By this we mean what can in nowise be so clearly defined as by
"rough-house." For instance, the turbulent Euclio in _Aul._ delivers
bastings impartially to various _dramatis personae_ and as a climax drives
the cooks and music-girl pell-mell out of the house, doubtless accompanied
by deafening howling and clatter (415 ff.). Similarly in the _Cas._ (875
ff.) Chalinus routs Olympio and the lecherous Lysidamus. We may well
imagine that such scenes were preceded as well as accompanied by a fearful
racket within (a familiar device of our low comedy and extravaganza), the
effect probably heightened by tempestuous _melodrama_ on the _tibiae_, as
both the scenes cited are in _canticum_.
In the _Men._ we are treated to a free fight, in which the valiant
Messenio routs the _lorarii_ by vigorous punches, while Menaechmus plants
his fist in one antagonist's eye (_Men._ 1011 ff.):
(Menaechmus of Epidamnus is seized by _lorarii_; as he struggles,
Messenio, slave of Menaechmus Sosicles, rushes into the fray to his
rescue). "MES. I say! Gouge out that fellow's eye, the one that's got you
by the shoulder, master. Now as for these rotters, I'll plant a crop of
fists on their faces. (_Lays about._) By Heaven, you'll be everlastingly
sorry for the day you tried to carry my master off. Let go!
MEN. (_Joining in with a will._) I've got this fellow by the eye!
MES. Bore it out! A hole's good enough for his face! You villians, you
thieves, you robbers! (_General melA(C)e. Lorarii weaken._)
LOR. We're done for! Oh Lord, please!
MES. Let go then!
MEN. What right had you to lay hands on me? Give them a good beating up!
(_Lorarii break and scatter wildly under the ferocious onslaught._)
MES. Come, clear out! To the devil with you all! That for _you_!
(_Strikes._) You're the last; here's _your_ reward! (_Strikes again._)"
The lines themselves are sufficiently graphic and need but little
annotation. Other pugilistic activities crop up at not infrequent
intervals in the text,[113] and in _Ps._ 135 ff. Ballio generously plies
the whip. In the lacuna of the _Amph._ after line 1034, Mercury probably
bestows a drenching on Amphitruo.[114] In _As._ III. 3, especially 697
ff., Libanus makes his master Argyrippus "play horsey" with him, doubtless
with indelicate buffonery. With invariable energy, even so simple a matter
as knocking on doors is made the excuse for raising a violent disturbance,
as in _Amph._ 1019 f. and 1025: Paene effregisti, fatue, foribus
cardines.[115] And this idea is actually parodied in _As._ 384 ff. No,
Plautus did not allow his public to languish for want of noise.