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Original / primary: Perseus Eng2
606b
606b
MELAENIS
606b
Surely, just now you said you were in search of the daughter of her who has been talking here.
128
128
LAMPADISCUS
128
Her daughter I am in search of.
608b
608b
MELAENIS
608b
In what way then, pray, is she a former woman, who is now his wife?
609b
609b
LAMPADISCUS
609b
Woman, whoever you are, you weary me with your prating.
129
The middle woman The middle woman: Medioxumam. The middle woman, although his first wife, and the mother of the daughter whom he had betrothed to Alcesimarchus; he having had Phanostrata the first, as a woman (when he ravished her), but not as a wife until after the death of his first wife. whom he had for a wife, of her this maiden was born that’s being given to Alcesimarchus. That wife is dead. Do you understand now?
613b
613b
MELAENIS
613b
I understand that quite well; but it’s this knotty point I’m enquiring about, how
130
the first can be the last, the last be the first.
131
131
LAMPADISCUS
131
The fact is this; this woman he ravished before he took her home as his wife; before that she was pregnant, and before that she gave birth to a daughter: after she gave birth to her, she ordered the infant to be exposed; I myself exposed her; another woman took her away;
132
I was on the look-out; after that, my master married her. That girl, her daughter, we are now in search of. (MELAENIS turns aside her head.) Why now, with face upturned, are you looking up towards the heavens?
133
133
MELAENIS
133
Now, then, be off at once whither you were hastening; I won’t detain you; I understand it now.
624b
624b
LAMPADISCUS
624b
I’ troth, to the Deities I do give thanks;
134
for if you hadn’t understood me, I do think you would never have let me go.
135
135
MELAENIS
135
Now it’s necessary for me to be honest, whether I will or no, although I had rather not; I find the thing is discovered. Now will I myself lay them under an obligation to me, rather than she shall peach upon me. I’ll go home,
136
and I’ll bring Silenium to her parents.
137
137
MELAENIS
137
I’ve disclosed the whole matter to you; follow, my Silenium, that you may rather belong to those to whom you ought to belong, than be mine. Although against my will I shall part with you, still I’ll reconcile my mind to consult that which in especial conduces to your benefit. (Giving her a casket.)
138
For here in this are the trinkets Are the trinkets: The discovery in the Rudens depends on a similar circumstance. This custom of attaching trinkets to the persons of children when exposed, will be more fully remarked upon in the Notes to the Translation of Terence., together with which she who gave you to me formerly brought you to me; that your parents may recognize you the more easily. Take this casket, Halisca, and then go and knock at that door (pointing to the house of DEMIPHO): say that I request that some one will come from within. Make haste, quickly.
139
139
ALCESIMARCHUS
139
Death, receive me unto thyself, a friend and well-wisher to me!
639.640
639.640
SILENIUM
639.640
My mother, to our sorrow, we are undone!
641b
641b
ALCESIMARCHUS
641b
Whether shall I pierce my side here (striking his right side) or on the left.
140
140
MELAENIS
140
What’s the matter with you?
642b
642b
SILENIUM
642b
Don’t you see Alcesimarchus? He’s grasping a sword.
141
141
ALCESIMARCHUS
141
What art about? Thou art delaying. Quit the light of day.
643b
643b
SILENIUM
643b
Do run and aid him, pray, that he mayn’t kill himself.
644b
644b
ALCESIMARCHUS
644b
O Safety more healthful than my own safety, you now, whether I wish or don’t wish, alone do cause me to live.
142
142
MELAENIS
142
Fie on it! Were you ready to commit such violence?
646b
646b
ALCESIMARCHUS
646b
I’ve nought to do with you—to you I’m dead. (Clasping SILENIUM in his arms.) Her, as I hold her, I’m determined not to lose. For, by heaven, I am resolved henceforth to have her entirely rivetted fast unto me. (Goes to the door of the house, and calls.) Where are you, servants? Shut the door with bolts, with bars,
143
when I shall have carried her within the threshold!
650b
650b
MELAENIS
650b
He’s gone off: he has carried the damsel away. I’ll go—I’ll at once follow him in-doors, that he may know of me these same things, if from being angered with me I can render him pleased.
144
144
LAMPADISCUS
144
I do believe I never saw a more tormenting old nag than this is. What she just now confessed to me, is she to be denying it?
