_Ge._ O, how do you do, good Chremes! _Chr._ [_crustily_]. How are you? _Ge._ How are things with you? _Chr._ One finds many changes on coming back, as is natural enough--very many. _Ge._ That"s so. Have you heard about Antipho? _Chr._ The whole story. _Ge._ [_to Demipho_]. O, you"ve been telling him? [_To Chremes_]. It"s a shame, Chremes, to be taken in that way! _Dem._ I have been discussing the situation with him. _Ge._ I"ve been thinking it over, too, and I think I have found a way out of it. _Chr._ How"s that, Geta? _Dem._ A way out of it? _Ge._ [_in a confidential tone_]. Just now when I left you, I chanced to meet Phormio. _Chr._ Who"s Phormio? _Ge._ That girl"s-- _Chr._ O, I see. _Ge._ I thought I"d test the fellow, so I got him off alone, and said: "Now, Phormio, don"t you see that it"s better to settle this matter in a friendly way than to have a row about it? My master is a gentleman, and hates a fuss. If it wasn"t for that he would have sent this girl packing, as all his friends advised him to do." _Ant._ [_aside_]. What in the world is this fellow getting at? _Ge._ "Do you say that the law will make him suffer for it if he casts her out? Oh, we"ve looked into that point.
I tell you you"ll sweat for it if you ever get into a law-suit with that man. He"s a regular corker. But suppose you do win out; it"s not a matter of life and death, but only of damages. Now here, just between ourselves, how much will you take, cash down, to take this girl away and make us no more trouble." _Ant._ [_aside_]. Good heavens, is the fellow crazy? _Ge._ "For I know that if you make any sort of an offer, my master is a good fellow, and will take you up in a minute." _Dem._ Who told you to say that? _Chr._ There, there, we couldn"t have gained our point better. _Ant._ [_aside_]. I"m done for! _Dem._ Well, go on with your story. _Ge._ At first the fellow was wild. _Chr._ Come, come, tell us how much he wants. _Ge._ How much? Altogether too much. Said he: "Well, a matter of twelve hundred dollars would be about right." _Dem._ Confound his impudence! Has he no shame? _Ge._ That"s just what I said. Said I: "What if he were marrying off an only daughter? Small gain it"s been to him not to have raised a girl. One has been found to call for a dowry just the same." Well, to make a long story short, he finally said: "I"ve wanted from the first to marry the daughter of my old friend, as was right that I should; but, to tell you the honest truth, I"ve got to find a wife who will bring me in a little something, enough to pay my debts with. And even now, if Demipho is willing to pay me as much as I am getting from the other girl to whom I am engaged, I"d just as soon turn around and marry this girl of yours." _Dem._ What if he is over his head in debt? _Ge._ Says he: "I have a little farm mortgaged for two hundred dollars." _Dem._ Well, well! Let him marry her; I"ll give him that much. _Ge._ "And then there"s a bit of a house mortgaged for two hundred more." _Dem._ Ow! that"s too much. _Chr._ No, that"s all right. Let him have that two hundred from me. _Ge._ "Then I must buy a little maid for my wife," says he, "and I"ve got to have a little more furniture, and then there"s all the wedding expenses. Put all that down at an even two hundred more." _Dem._ [_in a rage_]. Then let him bring as many suits as he wants to. I won"t give a cent. What, is the dirty fellow making game of me? _Chr._ O, do please keep still! I only ask that you have your son marry that girl that we know of. This girl is being sent off for my sake; so it"s only right that I should pay for it. _Ge._ Phormio says to let him know as soon as possible if you are going to give Phanium to him, in order that he may break his engagement with the other girl; for her people have promised the same dowry. _Chr._ Well, we will give it to him, so let him break his other engagement and marry the girl.
_Dem._ And a plague on him into the bargain! _Chr._ [_to Demipho_].
Very fortunately, I have brought some money with me--the rent I have collected from my wife"s Lemnian estate. I"ll take it out of that, and tell her that you needed it.
