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1. Andria.—The particulars of its production are given above. Of its success, Donatus in his commentary says, ‘Successu adspecta prospero hortamento poetae fuit ad alias conscribendas.’ The didascalia to the Andria is lost, but we can restore it as follows from Donatus’ information, ‘Incipit Andria Terenti. Acta ludis Megalensib. M. Fulvio M’ Glabrione aedil. curul. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio.[19] Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis paribus tota. Graeca Menandru. Facta i. M. Marcello C. Sulpicio cos.’

The meaning of the didascalia is as follows: The piece was produced at the Megalesian games (held at the beginning of April) under the curule aediles mentioned; L. Ambivius Turpio undertook the representation; the music was composed (as in all Terence’s comedies) by Flaccus, slave of Claudius, and given throughout tibiis paribus.[20] The Greek original was by Menander; it was the first work of Terence, and the year of production was B.C. 166.

The play is adapted from Menander’s Ἀνδρία with additions from his Περινθία. Andr. prol. 13,

‘Quae convenere in Andriam ex Perinthia

fatetur transtulisse atque usum pro suis.’

The prologue dates from the first performance, though Wagner and Ribbeck have inferred from l. 5,

‘Nam in prologis scribundis operam abutitur,’

that it was written for a second representation, possibly in B.C. 164. There are two endings to the play; the shorter one is genuine, the longer spurious, and omitted in the best MSS.

2. Heauton Timorumenos is from Menander’s Ἡαυτὸν τιμωρούμενος, ‘self tormentor.’ The title is referred to in l. 146,

‘hic me exerceo,’

l. 81,

‘An quoiquamst usus homini, se ut cruciet?’

and prol. 5,

‘Ex integra Graeca integram comoediam

hodie sum acturus Heauton timorumenon.’

The play was produced at the Ludi Megalenses in B.C. 163, as is seen from the didascalia, ‘Incipit Heauton Timorumenos Terenti. Acta ludis Megalensib. L. Cornelio Lentulo L. Valerio Flacco aedilib. curulib. Egit Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Acta primum tibis inparib., deinde duabus dextris. Graeca Menandru. Facta ii. M’ Iuventio Ti. Sempronio cos.’

The play is called ‘stataria’ in prol. 36,

‘Date potestatem mihi

statariam agere ut liceat per silentium.’

3. Eunuchus, ‘contaminated’ from Menander’s Εὐνοῦχος and his Κόλαξ. Eun. prol. 19,

‘Nunc acturi sumus

Menandri Eunuchum’;

ibid. 30,

‘Colax Menandrist: in east parasitus colax

et miles gloriosus: eas se non negat

personas transtulisse in Eunuchum suam

ex Graeca: sed eas ab aliis factas prius

Latinas scisse sese, id vero pernegat.’

The didascalia shows that the piece was produced at the Ludi Megalenses in B.C. 161, and from the MSS. we may conclude that it was also acted in B.C. 146. The didascalia is, ‘Incipit Eunuchus Terenti. Acta ludis Megalensib. L. Postumio Albino L. Cornelio Merula aedilib. curulib. Egit Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis duabus dextris tota. Graeca Menandru. Facta iii. M. Valerio C. Fannio cos.’

Sueton. vit. Ter. p. 29, speaks of the success of the play, ‘Eunuchus quidem his deinceps acta est meruitque pretium quantum nulla antea cuiusquam comoedia, octo milia nummum.’

4. Phormio, the fifth comedy Terence composed, and the fourth completely represented. It was first performed at the Ludi Romani, B.C. 161. The Greek original was the Ἐπιδικαζόμενος of Apollodorus of Carystus. Phorm. prol. 24,

‘Adporto novam

Epidicazomenon quam vocant comoediam

Graeci, Latini Phormionem nominant,

quia primas partis qui aget, is erit Phormio

parasitus, per quem res geretur maxume,’

The didascalia is, ‘Incipit Terenti Phormio. Acta ludis Romanis. L. Postumio Albino L. Cornelio Merula aedilib. curulib. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis imparib. tota. Graeca Apollodoru Epidicazomenos. Facta iiii. C. Fannio M. Valerio cos.

