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290
(Ente some FISHERMEN, with lines and nets.)
A FISHERMAN
Persons who are poor live wretchedly in every way, especially those who have no calling and have learned no art. Of necessity must that be deemed enough, whatever they have at home. From our garb, then, you pretty well understand how wealthy we are. These hooks and these rods here are as good to us as a calling and as our clothing.
290
Each day from the city do we come out hither to the sea to seek for forage. Instead of exertion in the wrestling-school and the place for exercise, we have this: sea-urchins, rock-mussels, oysters, limpets
1
, cockles, sea-nettles, sea-mussels and spotted crabs
2
, we catch. After that, we commence our fishing with the hook and among the rocks,
295
and thus we take our food from out of the sea. If success does not befall us, and not any fish is taken, soaked in salt water
3
and thoroughly drenched, we quietly betake ourselves home, and without dinner go to sleep. And since the sea is now in waves so boisterous, no hopes have we; unless we take some cockles, without a doubt we’ve had our dinners.
300
Now let’s adore good Venus here, that she may kindly befriend us to-day.
305
(They advance towards the door of the Temple.)
Persons who are poor live wretchedly in every way, especially those who have no calling and have learned no art. Of necessity must that be deemed enough, whatever they have at home. From our garb, then, you pretty well understand how wealthy we are. These hooks and these rods here are as good to us as a calling and as our clothing.
290
Each day from the city do we come out hither to the sea to seek for forage. Instead of exertion in the wrestling-school and the place for exercise, we have this: sea-urchins, rock-mussels, oysters, limpets
1
, cockles, sea-nettles, sea-mussels and spotted crabs
2
, we catch. After that, we commence our fishing with the hook and among the rocks,
295
and thus we take our food from out of the sea. If success does not befall us, and not any fish is taken, soaked in salt water
3
and thoroughly drenched, we quietly betake ourselves home, and without dinner go to sleep. And since the sea is now in waves so boisterous, no hopes have we; unless we take some cockles, without a doubt we’ve had our dinners.
300
Now let’s adore good Venus here, that she may kindly befriend us to-day.
305
Rudens. Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley (Translator). London. 1913.
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