{A hundred pence} (hekaton d(886e)aria). A denarius was worth
about eight and a half pence. The hundred denarii here were equal
to some "fifty shillings" (Bruce), "about 4 pounds" (McNeile),
"twenty pounds" (Moffatt), "twenty dollars" (Goodspeed), "100
shillings" (Weymouth) . These are various efforts to represent in
modern language the small amount of this debt compared with the
big one. {Took him by the throat} (epnigen). "Held him by the
throat" (Allen). It is imperfect, probably inchoative, "began to
choke or throttle him." The Roman law allowed this indignity.
Vincent quotes Livy (iv. 53) who tells how the necks were twisted
(_collum torsisset_) and how Cicero (_Pro Cluentio_, xxi.) says:
"Lead him to the judgment seat with twisted neck (_collo
obtorto_)." {What thou owest} (ei ti opheileis). Literally, "if
thou owest anything," however little. He did not even know how
much it was, only that he owed him something. "The 'if' is simply
the expression of a pitiless logic" (Meyer).