Do you ask? That I might see, hear, and be in company with her whom I loved, Antipho. Is that a slight motive, or a poor reason? I was presented to the woman. She, as soon as she received me, joyfully took me home to her house and intrusted the damsel—ANTIPHO To whom? To you?CHAEREA To me.ANTIPHO(ironically.)In perfect safety, at all events.CHAEREA She gave orders that no male was to come near her, and commanded me not to stir away from her; that I was to remain alone with her in the inner apartments.In the inner apartments: The Gynecaea, or women’s apartments, among the Greeks, always occupied the interior part of the house, which was most distant from the street, and there they were kept in great seclusion. Looking bashfully on the ground, I nodded assent.ANTIPHO(ironically.)Poor fellow!CHAEREA(continuing.)I am going out, said she, to dinner.She took her maids with her; a few novices of girlsA few novices of girls: These noviciae were young slaves recently bought, and intended to be trained to the calling of a Courtesan. remained, to be about her. These immediately made preparations for her to bathe. I urged them to make haste. While preparations were being made, the damsel sat in a room looking up at a certain painting,At a certain painting: See the story of Jupiter and Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos, in the Metamorphoses of Ovid, B. iv., l. 610. Pictures of Venus and Adonis, and of Jupiter and Ganymede, are mentioned in the Menaechmi of Plautus; l. 144, and paintings on the walls are also mentioned in the Mostellaria of Plautus, l. 821, where Tranio tries to impose upon Theuropides by pretending to point out a picture of a crow between two vultures. in which was represented how JoveHow Jove: Donatus remarks here that this was a very proper piece of furniture for the house of a Courtesan, giving an example of loose and mercenary Love, calculated to excite wanton thoughts, and at the same time hinting to the young lover that he must make his way to the bosom of his mistress, like Jupiter to Danaë, in a shower of gold. Oh the avarice of harlots! is said once to have sent a golden shower into the bosom of Danaë.I myself began to look at it as well, and as he had in former times played the like game, I felt extremely delighted that a God should change himself into money, and slily come through the tiles of another person’s house, to deceive the fair one by means of a shower. But what God was this? He who shakes the most lofty temples of heaven with his thunders. Was I, a poor creature of a mortal,A poor creature of a mortal: Homuncio. He uses this word the better to contrast his abject nature as a poor mortal with the majesty of Jupiter. St. Augustin refers to this passage. The preceding line is said by Donatus to be a parody on a passage by Ennius. not to do the same? Certainly, I was to do it, and without hesitation. While I was thinking over these matters with myself, the damsel meantime was fetched away to bathe; she went, bathed, and came back; after which they laid her on a couch. I stood waiting to see if they gave me any orders. One came up, Here, Dorus, said she, take this fan,Take this fan: As to the fans of the ancients, see the Trinummus of Plautus, l. 252, and the Note to the passage in Bohn’s Translation. See also the Amours of Ovid, B. iii., El. 2, l. 38. and let her have a little air in this fashion, while we are bathing;when we have bathed, if you like, you may bathe too. With a demure air I took it.ANTIPHO Really, I should very much have liked to see that impudent face of yours just then, and what figure a great donkey like you made, holding a fan!CHAEREA(continuing.)Hardly had she said this, when all, in a moment, betook themselves off: away they went to bathe, and chattered aloud;Chattered aloud: This line bears a strong resemblance to two lines found in Anstey’s new Bath Guide: And how the young ladies all set up their clacks,All the while an old woman was rubbing their backs. just as the way is when masters are absent.Meanwhile, sleep overtook the damsel; I slily looked askanceI slily looked askance: This way of looking aside, limis, is mentioned in the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, where Milphidippa tells Acroteleutium to look at the Captain sideways, Aspicito limis, l. 1217; also in the Bacchides, l. 1131. Those familiar with the works of Hogarth will readily call to mind the picture of Bedlam in the Rake’s Progress, where the young woman is looking askance through her fan at the madman in his cell. through the fan;Through the fan: This shows that the fan was probably one made of thin boards, and not of feathers. this way (showing how): at the same time I looked round in all directions, to see whether all was quite safe. I saw that it was. I bolted the door.ANTIPHO What then?CHAEREA Eh? What then, you simpleton?ANTIPHO I own I am.CHAEREA Was I to let slip the opportunity offered me, so excellent, so short-lived,So short-lived: Colman has the following Note here: Short indeed, considering the number of incidents, which, according to Chaerea’s relation, are crowded into it. All the time allowed for this adventure is the short space between the departure of Thais and Thraso and the entrance of Chaerea; so that all this variety of business of sleeping, bathing, ravishing, etc., is dispatched during the two soliloquies of Antipho and Chaerea, and the short Scene between Chremes and Pythias. The truth is, that a very close adherence to the unities often drives the Poet into as great absurdities as the perfect violation of them. so longed for, so unexpected.In that case, i’faith, I really should have been the person I was pretending to be.ANTIPHO Troth, you certainly are in the right; but, meantime, what has been arranged about the club-entertainment?CHAEREA All’s ready.ANTIPHO You are a clever hand; but where? At your house?CHAEREA No, at Discus’s, our freedman.ANTIPHO That’s a long way off.CHAEREA Then let’s make so much the greater haste.Part of line 608 in the Latin.ANTIPHO Change your dress.Part of line 608 in the Latin.CHAEREA Where am I to change it? I’m at a loss; for at present I’m an exile from home; I’m afraid of my brother,lest he should be in-doors: and then again of my father, lest he should have returned from the country by this.ANTIPHO Let’s go to my house; there is the nearest place for you to change.