My father, in the first place, I’m quite resolved to ruin, root and branch; then next in turn, my mother. Now to-day I’ll carry this money to her whom I love more than my own mother. (Goes towards the door of PHRONESIUM, and knocks.) Hillo there—is any one here? There’s not a woman. Is any one going to open this door? (opens the door.) ASTAPHIUM Why so a stranger, pray, my dear Strabax? Why don’t you come in at once? Ought you to have been doing so, you, indeed, who are so intimate? STRABAX I’ll go in then, that you mayn’t think I’m loitering. (Goes into the house.) ASTAPHIUM You act obligingly. (Enter STRATILAX.) STRATILAX (to himself.) It seems marvellous to me, that Strabax, my master’s son, hasn’t returned from the country, unless perchance he has slily slipt in here into this den of corruption of his. ASTAPHIUM (aside.) Now, faith, he’ll be roaring at me if he espies me. STRATILAX I’m much less savage now, Astaphium, than I was before; I’m not churlish now; don’t thee fear. (She runs to a distance.) What wouldst thee be at? What? ASTAPHIUM What, say you? Why, I’m waiting for your churlishness. STRATILAX Say, command me what thee dost please, and in what way thee dost please. I’ve got all my manners anew: my old ones I’ve parted with. I can e’en fall in love, or take a mistress now. ASTAPHIUM Upon my faith, you do tell me fine news. But tell me, have you— ? STRATILAX A mistress A mistress : Parasitum. This word, if the correct reading, cannot mean anything else than a mistress here, in which sense Lambinus asserts that it was sometimes used. If that is not the case, we must be content to agree with Schmieder, that the passage is corrupt. , perhaps, thee means. ASTAPHIUM You’ve understood nicely what I meant to say. STRATILAX Hark you, since I’ve been so many times backwards and forwards to the city, I’ve become quite a chatterer; I’m now a right good stalker Right good stalker : He means to say cavillator, a chatterer; but instead thereof, mispronouncing the word, he calls it caullator, which was perhapspa word of no meaning; it has been translated stalker, from its resemblance to caulis, a stalk. . ASTAPHIUM Prithee, what’s that? That’s nonsense; perhaps you intend to mean talking. STRATILAX Just so; it differs mighty little from stalking. ASTAPHIUM Prithee, do follow me in-doors, my love. STRATILAX (holding out some money to her.) Take this for thyself; keep it as a ledger As a ledger : In his bungling, he calls arrhabo, a pledge or earnest, rhabo, which had no meaning. Of course this cannot be literally translated, but something tantamount is given in the Translation, in order to convey the spirit, by making him miscall pledge ledger. for thee, that thee mayst give me thy company this night. ASTAPHIUM (taking the money.) You are the death of me, with your ledger. What kind of beast am I to say that is? Thy don’t you say pledge? STRATILAX The r I make a saving of; just as the Praenestines The Praenestines : In the Trinummus, l. 609, he jokes at the expense of the people of Praeneste, for using the expression tammodo. Here he says that they were in the habit of calling ciconia, a stork, conia. They are also alluded to, apparently as braggarts, in the Fragment at the beginning of the Bacchides. have conia, for ciconia.