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TITLE: THE CAPTIVA AND THE MOSTELLARIA
AUTHOR: PLAUTUS
EBOOK: E06518 (O'Briens Book Cellar)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

THE
CAPTIVI
AND THE
MOSTELLARIA
OF
PLAUTUS

Literally Translated
_with notes_

BY
HENRY THOMAS RILEY, B. A.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

HEGIO, an Aetolian, father of Philopolemus.
PHILOCRATES, an Elean, captive in Aetolia.
TYNDARUS, his servant.
ARISTOPHONTES, an Elean, captive in Aetolia.
PHILOPOLEMUS, an Aetolian, captive in Elis.
ERGASILUS, a Parasite.
STALAGAMUS, the servant of Hegio.
A SLAVE of Hegio.
A LAD, the same.

_Scene_.--A place in Aetolia.

THE ACROSTIC ARGUMENT [1].

[Supposed to have been written by Priseian the Grammarian.]
_One_ son of Hegio has been made prisoner (_Captus_) in
battle. A runaway slave has sold the other (_Alium_) when four
years old. The father (_Pater_) traffics in Elean captives, only
(_Tantum_) desirous that he may recover his son, and (_Et_)
among these he buys his son that was formerly lost. He (_Is_), his
clothes and his name changed with his master, causes that (_Ut_) he
is lost _to Hegio_; _and_ he himself is punished. And
(_Et_) he brings back the captive and the runaway together, through
whose information (_Indicio_) he discovers his other.

[Footnote 1: In this Acrostic it will be found that the old form of
"Capteivei" is preserved.]

*       *       *       *       *

THE PROLOGUE.

These two captives (_pointing to_ PHILOCRATES _and_ TYNDARUS),
whom you see standing here, are standing here because--they are both [1]
standing, _and_ are not sitting. That I am saying this truly, you
are my witnesses. The old man, who lives here (_pointing to_
HEGIO's _house_), is Hegio--his father (_pointing to_
TYNDARUS). But under what circumstances he is the slave of his own
father, that I will here explain to you, if you give attention. This old
man had two sons; a slave stole one child when four years old, and
flying hence, be sold him in Elis [2], to the father of this
_captive_ (_pointing to_ PHILOCRATES). Now, do you understand
this? Very good. I' faith, that man at a distance [3] there
(_pointing_) says, no. Come nearer _then_. If there isn't room
for you to sit down, there is for you to walk; since you'd be compelling
an actor to bawl like a beggar [4]. I'm not going to burst myself for
your sake, _so_ don't you be mistaken. You who are enabled by your
means to pay your taxes [5], listen to the rest [6]; I care not to be in
debt to another. This runaway _slave_, as I said before, sold his
_young_ master, whom, when he fled, he had carried off, to this
one's father. He, after he bought him, gave him as his own private slave
[7] to this son of his, because they were of about the same age. He is
now the slave at home of his own father, nor does his father know it.
Verily, the Gods do treat us men just like footballs [8]. You hear the
manner _now_ how he lost one _son_. Afterwards, the Aetolians
[9] are waging war with the people of Elis, _and_, as happens in
warfare, the other son is taken prisoner. The physician Menarchus buys
him there in Elis. _On this_, this _Hegio_ begins to traffic
in Elean captives, if, _perchance_, he may be able to find one to
change for that captive _son_ of his. He knows not that this one
who is in his house is his own _son_. And as he heard yesterday
that an Elean knight of very high rank and very high family was taken
prisoner, he has spared no expense to rescue his son [10]. In order that
he may more easily bring him back home, be buys both of these of the
Quaestors [11] out of the spoil.

