Younger Scipio, the son of Paulus Æmilius, his triumphal entry was in the year of Rome 637, thirteen years after the death of Terence. What hurried Orosius into the mistake, is a passage in Livy, which he did not attentively examine. This great historian in his 30th book and 45th chapter says, Secutus Scipionem triumphantem est, pileo capiti impo sito, Q. Terentius Culleo; omnique deinde vitâ, ut dig. num erat, libertatis auctorem coluit. "Q. Terentius "Culleo followed the triumphal car of Scipio on the day of "his public entrance into Rome, with a cap on his head, " and honoured him during the remainder of his life, as the "author of his freedom." It could not therefore be our Te. rence, of whom Livy is speaking. It was a Roman senator, who having been taken prisoner by the Carthaginians, and set free by Scipio, determined to grace his deliverer's triumph, which he attended wearing the cap of liberty on his head, by way of compliment, as if he had indeed really received his manumission from the hands of Scipio. DACIER. 33 Unum hoc maceror, &c.]" Valea Sedigitus! nós "Afranio assentiri non pigeat, ac Terentium omnibus præ. ❝stitisse comicis credamus; neque vim illam comicam, quam ei unam defuisse dolet Cæsar (si modò sunt illa "Cæsaris carmina) desideremus. Nihil illi defuit: omnia << quæ comico poetæ præstanda sunt, præstitit." FRANCISCUS ASULANUS. NOTES NOTES TO THE ANDRIA N. The The Andrian.] There is much controversy among the Criticks, whether the Andrian' was the first play which Terence produced, or only the first of those which have come down to our times. Donatus positively asserts it to be our author's first production, and adds that the favourable reception it met with, encouraged him to go on in writing for the stage. He tells us also that this piece was intitled Andrian of Terence," and not Terence's "Andrian," according to the customs of the Romans, who placed the name of the play first, if it was written by an author yet unknown in the theatrical world, but placed the author's name first in the title, if it was one already celebrated. Madam Da. cier is of a contrary opinion, and thinks that the introduc tory lines of the prologue make it evident that Terence had written before. These inquiries are little more than mere matter of curiosity. For my part, I am rather inclined to the opinion of Donatus. The objections of Lavinius, which Terence in his prologue endeavours to refute, are entirely confined to this play; and that it was possible for Lavinius to have seen the manuscript before the representation is evident from the prologue to the Eunuch', where Terence directly chargés that circumstance to his adversary. The concluding lines of the prologue speak the language of an author, new in the Drama, much stronger than those in the beginning denote his having written before. It may be remembered also, that Terence was no more than 27 years of age at the time of the first representation of this comedy. Both the English and French theatre have borrowed the fable of this play. Sir Richard Steele has raised on that foundation foundation his comedy of the Conscious Lovers;' and Baron has adopted even the title. It is proposed to throw out some observations on each of these pieces, and to compare them with Terence's comedy, in the course of these notes. 2 The Megalesian Games were those instituted in honour of the superior gods. 3 The Ediles were magistrates of Rome, whose office it was to take care of the city, its public buildings, &c.; to regulate the market; and to preside at solemn games, public entertainments, &c. Principal Actors.] Egerunt, &c. The persons thus mentioned in the several titles to our author's pieces, were the managers of the company or companies of actors concerned in the representation. It is certain also, that they were principal actors: for besides the anecdote concerning Ambivius and Terence, related in the notes to Phormio, Donatus, in his preface to the Brothers,' expressly says, Agentibus L. Ambivio et L. Turpione; qui cum suis gregibus etiam tum personati agebant. We are told by the Greek scholiasts, that these titles were always prefixed to pieces acted by authority of the magistrate. One of them stands before each of the comedies of Terence; but it is plain from Suetonius, as Le Fevre has observed, that they have descended to our times defective and imperfect. "No part of the history of the antient drama is more obscure, than that which relates to the musick. A short extract from Donatus will serve to give some explanation of the phrases used in the above title." They were acted to flutes ❝ equal or unequal, right or left-handed. The