Page "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" Paragraph 20

Unexpectedly, Senex returns home early from his trip, and knocks three times on his own door.

Philia comes out of the house, and, thinking that Senex is the Captain, offers herself up to him.

Surprised but game, Senex instructs Philia to wait in the house for him, and she does.

Hysterium arrives to this confusion, and tells Senex that Philia is the new maid that he has hired.

Pseudolus returns, having procured the necessary mare's sweat ; seeing that Senex has returned unexpectedly and grasping the need to keep him out of the way, Pseudolus discreetly sprinkles some of the horse-sweat onto him, then suggests that the road trip has left Senex in dire need of a bath.

Taking the bait, Senex instructs Hysterium to draw him a bath in the long-abandoned house of Erronius.

But while this is happening, Erronius returns home, finally having given up the search for his long-lost children.

Hysterium, desperate to keep him out of the house where his master is bathing, tells the old man that his house has become haunted — a story seemingly confirmed by the sound of Senex singing in his bath.

Erronius immediately determines to have a soothsayer come and banish the spirit from his house, and Pseudolus obligingly poses as one, telling Erronius that in order to banish the spirit, he must travel seven times around the seven hills of Rome ( thus keeping the old man occupied and out of the way for quite a while ).