are much better pleas'd with the ways now in practice.+ 'Tis true,
several of our most irregular Plays have come off with a great deal
of Applause, but certainly never the more for their Irregularity;
but because most of the Audience knew no better, being often dazzled
by the Greatness of the Author's Genius, and the Actor's
Performances; and those that did, were willing to pardon the Faults
for the sake of some choice +Master-stroaks+ they had; and upon the
same account a couple of good +Scenes+ have many times carry'd off a
very indifferent Play: 'Tis plain that want of Use and Knowledge
have been the only Cause of these ways seeming so unpracticable; and
if the middle sort of Persons were once truly brought to a Sight of
the Excellencies of this, and the Deformities of the other way (as
the well reading of these Plays wou'd in a great measure do, being
chiefly design'd for them) they wou'd esteem of it far more than
now; and certainly they cou'd never pardon those many +Indecencies+,
+Improbabilities+, +Absurdities+ that are so frequent in our Plays.
'Tis true, there has been a considerable Regulation among many of
'em since the Days of +Shakespear+, but not to bring things half to
perfection. And thus Regulation has made hope for a further, as the
Age will be brought to bear it.
The last Objection is more particular: They say, +That the Unities
of Action, Time and Place must needs take off from the great Variety
of the Plot, and a fine Story by this means will be quite murder'd.+
'Tis true, all +Stories+ whatsoever are not fit for a +Dramatick
Poem+; yet there may be an excellent +Plot+ without crowding
together Intrigues (little depending upon one another) of half a
dozen couple, suppose, in one Play; without hurrying over the
Business of three Months in three Hours time, or perhaps without
skipping from Gardens to Mountains, from thence to Groves, and then
to Town in an Act or two: But our prying, curious Sparks can't rest
here, but must be for peeping into Chambers, Closets, and
Withdrawing-Rooms, ay, and into Beds too (sometimes with the Ladies
in 'em) and have all things brought openly upon the Stage, tho'
never so improper, and indecent. But this Objection may yet be
better answer'd by Instances; and first for the +Unity of Time+, we
may mention the Play call'd, +The Adventures of Five Hours+, the
whole +Action+ lasting no longer (much less a day, the extent
allow'd for a +Dramatick Poem+) yet this is one of the pleasantest
+Stories+ that ever appear'd upon our Stage, and has as much Variety
of +Plots+ and +Intrigues+, without any thing being precipitated,
improbable or unnatural as to the main +Action+; so by this it
appears that this Rule is no Spoiler or Murderer of a finer +Story+.
Then for the +Unity of Time+ and Action too, +Ben. Johnson's Silent
Woman+ is a remarkable Instance; an excellent +Comedy+ indeed, where
the +Action+ is perfectly single, and the utmost extent of the
+Time+ exceeds not three Hours and a half (the shortest we ever
find) yet still the +Plot+, +Intrigues+, and above all the
+Incidents+ are very fine, and no ways unnatural. Lastly, For all
three +Unities+, Mr. +Dryden's All for Love+ (tho' a +Tragedy+, and
somewhat foreign to our business) is worthy to be taken notice of,
that being perfectly +Regular+ according to the Rules of the Stage,
the Scenes unbroken, the +Incidents+ exactly and duly prepar'd, and
all things noble and beautiful, just and proportionable. This we
reckon one of the best +Tragedies+ of our Nation. Now can any Man
justly think that these Plays we now mention'd were ever the worse
for that +Regularity+ they had; or indeed have we many better in the
Nation for +Plot+; or many that have better pleas'd the generality
of Persons than these; If so this sufficiently shows the Truth of
what we offered; and withal commends our Master's great Judgment in
this Point: Who, in our Opinion (besides the Excellency of his
+Characters+) plainly deserves a greater Name for his +Plots+, than
he does for his +Language+.
Come we next then to our own Vindication, in which we shall briefly
shew the +Reasons+ why we did it, and likewise what our Performances
have been in this Version.
