critick last cited, are these four positions. First, that Aristotle (who founded his notion of Comedy on the 'Margites' of Homer, as he did that of Tragedy on the Iliad') had not so enlarged an idea of that kind of drama, as we have at this time, or as was entertained by the authors of the new comedy. Secondly, that this kind of imitation, even without the LEAST MIXTURE of pleasantry, is entirely COMIC. Thirdly, that Comedy might, in the opinion of Terence, subsist entirely without the RIDICULOUS: And fourthly, that the 'Self-Tormentor' hath the gravity of Tragedy itself. The two first positions concerning Aristotle's idea of this kind of imitation, and the genius of Comedy itself, it is not necessary to examine at present; and indeed they are questions of too extensive a nature to be agitated in a fugitive note: but in regard to the two last positions, with all due deference to the learned critick, I will venture to assert that the authority of Terence cannot be fairly pleaded in confirmation of the doctrine that Comedy may subsist without the least mixture of the pleasant or ridiculous. Térence (say the French criticks) fait rire au dedans, & Plante au dehors. The humour of Terence is indeed of a more chaste and delicate complexion than that of Plautus, Jonson, or Moliere. There are also, it is true, many grave and affecting passages in his plays, which Horace in his rule of Interdum tamen, &c. and even "the common run of "laughers in our theatre," allow and applaud in our gay. est comedies. I cannot however think that he ever trespasses on the severity or solemnity of Tragedy: nor can I think that there are not touches of humour in every one of the plays, which he has left behind him; some humour of dialogue, more of character, and still more of comic situation, necessarily resulting from the artful contexture of his pieces. The Andrian', the Eunuch', the Brothers', and Phormio', especially the second and fourth, are confessedly plea. sant comedies, and the Eunuch' in particular the most fa vourite entertainment of the Roman theatre. Instances of humour have been produced, by the ingenious critick himself, even from the Step-Mother;' and the ensuing notes will probably point out more. As to the present comedy, the Self-Tormentor', I should imagine that a man, with much less mercury in his composition than Sir Richard Steele, might have met with more than one or two passages in it that would raise a laugh. Terence indeed does not, like the player-clowns mentioned by Shakspeare's Hamlet," set on the spectators to laugh, though in the mean time some "necessary ma. He the (6 necessary question of the play be to be considered." never starts from the subject, merely to indulge himself in pleasantries, like Plautus and even Moliere, for whole scenes together. His humour always arises from the occasion, and flows from him in the natural course of the fable; in which he not only does not admit idle scenes, but scarce a speech that is not immediately conducive to the business of the dra His humour, therefore, must necessarily lie close and compact, and requires the constant attention of the reader to the incidents that produce it; on which dramatic humour often in great measure depends, and would therefore of course unfold itself in the representation, when those incidents were thrown into action. In the present comedy, character of Syrus, bating the description in the second act, must be allowed to be wholly comic; and that of Chremes still more so. The conduct of the third and fourth acts is happily contrived for the production of mirth, and the situation of the two old men in the first scene of the fifth act is very pleasantly imagined. The deep distress of Menede, mus, with which the play opens, makes but a very inconside rable part of Terence's comedy; and I am apt to think, as I have before hinted in another place, that the Self-Tormentor of Menander was a more capital and interesting character. As our poet has contrived, the self-punishment of Me, nedemus ends as soon as the play begins. The son returns in the very second scene; and the chief cause of the grief of Menedemus being removed, other incidents, and those of the most comic cast too, are worked into the play; which, in relation to the subject of it, might perhaps, with more propriety, have been intitled, The Fathers', than The SelfTormentor.' I cannot therefore, notwithstanding the pathos and simplicity of the first scene, agree, that this comedy hath the gravity of tragedy itself." NOTES NOTES TO THE BROTHERS. Lucius Æmilius Paulus.] Surnamed Macedonicus, because he had obtained a victory over Perseus king of Macedon; he died in the year of Rome 593, one hundred fifty-eight years before the nativity of Christ: he was so poor at the time of his decease, that they were constrained to sell his estate in order to pay his widow her dower.-DA CIER. 2 Q. Fabius Maximus and P. Cornelius Africanus.