Ye Gods, by our trust in you! a lost and miserable fellow the one, and the other a scoundrel.THRASO Well then, about that: matter, Gnatho, the way in which I touched up the Rhodian at a banquet—did I never tell you? GNATHO Never; but pray, do tell me. (Aside.) I’ve heard it more than a thousand times already.THRASO There was in my company at a banquet, this young man of Rhodes, whom I’m speaking of. By chance I had a mistress there; he began to toy with her, and to annoy me. What are you doing, sir impudence? said I to the fellow;a hare yourself, and looking out for game?Lookinq out for game?: Pulmentum, more strictly speaking, A nice bit. Patrick has the following Note on this passage: Lepus tute es, et pulmentum quaeris? A proverbial expression in use at that time: the proper meaning of it, stripped of its figure, is, You are little more than a woman yourself, and do you want a mistress? We learn from Donatus and Vopiscus, that Livius Andronicus had used this proverb in his Plays before Terence. Commentators who enter into a minute explanation of it offer many conjectures rather curious than solid, and of a nature not fit to be mentioned here. Donatus seems to think that allusion is made to a story prevalent among the ancient naturalists that the hare was in the habit of changing its sex.GNATHO(pretending to laugh very heartily.)Ha, ha, ha!THRASO What’s the matter?GNATHO How apt, how smart, how clever; nothing could be more excellent. Prithee, was this a saying of yours? I fancied it was an old one.THRASO Did you ever hear it before?GNATHO Many a time; and it is mentioned among the first-rate ones.THRASO It’s my own.GNATHO I’m sorry though that it was said to a thoughtless young man, and one of respectability.PARMENO(apart.)May the Gods confound you!GNATHO Pray, what did he do?THRASO Quite disconcerted. All who were present were dying with laughter; in short, they were all quite afraid of me.GNATHO [Not without reason.THRASO But hark you, had I best clear myself of this to Thais, as to her suspicion that I’m fond of this girl?GNATHO By no means:on the contrary, rather increase her jealousy.THRASO Why so?GNATHO Do you ask me? Don’t you see, if on any occasion she makes mention of Phaedria or commends him, to provoke you— THRASO I understand.GNATHO That such may not be the case, this method is the only remedy. When she speaks of Phaedria, do you instantly mention Pamphila.If at any time she says, Let’s invite Phaedria to make one, do you say, Let’s ask Pamphila to sing. If she praises his good looks, do you, on the other hand, praise hers. In short, do you return like for like, which will mortify her.THRASO If, indeed, she loved me,If, indeed, she loved me: Colman has the following Note upon this passage: I am at a loss to determine whether it was in order to show the absurdity of the Captain or from inadvertence in the Poet, that Terence here makes Thraso and Gnatho speak in contradiction to the idea of Thais’s wonderful veneration for Thraso, with which they opened the Scene. this might be of some use, Gnatho.GNATHO Since she is impatient for and loves that which you give her, she already loves you; as it is, then, it is an easy matter for her to feel vexed. She will be always afraid lest the presents which she herself is now getting, you may on some occasion be taking elsewhere.THRASO Well said; that never came into my mind.GNATHO Nonsense. You never thought about it; else how much more readily would you yourself have hit upon it, Thraso!

(Enter THAIS from her house, attended by PYTHIAS.)THAIS(as she comes out.)I thought I just now heard the Captain’s voice. And look, here he is. Welcome, my dear Thraso.