ch._

Quid si hoc potis est ut tu taceas, ego loquar?

How about your keeping a quiet tongue yourself, if possible,
and my doing the talking?

_Soror._

Lepide, licet.

Charming! By all means.

_Bacch._

Ubi me fugiet memoria, ibi tu facito ut subvenias, soror.

In case my memory deserts me, see you come to the rescue,
sister.

_Soror._

Pol magis metuo, ne defuerit mi in monendo oratio.

Goodness me! I'm more afraid of sage suggestions failing
myself.

_Bacch._

Pol ego metuo, lusciniolae ne defuerit cantio.
sequere hac.

(_laughing_) Goodness me! And I'm afraid of song failing
the little nightingale. Come on. (_leads the way toward
Pistoclerus_)

_Pistoc._

Quid agunt duae germanae meretrices cognomines?
quid in consilio consuluistis?

(_aside, nervously_) What are those two up to, those harlot
sisters with the same name? (_aloud, trying to assume the
air of a man of the world_) What have you girls settled on
in that session?

_Bacch._

Bene.

Something nice.

_Pistoc._

Pol haud meretricium est. 40

By Jove! Unusual in the profession!

_Bacch._

Miserius nihil est quam mulier.

(_in apparent dejection_) Oh, there's nothing more
miserable than a woman!

_Pistoc._

Quid esse dices dignius?

And what ought to be more so, in your opinion?

_Bacch._

Haec ita me orat, sibi qui caveat aliquem ut hominem reperiam,
ut istunc militem--ut, ubi emeritum sibi sit, se revehat domum.
id, amabo te, huic caveas.

My sister here is imploring me to find some one to stand by
her, so that our Captain--so that he may carry her back home
when she's served her time. Do stand by her in this, there's
a dear.

_Pistoc._

Quid isti caveam?

Stand by her? How?

_Bacch._

Ut revehatur domum,
ubi ei dediderit operas, ne hanc ille habeat pro ancilla sibi;
nam si haec habeat aurum quod illi renumeret, faciat lubens.

To have her carried back home when she's finished her
service, so that he mayn't keep her for his maid servant.
Why, if she only had the money to pay him back, she'd be
glad to do it.

_Pistoc._

Ubi nunc is homost?

Where is this man at present?

_Bacch._

Iam hic credo aderit. sed hoc idem apud nos rectius
pote