The two old men go into Chremes" house; and now Geta finds himself confronted by the indignant Antipho, who has hardly been able to contain himself during this (to him) inexplicable dialogue, in which his wife was being coolly bargained away. It is only with the greatest difficulty that Geta can make the angry bridegroom appreciate the ruse by which the money has been obtained for Phaedria"s use. In the end Antipho goes off to tell the news to Phaedria. Demipho and Chremes now come out, the former with a bag of money in his hand. He wants it understood that no one can cheat him; he is going to be very business-like and have ample witness to the transactions. Chremes" only desire is that the business may be settled as soon as possible. Demipho now tells Geta to lead the way to Phormio, and they start toward the Forum. Chremes" troubles are only in part allayed. His Lemnian daughter"s marriage with Antipho seems now safely provided for, but where _is_ his Lemnian daughter and her mother? That they are here in Athens fills him with terror. He paces back and forth in deep thought, muttering:
Where _can_ I find those women now, I wonder?
And just at this moment out from Demipho"s house comes old Sophrona, Phanium"s nurse, who also seems to be in great distress:
O, what _shall_ I do? Where shall I find a friend in my distress, or to whom shall I go for advice? Where get help? For I"m afraid that my young mistress is going to get into trouble from this marriage that I persuaded her into. I hear that the young man"s father is very much put out about it. _Chr._ [_aside_]. Who in the world is this old woman coming out of my brother"s house? _So._ But want made me advise her as I did, though I knew that the marriage was a bit shaky, in order that for awhile at least we might be sure of our living. _Chr._ [_aside in great excitement_]. By Jove! unless I"m much mistaken, or my eyes don"t see straight, that"s my daughter"s nurse! _So._ And I can"t get any trace of the man who is her father. _Chr._ [_aside_].
Shall I go up to her, or shall I wait until I understand better what she"s talking about? _So._ But if I could only find him now, I"d have nothing to fear. _Chr._ [_aside_]. It _is_ Sophrona; I"ll speak to her. [_Calling softly_]. Sophrona! _So._ Who is this I hear calling my name? _Chr._ Look here, Sophrona. _So._ [_finally looking the right way_]. My goodness gracious! Is this Stilpho? _Chr._ No. _So._ No? _Chr._ [_drawing her cautiously away from the vicinity of his house_]. Say, Sophrona, come away a little from that door, will you?
And don"t you ever call me by that name again. _So._ O, my goodness, aren"t you the man you always said you were? _Chr._ Sh! _So._ What makes you so afraid of that door? _Chr._ I"ve got a savage wife shut up there. I gave you the wrong name on purpose, that you might not thoughtlessly blurt it out in public sometime, and so let my wife here get wind of it. _So._ And so that"s the reason why we poor women could never find you here. _Chr._ Tell me now what business you have with this household from which you have just come out. Where are those women? _So._ [_with a burst of tears_]. O dear me! _Chr._ How?
What"s that? Aren"t they alive? _So._ Your daughter is. But the mother, sick at heart over this business, is dead. _Chr._ That"s too bad! _So._ And then, considering that I was just a lonely old woman, in a strange city without a cent of money, I think I did pretty well for the girl, for I married her off to the young man the heir of this family here. _Chr._ What, Antipho? _So._ Why, yes! _Chr._ You don"t mean to say he"s got two wives? _So._ O gracious, no! This is the only one. _Chr._ But what about that other girl who is said to be related to him? _So._ Why, this is the one. _Chr._ [_beside himself with joy and wonder_]. You don"t mean it! _So._ That was a cooked up scheme that her lover might marry her without a dowry. _Chr._ Thank heaven for that! How often things come about by mere chance that you wouldn"t dare hope for! Here I find my daughter happily married to the very man I had picked out for her! What my brother and I were taking the greatest pains to bring about, here this old woman, without any help from us, all by herself, has done. _So._ But now, sir, we"ve got to bestir ourselves. The young man"s father is back, and they say he"s in a terrible stew about it. _Chr._ O, there"s no danger on that score. But, for heaven"s sake, don"t let any one find out that she"s my daughter. _So._ Well, no one shall find it out from me. _Chr._ Now you follow me, we"ll talk about the rest inside.
[_They go into Demipho"s house._]
Demipho and Geta appear in a brief scene, in which the former grumblingly comments upon the bargain which they have just made with Phormio. He disappears into his brother"s house. Geta, left alone, soliloquizes upon the situation and sums it up so far as it is known to him. As he disappears into Demipho"s house, the latter is seen coming out of his brother"s house with his brother"s wife, Nausistrata, whom in fulfilment of his promise he is taking in to see Phanium in order to reconcile the bride to the new arrangements that have been made for her.
