./data/phi0134/phi004/phi0134.phi004.perseus-lat2.xml
P. Terentius Afer
Sc  4) the action of the play commences  Demipho comes back from Cilicia, and immediately hears the unwelcome news that his son has married a pauper; and he at once attacks Geta, Antipho having made a hasty retreat, who defends himself as best he can, and begins the second plot which they have in hand for obtaining money for Phaedria, who is now driven to the last extremity; for Dorio has given him notice that if thirty minae are not forthcoming by the next day, Pamphila, the music girl, will be sold  Geta pretends therefore that Phormio will be very glad to take Phanium off their hands if they will make it worth his while to do so; for he has certain debts, and is already under an engagement to marry a lady who will bring him a sufficient portion to enable him to clear them off  He must therefore have thirty minae, and he will settle the matter for them  After some trouble the affair is arranged  Phormio receives the money, and at once carries it off to Phaedria, who purchases his Pamphila at once, and is made supremely happy; while poor Antipho is more wretched than ever, and accuses Geta of blundering stupidity in thus arranging to get rid of his wife for him  Chremes, meanwhile, has returned from Lemnos, and is in great perplexity about his wife and daughter  He is as anxious as Demipho can be to get rid of this wife of Antipho's, and does his best to persuade his brother to arrange matters with Phormio  After this affair is settled he goes to make inquiries for his family from Lemnos, when he falls in with Sophrona, and finds to his unbounded astonishment that this wife of Antipho, whom they have been so anxious to get rid of, is no other than his own daughter Phanium  This discovery is imparted to Demipho after an amusing scene of hints rendered necessary by the presence of Nausistrata (Act v  Sc  3); and the two old men are now as anxious to be off their bargain with Phormio as they were to make it, and above all to get back the thirty minae which the parasite had taken as Phanium's portion  But they do not find it very easy to manage their scheme  Phormio is ready enough to give up Phanium, but has no intention of parting with the money; and when the old men attempt by fair means or foul to get it back, Chremes discovers to his horror that Phormio has discovered the secret of Phanium's parentage, which Geta had overheard when Chremes first recognized his daughter in Demipho's house  The result of all is that Phormio tells the whole story to Nausistrata  Chremes is utterly confounded, and is quite unable to blame his son for his amour with the music girl, when Phaedria describes to Nausistrata the purpose for which the thirty minae were obtained  The play ends with a conditional forgiveness of Chremes, and an invitation to supper for Phormio