§668Non ecastor falsa memoro.
(Phanostrata) By Castor, I am not telling falsehoods.
§668bNam, obsecro, unde haec gentium?
Indeed, I pray, from where in the world is this?
Or what god threw this before our door, as if on purpose, at the very nick of time?
§670bSpes mihi sancta subveni.
(Halisca) Sacred Hope, come to my aid.
§671Nisi quíd mi opis di dant, dísperii, neque unde aúxilium expetam hábeo.
Unless the gods give me some help, I am utterly ruined, nor do I have anywhere to seek aid.
§672itaque † petulantia mea me animi miseram habet.
And so, because of my carelessness, my mind is wretched.
§673quae in térgum meúm ne veniánt, male formído, §674si era méa me sciát tam socórdem esse quám sum.
I terribly fear lest those blows should come upon my back, if my mistress should know that I am as negligent as I am.
§675quamne ín manibus ténui atque accépi hic ante aédis §676cistéllam, ubi ea sít nesció, nisi ut opínor §677loca haec circiter excidit mihi.
The little box which I held in my hands and received here before the house, where it is, I do not know, except that I think it fell from me somewhere around here.
§678mei hómines, mei spectátores, facite índicium, si quís vidit, §679quis eam ábstulerit quisve sústulerit et utrum hác an illac iter ínstiterit.
My people, my spectators, give me information, if anyone saw, who took it away or who picked it up, and whether he went this way or that way.
I am no wiser, to ask them or importune them, who are always glad at a woman's misfortune.
§682nunc véstigia híc si qua súnt noscitábo.
Now, if there are any footprints here, I will search them out.
For if no one passed by this way after I went inside, the little box would be lying here.
quid híc? perii, opínor.
What is this? I am ruined, I think.
§685actum ést, ilicét me infelícem et sceléstam.
It is all over, it is done with for me, unhappy and guilty one.
§686nulla ést, neque ego sum úsquam.
It is nowhere, nor am I anywhere.
perdíta perdidít me.
The lost thing has ruined me.
§687sed pérgam ut coépi tamén, quaeritábo.
Yet I will go on as I began, I will keep searching.
For I am both anxious inside and terrified outside, so now on both sides fear agitates me.
§689ita súnt homines miseré miseri: §690ílle nunc laétus est, quísquis est, qui íllam habet, §691quaé neque illa ílli quicquam úsui et mi exítio est.
Thus human beings are wretchedly wretched: he is now glad, whoever he is, who has it, which is of no use to him, and is ruin to me.
§692sed mémet morór, quom hoc agó setius.
But I am delaying myself, doing this so slowly.
Halisca, do this: look to the ground and look down, track with your eyes, guess cunningly.
§695Era.
(Lampadio) Mistress.
§695bHém quid est?
(Phanostrata) Ah, what is it?
§695cHaec ést.
(Lampadio) This is she.
§695dQuis est?
(Phanostrata) Who is?
§695eQuoi haec éxcidit cistélla.
(Lampadio) She from whom this little box fell.
§696Certe est, eum locum signat, ubí ea excidit: apparet.
She is surely the one, she marks the place where it fell: it is apparent.
(Halisca) But he went this way; here I see a shoe's footprint in the dust; I will follow this way.
§699in hoc iám loco cum altero cónstitit.
In this very place he stood with another.
hic §699ameis túrba oculis modo se óbiecit: §700neque prórsum iit hac: hic stétit, hinc illo §700aexiít.
Here a crowd just now obstructed my eyes: nor did he go straight on this way: here he stood, from here to there he departed.
hic conciliúm fuit.
Here was a gathering.
§701ad duós attinet, liquidúmst.
It concerns two people, it is clear.
attat, §701asingulúm video vestígium.
Ah, I see a single footprint.
§702sed is hác abiit.
But he went away this way.
contémplabor.
I will contemplate.
hinc húc iit, hinc nusquam ábiit.
From here to here he went, from here he went nowhere.
§703actám rem ago.
I am doing what is already done.
quod periít, periit: meum córium cum cistélla.
What is lost, is lost: my hide together with the little box.
§704redeo íntro.
I will go back inside.
§704bMuliér, mane.
(Lampadio) Woman, stay.
sunt quí volunt té conventam.
There are those who wish to meet you.
§705Quis mé revocat?
(Halisca) Who calls me back?
§705bBona femina et malus masculus volunt te.
(Lampadio) A good woman and a bad man wish for you.
(Halisca) In the end, he who calls knows better what he wants than I who am called.
revortor.
I return.
§709cistellam cum crepundiis, quam ego hic amisi misera?
The little box with the tokens, which I, wretched one, lost here?
§710nam dudum ut accucurrimus ad Alcésimarchum, ne se §711vita interemeret, tum éam mihi opinor excidisse.
For just now as we ran to Alcesimarchus, lest he should take his own life, then I think it fell from me.
§712Cistellam haec mulier perdidit.
(Lampadio) This woman lost the little box.
taceamus, era, parumper.
Let us be silent, mistress, for a moment.
§713Disperii misera.
(Halisca) I am utterly ruined, wretched one.
quid ego erae dicam? quae me opere tanto
What shall I say to my mistress?
§714servare iussit, qui suos Selenium parentes §715facilius posset noscere, quae erae supposita est parva, §716quam quaedam meretríx ei dedit.
She who commanded me with so much care to keep it, so that Selenium might more easily recognize her parents, she who was substituted as a child for my mistress, whom a certain courtesan gave to her.
(Lampadio) She is talking about our business, she must know where your daughter is, according to the tokens she mentions.
§718Nunc eam volt suae matri et patri, quibus nata est, reddere ultro.
(Halisca) Now she wants to restore her voluntarily to her mother and father, to whom she was born.
§719mi homo, obsecro, alias res geris, ego tibi meas res mando.
(Phanostrata) My man, I pray, are you doing something else, while I commit my business to you?
§720Istuc ago, atque istic mihi cibus est, quod fabulare, §721sed inter rém agendam istam erae huic respondi quod rogabat.
(Lampadio) I am doing just that, and indeed what you talk of is my food, but while doing that business, I answered this mistress what she asked.
§723quid quaeritabas?
What were you seeking?
§723bMí homo et mea mulier, vos saluto.
(Halisca) My man and my lady, I greet you.
§724Et nos te.
(Lampadio) And we you.
sed quid quaeritas?
But what are you seeking?
§724bVestigium hic requiro,
(Halisca) I am looking for a footprint here,