Titus Maccius Plautus {Plautus}
254-185 BC
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era)
T. MACCI PLAVTI EPIDICVS
PERSONAE [Characters]
EPIDICVS SERVVS [Epidicus the slave]
THESPRIO SERVVS [Thresprio the slave]
STRATIPPOCLES ADVLESCENS [Stratippocles the young man]
CHAERIBVLVS ADVLESCENS [Chaeribulus the young man]
PERIPHANES SENEX [Periphanes the old man]
APOECIDES SENEX [Apoicides the old man]
FIDICINA
MILES [Soldier]
PHILIPPA MVLIER [Philippa a woman]
ACROPOLISTIS FIDICINA [Acropolistis the flute player]
DANISTA
TELESTIS VIRGO [Telestis the maiden]
ARGVMENTVM
Emit fidicinam, filiam credens, senex
Persuasu servi,
[An old man, through the persuasion of his slave, and through the confidence of his daughter, bought a flute-player, ]
atque conductam
Iterum pro amica ei subiecit filii.
[and he traded her back again in exchange for his son's girlfriend.]
Dat erili argentum.
[He gives the owner, just a boy, some money.]
eo sororem destinat
Imprudens iuvenis.
[The reckless young man directs his sister to him.]
compressae ac militis
Cognoscit opera sibi senex os sublitum —
[The old man recognizes the covered-up face of the girl and the tricks of a soldier--]
Vt ille amicam, haec quaerebat filiam —
[What happens is that the later begins to request his girlfriend , and she, her daughter--]
Sed inventa gnata servolum emittit manu.
[The daughter, once she's been discovered, frees the little slave boy.]
ACTVS I
I.i
EPIDICVS Heus, adulescens.
[EP Hallo there, young man!]
THESPRIO Quis properantem me
reprehendit pallio?
[TH Who's that holding me back by my cloak while I trying to hurry on?]
EP. Familiaris.
[EP A relative.]
TH. Fateor, nam odio es nimium familiariter.
[TH Then I confess you're right, because you are much too familiar in becoming a thorn in my side.]
EP. Respice vero, THESPRIO.
[Now really, look behind you, Thesprio.]
TH. Oh,
Epidicumne ego conspicor?
[TH Oh, now is that Epidicus that I gaze up now?]
EP. Satis recte oculis uteris. 5
[EP, Yessiree, that's correct by either eye.]
TH. Salve.
[TH Good day.]
EP. Di dent quae velis.
[EP May the gods grant whatever you wish for.]
venire salvom gaudeo.
[I'm happy to come in a good day fashion.]
TH. Quid ceterum?
[TH But why so?]
EP. Quod eo adsolet:
[EP Because this happens to be case:]
cena tibi dabitur.
[You will be given a supper.]
TH. Spondeo.
[I promise!]
EP. Quid?
[EP Why's that?]
TH. Me accepturum, si dabis.
[TH I'll no doubt accept, if you will give it.]
EP. Quid tu agis?
[EP So how you are?]
ut vales?
[Are you ok?]
exemplum adesse intellego.
[I now take you for a good example that's walked up.]
euge,
corpulentior videre atque habitior.
[That's awesome, you seem fatter, and more well-adjusted.]
TH. Huic gratia.
[Thanks to this.]
10
EP. Quam quidem te iam diu
perdidisse oportuit.
[Really now, you needed to have gotten rid of that long ago.]
11a
T. Minus iam furtificus sum quam antehac.
[I'm no less a scoundrel now than I was before.]
E. Quid ita?
[Why's that?]
T. Rapio propalam.
[I steal out in the open.]
EP. Di immortales te infelicent,
[Good gods, let them make you miserable]
ut tu es gradibus grandibus.
[as you are like hailstones on stairways.]
nam ut apud portum te conspexi,
[You see, as soon as I saw you standing by the gate,]
curriculo occepi sequi:
[I took upon to follow you in a tiny wagon.]
vix adipiscendi potestas modo fuit.
[Bearly did I have the power to even acquire one of these.]
TH. Scurra es.
[You're a buffoon.]
EP. Scio 15
te esse equidem hominem militarem.
[And really now, I know you are a man of the army.]
TH. Audacter quam vis dicito.
[Let it be said as boldly as you wish.]
quid ais?
[What are you saying?]
perpetuen valuisti?
[And have you fared well so far?]
EP. Varie.
[So so.]
