How, two? PISTOCLERUS Aye, and the two are sisters.MNESILOCHUS You are now designedly telling idle stories.PISTOCLERUS In fine, if you persist in thinking there’s but little confidence in me, I’ll take you upon my shoulders, and carry you hence into their house.MNESILOCHUS Well, I’ll go; but stay a moment.PISTOCLERUS I will not stay, and you shall not be holding me under a false suspicion.MNESILOCHUS I follow you then.(They go into the house of BACCHIS.)

(Enter a PARASITE and a BOY.)PARASITE Of a debauched and unscrupulous fellow am I the Parasite—a Captain, who has brought his mistress with him from Samos.Now he has ordered me to go to her, and make enquiry whether she will pay back the gold, or whether she will depart together with him. You, boy, who have for some time been with her, whichever of these is the house, do you knock. Go to the door forthwith. (The BOY goes to knock.) Are you coming back from there, you hangdogYou hangdog: Dierecte. The meaning of this word has been explained in the Notes to the Trinummus.? How the graceless scoundrel does knock! You can gobble up a loaf three feet wide, and yet you don’t know how to knock at a door. (He calls out and knocks violently.) Is there any one in-doors? Hallo! is there any one here? Does any one open this door? Who’s coming out?

(Enter PISTOCLERUS from the house.)PISTOCLERUS What’s the matter? What’s this knocking? Why, what the confounded torment possesses you, to be exerting your strength in this fashion on another person’s door?You’ve almost broken the door down. What do you want now?PARASITE Young gentleman, my respects. PISTOCLERUS And my respects. But whom are you looking for?PARASITE For Bacchis. PISTOCLERUS But which of them?PARASITE Of that I know nothing, only it’s Bacchis. In a few words, the Captain, Cleomachus, has sent me to her, either for her to pay back the tyro hundred golden Philippeans, or to go hence this day, together with him, to ElatiaTo Elatia: Elatia was a city of Phocis, a district in the Northern part of Greece..PISTOCLERUS She doesn’t go: she says she shan’t go. Begone, and take back this message—she loves another person, and not him. Take yourself off from the house.PARASITE You’re too hasty. PISTOCLERUS And would you know now hasty I am?By my faith, your phiz isn’t far off from a mishap; so much are these teeth-crackers (looking at his fists) longing in my fists.PARASITE(aside.)So far as I understand his words, ’tis a warning to me, lest he should knock my nut-crackers out of my jaws. (To PISTOCLERUS.) At your own peril, I’ll tell him this.PISTOCLERUS What do you say? PARASITE I’ll tell him that which you bade me.PISTOCLERUS Who are you? Tell me.PARASITE I’m the skill of his bodySkin of his body: Integumentum corporis. Literally, the skin, or covering of the body. This was probably a nickname for a body guard, or hanger-on. PISTOCLERUS He needs must be a scampish fellow, who has got so worthless a skin.PARASITE He’ll be coming here, swollen up with wrath.PISTOCLERUS I wish he may burst.