And just at this moment Chremes comes rushing out of his brother"s house; he calls to Demipho, not seeing in his excitement that Nausistrata is also on the stage.
_Chr._ Say, Demipho! Have you paid the money yet? _Dem._ Yes, I"ve tended to that. _Chr._ Well, I wish you hadn"t. [_Aside as he sees his wife_]. Gracious! There"s my wife! I almost said too much. _Dem._ Why do you wish it, Chremes? _Chr._ O, that"s all right. _Dem._ What do you mean? Have you talked with the girl on whose account I"m taking Nausistrata in? _Chr._ Yes, I"ve had a talk with her. _Dem._ Well, what does she say? _Chr._ She can"t be disturbed. _Dem._ Why can"t she? _Chr._ O, because--they"re so fond of each other. _Dem._ What difference does that make to us? _Chr._ A great deal. And besides, I"ve found that she"s related to us, after all. _Dem._ What"s that? You"re off your base. _Chr._ No, I"m not. I know what I"m talking about. I remember all about it now. _Dem._ Surely, you _are_ crazy. _Naus._ I beg you won"t do any harm to a relative.
_Dem._ She"s no relative. _Chr._ Don"t say that. She gave the wrong name for her father. That"s where you make your mistake. _Dem._ Nonsense! Didn"t she know her own father? _Chr._ Yes, she knew him.
_Dem._ Well, then, why didn"t she tell his right name? _Chr._ [_apart to Demipho, in low, desperate tones_]. Won"t you ever let up? Won"t you understand? _Dem._ How can I, if you tell me nothing? _Chr._ O, you"ll be the death of me. _Naus._ I wonder what it"s all about.
_Dem._ I"ll be blest if I know. _Chr._ Do you want to know? I swear to you there"s no one nearer to her than you and I. _Dem._ Good gracious! Let"s go to her, then. Let"s all together get to the bottom of this business. [_He starts toward his house with Nausistrata_].
_Chr._ I say, Demipho! _Dem._ Well, what now? _Chr._ [_angrily_].
Have you so little confidence in me as that? _Dem._ Do you want me to take your word for it? Do you want me to seek no further in the matter? All right, so be it. But what about the daughter of our friend? What"s to become of her? _Chr._ She"ll be all right. _Dem._ Are we to drop her, then? _Chr._ Why not? _Dem._ And is Phanium to remain? _Chr._ Just so. _Dem._ Well, Nausistrata, I guess we will excuse you. [_Exit Nausistrata into her own house_]. Now, Chremes, what in the world is all this about? _Chr._ Is that door tight shut?
_Dem._ Yes. _Chr._ [_leading his brother well out of earshot of the house_]. O Jupiter! The G.o.ds are on our side. My daughter I have found--married--to your son! _Dem._ What? How can that be? _Chr._ It isn"t safe to talk about it here. _Dem._ Well, go inside then. _Chr._ But see here, I don"t want even our sons to find this out. [_They go into Demipho"s house._]
Antipho has seen Phaedria"s business happily settled, and now comes in, feeling very gloomy about his own affairs. His deep dejection serves as a happy contrast to the fortunate turn of his affairs which we have just witnessed. In his unsettled state he starts off to find the faithful Geta, when Phormio comes on the stage, in high spirits over his success in cheating the old men out of their money in behalf of Phaedria. It is his own role now, he says, to keep well in the background. Now the door of Demipho"s house opens and out rushes Geta, shouting and gesticulating:
O luck! O great good luck! How suddenly have you heaped your choicest gifts on my master Antipho this day! _Ant._ [_apart_]. What can he mean? _Ge._ And freed us all from fear! But what am I stopping here for? I"ll throw my cloak over my shoulder and hurry up and find the man, that he may know how things have turned out. _Ant._ [_aside_].
Do you know what this fellow is talking about? _Pho._ No, do you?
_Ant._ No. _Pho._ No more do I. _Ge._ I"ll run over to Dorio"s house.
