1. PLUTO: Do you know the old man—I mean that veritable greybeard, EuCrates the rich—the man with no sons, but with fifty thousand men hunting his estate?
1. ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ: Τὸν γέροντα οἶσθα, τὸν πάνυ γεγηρακότα λέγω, τὸν πλούσιον Εὐκράτην, ᾧ παῖδες μὲν οὐκ εἰσίν, οἱ τὸν κλῆρον δὲ θηρῶντες πεντακισμύριοι;
HERMES: Yes, you mean the man from Sicyon. Well, what?
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ναί, τὸν Σικυώνιον φῄς. τί οὖν;
PLUTO: Let him go on living, Hermes, and, over and above the ninety years he’s had already, measure out as many more for him, if possible, or even more; but as for his toadies, young Charinus and Damon and the rest, drag them all down here one after the other.
ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ: Ἐκεῖνον μέν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, ζῆν ἔασον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐνενήκοντα ἔτεσιν, ἃ βεβίωκεν, ἐπιμετρήσας ἄλλα τοσαῦτα, εἴ γε οἷόν τε ἦν, καὶ ἔτι πλείω, τοὺς δὲ κόλακας αὐτοῦ Χαρῖνον τὸν νέον καὶ Δάμωνα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κατάσπασον ἐφεξῆς ἅπαντας.
HERMES: That would look queer.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ἄτοπον ἂν δόξειε τὸ τοιοῦτον.
PLUTO: No; it would be perfectly just. What possesses them that they pray for his death, or aspire to his fortune, although not related? But what’s most disgusting of all is the way they shower attentions on him in public in spite of such prayers, and make their plans obvious to everyone when he’s sick, but, in spite of it all, they promise sacrifices if he recovers; in fact there’s no little versatility in their flattery. So, I’d like him to be immortal, and them, thwarted in their open-mouthed greed, to depart the scene before him.
ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ: Οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ δικαιότατον· τί γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι παθόντες εὔχονται ἀποθανεῖν ἐκεῖνον ἢ τῶν χρημάτων ἀντιποιοῦνται οὐδὲν προσήκοντες; ὃ δὲ πάντων ἐστὶ μιαρώτατον, ὅτι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐχόμενοι ὅμως θεραπεύουσιν ἔν γε τῷ φανερῷ, καὶ νοσοῦντος ἃ μὲν βουλεύονται πᾶσι πρόδηλα, θύσειν δὲ ὅμως ὑπισχνοῦνται, ἢν ῥαΐσῃ, καὶ ὅλως ποικίλη τις ἡ κολακεία τῶν ἀνδρῶν. διὰ ταῦτα ὁ μὲν ἔστω ἀθάνατος, οἱ δὲ προαπίτωσαν αὐτοῦ μάτην ἐπιχ ανόντες.
2. HERMES: That will be an amusing fate for the rascals to suffer.
2. ΕΡΜΗΣ: Γελοῖα πείσονται, πανοῦργοι ὄντες.
PLUTO: He himself often leads them up the garden path with great skill, and has hopes of his own. In fact, though he always looks “close to death’s dark vale”, he’s a lot healthier than the young men. But they’ve already divided up his property amongst themselves and batten on it, thinking a life of bliss is already theirs. So, let him cast off his old age like Iolaus, and grow young again, and let them leave behind the wealth they dreamed of, and in the midst of their hopes come here forthwith, dying the sorry death they deserve.
ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ: Πολλὰ κἀκεῖνος εὖ μάλα διαβουκολεῖ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐλπίζει, καὶ ὅλως “αἰεὶ θανέοντι ἐοικὼς” ἔρρωται πολὺ μᾶλλον τῶν νέων. οἱ δὲ ἤδη τὸν κλῆρον ἐν σφίσι διῃρημένοι βόσκονται ζωὴν μακαρίαν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τιθέντες. Οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν ἀποδυσάμενος τὸ γῆρας ὥσπερ Ἰόλεως ἀνηβησάτω, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ μέσων τῶν ἐλπίδων τὸν ὀνειροποληθέντα πλοῦτον ἀπολιπόντες ἡκέτωσαν ἤδη κακοὶ κακῶς ἀποθανόντες.
HERMES: Don’t worry, Pluto. I’ll start fetching them for you now, one after the other. There are seven of them, I think.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ἀμέλησον, ὦ Πλούτων· μετελεύσομαι γάρ σοι ἤδη αὐτοὺς καθ' ἕνα ἑξῆς· ἑπτὰ δέ, οἶμαι, εἰσί.
PLUTO: Drag them down, and he’ll change from old age to the prime of youth, and attend each of the funerals.
ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ: Κατάσπα, ὁ δὲ παραπέμψει ἕκαστον ἀντὶ γέροντος αὖθις πρωθήβης γενόμενος.