DE. Disperii: Ctesiphonem audivi filium una
adfuisse in raptione cum Aeschino.
DE. I'm ruined! I heard that my son Ctesipho
was present with Aeschinus in the abduction.
Id misero restat mihi mali, si illum potest,
qui alicui reist etiam, eum ad nequitiem adducere.
That misery remains for me, if he who is still
of some account to someone can lead him to worthlessness.
Ubi ego illum quaeram? credo abductum in
ganeum aliquo: persuasit ille impurus, sat scio.
Where shall I look for him? I believe he's
been taken to some eating-house: that scoundrel has persuaded him, I know well
enough.
Sed eccum Syrum ire video: iam hinc scibo ubi
siet.
But see, I see Syrus going: from him I'll now
know where he is.
Atqui hercle hic de grege illost: si me
senserit eum quaeritare, numquam dicet carnufex.
And yet, by Hercules, he's one of that flock:
if he perceives that I'm looking for him, the villain will never tell me.
O non ostendam id me velle.
Oh, I won't show that I want to.
SY. Omnem rem modo seni quo pacto haberet
ordine enarravimus. Nil quicquam vidi laetius.
SY. We have just now explained the whole
matter to the old man in due order. I have seen nothing more joyful.
DE. Pro Iuppiter, hominis stultitiam!
DE. By Jupiter, the folly of the man!
SY. Conlaudavit filium; mihi, qui id dedissem
consilium, egit gratias.
SY. He praised his son; he gave thanks to me,
who had given that advice.
DE. Disrumpor.
DE. I'm bursting.
SY. Argentum adnumeravit ilico; dedit
praeterea in sumptum dimidium minae: id distributum sanest ex sententia.
SY. He counted out the money immediately; he
also gave half a mina for expenses: that has been distributed quite to my
satisfaction.
DE. Em, huic mandes, siquid recte curatum
velis!
DE. Humph, you'd entrust something to him if
you wanted it properly taken care of!
SY. Ehem Demea, haud aspexeram te; quid
agitur?
SY. Aha, Demea, I hadn't seen you; what's
going on?
DE. Quid agatur? vestram nequeo mirari satis
rationem.
DE. What's going on? I cannot sufficiently
marvel at your way of doing things.
SY. Est hercle inepta, ne dicam dolo, absurda.
SY. By Hercules, it's foolish, not to say
cunning, absurd.
Piscis ceteros purga, Dromo; gongrum istum
maximum in aqua sinito ludere tantisper; ubi ego rediero, exossabitur; prius
nolo.
Clean the other fish, Dromo; let that huge
conger eel play in the water for a while; when I return, it will be boned; I
don't want it done before.
DE. Haecin flagitia!
DE. Such disgraceful things!
SY. Miquidem non placent, et clamo saepe.
Salsamenta haec, Stephanio, fac macerentur pulcre.
SY. They certainly don't please me, and I
often complain. Stephanio, make sure these pickled fish are thoroughly soaked.
DE. Di vostram fidem! Utrum studio id sibi
habet an laudi putat fore, si perdiderit gnatum? Vae misero mihi! Videre videor
iam diem illum, quom hinc egens profugiet aliquo militatum.
DE. Gods, your faith! Does he do this out of
inclination, or does he think it will be to his credit if he ruins his son? Woe
is me! I seem to see that day already, when he will flee from here in poverty
to serve as a soldier somewhere.
SY. O Demea, istuc est sapere, non quod ante
pedes modost videre, sed etiam illa quae futura sunt prospicere.
SY. O Demea, that is wisdom, not merely to see
what is at your feet, but also to foresee those things which are to come.
DE. Quid? istaec iam penes vos psaltriast?
DE. What? Is that musician already in your
house?
SY. Ellam intus.
SY. There she is, inside.
DE. Eho, an domist habiturus?
DE. Oh, is he going to keep her at home?
SY. Credo, ut est dementia.
SY. I believe so, as is his madness.
DE. Haecin fieri!
DE. That these things should happen!
SY. Inepta lenitas patris et facilitas prava.
SY. The foolish leniency of the father and his
perverse indulgence.
DE. Fratris me quidem pudet pigetque.
DE. I am indeed ashamed and disgusted with my
brother.
SY. Nimium inter vos, Demea, (non quia ades
praesens dico hoc) pernimium interest. Tu quantus quantus mi nisi sapientia es,
ille somnium.
SY. There's too much difference between you,
Demea, (I don't say this because you are present) far too much. You, as great
as you are, are nothing but wisdom to me, while he is a dream.
Sineres vero illum tu tuom facere haec?
Would you indeed allow that son of yours to do
these things?
DE. Sinerem illum? an non sex totis mensibus
prius olfecissem, quam ille quicquam coeperet?
DE. Allow him? Would I not have smelled it out
six whole months before he began anything?
SY. Vigilantiam tuam tu mihi narras?