They are there now. _Ant._ [_calling_]. h.e.l.lo, Geta! _Ge._ [_without looking back_]. h.e.l.lo yourself! That"s an old trick, to call a fellow back when he"s started to run. _Ant._ I say, Geta! _Ge._ Keep it up; you won"t catch me with your mean trick. _Ant._ Won"t you stop? _Ge._ You go hang. _Ant._ That"s what will happen to you, you rogue, unless you hold on. _Ge._ This fellow must be one of the family by the way he threatens. But isn"t it the man I"m after--the very man? Come here right off. _Ant._ What is it? _Ge._ O, of all men alive you are the luckiest! There"s no doubt about it, Antipho, you are the pet child of heaven. _Ant._ I wish I were. But please tell me how I am to believe it. _Ge._ Isn"t it enough if I say that you are fairly dripping with joy? _Ant._ You"re just killing me. _Pho._ [_coming forward_]. Why don"t you quit your big talk, Geta, and tell us your news. _Ge._ O, you were there, were you, Phormio? _Pho._ Yes, I was; but hurry up. _Ge._ Well, then, listen. Just now, after we gave you the money in the Forum, we went straight home; and then my master sent me in to your wife. _Ant._ What for? _Ge._ Never mind that now, Antipho; it has nothing to do with this story. When I am about to enter the woman"s apartments, the slave-boy Mida runs up to me, plucks me by the coat and pulls me back. I look around, and ask him what he does that for; he says, it"s against orders for any one to go to the young mistress. "Sophrona has just taken the old man"s brother Chremes in there," he says, "and he"s in there with "em now." As soon as I heard that, I tiptoed toward the door of the room--got there, stood still, held my breath and put my ear to the key-hole. So I listened as hard as I could to catch what they said. _Ant._ Good for you, Geta! _Ge._ And then I heard the finest piece of news. I declare I almost shouted for joy! _Ant._ What for? _Ge._ What do you think?
_Ant._ I haven"t the slightest idea. _Ge._ But, I tell you, it was the grandest thing! Your uncle turns out to be--the father of--Phanium--your wife! _Ant._ What? How can that be? _Ge._ He lived with her mother secretly in Lemnos. _Pho._ Nonsense! Wouldn"t the girl have known her own father? _Ge._ Be sure there"s some explanation of it, Phormio. You don"t suppose that I could hear everything that pa.s.sed between them, from outside the door? _Ant._ Now I think of it, I too have had some hint of that story. _Ge._ Now I"ll give you still further proof: pretty soon your uncle comes out of the room and leaves the house, and before long he comes back with your father, and they both go in. And now they both say that you may keep her. In short, I was sent to hunt you up and bring you to them.
_Ant._ [_all excitement_]. Well, why don"t you do it then? What are you waiting for? _Ge._ Come along. _Ant._ O my dear Phormio, good-by!
_Pho._ Good-by, my boy. I declare, I"m mighty glad it"s turned out well for you.
Antipho and Geta hurry away to Demipho"s house, while Phormio retires up a convenient alley to await future developments.
The only problem now remaining on Phormio"s side is how to keep the money that has been given him by the old men, so that Phaedria may not be again embarra.s.sed; on the side of the old men the problem is to get back their money. How the poet treats us to the liveliest scene of all after the more important matters have been settled, is now to be seen. Demipho and Chremes come upon the stage, congratulating each other upon the happy turn which their affairs have taken.
_Dem._ I ought to thank the G.o.ds, as indeed I do, that these matters have turned out so well for us, brother. _Chr._ Isn"t she a fine girl, just as I told you? _Dem._ Yes, indeed. But now we must find Phormio as soon as possible, so as to get our six hundred dollars back again before he makes away with it.
Phormio now walks across the stage in a lordly way without seeming to see the old men, and goes straight to Demipho"s door, upon which he raps loudly and calls to the attendant within:
If Demipho is at home. I want to see him, that-- _Dem._ [_stepping up from without_]. Why, we were just coming to see you, Phormio. _Pho._ On the same business, perhaps? _Dem._ Very likely. _Pho._ I supposed so. But why were you coming to me? It"s absurd. Were you afraid that I wouldn"t do what I had promised? No fear of that. For, however poor I may be, I have always been particularly careful to keep my word.
