The dress onlyThe dress only: By ornamenta he means the dress of Tragedy. The dresses of Comedy were essentially different from those of Tragedy. He means to say, the man is mad; if he had only the Tragic garb on, you might take him for Ajax Telamon in his frenzy. On being refused the arms of Achilles, Ajax became mad, and slaughtered a flock of sheep fancying that they were Ulysses and the sons of Atreus. is wanting; in seeing this man, you behold Ajax himself.HEGIO I don’t care; still I’ll approach him.(Advances to ARISTOPHONTES.)TYNDARUS(aside.) Now am I utterly undone; now between the sacrifice and the stoneThe sacrifice and the stone: We learn from Livy, that in the most ancient times the animal for sacrifice was killed by being struck with a stone; to stand between the victim and the stone, would consequently imply, to be in a position of extreme danger. do I stand, nor know I what to do.HEGIO I lend you my attention, Aristophontes, if there is anything that you would wish with me.ARISTOPHONTES From me you shall hear that truth, which now you think to be false, Hegio. But I wish, in the first place, to clear myself from this with you—that madness does not possess me, and that I have no malady, except that I am in captivity; and, so may the King of Gods and of men make me to regain my native land, that fellow there is no more Philocrates than either I or you.