SY. Are you telling me about your vigilance?
DE. Sic siet modo ut nunc est, quaeso.
DE. Let it be as it is now, I beg.
SY. Ut suom quisque esse volt, itast.
SY. As each wishes his own to be, so it is.
DE. Quid eum? vidistin hodie?
DE. What about him? Have you seen him today?
SY. Tuomne filium? Abigam hunc rus. Iam dudum
aliquid ruri agere arbitror.
SY. Your son? I'll drive him to the country. I
think he's been doing something in the country for a long time now.
DE. Satin scis ibi esse?
DE. Are you sure he's there?
SY. Oh, quem egomet produxi.
SY. Oh, the one I myself brought out.
DE. Optumest: metui ne haereret hic.
DE. Excellent: I was afraid he'd be lingering
here.
SY. Atque iratum admodum.
SY. And quite angry.
DE. Quid autem?
DE. What else?
SY. Adortus iurgiost fratrem apud forum de
psaltria ista.
SY. He attacked his brother with a quarrel in
the forum about that musician.
DE. Ain vero?
DE. Do you say so?
SY. Vah, nil reticuit. Nam ut numerabatur
forte argentum, intervenit homo de improviso: coepit clamare Aeschine, haecin
flagitia facere te! haec te admittere indigna genere nostro!
SY. Bah, he held nothing back. For as the
money was by chance being counted, the man unexpectedly intervened: he began to
shout, "Aeschinus, are you doing these disgraceful things! Are you
committing these acts unworthy of our family!"
DE. Oh, lacrumo gaudio.
DE. Oh, I weep with joy.
SY. Non tu hoc argentum perdis, sed vitam
tuam.
SY. "You are not losing this money, but
your life."
DE. Salvos sit, spero: est similis maiorum
suom.
DE. May he be safe, I hope: he is like his
ancestors.
SY. Hui!
SY. Humph!
DE. Syre, praeceptorum plenust istorum ille.
DE. Syrus, he is full of those precepts.
SY. Phy! Domi habuit unde disceret.
SY. Bah! He had someone at home from whom to
learn.
DE. Fit sedulo: nil praetermitto: consuefacio:
denique inspicere tamquam in speculum in vitas omnium iubeo atque ex aliis sumere
exemplum sibi. Hoc facito.
DE. I do it diligently: I omit nothing: I
accustom him: finally, I order him to look into the lives of all, as into a
mirror, and to take an example from others. "Do this."
SY. Recte sane.
SY. Quite right.
DE. Hoc fugito.
DE. "Avoid this."
SY. Callide.
SY. Cleverly.
DE. Hoc laudist.
DE. "This is praiseworthy."
SY. Istaec res est.
SY. That's it.
DE. Hoc vitio datur.
DE. "This is given as a fault."
SY. Probissime.
SY. Excellent.
DE. Porro autem—
DE. Furthermore—
SY. Non hercle otiumst nunc mi auscultandi.
Piscis ex sententia nanctus sum: ei mihi, ne corrumpantur, cautiost.
SY. By Hercules, I don't have time to listen
now. I've gotten fish to my liking: alas for me, I must be careful lest they
spoil.
Nam id nobis tam flagitiumst quam illa, Demea,
non facere vobis, quae modo dixisti: et quod queo conservis ad eundem istunc
praecipio modum: hoc salsumst, hoc adustumst, hoc lautumst parum, illud recte:
iterum sic memento.
For that is as great a disgrace for us as it
is for you not to do those things you just spoke of, Demea: and what I can, I
instruct my fellow slaves in that same manner: "This is too salty, this is
burnt, this is not washed enough, that is just right: remember it thus
again."
Sedulo moneo quae possum pro mea sapientia:
postremo tamquam in speculum in patinas, Demea, inspicere iubeo et moneo quid
facto usus sit.
I diligently advise what I can according to my
wisdom: finally, Demea, I order them to look into the dishes as into a mirror,
and I advise them what needs to be done.
Inepta haec esse, nos quae facimus, sentio;
verum quid facias? ut homost. Ita morem geras. Numquid vis?
I feel that these things we do are foolish;
but what can you do? That's how he is. So you must humor him. Do you want
anything?
DE. Mentem vobis meliorem dari.
DE. That a better mind be given to you.
SY. Tu rus hinc ibis?
SY. Will you go to the country from here?
DE. Recta.
DE. Straight away.
SY. Nam quid tu hic agas? Ubi siquid bene
praecipias, nemo optemperet.
SY. For what would you do here? Where if you
give any good advice, no one obeys.
Ego vero hinc abeo, quando is, quam ob rem huc
veneram, rus abiit: illum curo unum, ille ad me attinet.
I for my part am going from here, since he,
for whose sake I came here, has gone to the country: I care for that one alone,
he belongs to me.
Quando ita volt frater, de istoc ipse viderit.
Since my brother wishes it so, let him see to
that himself.
