Why is she angry with you? Why should I trouble myself about that? For that is rather your own concern.AGORASTOCLESOn my word, it’s all over with you this very instant, if you don’t make her as smooth for me as the sea is at the time when the halcyonwhen the halcyon: See the note to the Casina, l. 26. is rearing her young ones there.MILPHIOWhat am I to do?AGORASTOCLESEntreat her, soothe, and flatter her. MILPHIOI’ll do so with all diligence; but see, please, that you don’t afterwards be giving this ambassador of yours a dressing with your fists. AGORASTOCLESI’ll not do so.ADELPHASIUM(to her SISTER.)Let’s now begone. (AGORASTOCLES stands before her.) Do you detain me still? You act badly; you make me many fair promisesMany fair promises: The semicolon seems to be more appropriately placed before than after ex multis.; of those many, the whole come to nothing at all. Not once, but a hundred times, have you sworn to give me my freedom. While depending on you, I have neither anywhere procured any other resources for myself, nor is this assistance of yours at all visible. And thus none the less am I still a slave. Move on, sister. (To AGORASTOCLES.) Get you gone from me!AGORASTOCLESUtterly undone! Come now, Milphio, what are you about?(Points at ADELPHASIUM.)MILPHIO(addressing ADELPHASIUM.)My joy, my delight, my life, my pleasure, apple of my eye, my little lip, my health, my sweet kiss, my honey, my heart, my biestings, my cream-cheese—AGORASTOCLES(aside.)Am I to allow these things to be said in my presence? I’m quite distracted, wretch that I am, if I don’t order him at full speed to be hurried off to the executioner in a chariot and four!MILPHIO(to ADELPHASIUM.)Prithee, for my sake, don’t be angry with my master. I’ll make—ADELPHASIUMLet me alone. MILPHIOYou are too cross. He’ll pay the money for you, and make you a citizen of AtticaA citizen of Attica: Plautus evidently makes a slip here, forgetting that Calydon was in Aetolia, and not in Attica., and a free woman.ADELPHASIUM(to MILPHIO, who is standing before her .)But why don’t you let me go away? What is it you want? Just as he wishes me well, in like manner do you wish me well.MILPHIOIf, indeed, he has deceived you before, from this time forward he shall be truthful to you.ADELPHASIUMGet you gone hence, will you, you trepanner.MILPHIOI’ll obey you. But on what terms—do you understand? Do let me prevail upon you; do let me take you by those little earsBy those little ears: It was a common practice to take hold of the ears of the person kissed. The Greeks called this practice χυτρὰ, because it resembled the mode of taking up a kind of jug, which was so called, by its ears.; do let me give you a kiss.By my troth, I shall now set him a weeping, if I don’t make you kind; and (unless I do make you kind he certainly will do it) I’m dreadfully afraid lest he should beat me. I know the harsh manners of this crabbed man. Wherefore, my delight, pray do let me prevail upon you.AGORASTOCLES(aside.)I’m not a man worth threepenceWoth threepence: Trioboli. Literally, of three obols, if I don’t tear out the eyes and teeth of that whip-scoundrel. (He beats MILPHIO.) There’s your delight for you! There’s your honey! There’s your heart! There are your biestingsYour biestings: Colostra. This is the first milk after a cow has calved. It is much esteemed for its richness.! There’s your health! There’s your sweet kiss!(Giving him a blow at each sentence.)MILPHIOMaster, you are rendering yourself guilty of impiety! You are beating an ambassador.AGORASTOCLESMore than that even still. (Beating him again.) I shall now add the apple of the eye, the little lip too, and the tongue.MILPHIOWhen will you be making an end?AGORASTOCLESWas it in that fashion I requested you to plead for me? MILPHIOHow then was I to plead?AGORASTOCLESDo you ask me that? Why thus you should have said, you scoundrel: his delight, I do entreat of you, his honey, his heart, his little lip, his tongue, his sweet kiss, his biestings, his sweet cream-cheese, you whip-scoundrel. All these things which you spoke of as yours, you should have mentioned as mine.