PLUTUS
401
Chremylus.
I call the gods to witness that you have naught to fear if you will only speak.
Plutus.
Well then, first unhand me.
Chremylus.
There! we set you free.
Plutus.
Listen then, since I must reveal what I had intended to keep a secret. I am Plutus.[1]
Chremylus.
Oh! you wretched rascal! You Plutus all the while, and you never said so!
Cario.
You, Plutus, and in this piteous guise!
Chremylus.
.
Oh, Phœbus Apollo! oh, ye gods of heaven and hell! Oh, Zeus! is it really and truly as you say?
Plutus.
Aye.
Chremylus.
Plutus’ very own self?
Plutus.
His own very self and none other.
- ↑ Plutus, the god of riches, was included amongst the infernal deities, because riches are extracted from the earth’s bosom, which is their dwelling-place. According to Hesiod, he was the son of Demeter; agriculture is in truth the most solid foundation of wealth. He was generally represented as an old blind man, halting in gait and winged, coming with slow steps but going away on a rapid flight and carrying a purse in his hand. At Athens the statue of Peace bore Plutus represented as still a child on her bosom as a symbol of the wealth that peace brings.
