Aulularia, or The Concealed Treasure (579-608)

Unless you want me for anything, I’m going to bathe, that I may sacrifice.

By my faith, you pot (taking it from under his cloak), you surely have many enemies, and that gold as well which is entrusted to you! Now this is the best thing to be done by me, to take you away, my pot, to the Temple of Faith[*], where I’ll hide you carefully. Faith, thou dost know me, and I thee; please, do have a care

not to change thy name against me, if I entrust this to thee. Faith, I’ll come to thee, relying on thy fidelity.

This is the duty of a good servant, to do what I’m intending, not to consider the commands of his master a bore or trouble to him. For that servant who resolves to serve his master with hearty goodwill,

him it behoves to act expeditiously for his master, slowly for himself; but if he sleeps, let him so sleep as to bethink himself that he is a servant. But he who lives in servitude to one in love, as I am serving, if he sees love overcoming his master, this I think to be the duty of the servant; to restrain him for his safety, not to impel him onwards towards his own inclination.

Just as a float of bulrushes is placed beneath boys who are learning to swim, by means of which they may labour less, so as to swim more easily and move their hands; in the same way do I consider that it is proper for the servant to be a buoy to his master thus in love, so as to bear him up lest he should go to the bottom; and so ⋯ should he learn the will of his master, that his eyes should know what his mouth chooses not to speak.

What he orders, he should hasten to perform more swiftly than the swift steeds. He who shall have a care for these things, will escape the castigation of the ox’s hide, nor by his own means will he ever bring the fetters to brightness. Now, my master’s in love with the daughter of this poor man, Euclio; word has just now been brought to my master that she is given to Megadorus here:

he has sent me here to spy out, that he may be made acquainted with the things that are going on. Now, without any suspicion, I’ll sit here by the sacred altar [*]. From this spot I shall be able, in this direction and that, to witness what they are about.

O Goddess Faith, do thou but take care not to discover to any person that my gold is there. I have no fear that any one will find it, so well is it concealed in its hiding place.