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.SAGARISTIOI understand you, you’ve been up toYou’ve been up to: This passage is somewhat modified in the Translation. some bad work just now.PAEGNIUMSo I have. What business is that to you? But I haven’t, like yourself, all for nothing.SAGARISTIOAssurance!PAEGNIUMI’ faith, I certainly am; for I am assured that I shall be free; don’t be hoping that you’ll ever be so.SAGARISTIOCan’t you cease your impertinence?PAEGNIUMThat which you are mentioning, you can’t do yourself. SAGARISTIOAway with you to utter perdition.PAEGNIUMAnd off home with you; for there it’s all ready prepared for you.SAGARISTIOHe summons meHe 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.PAEGNIUMI only wish the sureties may be out of the way, so that you may get to prison.SAGARISTIOWhy’s this? PAEGNIUMAye, why is it?SAGARISTIOStill abusing me, rascal?PAEGNIUMWhy, inasmuch as you are a slave, it ought at least to be allowed a slave to abuse you. SAGARISTIOAnd is it so? Just look (holding up his fist.) what I shall give you.PAEGNIUMNothing; for nothing have you.SAGARISTIOMay 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.PAEGNIUMI am your friend; I trust that what you wish may befall you, and that it may come to pass; if you fell meIf 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.SAGARISTIOBut 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?PAEGNIUMYou drive me off with ease; for already my shadow’s gettingMy 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?SOPHOCLIDISCABetter than your legsBetter 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.