Aulularia, or The Concealed Treasure

Perseus Latin · Perseus Latin · 579 sections

2.4.323c
I’m just as you see me.
2.4.324
He’s a nine-day cook; every ninth day
2.4.325
he’s in the habit of going out to cook.
2.4.325b
You, you three-lettered fellow;
2.4.326
do you abuse me, you thief?
2.4.326b
To be sure I do, you trebly-distilled thief of thieves.
2.5.327
Now do you hold your tongue for the present, and, that lamb, whichever is the fatter of the two—
2.5.328b
Very well.
2.5.328c
Do you, Congrio,
2.5.328a
take that, and go in-doors there (pointing to EUCLIO’S house ; and (to a MUSIC-GIRL and some of the PEOPLE with provisions) do you follow him;
2.5.330
the rest of you this way, to our house.
2.5.330b
By my troth, you’ve made an unfair
2.5.331
division; they’ve got the fattest lamb.
2.5.332
But the fattest music-girl shall be given you then. Do you, therefore, go along with him, Phrygia. And do you, Eleusium, step in-doors here, to our house.
2.5.334b
O you crafty Strobilus,
2.5.335
have you pushed me off here upon this most miserly old fellow, where if I ask for anything, I may ask even to hoarseness before anything’s found me?
2.5.337b
’Tis very foolish, and ’tis thanklessly done, to do a service to you, when what you do goes for nothing.
2.5.339
But how so?
2.5.339b
Do you ask? In the first place then, there will be no confusion for you there in the house; if you want anything to use,
2.5.341
bring it from your own home, don’t lose your trouble in asking for it. But here, at our house, there’s great confusion, and a large establishment— furniture, gold, garments, silver vessels. If anything’s lost here (as I know
2.5.345
that you can easily keep hands off—if nothing’s in your way), they may say, The cooks have stolen it; seize them, bind them, beat them, thrust them in the dungeon. Nothing of that sort will happen to you, inasmuch as there will be nothing for you to steal. Follow me this way.
2.5.349b
I follow.
2.5.350
Ho, there Staphyla, come out and open the door.
2.5.350b
Who calls there?
2.5.351
Strobilus.
2.6.351b
What do you want?
2.6.351c
For you to take in these cooks, and this music-girl, and these provisions for the wedding. Megadorus bade me take these things to Euclio.
2.6.354
Are you about to make this wedding, Strobilus, in honor of Ceres?
2.6.355
Why?
2.6.355b
Because I don’t see any wine brought.
2.6.356
Why, that will be brought just now, when he himself comes back from the market.
2.6.357
There’s no firewood here in our house.
2.6.357b
There are the beams.
2.6.358
I’ faith, there are.
2.6.358b
There is wood, then; don’t you be seeking it out of doors.
2.6.359
What, you unpurified fellow, although your business is with the fire,
2.6.360
for the sake of a dinner, or of your own hire, do you request us to set our house on fire?
2.6.362
I don’t ask you.
2.6.362b
Take them in-doors.
2.6.362c
Follow me.
2.7.363
Mind you your business; I’ll step in and see what the cooks are doing, to observe whom, i’ faith, to-day it is a most laborious task.
2.7.365
Unless I manage this one thing, for them to cook the dinner down in the dungeon; thence, when cooked, we might bring it up again in small baskets. But if they should eat below whatever they should cook, those above would go without their dinner, and those below have dined. But here am I chattering, as though I had no business,
2.7.370
when there’s such a pack of thieves in the house.
2.8.371
I wished at length to screw up my courage to-day, so as to enjoy myself at the wedding of my daughter. I come to the market, I enquire about fish; they tell me that it is dear, that lamb is dear, beef is dear,
2.8.375
veal, large fish, and pork, all of them are dear. And for this reason were they still dearer; I hadn’t the money. I came away thence in a rage, since I had nothing wherewithal to make a purchase; and thus did I baulk all those rascals. Then I began to think with myself upon the road,
2.8.380
If you are guilty of any extravagance on a festive day, you may be wanting on a common day, unless you are saving. After I disclosed this reasoning to my heart and appetite, my mind came over to my opinion, that I ought to give my daughter in marriage at as little expense as possible.
