Where, pray? STROBILUSA four pound potA four pound pot: Quadrilibris probably alludes to the capacity of the pot, and not its weight. It was probably a jar made to contain four pounds weight of liquid., I say, full of gold!LYCONIDESWhat crime is this that I hear of from you?STROBILUS I’ve stolen it from this old fellow, Euclio.Part of line 822 in the Latin.LYCONIDESWhere is this gold? STROBILUSIn my box at home; I now wish to be made free.LYCONIDESI, make you free, you fellow, brimful of wickedness?STROBILUSOut upon you, master, I know what you would be at. Troth, I’ve cleverly tried your inclination; you were just getting ready to take it away from me; what would you do, if I had found it?LYCONIDESYou can’t make good your pretences. Come, give up the gold!STROBILUSI, give up the gold? LYCONIDESGive it up, I say, that it may be given back to him.STROBILUSWhere am I to get it from?LYCONIDESThat which you confessed just now to be in your box.STROBILUSI’ faith, I’m in the habit of talking nonsense;’twas in that way I was speaking.LYCONIDES(seizing him.)But do you know what?— STROBILUSEven kill me outright, i’ faith, you never shall get it hence of me The rest of this Play is unfortunately lost. From the Acrostic Argument which is prefixed to the Play, we learn that Lyconides obtained the gold, and gave it up to Euclio, who presented it to him as a marriage-portion with his daughter. In some of the Editions there is a Supplement to the last Scene, written in a very meagre style by some unknown author, which is not worth presenting to the reader The Supplementby Antonius Codrus Urceus, a learned scholar and professor at Bologna, is certainly somewhat superior, and, such as it is, a translation of it is here presented to the reader. Its chief fault is, that it indicates a greater change in the nature of the miser than is consistent with probability. Though Plautus doubtless depicted him as giving up the gold to his new son-in-law, it was probably on some other ground than a change of disposition.A SUPPLEMENT TO THE AULULARIA BY CODRUS URCEUS.)STROBILUS— the pot belonging to the old fellow, which I’ve not got.LYCONIDESI will have it, whether you will or no; when I’ve tied you up all fours, and torn asunder your body for you tied up to the beam. But why do I delay to rush upon the jaws of this rascal, and why this instant do I not compel his soul to take its journey before its timeBefore its time: —The expression used here by Urceus is capable of two modes of translation; the most delicate one has been preferred.? Are you going to give it me or not?STROBILUSI will give it you. LYCONIDESI want you to give it me now, and not at a future time.STROBILUSI’ll give it now; but I entreat you to allow me to recover breath. (LYCONIDES lets him go.) Aha! What is it you want me to give you, master?LYCONIDESDon’t you know, you rascal? And do you dare to refuse me the four pound pot full of gold which you just now said you had stolen? (Calling at the door.) Hallo there! Where now are the flogging men?STROBILUSMaster, do hear a few words. Lyc. I won’t hear; floggers, hallo there—hallo!

(Enter two FLOGGING SLAVES.)SLAVE.What’s the matter? LYCONIDESI want the chains to be got ready.STROBILUSListen to me, I beg of you; afterwards order them to bind me as much as you please.LYCONIDESI will hear you; but hasten the matter very quickly.STROBILUSIf you order me to be tortured to death, see what you obtain; in the first place, you have the death of your slave. Then, what you wish for you cannot get. But if you had only allured me by the reward of dear liberty, you would already have obtained your wish. Nature produces all men free, and by nature all desire freedom. Slavery is worse than every evil, than every calamity; and he whom Jupiter hates, him he first makes a slave.