Oh well, naturally that is immaterial. My “naturally,” at least, is a cold hard fact, no matter of opinion. (_beats him_) _Sos._ Tuam fidem obsecro. (_squirming_) Easy, easy, for Heaven’s sake! _Mer._ Tun te audes Sosiam esse dicere, qui ego sum? Durst say that thou art Sosia when I am he? _Sos._ Perii. Murder! murder! _Mer._ Parum etiam, praeut futurum est, praedicas. quoius nunc es? (_continuing to beat him_) Murder? A mere nothing compared with what is coming. Whose are you now? _Sos._ Tuos, nam pugnis usu fecisti tuom. pro fidem, Thebani cives. Yours! Your fists have got a title to me by limitation. Help, Thebans, help! _Mer._ Etiam clamas, carnifex? loquere, quid venisti? So? Bellowing, varlet? Speak up, why camest thou? _Sos._ Ut esset quem tu pugnis caederes. Just to give you some one to punch, sir. _Mer._ Cuius es? Whose are you? _Sos._ Amphitruonis, inquam, Sosia. Amphitryon’s Sosia, I tell you. _Mer._ Ergo istoc magis, quia vaniloquo’s, vapulabis: ego sum, non tu, Sosia. Well then, you shall be pummelled the more for talking nonsense. You Sosia! I am he myself. _Sos._ Ita di faciant, ut tu potius sis atque ego te ut verberem. 380 (_in low tone_) I wish to God you were, instead of me, and I was thumping you. _Mer._ Etiam muttis? Ha! Muttering, eh? _Sos._ Iam tacebo. I won’t, I won’t, sir! _Mer._ Quis tibi erust? Who is your master? _Sos._ Quem tu voles. Anyone you like, sir. _Mer._ Quid igitur? qui nunc vocare? Indeed? And your name now? _Sos._ Nemo nisi quem iusseris. Nothing but what you order, sir. _Mer._ Amphitruonis te esse aiebas Sosiam. You were saying you were Amphitryon’s Sosia. _Sos._ Peccaveram. nam Amphitruonis[13] socium ne me esse volui dicere. All a mistake, sir; “Amphitryon’s associate” I meant, sir, really I did. _Mer._ Sciebam equidem nullum esse nobis nisi me servom Sosiam. fugit te ratio. Ah, I knew quite well there was no servant Sosia at our place except me. You made a slip. _Sos._ Utinam istuc pugni fecissent tui. Oh, how I wish your fists had! _Mer._ Ego sum Sosia ille quem tu dudum esse aiebas mihi. I am that Sosia you claimed to be a while ago. _Sos._ Obsecro ut per pacem liceat te alloqui, ut ne vapulem. For heaven’s sake, sir, let me have a word with you in peace without getting pummelled. _Mer._ Immo indutiae parumper fiant, si quid vis loqui. No peace--but I consent to a short armistice, if you have anything to say. _Sos._ Non loquar nisi pace facta, quando pugnis plus vales. 390 I won’t say it, not unless peace is made: your fists are too much for me. _Mer._ Dic si quid vis, non nocebo.