Ab homine quem mi amicum esse arbitratus sum antidhac.

      A man I always took for a friend till now.

Pistoc.

Multi more isto atque exemplo vivont, quos cum censeas 540 esse amicos, reperiuntur falsi falsimoniis, lingua factiosi, inertes opera, sublesta fide. nullus est quoi non invideant rem secundam optingere; sibi ne invideatur, ipsi ignavia recte cavent.

(indignantly) There are plenty of fellows amongst us of that character and description, fellows you regard as friends only to find ’em treacherous traitors—­energetic talkers, lazy doers, and ready deserters.  There’s no one they don’t envy his good luck.  As for themselves, they take proper care no one envies them—­their own inertness looks out for that.

Mnes.

Edepol ne tu illorum mores perquam meditate tenes. sed etiam unum hoc:  ex ingenio malo malum inveniunt suo:  nulli amici sunt, inimicos ipsi in sese omnis habent. ei se cum frustrantur, frustrari alios stolidi existumant. sicut est his, quem esse amicum ratus sum atque ipsus sum mihi:  ille, quod in se fuit, accuratum habuit quod posset mali 550 faceret in me, inconciliaret copias omnis meas.

(dryly) Well, well!  You certainly have a very intimate acquaintance with their characteristics.  But there’s this one thing to add:  they’re cursed by their own cursed dispositions:  friends to no man as they are, they themselves have foes in all men.  When they’re deceiving themselves the fools fancy they are deceiving others.  That’s the way with this man I thought was as good a friend to me as I am to myself:  as far as in him lay he took pains to do me all the harm he could, to defraud me of all I had.

Pistoc.

  Improbum istunc esse oportet hominem.

      The fellow must be a perfect villain!

Mnes.

  Ego ita esse arbitror.

      Precisely my own opinion.

Pistoc.

  Obsecro hercle loquere, quis is est?

      (more indignantly) By Jove, now!  Who is he?  Tell me, tell
      me.

Mnes.

  Benevolens vivit tibi.
  nam ni ita esset, tecum orarem ut ei quod posses mali
  facere faceres.

      A man on good terms with you.  Yes, but for that, I’d beg you
      to do him any damage you could.

Pistoc.

  Dic modo hominem qui sit sit:  non fecero
  ei male aliquo pacto, me esse dicito ignavissimum.

      Only tell me who the fellow is:  if I don’t damage him
      somehow, you can call me the most spiritless wretch on
      earth.

Mnes.

  Nequam homost, verum hercle amicus est tibi.

      He’s a scoundrel, but good Lord, he is a friend of yours!

Pistoc.