his daughter.  This girl, undowered though she is, Megadorus wishes to marry, and he cheerfully supplies cooks and provisions for the wedding feast.  Anxious about his gold, Euclio hides it outside the house.  Everything he does having been witnessed, a rascally servant of the girl’s assailant steals it.  His master informs Euclio of it, and receives from him gold, wife, and son.

PERSONAE.

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  LAR FAMILIARIS PROLOGVS
  EVCLIO SENEX
  STAPHYLA ANVS
  EVNOMIA MATRONA
  MEGADORVS SENEX
  PYTHODICVS SERVVS
  CONGRIO COCVS
  ANTHRAX COCVS
  STROBILVS SERVVS
  LYCONIDES ADVLESCENS
  PHAEDRIA PVELLA
  TIBICINAE

      THE HOUSEHOLD GOD OF EUCLIO, the Prologue.
      EUCLIO, an old gentleman of Athens.
      STAPHYLA, his old slave.
      EUNOMIA, a lady of Athens
      MEGADORUS, an old gentleman of Athens, Eunomia’s brother.
      PYTHODICUS, his slave
      CONGRIO, cook.
      ANTHRAX, cook.
      STROBILUS, slave of Lyconides.
      LYCONIDES, a young gentleman of Athens, Eunomia’s son.
      PHAEDRIA, Euclio’s daughter.
      MUSIC GIRLS.

    Scene:—­Athens.  A street on which are the houses of
    Euclio and Megadorus, a narrow lane between them, in
    front an altar.

PROLOGVS

PROLOGUE

LAR FAMILIARIS

    SPOKEN BY EUCLIO’S HOUSEHOLD GOD

Ne quis miretur qui sim, paucis eloquar ego Lar sum familiaris ex hac familia unde exeuntem me aspexistis. hanc domum iam multos annos est cum possideo et colo patri avoque iam huius qui nunc hic habet sed mi avos huius obsecrans concredidit thensaurum auri clam omnis. in medio foco defodit, venerans me ut id servarem sibi.

That no one may wonder who I am, I shall inform you briefly.  I am the Household God of that family from whose house you saw me come.  For many years now I have possessed this dwelling, and preserved it for the sire and grandsire of its present occupant.  Now this man’s grandsire as a suppliant entrusted to me, in utter secrecy, a hoard of gold:  he buried it in the centre of the hearth, entreating me to guard it for him.

is quoniam moritur—­ita avido ingenio fuit—­ numquam indicare id filio voluit suo, 10 inopemque optavit potius eum relinquere, quam eum thensaurum commonstraret filio; agri reliquit ei non magnum modum, quo cum labore magno et misere viveret.

When he died he could not bear—­so covetous was he—­to reveal its existence to his own son, and he chose to leave him penniless rather than apprise him of this treasure.  Some land, a little only, he did leave him, whereon