Perde 3
[Textpart 3]
Away to perdition with you!
535
PYTHIAS
If you are so determined about it, pray do step over to the place where she is.
535
PYTHIAS
Here, Dorias (DORIAS enters), show this person directly to the Captain’s.
[Textpart 4]
Yesterday some young fellows of us agreed together at the Piraeus that we were to go shares today in a club-entertainment. We gave Chaerea charge of this matter;
ANTIPHO
our rings were givenOur rings were given: It was the custom of parties who agreed to join in a symbola, or club or picnic entertainment, to give their rings as pledges to the rex convivii, or getter up the feast. Stakes were also deposited on making bets at races. See Ovid’s Art of Love, B. i., l. 168. as pledges; the place and time arranged. The time has now gone by; at the place appointed there was nothing ready. The fellow himself is nowhere to be met with; I neither know what to say nor what to suppose. Now the rest have commissioned me with his business, to look for him. I’ll go see, therefore, if he’s at home. But who’s this, I wonder, coming out of Thais’s?
540
Is it he, or is it not? ’Tis the very man! What sort of being is this? What kind of garb is this? What mischief is going on now? I can not sufficiently wonder or conjecture. But, whatever it is, I should like first at a distance to try and find out.
545
[Textpart 5]
Is there any body here? There’s no one. Is there any one following me from there? There’s not a person. Now am I not at liberty to give vent to these raptures? O supreme Jupiter!
CHAEREA
now assuredly is the time for me to meet my death,To meet my death: There is a passage in the Othello of Shakspeare extremely similar to this: —If I were now to die, I were now to be most happy; for, I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute, That not another comfort, like to this, Succeeds in unknown fate. (act II, scene i) when I can so well endure it; lest my life should sully this ecstasy with some disaster. But is there now no inquisitive person to be intruding upon me, to be following me wherever I do, to be deafening me, worrying me to death, with asking questions; why thus transported, or why so overjoyed, whither I’m going, whence I’m come, where
550
I got this garb, what is my object, whether I’m in my senses or whether downright mad?
555
ANTIPHO
I’ll accost him, and I’ll do him the favor which I see he’s wishing for. (Accosting him.) Chaerea, why are you thus transported? What’s the object of this garb? Why is it that you’re so overjoyed? What is the meaning of this? Are you quite right in your senses? Why do you stare at me? What have you to say?
CHAEREA
O joyous day! O welcome, my friend!
There’s not one in all the world whom I would rather wish to see at this moment that yourself.
560
ANTIPHO
Pray, do tell me what all this means.
CHAEREA
Nay rather, i’faith, I beg of you to listen to me. Do you know the mistress whom my brother is so fond of?
ANTIPHO
I know her; I suppose you mean Thais?
ANTIPHO
So far I recollect.
CHAEREA
To-day a certain damsel was presented to her. Why now should I extol or commend her beauty to you, Antipho,
since you yourself know how nice a judge of beauty I am? I have been smitten by her.
565
