Page:Comedies of Aristophanes (Hickie 1853) vol1.djvu/135

33—58.

. O foolish youth, you have rolled me out of my possessions; since I have been cast in suits, and others say that they will have surety given them for the interest.

. (awaking). Pray, father, why are you peevish, and toss about the whole night?

. A bailiff out of the bed-clothes is biting me.

. Suffer me, good sir, to sleep a little.

. Then, do you sleep on; but know that all these debts will turn on your head. [Phidippides falls asleep again.] Alas! would that the match-maker had perished miserably, who induced me to marry your mother. For a country life used to be most agreeable to me, dirty, untrimmed, reclining at random, abounding in bees, and sheep, and oil-cake. Then I, a rustic, married a niece of Megacles, the son of Megacles, from the city, haughty, luxurious, and Cœsyrafied. When I married her, I lay with her redolent of new wine, of the cheese-crate, and abundance of wool; but she, on the contrary, of ointment, saffron, wanton-kisses, extravagance, gluttony, and of Colias and Genetyllis. I will not indeed say that she was idle; but she wove. And I used to show her this cloak by way of pretext, and say, "Wife, you weave at a great rate." [Servant re-enters.]

. We have no oil in the lamp.

. Ah me! why did you light the thirsty lamp? Come hither, that you may weep!

. For what, pray, shall I weep?