454 Specimens of Latin Comedy. ApniL, 



In the next scene Menaechmus (Sosicles), and Messenio, his servant, 

 meet ; the master declares he has not seen the servant before for the 

 day ; and the servant declaring with equal confidence, that he had not 

 only seen him, but had even given him his liberty ; but just as they are 

 disputing this knotty point, Menaechmus of Epidamnum comes in, and 

 every one is surprised to see Menaechmus, the citizen of Epidamnum, 

 and another so like him, that they could not distinguish between them : 

 this gives rise to the investigation which, by the management of Mes- 

 senio, servant of Sosicles, leads, as we have stated before, to the clear- 

 ing up of all the mistakes and misunderstandings which had recently 

 taken place between the different parties, and the result is such as we 

 have above detailed. 



We cannot, we think, conclude our notice of this play better than by 

 a translation of a soliloquy of the parasite, who always supports the 

 character of the broad comic in the Latin plays. It stands in " Plautus" 

 at the beginning of the first act, but it will not be deemed out of place 

 as a farcical peroration. 



Our young men call me dishclout, for this reason, 



Whene'er I eat, I wipe the tables clean. 



Now in my judgment, they act foolishly, 



Who bind in chains their captives, and clap fetters 



Upon their runaway slaves ; for if you heap 



Evil on evil to torment the wretch, 



The stronger his desire is to escape. 



They'll free them from their chains by any means : 



Load them with gyves, they file away the door, 



Or knock the bolt out with a stone. Tis vain this : 



But would you keep a man from 'scaping from you, 



Be sure you chain him fast with meat and drink, 



And tie him by the beak to a full table. 



Give him his fill, allow him meat and drink 



At pleasure, in abundance, every day ; 



And I'll be sworn, although his crime be capital, 



He will not run away : you'll easily 



Secure him, while you bind him with these bonds ; 



They are wondrous supple these same belly-bonds, 



The more you stretch them, they will bind the harder. 



For instance, I'm now going to Menaechmus, 



Most willingly I'm going to be bound, 



According to his sentence passed upon me. 



Good soul ! he's not content with giving us 



A bare support and meagre sustenance, 



But crams us even to satiety ; 



Gives us, as 'twere, new life, when dead with hunger. 



O he's a rare physician : he's a youth 



Of lordly appetite ; he treats most daintily ; 



His table's bravely served ; such heaps of dishes, 



You must stand on your chair to reach the top ; 



Yet I've some days been absent from his house ; 



Homely I've lived at home with my dear friends, 



For all I eat or buy is dear to me, 



Yet they desert the very friends that raised them. 



Now will I visit him : but the door opens : 



And see ! Menaechmus' self is coming forth. 



The poor parasite little thought how he was to be defrauded of his 

 long-anticipated banquet. % 



