Chapter 21

'An quoiquamst usus homini, se ut cruciet?'

and prol. 5,

'Ex integra Graeca integram comoediam hodie sum acturus Heauton timorumenon.'

The play was produced at the Ludi Megalenses in B.C. 163, as is seen from the didascalia, 'Incipit Heauton Timorumenos Terenti. Acta ludis Megalensib. L. Cornelio Lentulo L. Valerio Flacco aedilib. curulib. Egit Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Acta primum tibis inparib., deinde duabus dextris. Graeca Menandru. Facta ii. M' Iuventio Ti. Sempronio cos.'

The play is called 'stataria' in prol. 36,

'Date potestatem mihi statariam agere ut liceat per silentium.'

3. _Eunuchus_, 'contaminated' from Menander's +Eunouchos+ and his +Kolax+. _Eun._ prol. 19,

'Nunc acturi sumus Menandri Eunuchum';

_ibid._ 30,

'Colax Menandrist: in east parasitus colax et miles gloriosus: eas se non negat personas transtulisse in Eunuchum suam ex Graeca: sed eas ab aliis factas prius Latinas scisse sese, id vero pernegat.'

The didascalia shows that the piece was produced at the Ludi Megalenses in B.C. 161, and from the MSS. we may conclude that it was also acted in B.C. 146. The didascalia is, 'Incipit Eunuchus Terenti. Acta ludis Megalensib. L. Postumio Albino L. Cornelio Merula aedilib. curulib. Egit Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis duabus dextris _tota_. Graeca Menandru. Facta _iii._ M. Valerio C. Fannio cos.'

Sueton. _vit. Ter._ p. 29, speaks of the success of the play, 'Eunuchus quidem his deinceps acta est meruitque pretium quantum nulla antea cuiusquam comoedia, octo milia nummum.'

4. _Phormio_, the fifth comedy Terence composed, and the fourth completely represented. It was first performed at the Ludi Romani, B.C. 161. The Greek original was the +Epidikazomenos+ of Apollodorus of Carystus. _Phorm._ prol. 24,

'Adporto novam Epidicazomenon quam vocant comoediam Graeci, Latini Phormionem nominant, quia primas partis qui aget, is erit Phormio parasitus, per quem res geretur maxume,'

The didascalia is, 'Incipit Terenti Phormio. Acta ludis Romanis. L. Postumio Albino L. Cornelio Merula aedilib. curulib. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis imparib. tota. Graeca Apollodoru Epidicazomenos. Facta iiii. C. Fannio M. Valerio cos.

From notices in the MSS. it is probable that a second representation took place in B.C. 141 at the Megalesian games.

5. _Hecyra_ is founded on a play by Apollodorus of Carystus, doubtless called +Hêkyra+; cf. Donatus' preface, 'fabula Apollodori dicitur esse Graeca.' The first attempted representation was in B.C. 165, at the Ludi Megalenses. _Hec._ prol. i. 1,

'Hecyra quom datast nova, ei novom intervenit vitium et calamitas, ut neque spectari neque cognosci potuerit: ita populus studio stupidus in funambulo animum occuparat.'

The second (unsuccessful) representation was at the ludi funerales of Aemilius Paulus in B.C. 160. _Hec._ prol. ii. 38,

'Refero denuo. Primo actu placeo. Quom interea rumor venit datum iri gladiatores, populus convolat, tumultuantur clamant pugnant de loco: ego interea meum non potui tutari locum.'

Cf. _Phorm._ prol. 31,

'Ne simili utamur fortuna, atque usi sumus quom per tumultum noster grex motus locost.'

The first prologue was written for the second performance; the second (spoken by the actor Ambivius) for the third performance, also in B.C. 160. The didascalia is, 'Incipit Terenti Hecyra. Acta ludis Megalensib. S. Iulio Caesare Cn. Cornelio Dolabella aedilib. curulib. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis paribus tota. Graeca _Apollodoru_. Facta v. Cn. Octavio T. Manlio cos. Relata est L. Aemelio Paulo ludis funeralib. Non est placita. Tertio relata est Q. Fulvio L. Marcio aedilib. curulib.'

6. _Adelphoe_ is founded on Menander's +Adelphoi+ with a scene added from Diphilus' +Synapothnêskontes+. _Adelph._ prol. 6,

Synapothnescontes Diphili comoediast; eam Commorientis Plautus fecit fabulam. In Graeca adulescens est, qui lenoni eripit meretricem in prima fabula: eum Plautus locum reliquit integrum; eum hic locum sumpsit sibi in Adelphos, verbum de verbo expressum extulit.'

That this was the first performance is shown by _novam_ in l. 12. The part from Diphilus is Act ii., Scene 1. The play was produced in B.C. 160 at the ludi funerales of L. Aemilius Paulus, as shown by the didascalia, 'Incipit Terenti Adelphoe. Acta ludis funeralib. L. Aemelio Paulo. Fecere Q. Fabius Maxumus P. Cornelius Africanus. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis Sarranis tota. Graeca Menandru. Facta vi. M. Cornelio Cethego L. Anicio Gallo cos.'

The order given above agrees essentially with the numbers denoting the order of production, as given in the didascaliae. We must, however, assume that the first representation of the _Hecyra_ remained unnoticed, and must give the second place (instead of the third) to the _H.T._, with a section of the MSS., and the third place to the _Eun._ with Donatus against the MSS.

_Prologues._--Terence uses these as weapons against his enemies, the chief of whom was Luscius Lanuvinus (see under his name), who attacked Terence for 'contaminatio' and for want of spirit in his plays. Cf. _H.T._ prol. 17,

'Multas contaminasse Graecas, dum facit paucas Latinas';

_Phorm._ prol. 5,

'tenui esse oratione et scriptura levi.'