right-handed, or Lydian, by their grave tone, denounced the serious "style of the comedy. The left-handed, or Tyrian, by "their light sharp sound, denoted the vivacity of the piece. "But when the play was said to be acted to both right and " left-handed, it denoted it to be serio-comic." It is wholly Grecian.] That is, that species of comedy, which was called palliata; in which the habits, manners, and arguments, were all Grecian. Marcellus and Sulpicius, Consuls.] That is, in the year of Rome 587, the twenty-seventh of our author's age, and 166 years before Christ. Should Should please the people.] It has been observed by Mr. Whalley, the last editor of Ben Jonson, that the prologue to the Silent Woman' opens in imitation of this of our author: 6 "Truth says, of old the art of making plays, "Was to content the people." Of an old bard.] This old arch-adversary of Terence was, according to Donatus, Lucius Lavinius; but, according to Madam Dacier, Luscius Lanuvius. 6 7 Menander wrote the Andrian' and' Perinthian'.] From this account it is plain, that Terence did not in this play weave two different stories of Menander together in that vicious manner which is generally imputed to him but that, the argument of these two plays being nearly the same, Terence having pitched upon the Andrian' for the groundwork of his fable, enriched it with such parts of the Perin thian,' as naturally fell in with that plan. We are told by Donatus, that the first scene of our author's Andrian' is almost a literal translation of the first scene of the Perinthian' of Menander, in which the old man discoursed with his wife, just as Simo does with Sosia. In the Andrian' of Menander, the old man opened with a soliloquy. The 'Perinthian,' as well as the Andrian,' took its name from the place the woman came from; viz. Perinthus, a town of Thrace. ' Nævius, Plautus, Ennius.] These poets are not mentioned here in exact chronological order, Ennius being elder than Plautus. The first author who brought a regular play on the Roman Stage, is said to have been Livius Andronicus, about the year of Rome 510, and one year before the birth of Ennius. Five years after the representation of the first play of Andronicus, or, as some say, nine, Nævius wrote for the stage. Then followed Ennius, Plautus, Pacuvius, Cæcilius, Porcius Licinius, Terence, and his contemporary and adversary Lucius Lavinius, Accius, Afranius, &c. Of all these, many of whom were very eminent writers, we have scarcely any remains, except of Plautus and Terence: and what is still more to be lamented, the inestimable Greek authors, whose writings were the rich source whence they drew their fable, characters, &c. are also irrecoverably lost. • Exeunt Servants.] The want of marginal directions, however trifling they may at first sight appear, has occasioned, as it necessarily must, much confusion and obscurity in seve. ral ral passages of the antient dramatic writers; and is a "The pantomime is a part of the drama, to which the author ought to pay the most serious attention: for if it is not always present to him, he can neither begin, nor conduct, nor end a scene according to truth and nature; and the action should frequently be written down instead of dia. logue. "The pantomime should be written down, whenever it creates a picture; whenever it gives energy, or clearness, or connexion to the dialogue; whenever it paints character; whenever it consists in a delicate play, which the reader cannot himself supply; whenever it stands in the place of an answer; and almost always at the beginning of a scene. "Whether a poet has written down the pantomime or not, it is easy to discover at first fight, whether he has compo sed after it. The conduct of the piece will not be the same; the scenes will have another turn; the dialogue will relish of it." Moliere, as this ingenious critick observes, has always written down the pantomime (as he phrases it), and Terence seems plainly to have had it always in his view, and to have paid a constant attention to it in his composition, though he has not set it down in words. 1o Be ta'en due care of.] Nempè ut curentur rectè hæc. Madam Dacier will have it, that Simo here makes use of a I believe it rather kitchen-term in the word curentur. means to take care of any thing generally; and at the conclusion of this very scene, Sosia uses the word again, speak. ing of things very foreign to cookery. Sat est, CURABO. "Seems to reproach me of ingratitude.] There is a beautiful passage in the Duke of Milan' of Massinger, very similar to the above. The situations of the persons are mind somewhat alike, Sforza being on the point of opening his |