This text is part of:
Search the Perseus Catalog for:
Enter CHREMES from his house.
CHREMES
to himself So may the Deities prosper me, I am now concerned for the fate of Menedemus, that so great a misfortune should have befallen him. To be maintaining that woman with such a retinue! Although I am well aware he'll not be sensible of it for some days to come, his son was so greatly missed by him; but when he sees such a vast expense incurred by him every day at home, and no limit to it, he'll wish that this son would leave him a second time. See--here comes Syrus most opportunely. SYRUS
to himself, as he comes forward. Why delay to accost him? CHREMES
Syrus. SYRUS
Well. CHREMES
How go matters ? SYRUS
I've been wishing for some time for you to be thrown in my way. CHREMES
YOU seem, then, to have effected something, I know not what, with the old gentleman. SYRUS
As to what we were talking of a short time since? No sooner said than done. CHREMES
In real earnest ? SYRUS
In real. CHREMES
Upon my faith, I can not forbear patting your head for it. Come here, Syrus; I'll do you some good turn for this matter, and with pleasure. Patting his head. SYRUS
But if you knew how cleverly it came into my head---- CHREMES
Pshaw! Do you boast because it has turned out according to your wishes SYRUS
On my word, not I, indeed; I am telling the truth. CHREMES
Tell me how it is. SYRUS
Clinia has told Menedemus, that this Bacchis is your Clitipho's mistress, and that he has taken her thither with him in order that you might not come to know of it. CHREMES
Very good. SYRUS
Tell me, please, what you think of it. CHREMES
Extremely good, I declare. SYRUS
Why yes, pretty fair. But listen, what a piece of policy still remains. He is then to say that he has seen your daughter--that her beauty charmed him as soon as he beheld her; and that he desires her for a wife. CHREMES
What, her that has just been discovered ? SYRUS
The same; and, in fact, he'll request that she may be asked for. CHREMES
For what purpose, Syrus? For I don't altogether comprehend it. SYRUS
O dear, you are so dull. CHREMES
Perhaps so. SYRUS
Money will be given him for the wedding--with which golden trinkets and clothes----do you understand me? CHREMES
To buy them----? SYRUS
Just so. CHREMES
But I neither give nor betroth my daughter to him. SYRUS
But why? CHREMES
Why, do you ask me? To a fellow---- SYRUS
Just as you please. I don't mean that in reality you should give her to him, but that you should pretend it. CHREMES
Pretending is not in my way; do you mix up these plots of yours, so as not to mix me up in them. Do you think that I'll betroth my daughter to a person to whom I will not marry her? SYRUS
I imagined so. CHREMES
By no means. SYRUS
It might have been cleverly managed; and I under-took this affair for the very reason, that a short time since you so urgently requested it. CHREMES
I believe you. SYRUS
But for my part, Chremes, I take it well and good, either way. CHREMES
But still, I especially wish you to do your best for it to be brought about; but in some other way. SYRUS
It shall be done: some other method must be thought of; but as to what I was telling you of,--about the money which she owes to Bacchis,--that must now be repaid her. And you will not, of course, now be having recourse to this method; "What have I to do with it? Was it lent to me? Did I give any orders? Had she the power to pawn my daughter without my consent?" They quote that saying, Chremes, with good reason, " Riorous law1 is often rigorous injustice." CHREMES
I will not do so. SYRUS
On the contrary, though others were at liberty, you are not at liberty; all think that you are in good and very easy circumstances. CHREMES
Nay rather, I'll at once carry it to her myself. SYRUS
Why no; request your son in preference. CHREMES
For what reason? SYRUS
Why, because the suspicion of being in love with her has been transferred to him with Menedemus. CHREMES
What then? SYRUS
Because it will seem to be more like probability when he gives it her; and at the same time I shall effect more easily what I wish. Here he comes too; go, and bring out the money. CHREMES
I'll bring it. Goes into his house.
1 Rigorous law: Cicero mentions the same proverb in his work De Officiis, B. i., ch. 10, substituting the word "injuria" for " malitia." "' Extreme law, extreme injustice,' is now become a stale proverb in discourse." The same sentiment is found in the Fragments of Menander.
The Comedies of Terence. Henry Thomas Riley. Ney York. Harper and Brothers. 1874.
NSF, NEH: Digital Libraries Initiative, Phase 2 provided support for entering this text.
This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a medium level of accuracy.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.