Plautus's comedies ... made English, with critical remarks upon each play.

ACT III.

THE second Interval is fill'd up with Epidicus's re∣ceiving the Mony of Periphanes; and with Stra∣tippocles's waiting for him at Cheribulus's House.

Scene the First.

Pag. 100. l. 3, &c. I'd gi' the World to know whether there be any Hopes or not.] It is very remarkable that throughout this Play, Stratippocles never met with his Father on the Stage; and further, he endeavours to a∣void him till the latter end of the last Act, when Epidi∣cus has brought about his Design, therefore lies incognito at his Friend Cheribulus's House: Yet notwithstanding all these Inconveniences which attend Stratippocles, the Poet has ingeniously found very probable Pretexts for

his appearing those four times he does, of which this is a remarkable one.

Ibid. l. 17, &c. You'll meet wi' something, by some ways, some means, from some Place, or from some Body, &c.] Here Cheribulus is hard put to it by Stratippocles, there∣fore he is forc'd to talk a little obscurely, and with he∣sitation; for the more clear discovery of which to the Reader, there ought to have been Breaks, or Dashes at each Comma, in this Translation, but that defect I did not discover time enough.

Scene the Second.

Epidicus came exactly in the right time to make up the breach between the young Gentlemen; and here Plautus's Conduct is very remarkable in ordering his Bu∣siness so within Doors, that is, his receiving the Mony and Instructions, so that he must of necessity come at that time and no other.

Pag. 101. l. 20, &c. You see, Sir, as long as I can please, and oblidge you, I'm sufficiently prodigal o' m' own Back.] This is made use of by the Poet as a fair Pre∣text for Epidicus's bringing in his new Tricks and Devi∣ces without any affectation, or seeming Design of in∣structing the Audience; a piece of Art which few of our Poets seem to observe, but Mr. Dryden. Another thing is very remarkable, that is, Plautus's excellent Management in relating Epidicus's Cheats by piece meal, some in this Scene, and others elsewhere, when the relating all together, wou'd have so much over-charg'd the Audiences Memory, as to have dull'd a great part of their Pleasure, a Fault too common in many of our Comedies, than which nothing can be more dangerous to the ruining of the whole Success.

Ibid. l. 24. By making your Father guilty o' Bag-slaugh∣t•…•…r.] Quia ego tuum patrem faciam perenticidam. The Joke of this Passage consists in the sound of the words, Perenticida, a Cut-Purse, and Parenticida, a Paricide; therefore so nigh as the sound of Bag-slaughter and Man∣slaughter, is to Perenticida and Parenticida; and as much as Paricide is greater than Man-slaughter, so much is the difference between the Original and Translation.

Ibid. l. 26. Hold up his Hand at the Bar, but I make him hold up his Hand at his Bags.] Peratim ductare: at ego follatim ductitabo. The whole Beauty of this Passage, I believe, cannot be preserv'd in our Tongue. Epidicus here carries on the fancy of Perenticida and Parenticida, and the Poet has luckily hit upon a Line that exactly agrees with either. For the common punishment of Pa∣ricides, was to put 'em into a Sack, with a Cock, Ser∣pent, and Ape, and then throw 'em into the River. Now the word, Ductare, signifies equally, To bring a Man to punishment, or, to cheat him; so that the Phrase, Peratim ductare, agreed with both cases, because Pera was either the Sack for the Paricide, or the old Mans Purse. Follatim ductare, is the same thing, only Follis was a much larger Sack than Pera. So that the natu∣ral sense of this, without any quibling, is, I don't cheat him by dribling Purses, but by large Bags; but I wou'd not do it that way, for then I must have lost more of the design of the Original than now I have. Madam Dacier has made no Translation at all for this and the last Passage.

Pag. 102. l. 4, &c. * By buying her himself, before∣hand; and so to remove her to some by-place. Now will I top another upon him, that shall do his Business as well every jot.] None of this Passage is in the Original; but it is most certain that there are some Lines lost, by what follows; therefore, I have been forced to add this to make up the sense. The words are none of my own In∣vention,

but almost a just Translation of what Madam Dacier had fill'd up this Place withal, to wit,

Ut enim praestinet argento, priusquam veniat filius; Ubi erit empta, ut aliquo ex urbe amoveat venificam. Nunc ostendam ei fidicinam aliqua conductitiam.

Ibid. l. 25, &c. Instead o' the threescore and fifteen Pounds, to name sixscore Guinea's.] Argenti minas se ha∣bere quinquaginta. This Plot was well laid, and inge∣niously contriv'd, but this Passage has made it so obscure in the Original, that several Interpreters have quite mi∣staken the sense; so that I was forc'd to add above half a Line in the Translation to clear all.

Ibid. l. 32. Y' out-do Matchiavil for Policy.] Vorsutior es quàm rota figularis. That is, You're more crafty than a Potter's Wheel. But this does poorly in our Language, therefore I have turn'd it. If I had translated it, You've as many turns as a Whirligig, it wou'd have been nigher the Original, and might have done tolerably enough in the Mouth of Epidicus, but not in Stratippocles.

Scene the Third.

Pag. 103. l. ult. I'm safely arriv'd at the Camp wi' this rich Booty.] Cum praedâ in castras redeo Here ends the the third Act, as plainly appears from the Cessation of Action upon the Stage, and other Circumstances. The Common Books are all false in this Point, who make the third Act to end about 140 Verses further, where there is no clearing the Stage, nor no manner of Grounds for it.