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

1, 2, Havet, Classical Quarterly, 1913,
pp. 120, 121.]

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Principal Editions: Merula, Venice, 1472; the first edition. Camerarius,
Basel, 1552. Lambinus, Paris, 1576; with a commentary. Pareus,
Frankfurt, 1619, 1623, and 1641. Gronovius, Leyden, 1664-1684.
Bothe, Berlin, 1809-1811. Ritschl, Bonn, 1848-1854; a most important

edition; contains only nine plays. Goetz, Loewe, and Schoell, Leipzig,
1871-1902; begun by Ritschl, as a revision and continuation 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. Müller, Plautinische Prosodie, Berlin, 1869.
Reinhardstoettner (Karl von), _Spätere Bearbeitungen plautinischer
Lustspiele_, Leipzig, 1886. Langen, Beiträge zur Kritik und
Erklärung 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 Amphitryon’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