The main +Reasons+ why we undertook it were these. First, For the
Excellency and Usefulness of this Author in general: And
consequently for the benefit (as we shall shew by and by) of most
sorts of People, but especially for the Service it may do our
+Dramatick Poets+. Next, for the Honour of our own +Language+, into
which all good Books ought to be Translated, since +'tis now become
so Elegant, Sweet and Copious+: And indeed nothing refines, or gives
Foreigners a greater Opinion of any Language than its number of good
Translations; of which the +French+ is a great Instance. Thirdly,
Because most of our Neighbours have got it in their +Language+,
particularly the +French+, who have done it with good Success; and
we have no reason for our being out-done by any of our Neighbours,
since we have a +Language+ we dare set against any in the World.
Lastly, Since the Author is so excellent, we undertook it because no
other Persons wou'd. 'Tis strange that none of our great Wits wou'd
undertake it before, but let us Persons of Obscurity, take their
Works out of their Hands; when we can perceive by our little
Performances that our +Language+ will do it to a very high degree,
undoubtedly better than the +French+.
The most considerable Objections that have been made against our
Translation are these. First, +What real Use or Advantage can this
Translation be to the Publick? As for school-Boys and Learners,
_Bernard_'s and _Hool_'s Translations, the great number of Notes,
a School-Master, or their own Industry will well enough teach 'em to
construe it. Men of Sense and Learning, they read it wholly for the
Latin sake; therefore a Translation is of no use to them.+ Lastly,
+They won't fit our Stage; and consequently they are impertinent at
best.+ To these we answer; First, As to +School-Boys+ and
+Learners+; +Bernard+'s and +Hool+'s Translations are very often
false, mostly so obsolete, flat and unpleasant, that a Man can
scarce read half a Page without sleeping; the latter is full of
+Latinisms+, and both are often more obscure than the Original. The
+Notes+ sometimes don't express the Author's Sense; and often very
obscurely: In some things they are too short, in others too long and
tedious: And most of them have the slight of running very nimbly
over those Places which they are afraid they shou'd stick in.
+School-Masters+ often want time, and now and then Judgment and
Learning to explain things as they ought; then to leave Boys by
themselves to pick out the Sense of such a difficult Author as this,
is very inconvenient; which besides the Discouragement sometimes of
not being able to do it, will often lead 'em into such Errors and
Mistakes, as perhaps they'll ne're get clear of. So that this will
be of great use even to +School-Boys+ and +Learners+: Beside the
great Advantage of teaching 'em, perhaps not the worst +English+;
and something of the Idiom of our Tongue.
As for the second part of the Objection, +That Men of Sense and
Learning read it only for the Latin sake+; This is or ought to be
look'd upon as a great Mistake: Since +Terence+ has other and
greater Excellencies than his Style, as we have before shewn. But
however ingenious Persons must needs receive some pleasure in seeing
such excellent Latin now speak tolerable good +English+; and
likewise in seeing somewhat of the Conversation, Humour and Customs
of the old +Greeks+ and +Romans+ put into a modern Dress; and
perhaps not quite out of the Fashion. Besides, since many of these
do sometimes upon an occasion make use of +Notes+, 'twill be of
equal use (in that respect) to them as to all +Learners+. And that
they have often need of such, will appear from the several difficult
places (especially as to the Plot) and some obscure dubious Passages
in this Author, which the utmost Skill in the +Latin+ Tongue will
not teach to explain; since there is as great a necessity for the
understanding of the +Roman+ Customs and Theatres in this Case, and
of the Art of the Stage, as of the +Latin+ Tongue. How extraordinary
useful a Translation can be in perfectly +clearing an Author+,
+Roscommon+'s Translation of +Horace+'s +Art of Poetry+ is an
apparent Instance; which shews the Sense, Meaning, Design, &c. of
+Horace+ better and easier than all the +Paraphrases+ and +Notes+ in
the World.
Thirdly, Tho' our +Translation+ will never fit our Stage, yet it may
be of considerable use to some of the +Dramatick Poets+; which we
had some respect to, when we did it; they will serve 'em (as was
said before) for +Models+; and tho' many of our Poets do very well
understand the Original, yet 'tis plain that some of 'em do not
understand it over much. But however, it may not be wholly useless
to those that do, and more proper for their business, being ready
explain'd to their hands: And upon some accounts to be read with
less trouble than the Original: For that is in many places very
obscure by reason of corrupted Copies, wrong Points, false Division
of whole +Acts+ as well as +Scenes+ and the like: Further, if these
Plays come to be frequently read by the more ordinary sort of
People, they will by little and little grow more in love with, and
more clearly see the true Excellencies of these Rules, and these
lively +Imitations of Nature+, which will be the greatest
Encouragement our Poets can have to follow 'em. And besides, the
common People by these +Plays+ may plainly perceive that
+Obscenities+ and +Debaucheries+ are no ways necessary to make a
good +Comedy+; and the Poets themselves will be the more ready to
blush when they see +Heathens+ so plainly out-do us +Christians+ in
their +Morals+; for their principal Vices in their Plays, were
chiefly from the Ignorance of the Times, but we have no such
pretence. This alone might ha' been a sufficient reason for our
undertaking this Design.