And so I have come to tell you, Demipho, that I am ready; whenever you wish, give me my wife. For I put all my own private considerations aside, as was quite right, when I saw that you wanted this so much. _Dem._ [_who does not know quite what to say_]. But my brother here has asked me not to give her to you. "For," says he, "what a scandal there will be if you do that! At the time when she could have been given to you honorably it was not done; and now it would be a disgrace to cast her off." Almost the same arguments that you yourself urged upon me not long ago. _Pho._ Well, you _have_ got gall! _Dem._ What do you mean? _Pho._ Can"t you see? I can"t even marry that other girl now; for with what face could I go back to her after I had once thrown her over? _Chr._ [_prompting Demipho, sotto voce_]. "Then I find that Antipho is unwilling to to let his wife go"--tell him that. _Dem._ And then I find that my son objects to letting his wife go. But come right over to the Forum, if you please, Phormio, and sign this money back to me again. _Pho._ How can I, when I have already used it to pay my debts with? _Dem._ Well, what then?
_Pho._ [_pompously_]. If you are willing to give me the girl you promised for my wife, I"ll marry her: but if you want her to stay with you, why, the dowry stays with me, Demipho. For it isn"t right that I should lose this on your account, when it was for the sake of your honor that I broke with the other girl who was offering the same dowry. _Dem._ Go be hanged, with your big talk, you jail-bird!
Do you suppose that I don"t see through you and your tricks? _Pho._ Look out, I"m getting hot. _Dem._ Do you mean to say you would marry this girl if we gave her to you? _Pho._ Just try me and see. _Dem._ [_with a sneer_]. O yes, your scheme is to have my son live with her at your house. _Pho._ [_indignantly_]. What do you mean? _Dem._ Come, give me that money. _Pho._ Come, give me my wife. _Dem._ [_laying hands on him_]. You come along to court with me. _Pho._ You"d better look out! If you don"t stop-- _Dem._ What will you do? _Pho._ I?
[_Turning to Chremes_]. Perhaps you think that I take only poor girls under my protection. I"ll have you know I sometimes stand as patron to girls with dowries too. _Chr._ [_with a guilty start_]. What"s that to us? _Pho._ O nothing. I knew a woman here once whose husband had-- _Chr._ O! _Dem._ What"s that? _Pho._ Another wife in Lemnos-- _Chr._ I"m a dead man. _Pho._ By whom he had a daughter; and he"s bringing her up on the quiet. _Chr._ I"m buried. _Pho._ And these very things I"ll tell his real wife. _Chr._ Good gracious, don"t do that! _Pho._ Oho! You were the man, were you, Chremes?
_Dem._ [_in a rage_]. How the villain gammons us! _Chr._ You may go.
_Pho._ The deuce you say! _Chr._ Why, what do you mean? We are willing that you should keep the money. _Pho._ Yes, I see. But what, a plague! do _you_ mean? Do you think you can guy me by changing your minds like a pair of silly boys? "I won"t, I will--I will, I won"t, again--take it, give it back--what"s said is unsaid--what"s been agreed on is no go"--that"s your style. [_He turns to go away_].
_Chr._ [_apart_]. How in the world did he find that out? _Dem._ I don"t know, but I"m sure I never told any one. _Chr._ Lord! it seems like a judgment on me! _Pho._ [_gleefully, aside_]. I"ve put a spoke in their wheel! _Dem._ [_aside_]. See here, Chremes, shall we let this rascal cheat us out of our money and laugh in our faces besides?
I"d rather die first. Now make up your mind to be manly and resolute.
You see that your secret is out, and that you can"t keep it from your wife any longer. Now what she is bound to learn from others it will be much better for her to hear from your own lips. And then we will have the whip hand of this dirty fellow. _Pho._ [_overhearing these words, aside_]. Tut! tut! Unless I look out, I"ll be in a hole.
