Titus Maccius Plautus — Amphitryo (1519)

Now today Amphitryo will come hither from the army,
And the servant, whose image I now bear,
So that you may be able to distinguish [him] more easily,
I shall have these little wings here in my hat,
But my father will have a golden little wheel
Under his hat; that mark will not be on Amphitryo,
And no one of the family will be able to see
Those signs, but you will see them.
But there is the servant of Amphitryo, Sosia,
He arrives here from the port now with a lantern.
I shall drive him away from the house, right now, as he approaches.
He strikes, it is worth the effort for the spectators here
To see Jupiter and Mercury perform a play.

ACT ONE.

Who is more bold than I am now? Or who is more confident?
I, who know the ways of the youth, who walk alone at this time of night?
What shall I do, if the triumvirs throw me into prison
Thence tomorrow I shall be brought out from the supply cell to the whip,
And it may not be permitted to speak a cause, nor will there be any help from my master,
And there may be no one, but they all deem me worthy,
So eight strong men will strike me, wretched one, as if [I were] an anvil,
So arriving from abroad
I shall be received with hospitality at public expense.
This insolence of my master has forced me,