Dramatis Personae THE GOD OF HELP, who speaks the Prologue in the Second Act. DEMIPHO, a merchant of . ALCESIMARCHUS, a young man of . LAMPADISCUS, servant of Demipho. PHANOSTRATA, wife of Demipho. SILENIUM, their daughter, beloved by Alcesimarchus. MELAENIS, a Procuress. HALISCA, her servant. A PROCURESS, the mother of Gymnasium. GYMNASIUM, a Courtesan. (Scene.- Sicyon , in Peloponnesus . Before the houses of DEMIPHO, SILENIUM, and the father of ALCESIMARCHUS.) THE SUBJECT.
 DEMIPHO, a merchant of Lemnos , having ravished Phanostrata, a young woman of Sicyon , she is brought to bed of a female child. This she gives to her servant Lampadiscus, to be exposed. On this being done, in the sight of Lampadiscus, a Procuress picks up the infant, and afterwards makes a present of it to her friend Melaenis, by whom it is brought up, under the name of Silenium. Alcesimarchus, a young man of Sicyon , falls violently in love with her, and takes her under his protection. In the meantime, Demipho, who has married another wife, after her death marries Phanostrata, and comes to live at Sicyon . He and his wife are then anxious, if possible, to regain their lost child. The daughter of Demipho by his first wife is destined by her father to become the wife of Alcesimarchus; on hearing which, Melaenis removes her foster-child from his protection. At this conjuncture Lampadiscus finds out the Procuress that had taken up the infant when exposed, and from her discovers that the child of his mistress is with Melaenis. He informs his mistress of this, while Melaenis is, unknown to them, standing by; upon which she determines to confess the truth, and to restore Silenium to her parents. While she is thinking upon this plan, Alcesimarchus lays hands on Silenium, and carries her off to his father’s house. In the confusion attendant on this, Halisca, the servant of Melaenis, drops a casket in the street, containing some trinkets which had been worn by Silenium at the time when she was exposed. Phanostrata and Lampadiscus find the casket, and on Halisca coming to search for it, they discover where Silenium is. They go into the house, and Phanostrata discovers her long-lost child. THE ACROSTIC ARGUMENT. [Supposed to have been written by Priscian the Grammarian.] A young man of Lemnos ravishes ( Comprimit ) a woman of Sicyon . He ( Is ) returns to his country, and becomes father of a daughter by his marriage there. The woman of Sicyon ( Sicyonia ) also bears a daughter. A servant takes ( Tollit ) and exposes her, and keeps watch in secret; her ( Eam ), taken up, a Courtesan presents to another. Coming back afterwards from Lemnos ( Lemno ), he marries her whom he had ravished; and his daughter born at Lemnos ( Lemni ) he promises in marriage to a young man captivated by passion ( A more ) for the one that had been exposed. On making enquiry ( Requirens ), the servant finds her whom he had exposed; and so ( Itaque ) legaliy and properly does Alcesimarchus ( Alcesimarchus ) gain her recognized as a free woman, whom before he had had as a concubine. (Enter SILENIUM, GYMNASIUM, and PROCURESS, from the house of SILENIUM. Title Cistellaria : A word formed by Plautus from the diminutive of cistella, a casket. SILENIUM Inasmuch as hitherto I have loved you, and have deemed you to be my friend, my dear Gymnasium, and your mother as well; so have you shown it to me this day, both you and she. If you had been my own sister, how more you two could possibly have held me in esteem I know not; but, according as is my way of thinking, I conceive it could not possibly be, such ready assistance, all other things laid aside, have you given me. For this reason do I love you, and for it a vast obligation have you both conferred upon me. GYMNASIUM I’ faith, at such a price as this, indeed, it’s easy for us to give you our attendance and to do you good offices; so handsomely and so elegantly have you entertained us at breakfast at your house, as we shall ever remember. SILENIUM It has been done with hearty good will by me, and will be done, to get those things which I shall think you are desirous of. A PROCURESS As the man said, who was borne by a prospering breeze on a calm sea: I rejoice that we came That we came : Ventum. There is probably a poor pun intended on the other meaning of this word, as the accusative case of ventus, wind. to you; in such a delightful manner have we been here this day received; nor except in the management, was there anything there at your house but what pleased me. SILENIUM How so, prithee? A PROCURESS Too seldom did the servant give me something to drink, and, as it was, it clouded the colour of the wine. GYMNASIUM Pray, is that becoming to be mentioned here? A PROCURESS It’s both right and proper; there’s no other person here. SILENIUM With reason do I love you both, who esteem and honor me. A PROCURESS I’ faith, my dear Silenium, it befits this class to be kindly disposed among themselves, and carefully to keep up friendships, when you see these matrons of elevated rank, born of the noblest families, how they value friendship, and how carefully they keep it united between themselves. If we do that same thing, if we imitate the same example, still as it is, with difficulty do we exist with their extreme dislike. Of their own enjoyments they would have us to be in want, in resources of our own they would have us not to possess any power, and to stand in need of them in all matters, that we may be their humble servants May be their humble servants : Ut simus sibi supplices. Literally, that we may be suppliants to themselves. . If you wait upon them, you’d rather be giving your room than your company. So very kind are they before the world to our class; in private, if ever there’s the opportunity, underhandedly they pour cold water Pour cold water : Meaning, in other words, They try to do us all the mischief they can. upon us. They declare that we are in the habit of having commerce with their husbands; they say that we are their supplanters; they attempt to crush us. Because we are the free daughters of slaves Free daughters of slaves : The professae, or courtesans, at Rome , were mostly of the class of libertinae — children of slaves who had been made free, or else freed-women themselves, who had been the mistresses of their former owners. From this circumstance, to lead a libertine life came to mean the same as to pass a loose or unchaste life. , both I and your mother, we became Courtesans; she brought up yourself, and I this girl (pointing to GYMNASIUM) , by chance-fathers. Nor yet for the sake of vanity have I driven her to the calling of a Courtesan, but that I mightn’t starve. SILENIUM But it had been better to give her in marriage to a husband in preference. A PROCURESS Heyday, now! Surely, faith, she’s married to a husband every day; she has both been married to one to-day, she’ll be marrying again to-night. I’ve never allowed her to go to bed a widow. For if she weren’t to be marrying, the household would perish with doleful famine. GYMNASIUM It behoves me, mother, to be just as you wish I should be. A PROCURESS I’ troth, I don’t regret it, if you will prove such as you say you’ll be; for if, indeed, you shall be such as I intend, you’ll never be a Hecale A Hecale : Hecala seems a preferable reading here to Hecata. Hecale was a very poor old woman, whom Plutarch mentions as having entertained Theseus on one of his expeditions. As poor as Hecale, became a proverb. Her poverty is mentioned by Ovid, in the Remedy of Love, in conjunction with that of the beggar Irus. in your old age, and you’ll ever keep that same tender age which you now have, and you’ll prove a loss to many and a profit to myself full oft, without any outlay of my own. GYMNASIUM May the Gods grant it. A PROCURESS Without your own energies Without your own energies : This is very similar to our provert, that Providence helps those who help themselves. , the Gods cannot possibly do anything in this. GYMNASIUM I’ faith, for my own part, I’ll zealously devote my energies to it. But what mean you amid this conversation, apple of my eye, my own Silenium? (never did I see you more sad); prithee, do tell me, why does mirth so shun you?