I’m having trouble translating these lines:
Hic Medus “Ergo” inquit “melior es amicus quam ille quem ego aliquando e servitute redemi.”
Gubernator: “Miror unde pecuniam sumpseris ut alios redimeres cum te ipse redimere no possis.”
Is Medus saying “You’re a better friend that he who a some time ago ransomed from servitude.”?
And is the captain saying “I wonder where you got the money to ransome someone else, when you aren’t able to ransom yourself.”
When did Medus ransom anyone?
I think you have this right if you substitute “than” for “that” and “I” for “a” in Medus’ statement. Maybe he was once a free man with money but was captured and sold into slavery himself.
Medus didn’t ransom anyone in the story but I agree with Hylander, it translates better as “You are a better friend than he whom I ransomed from slavery.”
here Medus (or “this Medus” if there is no macron on the ‘i’ in hic) says: “therefore, you are a better friend than that one whom I once redeemed from servitude.”
”I wonder from whence you took up money in order that you might have been redeeming others when you yourself (ipse) are unable to redeem yourself (te).”
Medus borrowed money to ransom a friend captured by pirates, was unable to repay the loan, and so ended up being sold into slavery himself. He tells his story immediately after the lines cited above.