Perde 3
[Textpart 4]
What could you do, do you ask me? You should have enquired, and asked who he was or whence he was, of what lineage;
CHARINUS
whether he was a citizen or a foreigner—
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EUTYCHUS
They said that he was a citizen of Attica.
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CHARINUS
At least, you should have found out where he lives, if you couldn’t the name.
EUTYCHUS
No person was able to say he knew.
CHARINUS
But at least you should have enquired what was the appearance of the man.
CHARINUS
Of what figure, then, did they say he was?
EUTYCHUS
I’ll tell you: grey-headed, bandy-legged, pot-bellied, wide-mouthed, of stunted figure,
with darkish eyes, lank jaws, splay-footed rather.
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CHARINUS
You are mentioning to me not a human being, but a whole storehouse, I don’t know what, of deformities. Is there anything else that you can tell about him?
EUTYCHUS
It is just as much as I know.
CHARINUS
I’ troth, for sure, with his lank jaws he has caused my jaw to drop He has caused my jaw to drop: Literally, he has given me a great evil. He puns upon the resemblance of the words malum, an evil, and mala, the jaw.. I cannot endure it; I’m determined that I’ll go hence in exile.
But what state in especial to repair to, I’m in doubt; Megara, Eretria, Corinth, Chalcis, Crete, Cyprus, Sicyon, Cnidos, Zacynthus, Lesbos, or Bœotia.
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EUTYCHUS
Why are you adopting that design?
CHARINUS
Why, because love is tormenting me.
EUTYCHUS
What say you as to this? Suppose, if when you have arrived there, whither you are now intending to go,
you begin there to fall desperately in love, and there, too, you fail of success, then you’ll be taking flight from there as well, and after that, again, from another place, if the same shall happen, what bounds, pray, will be set to your exile, what limits to your flight? What country or home can possibly be certain for you? Tell me that. Say now, if you leave this city, do you fancy that you’ll leave your love here behind?
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If it is so fully taken as certain in your mind that so it will be, if you hold that as a point resolved upon, how much better is it for you to go away somewhere in the country, to be there, to live there, until the time when desire for her and passion have set you at liberty?
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CHARINUS
Have you now said your say?
