Publius Terentius Afer (Terence), Phormio, ed. Edward St. John Parry, 1.1

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(DAVUS.)

DAVUS

Amicus summus meus et popularis Geta
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Heri ad me venit. Erat ei de ratiuncula

Iampridem apud me reliquum pauxillulum

Nummorum; id ut conficerem. Confeci: affero.

Nam herilem filium eius duxisse audio

Uxorem: ei, credo, munus hoc corraditur.
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Quam inique comparatum est hi qui minus habent

Ut semiper aliquid addant divitioribus.

Quod ille unciatim vix de demenso suo,

Suum defrudans genium, comparsit miser,

Id illa universum abripiet, haud existimans
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Quanto labore partum. Porro autem Geta

Ferietur alio munere, ubi hera pepererit;

Porro autem alio, ubi erit puero natalis dies;

Ubi initiabunt. Omne hoc mater auferet:

Puer causa erit mittendi. Sed videon Getam?
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Phormio. Publius Terentius Afer (Terence). ed. Edward St. John Parry. London. 1857.

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Current edition Perseus

Phormio (Terence. Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex. Parry, Edward St. John, editor. London: Whittaker and Co.; George Bell, 1857.)

Translations (1)

Phormio; or, The Scheming Parasite Perseus (Terence. The Comedies of Terence. Riley, Henry Thomas; Colman, George, translators. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1872.) — 1.1 focus

1 35 (Enter DAVUS,¹ with a bag of money in his hand.)

DAVUS

Geta, my very good friend and fellow-townsman, came to me yesterday. There had been for some time a trifling balance of money of his in my hands upon a small account; he asked me to make it up. I have done so, and am carrying it to him. But I hear that his master’s son has taken
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a wife; this, I suppose, is scraped together as a present for her. How unfair a custom!—that those who have the least should always be giving something to the more wealthy! That which the poor wretch has with difficulty spared, ounce by ounce, out of his allowance,² defrauding himself of every indulgence,
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the whole of it will she carry of, without thinking with how much labor it has been acquired. And then besides, Geta will be struck³ for another present⁴ when his mistress is brought to bed; and then again for another present, when the child’s birthday comes; when they initiate him,⁵ too: all this the mother will carry off;
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the child will only be the pretext for the present. But don’t I see Geta there?
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Publius Terentius Afer (Terence) Phormio 1.1

ed. Edward St. John Parry

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