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[Textpart 3]
No; that you yourself should lend them to us.
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GELASIMUS
Tell her that I’ve nothing to give myself, or that she could wish to borrow, nor anything whatever, except this cloak that I have on. Even my very tongue that so freely used to offer itselfThat so freely used to offer itself: It is very difficult to say exactly what the Parasite means by lingua dataria. Perhaps he means to tell the girl that he is in a bad humour—that he now gives nothing at all, not even his tongue, which has been hitherto dataria, or at the service of everybody. Now, however, he will put it up to sale by auction, and in future, before he says dabo, I’ll give you my tongue or, in other words, my company he will say, cedo, give me, or tell me what is your offer or bidding. I’ve sold as well.
CROCOTIUM
How? Have you got no tongue?
GELASIMUS
Why, the former one, that used to say here, take meHere take me: Dabo. Literally, I will give., I’ve lost: see, here’s one now that says give me.
CROCOTIUM
A curse may the Gods give you
GELASIMUS
Aye, if a curse you want, this same tongue will give you that.
CROCOTIUM
Well now, are you coming or not?
GELASIMUS
Well, be off home;
tell her I’ll be there this moment; make haste and be off. (CROCOTIUM goes into the house.)
I wonder why she has requested me to be fetched to her, who has never, before this day, requested that I should be fetched to her, ever since her husband left. I wonder what it can be; except it is for some experiment to be made upon me; I’ll go see what she wants.
But see, here’s her boy, Pinacium. Look at that now; how very facetiously and just like a pictureJust like a picture: Ex picturâ. Literally, out of a picture. He means, that he has assumed some attitude at that moment like that of a person in a picture or like a model in statuary, to which the word pictura also applies. does he stand? Full many a time, for sure, in good troth, has he poured out for me the wine, almost unmixed, right cleverly into a very tiny cupIn a very tiny cup: Pauxillulo. Most probably this is said in an ironical way. He perhaps refers to some injunction which, in his former and more palmy days, he had given to the boy when waiting at table, to be sure and provide him with a large cup, and not to mix too much water with the wine. indeed.
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