Ampelisca, harkye!PALAESTRAPrithee, who is it that calls us? AMPELISCAWho is it that calls me by name?TRACHALIOIf you turn round and look, you’ll know.PALAESTRA(turning round.)O hope of my safety!TRACHALIOBe silent and of good courage; trust meTrust me: At the same time he is afraid to go in. Palaestra sees this, and taunts him with being brave—in words only..PALAESTRAIf only it can be so, let not violence overwhelm us.TRACHALIOWhat violence?PALAESTRAThat same which is driving me to commit violence on myself. TRACHALIOOh, do leave off; you are very silly.PALAESTRAThen do you leave off at once your consoling me in my misery with words.AMPELISCAUnless you afford us protection in realityIn reality: Re,in reality, in contradistinction to words., Trachalio, it’s all over with us.PALAESTRAI’m resolved to die sooner than suffer this Procurer to get me in his power. But still I am of woman’s heart; when, in my misery, death comes into my mind, fear takes possession of my limbs.End of sentence is part of line 686 in the Latin.TRACHALIOBy my troth, although this is a bitter affliction, do have a good heart.PALAESTRAWhy where, pray, is a good heart to be found for me?TRACHALIODon’t you fear, I tell you; sit you down here by the altar.(Points to it.)AMPELISCAWhat can this altar possibly avail us more than the statue here within the Temple of Venus, from which just now, embracing it, in our wretchedness, we were torn by force?TRACHALIOOnly you be seated here; then I’ll protect you in this spot. This altar you possess as though your bulwarksYour bulwarks: Moenia. Madame Dacier supposes that these words refer to the walls of a court in front of the Temple, represented on the stage with an altar in the middle, the walls being breast high, which Trachalio compares to entrenchments.; these your fortifications; from this spot will I defend you. With the aid of Venus, I’ll march against the wickedness of the Procurer.PALAESTRAWe follow your instructions (they advance to the altar and kneel); and genial Venus, we both of us, in tears, implore thee,embracing this thy altar, bending upon our knees, that thou wilt receive us into thy guardianship, and be our protector; that thou wilt punish those wretches who have set at nought thy Temple, and that thou wilt suffer us to occupy this thy altar with thy permission, we who last night were by the might of Neptune cast away;hold us not in scorn, and do not for that reason impute it to us as a fault, if there is anything that thou shouldst think is not so well attended toNot so well attended to: Bene lautum. There is a joke intended in the use of these words, which may signify either quite tidy or properly arranged; or, on the other hand, well washed, neglect of which certainly could not be imputed to them, by reason of their recent shipwreck. by us as it ought to have been.TRACHALIOI think they ask what’s just; it ought, Venus, by thee to be granted. Thou oughtst to pardon them; ’tis terror forces them to do this. They say that thou wast born from a shellBorn from a shell: He alludes to the birth of Venus, who was said to have sprung from the sea in a shell. He also seems to joke upon the destitute state of the young women, and to call them mere shells. An indelicate construction has been, by some, put upon the use of the word conchas, while others think it refers to the use made by women of shells, for holding their paints, perfumes, and cosmetics, and that he means thereby to reproach Venus for having allowed them to lose all their property. This, however, seems to be a rather far-fetched notion.; take thou care that thou dost not despise the shells of these.But see, most opportunely the old gentleman is coming out, both my protector and your own.(He goes to the altar.)

(Enter DAEMONES, from the Temple, with his two SERVANTS dragging out LABRAX.)DAEMONESCome out of the Temple, you most sacrilegious of men, as many as have ever been born. Do you go (calling to the WOMEN) and sit by the altar. (Not seeing them near the door.) But where are they?TRACHALIOLook round here.DAEMONES(looking round.)Very good; I wanted thatI wanted that: He means that the women have done as he wished them to do, in flying to the altar for refuge.. Now bid him come this way. (To LABRAX.) Are you attempting here among us to commit a violation of the laws against the Deities?(To the SERVANTS, who obey with alacrity.) Punch his face with your fists.LABRAXI’m suffering these indignities at your own cost.