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Atellan Comedies, or Farces, which were acted at the end of Comedies to divert the People. The Original of these Farces was as Atella, a City of Apulia in Campania, between Capua and Naples, whose Inhabitants were very Sa∣tyrical, and full of filthy, and obscene words.
These Farces were acted by the Youth in Masquerade, as Festus observes, and Titus Li∣vius adds, that the Atellans would not suffer any to act their Farces that were Stage-players or Comedians, for they were not re∣moved from their Tribe as infamous, nor prohibited from going to War, as other Comedians were. Tertia species est fabularum latinarum, quae à civitate Oscorum At-llâ, in quâ primum caeptae Atellanae dictae sunt. Diomedes the Grammarian, Quod genus ludorum ab Oscis acceptum tenuit juventus, nec'ab histrionibus pol∣lxi passa est; ••oinstitutum manet ut actores Atel∣lanarum, nec tribu moveantur, & stipendia, tan∣quam expertes artis ludicrae, faciant.