§subject_2Here the action of the play commences.
剧情由此开始。
Demea coming into town hears of this new outrage of Aeschinus’, and accuses his brother Micio of being the cause of all this excess.
进入城里的德美亚听说了埃斯基努斯的这一新恶行，并指责他的兄弟米基奥是这所有放荡行为的根源。
It was his indulgence that had made Aeschinus so dissolute.
正是米基奥的溺爱才使埃斯基努斯变得如此放荡。
How different was the conduct of his brother Ctesipho who had been brought up strictly at home in the country! Micio in return justifies his mode of education.
在乡下家中受到严格管教的弟弟克特西波，其品行是多么的不同啊！ 作为回应，米基奥为自己的教育方式进行辩护。
Meanwhile Aeschinus is busied, with the assistance of his slave Parmeno, in arranging matters with Sannio, who blusters loudly at first, but finds at last that the best plan is to pocket his affront and trust to the young men to pay him, for he will lose more by waiting to prosecute the affair, as he is on the eve of a voyage to Cyprus, than if he abandons the slave altogether.
与此同时，埃斯基努斯在奴隶帕尔梅诺的协助下，正忙于处理与桑尼奥的事情。 桑尼奥起初大声叫嚷，但最终发现最好的办法是忍气吞声，并指指望这些年轻人付钱给他，因为他即将前往塞浦路斯，如果为了起诉此事而等待，他所蒙受的损失将比完全放弃这个奴隶还要大。
The news of Aeschinus’ prank had spread over the city, and it was now carried to Sostrata his destined mother-in-law by Geta her slave, who had witnessed the whole affair.
埃斯基努斯恶作剧的消息传遍了全城，现在被目睹了整个事件的奴隶格塔传到了他未来的岳母索斯特拉塔那里。
Sostrata sends her trusty Geta to Hegio, an old friend of her late husband Simulus, who will stand by her, and see that her daughter has justice done her.
索斯特拉塔派她忠实的格塔去找赫吉奥，赫吉奥是她已故丈夫西穆路斯的老朋友，他会支持她，并确保她的女儿得到公正的对待。
Demea in the mean time is in consternation, for he has heard that Ctesipho was with Aeschinus when this music girl was carried off; but Syrus, one of Micio’s slaves, contrives, with great skill, to make the fact increase his good opinion of his son; for he represents Ctesipho to have taken part in the affair only to blame his brother’s dissolute conduct, and says that as soon as the matter was over he had returned to the country to his usual work.
与此同时，德美亚陷入了惊恐之中，因为他听说当这个琴女被抢走时，克特西波和埃斯基努斯在一起；但米基奥的奴隶之一西鲁斯以极高的技巧，设法使这一事实反而增加了德美亚对儿子的好感；因为他把克特西波描绘成参与此事只是为了指责他哥哥的放荡行为，并说事情一结束他就回到了乡下继续他的日常工作。
Demea is greatly affected to find that he has one son who is a credit to his family, and sets off for his farm.
德美亚得知自己有一个能为家族争光的儿子，深受感动，动身前往他的农场。
On his way he meets Hegio, from whom he learns the circumstances of Aeschinus’ connexion with Pamphila; and at the same time he finds from one of his farm servants that Ctesipho has never been to the farm at all, as Syrus had pretended.
在路上，他遇到了赫吉奥，并从他那里得知了埃斯基努斯与潘菲拉交往的情况；同时，他从自己的一个农场仆人那里发现，克特西波根本没有去过农场，这与西鲁斯的借口完全相反。
These news send him back to Micio in a rage; but he is again met with a new fiction by Syrus, who revenges himself on him by sending him on a fool’s errand over the whole town to look for his brother.
这些消息使他愤怒地返回去找米基奥；但他又遇到了西鲁斯编造的新谎言，西鲁斯通过让他满城跑冤枉路去寻找他的兄弟来报复他。
Micio meanwhile has been with Hegio to Sostrata and Pamphila, and has comforted them by giving his consent to the marriage of the young lady and Aeschinus.
与此同时，米基奥与赫吉奥一起去了索斯特拉塔和潘菲拉那里，并通过同意这位年轻女子与埃斯基努斯的婚事来安慰她们。
Demea now returns from his fruitless search after his brother, and there is a general disturbance, particularly when one of the slaves accidentally betrays the fact of Ctesipho’s being in Micio’s house, where his father finds him with the music girl.
德美亚此时从寻找兄弟的徒劳奔波中归来，现场一片混乱，特别是当其中一个奴隶不小心透露了克特西波在米基奥家中的事实，其父亲在那里发现了他与那个琴女在一起。
After some more discussions between Demea and Micio, the former suddenly determines to change his demeanour; and to the surprise of every one whom he meets, and not a little to his own, he acts the courteous and complaisant man.
在德美亚和米基奥之间进行了更多的争论之后，前者突然决定改变自己的态度；令他遇到的每一个人感到惊讶，也让他自己感到不小的意外，他表现得谦恭而顺从。
He falls in with all their humours, and promotes the happiness of all parties.
他迎合所有人的脾气，促进各方的幸福。
Pamphila is married to Aeschinus; Sannio is paid; Micio is made to marry Sostrata; Hegio is provided for; and Syrus and his wife are freed in consideration of the great services which the cunning slave had rendered to morality.
潘菲拉与埃斯基努斯结婚；桑尼奥得到了付款；米基奥被迫娶了索斯特拉塔；赫吉奥得到了妥善安置；而西鲁斯和他的妻子则因这位狡猾的奴隶对道德做出的巨大贡献而被免除奴籍。
The play concludes with a speech in which Demea explains the meaning of his late conduct, and gives his hearers a little wholesome advice for the future.
全剧在德美亚的一段演讲中结束，他在演讲中解释了自己最近行为的意义，并为听众提供了关于未来的有益忠告。