THE SUBJECT.

MOSCHUS, a merchant of Syracuse, had two twin-sons who exactly resembled each other. One of these, whose name was Menæchmus, when a child, accompanied his father to Tarentum, at which place he was stolen and carried away to Epidamnus, where in course of time he has married a wealthy wife. Disagreements, however, arising with her, he forms an acquaintance with the Courtesan Erotium, and is in the habit of presenting her with clothes and jewels which he pilfers from his wife. The original name of the other twin-brother was Sosicles, but on the loss of Menæchmus, the latter name has been substituted by their grandfather for Sosicles, in remembrance of the lost child. Menæchmus Sosicles, on growing to manhood, determines to seek his lost brother. Having wandered for six years, he arrives at Epidamnus, attended by his servant, Messenio. In consequence of his resemblance to his brother, many curious and laughable mistakes happen between him and the Courtesan Erotium, the wife of Menæchmus of Epidamnus, the Cook Cylindrus, the Parasite Peniculus, the father-in-law of Menæchmus of Epidamnus, and lastly Messenio himself. At length, through the agency of the latter, the brothers recognize each other; on which Messenio receives his liberty, and Menæchmus of Epidamnus resolves to make sale of his possessions and to return to Syracuse, his native place.

MENÆCHMI;

OR, THE TWIN-BROTHERS.

THE ACROSTIC ARGUMENT.

[Supposed to have been written by Priscian the Grammarian.] A SICILIAN merchant (Mercator) who had two sons, on one being stolen from him (E), ended his life. As a name (Nomen) for him who is at home, his paternal grandfather (Avus) gives him that of Menæchmus instead of Sosicles. And (Et) he, as soon as he is grown up, goes to seek his brother about (Circum) all countries. At last he comes to Epidamnus; hither (Huc) the one that was stolen has been carried. All think that the stranger, Menæchmus (Menæchmum), is their fellow-citizen, and address him (Eum) as such; Courtesan, wife, and father-in-law. There (Ibi) at last the brothers mutually recognize each other.

THE PROLOGUE.

In the first1 place now, Spectators, at the commencement, do I wish health and happiness2 to myself and to you. I bring you Plautus, with my tongue, not with my hand: I beg that you will receive him with favouring ears. Now learn the argument, and give your attention; in as few words as possible will I be brief. And, in fact, this subject is a Greek one; still, it is not an Attic3, but a Sicilian one. But in their Comedies the poets do this; they feign that all the business takes place at Athens1, in order that it may appear 1 In the first)-Ver. 1. This Play was the foundation of Shakspeare's Comedy of Errors. See the Note at the end of the Play.

Health and happiness)-Ver. 1. "Salutem propitiam." Literally, "propi

tious health."

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3 It is not an Attic)-Ver. 7. "Græcissat-Atticissat-Sicelissat." Perhaps these words might be more literally translated, Græcize," Atticize," and "Sicilicize."

At Athens)-Ver. 10. As the majority of the Greek Comic Poets were either natives of, or residents at, Athens, they would naturally take that extensive, opulent, and bustling city as the scene of many of their Comedies. In the time of Plautus, Greek was yet the language of the Sicilians. In Cicero's time the language of the Sicilians was a mixture, partly Greek and partly Latin. Apuleius informs us that in his day they spoke Greek, Latin, and a language peculiar to themselves, called the Sicilian.

the more Grecian to you. I will not tell you that this matter happened anywhere except where it is said to have happened. This has been my preface to the subject of this play. Now will I give the subject, meted out to you, not in a measure, nor yet in a threefold measure1, but in the granary itself; so great is my heartiness in telling you the plot.

to

There was a certain aged man, a merchant at Syracuse2; him two sons were born, twins, children so like in appearance that their own foster-mother3, who gave the breast, was not able to distinguish them, nor even the mother herself who had given them birth; as a person, indeed, informed me who had seen the children; I never saw them, let no one of you fancy so. After the children were now seven years old, the father freighted a large ship with much merchandize. The father put one of the twins on board the ship, and took him away, together with himself, to traffic at Tarentum1; the other one he left with his mother at home. By accident, there were games at Tarentum when he came there: many persons, as generally happens at the games, had met together; the child strayed away there from his father among the people. A certain merchant of Epidamnus was there; he picked up the child, and carried it away to Epidamnus5. But its father, after he had lost the child, took it heavily to heart, and through grief at it he died a few days after at Tarentum. Now, after news reached the grandfather of the children at home about this matter, how that one of the children had been stolen, the grandfather changed the name of that other twin. So much did he love that one which had been stolen, that he gave

his

1 A threefold measure)-Ver. 15. "Trimodius." This was a measure for corn, consisting of three "modii," which last contained about a peck of English

measure.

