The Student's Companion to Latin Authors

John Stuart Mill · en
'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.'