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.HEGIO Come, then, tell me who he is?ARISTOPHONTES He whom I’ve told you all along from the beginning. If you shall find him any other than that person, I show no cause why I shouldn’t suffer the loss with you both of my parents and of my liberty for ever.HEGIO(to TYNDARUS.) What say you to this?TYNDARUS That I am your slave, and you my master.HEGIO I didn’t ask that—were you a free man?TYNDARUS I was. ARISTOPHONTES But he really wasn’t; he is deceiving you.TYNDARUS How do you know? Were you, perchance, the midwife of my mother, since you dare to affirm this so boldly?ARISTOPHONTES When a boy, I saw yourself, a boy.TYNDARUS But, grown up, I now see you grown up; so, there’s for you, in return. If you did right, you wouldn’t be troubling yourself about my concerns; do I trouble myself about yours?HEGIO Was his father called Thesaurochrysonicocrœsides?ARISTOPHONTES He was not; and I never heard that name before this day. Theodoromedes was the father of Philocrates.TYNDARUS(aside.) I’m downright undone. Why don’t you be quiet, heart of mine? Go and be stretched, and hang yourself; you are throbbing so, that unfortunate I can hardly stand up for my fear.HEGIO Is a full assurance given me that this was a slave in Elis, and that he is not Philocrates? ARISTOPHONTES So fully, that you will never find this to be otherwise; but where is heBut where is he: Tyndarus has probably betaken himself to some corner of the stage, and Aristophontes misses him from his former position. now?HEGIO Where I the least, and he the most could wish himself. In consequence, then, I’m cut asunderCut asunder: Deruncinatus means, literally, cut asunder with a runcina, or saw., disjointed, to my sorrow, by the devices of this scoundrel, who has bamboozled me by his tricks just as he has thought fit. But do, please, have a care that you are right.ARISTOPHONTES Why, I assure you of this, as an ascertained and established fact.HEGIO For certain? ARISTOPHONTES Why, nothing, I say, will you find more certain than this certainty. Philocrates, from when a boy, has ever since that time been my friend.HEGIO But of what appearance is your friend Philocrates?