From notices in the MSS. it is probable that a second representation took place in B.C. 141 at the Megalesian games.

5. Hecyra is founded on a play by Apollodorus of Carystus, doubtless called Ἡκυρά; cf. Donatus’ preface, ‘fabula Apollodori dicitur esse Graeca.’ The first attempted representation was in B.C. 165, at the Ludi Megalenses. Hec. prol. i. 1,

‘Hecyra quom datast

nova, ei novom intervenit vitium et calamitas,

ut neque spectari neque cognosci potuerit:

ita populus studio stupidus in funambulo

animum occuparat.’

The second (unsuccessful) representation was at the ludi funerales of Aemilius Paulus in B.C. 160. Hec. prol. ii. 38,

‘Refero denuo.

Primo actu placeo. Quom interea rumor venit

datum iri gladiatores, populus convolat,

tumultuantur clamant pugnant de loco:

ego interea meum non potui tutari locum.’

Cf. Phorm. prol. 31,

‘Ne simili utamur fortuna, atque usi sumus

quom per tumultum noster grex motus locost.’

The first prologue was written for the second performance; the second (spoken by the actor Ambivius) for the third performance, also in B.C. 160. The didascalia is, ‘Incipit Terenti Hecyra. Acta ludis Megalensib. S. Iulio Caesare Cn. Cornelio Dolabella aedilib. curulib. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis paribus tota. Graeca Apollodoru. Facta v. Cn. Octavio T. Manlio cos. Relata est L. Aemelio Paulo ludis funeralib. Non est placita. Tertio relata est Q. Fulvio L. Marcio aedilib. curulib.’

6. Adelphoe is founded on Menander’s Ἀδελφοί with a scene added from Diphilus’ Συναποθνῄσκοντες. Adelph. prol. 6,

Synapothnescontes Diphili comoediast;

eam Commorientis Plautus fecit fabulam.

In Graeca adulescens est, qui lenoni eripit

meretricem in prima fabula: eum Plautus locum

reliquit integrum; eum hic locum sumpsit sibi

in Adelphos, verbum de verbo expressum extulit.’

That this was the first performance is shown by novam in l. 12. The part from Diphilus is Act ii., Scene 1. The play was produced in B.C. 160 at the ludi funerales of L. Aemilius Paulus, as shown by the didascalia, ‘Incipit Terenti Adelphoe. Acta ludis funeralib. L. Aemelio Paulo. Fecere Q. Fabius Maxumus P. Cornelius Africanus. Egit L. Ambivius Turpio. Modos fecit Flaccus Claudi. Tibis Sarranis tota. Graeca Menandru. Facta vi. M. Cornelio Cethego L. Anicio Gallo cos.’

The order given above agrees essentially with the numbers denoting the order of production, as given in the didascaliae. We must, however, assume that the first representation of the Hecyra remained unnoticed, and must give the second place (instead of the third) to the H.T., with a section of the MSS., and the third place to the Eun. with Donatus against the MSS.

Prologues.—Terence uses these as weapons against his enemies, the chief of whom was Luscius Lanuvinus (see under his name), who attacked Terence for ‘contaminatio’ and for want of spirit in his plays. Cf. H.T. prol. 17,

‘Multas contaminasse Graecas, dum facit

paucas Latinas’;

Phorm. prol. 5,

‘tenui esse oratione et scriptura levi.’

Terence justifies repeatedly his use of ‘contaminatio.’ H.T. prol. 16,

‘Nam quod rumores distulerunt malivoli,

multas contaminasse Graecas, dum facit

paucas Latinas: id esse factum hic non negat,

neque se pigere et deinde facturum autumat.

