Perde 3
[Textpart 2]
Only take you care that your speeches are learnt by heart for this plot.
580
COLLYBISCUS
Why, upon my faith, I am more perfect than tragic or comic actors are.
MILPHIO
You are a capital fellow.
AGORASTOCLES
Let’s go nearer to them.
(Accosting MILPHIO and COLLYBISCUS.) Here are the witnesses.
MILPHIO
Really you could not have brought as many men better suited for this purpose; for not one of them is tongue-tied as a witness Tongue-tied as a witness: Nefastus, forbidden to give evidence as witness, either through incompetency as being slaves, or through infamy of character.; they are genuine men of the law-courts;
there they take up their abode; there you may see them more frequently than the Praetor. At this very time there are no better cookers-up of a lawsuit Cookers-up of a lawsuit: Juris coctiores. Jus means, according to the context, law or justice. As the same word also means broth, Milphio puns upon this double meaning, in conjunction with the word coctior, better versed in., to stir up litigation, than are these men; for they, if there is no litigation, sow litigation.
585
ADVOCATI
May the Gods confound you!
MILPHIO
You I really do commend, inasmuch as, whoever you are, still you act both worthily and kindly in giving your aid to my master thus in love.
(To AGORASTOCLES.) But do they now know what the business is?
590
AGORASTOCLES
The whole matter, all in its order.
590
MILPHIO
In that case, do you, then, give me your attention. Do you know this Procurer Lycus?
COLLYBISCUS
But, upon my faith, I don’t know him, of what appearance he is. I wish that you would point this fellow out to me.
ADVOCATI
We’ll take all care: we’ve been instructed quite enough.
AGORASTOCLES
He has got three hundred pieces counted out.
ADVOCATI
Then it’s right, Agorastocles, that we should see this gold, that we may know what to say by-and-by as our testimony.
595
AGORASTOCLES
Come and look at it.
COLLYBISCUS
Undoubtedly it’s gold, Spectators—playhouse gold Playhouse gold: He alludes to the practice of using lupines in their purses on the stage, to represent gold. They were probably used for this purpose on account of their yellow colour.; upon this, soaked in water, in foreign lands, the cattle become fat Cattle become fat.: He means, that in other conntries than Greece lupines are used for the purpose on fattening cattle.: but, for the carrying out of this design, ’tis real Philippean gold.but, for... is [art of line 599 in the Latin.
ADVOCATI
We’ll make believe it is so.