But to come now to what we have done; 'tis not to be expected we
shou'd wholly reach the Air of the Original; that being so peculiar,
and the Language so different; We have imitated our Author as well
and as nigh as the +English+ Tongue and our small Abilities wou'd
permit; each of us joyning and consulting about every Line, not only
for the doing of it better, but also for the making of it all of a
piece. We follow'd no one +Latin+ Copy by it self, because of the
great Disagreements among 'em, but have taken any that seem'd
truest. We look'd over all the +Notes+, sometimes they would help us
a little, and often not; some hints we had from the +French+, but
not very many; besides we had considerable helps from other Persons
far above our selves, for whose Care and Pains we shall ever
acknowledge our Gratitude. A meer +Verbal Translation+ is not to be
expected, that wou'd sound so horribly, and be more obscure than the
Original; but we have been faithful Observers of his Sence, and even
of his Words too, not slipping any of consequence without something
to answer it; nay farther, where two Words seem to be much the same,
and perhaps not intended to be very different by the Author, we were
commonly so nice as to do them too; such as +Segnitia+ and
+Socordia+, +Scire+ and +Noscere+, and the like, which is more exact
than most, if not all, our modern Versions. We cou'dn't have kept
closer (especially in this Author, which several ingenious Persons
told us, +Is the hardest in the World to translate+;) without too
much treading upon the Author's Heels, and destroying our Design of
giving it an easie, +Comick Style+, most agreeable to our present
Times. If we have been guilty of any Fault of this nature, it seems
to be that of keeping too close.
But still to be more particular; we did all we cou'd to prevent any
of the Meaning and Grace of the best +Words+ to be lost; so that we
were often forc'd to search and study some time for those most
proper, and oftentimes to express 'em by two, and sometimes by a
+Circumlocution+: Which Madam +Dacier+ her self, as accurate as she
is accompted, has often neglected: And thereby has wholly lost the
Force and Beauty of many Emphatical Words. +Terence+ had some Words
taken in a great many several Sences, such as +Contumelia+ and
+Injuria+, +Odiosus+, +Tristis+, &c. these we have been very careful
about; but where he plays upon Words (tho' never so prettily) he
ought not in some places to be imitated at all, because the Fineness
is more lost that way, than the other; yet we try'd at several when
they were Natural and tolerable in +English+. As for his +Allusions+
and the like, many of them perhaps are quite lost to us. However
they are commonly lost in our Language. On such places (as well as
some others) we made +Remarks+ or +Notes+ at the latter end; some of
which we are oblig'd to the +French+ Lady for; these serving to shew
our Author's fine Stroaks, as well as to vindicate our Translation.
For his +Sense+ and +Meaning+, we have taken more than ordinary care
about, and weigh'd all Circumstances before we fix'd. Several of the
Passages are done contrary to the general Opinion, and some few
differently from all, both as to the +Person that speaks+ as well as
the +Meaning+, but not without good Grounds; and if any be so nice
in censuring, we desire that Person to shew us three +Terences+ that
exactly agree with one another, either in Points or Words, for two
Acts together. Of those Passages that were absolutely doubtful, we
always took the best, and that, which seem'd to us, the most
probable Way and Meaning; and all such as were difficult, knotty or
obscure in the Original, we made as plain and clear as we cou'd;
and we presume to phansie there are very few Passages in ours,
unintelligible to the meanest Capacity. In his +Jests+ and
+Repartees+ (except they were +Allusions+ or the like) we hope that
the force of 'em is seldom lost. For making every Person speak so
exactly like themselves (a thing that our Author was so famous for)
is much more difficult in +English+ by reason of its greater variety
of +Idioms+ and +Phrases+ than in the +Latin+; and to suit these
always right, requires a greater +Genius+ than we can pretend to.