Terence justifies repeatedly his use of 'contaminatio.' _H.T._ prol. 16,

'Nam quod rumores distulerunt malivoli, multas contaminasse Graecas, dum facit paucas Latinas: id esse factum hic non negat, neque se pigere et deinde facturum autumat. Habet bonorum exemplum, quo exemplo sibi licere id facere quod illi fecerunt putat.'

Cf. _Andria_, prol. 15-21; _Adelph._ prol. 1-14; _Eun._ prol. 31-3. Luscius also attacked him for not adhering more closely to his Greek originals, in spite of the fact that, generally speaking, Terence translated closely from these. Cf. _Adelph._ prol. 10-11, quoted above. A piece was considered to be new if it had not previously been presented to a Roman audience. So Terence justifies his originality in _Adelph._ prol. 6-14, or excuses himself on the ground that he did not know that a piece had been previously used: _Eun._ prol. 19-34.

_Representation of the plays._--Ambivius was the chief actor in all the plays. He is the speaker of the prologue of _H.T._ and of the second prologue of _Hec._ He calls himself _senex_, cf. _H.T._ prol. 1. For his popularity cf. _Hec._ prol. ii. 55,

'Mea causa causam accipite et date silentium.'

The music was provided by Flaccus, slave of Claudius. The composer himself was probably the instrumentalist. Four kinds of flutes are mentioned as used by him: _tibiae pares_, _impares_, _sarranae_, and _duae dextrae_ (see note p. 45). The scene of all the plays is at Athens. There is no chorus. The form of the plays is modelled closely on Greek. More than half of the verses are iambic senarii, the next commonest being troch. septen. and iamb. octon. These are used in dialogue. Trochaic octonarii are used in lyrical parts, other lyrical metres being rare, and the anapaestic metre not being used. Short lines are also found in the middle of lyrical pieces, or at the end of pieces of dialogue. _Andr._ 605,

'Sed eccum video ipsum: occidi.'

Single words sometimes stand at the head of a lyrical piece, as _Phorm._ 485 'Dorio,' which makes a line.

The different kinds of scenes are under the same conditions as in Plautus. We have (1) scenes provided with music, probably represented in MSS. by C (Canticum). (2) Scenes sung as recitative, with musical accompaniment, in MSS. denoted by M.M.C. (perhaps for 'Modi Mutati Cantici'). (3) Scenes in senarii, without music, in MSS. denoted by DV (Diverbium). The division into scenes is very ancient; but the division into acts, though existing in the time of Terence (cf. _Hec._ prol. 39, 'primo actu placeo,'), is not marked in the MSS.

_Names of characters._--Terence uses only Greek names, which often suit the characters of the persons, and many of which are repeated in the different plays. Cf. Pamphilus and Glycerium, of the lovers in the _Andr._; Chremes (+chremptomai+, 'cough'), for an old man, in _Andr._, _H.T._, _Phorm._; Crito (+krinô+, 'judge'), for an old man, in _Andr._, _Phorm._; Sosia (+sôzein+), for a freedman, in _Andr._, _Hec._ So names of slaves as Davus (+Daos+, 'Dacian'), Dromo, Geta, Syrus, all in several plays.

_The arguments_, consisting of twelve senarii each, were composed by C. Sulpicius Apollinaris in the second century A.D.

_Prosody._--For the variations from later usage, see under 'Plautus.' Terence is, of course, more regular in this respect than Plautus.

_Views on Terence._--To those given above the following may be added:

Gell. vi. 14, 6, 'Exempla in Latina lingua M. Varro esse dicit ubertatis Pacuvium, gracilitatis Lucilium, mediocritatis Terentium.'[21]

Sueton. _vit. Ter._ p. 34, 'Cicero in Limone hactenus laudat,

"Tu quoque, qui solus lecto sermone, Terenti, conversum expressumque Latina voce Menandrum in medium nobis sedatis motibus effers, quiddam come loquens atque omnia dulcia miscens";

item C. Caesar,

"Tu quoque, tu in summis, o dimidiate Menander, poneris, et merito, puri sermonis amator. Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adiuncta foret vis, comica ut aequato virtus polleret honore cum Graecis, neve hac despectus parte iaceres. Unum hoc maceror ac doleo tibi desse, Terenti."'

EARLY MINOR AUTHORS.

(_a_) POETS:

The poetical contemporaries of Terence were:

1. _Titinius_, the first writer of _togatae_; fifteen titles and about one hundred and eighty lines of fragments are extant. He probably began to write after Terence's death.

2. _Sextus Turpilius._--We have titles of thirteen of his _palliatae_, six of which are probably from Menander. He died B.C. 103, probably about eighty.

Jerome yr. Abr. 1914 = B.C. 103, 'Turpilius comicus senex admodum Sinuessae moritur.'

3. _Iuventius_, _Valerius_, and _Vatronius_ wrote _palliatae_; _P. Licinius Tegula_ a hymn to Juno, B.C. 200 (Livy xxxi. 12); _Q. Fabius Labeo_ (cos. B.C. 183) and _M. Popillius Laenas_ (cos. 173) were poets.

(_b_) PROSE WRITERS:

_Fabius Pictor_ was the earliest Roman historian: Liv. i. 44, 2, 'scriptorum antiquissimus Fabius Pictor.' A relative of Q. Fabius Maximus Cunctator (Plut. _Fab. Max._ 18), he took part in the war with the Cisalpine Gauls, B.C. 225 (Eutropius, iii. 5), and after the battle of Cannae was sent by the Senate on a mission to the oracle of Delphi (Liv. xxii. 57, 5).

Fabius wrote in Greek an account of the Second Punic War, prefixed to which was a sketch of the history of Rome from its foundation: Liv.