Titus Maccius Plautus — Amphitryo (1519)

And will accuse her of disgrace; then my father
Will lead that discord into calm.
Now, about Alcumena, what I said a little while ago less fully:
Today she will bring forth sons, two twins;
The other boy will be born in the tenth month,
Than the other was sown in the seventh month.
Of them, one is Amphitryon’s, the other Jupiter’s.
Truly, the greater father is to the lesser boy.
The lesser to the greater—do you now know what this may be?
But for the sake of the honor of this Alcumena,
The father took care that it might happen in one birth,
So that with one labor she might discharge two burdens,
And that she might not be placed in suspicion of adultery,
And that the clandestine conception might be hidden.
Although (as I said a long time ago) Amphitryon will nevertheless find out
The whole matter; what then? No one will consider it a disgrace
To the wife of Amphitryon, for it does not seem right
For a god to make his own offense a disgrace,
And to allow his own fault to be sought in a mortal.
I will suppress my speech; the door creaked.
Behold, the substitute Amphitryon goes out the door,
And is speaking with his usurping wife Alcumena.

JUPITER. ALCUMENA. MERCURY

Farewell, Alcumena; take care of our common affair, what you are doing,
And continue, I pray; you see that the months are already full for you.
It is necessary for me to go from here, but what is born, lift it up.