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Enter CHALINUS, from the house.
STALINO
aside, on seeing him . May all the Gods and Goddesses confound him! CHALINUS
addressing him . Your wife said that you were calling me. STALINO
Why yes, I did order you to be sent for. CHALINUS
Tell me what you want. STALINO
In the first place, I want you to speak to me with a more cheerful countenance. CHALINUS
It would be folly for me to be morose toward you whose rule is the strongest. STALINO
Indeed! I consider you to be an honest fellow. CHALINUS
So I find. But if you think so, why don't you give me my freedom? STALINO
Why so I wish to do; but it's of no use for me to wish a thing to be done, unless you aid me with your actions. CHALINUS
What you wish, I only wish myself to be acquainted with it. STALINO
Listen then; I'll tell you. I've promised to give Casina as a wife to our bailiff. CHALINUS
But your wife and your son have promised her to me. STALINO
I know it; but whether now would you prefer yourself to be single and a free man, or, as a married man, to pass your lives, yourself and your children, in slavery? This choice is your own: whichever condition of these two you prefer, take it. CHALINUS
If I am free, I live at my own cost; at present I live at yours. As to Casina, I'm resolved to give way to no born man. STALINO
Go in-doors, and at once be quick and call my wife here, out of doors; and bring hither together with you an urn1, with some water, and the lots. CHALINUS
I'm quite agreable. STALINO
I' faith, in some way or other I'll now ward off this weapon of yours; for if, as it is, I shall not be able to prevail by persuasion, at least I'll try it by lot. There I shall take vengeance upon you and your abettors. CHALINUS
Still, for all that the lot will fall to me---- STALINO
Aye, faith, for you to go to perdition with direful torments. CHALINUS
She shall marry me, contrive what you will, in any way you please. STALINO
Won't you away hence from my sight? CHALINUS
Unwillingly you look upon me, still I shall live on. Goes into the house. STALINO
to himself . Am I not a wretched man? Don't all things go quite contrary with me? I'm now afraid that my wife will prevail upon Olympio not to marry Casina. If that's done, why look, it's all over with me in my old age! If she does not prevail, there is still some tiny hope in the lots. But if the lots fail me, I'll make a pillow of a sword, and lay me down upon it. But see, most opportunely Olympio's coming out of doors.
1 An urn: "Sitella," or "situla," though usually called an "urn," was a vessel shaped like a water-pitcher, from which lots were drawn. It had a wide belly and a narrow neck with a handle on each side, and stood on legs. The vessel was filled with water, and the lots, made of heavy wood, which sank, being put into it, the vessel was shaken, and as only one lot could come to the top at a time, the person who had chosen the number which was the first to come up was the winner.
The Comedies of Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley. London. G. Bell and Sons. 1912.
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