Whatever her (his) name is
Pistoc.
quae sodalem atque me exercitos habet
XVII
A girl that has been keeping my chum and me exercised
nam credo cuivis excantare cor potes. XVIII
For I do believe
you can witch the heart out of anyone you
please
sin lenocinium forte collibitum est tibi,
XIX
videas mercedis quid tibi est aecum dari,
ne istac aetate me sectere gratiis.
30
But if pandering
happens to have caught your fancy, you
should consider
what price ought to be paid you, that you
may not run after
me at that time of life for nothing.
Arabus. XX
Arabian
Bacchis AND HER SISTER
ARE STANDING TOGETHER TALKING.
Pistoclerus APART.
Bacch.
Quid si hoc potis est ut tu taceas, ego loquar?
How about your
keeping a quiet tongue yourself, if possible,
and my doing the
talking?
Soror.
Lepide, licet.
Charming! By all means.
Bacch.
Ubi me fugiet memoria, ibi tu facito ut subvenias, soror.
In case my memory
deserts me, see you come to the rescue,
sister.
Soror.
Pol magis metuo, ne defuerit mi in monendo oratio.
Goodness me!
I’m more afraid of sage suggestions failing
myself.
Bacch.
Pol ego metuo, lusciniolae ne defuerit
cantio.
sequere hac.
(laughing)
Goodness me! And I’m afraid of song failing
the little nightingale.
Come on. (leads the way toward
Pistoclerus)
Pistoc.
Quid agunt duae germanae meretrices cognomines?
quid in consilio consuluistis?
(aside, nervously) What are those two up to, those harlot sisters with the same name? (aloud, trying to assume the air of a man of the world) What have you girls settled on in that session?
Bacch.
Bene.
Something nice.
Pistoc.
Pol haud meretricium est. 40
By Jove! Unusual in the profession!
Bacch.
Miserius nihil est quam mulier.
(in apparent
dejection) Oh, there’s nothing more
miserable than
a woman!
Pistoc.
Quid esse dices dignius?
And what ought to be more so, in your opinion?
Bacch.
Haec ita me orat, sibi qui caveat aliquem
ut hominem reperiam,
ut istunc militem—ut, ubi emeritum
sibi sit, se revehat domum.
id, amabo te, huic caveas.