Phaedria son of Laches: and here the play opens. Thraso discovering this makes his present conditional on Phaedria's dismissal. Thais in perplexity between her love for Phaedria and her desire to get Pamphila, whose story she has learnt in part, shuts her door against Phaedria; who, angry at first, agrees to give her time to get Pamphila from Thraso, and meanwhile sends to her house an Ethiopian slave and a eunuch as a present. At the same time Pamphila is being sent by Thraso to Thais in charge of his follower and parasite. Gnatho. On her way Chaerea, Phaedria's brother, falls desperately in love with her: and with Parmeno, his father's slave, concocts the scheme on which the plot of the play turns; and during Thais' absence is admitted to her house in the Eunuch's clothes. Thais having meanwhile seen Chremes, the brother of Pamphila and almost succeeded in identifying her, is much annoyed at what has happened, which threatens to defeat her schemes for restoring Pamphila to her friends: and Phaedria is distressed at the mischief caused, as he supposes, by his present. Chaerea, however, promises to make amends by marrying Pamphila: and meanwhile Pythias, Thais' maid, drives Parmeno to explain the whole matter to Laches, father of Phaedria and Chaerea. A general explanation follows, and all parties are made happy with the exception of Thraso. The "Eunuchus" has been translated or adapted by Baif, a Frenchman (temp. Charles IX), and by Fontaine, whose comedy "L'Eunuque " was founded on that of Terence, with alterations adapted to modern times. 1 FABULAE INTERLOCUTORES. PHAEDRIA, adulescens. PARMENO, servus. THAIS, meretrix, GNATHO, parasitus. CHAEREA, adulescens. THRASO, miles. PYTHIAS, ancilla, CHREMES, adulescens. ANTIPHO, adulescens. DORIAS, ancilla. DORUS, eunuchus. SANGA, coquus. SOPHRONA, nutrix. Acta ludis Megalensiḥ. L. Postumio Albino L. Cornelio Merula Aedilib. curulib. Egere L. Ambivius Turpio L. Atilius Praenestinus. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi Tibiis duabus dextris. Graeca Menandru. Acta II. M. Valerio C. Fannio Coss. Acta II.] "Represented for the second time." Another reading is facta secunda, which is explained = as holding the second place in the order of Terence's comedies, and is adopted by Fleckeisen. PROLOGUS. Si quisquam est, qui placere se studeat bonis quam plurimis, et minime multos laedere, in his poëta hic nomen profitetur suum. Tum si quis est, qui dictum in se inclementius responsum, non dictum esse, quia laesit prior: Idem Menandri Phasma nunc nuper dedit: atque in Thesauro scripsit, causam dicere I se] pleonastic: cf. And. IV. 5. 2. = 2 multos] perhaps malos as opposed to the few boni. Stallb. compares Cic. Rep. VI. in dissensione civili, quum boni plusquam multi valent, and Accius, Bonis probatum, potius quam multis fore. Or minime multos=" as few as possible:" the opposition then lies only between placere and laedere. 7 vertendo] "translating," i.e. from Greek to Latin, Hor. Epp. II. 1. 134, Tentavit quoque rem (Romanus) si digne vertere posset. scribendo] (Bentley, following Codex Bemb.) is explained Bene vertere e Graec. est male Latine scribere. We may then paraphrase "Who, by looking more to faithful translation than elegance of style, has turned good Greek into bad Latin dramas." ΙΟ 5 Stallb. describendo, which he explains of distribution of characters (?). 9] Alluding to a recent production by L. Lavinius (the vetus poeta of And. prol.J of a Menandrian play, the Phasma. According to Donatus, Terence condemns this play in toto, the "Thesaurus" in one specified passage, where the defendant is made to speak first. II unde] = |= ex quo, "the defendant;" a legal phrase. So Cato ap. Gell. XIV. 2. 26, illi unde petitur, ei potius credendum esse. Cic. Fam. VII. II. I, etc. 13 in p. monumentum] It was a common custom to conceal treasure in tombs. Cf. Plaut. Pseud. I. 4. 19-Pseudolus says of a rich old man, Ex hoc sepulcro vetere viginti minas Effodiam ego hodie, quas dem herili filio. Dehinc, ne frustretur ipse se, aut sic cogitet: ita ut facere instituit. Quam nunc acturi sumus 15 defunctus sum] "My task is done," i.e. "I have already produced my drama" and got through the danger, cf. Ad. III. 4. 62; Phorm. v. 8. 32; Hor. Epp. II. 1. 22, defuncta suis temporibus, "that have lived their day." 17 quae condonabitur] "for which he shall be excused. The same construction occurs Phorm. V. 8. 54, Argentum quod habes condonamus te; Plaut. Bacch. V. 2. 24, Si quam (rem) debes te condono. Lexx. cite these passages as a separate use of the word c. aliquem aliquid to present one with something but they surely fall under the meaning "to pardon" (as Cic. Mil. 2, ut crimen hoc nobis condonetis), the construction only being different. 18 perget laedere] see And. III. 2. 42, note, and Madvig, Lat. Gr. $389. 20 postquam Aediles emerunt] Dramas intended for exhibition at the ludi scenici were privately rehearsed before the Curule Aediles, on whom as presidents of the festivals (Ludi Magni, Ludi Scenici &c.) devolved the task of providing dramas for exhibition. Lavinius seems to have obtained admission to this private rehearsal, and to have then and there accused Terence 15 20 of plagiarism from the Colax (xóλağ) Terence received from the Ae- eměrunt] Munro on Lucr. 1. 406 quotes examples from Lucretius of this è in 3 pers. plur. of the perfect. It occurs not unfrequently in Vergil, e.g. Ecl. IV. 61; G. II. 129; Aen. II. 774. Dr Wagner says "instances of è in termination of perfects in the old comic poets, are not so numerous as one would be led to conclude from Munro's note;" they are not very numerous : but would one conclude otherwise from Munro, whose examples are all from Lucretius? 23 fabulam dedisse et nil dedisse verborum] "Has produced a play, but yet has not deceived us" (i.e. in passing it off as his own). Donatus suggests "nihil addidisse de suo stilo," i.e. "has given us a play, but not a word of his own in it." Another interpretation is "could not say a word in his own defence," i.e. so clearly was he found out in plagiarism. Neither of these latter, however, agrees with the familiar use of verba dare = "to deceive," cf. And. I. 3. 6. It is impossible to keep up the play upon the double sense of dedisse. L |