Their shepherd must be taking a nap, to let them straggle off from the flock this way, bleating. _Bacch._ At pol nitent, haud sordidae videntur ambae. My goodness, though! They are sleek! they seem to be quite spick and span, both of them. _Soror_ Attonsae hae quidem ambae usque sunt. Yes, you see they’ve both been ever so well shorn. _Phil._ Ut videntur deridere nos. (_to Nicobulus_) Hm! They seem to be making fun of us. _Nic._ Sine suo usque arbitratu. (_sourly_) Let them go as far as they like. _Bacch._ Rerin ter in anno tu has tonsitari? Do you suppose they are generally sheared three times a year? _Soror_ Pol hodie altera iam bis detonsa certo est. Goodness me! that other one (_indicating Nicobulus_) has been shorn twice this very day for certain. _Bacch._ Vetulae sunt minae ambae.[31] They’re both rather woolless old--(_with a sly glance at her sister_) customers. _Soror_ At bonas fuisse credo. But they used to be good ones, I do believe. _Bacch._ Viden limulis, obsecro, ut intuentur? 1130 For heaven’s sake, do you see the little sidelong glances they’re casting at us? _Soror_ Ecastor sine omni arbitror malitia esse. Oh well, I don’t think they mean anything naughty by it. _Phil._ Merito hoc nobis fit, qui quidem hue venerimus. (_to Nicobulus_) This serves us right for coming here! _Bacch._ Cogantur quidem intro. They really ought to be pushed inside. _Soror_ Haud scio quid eo opus sit, quae nec lac nec lanam ullam habent. sic sine astent. exsolvere quanti fuere, omnis fructus iam illis decidit. non vides, ut palantes solae liberae grassentur? quin aetate credo esse mutas: ne balant quidem, quom a pecu cetero absunt. stultae atque haud malae videntur. revortamur intro, soror. I don’t see any use in that, they haven’t any milk, or wool either. Let them stand still as they are. They’ve been worked to their full value; all the fruit has dropped off of them already. Don’t you see how they straggle along aimlessly, alone, untended? Why, I do believe they’re dumb with age; they don’t even bleat at being away from the rest of the flock. They seem perfectly harmless--just silly. Let’s go back inside, sister. _Nic._ Ilico ambae 1140 manete: haec oves volunt vos. Stay where you are, both of you: these sheep want you. _Soror_ Prodigium hoc quidemst: humana nos voce appellant oves. Dear, dear, miraculous! The sheep are addressing us, quite as if they were human! _Nic._ Haec oves vobis malam rem magnam, quam debent, dabunt These sheep are going to give you all the trouble they owe you. _Bacch._