+Terence+, tho' reckon'd very genteel in his Days, seems in some
place to have a sort of familiarity and bluntness in his Discourse,
not so agreeable with the Manners and Gallantry of our Times; which
we have mollify'd as well as we cou'd, still making the +Servants+
sawcy enough upon occasion. In some places we have had somewhat more
of +Humour+ than the Original, to make it still more agreeable to
our Age; but all the while have kept so nigh our Author's +Sence+
and +Design+, that we hope it can never be justly call'd a Fault. We
can't certainly tell whither +William+ the Conqueror, the +Grand
Seignior+ (and the like) may pass with some: They may possibly
take 'em for Blunders in time: which are now become Proverbial
Expressions; the first signifying only a great while ago, and
t'other a great Man.
As for the Division of the +Acts+ and +Scenes+, all the common
+Terences+ are most notoriously false: The +Acts+ are often wrong,
but the +Scenes+ oftener; and these have bred some obscurity in our
Author's +Rules+. Madam +Dacier+ has been more exact in this than
all others before her; yet, still she's once mistaken in her +Acts+,
and very often in her +Scenes+. We have follow'd her as to her
+Acts+, except one in the +Phormio+; but we have not divided the
+Scenes+ at all by Figures, because they are of no such use; only
the Reader may take notice that whenever any particular +Actor+
enters upon the Stage, or goes off, that makes a different +Scene+;
for the +Ancients+ never had any other that we know of. The
+Prologues+, by the Advice of several Judicious Persons, are left
out, as being the Meanest, the fullest of Quibbles, and the least
Intelligible of any thing he wrote: They relating chiefly to private
Squabbles between our +Author+ and the +Poets+ of his time: The
Particulars of which 'tis impossible for us to understand now, and
we need not be much concern'd that we don't. Besides, in the main,
they are so much beneath the +Author+, that 'tis much question'd
whether they are his or no, especially the Third. The +Arguments+
are certainly none of his, and so far from being useful, that they
only serve to forestall the +Plots+, and take away the Pleasure of
surprizing.
Lastly, That there might be nothing wanting that might make this
Translation as intire and clear as possible; we've all the way
intermix'd +Notes of Explanation+, such as, +Enter+, +Exit+,
+Asides+, and all other things of +Action+, necessary to be known,
and constantly practis'd among our Modern +Dramatick Poets+. These
serve extreamly to the clearing of the +Plots+ which wou'd be
obscure without 'em; especially since their Theatres were so
different from ours. And as this sort of +Notes+ are the +shortest+,
that are generally us'd, so they are most +compleat+, +useful+ and
+clear+, by the help of which any Child almost may apprehend every
thing. Perhaps we might have omitted some of 'em, but we have better
offend this way than the other.
Thus have we said as much as we thought requisite in Vindication of
our Master's Honour, and of our own Undertaking. And if we had said
ten times as much; and ne're so much to the purpose, People will
still think, and talk what they please, and we can't help it.
PLAUTUS's
COMEDIES,
_AMPHITRYON_,
_EPIDICUS_, and
_RUDENS_,
Made English:
With
+Critical Remarks+
Upon Each PLAY.
---- _Non ego paucis_
_Offendar maculis: quas aut incuria fudit_
_Aut humana parum cavit natura:_ ----
Horat. Art. Poet.
_LONDON:_
Printed for _Abel Swalle_ and _T. Child_ at the _Unicorn_
at the West-End of _S. Paul's_ Churchyard, 1694.
THE
PREFACE.
This Nations Excellencies in +Dramatick Poetry+ have been so
extraordinary, and our Performance both in +Tragedy+ and +Comedy+
have discover'd such strange +Genius+'s, that we have some reason to
believe, that we have not only surpass'd our Neighbours the Moderns,
but likewise have excell'd our Masters the Ancients. But the want of
Knowledge of the Ancients has been one great Reason for our setting
our selves so very much above 'em; for tho' we have many Beauties
which they wanted, yet it must be own'd, that they have more which
we have not, except that it may be some very few of our Pieces. But
then their Excellencies are far less known to us than ours; for the
Common People are unacquainted with their Languages, and the more
Learned sort, for want of due Observance and Penetration, have been
ignorant enough of their essential Beauties; they, for the most
part, contenting themselves with considering the +superficial+ ones,
such as the +Stile+, +Language+, +Expression+, and the like, without
taking much notice of the Contrivance and Management, of the
+Plots+, +Characters+, &c.
