mong those that he purchased was the son he had
lost many years before. This son, having exchanged clothes
and names with his Elean master, secured the latter's
release, taking the consequences himself. This master of his
returned, bringing Hegio's captive son, and along with him
that runaway slave, whose disclosures led to the recognition
of the other son.

PERSONAE

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

ERGASILVS PARASITUS
HEGIO SENEX
LORARIVS
PHILOCRATES ADULESCENS
TYNDARVS SERVUS
ARISTOPHONTES ADULESCENS
PVER
PHILOPOLEMVS ADULESCENS
STALAGMVS SERVUS

ERGASILUS, _a parasite._
HEGIO, _an old gentleman._
SLAVE OVERSEER, _belonging to Hegio._
PHILOCRATES, _a young Elean captive._
TYNDARUS, _his slave, captured with him._
ARISTOPHONTES, _a young Elean captive._
A PAGE, _in the service of Hegio._
PHILOPOLEMUS, _Hegio's son._
STALAGMUS, _Hegio's slave._

_Scene:--A city in Aetolia. A street on which stands Hegio's
house._

PROLOGVS

PROLOGUE

_Tyndarus_ AND _Philocrates_ ARE CHAINED, IN AN
UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION, TO A PILLAR IN FRONT OF
_Hegio's_ HOUSE

Hos quos videtis stare his captives duos,
illi qui astant,[1] hi stant ambo, non sedent;
hoc vos mihi testes estis me verum loqui.
senex qui his habitat Hegio est huius pater.

These two prisoners you see standing here, well, both of
those bystanders are men who are--standing, not sitting
down. (_Prologue laughs uproariously at his pleasantry_)
I leave it to you if so much is not true. The old man that
lives yonder--(_pointing to Hegio's house_) Hegio, by name--
is this man's (_pointing to Tyndarus_) father.

sed is quo pacto serviat suo sibi patri,
id ego hic apud vos proloquar, si operam datis.
seni huic fuerunt filii nati duo;
alterum quadrimum puerum servos surpuit
eumque hinc profugiens vendidit in Alide
patri huius. iam hoc tenetis?[2] optume est. 10

But how it happens that he is the slave of his own father
I shall (_jauntily_) here in your midst proclaim, with your
kind attention. This old gentleman had two sons. One of
them, when he was four years old, was stolen by a slave who
took to his heels and sold the boy in Elis to the father of
this worthy (_pointing to Philocrates_) here. Now you take