Use of Pluperfect Subjunctive in Plautus Ps. 3-5

Latin Learning Latin
1

Si ex te tacente fieri possem certior, ere, quae miseriae te tam misere macerent, duorúm labori ego hominum parsissem lubens, mei te rogandi et tis respondendi

“If, master, by your being silent, I could be in-formed what miseries are afflicting you so sadly, I would willingly have spared the trouble of two persons–of myself in asking you, and of yourself in answering me.” (H.T. Riley, 1912)

Anyone familiar with why parsissem is being used here, since it is referring to what would now be happening (if you would inform me, I would be sparing us both from bother).

2

I think we have to read it as it stands, as pluperfect, even though it’s not strictly logical. “If you could tell me what’s bugging you I’d have gladly spared us both the bother of this Q&A” [but you’re not telling me, so I have not spared us].

3

Strangely, it does make sense in English as it stands, or so it seems to me. So whatever the Latin is doing, the English appears to be doing the same. Perhaps it is because it is two steps removed from reality that the pluperfect is used.