Publii Terentii Carthaginiensis Afris poëtae lepidissimi comoediae sex Anglo-Latinae in usum ludi-discipulorum, quo Feliciùs venustatem linguae Latinae ad sermonem quotidianum exercendum assequantur / a Carolo Hoole ... = Six comedies of that excellent poet Publius Terentius, an African of Carthage, in English and Latine : for the use of young scholars, that they may the more readily attain the purity of the Latine tongue for common discourse / by Charles Hoole ...

The Prologue.

SInce the old Poet is not able to withdraw our Poet From his endeavours, and make the man to sit idle, He goeth about by ill-words to affright him, that he may not write. Who often saith thus; that the Comedies which he made heretofore [line 5] Are of••n mean style, and slight kinde of writing; Because he nowhere writ that a distracted young-man Saw the hinde in chace, and the dogs to be in pursuit; And that she made moan, and intreated some bodie to help her. But if he understood, that when that Comedie being now long ago pleased, [line 10] It rather pleased by the actor's means, then his own, He would be far less bold to censure, then he is now to censure, And what comedies he made would please better. Now if there be anie one, who saith or thinketh thus, If the old Poet had not provoked him first, [line 15] The new one could not have invented anie Prologue To say, unlesse he had some bodie to rail on: Let him take this for an answer to him; that the prize Is publickly propounded to all that professe Poetrie. He strove to drive this man from his studie to starve; [line 20] This man was willing to answer him, not to provoke him. If he had striven in better words, he had had good words: Let him consider, that what he brought is paid him again. I will now make an end of speaking of him, Seeing he makes no end of offending concerning himself. [line 25] Now I pray you consider what I desire: I bring you A new Comedie, which the Greeks call Epidicazomenos, And the Latines name Phormio: Because that he shall act the chiefest parts, will be Phormio The Parasite, by whom the matter will especially be carried on. [line 30] If you bear anie good will towards our Poet, Do your endeavour, attend patientlie in silence; That we may not have such fortune as we had When our companie was driven from their standing by a tumult, Which standing our actors excellencie, and your goodness [line 35] And favour assisting hath restored unto us.

Prologus.

POstquam Poeta vetus Poetam non potest Retrahere à studio, & tradere hominem in otiū, Maledictis deterrere, ne scribat, parat: Qui ita dictitat; quas antehac fecit fabulas, [line 5] Tenui esse oratione, & scripturâ levi; Quia nusquam insanum scripsit adolescentulum Cervam videre fugere, & sectari canes; Et eam plorare, orare ut subveniat sibi. Quod si intelligeret, cùm stetit olim nova, [line 10] Actoris operâ magis stetisse quàm suâ, Minus multò audacter, quàm nunc laedit, laederet, Et magis placerent quas fecisset fabulas. Nunc si quis est qui hoc dicat, aut sic cogitat, Vetus si poeta non lacessisset prior, [line 15] Nullum invenire Prologum potuisset novus, Quem diceret, nisi haberet cui malediceret: Is sibi responsum hoc habeat; in medio omnibus Palmam esse positam, qui a••tem tractant musicam. Ille ad famem hunc ab studio studuit rejicere; [line 20] Hic respondere voluit, non lacessere. Benedictis si certâsset, audisset bene: Quod ab ipso allatum est, sibi esse id relatum pute••. De illo jam finem faciam dicundi mihi, Peccandi cùm ipse de se finem non facit. [line 25] Nunc quid velim, animū advortite: adporto novā Epidicazomenon quam vocant Comoediam Graeci; Latini Phormionem nominant; Quia primas partes qui aget, is erit Phormio Parasitus, per quem res geretur maximé. [line 30] Voluntas vestra si ad Poetam accesserit, Date operam, adeste aequo animo per silentium; Ne simili utamur fortunâ atque usi sumus, Cùm per tumultum noster grex motus à loco est; Quem actoris virtus nobis restituit lo••um, [line 35] Bonitásque vestra adjutans atque aequanimitas.