A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

TERENTIUS. TERENTIUS. 1001
comedy were drawn up by C. Sulpicius Apolli- "Tu quoque tu in summis, O dimidiate Menander,
naris. Poneris, et merito, puri sermonis amator,
In closing this summary of Terence's comedies, Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adjuncta foret vis
we may remark that Terence added no new cha- Comica, ut aequato virtus polleret honore
racters to the repertoire of the Attic drama (comp. Cum Graecis, neque in hac despectus parte jacere
Prol. in Heautont. with Hor. A. P. 114), and that, Cum G raec is neque in hac despectus parte jacerenti.
even in Horace's time, in spite of the passion for
spectacle and melodrama, his plays attracted crowded The preceding extracts show the ancient critics
audiences, and were as familiarly known to the unanimous in ascribing to Terence immaculate
Roman populace, as the stanzas of Tasso's " Gieru- purity and elegance of language, and nearly so in
salemme" to the Venetian gondoliers. (Hor. Ep. ii. denying him vis cornica. Their opinion is entitled
1. 60.) to the more respect from their having had the entire
An account of the principal ancient commenta- Menander before them, and from its confirmation
tors on Terence will be found under the names Callio- by modern censors from Erasmus to Colman. Yet
pius, Donatus, Eugraphius, and Evanthius. The we are not inclined to let their verdict pass unearliest treatise on the Terentian metres is that of questioned. In the first place, four of Terence's
Rufinus of Antioch. Bentley, in his edition of the six plays are more or less coneiidies larnoyantes -
poet (Cambridge, 1726, 4to.), was the first to ar- sentimental comedies - in which vis cornice is not
range them on a scientific principle: since that a primary element. In the next, Terence is genetime no material improvement has been made either rally contrasted with Plautus, with whom he had
in the text or the metrical system of these comedies. so little in common that we might as justly comFor an account of Bentley's edition, see his Life pare Addison with Molidre. Granting to the elder
by Monk (ii. pp. 225-231, 8vo. ed). Mr.Hallam poet the highest genius for exciting laughter, and
(Mid. Ages, ii. p. 342, 8th ed.) has some very inge- the eloquence which Aelius Stilo ascribed to him
nious and instructive remarks on the versification of ( Varr. ap. Quinct. x. 1. ~ 99), and a natural force
Terence, and there is a satisfactory article on the — " virtus" - which his rival wanted, there will
same subject in the Penny Cyclopaedia (Terentian remain to Terence greater consistency of plot and
Metres). A selection of Prolegomnena to Terence character, closer observation of generic and indiviis prefixed to the edition of Terence by Mr. Giles, dual distinctions, deeper pathos, subtler wit, more
London, 8vo. 1837. skill and variety in metre, and in rhythm, and a
The ancient critics on Terence were very nume- wider commiand of the middle region between sport
rous. We cite the principal of them chronologically and earnest. It may be objected that Terence's
before offering any remarks of our own. superiority in these points arises from his copying
Nearest in time,Afranius wrote in his Comnpitalia his Greek originals more servilely. But no servile
that Terence was sui generis, really incomparable, copy is an animated copy, and we have correspond-'" Terenti non similem dices qulempiam." ing fragments enough of Menander to prove that
Terence retouched and sometimes improved his
Varro (Parmeenio, Nonius, s. v. Poscere) says he model. (Zimmerman, Terenz. u. Menand. 1842.)
was surpassing in the portraiture of character, " in He cannot, indeed, be ranked with the dramatic
ethesin Terentius poscit palmam." Cicero (Opt. poets who exert a deep or permanent influence on
Gen. Or. 1. ~ 3) said that he differed from his the passions of men or the art of representation -
brother-artists in genere, "unum vero est genus with Sophocles and Aristophanes, with Shakspere
perfecti, a quo qui absunt, genere differunt, ut ab or Lope de Vega, with Molidre or Schiller. But
Attio Terentius," and in a fragment of his Limo, we incline to class him with Massinger, Racine,
probably a critical miscellany in verse, commends and Alfieri - writers in whom the form is more
him as the interpreter of Menander, perfectly elaborated than the matter is genially con-' Quicquid come loquens, ac omnia dulcia dicens."ceived. Nor in summing up his merits should we
omit the praise which has been universally accorded
Volcatius Sedigitus (de Poet. Coin. ap. Gell. xv. 24) him - that, although a foreigner and a freedman,
assigns Terence only the sixth place among the he divides with Cicero and Caesar the palm of pure
Roman comic poets, an opinion deeply resented by Latinity.
many modern scholars. (Rutger's Var. Lect. iv. The principal editions of Terence are, "princeps,"
19; Francis. Asulanus, Ep. &c.) Horace awards Mediol. 1470, fol.; Mureti, 1555, 1558, 8vo. frehim the palm of art (Ep. ii. 1ii. 1.59, "vincere Cae- quently reprinted; Faerni, Florent. 1565, 8vo.;
cilius gravitate, Terentius arte"), and Ovid distin- Lindenbrogii, Paris, 1602, 4to., Francofurt, 1623;
guishes his festiv' hu oux (Trist. ii 357), Parei et Riccii. Neap. Nemet. 1619, 2 vols. 4to.;
"Nect4 l bR it dhBentleii, an epoch in Terentian text and metres,
"Nee liber t animised honesta voluntase e a s Cantab. 1726, 4to., Amstel. 1727, 4to., Lips.
luntas,
Plurima mulcendis auribus apta refi.e t, 1791, 8vo.; VWesterhovii. Hagae Corn. 1727, 2
A cciu s esset atrox, conviva T erentius ~;e vols. 4to.; Stallbaum, Lips. 1830, 8vo. and
Accius sset atrox, coniva; Terentius ess Zeune, I. K. 1774, which contains nearly every
Quintilian (x. 1) depreciates Roman comedy gene- thing good in its predecessors, and ample prolegorally, "in comoedia maxime claudicamus,"and thinks mena. There are also numerous editions of single
that Terence erred in not adhering to the Se- plays.
narian measure of his Greek originals; and Ser- The principal Codices of Terence are, the Vativius (ad Aen. i. 414) says " sciendum est Teren- can Bembinus, written about the fifth century, A.D.,
tium, propter solant proprietatem, omnibus comicis and the Cambridge. A second Vatican Codex dates
esse praepositum; quibus est, quantum ad caetera from the ninth century, A.D., and contains drawspectat, inferior." We cite Caesar's famous epi- ings of the masks worn by the actors. (Boittig.
gram last, both on account of its author and of the Spec. ed. Terent. Lips. 1795.) Besides the authoverdict he delivers. rities already cited, see Crinit. de Poet. c. 8;