Scene the First.

It ought to be observ'd, that the whole time of this Scene's acting, Amphitryon, Socia, and the Prisoners, are moving towards the Front of the Stage, and Amphitryon's Door; which may well enough be, considering the Vastness of the Roman Stage, being 180 Foot in the Front. This Scene cannot be represented with nigh the Probability upon our small Stage.

Pag. 28. l. 23. The Fellow's bewitch'd, and fallen into some ill hands.] Huic homini nescio quid est mali malâ obje∣ctum man•…. Our Phrase, Ill Hands, has the same mean∣ing that Malâ manu has here, which signifies those of Witches, or Sorcerers; therefore Socia's Jest, immediately following, is as effectual in the Translation as in the Original. I added the Word Bewitch'd, to make it still more clear.

Scene the Second.

Pag. 31. l. 16, &c. Why there's your Lady has din'd, by her Belly. Amp. 'Po, Blockhead, I left her wi' Child when I went to the Campaign.] I am apt to believe, that this Jest of Socia's wou'd scarcely pass Muster upon our Theatre, tho' in a Farce; yet still it serves to keep up the Character, and carry on the Humour of a mean Slave, such as Socia was. But what is most remarkable, is, that this insipid Jest shou'd be a Preparation to the Main Inci∣dent, and there is but one more in the whole Comedy, except in the Prologue, which in reality is no part of a Play. If the Matter of a Preparation be ridiculous, it is oftentimes the Poet's Art and Cunning, tho' I know not whether I may say it 〈◊〉 so here.

Page  73 Pag. 33. l. 34, &c. Yes, Madam, there are Fruits too, of •…ying-in Women, and Fruits too, to strengthen their Hearts, and keep 'em from Swooning.] Enimverò pregnanti oportet & malum, & malum dari, ut quod obrodat sit, animo si malè esse occaeperit. The Wit (or whatever the Reader please to call it) of this Passage, consists in Socia's play∣ing upon the ambiguous Word Malum, which Alcmena had spoken just before; and this signifies either a Mis∣chief, or an Apple; therefore nothing, that I know of, in our Language, cou'd answer it so well as Fruits, which may be taken in either good or bad Sense.

Scene the Fourth.

Pag. 38. l. 5. You complain'd o' Drowsiness.] This is the middle of a remarkable Narration, which is, by pieces, scatter'd through this and the Second Scene. The Poet ingeniously contrives here, to tell the Spectators of ma∣ny considerable Matters, and yet, all the time, seems to have no manner of Design for any such thing, but a quite different one. This sort of Address is always to be ad∣mired, and as much to be imitated.

Ibid. l. 21. A very pretty Business; if she has taken away his Manhood, and made him a Lady.] Haeret haec res: si∣quidem haec jam mulier facta •…st ex viro. This is right Socia again, playing upon the Word Vir, which Amphi∣tryon had just upbraided his Wife with, signifying both Husband, and Man. Here, by luck, the Word Lord has preserv'd the Jest as well.

Ibid. l. 13. I ne•…re gave t'any Man but you, the least Li∣berty, &c.] Ut mî extra unum te mortalis nemo corpus cor∣pore contigit. If Plautus has made Alcmena speak here according to her high Quality, as I doubt not but he has; it plainly appears, that our way of expressing Things in this nature, is more modest, clean, and genteel, than theirs usually was.