Chapter XVI: Prologue: Lar Familiaris

SPOKEN BY EUCLIO’S HOUSEHOLD GOD

Ne quis miretur qui sim, paucis eloquar
ego Lar sum familiaris ex hac familia
unde exeuntem me aspexistis. hanc domum
iam multos annos est cum possideo et colo
patri avoque iam huius qui nunc hic habet
sed mi avos huius obsecrans concredidit
thensaurum auri clam omnis. in medio foco
defodit, venerans me ut id servarem sibi.

That no one may wonder who I am, I shall inform you briefly.
I am the Household God of that family from whose house you
saw me come. For many years now I have possessed this
dwelling, and preserved it for the sire and grandsire of its
present occupant. Now this man’s grandsire as a suppliant
entrusted to me, in utter secrecy, a hoard of gold: he
buried it in the centre of the hearth, entreating me to
guard it for him.

is quoniam moritur--ita avido ingenio fuit--
numquam indicare id filio voluit suo, 10
inopemque optavit potius eum relinquere,
quam eum thensaurum commonstraret filio;
agri reliquit ei non magnum modum,
quo cum labore magno et misere viveret.

When he died he could not bear--so covetous was he--to
reveal its existence to his own son, and he chose to leave
him penniless rather than apprise him of this treasure. Some
land, a little only, he did leave him, whereon to toil and
moil for a miserable livelihood.

Ubi is obiit mortem qui mihi id aurum credidit,
coepi observare, ecqui maiorem filus
mihi honorem haberet quam eius habuisset pater.
atque ille vero minus minusque impendio
curare minusque me impertire honoribus.
item a me contra factum est, nam item obiit diem. 20
is ex se hunc reliquit qui hic nunc habitat filium
pariter moratum ut pater avosque huius fuit.

After the death of him who had committed the gold to my
keeping, I began to observe whether the son would hold me in
greater honour than his father had. As a matter of fact, his
neglect grew and grew apace, and he showed me less honour.
I did the same by him: so he also died. He left a son who
occupies this house at present, a man of the same mould as
his sire and grandsire.

huic filia una est. ea mihi cottidie
aut ture aut vino aut aliqui semper supplicat,
dat mihi coronas. eius honoris gratia
feci, thensaurum ut hic reperiret Euclio,
quo illam facilius nuptum, si vellet, daret
nam eam compressit de summo adulescens loco.
is scit adulescens quae sit quam compresserit,
illa illum nescit, neque compressam autem pater. 30

He has one daughter. She prays to me constantly, with
daily gifts of incense, or wine, or something; she gives me
garlands. Out of regard for her I caused Euclio to discover
the treasure here in order that he might the more easily
find her a husband, if he wished. For she has been ravished
by a young gentleman of very high rank. He knows who it is
that he has wronged; who he is she does not know, and as for
her father, he is ignorant of the whole affair.

Eam ego hodie faciam ut hic senex de proxumo
sibi uxorem poscat. id ea faciam gratia,
quo ille eam facilius ducat qui compresserat.
et hic qui poscet eam sibi uxorem senex,
is adulescentis illius est avonculus,
qui illam stupravit noctu, Cereris vigiliis.

I shall make the old gentleman who lives next door
here (_pointing_) ask for her hand to-day. My reason for so
doing is that the man who wronged her may marry her the more
easily. And the old gentleman who is to ask for her hand is the
uncle of the young gentleman who violated her by night
at the festival of Ceres.

sed hic senex iam clamat intus ut solet.
anum foras extrudit, ne sit conscia.
credo aurum inspicere volt, ne subreptum siet.

(_an uproar in Euclio’s house_) But there is old Euclio
clamouring within as usual, and turning his ancient servant
out of doors lest she learn his secret. I suppose he wishes
to look at his gold and see that it is not stolen. [EXIT.

ACTVS I