2.8.385
Now I’ve bought a bit of frankincense, and these chaplets of flowers; these shall be placed upon the hearth for our household God, that he may grant a propitious marriage to my daughter. But what do I—? Do I behold my house open? There’s a noise, too, within; is it that I’m robbed, wretch that I am?
2.8.390
Seek of the neighbours a bigger pot if you can; this one’s too little, it can’t hold it.
2.8.391b
Woe to me! By my faith, I’m a dead man; the gold’s being carried off—my pot’s being looked for. I am certainly murdered, unless I make haste to run with all haste in-doors here! Apollo, prithee do assist and help me, whom thou hast already, before this, helped in such circumstances.
2.8.395
Pierce with thine arrows the plunderers of my treasures. But am I delaying to run, before I perish outright.
2.9.398
Dromo, do you scale the fish. Do you, Machaerio, have the conger and the lamprey boned.
2.9.400
I’m going to ask the loan of a baking-pan of our neighbour Congrio. You, if you are wise, will have that capon more smoothly picked for me than is a plucked play-actor. But what’s this clamour that’s arising here hard by? By my faith, the cooks, I do believe, are at their usual pranks.
2.9.405
I’ll run in-doors, lest there may be any disturbance here for me as well.
3.1.406
Beloved fellow-citizens, fellow-countrymen, inhabitants, neighbours, and all strangers, do make way for me to escape! Make all the streets clear! Never have I at any time, until this day, come to Bacchants, in a Bacchanalian den, to cook; so sadly have they mauled wretched me and my scullions with their sticks.
3.1.410
I’m aching all over, and am utterly done for; that old fellow has so made a bruising school of me; and in such a fashion has he turned us all out of the house, myself and them, laden with sticks. Nowhere, in all the world, have I ever seen wood dealt out more plentifully. Alackaday! by my faith, to my misery, I’m done for; the Bacchanalian den is opening, here he comes. He’s following us. I know the thing I’ll do: that the master himself has taught me.
3.2.415
Come back! Where are you running to, now? Hold you!
3.2.415b
Why are you crying out, you stupid?
3.2.416
Because this instant I shall give your name to the Triumvirs .
3.2.416b
Why?
3.2.417
Because you’ve got a knife.
3.2.417b
’Tis the proper thing for a cook.
3.2.417c
Why did you threaten me?
3.2.418b
I think that it was badly managed, that I didn’t pierce your side with it.
3.2.419
There’s not a person that’s living this day a greater rascal than you,
3.2.420
nor one to whom designedly I would with greater pleasure cause a mischief.
3.2.421
I’ faith, though you should hold your noise, really that’s quite clear; the thing itself is its own witness. As it is, I’m made softer by far with your sticks than any ballet-dancer. But what right have you to touch us, you beggarman? What’s the matter?
3.2.423b
Do you even ask me? Is it that I’ve done less than I ought to have done? Only let me—
3.2.425
Now, by my faith, at your great peril, if this head should feel it!
3.2.426
Troth, I don’t know what may happen hereafter; your head feels it just now! But what business, pray, had you in my house, in my absence, unless I had ordered you? I want to know that.
3.2.428b
Hold your noise, then; because we came to cook for the wedding.
3.2.429b
Why the plague do you trouble yourself
3.2.430
whether I eat meat raw or cooked, unless you are my tutor.
3.2.431
I want to know if you will allow or not allow us to cook the dinner here?
3.2.432
I, too, want to know whether my property will be safe in my house.
3.2.433
I only wish to carry the things away safe that I brought here! I don’t care for yours; should I be coveting your things?
3.2.434
I understand; don’t teach me; I know.
3.2.435
What is it, on account of which you now hinder us from cooking the dinner here? What have we done? What have we said to you otherwise than you could wish?
3.2.437
Do you even ask me, you rascally fellow? You who’ve been making a thoroughfare of every corner of my house, and the places under lock and key? If you had stopped by the fireside, where it was your business,
3.2.440
you wouldn’t have had your head broken. It has been done for you deservedly! Therefore that you may now know my determination; if you come nearer to the door here, unless I order you, I’ll make you to be the most wretched of creatures. Do you now know my determination?
