Why, the insolent fellow’s threatening even.LABRAXI’ve been robbed of my rights; you are robbing me of my female slaves against my will.TRACHALIODo you then find some wealthy man of the Senate of Cyrene as judge, whether these women ought to be yours, or whether they oughtn’t to be free,or whether it isn’t right that you should be clapped into prison, and there spend your life, until you have worn the whole gaol out with your feet.LABRAXI wasn’t prepared to prophesy for this day that I should be talking with a hang-gallowsA hang-gallows: Furcifero. He sneeringly alludes to Trachalio’s position as a slave, and his liability to have the punishment of the furca inflicted on him. like yourself. (Turning to DAEMONES.) You do I summon to judgment.DAEMONES(pointing to TRACHALIO.)In the first place, try it with him who knows you.LABRAX(to DAEMONES.)My suit is with yourself.TRACHALIOBut it must be with myself. (Pointing to the WOMEN.) Are these your female slaves?LABRAXThey are. TRACHALIOJust come then, touch either of them with your little finger only.LABRAXWhat if I do touch them?TRACHALIOThat very instant, upon my faith, I’ll make a hand-ballA hand-ball: These lines are thus rendered in one version: Instantly I will make you a prize-fighting pair of bellows, and while you are drawing breath, will belabour you with my fists. The allusion, however, is clearly to a ball blown up like our footballs, and struck with the clenched fist, the merit of the game being not to let it come to the ground. of you, and while you’re in the air I’ll belabour you with my fists, you most perjured villain.LABRAXAm I not to be allowed to take away my female slaves from the altar of Venus?DAEMONESYou may not; such is the law with us.LABRAXI’ve no concern with your laws; for my part, I shall at once carry them both away from hereAway from here: Foras. Probably in allusion to the court before the Temple.If you are in love with them, old gentleman (holding out his hand), you must down here with the ready cash.DAEMONESBut these women have proved pleasing to Venus.LABRAXShe may have them, if she pays the money.Part of line 727 in the Latin.DAEMONESA Goddess, pay you money? Now then, that you may understand my determination, only do you commence in mere joke to offer them the very slightest violence;I’ll send you away from here with such a dressing, that you won’t know your own self. You, therefore (turning to his SERVANTS), when I give you the signal, if you don’t beat his eyes out of his head, I’ll trim you round about with rods just like beds of myrtleBeds of myrtle: Myrteta. This may allude to bundles of myrtle (which was sacred to Venus), bound with rushes and hung about the Temple, or else to beds of myrtle in front of the Temple, with small fences round them, made of rushes. with bulrushes.LABRAXYou are treating me with violence.TRACHALIOWhat, do you even upbraid us with violence, you flagrant specimen of flagitiousness? LABRAXYou, you thrice-dotted villainThrice-dotted villain: Trifurcifer. Literally, one punished with the furca three times, meaning a thief; or villain three times over. See the Aulularia, l. 281, and the Note (where read punished with the furca)., do you dare to speak abusively to me?TRACHALIOI am a thrice-dotted villain; I confess it; you are a strictly honorable man; ought these women a bit the less to be free?LABRAXWhat—free? TRACHALIOAye, and your mistresses, too, I’ faith, and from genuine Greece Genuine Greece : Perhaps in contradistinction to Sicily, which was only colonized by Greeks.; for one of them was born at Athens of free-born parents.DAEMONESWhat is it I hear from you?TRACHALIOThat she (pointing to PALAESTRA) was born at Athens, a free-born woman.DAEMONES(to TRACHALIO.)Prithee is she a countrywoman of mine?TRACHALIOAre you not a Cyrenian?