Free The Portable Roman Reader (Portable Library) by Various Page A

what tribulation and danger I’m in.
    DAVUS: What’s the matter?
    GETA: I’ll tell you, if you can be secret.
    DAVUS : Away, you fool: are you afraid to trust him with words that you’ve found faithful in money? What interest have I in betraying you?
    GETA: Well, hear me.
    DAVUS: I’m attentive.
    GETA: Do you know Chremes, Davus, our old man’s elder brother?
    DAVUS: Know him? Yes.
    GETA: Do you? And his son Phaedria?
    DAVUS: As well as I know you.
    GETA: The old men both took a journey at one time, he that I’ve been speaking of to Lemnos, our old gentleman to Cilicia to an old acquaintance there: this same acquaintance tempted our old man over by letters, promising him mountains of gold, and what not?
    DAVUS: To one so rich, and whom has more than he knows what to do with?
    GETA: Hold your tongue: ‘tis his temper.
    DAVUS: 01 If I was what I ought to be, I shou’d be a king.
    GETA: When the old men went from hence, they both left me as governor over their sons.
    DAVUS: O! Geta, ‘tis a hard task you’ve taken on yourself.
    GETA: That I know by experience: I am sure my genius was angry, or I had not been left with such a charge. I began at first to oppose ‘em: in short, while I was faithful to the old men, my shoulders smarted: I consider’d, that ‘tis folly to kick against the pricks: I then devoted myself entirely to my young masters, and did ev’ry thing they’d have me.
    DAVUS: You knew how to make your market.
    GETA: Our spark did not fly into any mischief at first; but Phaedria was not long before he got his music-girl; and he became desperately fond of her; she was in the hands of a sordid rascal of a cock-bawd; and their fathers had taken care that they shou’d not have it in their pow‘r to give anything: in the meanwhile he cou’d do nothing with her but feed his eyes, and dangle after her, and lead her to school and back again. We at our leisure gave Phædria our attendance: over against the school where this girl was educated was a barber’s shop: there we usually waited till she came from school to go home: as we were sitting there, a young man came crying to us: we were surpris’d: we asked him what’s the matter: “Poverty,” says he, “never seem’d to me so sad and heavy a burden as it did just now. I have just seen a poor unhappy maid in the neighbourhood here, lamenting over her departed mother: she was plac’d against her, without any kind friend, acquaintance, or relation, excepting one old woman, to assist her in the funeral: it griev’d my heart, to see such beauty in distress!” In short, he mov’d us all: then says Antipho immediately, “Shall we go and see her?” “Yes,” says one, ’let us go—pray shew us the way.“ We walk on, we come to the place, we behold her: fair she was indeed, and the more so, because she had no help from art to her beauty: loose was her hair, and bare her feet, she was dirty, ill dress‘d, and all in tears, so that, had there not been a native force of beauty in her charms, they had been extinguish’d here. The spark that lov’d the music-girl only say’d, ”She’s pretty enough,“ but our—
    DAVUS: I easily guess: he was wounded.
    GETA: But can you guess how deeply? Observe the consequence. The next day he goes directly to the old woman; he intreats her to let him possess the girl: she refuses, and tells him ‘tis unjust to do it, that she’s a citizen of Athens, of a good character, and good parentage, if he has a mind to marry her, that he may lawfully do; he had a strong inclination to marry her, but was afraid of his father who’s abroad.
    DAVUS: Wou’d not his father give him leave, if he was come home?
    GETA: He give him leave to marry a wench of no birth or fortune? Never.
    DAVUS: What’s come of it at last?
    GETA: What’s come of it? There’s a certain parasite, one Phormio, a fellow of an undaunted assurance, who, the devil take him for it—
    DAVUS: What has he done?
    GETA:—Gave him the following counsel: