On your account, indeed, you cuckoo! I’ faith, you carrion, if I were to give you a broken head, I shouldn’t be afraid of that. SAGARISTIO I understand you, you’ve been up to You’ve been up to : This passage is somewhat modified in the Translation. some bad work just now. PAEGNIUM So I have. What business is that to you? But I haven’t, like yourself, all for nothing. SAGARISTIO Assurance! PAEGNIUM I’ faith, I certainly am; for I am assured that I shall be free; don’t be hoping that you’ll ever be so. SAGARISTIO Can’t you cease your impertinence? PAEGNIUM That which you are mentioning, you can’t do yourself. SAGARISTIO Away with you to utter perdition. PAEGNIUM And off home with you; for there it’s all ready prepared for you. SAGARISTIO He summons me He summons me : The meaning of this allusion is somewhat abscure; but it seems likely that when Paegnium uses the word praesto, ready, or in preparation, Sagaristio understands him to speak of praes, a surety or bail; on which he remarks that Paegnium is calling him as his surety. on my recognizances. PAEGNIUM I only wish the sureties may be out of the way, so that you may get to prison. SAGARISTIO Why’s this? PAEGNIUM Aye, why is it? SAGARISTIO Still abusing me, rascal? PAEGNIUM Why, inasmuch as you are a slave, it ought at least to be allowed a slave to abuse you. SAGARISTIO And is it so? Just look (holding up his fist.) what I shall give you. PAEGNIUM Nothing; for nothing have you. SAGARISTIO May all the Gods and Goddesses confound me, if I don’t this very day, if I lay hold of you, fell you to the ground with blows. PAEGNIUM I am your friend; I trust that what you wish may befall you, and that it may come to pass; if you fell me If you fell me : Tu ut me defigas, te cruci ipsum propediem alii affigant. Literally, should you fix me down, may others before long be fixing yourself up to the cross; the play being upon the verbs defigo and affigo. An attempt has been made to give a somewhat similar pun in the Translation. , may others make you feel yourself fixed to the cross before long. SAGARISTIO But you may the Gods and Goddesses—You understand what I was going to say after that, if I hadn’t been able to restrain my tongue. Can’t you be off? PAEGNIUM You drive me off with ease; for already my shadow’s getting My shadow’s getting : Being close to the house, and in a hurry to get home, he says that his shadow is in the house already, getting the beating which awaits its owner for having been so long on his errand. a whipping in-doors. (Goes into the house.) SAGARISTIO (to himself.) May the Gods and Goddesses confound that fellow! just like a crawling serpent he has got a double tongue, and is a wicked one. Upon my faith, I’m glad he’s gone. (Going towards the door.) Open, you door. But look! he’s coming from within, the person that I most especially wished to meet with. (Enter TOXILUS, from his MASTER’S house, followed by SOPHOCLIDISCA.) TOXILUS (to SOPHOCLIDISCA.) Tell her that it’s now arranged whence the money is to come. Bid her be of good heart; tell her that I love her exceedingly. When she cheers up, then does she cheer me up. What I’ve told you to tell her, do you quite understand it? SOPHOCLIDISCA Better than your legs Better than your legs : Magis calleo, quam aprugnum collum callet. This pun cannot be appreciated in a literal translation, and another is substituted, for which we are indebted to Warner. The play is upon the resemblance of calleo, to understand, calleo, to be hard, and collum, the hard part, or brawn, of a boar’s neck. Literally translated, it is, I understand in a better degree than the brawn of a bar’s neck is hard. This pun occurs also in the Pœnulus, l. 577. understand you, do I understand it.