Cistellaria, or The Casket (515b-545b)

Indeed, his mother, rather.

Juno his daughter, and Saturn his uncle, supreme Jove—You are maddening me; it’s through you I make these mistakes.

Go on saying so.

Is it that I’m to know[*] what conclusion you are going to come to?

Go on talking; I shall not send her back, that’s resolved upon.

Why then, so may Jupiter,

and so may Juno and Saturn, to me, so may—I don’t know what to say—Now I know—Yes, madam, listen, that you may know my mind; may all the Deities, great and small, and those honored with the platter[*] ⋯ cause me not surviving to give a kiss this day to Silenium, if I don’t this very day murder you and your daughter and myself,

and after that, with the break of day, if I don’t to-morrow kill you both, and indeed, by all the powers, if at the third onset I don’t demolish you all, if you don’t send her back to me. I’ve said what I intended. Farewell.

He’s gone in-doors in a rage. What shall I do now? If she comes back to him, matters will be just in the same position. When satiety begins to take possession;

he’ll be turning her out of doors, when he shall be bringing home this Lemnian wife. But still I’ll go and follow him; there’s necessity for caution, lest he, in love, should be doing some mischief. In fine, since with strict justice a poor person’s not allowed to contend with a rich one, I’ll lose my labour rather than lose my daughter. But who’s this that straight along the street is directing his course this way?

Both the other matter do I fear, and this do I dread; so utterly in trepidation am wretched I.

I’ve followed the old woman with my clamour through the streets; I’ve kept her most dreadfully plagued. In what a multitude of ways has she, this day, kept guard upon herself, and been able to remember nothing. How many alluring things, what advantages I’ve promised her.

How many inventions I’ve applied to her, how many stratagems in questioning her. With difficulty have I extorted it from her that she should tell me, because I promised to give her a cask of wine.

I seemed just now to be hearing the voice of my servant Lampadiscus before the house.

You are not deaf, mistress, you heard aright.

What are you doing here?