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Enter EUCLIO, from his house.
EUCLIO
to himself . It wasn't for nothing that the raven was just now croaking on my left hand1; he was both scratching the ground with his feet and croaking with his voice. At once my heart began to jump about2, and to leap within my breast. But why do I delay to run?
1 On my left hand: We cannot fail to remember here the exactly similar expression of Gay, in the fable of the Farmer's Wife and the Raven:
“That raven on yon left-hand oak
(Curse on his ill-betiding croak!)
Bodes me no good.
”
2 Began to jump about: "Ars ludicra" here means "the art of a 'ludius,' or stage-player," who moves to and fro and gesticulates-hence "cor cœpit artem facere ludicram" would strictly mean "my heart begins to move to and fro like a play-actor."
The Comedies of Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley. London. G. Bell and Sons. 1912.
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