Ĵ In some copies we read, Q. F. M. & P. C. A. Edilibus Curulibus; Q. Fabius Maximus, and P. Cornelius Afri canus, Curule Ediles.'-This, as Scaliger and other commentators are of opinion, must be erroneous: for the chil. dren and relations of the deceased, and not the Ædiles, had always the direction of the funeral games. Besides, it is very certain, that P. C. Scipio Africanus, the son of Paulus Æmilius, never was dile, the Consulship having been conferred upon him the same year that he sued for the Ædileship, though not yet arrived at the usual age assigned for that high dignity; as we are told by Aurelius Victor in his little treatise of Illustrious Men. And this event did not happen till twelve years after the death of his father and the representation of this play, Scipio being even then but thirtysix years of age, before which time no person could be elected Ædile.-Muret corrected the title after an antient MS. he had seen at Venice. The Q. Fabius Maximus and P. Cornelius Africanus here mentioned were the two sons of Emilius Paulus, and had taken the surnames of the persons who had adopted them. This is undoubtedly the true reading. The Ediles that year were Q. Fulvius Nobilior and L. Marcius.-DACIER. 3 Tyrian Tyrian flutes.] Tibiis Sarranis. Tyre by the antient Phoenicians was called Sor; the Carthaginians, their descendants, called it Sar, from whence it came to be called Sarra. Sarranis therefore meant the same thing as Tyriis. These Tyrian flutes were the equal left-handed flutes, and always used upon joyful occasions.—And here arises a great difficulty, for how can we imagine that the children of Emi. lius would have allowed such musick at their father's fune. ral? It is impossible. This title is not only corrupt, but defective: the true reading is, Acta primùm tibiis Lydiis, deinde TIBIIS SARRANIS. The Lydian flutes were grive and solemn, and consequently adapted to grave and solemn purposes. After the play had been acted at that solemnity, it was performed with left-handed flutes, and doubtless on some less mournful occasion. See the preface of Donatus to this comedy.-DACIER. There is much ingenuity in the above note of Madam Da. cier, who has plainly proved that the title to this play is defective; and so, there is great reason to think, are the titles to the rest of our author's comedies. Yet I cannot entirely agree with her, that such musick could not have been used at a funeral. The antients, we know, admitted all kinds of games at such solemnities. The musick was most probably suited to the comedy, rather than to the occasion, on which it was exhibited: and Donatus, to whom she refers, tells us in express words, that it was so in the present instance. "Modulata est autem tibiis dextris, id est, Lydiis, ob "seriam gravitatem, quà ferè in omnibus comediis utitur "hic poeta." It was composed for right-handed flutes, that is, Lydian, because of the serious vein, which generally prevails in all our author's comedies. The learn. ed reader, who will be at the pains to consult Madam Da. cier, I believe will agree with me, that she has but partial y cited, and inaccurately translated the above extract from the preface of Donatus, I cannot conclude the notes on this title, without taking notice of the happy and elegant use made of the occasion, on which the play was first represented, by my late friend Lloyd, in his prologue to this comedy, when acted at Westminster school in the year 1759, soon after the melancholy news of the death of that most eminent military character, General Wolfe. The learned reader, I dare say, will not be sorry to see it entire. PROLOGUE the PROLOGUS in ADELPHOS, 1759. Cùm patres populumque dolor communis haberet, Scenis extinctum condecorâsse ducem. Si quid habent pulchrum hæc, vel si quid amabile, jure Regia quin pietas marmor tibi nobile ponet, * L. Anicius and L. Cornelius, Consuls.] That is, in year of Rome 593, and 160 years before Christ. Sunapothnescontes.] A Greek word [Zuvanovoxovies] [Συναποθνησκονίες] signifying dying together. Varro somewhere declares that Plautus was not the author of the comedy, called Commo, rientes, a Latin word of the like import: but he certainly speaks of some other play which bore the same title, or the opinions of men must have differed in his days concerning this matter; some giving it to Plautus, others to Aquilius. Terence however, in my opinion, is an authority most to be depended upon. The play of Plautus is lost.-DACIER. 6 Diphilus.] Diphilus, as well as Philemon, was a comic poet, cotemporary of Menander. 7 If this be theft, &c.] Nothing can set the Greek poets in a more exalted light, than to see them, even from the earliest days of the Romans, not only so eagerly read, but so attentively and so carefully translated, that the Latin authors seldom or ever attempted any thing of their own: Donatus, in his preface to this comedy, says of TERENCE, minùs existi mans |