You are mad; you’ve searched me all over at your own pleasure, and yet you’ve found nothing of yours in my possession.EUCLIO(starting.)Stop, stop; who was that? Who was the otherWho was the other: This suspicion in Euclio is very natural; and he asks the question very artfully, for the purpose of catching a confession from him by inadvertence. that was within here, together with yourself? Troth, I’m undone; he’s now rummaging about within. If I let this one go, he’ll escape. At last, I’ve now searched this one all over; he has got nothing. Be off where you please;Jupiter and the Gods confound you!STROBILUSHe returns his thanks not amissThanks not amiss: He says this sarcastically. If he gets such thanks when he has not stolen the treasure, what would he have got supposing that he had?.EUCLIOI’ll go in here now, and I’ll at once throttle this accomplice of yours. Will you not fly hence from my sight? Will you away from here, or no? STROBILUSI’m off. EUCLIOTake you care, please, how I see you.(He goes into the Temple.)

(STROBIOUS, alone.)STROBILUSI would rather that I were dead outright, by a shocking death, than not lay an ambush this day for that old fellow. But he’ll not venture now to hide his gold here; he’ll now be carrying it with him, I guess, and be changing the spot. But hark! there’s a noise at the door. (Looking in the direction of the Temple.) See, the old fellow’s bringing out the gold with him! Meanwhile, I’ll step aside here to the door.(Conceals himself near the door.)

(Enter EUCLIO, from the Temple, with the pot of money.)EUCLIO(to himself.)I had thought that there was the very greatest dependence upon Faith; very nearly had she played me a pretty trickPlayed me a pretty trick: Sublevit os.Sublinere os means to paint the face secretly, in allusion to the practical joke of so doing when a person is asleep, and thereby making a fool of him.. If the raven hadn’t come to my assistance, to my sorrow I should have been undone. Troth, I very much wish that raven would come to me which gave me the warning, that I might say something kind to him; for I would as soon giveWould as soon give: That is, not at all. He says thank you to the raven, but he would be as likely to give it a scrap of victuals as to throw it away, which was quite repugnant to his jus et norma vivendi, his mode of life. him something to eat as lose it. Now I’m thinking of a lonely spot where I shall hide this. The grove of Sylvanus, outside of the wall, is unfrequented,and planted with many a willow; there will I choose a spot. I’m determined to trust Sylvanus Sylvanus: Sylvanus was the tutelary Divinity of the woodlands field, and cattle. Pigs were usually offered in sacrifice to him., rather than Faith.(Exit.)STROBILUS(re-appearing from his hiding-place.)Capital! capital! the Gods will me to be safe and preserved! Now will I run before to that place, and climb up into some tree, and thence will I watch where the old fellow hides the gold. Although my master bade me remain here, I’m resolved rather to risk a mishap along with emolument.(Exit.)

(Enter LYCONIDES and EUNOMIA, from the house of MEGADORUS.)LYCONIDESI’ve told you all, mother; as well as I do myself, you understand all about the daughter of Euclio. Now, I do entreat you, my mother, make mention of it to my uncle, and I now unask of you, mother, that which before I entreated of you, to conceal this from Megadorus.EUNOMIAYou know, yourself, that what you desire to be done, I desire, and I trust that I shall obtain this of my brother; and the reason is good, if ’tis so as you say, that in a drunken fit you debauched this damsel.LYCONIDESCould I, my mother, tell a falsehood in your presence?PHAEDRA(PHAEDRA cries out in labour, in EUCLIO’S house.)I die, my nurse; my pangs are coming on! I entreat thee for thy protection, Juno LucinaJuno Lucina: Juno Lucina was the Goddess who presided over childbirth. Some suppose that the Goddess Diana was called by that name; but (although Diana was also addressed by parturient females) it is more likely that Juno was addressed under the title. A similar circumstance to this takes place in the Andria and the Adelphi of Terence.!LYCONIDESAh! my mother, I see a more convincing proof for you; she’s crying aloud—she’s in the pangs of labour.EUNOMIACome in-doors here, with me, my son, to my brother, that I may obtain a grant from him of that which you beg of me.LYCONIDESGo; I’ll follow you this instant, mother. (EUNOMIA goes into the house.) But my servant, Strobilus, I wonder where he is, whom I ordered to wait here for me. Now I reflect with myself, if he’s lending me his assistance, it isn’t fair that I should be angry with him. I’ll go in-doors, where they are sitting in judgmentThey are sitting in judgnment: Ubi de capite meo sunt Comitia. Literally, where, then, are the Comitia about my life. Trials were held before the Comitia centuriata, or assemblies of the people, at Rome, to which reference is here made. He alludes to the discussion between Eunomia and Megadorus, on the marriage of the latter with Phaedra. upon my life. (Goes into the house of MEGADORUS.)

(Enter STROBILUS, with the pot of money.)STROBILUSI, by myself, exceed the riches of the GriffinsRiches of the Griffins: Pici. Picis would be a better reading here, and ought to be adopted unless we agree with some of the Commentators, who think that Strobilus begins a sentence, and then, in the exuberance of his joy, breaks out into an expression of a different construction from that originally intended. It may, however, possibly be, as Hildyard suggests, the nominativus pendens, which is not unfrequently used by Plautus. The Pici here alluded to, were Griffins, or fabulous monsters, who were said to watch the treasures of the Arimaspi, a people of the north of Scythia, mentioned by Herodotus, who were said to possess mountains of gold; in which story, no doubt, the Uralian mountians were alluded to., who inhabit the golden mountains, For I’m unwilling to make mention of those other kings, beggarly fellows—I am the king Philip. O charming day! for when I went from here, just now, I arrived there much the first, and, long before, I placed myself in a tree, and thence observed where the old fellow hid the gold. When he departed thence, I let myself down from the tree, and dug up the pot full of gold. Thence, from that spot, I saw the old fellow betaking himself back again; he didn’t see me, for I turned a little on one side, out of the path. Heyday! here he comes himself. I’ll go and hide this away, at home.(Goes into the house of MEGADORUS.)

(Enter EUCLIO, tearing his hair and wringing his hands.)EUCLIOI’m ruined! I’m done for! I’m murdered! Whither shall I run? Whither not run? Stop him—stop him. Whom? who? I don’t know. I see nothing! I’m going blindfold; and, in fact, whither I am going, or where I am, or who I am,I can’t in my mind find out for certain. (To the AUDIENCE.) I beseech you, give me your aid (I beg and entreat of you), and point me out the person that has taken it away. What’s the matter? Why do you laugh? I’m acquainted with you all; I know that there are many thieves here, who conceal themselves with white clothes and chalkWhite clothes and chalk: The Romans were much in the habit of having their woollen togae made extremely white by chalk, pipeclay, and the fuller’s art. He alludes to white garments covering bad manners, much as in Scripture whited sepuichres are mentoned as being full of uncleanness., and sit as though they were honest! (To one of the SPECTATORS.) What say you? You I’m resolved to believe; for I perceive, even by your looks, that you are honest. Well then, none of these has got it? You’ve been the death of me! Tell me, then, who has got it? You don’t know? Oh,wretched, wretched me! I’m done for! wofully undone! In most sorry plight I go; so much groaning, and misfortune, and sorrow, has this day brought upon me, hunger and poverty, too. I’m the most utterly ruined of all men upon the earth! For what need of life have I, who have lost so much gold that I so carefully watched? I pinched myself, and my inclinations, and my very heartAnd my very heart: Geniumque meum. Literally, and my Genius, i. e. my social disposition or capacity for enjoyment.! Now others are rejoicing at this, my loss and my misfortune! I cannot endure it.