Plautus Curculio 3.1

Henry Thomas Riley (Translator)

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Curculio. Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley (Translator). London. 1912.

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Current edition Perseus

Curculio, or The Forgery (English) (Plautus. The Comedies of Plautus, Volume 1. Riley, Henry Thomas, translator. London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 1912.)

Editions (1)
Curculio Perseus (Plautus. Plauti Comoediae, Volume 1. Leo, Friedrich, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1895.) — 3.1 focus

Notes on the current edition

Curculio, or The Forgery

1. If I don’t pay: He probably alludes to some shuffling and cheating methods by which the bankers of the day had recently distinguished themselves. See the Pseudolus, l. 296 (Act I., Sc. 3).
2. Resort to the Praetor: This was probably a method with bankers and traders, by which, for the purpose of defrauding their creditors, they surrendered their effects to the Praetor, and by doing so, contrived to make a purse, as is too often done by bankrupts and insolvents at the present day. In l. 684 (Act V., Sc. 3), we find Cappadox expressing himself as apprehensive that Lyco will be taking the benefit of the Act.
3. The person that has: Gueudeville, in his translation, informs us that this maxim was much repeated by Louis XII. of France, who was a great admirer of Plautus.
4. Sought by me on hire: This passage has been much commented on, as containing some indelicate meaning. After all, it seems clearly to mean that he has occasion for all his ready cash; and, though he would like to buy a slave, he must content himself with hiring one.
5. One-eyed man: It appears from this that Curculio has but one eye. The occasion of his losing it is hinted at in l. 396.
6. Family of the Coclites: Coclitum prosapia no doubt here means a general term, the family of one-eyed men. Horatius, who, single-handed, opposed the army of Porsenna, was called Cocles, from having but one eye. Pliny the Elder speaks of the Cyclops and the Arimaspians, a nation of Sarmatia, as having but one eye.
7. A wizard, surely: He is surprised at Lyco having so exactly hit upon the truth. It has been already remarked that Parasites were the especial butts for practical jokes. On one of these occasions the unfortunate fellow probably lost his eye.
8. Bear this mark on my face: Hoc intus mihi. This passage is most probably corrupt.
9. Don’t be uncivil: Incomitio probably means, to treat rudely, or be uncivil to. Lyco puns upon it, as though meaning, to bring before the comitia,’ or public assemblies of the people.
10. Inforize: In the word inforare, which is coined for the occasion, and signifies to summon to the Forum, it is not improbable that an indecent pun is intended. The liberty has been taken of adopting these two word for the occasion.
11. Four whole sides: Ceras. Waxed sides of a tablet.
12. Summanus: There was a Divinity of this name. See the Bacchides, l. 895 (Act IV., Sc. 8) The name, as here coined by Curculio, would perhaps, answer to the English Mr. Keep-tight-in-hand.
13. I summane: Summano Literally, I keep my hands upon. For the purpose of keeping up the spirit of the passage, the liberty has been taken of coining a word. The Parasite seems to allude, somewhat obscurely, to the trick he has played the Captain Therapontigonus.
14. Peredia and Bibesia: Most of these names are real, while some are fictitious—as, for instance, Peredia, Hungry-land, and Bibesia, Thirsty-land. By Centauromachia he perhaps means Thessaly, the country of the Centaurs; though, possibly, this region may have been too near for him to hope to impose upon Lyco.
15. Classia Unomammia: Classia is supposed by Schmieder to be used for classis, an army. Unomammia, the land of the one-breasted people, may perhaps be an allusion to the Amazons, who were feigned to be in the habit of cutting off one breast, for the purpose of using the bow with greater adroitness. Conterebromia is a name coined for the occasion, signifying the and of piercing.
16. That you are: Esse, to be or to eat, according to the context. Limiers suggests that a pun is here in ended. If so, it will admit of either these meanings, that you are his servant or that you eat at his expense.