Part 5 (2/2)

_Medea_ Now hasten not, Relentless passion, but enjoy a slow revenge

This day is in thy hands; its fertile hours employ

_Jason_ O take my life, thou heartless one

_Medea_ Thou bidst me pity-- Well--[_She slays the second child_]--'Tis done!

No more atonement, passion, can I offer thee

Now hither lift thy tearful eyes, ungrateful one

Dost recognize thy wife? 'Twas thus of old I fled

The heavens themselves provide me with a safe retreat

Twin serpents bow their heads submissive to the yoke

For there suddenly appears in the air a chariot drawn by dragons

Now, father, take thy sons; while I, upon h real after as she vanishes_]

Speed on through realms of air that one, no Gods can be

3 ROMAN COMEDY

We have already said that the natural ed itself in uncouth performances of a dramatic nature, which developed later into those mimes and farces, the forerunners of Roman comedy and the old Medley-Satura We have also shoerfully Rome came under the influence of Greek literature and Greek art; and how the first actual invasion of Rome by Greek literature was made under Livius Andronicus, who, in 240 B C, produced the first play before a Roue What the history of native comedy would have been, had it been allowed to develop entirely apart from Greek influence, we shall never know, since it did come powerfully under this influence, and retained permanently the form and character which it then acquired

When Rome turned to Greece for comedy, there were three models from which to choose: the Old Athenian Comedy of Eupolis, Cratinus, and Aristophanes, full of criticis the most independent republican spirit; the Middle Comedy, which was still critical, directed, however, ht than at individuals; and New Comedy, the product of the political decadence of Greece, written during a period (340-260 B C) when the independence which had one out of Greece These plays aie of politics was squeezed out of them, and they wereand entertaining incidents of the social life of Athens The best knoriters of New Coments of whose works have come down to us

Which of these models did the Roer contemporary of Andronicus, and who produced his first play in 235 B C, that he wrote in the bold spirit of the Old Comedy, and criticized the party policies and leaders of his time But he soon discovered that the stern Ro a joke, especially when its point was directed against that ineffably sacred thing, the Ro to voice his criticise the poet was imprisoned and afterward banished from Rome

Perhaps warned by the experience of Naevius, Roman comic poets turned to the perfectly colorless and safe society plays of the New Comedy for translation and imitation They not only kept within the limitations of these plays as to spirit and plot, but even confined the scene itself and characters to soenerally Athens, and for the estive of Ro this period of first impulse; but of all these, the works of only two are preserved to us These are titus Maccius Plautus, who died in 184 B C, and Publius Terentius Afer, commonly known as Terence, as born in 195 B C, and died in 159 B C These triters have much in common, but there are also her, th and a broader humor; and, within the necessary limitations of which we have spoken, he is more national in his spirit, more popular in his appeal

Terence, on the other hand, no doubt because he was privileged to associate with the select and literary circle of which Scipio and Laelius were the center, was more polished and correct in style and diction But while he thus gains in elegance as coor of the older poet

As an illustration of the society play of the New Coment the _Phormio_ of Terence, which we have taken the liberty of translating into somewhat free modern vernacular This is perhaps the best of the six plays of Terence which we have, and was modeled by him after a Greek play of Apollodorus It is named _Phormio_ from the saucy parasite who takes the principal role The other characters are two oldermen, sons of these, Antipho and Phaedria; a smart slave, Geta; a villainous slave-driver, Dorio; Nausistrata, wife of Chremes, and Sophrona, an old nurse The scene, which does not change throughout the play, is laid in Athens As for the plot, it will develop itself as we read

A shock-headed slave co in from the direction of the Forum and stops in front of Demipho's house He carries in his hand a purse of ht in payment of a debt:

Friend Geta paid arly balance on a little account soot it here It seeot ether as a present for the bride Things have come to a pretty pass, to be sure, when the poor ossip has saved up out of his allowance, a penny at a ti hiobble up at one fell swoop, little thinking how hard Geta had to work to get it Pretty soon he will be struck for another present when a child is born; for another when its birthday coet it all; the child will be only an excuse But here co man Antipho, mentioned in this slave's soliloquy, is one of the important issues of the play The real situation is revealed in the following conversation between the two slaves After the paye of civilities, says the friend:

_Davus_ But what's the matter with you?

_Geta_ Me? Oh, you don't knohat a fix we are

_Da_ How's that? _Ge_ Well, I'll tell you if you won't say anything about it _Da_ O, come off, you dunce, you have just trusted money with ood would it do ive you away? _Ge_ Well, listen then You know our old man's brother Chremes? _Da_ Well, I should say _Ge_ And his son Phaedria? _Da_ As well as I do you _Ge_ Both the old men went away, Chremes to Lemnos, and his brother to Cilicia, and left uardian spirit an to oppose the boys; but there--my faithfulness to the old ave it up and let the ht; but his cousin Phaedria lost no ti into trouble He fell in love with a little lute-player--desperately in love She was a slave, and owned by a most villainous fellow

Phaedria had no money to buy her freedom with--his father had looked out for that; so the poor boy could only feast his eyes upon her, tag her around and walk back and forth to school with her Antipho and I had nothing else to do, so atched Phaedria Well, one day ere all sitting in the barber-shop across the street fro like a baby When we asked him what the trouble was, he said: ”Poverty never seeirl here in the neighborhood crying over her dead le soul around, not an acquaintance or a relative or any one at all to help at the funeral, except one little old woirl She was a beauty, too” Well, he stirred us all up Then Antipho speaks up and says: ”Let's go and see her; you lead the way” So ent and saw her She _was_ a beauty And she wasn't fixed up a bit either: her hair was all hanging loose, she was bare-footed, unke, dress travel-stained

So she must have been an all-round beauty, or she couldn't have seemed so then Phaedria says: ”She'll do pretty well” But Antipho-- _Da_ O yes, I know, he fell in love with her _Ge_ But do you kno ht to the nurse and begged her to let hiirl; but the old wo on the square; that the girl was a well-born citizen of Athens, and that if he wanted to al way If he had any other object it was no use Our young h, but he was afraid of his absent father _Da_ Why, wouldn't his father have forgiven him when he cairl that nobody knew anything about? Not much! _Da_ Well, what came next? _Ge_ What next? There is a certain parasite named Phormio, a bold fellow--curse his iave this precious piece of advice Says he: ”There is a law in Athens that orphan girls shall marry their next of kin, and the same law requires the next of kin to irl, and will bring suit against you to couardian We'll go before the judges; who her father ho her mother, how she is related to you--all this I'll make up on the spur of the moment You won't attempt any defense and of course I shall win the suit I'll be in for a rohen your father gets back, but what of that? You will be safely irl by that time” _Da_ Well, that _was_ a jolly bluff _Ge_ So the youth was persuaded, the thing was done, they went to court, our side lost the suit, and Antipho irl _Da_ What's that? _Ge_ Just what I say _Da_ O Geta, ill become of you? _Ge_ I'll be blessed if I know I'h: whatever happens, I'll bear it with equaniot the spirit of a ue, the little lute-player's youngon? _Ge_ Only so so

_Da_ He hasn't much to pay for her, I suppose? _Ge_ Not a red; only his hopes _Da_ Has Antipho's father come back yet? _Ge_ No _Da_ When do you expect him? _Ge_ I'm not sure, but I have just heard that a letter has been received fro for it now _Da_ Well, Geta, can I do anything ood to yourself Good-by