Perde 2
[Textpart 1]
I am revolving many things in my mind at once, and much uneasiness do I find in thinking upon them.
LYSITELES
I tease, and fret, and wear myself out; a mind that enjoins a hard task That enjoins a hard task: Exercitor means the instructor or training master in the Gymnastic exercises. Of course, to beginners, the exercitores would be hard task-masters. is now my master. But this thing is not clear to me, nor has it been enough studied by me, which pursuit of these two I should rather follow for myself; which of the two I should think of the greater stability for passing my life therein:
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whether it were preferable for me to devote myself to love or to aggrandisement; in which alternative there is more enjoyment of life in passing one’s days. On this point I am not fully satisfied. But this I think I’ll do, that I may weigh both the points together, I must be both judge and culprit in this trial:
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I’ll do so—I like it much. First of all, I will enlarge upon the pursuits of love, how they conduce to one’s welfare. Love never expects any but the willing man to throw himself in his toils; these he seeks for, these he follows up, and craftily counsels against their interests. He is a fawning flatterer, a rapacious grappler A rapacious grappler: — Harpago means either a grappling-iron or a flesh-hook. It was often made in the form of a hand, with the fingers bent inwards. The grappling-iron was used to throw at the enemy’s ship, where it seized the rigging and dragged the vessel within reach, so that it might be easily boarded and destroyed. Cupid is so called here, figuratively, from his insidious approaches, and the difficulty which his victims have in shaking him off, a deceiver,
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a sweet-tooth, a spoiler, a corrupter of men who court retirement, a pryer into secrets. For he that is in love, soon as ever he has been smitten with the kisses of the object that he loves, forthwith his substance vanishes out of doors and melts away. Give me this thing Give me this thing: This is supposed to be pronounced in a mincing or affected way, to imitate the wheedling manners of the frail tempter., my honey, if you love me, if you possibly can.
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And then this gudgeon says: O apple of my eye, be it so: both that shall be given you, and still more, if you wish it to be given. Then does she strike while he is wavering While he is wavering: Literally, she strikes him as he hangs. Lindemann seems to think that there is a play upon the word pendentem, which would apply either to the slave, who, according to the barbarous custom of the Romans, was lashed as he hung from the hook to which he was fastened by the hands, or to the lover who is hesitating between assent and refusal; on which she, by her artfulness—ferit—strikes the decisive blow. Terence has the expression ferior munere, to strike with a present.; and now she begs for more. Not enough is this evil, unless there is still something more—what to eat, what to drink. A thing that creates A thing that creates: This passage is here read with a period after comest, and not after sumpti, as Ritschel’s edition has it. This seems more agreeable to the sense of the passage, which is, however, probably in a corrupt state. a further expense,
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the favour of a night is granted; a whole family is then introduced for her—a wardrobe-woman Wardrobe-woman: The duty of the vestiplica would be to fold up and try the clothes of her mistress. These slaves were also called vestispicae, and servants a veste. a perfume-keeper A perfume-keeper: The unctor was probably a male slave, whose duty it was to procure and keep the perfumes and unguents for his mistress., a cofferer, fan-bearers Fan-bearers: Both male and female slaves, and eunuchs, were employed to fan their mistresses. The fans were of elegant form and beautiful colours, and were frequently made of peacocks’ feathers, being of a stiff shape, and not pliable, like ours. They were used both for the purpose of cooling the air and driving away flies and gnats., sandal-bearers Sandal-bearers: The sandal was often one of the most costly articles of the female dress, being much adorned with embroidery and gold. Originally it was worn by both sexes and consisted of a wooden sole, fastened with thongs to the foot. In latter times, its use was confined to females, and a piece of leather covered the toes, while thongs, elegantly decorated, were attached to it. From the present passage it appears that it was the duty of a particular slave to take charge of sandals., singing-girls, casket-keepers Casket- keepers: The cistellatrix probably had charge of the jewel casket of her mistress. The present passage shows in what affluence and splendour some of the courtesans lived in those days., messengers, news-carriers, so many wasters of his bread and substance. The lover himself, while to them he is complaisant, becomes a beggar.
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When I revolve these things in my mind, and when I reflect how little one is valued when he is in need; away with you, Love—I like you not—no converse do I hold with you. Although ’tis sweet to feast and to carouse, Love still gives bitters enough to be distasteful.
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He avoids the Courts Avoids the Courts: Shakspeare has a somewhat similar passage in Romeo and Juliet: But all so soon as the all cheering sun Should in the furthest East begin to draw The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed, Away from light steals home my heavy son, And private in his chamber pens himself, Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, And mates himself an artificial night. of justice, he drives away your relations, and drives yourself away from your own contemplation. Nor do men wish that he should be called their friend. In a thousand ways is Love to be held a stranger, to be kept at a distance, and to be wholly abstained from.
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For he who plunges into love, perishes more dreadfully than if he leapt from a rock. Away with you, Love, if you please; keep your owns Keep your own: This is as much as to say, I divorce myself from you, and utterly repudiate you. The words tuas res tibi habeto were the formula solemnly pronounced among the Romans by the husband in cases of divorce, when he delivered back to the wife her own separate property. property to yourself. Love, never be you a friend of mine; some there are, however, whom, in their misery, you may keep miserable and wretched—
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those whom you have easily rendered submissive to yourself. My fixed determination is to apply my mind to my advancement in life, although, in that, great labour is undergone by the mind. Good men wish these things for themselves, gain, credit, and honour, glory, and esteem; these are the rewards of the upright.
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It delights me, then, the more, to live together with the upright rather than with the deceitful promulgators of lies.
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[Textpart 2]
Where has this man betaken himself out of doors from the house?
LYSITELES
I am here, father; command me what you will, and I shall cause no delay to you, nor will I hide myself in any skulking-place out of your sight.
PHILTO
You will be doing what is consonant to the rest of your conduct if you reverence your father. By your duty to me, my son, I wish you, for my sake, not to hold any converse with profligate men, either in the street or in the Forum. I know this age—what its manners are.
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The bad man wishes the good man to be bad, that he may be like himself. The wicked, the rapacious, the covetous, and the envious, disorder and confound the morals of the age: a crew gaping for gain, they hold the sacred thing as profane—the public advantage as the private emolument. At these things do I grieve, these are the matters that torment me. These things am I constantly repeating both day and night, that you may use due precaution against them.
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They only deem it right to keep their hands off that which they cannot touch with their hands; as to the rest, seize it, carry it off, keep it, be off and go hide, that is the word with them. These things, when I behold them, draw tears from me, because I have survived to see such a race of men. Why have I not rather descended to the dead To the dead: Ad plures, to the many, signifies the dead, inasmuch as they are more in number than the living. It was probably used as a euphemism, as to make mention of death was considered ominous of ill. Homen in the Odyssey, uses τους πη ειονὰς in a similar sense ere this?
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For these men praise the manners of our ancestors, and defile those same persons whom they commend. With regard, then, to these pursuits, I enjoin you not to taint your disposition with them. Live after my fashion, and according to the ancient manners; what I am prescribing to you, the same do you remember and practise. I have no patience with these fashionable manners, upsetting preconceived notions, with which good men are now disgracing themselves.
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If you follow these my injunctions to you, many a good maxim will take root in your breast.
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LYSITELES
From my earliest youth, even up to this present age, I have always, father, paid all submission to the injunctions you have given. So far as my nature was concerned, I considered that I was free; so far as your injunctions were concerned, I deemed it proper that my mind should pay all submission to you.
