Ain tu, geminos?

      What’s that—­twins?

Brom.

  Geminos.

      Twins.

Amph.

  Di me servant.

      The gods are with me!

Brom.

  Sine me dicere,
  ut scias tibi tuaeque uxori decs esse omnis propitios. 1090

      Let me go on, so that you may know all the gods mean well by
      you and your wife, sir.

Amph.

  Loquere.

      Yes, yes.

Brom.

Postquam parturire hodie uxor occepit tua, ubi utero exorti dolores, ut solent puerperae invocat deos immortales, ut sibi auxilium ferant, manibus puris, capite operto. ibi continuo contonat sonitu maxumo; aedes primo ruere rebamur tuas. aedes totae confulgebant tuae, quasi essent aureae.

After she began to feel near her time to-day and her pains were setting in, she called on the immortal gods to help her—­as women do, sir, in labour—­with clean washed hands and covered head.  She had no sooner begun than there was a frightful thunder clap.  At first we thought your house was tumbling down:  your whole house was shining, sir, just as if it was gold.

Amph.

  Quaeso absolvito hinc me extemplo, quando satis deluseris.
  quid fit deinde?

      For heaven’s sake hurry up and don’t keep me on tenterhooks! 
      I have had enough of your trifling!  What happened next?

Brom.

  Dum haec aguntur, interea uxorem tuam
  neque gementem neque plorantem nostrum quisquam audivimus;
  ita profecto sine dolore peperit.

      While this was going on, not one of us heard your wife groan
      or whimper a bit, sir, the whole time:  that’s how she bore
      those boys, sir—­never a pang, that’s plain.

Amph.

  Iam istuc gaudeo, 1100
  utut erga me merita est.

      (heartily) Well now, I’m glad of that, no matter what her
      behaviour to me has been.

Brom.

Mitte ista atque haec quae dicam accipe. postquam peperit, pueros lavere iussit nos. occepimus. sed puer ille quem ego lavi, ut magnust et multum valet! neque eum quisquam colligare quivit incunabulis.

Do let that be, sir, and listen.  After they were born she told us to bathe them.  We began.  But that boy I bathed!  How big and strong he was!  Not a soul of us could wrap him in his swaddling clothes.

Amph.

  Nimia mira memoras; si istaec vera sunt, divinitus
  non metuo quin meae uxori latae suppetiae sient.

      A most astounding story!  If it be true, there’s no doubt
      that my wife received divine aid.

Brom.

  Magis iam faxo mira dices. postquam in cunas conditust,
  devolant angues iubati deorsum in impluvium duo
  maximi:  continuo extollunt ambo capita.