Habet bonorum exemplum, quo exemplo sibi

licere id facere quod illi fecerunt putat.’

Cf. Andria, prol. 15–21; Adelph. prol. 1–14; Eun. prol. 31–3. Luscius also attacked him for not adhering more closely to his Greek originals, in spite of the fact that, generally speaking, Terence translated closely from these. Cf. Adelph. prol. 10–11, quoted above. A piece was considered to be new if it had not previously been presented to a Roman audience. So Terence justifies his originality in Adelph. prol. 6–14, or excuses himself on the ground that he did not know that a piece had been previously used: Eun. prol. 19–34.

Representation of the plays.—Ambivius was the chief actor in all the plays. He is the speaker of the prologue of H.T. and of the second prologue of Hec. He calls himself senex, cf. H.T. prol. 1. For his popularity cf. Hec. prol. ii. 55,

‘Mea causa causam accipite et date silentium.’

The music was provided by Flaccus, slave of Claudius. The composer himself was probably the instrumentalist. Four kinds of flutes are mentioned as used by him: tibiae pares, impares, sarranae, and duae dextrae (see note p. 45). The scene of all the plays is at Athens. There is no chorus. The form of the plays is modelled closely on Greek. More than half of the verses are iambic senarii, the next commonest being troch. septen. and iamb. octon. These are used in dialogue. Trochaic octonarii are used in lyrical parts, other lyrical metres being rare, and the anapaestic metre not being used. Short lines are also found in the middle of lyrical pieces, or at the end of pieces of dialogue. Andr. 605,

‘Sed eccum video ipsum: occidi.’

Single words sometimes stand at the head of a lyrical piece, as Phorm. 485 ‘Dorio,’ which makes a line.

The different kinds of scenes are under the same conditions as in Plautus. We have (1) scenes provided with music, probably represented in MSS. by C (Canticum). (2) Scenes sung as recitative, with musical accompaniment, in MSS. denoted by M.M.C. (perhaps for ‘Modi Mutati Cantici’). (3) Scenes in senarii, without music, in MSS. denoted by DV (Diverbium). The division into scenes is very ancient; but the division into acts, though existing in the time of Terence (cf. Hec. prol. 39, ‘primo actu placeo,’), is not marked in the MSS.

Names of characters.—Terence uses only Greek names, which often suit the characters of the persons, and many of which are repeated in the different plays. Cf. Pamphilus and Glycerium, of the lovers in the Andr.; Chremes (χρέμπτομαι, ‘cough’), for an old man, in Andr., H.T., Phorm.; Crito (κρνίω, ‘judge’), for an old man, in Andr., Phorm.; Sosia (σῴζειν), for a freedman, in Andr., Hec. So names of slaves as Davus (Δᾶος, ‘Dacian’), Dromo, Geta, Syrus, all in several plays.

The arguments, consisting of twelve senarii each, were composed by C. Sulpicius Apollinaris in the second century A.D.

Prosody.—For the variations from later usage, see under ‘Plautus.’ Terence is, of course, more regular in this respect than Plautus.

Views on Terence.—To those given above the following may be added:

Gell. vi. 14, 6, ‘Exempla in Latina lingua M. Varro esse dicit ubertatis Pacuvium, gracilitatis Lucilium, mediocritatis Terentium.’[21]

Sueton. vit. Ter. p. 34, ‘Cicero in Limone hactenus laudat,

“Tu quoque, qui solus lecto sermone, Terenti,

conversum expressumque Latina voce Menandrum

in medium nobis sedatis motibus effers,

quiddam come loquens atque omnia dulcia miscens”;

item C. Caesar,

“Tu quoque, tu in summis, o dimidiate Menander,

poneris, et merito, puri sermonis amator.

Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adiuncta foret vis,

comica ut aequato virtus polleret honore

cum Graecis, neve hac despectus parte iaceres.

Unum hoc maceror ac doleo tibi desse, Terenti.” ’