quam sibi non sit amicus, ita ut pater ille, Terenti 20 fabula quem miserum gnato vixisse fugato inducit, non se peius cruciaverit atque hic. 25 Si quis nunc quaerat "quo res haec pertinet?" illuc : dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt. Maltinus tunicis demissis ambulat; est qui inguen ad obscenum subductis usque1 facetus. pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum. nil medium est. sunt qui nolint2 tetigisse nisi illas quarum subsuta talos tegat instita veste : contra alius nullam nisi olenti in fornice stantem. 30 quidam notus homo cum exiret fornice, " macte virtute esto" inquit sententia dia Catonis : 66 nam simul ac venas inflavit taetra libido, huc3 iuvenes aequum est descendere, non alienas permolere uxores." "nolim laudarier," inquit 35 40 Audire est operae pretium, procedere recte qui moechis non voltis, ut omni parte laborent, utque illis multo corrupta dolore voluptas atque haec rara1 cadat dura inter saepe pericla. hic se praecipitem tecto dedit; ille flagellis ad mortem caesus; fugiens hic decidit acrem praedonum in turbam, dedit hic pro corpore nummos, hunc perminxerunt calones; quin etiam illud 1 Punctuation after usque, Vollmer. 2 nolunt aD. 3 hac, II. 4 rata E. a In the Heauton Timorumenos, or Self-Tormentor, the father, Menedemus, seized with remorse for his harshness to his son Clinias, punishes himself with hard labour. bi.e., married women who dress as such. how poor a friend he is to himself, so that the father whom Terence's play pictures as having lived in misery after banishing his son, never tortured himself worse than he.a 23 Should one now ask, "What is the point of all this? 'tis this in avoiding a vice, fools run into its opposite. Maltiņus walks with his garments trailing low; another, a man of fashion, wears them tucked up indecently as far as his waist. Rufillus smells like a scent-box, Gargonius like a goat. There is no middle course. Some men would deal only with women whose ankles are hidden by a robe with low-hanging flounce; another is found only with such as live in a foul brothel. When from such a place a man he knew was coming forth, A blessing on thy well-doing!" runs Cato's revered utterance; for when shameful passion has swelled the veins, 'tis well that young men come down hither, rather than tamper with other men's wives." "I should not care to be praised on that count," says Cupiennius, an admirer of white-robed lechery.c 66 66 37 It is worth your while, ye who would have disaster wait on adulterers, to hear how on every side they fare ill, and how for them pleasure is marred by much pain, and, rare as it is, comes oft amid cruel perils. One man has thrown himself headlong from the roof; another has been flogged to death; a third, in his flight, has fallen into a savage gang of robbers; another has paid a price to save his life; another been abused by stable-boys; nay, once it Roman matrons dressed usually in white. d Cf. Ennius: audire est operae pretium procedere recte accidit, ut quidam testis caudamque salacem demeteret ferro. "iure" omnes: Galba negabat. Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda, libertinarum dico, Sallustius in quas 45 non minus insanit quam qui moechatur. at hic1 si, qua res, qua ratio suaderet, quaque modeste 50 munifico2 esse licet, vellet bonus atque benignus esse, daret quantum satis esset, nec sibi damno dedecorique foret. verum hoc se amplectitur uno, hoc amat et laudat : matronam nullam ego tango." ut quondam Marsaeus, amator Originis ille, qui patrium mimae donat fundumque laremque, Inil fuerit mi inquit cum uxoribus umquam alienis." 66 66 verum est cum mimis, est cum meretricibus, unde fama malum gravius quam res trahit. 55 an tibi abunde personam satis est, non illud quicquid ubique officit evitare? bonam deperdere famam, 60 rem patris oblimare, malum est ubicumque. quid interest in matrona, ancilla peccesne3 togata ? Villius in Fausta Syllae gener, hoc miser uno nomine deceptus, poenas dedit usque superque quam satis est, pugnis caesus ferroque petitus, exclusus fore, cum Longarenus foret intus. huic si mutonis verbis mala tanta videnti 1 at K: ut most MSS. 3 -ve MSS., Porph. 2 munificum K2. 65 a Galba was at once an adulterer and (according to the scholiasts) a iuris consultus. bi.e. of adulterer. The reputation of adulterer would come from association with matronae, but not with meretrices. Meretrices wore the toga (cf. v. 82), in contrast with the stola, worn by matrons, cf. v. 71. The ancilla is a slavegirl who had become a meretrix. so befell that a man moweb town with the sword the 66 testicles and lustful member. That's the law," cry all, Galba dissenting." 47 But how much safer is trafficking in the second class-with freedwomen, I mean; after whom Sallustius runs just as wild as an adulterer. Yet he, if he wished to be good and generous, so far as his means and reason would direct, and so far as one might be liberal in moderation, would give a sum sufficient, not such as would mean for him shame and ruin. But no; because of this one thing he hugs himself, admires and plumes himself, because, says he, “I meddle with no matron." Just as was once said by Marsaeus, Origo's well-known lover, who gave his paternal home and farm to an actress: Never may I have dealings with other men's wives!" But you have with actresses and with courtesans, through whom your name loses more than does your estate. Or is it enough for you to avoid the rôle," but not the thing, which in any case works harm? To throw away a good name, to squander a father's estate, is at all times ruinous. What matters it, whether with matron you offend, or with long-gowned maid ? 64 Villius, son-in-law of Sulla, was punished richly and more than enough because of Fausta d-by this name alone was the wretch misled-being smitten with the fist, assailed with the sword, and shut out of doors while Longarenus was within. If while facing such evils a man's mind were thus to plead on The reference is to a scandal of earlier days. Fausta, daughter of Sulla, was the wife of Milo, but had other lovers, among them Longarenus and Villius, who is called Sullae gener in derision. Fausta's name indicates her noble birth. diceret haec animus a te aid vis tibi? numquid ego 70 magno prognatum deposco consule cunnum velatumque stola, mea cum conferbuit ira? quid responderet? "magno patre nata puella est." at quanto meliora monet pugnantiaque istis dives opis natura suae, tu si modo recte dispensare velis ac non fugienda petendis immiscere. tuo vitio rerumne labores, nil referre putas? quare, ne paeniteat te, desine matronas sectarier,1 unde laboris plus haurire mali est quam ex re decerpere fructus. nec magis huic inter niveos viridisque lapillos 75 80 (sit licet hoc, Cerinthe, tuum2) tenerum est femur aut crus rectius, atque etiam melius persaepe togatae est.3 adde huc quod mercem sine fucis gestat, aperte quod venale habet ostendit, nec, si quid honesti est, iactat habetque palam, quaerit quo turpia celet. 85 regibus hic mos est, ubi equos mercantur: opertos1 inspiciunt, ne, si facies, ut saepe, decora 90 molli fulta pede est, emptorem inducat hiantem, quod pulchrae clunes, breve quod caput, ardua cervix. hoc illi recte ne corporis optima Lyncei5 contemplere oculis, Hypsaea caecior illa quae mala sunt spectes. verum 1 sectari matronas aBD. tuum. o crus, o bracchia!" 2 Housman (J. P. vol. xxxv.) conjectures aesque, Corinthe, 3 est omitted, most Mss. 4 This verse begins a new sermo in some MSS. For regibus Kiessling conjectured Threcibus. 5 lynceis EK. |
