Should I not, should I not, if you effect this adroitlyEffect this adroitly: Plautus designedly makes Agorastocles talk in this disjointed and unintelligible manner, both for the purpose of showing his own distraction and teasing Milphio. He does not, however, seem likely to hurt his own interest by his promises. Given connectedly, his words stand thus (as given in a Note to Warner’s Translation): Should I not give you your liberty to-day, if you do what you have promised—if you impose upon the pander, and deliver Adelphasium to me—I do not deserve so many Philippeans of gold as there are dead men in the shades, waves in the sea, or star in the sky.—MILPHIOOnly do begone.AGORASTOCLESOught I not this very day—MILPHIOOnly do be off. AGORASTOCLESTo give you freedomMILPHIOOnly do begone.AGORASTOCLESBy my troth, I should not deserve—ah!MILPHIOBah! Only do be off.AGORASTOCLESAs many as are the dead in Acheron—MILPHIOWill you, then, move off?AGORASTOCLESNor yet as many as there are waves in the sea—MILPHIOAre you going to move off?AGORASTOCLESNor as many as there are clouds—MILPHIODo you persist in going on this way? AGORASTOCLESNor as there are stars in heaven—MILPHIODo you persist in dinning my ears?AGORASTOCLESNeither this thing nor that; nor yet, indeed, seriously speaking—nor, by my faith, indeed. What need is there of words? And why not?—a thing that in one word—here we may say anything we please—and yet, i’ faith, not seriously in reality. D’ye see how ’tis? So may the Gods bless me!—do you wish me to tell you in honest truth? A thing that here we may between ourselves—so help me Jupiter— Do you see how? Look you—do you believe what I tell you?MILPHIOIf I cannot make you go away, I shall go away myself: for really, upon my faith, there’s need of an OedipusNeed of an Oedipus: Juno, in her displeasure against the city of Thebes, sent the Sphinx, in order to wreak her vengeance against the inhabitants. This was a monster with the face and speech of a woman, the wings of a bird, and the rest of the body resembling that of a dog or a lion. The monster proposed enigmatical questions to all with whom it met, and those who could not explain them it devoured. On the Oracle being consulted, they were informed that they would not get rid of the monster unless they could find out the meaning of a certain enigma, which was, What is that animal that has four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three at night? Oedipus, at length, explained this as meaning a man, who crawls on all-fours during infancy, during manhood stands on two legs, and, when old, makes use of a stick as a third leg to support him. On hearing this, the monster, in despair, knocked out its brains against a rock. as a diviner for this speech of yours, him who was the interpreter to the Sphinx.(He goes into the house of AGORASTOCLES.)AGORASTOCLESHe has gone off in a passion; now must I beware, lest, through my own fault, I place an impediment in the way of my love. I’ll go and fetch the witnesses, since love commands me, a free man, to be obedient to my own slave.(Exit.)

(Enter LYCUS.)LYCUS(to himself.)May all the Gods render him unfortunate, should any Procurer, after this day, ever immolate any victim to Venus, or should any one sacrifice a single grain of frankincense. For wretched I, this day, have sacrificed to my most wrathful DeitiesMy most wrathful Deities: These, probably, were Mercury, the God of Profit. and Venus, the Goddess of Lust. six lambs, and still I could not manage to make Venus to be propitious unto me. Since I could not appease her, forthwith I departed thence in a passion; I forbade the entrails to be cut, and would not examine them. Inasmuch as the soothsayer pronounced them not propitious, I deemed the Goddess not deserving. By these means I fairly played a trick upon the greedy Venus. When, that which was enough, she would not have to be enough, I made a pause. ’Tis thus I act, and thus it befits me to act.I’ll make the other Gods and Goddesses henceforth more contented, and less greedy, when they know how the Procurer put a trick upon Venus.The soothsayer, in manner right worthy of him, a fellow not worth threepence, said that in all the entrails misfortune and loss were portended to me, and that the Gods were angry with me. In what matter either divine or human is it right for me to put trust in him? Just after that, a mina of silver was given me. But where, pray, has this Captain stopped just now, who gave it me, and whom I’ve invited to breakfast?But look! here he comes.