verba imprudent duit neu persentiscat aurum ubi est absconditum, quae in occipitio quoque habet oculos pessima. nunc ibo ut visam sitne ita aurum ut condidi, quod me sollicitat plurimis miserum modis.

(aside) A worse reprobate than this old crone I never did see, no, never.  Oh, but how horribly scared I am she’ll come some sly dodge on me when I’m not expecting it, and smell out the place where the gold is hidden.  She has eyes in the very back of her head, the hell-cat.  Now I’ll just go see if the gold is where I hid it.  Dear, dear, it worries the life out of me! [EXIT Euclio INTO HOUSE.

Staph.

Noenum mecastor quid ego ero dicam meo malae rei evenisse quamve insaniam, queo comminisci; ita me miseram ad hunc modum decies die uno saepe extrudit aedibus. 70 nescio pol quae illunc hominem intemperiae tenent; pervigilat noctes totas, tum autem interdius quasi claudus sutor domi sedet totos dies.

Mercy me!  What’s come over master, what crazy streak he’s got, I can’t imagine,—­driving a poor woman out of the house this way ten times a day, often.  Goodness gracious, what whim-whams the man’s got into his head I don’t see.  Never shuts his eyes all night:  yes, and then in the daytime he’s sitting around the house the whole livelong day, for all the world like a lame cobbler.

neque iam quo pacto celem erilis filiae probrum, propinqua partitudo cui appetit, queo comminisci; neque quicquam meliust mihi, ut opinor, quam ex me ut unam faciam litteram longam, meum laqueo collum quando obstrinxero.

How I’m going to hide the young mistress’s disgrace now is beyond me, and she with her time so near.  There’s nothing better for me to do, as I see, than tie a rope round my neck and dangle myself out into one long capital I.

I. 2.

    Scene 2.

    RE-ENTER Euclio FROM HOUSE.

Eucl.

  Nunc defaecato demum animo egredior domo,
  postquam perspexi salva esse intus omnia. 80
  redi nunciam intro atque intus serva.

(aside) At last I can feel easy about leaving the house, now I have made certain everything is all right inside. (to Staphyla) Go back in there this instant, you, and keep watch inside.

Staph.

Quippini? ego intus servem? an ne quis aedes auferat? nam hic apud nos nihil est aliud quaesti furibus, ita inaniis sunt oppletae atque araneis.

(tartly) I suppose so!  So I’m to keep watch inside, am I?  You aren’t afraid anyone’ll walk away with the house, are you?  I vow we’ve got nothing else there for thieves to take—­ all full of emptiness as it is, and cobwebs.

Eucl.