Meanwhile in the Cornelius’s country house, everyone is working hard. Aurelia wears her tunic, stola, and
palla. She orders the slave woman to put the other tunics, and stolas, and the pallas in the chest. Marcus
and Sextus wear their tunics and togas praetextas because, on a journey and in the city, children are
accustomed to wear togas praetextas. A slave puts other tunics and the togas praetextas in the chest. In
Gaius’ bedroom, a slave puts on a togas viriles in a chest because Gaius is accustomed to wearing togas
viriles in the city. Gaius himself puts on a toga viriles. Davus, who takes care of everything himself, stands
at the door. He orders the slaves to carry the chest out of the room and into the road. He holds the stick
and shouts,”Come on, wicked slaves! Are you sleeping? We leave today, not tomorrow!” Marcus also urges
on the slaves and orders them to put the chests in the carriage. A certain slave, named Geta, grabs Sextus’
chest and throws it in the carriage.
“Be Careful, Geta!” exclaims a worried Sextus. “Take care of my chest! Don’t throw it!
At last all the chests are in the carriage. Marcus and Sextus climb (into the carriage).
Eucleides climbs (into the carriage). Aurelia climbs (into the carriage). Gaius himself is
prepared to climb (into the carriage). Syrus, the coachman, also climbs (into the
carriage) and prepares to urge on the horses. Suddenly Aurelia exclaims, “Where is
Cornelia?” At that very moment Cornelia was running in the road. Gaius orders her to
immediately climb into the carriage. The coachman immediately urges on the horses.
The Cornelius’ depart.
Chapter 12
Davus is worried, for it is necessary to find Geta. When a slave runs away, the master often blames
the overseer. He often beats them also. Cornelius is a good master, but when Cornelius is angry–
Therefore, Davus immediately calls together the slaves into the threshing floor and asks, “Where is
Geta?” No one is able to respond. Therefore, Davus sends one slave into the garden, another into the
fields, and another into the vineyard. They look for Geta in the garden, and fields, and vineyard.
Neither in the garden, nor in the ditches of the fields, nor in the trees of the vineyard is Geta found.
Therefore, Davus orders the slaves to lead the dogs into the threshing floor. The other slaves bring
the tunic of Geta into the threshing floor. The dogs come and catch the scent of the tunic. Soon
Davus leads the slaves into the fields with the dogs. The dogs bark. They run through the fields of the
Cornelius’, then through the neighboring country house.
Neither the stream nor the ditch hinders the dogs. They find Geta’s tracks, but Geta is not able to be
found. At last, Davus urges them on into the woods. Geta still remains in the tree and is sleeping
there. The barking dogs wake him up. Now however, Geta is not able to flee and sits on the branch,
motionless and terrified. The dogs, when they approach the tree, do not catch sight of Geta himself,
but smell him. The dogs bark; the slaves approach. They see the unhappy slave who hides himself in
the branches of a tree. “Come down, Geta!” shouts Davus, Geta climbs down. Davus grabs him by the
tunic and beat him with a stick. Then he ordered the slaves to drag Geta to the country house and to
brand the letters FUG on his forehead.
Chapter 11
All the Corneliuses are now in the carriage. They seek Rome along the Appian Way. Meanwhile, in
the countryhouse, Davus is worried. Davus is the overseer of Cornelius and, if the master is away,
the overseer himself takes care of the master's countryhouse. Davus therefore orders all the slaves
to come into the threshing floor which is close to the countryhouse. In a short time, the threshing
floor is full of slaves and slavewomen who make a great noise. "Listen to me! Although the master is
away, we need to work strenuously." Then the slaves murmur "Davus wants to be master. Behold!
He has a stick. He can beat us. We need to therefore do what he says" They therefore return to the
fields because they fear the overseer's stick. But Greta doesn't return. She neither loves the overseer
nor fears his anger. At night, therefore, because she no longer wants to work in the fields, prepares
food and flees from the countryhouse. No one sees him, no on stops him.
Now he hurries through the fields now along the road. When it is day, he hides in the branches of a
tree. There he sleeps. Meanwhile, although it is not yet light, Davus wakes up all the slaves. He
orders them to go into the fields and work there. But he doesn't see Greta. Where is Greta? Davus
therefore is angry, then worried. He stands at the gate of the countryhouse and watches the road,
but he does not see Greta.