They"re coming at me hard. _Chr._ But I am afraid that she will never forgive me. _Dem._ O, cheer up, man. I"ll make you solid with her again, more especially since the mother of this girl is dead and gone. _Pho._ Is _that_ your game? I tell you, Demipho, it"s not a bit to your brother"s advantage that you are stirring me up. [_To Chremes_]. Look here, you! When you have followed your own devices abroad, and haven"t thought enough of your own wife to keep you from sinning most outrageously against her, do you expect to come home and make it all up with a few tears? I tell you, I"ll make her so hot against you that you can"t put out her wrath, not if you dissolve in tears. _Dem._ Confound the fellow! Was ever a man treated so outrageously? _Chr._ [_all in a tremble_]. I"m so rattled that I don"t know what to do with the fellow. _Dem._ [_grasping Phormio"s collar_]. Well _I_ do. We"ll go straight to court. _Pho._ To court, is it? [_Dragging off toward Chremes" house_]. This way, if you please. _Dem._ [_hurrying toward his own house_]. Chremes, you catch him and hold him, while I call my slaves out. _Chr._ [_holding off_].
I can"t do it alone; you come here and help.
Demipho comes back and lays hold of Phormio, and all engage in a violent struggle mingled with angry words and blows. Phormio is getting the worst of it, when he says:
Now I"ll have to use my voice. Nausistrata! Come out here! _Chr._ Stop his mouth. _Dem._ [_trying to do so, without success_]. See how strong the rascal is. _Pho._ I say, Nausistrata! _Chr._ Won"t you keep still? _Pho._ Not much.
Nausistrata now appears at the door of her house; Phormio, seeing her, says, panting but gleeful:
Here"s where my revenge comes in. _Naus._ Who"s calling me? [_Seeing the disordered and excited condition of the men_]. Why, what"s all this row about, husband? Who is this man? [_Chremes remains tongue-tied_]. Won"t you answer me? _Pho._ How can he answer you, when, by George, he doesn"t know where he is? _Chr._ [_trembling with fear_]. Don"t you believe a word he says. _Pho._ Go, touch him; if he isn"t frozen stiff, you may strike me dead. _Chr._ It isn"t so.
_Naus._ What is this man talking about, then? _Pho._ You shall hear; just listen. _Chr._ You aren"t going to believe him? _Naus._ Good gracious, how can I believe one who hasn"t said anything yet? _Pho._ The poor fellow is crazy with fear. _Naus._ Surely it"s not for nothing that you are so afraid. _Chr._ [_with chattering teeth_].
Wh-wh-who"s afraid? _Pho._ Well then, since you"re not afraid, and what I say is nothing, you tell the story yourself. _Dem._ Scoundrel!
Shall he speak at your bidding? _Pho._ [_contemptuously_]. O you!
you"ve done a fine thing for your brother. _Naus._ Husband, won"t you speak to me? _Chr._ Well--_Naus._ Well? _Chr._ There"s no need of my talking. _Pho._ You"re right; but there"s need of her knowing. In Lemnos-- _Chr._ O don"t! _Pho._ unbeknown to you-- _Chr._ O me! _Pho._ he took another wife. _Naus._ [_screaming_]. My husband! Heaven forbid. _Pho._ But it"s so, just the same. _Naus._ O wretched me!
_Pho._ And by her he had a daughter--also unbeknown to you. _Naus._ By all the G.o.ds, a shameful and evil deed! _Pho._ But it"s so, just the same. _Naus._ It"s the most outrageous thing I ever heard of.
[_Turning her back on Chremes_]. Demipho, I appeal to you; for I am too disgusted to speak to him again. Was _this_ the meaning of those frequent journeys and long stays at Lemnos? Was _this_ why my rents ran down so? _Dem._ Nausistrata, I don"t deny that he has been very much to blame in this matter; but is that any reason why you should not forgive him? _Pho._ He"s talking for the dead. _Dem._ For it wasn"t through any scorn or dislike of you that he did it. And besides, the other woman is dead who was the cause of all this trouble. So I beg you to bear this with equanimity as you do other things. _Naus._ Why should I bear it with equanimity? I wish this were the end of the wretched business; but why should I hope it will be? Am I to think that he will be better now he"s old? But he was old before, if that makes any difference. Or am I any more beautiful and attractive now than I was, Demipho? What a.s.surance can you give me that this won"t happen again?
