Philosophical and Literary Miscellany

Poverty Original: "pr." for Penia (Poverty). I think you will find you won't be ruling long after hearing such things.
Or what indeed—what justice could I possibly do to you?
Since you've been caught— Poverty —because you think you speak well.
Poverty For to perish and go away, and for both of you forever—
Plutus Original: "pl." This likely refers to the character Blepsidemus or the god Wealth himself, though the speaker here acts as a witness to the argument. Listen to me: you realize how this one is least of the other.
Chremylus Original: "chr." for Chremylus. Of this one; and not even to want the oracles alone.
Poverty For you speak this "justice" while acting gently;
you might hold to it if it were still just to perish in return.
Chremylus But now you must say something wise, O you who hate children The text uses a rare term "misoteknos," suggesting Poverty destroys the future of families.
by testing your spirit in these words; but she will escape... nothing.
Chremylus I think it is clearly obvious for everyone to know alike
that it is just for the good among men to prosper,
and for the wicked and the godless, surely, the opposite of these.
This, then, is what we desired and have finally found:
a plan that is noble, brave, and useful for every work.
For if Wealth could now see, and not wander about blind,
he would never go to the wicked; and he will not leave
the good, but will flee the wicked and the godless. And then he will make
all people good and wealthy and reverent toward the divine.
And yet, what better good could anyone ever find for mankind than this?
Blepsidemus Original: "bl." No one! I am your witness to this, and quite, quite immeasurably so.
Chremylus For as our life is currently arranged for men,
who would not consider it madness, or rather, a miserable fate?
For many men who are wicked are wealthy,
having gathered these things unjustly; while many who are very good
fare badly, and starve, and spend most of their time with you.
I say, therefore, that if Wealth ever sees again, he would stop this,
and by going to them, he would provide a greater good for men.

Poverty But O you most easily persuaded of all men, and not of sound mind,
you two old cronies in nonsense and senility,
if this thing you desire should happen, I say it would not benefit you.
For if Wealth should see again and distribute himself equally,
no one would practice any art among men, nor any wisdom.
And with both of these vanished from you, who will want
to be a blacksmith, or build ships, or sew, or make wheels,
or be a shoemaker, or a brick-maker, or a laundryman, or a tanner,
or, having broken the soil with plows, to reap the fruit of Demeter original: "Deous," referring to the goddess of the harvest, Ceres.,
if it were possible for you to live in idleness, neglecting all these things?
Chremylus You are talking nonsense! For all these things you just listed,
the slaves will labor at them for us. Poverty And where will you get slaves?
Chremylus We will buy them with silver, of course. Poverty And who will be the seller first,
when he also has silver? Chremylus Some merchant, wishing to make a profit,
coming from Thessaly Thessaly was notorious in antiquity for its prolific slave markets. where there are many slave-dealers.
Poverty But there won't even be a single slave-dealer, first of all,
according to the logic you are speaking. For who, being rich, would want
to do this very thing while risking his own life? Chremylus I know well that
So you yourself will be forced by necessity to plow, and to sow, and the rest;
you will lead a much more painful life than the one you have now. Chremylus May it fall on your own head!
Poverty Furthermore, you won't even have a bed to sleep in, for there won't be any—
2 nor carpets. For who will want to weave them, when there is gold?
1 Nor will you be able to scent yourself with liquid perfumes when you lead home a bride,
nor adorn her with the expense of dyed, variegated garments.
And yet, what is the point of being wealthy if you lack all these things?
But from me, all these things are easy for you to have; for I, like a mistress,
sit over the craftsman and compel him through necessity
and through his need and poverty, to seek from where he will have a life out of?