(to overseers) Please keep an eye on that prisoner
      inside there, my lads, and don’t let him set a foot out
      here anywhere without a guard.  I shall soon be home myself. 
      I’ll just step over to my brother’s for a look at my other
      captives:  at the same time I’ll inquire if any one of them
      knows this young gentleman. (to Philocrates) Come, my man,
      so that I may send you off; I want to attend to that first.
                                [EXEUNT Hegio AND Philocrates.

ACTVS III

    ACT III

    (An hour has elapsed.)

    ENTER Ergasilus, MUCH DEPRESSED

Erg.

Miser homo est, qui ipse sibi quod edit quaerit et id aegre invenit, sed ille est miserior, qui et aegre quaerit et nihil invenit; ille miserrimust, qui cum esse cupit, tum quod edit non habet. nam hercle ego huic die, si liceat, oculos effodiam libens, ita malignitate oneravit omnis mortalis mihi;

It’s sad when a man has to spend his time looking for his food and has hard work finding it.  It’s sadder, though, when he has hard work looking for it and doesn’t find it.  But it’s saddest of all when a man is pining to eat, and no food in range.  By gad, if I only could, I’d like to dig the eyes out of this day, it’s made every living soul so damnably mean to me!

neque ieiuniosiorem neque magis ecfertum fame vidi nec quoi minus procedat quidquid facere occeperit, ita venter gutturque resident esurialis ferias. ilicet parasiticae arti maximam malam crucem, ita iuventus iam ridicules inopesque ab se segregat. 470

A more hungriful day, a more bulged-out- with-starvation day, a more unprogressive day for every undertaking, I never did see!  Such a famine feast as my inside is having!  Devil take the parasitical profession!  How the young fellows nowadays do sheer off from impecunious wits!

nil morantur iam Lacones unisubselli viros, plagipatidas, quibus sunt verba sine penu et pecunia eos requirunt, qui libenter, quom ederint, reddant domi; ipsi obsonant, quae parasitorum ante erat provincia, ipsi de foro tam aperto capite ad lenones eunt quam in tribu aperto capite sontes condemnant reos; neque ridiculos iam terrunci faciunt, sese omnes amant.

Not a bit of use have they nowadays for us Spartans, us valiant benchenders, us descendants of old Takesacuff, whose capital is talk without cash and comestibles.  The guests they’re after are the ones that enjoy a dinner and then like to return the compliment.  They do their marketing themselves, too,—­that used to be the parasites’ province—­ and away they go from the forum themselves to interview the pimps, just as barefaced as they