3.2.444b
Where are you going? Come you back again!
3.2.445
So may Laverna love me well, I’ll expose you at once with loud abuse here before the house, if you don’t order my utensils to be restored to me! What shall I do now? Verily, by my faith, I came here with unlucky auspices; I was hired for a didrachm ; I stand in more need now of a surgeon than of wages.
3.3.449
This, by my faith, wherever I shall go, really shall be with me, and with myself will I carry it,
3.3.450
nor will I ever again entrust it to that place, for it to be in such great peril. (Speaking to CONGRIO and his SCULLIONS.) Now, then, go you all of you in the house, cooks and music-girls; introduce even, if you like, a whole company of hirelings ; cook, bustle, and hurry now at once just as much as you please.
3.3.454
O dear, I’m a ruined man.
3.3.455
Be off! your labour was hired here, not your talk.
3.3.456
Harkye, old gentleman, for the beating, by my faith, I shall demand of you a recompense. I was hired a while ago to cook, and not to be basted.
3.3.458
Proceed against me at law! Don’t be troublesome! Either cook the dinner, or away with you from the house to downright perdition!
3.3.459b
Go there yourself then. (CONGRIO and the COOKS and MUSIC-GIRL go back into the house.)
3.4.460
He’s gone. Immortal Gods! A poor man, who begins to have dealings or business with an opulent one, commences upon a rash undertaking! Thus, for instance, Megadorus who has pretended that, for the sake of honoring me, he sends these cooks hither, is plaguing unfortunate me in every way; for this reason has he sent them, that they might purloin this (putting his hand on the pot) from unfortunate me.
3.4.465
Just as I might expect, even my dunghill-cock in-doors, that was bought with the old woman’s savings, had well nigh been the ruin of me; where this was buried, he began to scratch there all round about with his claws. What need of more words? So exasperated were my feelings, I took a stick, and knocked off the head of the cock—a thief caught in the act.
3.4.470
I’ faith, I do believe that the cooks had promised a reward to the cock, if he should discover it; I took the opportunity out of their hands, however. What need of many words? I had a regular battle with the dunghill- cock. But see, my neighbour Megadorus is coming from the Forum. I can’t, then, venture to pass by him, but I must stop and speak to him.
3.5.475
I’ve communicated to many friends my design about this proposal; they speak in high terms of the daughter of Euclio. They say that it was discreetly done, and with great prudence. But, in my opinion, indeed, if the other richer men were to do the same, so as to take home as their wives, without dower, the daughters of the poorer persons,
3.5.481
both the state would become much more united, and we should meet with less ill feeling than we now meet with; both, they, the wives, would stand in fear of punishment more than they do stand in fear of it, and we husbands should be at less expense than we now are.
3.5.485
In the greater part of the people this is a most just way of thinking; in the smaller portion there is an objection among the avaricious, whose avaricious minds and insatiate dispositions there is neither law nor magistrate to be able to put a check upon. But a person may say this; How are these rich women with portions to marry, if this law is laid down for the poor?
3.5.491
Let them marry whom they please, so long as the dowry isn’t their companion. If this were so done, the women would acquire for themselves better manners for them to bring, in place of dowry, than they now bring. I’d make mules, which exceed horses in price,
3.5.495
to become cheaper than Gallic geldings.
3.5.496
So may the Gods favour me, I listen to him with delight; very shrewdly has he discoursed on the side of economy.
3.5.498
No wife should then be saying: Indeed, I brought you a marriage-portion far greater than was your own wealth;
3.5.500
why, it really is fair that purple and gold should be found for me, maid-servants, mules, muleteers, and lacqueys, pages to carry compliments, vehicles in which I may be carried.
3.5.503
How thoroughly he does understand the doings of the wives! I wish he were made Prefect of the manners of the women.

Perseus Latin. CTS URN phi0119.phi003.perseus-eng2. Via the Perseus Digital Library / Open Greek and Latin TEI corpora. Licence: Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source.