Amphitryo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi | Page 4

of the previous edition. Ussing, Copenhagen, 1875-1892; with a commentary. Leo, Berlin, 1895-1896. Lindsay, Oxford, 1904-1905. Goetz and Schoell. Leipzig, 1892-1904.
English Translations: Thornton, and others, London, second edition, 1769-1774; in blank verse. Sugden, London, 1893; the first five plays, in the original metres.
General: Ritschl, Parerga, Leipzig, 1845; _Neue plautinische Excurse_, Leipzig, 1869. M??ller, Plautinische Prosodie, Berlin, 1869. Reinhardstoettner (Karl von), _Sp?¤tere Bearbeitungen plautinischer Lustspiele_, Leipzig, 1886. Langen, Beitr?¤ge zur Kritik und Erkl?¤rung des Plautus, Leipzig, 1880; Plautinische Studien, Berlin, 1886. Sellar, Roman Poets of the Republic, Oxford, third edition, 1889, pp. 153-203. Skutsch, Forschungen zur lateinischen Grammatik und Metrik, Leipzig, 1892. Leo, Plautinische Forschungen, Berlin, 1895; second edition, 1912; _Die plautinischen Cantica und die hellenistische Lyrik_, Berlin, 1897. Lindsay, Syntax of Plautus, Oxford, 1907.
PRINCIPAL MANUSCRIPTS
Ambrosianus palimpsestus (A), 4th century. Palatinus Vaticanus (B), 10th century. Palatinus Heidelbergensis (C), 11th century. Vaticanus Ursinianus (D), 11th century. Leidensis Vossianus (V), 12th century. Ambrosianus (E), 12th century. Londinensis (J), 12th century.
P = the supposed archetype of BCDVEJ.
SOME ANNOTATED EDITIONS OF PLAYS IN THE FIRST VOLUME
Amphitruo, A. Palmer 1890. Asinaria, Gray; Cambridge, University Press, 1894. Aulularia, Wagner; London, George Bell & Sons, 1878. Captivi, Brix; 6th edition, revised by Niemeyer; Leipzig, Teubner, 1910. Captivi, Sonnenschein; London, W. Swan Sonnenschein & Allen, 1880. Captivi, W.M. Lindsay 1900.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AMPHITRUO
AMPHITRYON
* * * * *
ARGVMENTVM I[1]
ARGUMENT OF THE PLAY (I)
[Footnote 1: None of the Arguments prefixed to the plays is by Plautus. Their date is disputed, the acrostics having been written during the first century B.C., perhaps, the non acrostics later.]
In faciem versus Amphitruonis Iuppiter, dum bellum gereret cum Telobois hostibus, Alcmenam uxorem cepit usurariam. Mercurius formam Sosiae servi gerit absentis: his Alcmena decipitur dolis. postquam rediere veri Amphitruo et Sosia, uterque deluduntur in mirum modum. hinc iurgium, tumultus uxori et viro, donec cum tonitru voce missa ex aethere adulterum se Iuppiter confessus est. 10
While Amphitryon was engaged in a war with his foes, the Teloboians, Jupiter assumed his appearance and took the loan of his wife, Alcmena. Mercury takes the form of an absent slave, Sosia, and Alcmena is deceived by the two impostors. After the real Amphitryon and Sosia return they both are deluded in extraordinary fashion. This leads to an altercation and quarrel between wife and husband, until there comes from the heavens, with a peal of thunder, the voice of Jupiter, who owns that he has been the guilty lover.
ARGVMENTVM II
ARGUMENT OF THE PLAY (II)
*A*more captus Alcumenas Iuppiter *M*utavit sese in formam eius coniugis, *P*ro patria Amphitruo dum decernit cum hostibus. *H*abitu Mercurius ei subservit Sosiae. *I*s advenientis servum ac dominum frustra habet. *T*urbas uxori ciet Amphitruo, atque invicem *R*aptant pro moechis. Blepharo captus arbiter *V*ter sit non quit Amphitruo decernere. *O*mnem rem noscunt. geminos Alcumena enititur.[2]
Jupiter, being seized with love for Alcmena, changed his form to that of her husband, Amphitryon, while he was doing battle with his enemies in defence of his country. Mercury, in the guise of Sosia, seconds his father and dupes both servant and master on their return. Amphitryon storms at his wife: charges of adultery, too, are bandied back and forth between him and Jupiter. Blepharo is appointed arbiter, but is unable to decide which is the real Amphitryon. They learn the whole truth at last, and Alcmena gives birth to twin sons.

PERSONAE
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MERCVRIVS DEUS SOSIA SERVUS IVPPITER DEUS ALCVMENA MATRONA AMPHITRVO DUX BLEPHARO GUBERNATOR BROMIA ANCILLA
MERCURY, a god. SOSIA, slave of Amphitryon. JUPITER, a god. ALCMENA, wife of Amphitryon. AMPHITRYON, commander-in-chief of the Theban army. BLEPHARO, a pilot. BROMIA, maid to Alcmena.

Scaena Thebis.
Scene:--Thebes. A street before Amphitryona€?s house.
PROLOGVS[3]
PROLOGUE
[Footnote 3: The genuineness of the Prologues of these plays has long been a moot question. The tendency of the more recent investigators has been to hold that all were, at least in part, written by Plautus himself.]
MERCVRIVS DEVS
SPOKEN BY THE GOD MERCURY
Ut vos in vostris voltis mercimoniis emundis vendundisque me laetum lucris adficere atque adiuvare in rebus omnibus et ut res rationesque vostrorum omnium bene me expedire voltis peregrique et domi bonoque atque amplo auctare perpetuo lucro quasque incepistis res quasque inceptabitis,
According as ye here assembled would have me prosper you and bring you luck in your buyings and in your sellings of goods, yea, and forward you in all things; and according as ye all would have me find your business affairs and speculations happy outcome in foreign lands and here at home, and crown your present and future undertakings with fine, fat profits for evermore;
et uti bonis vos vostrosque omnis nuntiis me adficere voltis, ea adferam, ea uti nuntiem quae maxime in rem vostram communem sient-- 10 nam vos quidem id iam scitis concessum et datum mi esse ab dis aliis, nuntiis praesim et lucro--: haec ut me voltis adprobare adnitier,[4] (13) ita huic facietis fabulae