This is the city of Epidamnus while this play is acting when another shall be acted, it will become another town just as our companies, too, are wont to be shifted about.
Now that twin, who dwells at Syracuse, has come this day to Epidamnus with his servant to make enquiry for this own twin-brother of his. Here pointing to the house does the stolen twin now dwell. And so a very large fortune fell to that youth. For as, by chance, he was going into the country, when it had rained heavily, entering, not far from the city, a rapid stream, in its rapidity 13 it threw the ravisher of the child off his legs and hurried the man away to great and grievous destruction. He adopted as his son the child so carried off, and gave him a well-portioned wife, and made him his heir when he himself died. This person of Epidamnus, whom I mentioned just now, that stole that other twin child, had no children, except his wealth. But I have returned to that place whence I set forth, and yet I am standing in the self-same spot. For unless a person gives the money, he will be mistaken in a lower tone except that he who does give it will be very much more mistaken 12. If any one of you 11 wishes anything to be transacted for him at Epidamnus, command me boldly and speak out but on these terms, that he give me the means by which it may be transacted for him. Now must I speed back on foot to Epidamnus, that I may exactly disclose this matter to you. I remember his name the more easily for the reason that I saw him cried with much noise 10. He gave the same name of Menaechmus to this one as the other had and by the same name the grandfather himself was called. That you may not mistake hereafter, I tell you then this beforehand the name of both the twin-brothers is the same. So much did he love that one which had been stolen, that he gave his name to the one that was at home. Now, after news reached the grandfather of the children at home about this matter, how that one of the children had been stolen, the grandfather changed the name of that other twin. But its father, after he had lost the child, took it heavily to heart, and through grief at it he died a few days after at Tarentum. A certain merchant of Epidamnus was there he picked up the child, and carried it away to Epidamnus 9.
By accident, there were games at Tarentum when he came there: many persons, as generally happens at the games, had met together the child strayed away there from his father among the people. The father put one of the twins on board the ship, and took him away, together with himself, to traffic at Tarentum 8 the other one he left with his mother at home. After the children were now seven years old, the father freighted a large ship with much merchandize. There was a certain aged man, a merchant at Syracuse 6 to him two sons were born, twins, children so like in appearance that their own foster-mother 7, who gave the breast, was not able to distinguish them, nor even the mother herself who had given them birth as a person, indeed, informed me who had seen the children I never saw them, let no one of you fancy so. Now will I give the subject, meted out to you, not in a measure, nor yet in a threefold measure 5, but in the granary itself so great is my heartiness in telling you the plot. This has been my preface to the subject of this play. I will not tell you that this matter happened anywhere except where it is said to have happened. But in their Comedies the poets do this they feign that all the business takes place at Athens 4, in order that it may appear the more Grecian to you. And, in fact, this subject is a Greek one still, it is not an Attic 3, but a Sicilian one. Now learn the argument, and give your attention in as few words as possible will I be brief. In the first 1 place now, Spectators, at the commencement, do I wish health and happiness 2 to myself and to you.I bring you Plautus, with my tongue, not with my hand: I beg that you will receive him with favouring ears.
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