I.
THE BURIED TREASURE,
[rom PutLemon. Translated by PLAvTUS.]

CHARMIDES, a citizen of Athens, being compelled
‘to go abroad on business, intrusted the charge of his
affairs to his old friend Callicles. Among the mat-
ters which he put in his friend’s hands was an im-
portant secret, nothing less than the fact that he had
buried under the floor of one of the rooms in his
house a treasure of three thousand gold philips.?
This he had done to provide a dowry for his
daughter, in case she should be sought in marriage
during his absence. His son, Lesbionicus by name,
he could not trust, so extravagant was the young
man. And indeed what happened after his depart-
ure seemed to prove that he had been right. Lesbi-
onicus went from bad to worse, squandered everything
that he could lay his hands on, till at last nothing
was left him but the house and a small farm outside
the city. The house he promptly advertised for

1 This was a coin first minted by Philip II. of Macedon (the father
of Alexander the Great), and called after his name. It contained gold
to the value of fifteen shillings (as reckoned by our standard).

239