abeo ab illis, postquam video me sic ludificarier; pergo ad alios, venio ad alios, deinde ad alios: una res. omnes de compecto rem agunt, quasi in Velabro olearii. nunc redeo inde, quoniam me ibi video ludificarier. 490 item alii parasiti frustra obambulabant in foro. I left ’em after I saw I was being made a fool of this way, up I went to some others, and then to others, and to others still,--same story. They re all in a combination, just like the oil dealers in the Velabrum.[C] So here I am back again, seeing I was trifled with there. Some more parasites were prowling round the forum all for nothing, too. [Footnote C: A market district in Rome.] nunc barbarica lege certumst ius meum omne persequi: qui consilium iniere, quo nos victu et vita prohibeant, is diem dicam, inrogabo multam. ut mihi cenas decem meo arbitratu dent, cum cara annona sit. sic egero. nunc ibo ad portum hinc: est illic mi una spes cenatica; si ea decolabit, redibo huc ad senem ad cenam asperam. Now I’m going to have the foreign law on those chaps and demand my full rights, I certainly am: it’s conspiracy, conspiracy to deprive us of sustenance and life, and I’m going to summon ’em, fine ’em-- make ’em give me ten dinners, at my discretion, and that will be when food is dear. That’s how I’ll catch them. (_turning to go_) Well, now for the harbour. That’s where my one hope is, gastronomically speaking, if that oozes away, I’ll come back here to the old man’s terror of a meal. [EXIT _Ergasilus_, LOOKING IN ALL DIRECTIONS FOR A POSSIBLE HOST. III. 2. Scene 2. ENTER _Hegio_ WITH _Aristophontes_ AND _Slaves_. _Hegio_ Quid est suavius, quam bene rem gerere, bono publico, sic ut ego feci heri, cum emi hosce homines: ubi quisque vident, 500 eunt obviam gratulanturque eam rem, ita me miserum restitando retinendoque lassum reddiderunt: vix ex gratulando miser iam eminebam. (_highly pleased with himself_) Now what makes you feel better than managing your affairs properly and contributing to the common good, just as I did yesterday in buying these prisoners? Whenever anyone sees me up he comes and congratulates me on it! Dear, dear! I was so worn out with all their stopping and detaining me, it got to be frightfully hard work emerging from the flood of felicitations. tandem abii ad praetorem; ibi vix requievi: rogo syngraphum, datur mi ilico; dedi Tyndaro: ille abiit domum. inde ilico praevortor domum, postquam id actum est; eo protinus ad fratrem, mei ubi sunt alii captivi.