2 At Syracuse)-Ver. 17. Syracuse was the principal city of Sicily, famed for its commerce and opulence.

3 Foster-mother)-Ver. 19. "Mater." Literally, "mother."

4 At Tarentum)-Ver. 27. Tarentum was a city of Calabria, in the south of Italy. It was said to have been founded by the Lacedæmonians.

5 To Epidamnus)-Ver. 33. Epidamnus, or Epidamnum, was a town of Macedonia, situate on the Adriatic Sea. It was much resorted to for the purpose of transit to the opposite shores of Italy. It received its original name from Epidamnus, one of its kings; but on falling into the possession of the Romans, they changed its name, as we are informed by Pliny the Elder, into Dyrrachium, from a superstitious notion that when they were going to "Epidamnum," they were going "to their loss," as "damnum" is the Latin for "loss" or "destruction,” and 'eïì, or “epi,” is the Greek preposition signifying "to." Cicero was banished to this place.

name to the one that was at home. That you may not mistake hereafter, I tell you then this beforehand; the name of both the twin-brothers is the same. He gave the same name of Menæchmus to this one as the other had; and by the same name the grandfather himself was called. I remember his name the more easily for the reason that I saw him cried with much noise1. Now must I speed back on foot to Epidamnus, that I may exactly disclose this matter to you. If any one of you wishes anything to be transacted for him at Epidamnus, command me boldly and speak out; but on these terms, that he give me the means by which it may be transacted for him. For unless a person gives the money, he will be mistaken; (in a lower tone) except that he who does give it will be very much more mistaken3. But I have returned to that place whence I set forth, and yet I am standing in the self-same spot. This person of Epidamnus, whom I mentioned just now, that stole that other twin child, had no children, except his wealth. He adopted as his son the child so carried off, and gave him a well-portioned wife, and made him his heir when he himself died. For as, by chance, he was going into the country, when it had rained heavily, entering, not far from the city, a rapid stream, in its rapidity it threw the ravisher of the child off his legs, and hurried the man away to great and grievous destruction. And so a very large fortune fell to that youth. Here (pointing to the house) does the stolen twin now dwell. Now that twin, who dwells at Syracuse, has come this day to Epidamnus with his servant to make enquiry for this own twin-brother of his. This is the city of Epidamnus while this play is acting; when another shall be acted, it will become another town; just as our companies, too, are wont to be shifted about. The same person now acts the procurer, now the youth, now the old man, the pauper, the beggar, the king, the parasite, the soothsayer *

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1 Cried with much noise)-Ver. 48. Probably the word "flagitarier" means that the lost child was cried publicly by the "præco," or "crier."

2 If any one of you)—Ver. 51. This is said facetiously to the Audience for the purpose of catching a laugh.

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Very much more mistaken)-Ver. 55. Because he will keep the money and not execute the commission.

^ In its rapidity)—Ver. 65. He means to pun upon the words “rapidus,” rapid" or "carrying away," and "raptor," the "carrier away" or "ravisher." "The stream carried away the carrier away."

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ACT I.-SCENE I.

Enter PENICULUS.

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PEN. The young men have given me the name of Peniculus1, for this reason, because when I eat, I wipe the tables clean. * The persons who bind captives with chains, and who put fetters upon runaway slaves, act very foolishly, in my opinion at least. For if bad usage is added to his misfortune for a wretched man, the greater is his inclination to run away to do amiss. For by some means or other do they release themselves from the chains; while thus fettered, they either wear away a link with a file, or else with a stone they knock out the nail; 'tis a mere trifle this. He whom you wish to keep securely that he may not run away, with meat and with drink ought he to be chained; do you bind down the mouth of a man to a full table. So long as you give him what to eat and what to drink at his own pleasure in abundance every day, i' faith he'll never run away, even if he has committed an offence that's capital; easily will you secure him so long as you shall bind him with such chains. So very supple are these chains of food, the more you stretch them so much the more tightly do they bind. But now I'm going directly to Menæchmus; whither for this long time I have been sentenced, thither of my own accord I am going, that he may enchain me. For, by my troth, this man does not nourish persons, but he quite rears and reinvigorates them; no one administers medicine more agreably. Such is this young man; himself with a very well-stocked larder, he gives dinners fit for Ceres2; so does he heap the tables up, and piles so vast of dishes does he arrange, you must stand on your couch if you wish for anything at the top. But I have now had an interval these many days, while I've been lording it at home all along

1 Name of Peniculus)-Ver. 77. This word means a sponge" which was fastened to a stick, and was used for the purpose of cleansing tables. He says that the youths so called him from his own propensity for clearing the tables of their provisions. The tails of foxes and of oxen were also used as "peniculi." Colman and Warner, in their translations of Terence and Plautus, render the word "dishclout."

2 Fit for Ceres)-Ver. 101. As Ceres was the Goddess of corn and the giver of plenty, the entertainments in honor of her would of course be very bounteous.