145
But look, I see my mistress. Why (seeing the casket on the ground), how’s this, that this casket is lying here with these trinkets, and that I see no other person in the street? I must act the child’s part Act the child’s part: He alludes to his taking up the toys or trinkets, which were made for children to play with. Conquiniscam, very unnecessarily it would seem, has an indelicate meaning given to it by Lambinus.; I’ll stoop to pick up the casket.
146
146
PHANOSTRATA
146
What are you about, Lampadio?
658b
658b
LAMPADISCUS
658b
Is this casket from out of our house here, I wonder. For I picked it up, lying here near the door.
659b
659b
PHANOSTRATA
659b
What news do you bring about the old woman?
660b
660b
LAMPADISCUS
660b
That there’s not one other on earth more wicked. She denies all those things which she just now confessed to me. But, i’ faith, for me to allow that old jade to be laughing at me, it’s preferable for me to die by any kind of death.
663b
663b
PHANOSTRATA
663b
Ye Gods, I do adjure you by our trust in you!
147
147
LAMPADISCUS
147
Why do you call upon the Gods?
664b
664b
PHANOSTRATA
664b
Save us!
664c
664c
LAMPADISCUS
664c
What’s the matter?
664d
664d
PHANOSTRATA
664d
These are the trinkets with which you exposed my little daughter to death.
148
148
LAMPADISCUS
148
Are you in your senses?
666b
666b
PHANOSTRATA
666b
These certainly are.
666c
666c
LAMPADISCUS
666c
Do you persist?
666d
666d
PHANOSTRATA
666d
These are they.
666e
666e
LAMPADISCUS
666e
If any other woman were to speak to me after that fashion, I should say she was drunk.
149
149
PHANOSTRATA
149
By heaven! I’m talking no nonsense.
668b
But prithee, whence in the world did these come, or what Deity placed this before our door? As though
150
for a given purpose, at the very instant
670b
sacred Hope comes to my aid?
151
151
HALISCA
151
Unless the Gods give me some aid, I’m utterly undone; nor do I know whence I am to seek for aid. To such a degree does carelessness possess wretched me in mind, which I sadly fear may be lighting upon my own back, if my mistress knows that I’m so negligent as I really am.
152
The casket which I took and held in my hands here before the door, where it is I know not; except, as I fancy, it was dropt by me about this spot. (Looks about on the ground.) My good sirs (to the AUDIENCE), my kind Spectators, do give me information if any one has seen it, if any one has taken it away, or any one picked it up; and whether in this direction or that he has taken his departure?
153
I’m none the wiser for asking these persons, or for worrying them, who are always delighted at a woman’s mishaps. Now I’ll mark if there are any footsteps here; for if no one had passed this way since I went in-doors, the casket would be lying here. Why say here? It’s lost, I guess;
154
it’s done for. It’s all over with unhappy and unlucky me! It’s nowhere, and nowhere am I. This, by its loss, has proved my loss. But still, as I’ve begun, I’ll e’en go on; I’ll make search; for both within do I fear, and without I am afraid; so much, on either side, does fear agitate me now. In this are mortals intensely wretched.
155
He is now joyous, whoever he is, that has found it, which is of no use at all to any person else; to myself it may be. But I cause delay to myself, while I’m doing this with remissness. Halisca, attend to what you are about: look down upon the ground, and look round about; search with your eyes; guess with shrewdness.
156
156
LAMPADISCUS
156
Mistress!
695b
695b
PHANOSTRATA
695b
Well, what’s the matter?
695c
695c
LAMPADISCUS
695c
That’s she.
695d
695d
PHANOSTRATA
695d
Who?
695e
695e
LAMPADISCUS
695e
She who let fall the casket.
157
Why surely she’s tracing out that spot where it fell.
696a
696a
PHANOSTRATA
696a
It seems so.Part of line 696 in the Latin.
158
158
HALISCA
158
But that person has gone this way; this way I perceive the imprint of his shoe Of his shoe: Socci. The soccus was a loose shoe worn especially by the Comic actors. Its use was probably derived from Greece.; this way I’ll follow him. (She moves along, still looking on the ground.) In this spot now has he stopped, along with another person. Here now a circle Here now a circle: Turbo. Schmieder thinks that this means a whirlwind, and that she intends to say that she has lost the track, in consequence of the wind blowing round the dust, and so obliterating the footmarks. Perhaps, however, she means, that just there the track is lost by its being all in confusion, without beginning or end, so far as she can see. Some would read turba, a multitude, as meaning that the throng in the street hinders her from clearly seeing the imprints of the feet. presents itself to my sight,
159
nor did he go straight forward this way; here he came to a pause. This way did he come out of that circle. Here was a conference with some one. It points to two persons now. Who are these? Heyday I see the footsteps of only one. But he has gone this way. I’ll consider it: hither he went from thence; from hence he has never gone.
