the rest of you this way, to our house.LYCONIDESBy my troth, you’ve made an unfair division; they’ve got the fattest lamb.STROBILUSBut the fattest music-girl shall be given you then. Do you, therefore, go along with him, PhrygiaPhrygia: Phrygia was an appropriate girl for a tibicina, music-girl, or female player on the flute, as that instrument was originally introduced from Phrygia, or Lydia, which adjoined it. Eleusium would probably derive her name from Eleusis in Attica, where the mysteries of Ceres were celebrated. Players on the tibiae were much in request on festive occasions, especially at weddings, as in the present instance. The tibicina were probably hired in the market-place, the same way as the cooks.. And do you, Eleusium, step in-doors here, to our house. LYCONIDESO you crafty Strobilus, have you pushed me off here upon this most miserly old fellow, where if I ask for anything, I may ask even to hoarseness before anything’s found me?STROBILUS’Tis very foolish, and ’tis thanklessly done, to do a service to you, when what you do goes for nothing.LYCONIDESBut how so? STROBILUSDo you ask? In the first place then, there will be no confusion for you there in the house; if you want anything to use,bring it from your own home, don’t lose your trouble in asking for it. But here, at our house, there’s great confusion, and a large establishment— furniture, gold, garments, silver vessels. If anything’s lost here (as I knowthat you can easilyYou can easily: Facile,easily, seems a preferable reading to facere. If the latter reading is adopted, there are three consecutive verbs in the infinitive mood, which, even in the (occasionally) uncouth language of Plautus, sounds very uneuphoniously, Facere abstinere posse. keep hands off—if nothing’s in your way), they may say, The cooks have stolen it; seize them, bind them, beat them, thrust them in the dungeonIn the dungeon: Puteus here signifies the black hole or dungeon underground (called also ergastulum), where the refractory slaves were put in confinement.. Nothing of that sort will happen to you, inasmuch as there will be nothing for you to steal. Follow me this way.LYCONIDESI follow.STROBILUS(knocking at the door of EUCLIO’S house.)Ho, there Staphyla, come out and open the door.STAPHYLA(from within.)Who calls there?STROBILUSStrobilus.

(Enter STAPHYLA.)STAPHYLAWhat do you want? STROBILUSFor you to take in these cooks, and this music-girl, and these provisions for the wedding. Megadorus bade me take these things to Euclio.STAPHYLAAre you about to make this wedding, Strobilus, in honor of CeresIn honor of Ceres: The old woman probably alludes to the Thesmophoria, where abstinence from wine was especially practised, and which were celebrated in a state of fasting and purification. Her question here tends to confirm the suspicion that she was more fond of the merum than the mixtum, reference to which has already been made? STROBILUSWhy? STAPHYLABecause I don’t see any wine brought.STROBILUSWhy, that will be brought just now, when he himself comes back from the market.STAPHYLAThere’s no firewood here in our house.LYCONIDESThere are the beams. STAPHYLAI’ faith, there are.LYCONIDESThere is wood, then; don’t you be seeking it out of doors.STAPHYLAWhat, you unpurified fellowYou unpurified fellow: Impurate.You that are unpurified, in spite of your everlastingly stewing over the fire. She alludes, figuratively, to the process of smelting and purifying metals by the action of fire., although your business is with the fire,for the sake of a dinner, or of your own hire, do you request us to set our house on fire?LYCONIDESI don’t ask you. STROBILUSTake them in-doors.STAPHYLAFollow me.