f(1) Before sacrificing, the officiating person asked, "Who
is here?" and those present answered, "Many good men."
SERVANT Come, give, so that I may sprinkle these. Faith! they are indeed
good, brave men.
TRYGAEUS You believe so?
SERVANT I am sure, and the proof of it is that we have flooded them with
lustral water and they have not budged an inch.(1)
f(1) The actors forming the chorus are meant here.
TRYGAEUS Come, then, to prayers; to prayers, quick!--Oh! Peace, mighty
queen, venerated goddess, thou, who presidest over choruses and at
nuptials, deign to accept the sacrifices we offer thee.
SERVANT Receive it, greatly honoured mistress, and behave not like the
coquettes, who half open the door to entice the gallants, draw back when
they are stared at, to return once more if a man passes on. But do not
act like this to us.
TRYGAEUS No, but like an honest woman, show thyself to thy worshippers,
who are worn with regretting thee all these thirteen years. Hush the
noise of battle, be a true Lysimacha to us.(1) Put an end to this
tittle-tattle, to this idle babble, that set us defying one another.
Cause the Greeks once more to taste the pleasant beverage of friendship
and temper all hearts with the gentle feeling of forgiveness. Make
excellent commodities flow to our markets, fine heads of garlic, early
cucumbers, apples, pomegranates and nice little cloaks for the slaves;
make them bring geese, ducks, pigeons and larks from Boeotia and baskets
of eels from Lake Copais; we shall all rush to buy them, disputing their
possession with Morychus, Teleas, Glaucetes and every other glutton.
Melanthius(2) will arrive on the market last of all; 'twill be, "no more
eels, all sold!" and then he'll start a-groaning and exclaiming as in
his monologue of Medea,(3) "I am dying, I am dying! Alas! I have let
those hidden in the beet escape me!"(4) And won't we laugh? These are
the wishes, mighty goddess, which we pray thee to grant.
f(1) Lysimacha is derived from (the Greek for) put an end
to, and (the Greek for) fight.
f(2) A tragic poet, reputed a great gourmand.
f(3) A tragedy by Melanthius.
f(4) Eels were cooked with beet.--A parody on some verses in
the 'Medea' of Melanthius.
SERVANT Take the knife and slaughter the sheep like a finished cook.