But a considerable Discovery of these Excellencies has been made by
means of a late Version of +Terence+, especially by the help of the
+Preface+ and +Remarks+: And this has made me hope, that two or
three Plays of +Plautus+'s cou'd not be very unacceptable after
them; and since the principal Fault of the +Remarks+ in that Version
was their being too short, I have made these somewhat longer and
clearer, hoping they will prove the principal means of recommending
this Book to the World, even tho' the Translation had been brought
to the utmost Perfection it was capable of: a Thing which I dare
never pretend to. I made Choice of the same three which Madam
+Dacier+ had done before me; those being, in many respects, fitter
for my purpose. But before I come to Particulars in those Things,
I shall give some Character and Account of my Author.
+Plautus+, if consider'd as a +Dramatick Poet+, may justly enough be
stil'd the Prince of the +Latin Comedians+, for tho' most of 'em are
lost, and consequently little capable of being judg'd of, yet, from
all Circumstances, we have good reason to presume that they never
came up to +Plautus+; so that there is no one to stand in
competition with him but +Terence+: But if +Comedy+ consists more in
+Action+ than +Discourse+, then +Terence+ himself must be oblig'd to
give place to our Author; and as +Terence+ ought to be esteem'd as a
Man who spoke admirably, +Plautus+ is to be admir'd as a
+Comick-Poet+. The principal Differences of these two Poets have
been touch'd upon in the Preface to the English +Terence+; and from
thence it will appear, that +Plautus+ had the vaster +Genius+, and
+Terence+ the more exquisite Judgment; and, considering what Persons
they copied, as the later was call'd the +Half Menander+, so the
former may be stil'd the +Half Aristophanes+.
+Terence+'s Stile was generally more refin'd and pure, and withal
more elaborate than this Poet's; yet undoubtedly, +Plautus+ was a
most absolute Master of his Tongue, and in many Places there appear
such a Sharpness and Liveliness of Expression, nay and such a
Neatness and Politeness too, that is scarce to be found in
+Terence+; and this, perhaps, may have occasion'd +Varro+ to say,
+That if the Muses were to speak Latin, they wou'd certainly make
use of his very Stile+; and +Tanaquill Faber+ to call +Plautus+,
+The very Fountain of pure Latin+. As to +Wit+ and +Raillery+,
+Terence+ might by no means be compared to him; then he is not
always so happy, but often degenerates to a Meanness that +Terence+
wou'd never have been guilty of; and tho' his +Jests+ and
+Repartees+ were sometimes admirable, and often far above
+Terence+'s, yet they were many times as much below him, and by
their Trifling and Quibbling, appear to have been calculated for the
Mob. This, probably, made +Rapin+ observe, +That he says the best
Things in the World, and yet very often he says the most wretched.+
A little before he says, +_Plautus_ is ingenious in his Designs,
happy in his Imaginations, fruitful in his Invention; yet, that
there are some insipid Jests that escape from him in the Taste of
_Horace_; and his good Sayings that make the People laugh, make
sometimes the honester sort to pity him.+ The most remarkable Thing
in his Stile, is the natural and unaffected +Easiness+ of it, I mean
in opposition to +Stiffness+, which with the true +Elegance+ and
+Propriety+ of the +Latin+ Tongue in +Common Discourse+, seems
almost its distinguishing Character, and sets him above any other
+Roman+ Author in that respect. 'Tis true, +Terence+ has all these
Excellencies, and perhaps is more exact in +Propriety of Terms+, and
in his Choice of +Words+, yet his extream Closeness and great
Elaborateness, I presume, has made it somewhat less +Free+ and
+Familiar+, or at least it wou'd be so if any other Man of less
Judgment had managed it. So that what I mean is, that +Plautus+'s
Stile ought rather to be imitated for +Common Discourse+ than
+Terence+'s. +Plautus+ had the Misfortune of living in a worser Age
than +Terence+, therefore there must be a larger Allowance for his
+Obsolete Words+, his +Puns+, and +Quibbles+, as well as those Words
that were peculiar to the Theatre and his Subjects, which, if once
transplanted, wou'd never thrive elsewhere.