In the meantime, I’ll amuse him here, if by chance he should come first.LEONIDABut what say you—? LIBANUSWhat do you want?LEONIDAIf I give you a blow on the cheek with my fist, by-and-by, while I’m personating SaureaPersonating Saurea: Saurea, as the atriensis,chamberlain or gentleman-usher, was the head of the slave family; and it was his privilege to beat the other slaves, if they offended him or neglected their duties., don’t you be offended.LIBANUSI’ faith, but you’ll have a care not to be touching me, if you are wise; you’ll surely have changed your name to day with a bad omenYour name to-day with a bad omen: Limiers says that this is said in allusion to his having assumed the name of Saurea, which meant a lash or scourge..LEONIDAPrithee, do endure it with resolution.LIBANUSDo you endure the cuff that I, too, shall be giving you in return.LEONIDAI speak as it’s in the habit of being done.LIBANUSI’ faith, and I speak, too, of how I’m likely to act.LEONIDADon’t refuse me.LIBANUSWhy I promise, I tell you, to give you a like return, just as you deserve.LEONIDAI’m off; I know that you’ll put up with it by-and-by. But who’s this? ’Tis he—’tis the very man himself. I’ll return here just now; in the meantime do you detain him here;I want to inform the old gentleman.(Exit.)LIBANUSWell, do your duty, then, and fly.

(Enter the ASS-DEALER, with a BOY.)THE ASS-DEALER(to himself.)According as it was pointed out to me, this must be the house where Demaenetus is said to live. (To the BOY.) Go, boy, and knock, and call Saurea the chamberlain out here, if he’s in-doors.(The BOY goes to knock.)LIBANUSWho’s breaking in our door in this fashion? Enough there, I say, if you hear me at all.THE ASS-DEALERNo one has touched it as yet: are you out of your senses?LIBANUSWhy I thought that you had touched it, because you were steering your course in that direction. I don’t want the door, my fellow-slaveMy fellow-slave: He so calls the door, from the fact of its being under the control of the janitor, or doorkeeper, who was also a slave. Ovid has a similar passage in his Amores, B. 1, El. 6, l. 74. In his address to the janitor, he says, Duraque conservae, ligna, valete, fores And you, ye doors equally slaves, hard-hearted blocks of wood, farewell., to be thumped by you; I really am attached to our house.THE ASS-DEALERI’ faith, there’s no fear of the hinges being broken off the doors, if you answer all who make enquiries in this fashion. LIBANUSThis door is of this habit; it cries out at once for tho porter, if it sees any door-kicker at a distance coming towards it. But what are you come for? What are you enquiring about?THE ASS-DEALERI wanted Demaenetus. LIBANUSIf he were at home, I would tell you so.THE ASS-DEALERWell, his chamberlain then? LIBANUSNo more is ne at home.THE ASS-DEALERWhere is he? LIBANUSHe said he was going to the barber’s.THE ASS-DEALERHasn’t he returned, since he went there?LIBANUSI’ faith, he hasn’t. What did you want?THE ASS-DEALERHe was to have received twenty mine of silver, if he had been in.LIBANUSWhat was it for?