Perde 4
[Textpart 1]
To Neptune, potent o’er the deep and most powerful, the brother of aethereal Jove, joyously and sincerely do I proffer praise, and return my grateful thanks; to the salt waves, too, with whom lay supreme power over myself,—one, too, that existed over my property and my life, —inasmuch as from their realms they have returned me safe and sound even to my own native city. And, Neptune, before the other Deities, do I both give and return to you extreme thanks.
820
CHARMIDES
For all people talk of you as being cruel and severe, of voracious habits, filthy, unsightly, unendurable, and outrageous; on the other hand, I have experienced your kindly aid. For, in good sooth, I have found you mild and merciful upon the deep, even to that degree that I wished. This commendation, too, I had already heard with these ears before of you among men,—that you were accustomed to spare the poor, and to depress and overawe the rich.
825
Adieu! I commend you; you know how to treat men properly, according as is just. This is worthy of the Gods; they should ever prove benignant to the needy; to men of high station, quite otherwise. Trusty have you proved, though they are in the habit of saying that you cannot be trusted. For, without you, it would have happened, I am very sure, that on the deep your attendants would have shockingly torn in pieces and rent asunder wretched me, and, together with me, my property as well, in every direction throughout the azure surface of ocean.
830
But just now, like raging dogs, and no otherwise, did the winds in hurricane beset the ship; storms and waves, and raging squalls were about to roar, to break the mast, to bear down the yards, to split the sails; had not your favouring kindness been nigh at hand. Have done with me, if you please; henceforth have I now determined to give myself up to ease; enough have I got. With what pains have I struggled, while I was acquiring riches for my son.
835
But who is this But who is this: It seems at first sight rather absurd that Charmides, who has just returned from a voyage, should wait in the street to gossip with a stranger who is coming towards him; but we must remember that he sees that the fellow is making straight for his house, and his curiosity is excited by that fact, combined with the very extraordinary dress which Megaronides has hired for him from the playhouse, and has thereby probably much overdone the character which he is intended to represent. that is coming up the street with his new-fangled garb and appearance? I’ faith, though I wish to be at home, I’ll wait awhile; at the same time, I will give my attention to see what business this fellow is about.
840
[Textpart 2]
To this day I give the name of The Festival of the Three Pieces (Trinummus); for, on this day, have I let out my services in a cheating scheme for three pieces of money.
A SHARPER.
I am just arrived from Seleucia, Macedonia, Asia, and Arabia,—places which I never visited either with my eye or with my foot. See now, what business poverty brings upon the man that is wretchedly destitute; inasmuch as I am now obliged, for the sake of three pieces of money, to say that I received these letters from a certain person, about whom I don’t know,
845
nor have I ever known, who the man is, nor do I know this for certain, whether he was ever born or not.
850
CHARMIDES
Faith, this fellow’s surely of the mushroom genus; he covers himself entirely with his top. With his top: The Sharper, as personating a foreigner, has on a petasus, or hat with very wide brims, extending straight out on each side. For this reason Charmides wittily compares him to a mushroom—all head. The causia was a similar hat worn by the Macedonians, with the brims turned up at the sides. The countenance of the fellow appears to be Illyrian; he comes, too, in that garb.
A SHARPER.
He who hired me, when he had hired me, took me to his house; he told me what he wanted to be done; he taught and showed me beforehand
how I was to do everything. If, then, I should add anything more, my employer will on that account the better forward his plan through me. As he dressed me out, so am I now equipped; his money did that. He himself borrowed my costume, at his own risk, from the theatrical wardrobe The theatrical wardrobe: Chorego—literally, from the Choregus. It was the duty of this person at Athens to provide the Choruses for tragedies and comedies, the Lyric Choruses of men and boys, the dancers for the Pyrrhic dance, the Cyclic Choruses, and the Choruses of flute-players for the religious festivals of Athens. He also had to provide the Chorus with the requisite dresses, wreaths, and masks—whence the application to him on the present occasion.; if I shall be able, now, to impose on this man through my garb,
855
I will give him occasion clearly to find that I am a very trickster.
860
CHARMIDES
The more I look at him, the less does the appearance of the fellow please me. ’Tis a wonder if that fellow there is not either a night-robber A night-robber: Dormitator seems to mean a thief, who slept during the day and pursued his avocations by night. Sector zonarius is a cutter of girdles, similar to our cutpurse. It was the custom of persons of the middle and lower classes to wear their purses suspended from the zona, or girdle, round the waist; and sometimes they used the folds of the girdle itself for the purpose of depositing their money therein. or a cutpurse. He is viewing the locality; he is looking around him and surveying the houses; troth, I think he is reconnoitring the spot for him to come and rob bye and bye.
I have a still greater desire to watch what he is about: I’ll give attention to this matter.
865
A SHARPER.
This employer of mine pointed out these localities to me; at this house are my devices to be put in practice. I’ll knock at the door.
CHARMIDES
Surely this fellow is making in a straight line for my house; i’ faith, I think I shall have to keep watch this night of my arrival.
A SHARPER.
Open this door!—open it! Hallo, there! who now has the care of this door Care of this door: It was not the usage to enter a house without giving notice to those within. This was done among the Spartans by shouting, while the Athenians, and other nations, either used the knocker of the door or rapped with the knuckles or a stick. In the houses of the rich a porter was always in attendance to open the door. He was commonly a slave or eunuch, and was, among the Romans, chained to his post. A dog was also in general chained near the entrance, and the warning, Cave canem, Beware of the dog, was sometimes written near the door.?
870
CHARMIDES
Young man, what do you want? hat is it you wish? Why are you knocking at this door?
A SHARPER.
Eh! old gentleman;
I am inquiring here for a young man named Lesbonicus, where in this quarter he lives —and likewise for another person, with such white hairs on his head as yours;
