"Neither is his propenfity to the *equivoque lefs pardonable ---he is often playing upon words; but in a manner fo low and infipid, that good taste is furfeited even to nauseating. One of these must have been the cafe; either the old Romans were a set of such jolly fellows, that a little whuld make them laugh, or else our author had as much of the low as of the high in his judgment.

"Is not our author alfo cenfurable for his tindecencies? In my opinion he can in this be no otherwise excufed, than by fuppofing that

though out of character and feafon, yet the excellence of the fentiment makes ample amends for the improper introduction of it.

The tranflator has no other apology to make for fome puns, which may poffibly appear forced to the English reader, but that he thought it requifite to exprefs as well as he could the manner of his original.

+ Though it must be confeffed, that Plautus juftly labours under cenfure in this particular, yet he is not nearly fo offenfive as has been generally imagined. The editor of the Delphin edition of our author has rejected fcarce above five pages in the whole, out of twenty plays, upon this account; and many paffages, even in these, would hardly offend the most scrupulous ear. It is true, indeed, the commentators have been often remarkably indufirious in finding out allufions, which do not appear from the plain and obvious meaning of the context. The tranflator, however, has thought it his indifpenfable duty to fupprefs or foften every circumftance and expreffion, that might be exceptionable to the English reader.

in fo doing he conformed himself to the unpolished taste of the age he lived in. It is probable, that the Romans were not then arrived at elegance in point of delicacy: much less po lite than they became afterwards, their ears with pleasure attended to indecent expreffions and immodeft words

"Another fault of our author is, that he abounds in tautology and needless repetitions. His thoughts are often like flowers hid under a multiplicity of weeds: they are like fruit, which the quantity of furrounding leaves obfcures the beauty of. Too liable to repeat the same phrase and the fame word, one might say he liked the produce of his thoughts too well not to give it more than once; or he imagined his readers and his audience had too limited a difcernment to understand them at once...

But what gives me the most concern is the little regard he has to *probability. Instead of meafuring the time by the duration of the action which ought to fill it up, he is thinking of nothing but the action itself, and often fuppofes

The feeming want of probability, in many of our author's fcenes, has been often owing to a wrong divifion of the acts which have been attempted to be rectified in this tranflation.

things to be done, the execution of which neceffarily demands a long space of time. A perfon goes to the market-place, does his business, and returns again in a minute or two; another, in as short a space of time, marches over a whole town to find his man. Twenty other examples of this kind might be produced

"But in the article of probability there is one instance extremely disagreeable. On the stage you fee +meffengers of good news; they usually come from the port; they run quite out of breath to declare the arrival of a father, an hufband, or a fon of those who are in expectation of them with the utmost impatience. And what do these Mercuries, when they are talking of the haft they are in? "Tis pleasant to think of it :---they bawl out, that every one should make room for them; they tell you frankly, they will knock down every impertinent fellow that shall be rash enough to obstruct them in

It is remarkable, that this very circumftance appears to be ridiculed by our author himself, in the beginning of the fecond act of Amphitryon, where Mercury comes in running, and fays,

Stand by, make room, all clear the way before me,
Nor any be fo bold to stop my speed.-

Why may not I, who am a deity,

Have the fame licenfe as a flave in comedies,

With threats to bid the people clear the way? &c.

their paffage ; .. yet these very meffengers

that quake for fear left they should not arrive in time, give themselves leifure to review all that come in their way

"Another defect I pafs over, which is, § confounding the reprefentation with the action. The actor fometimes fpeaks in his own perfon and

in character at the fame time in the middle of the speech he tells you, that he is not what he appears to be; joining his own perfonal qualifications with his part, and with the character he is perfonating."

Thus far M. Gueudeville, who, however, concludes with faying, that "all the shades of PLAUTUS do not cloud over the brightness of his funshine : all his irregularities cast no veil on his original beauties."

To the above it may be proper to add, for the information of the English reader, another circumftance, which may seem strange to him,

on account of the difference between the ancient and modern stages.-- "Some (fays Echard in his preface to TERENCE, as quoted by Mr.

This is remarkable in the Prologue, and feveral fcenes of Amphitryon.

Colman)

Colman, object, that in the beginning of many scenes two actors enter the ftage, and talk to themselves a confiderable time, before they fee or know one another; which, fay they, is nei ther probable nor natural. They, that object this, do not confider the difference between our small scanty stage, and the large magnificent Roman theatres: their ftage was fixty yards wide in front; their fcenes fo many streets meeting together, with by-lanes, rows and allies; so that two actors coming down two dif tinct streets or lanes, could not be seen by each other, though the fpectators might fee both; and fometimes, if they did fee each other, they could not well diftinguish faces at fixty yards distance. Besides, on feveral accounts, it might well be supposed, when an actor enters on the stage, out of fome houfe, he might take a turn or two under the porticoes, ufual at that time, about his door, and not obferve another act-or on the other fide of the ftage."---Thefe obfervations, relative to TERENCE, are no less neceffary to be remembered with respect to our author ; and I cannot too much caution the modern reader, conftantly to bear in mind the extent and fcenical decoration of the antient stage. Without this it will be impoffible to reconcile many particulars, that conftantly occur, to nay kind of probability. ь Having