292 DIPHILUS.

Dem. “1 beseech you, as you would zot have a
good crop of birch twigs about your legs, to tell why
you are making all this uproar.”

Trach. “Well, sir, there are two poor girls in the
temple here, who want your help; and the priestess,
too, is being shamefully knocked about.”

Dem. “Knocked about! The priestess! "Who
could have dared? Who is the man, and who are
the girls?”

Trach. “The man is a slave-dealer; the girls, both
of them by rights free, had their arms round the
goddess; he tried to drag them away, and when the
priestess wanted to stop him he nearly strangled
her.”

Dem. “ Strangle the priestess! I’ll strangle him.
Ho, there!”

Two stout fellows came hurrying out at the call.

“Quick!” said the old man; “quick, into the
temple with you! There is a fellow there who has
hold of two girls. Drag him out by the heels like a
dead pig.” :

While this was going on the girls had wrenched
themselves from the hands of the slave-dealer, and
came rushing out of the temple by another door into
the court outside. Dzmones had followed his men,
and was inside.

“We'll kill ourselves sooner than be carried off,”
cried both the girls.

“Don’t talk nonsense about killing yourselves,”