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Appendix 4. Mercurius et mulieres duae

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 534.

Mercurium hospitio mulieres olim duae

inliberali et sordido receperant;

quarum una in cunis paruum habebat filium,

quaestus placebat alteri meretricius.

Ergo ut referret gratiam officiis parem,

abiturus et iam limen excedens ait:

"Deum uidetis; tribuam uobis protinus

quod quaeque optarit." Mater suppliciter rogat

barbatum ut uideat natum quam primum suum;

moecha ut sequatur sese quidquid tetigerit.

Volat Mercurius, intro redeunt mulieres.

Barbatus infans, ecce, uagitus ciet.

Id forte meretrix cum rideret ualidius,

nares repleuit umor ut fieri solet.

Emungere igitur se uolens predit manu

traxitque ad terram nasi longitudinem,

et aliam ridens ipsa ridenda extitit.

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

Not yet available.

Here is the poem with meter marks:

Not yet available.

Translation:

Mercury was once the guest of two women who treated him in a cheap and tawdry manner. One of these women was the mother of an infant still in his cradle, while the other woman was a prostitute. In order to return the women's hospitality as they deserved, Mercury paused on the threshold of their door as he was leaving and said, 'You are gazing upon a god: I am prepared to give you right now whatever it is you want.' The mother beseeched the god to allow her to see her son with a beard as soon as possible, while the prostitute wanted the power to attract anything she touched. Mercury flew away and the women went back inside, where they found the baby with a beard, wailing and screaming. This made the prostitute laugh so hard that her nose filled with snot (as sometimes happens), but when she touched her hand to her nose, the nose followed her hand until it reached all the way down to the floor. In this way the woman who had laughed at someone else ended up being laughed at herself.

Illustration:

Not yet available.