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[Textpart 2]
The knife, the hatchet, the pestle and mortar, utensils that neighbours are always asking the loan of—
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EUCLIO
Say that thieves have come and carried them off. In fact, in my absence, I wish no one to be admitted into my house; and this, too, do I tell you beforehand,
if Good Luck should come, don’t you admit her.
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STAPHYLA
I’ faith, she takes good care, I think, not to be admitted; for though close at handClose at hand: She seems to allude to the fact of the temple of Bona Fortuna, or Good Luck, being in the vicinity of Euclio’s house., she has never come to our house.
EUCLIO
Hold your tongue, and go in-doors.
STAPHYLA
I’ll hold my tongue, and be off.
EUCLIO
Shut the door, please, with both bolts. I shall be there directly.
I’m tormented in my mind, because I must go away from my house I’ faith, I go but very unwillingly; but I know full well what I’m about; for the person that is our master of our wardMaster of our ward: The curiae at Rome were sub-divisions of the tribes originally made by Romulus, who divided the Ramnes, Titienses, and Luceres into thirty curiae. Each curia had its place for meeting and worship, which was also called curia; and was presided over by the Curio, who is here called the Magister curiae, or master of the ward. At first the Patricians and Equites had the sole influence in the curiae, and alone electee the Curiones; but after the year A.U.C. 544, the Curio was elected from the Patricians, after which period the political importance of the curiae gradually declined, until they became mere bodies meeting for the performance of religious observances. Plautus probably alludes, in the present instance, to a dole, or distribution of money, made by the Greek Trittuarch among the poorer brethren of his τριττὺ or tribus; as in adapting a Greek play to the taste of a Roman audience, he very often mingles the customs of the one country with those of the other. has given notice that he will distribute a didrachm of silver to each man; if I relinquish that, and don’t ask for it, at once I fancy that all
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will be suspecting that I’ve got gold at home; for it isn’t very likely that a poor man would despise ever such a trifle, so as not to ask for his piece of money. For as it is, while I am carefully concealing it from all, lest they should know, all seem to know it,
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and all salute me more civilly than they formerly used to salute me; they come up to me, they stop, they shake hands They shake hands: Copulantur dextras. Literally, they couple right hands.; they ask me how I am, what I’m doing, what business I’m about. Now I’ll go there whither I had set out Whither I had set out: Nunc quo profectus sumito. This is rendered, in Cotter’s Translation, now I will go where I am profited!; afterwards, I’ll betake myself back again home as fast as ever I can.
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