Perde 4
[Textpart 2]
This woman’s to our purpose; let’s then give heed to her a little, mistress.
HALISCA
To my sorrow, I’m utterly undone. What shall I say to my mistress, who bade me with such earnestness take care of it, through which Silenium might the more readily recognize her parents—who, when little, was adopted by my mistress as her own,
and whom a certain Courtesan gave to her?
LAMPADISCUS
(aside.) She’s talking about this matter of ours. According as she gives these indications by her talk, she must surely know where your daughter is.
HALISCA
Now is she desirous of her own accord to restore her to her father and mother, whose daughter she is; prithee, my good sir, you are attending to something else; I commend my matter to you.
LAMPADISCUS
I’m giving my attention to this, and this is as good as food to me, that you are talking of; but amid my attending to this matter, I was answering this mistress of mine what she was enquiring; now I return to you. If you have need of anything, say you, and give your orders. What were you looking, for?
720
HALISCA
My good sir and my good madam, I greet you.
PHANOSTRATA
And we you. But what are you looking for?
HALISCA
I’m tracing footsteps here,
the way that something has escaped me here, I don’t know how.
725
PHANOSTRATA
What is it?
725
LAMPADISCUS
What is it, pray?Part of line 725b in theLatin.
725
HALISCA
Something to bring a loss to another, and a calamity on our family.
LAMPADISCUS
A worthless baggage is this, mistress, and a crafty one.
PHANOSTRATA
I’ faith, and so she seems.
LAMPADISCUS
She imitates a worthless animal and a mischievous.
PHANOSTRATA
Which one, prithee?
LAMPADISCUS
A caterpillar, which twisting about winds itself in the leaf of the vine;
just in the same way does she begin a story that twists about. (To HALISCA.) What are you looking for?
730
HALISCA
A casket, my good young man, has flown away from me here.
