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[Textpart 5]
I’ faith, I think that he’s angry with good reason, since you have so little confidence in him.
SIMO
I’ll leave him alone then. Let him be angry: I’ll take care that he shall do me no harm. But what do you say? What as to that which I was asking you?
PSEUDOLUS
If you want anything, ask me.
What I know, do you consider given you as a response at Delphi.
480
SIMO
Give your attention then, and take care and please mind your promise. What do you say? Do you know that my son is in love with a certain music-girl?
PSEUDOLUS
Yea, verily Yea, verily: Ναὶ γάρ. This and the two following remarks of Pseudolus are in Greek. The Romans affected curtness of repartee in Greek, in much the same manner as we do in French. A cant tone has been attempted in the translation to be given to the remarks so made by Pseudolus..
SIMO
Whom he is trying to make free?
PSEUDOLUS
Yea, verily and indeed.
SIMO
And you are scheming by cajolery and by cunning tricks to get twenty minae in ready money out of me?
PSEUDOLUS
I, get them out of you?
SIMO
Just so; to give them to my son, with which to liberate his mistress. Do you confess it? Speak out.
PSEUDOLUS
Yea, verily; yea, verily.
Didn’t I tell you so just now, Callipho?
CALLIPHO
So I remember.
490
SIMO
Why, directly you knew of these things, were they kept concealed from me? Why wasn’t I made acquainted with them?
490
PSEUDOLUS
I’ll tell you: because I was unwilling that a bad custom should originate in me, for a servant to accuse his master before his master.
SIMO
Wouldn’t you order this fellow to be dragged head first to the treadmills To the treadmill: Pistrinum. The establishment of each wealthy person had its pistrinum, or handmill, where the mill for grinding corn was worked by the hand of slaves. The most worthless and refractory were employed at this labour, and as the task was deemed a degradation, the pistrinum was the usual place of punishment for the slaves of the household. Throughout this translation, the liberty has been in general taken of conveying the meaning of the term by the use of the word treadmill.?
CALLIPHO
Has he done anything amiss, Simo?
495
SIMO
Yes, very much so.
495
