegio_
Ergo cum optume fecisti, nunc adest occasio
bene facta cumulare, ut erga hunc rem geras fideliter.
(_to Philocrates_) Well then, having been such an excellent
servant, here is an opportunity to crown your services by
carrying through this business for him faithfully.
_Philocr._
Magis non factum possum velle, quam opera experiar persequi;
id ut scias, Iovem supremum testem laudo, Hegio.
me infidelem non futurum Philocrati.
I’ll be just as keen in actually trying to do it as I can be
for wanting it done, sir; and to prove it, sir, I swear by
God Almighty that I’ll never be unfaithful to Philocrates--
_Hegio_
Probus es homo.
(_heartily_) Worthy fellow!
_Philocr._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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