Phormio now comes to the front of the stage and announces in a loud official voice to the audience:
All who want to view the remains of Chremes, now come forward! The time has come.--That"s the way I do them up. Come along now, if any one else wants to stir up Phormio. I"ll fix him just like this poor wretch here.--But there! he may come back to favor now. I"ve had revenge enough. She has something to nag him with as long as he lives. _Naus._ But I suppose I have deserved it. Why should I recount to you, Demipho, all that I have been to this man? _Dem._ I know it all, Nausistrata, as well as you. _Naus._ Well, have I deserved this treatment? _Dem._ By no means! but, since what"s been done can"t be undone by blaming him, pardon him. He confesses his sin, he prays for pardon, he promises never to do so again: what more do you want?
_Pho._ [_aside_]. Hold on here; before she pardons him, I must look out for myself and Phaedria. Say, Nausistrata, wait a minute before you answer him. _Naus._ Well? _Pho._ I tricked Chremes out of six hundred dollars; I gave the money to your son, and he has used it to buy his wife with. _Chr._ [_angrily_]. How? What do you say? _Naus._ [_to Chremes_]. How now? Does it seem to you a shameful thing for your son, a young man, to have one wife, when you, an old man, have had two? Shame on you! With what face will you rebuke him? Answer me that? [_Chremes slinks back without a word_]. _Dem._ He will do as you say. _Naus._ Well, then, here is my decision: I"ll neither pardon him, nor promise anything, nor give you any answer at all, until I have seen my son. And I shall do entirely as he says. _Pho._ You are a wise woman, Nausistrata. _Naus._ [_to Chremes_]. Does that suit you? _Chr._ Does it? Indeed and truly I"m getting off well--[_aside_]
and better than I expected. _Naus._ [_to Phormio_] Come, tell me your name. What is it? _Pho._ Mine? It"s Phormio; I"m a great friend to your family, and especially to Phaedria. _Naus._ Phormio, I vow to you I am at your service after this, to do and to say, so far as I can, just what you want. _Pho._ I thank you kindly, lady. _Naus._ No, upon my word, you"ve earned it. _Pho._ Do you want to begin right off, Nausistrata, and do something that will both make me happy and bring tears to your husband"s eyes? _Naus._ That I do. _Pho._ Well, then, invite me to dinner. _Naus._ With all my heart, I do. _Dem._ Come then, let"s go inside. _Chr._ Agreed; but where is Phaedria, my judge? _Pho._ I"ll soon have him here.
And so ends this merry play, as the whole party moves toward Chremes"
house, where, let us hope, all family differences were forgotten in the good dinner awaiting them.
Meanwhile the man before the curtain reminds us that we still have a duty to perform:
Fare you well, my friends, and give us your applause.
SUMMARY AND QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
_The Roman Drama_, as ill.u.s.trated by the works of the early tragedians, from 240 to the first century B. C.: Andronicus Naevius, Ennius, Pacuvius, Accius. The later tragedians to the close of the first century A. D.: Pollio, Varius, Ovid, Maternus, Secundus, Lucan, and Seneca. The writers of comedy, second century B. C.: Plautus and Terence.
1. How did the civilization of Rome in 454 B. C. compare with that of Greece? 2. How did Rome"s conquest of the Greek colonies in Italy help the development of Italian literature? 3. How did the First Punic War affect this development? 4. Who was the "first professor of Latin on record"? 5. From what sources were the subjects of the old Roman tragedies taken? 6. How did the Roman spirit differ from that of the Greek? 7. Why did the Romans fail to develop a truly national tragedy?
8. What four names besides that of Andronicus are representative of the old Roman tragedy? 9. What qualities of Accius do we find in the fragments of his writings which remain? 10. What is true of the writers of tragedy after Accius? 11. Why have the tragedies of Seneca special interest? 12. What are their defects? 13. What their strong qualities?
14. Why did the plays of Seneca have such an influence in England? 15.
What is the outline of the story of Medea? 16. How does it ill.u.s.trate Seneca"s defects of style? 17. Quote pa.s.sages which ill.u.s.trate his skill in epigram. 18. In graphic description. 19. In pathos and pa.s.sion. 20.
In subtile a.n.a.lysis of character and motive. 21. Describe the three great types of Greek comedy. 22. What result followed the attempts of Naevius to write in the spirit of Old Comedy? 23. What two writers alone of comedy are known to us from their works? 24. What are the chief characteristics of _Phormio_ of Terence?