160
I’m troubling myself to no purpose. What’s lost is lost; my hide My hide: She alludes to the flogging which she may expect for her carelessness, which will cause her to lose her skin, or literally, as Plautus says (quite in accordance with our vulgar parlance), her leather. along with the casket. I’ll go in-doors again.
704b
704b
PHANOSTRATA
704b
Hallo, woman-stop; there are some persons who wish to meet with you.
161
161
HALISCA
161
Who’s calling me back?
705b
705b
LAMPADISCUS
705b
A good female and a bad male want you.
162
162
HALISCA
162
Away with you, bad male; I want a good one. (To herself.) After all, he who calls knows better what he wants than I who am called; I’ll return. (Aloud.) Prithee, have you seen any person hereabouts pick up a casket with some trinkets, which I, to my misfortune, have lost here?
163
For when, just now, we were running into the house of Alcesimarchus, that he mightn’t put an end to his life, at that moment I think that, through terror, the casket fell down from me here.
164
164
LAMPADISCUS
164
This woman’s to our purpose; let’s then give heed to her a little, mistress.
165
165
HALISCA
165
To my sorrow, I’m utterly undone. What shall I say to my mistress, who bade me with such earnestness take care of it, through which Silenium might the more readily recognize her parents—who, when little, was adopted by my mistress as her own,
166
and whom a certain Courtesan gave to her?
716b
716b
LAMPADISCUS
716b
(aside.) She’s talking about this matter of ours. According as she gives these indications by her talk, she must surely know where your daughter is.
167
167
HALISCA
167
Now is she desirous of her own accord to restore her to her father and mother, whose daughter she is; prithee, my good sir, you are attending to something else; I commend my matter to you.
168
168
LAMPADISCUS
168
I’m giving my attention to this, and this is as good as food to me, that you are talking of; but amid my attending to this matter, I was answering this mistress of mine what she was enquiring; now I return to you. If you have need of anything, say you, and give your orders. What were you looking, for?
723b
723b
HALISCA
723b
My good sir and my good madam, I greet you.
169
169
PHANOSTRATA
169
And we you. But what are you looking for?
724b
724b
HALISCA
724b
I’m tracing footsteps here,
170
the way that something has escaped me here, I don’t know how.
725b
725b
PHANOSTRATA
725b
What is it?
725a
725a
LAMPADISCUS
725a
What is it, pray?Part of line 725b in theLatin.
171
171
HALISCA
171
Something to bring a loss to another, and a calamity on our family.
172
172
LAMPADISCUS
172
A worthless baggage is this, mistress, and a crafty one.
727b
727b
PHANOSTRATA
727b
I’ faith, and so she seems.
173
173
LAMPADISCUS
173
She imitates a worthless animal and a mischievous.
728b
728b
PHANOSTRATA
728b
Which one, prithee?
174
174
LAMPADISCUS
174
A caterpillar, which twisting about winds itself in the leaf of the vine;
175
just in the same way does she begin a story that twists about. (To HALISCA.) What are you looking for?
731b
731b
HALISCA
731b
A casket, my good young man, has flown away from me here.
176
176
LAMPADISCUS
176
You ought to have put it in a cage.
732b
732b
HALISCA
732b
I’ faith, the booty was no great one.
177
177
LAMPADISCUS
177
It’s a wonder, if a whole troop of slaves Troop of slaves: This is said in allusion to the runaway propensities of slaves. isn’t there in the casket.
178
178
PHANOSTRATA
178
Do let her speak.
734b
734b
LAMPADISCUS
734b
If indeed she would speak.
734c
734c
PHANOSTRATA
734c
Come say you, what was in it?
179
179
HALISCA
179
Trinkets only.
735b
735b
LAMPADISCUS
735b
There’s a certain man, who declares that he knows where it is.
180
180
HALISCA
180
But, by my faith, he’ll confer an obligation on a certain woman if he’ll discover it.
181
181
LAMPADISCUS
181
But this certain man wishes a reward to be given to him.
737b
737b
HALISCA
737b
But, by my faith, this certain woman, that has lost this casket, declares that she has nothing to give to this certain man.
182
182
LAMPADISCUS
182
But still this certain man looks for some money.