Now they, between themselves, have contrived this plan, that, by means
of it, the servant may send away hence his master home. And therefore
among themselves they change their garments and their names. He, there
(_pointing_), is called Philocrates; this one (_pointing_),
Tyndarus; he this day assumes the character of this one, this one of
him. And this one to-day will cleverly carry out this plot, and cause
his master to gain his liberty; and by the same means he will save his
own brother, and without knowing it, will cause him to return back a
free man to his own country to his father, just as often now, on many
occasions, a person has done more good unknowingly than knowingly. But
unconsciously, by their devices, they have so planned and devised their
plot, and have so contrived it by their design, that this one is living
in servitude with his own father. _And_ thus now, in ignorance, he
is the slave of his own father. What poor creatures are men, when I
reflect upon it! This plot will be performed by us--a play for your
_entertainment_. But there is, besides, a thing which, in a few
words, I would wish to inform you of. Really, it will be worth your
while to give your attention to this play. 'Tis not composed in the
hackneyed style, nor yet like other _plays_, nor are there in it
any ribald lines [12] unfit for utterance: here is neither the perjured
procurer, nor the artful courtesan, nor yet the braggart captain. Don't
you be afraid because I've said that there's war between the Aetoliains
and the Eleans. There (_pointing_), at a distance, beyond the
scenes, the battles will be fought. For this were almost impossible for
a Comic establishment[13], that we should at a moment attempt to be
acting Tragedy. If, therefore, any one is looking for a battle, let him
commence the quarrel; if he shall find an adversary more powerful, I'll
cause him to be the spectator of a battle that isn't pleasant _to
him_, so that hereafter he shall hate to be a spectator of them all.
I _now_ retire. Fare ye well, at home, most upright judges, and in
warfare most valiant combatants.

[Footnote 1: _Because--they are both_)--Ver. 2. This is apparently
intended as a piece of humour, in catching or baulking the audience. He
begins as though he was going to explain why the captives are standing
there, and ends his explanation with saying that they are standing
because they are not sitting. A similar truism is uttered by Pamphila,
in the Stichus, l. 120.]

[Footnote 2: _In Elis_)--Ver. 9. Elis, or, as it is called by
Plautus, "Alis," was a city of Achaia, in the north-western part of the
Peloponnesus. Near it the Olympic games were celebrated.]

[Footnote 3: _That man at a distance_)--Ver. 11. One of the
audience, probably a plebeian who has no seat, but is standing in a
remote part of the theatre, is supposed to exclaim in a rude manner that
he cannot hear what the actor says. On this the speaker tells him that
he had better come nearer; and if he cannot find a seat, there is room
for him to walk away. Possibly the verb "ambulo" may be intended to
signify in this case either "to walk" or "to stand," in
contradistinction to sitting. Rost, with some reason, suggests
"abscedito" "walk out," in place of "accedito," "come nearer."]

[Footnote 4: _To bawl like a beggar_)--Ver. 13. Commentators have
differed as to the meaning of this passage. Some think that he means
that with the view of pleasing the plebeian part of the audience, he
shall not bawl out like a beggar asking alms; while others suppose that
the meaning is, that he will not run the risk of cracking his voice,
after which be will be hissed off the stage, and so be reduced to
beggary.]

[Footnote 5: _To pay your taxes_)--Ver. 15. By this he shows that
the party whom he is addressing, is either one of the lowest plebeians
or a slave. In the assessment or census, which was made by the Censors,
the slaves were not numbered at all, being supposed to have no "caput,"
or "civil condition." The lowest century were the "proletarii," whose
only qualification was the being heads of families, or fathers of
children. In addressing those who are reckoned in the census "ope
vestra," "by your means" or "circumstances," he seems to be rebuking the
"proletarii," who had no such standing, and who probably formed the most
noisy part of the audience. As these paid no part of the taxes with
which the theatres were in part supported, of course they would be
placed at a greater distance from the stage, and probably were not
accommodated with seats. It was just about this period that the elder
Scipio assigned different places in the theatres to the various classes
of the people.]

[Footnote 6: _Listen to the rest_)--Ver. 16. "Reliquum" was a term
which either signified generally, "what is left," or money borrowed and
still unpaid. He plays upon these different meanings--"Accipite
reliquum," which may either signify "hear the rest" or "take what is due
and owing," and he then makes the observation, parenthetically, "alieno
uti nil moror," "I don't care to be in debt."]

[Footnote 7: _His own private slave_)--Ver. 20. "Peculiaris" means
"for his own private use," or "attached to his person;" being considered
as though bought with his son's "peculium," or out of his own private
purse. The "peculium" was the sum of money which a son in his minority
was allowed by his father to be in possession of. The word also
signified the savings of the slave.]

[Footnote 8: _Just like footballs_)--Ver. 22. "Pilas." Among the
ancients, games with the "pila" were those played with the "pila
trigonalis," so called, probably, from the players standing in a
triangle, and those with the "follis," which was a larger ball, inflated
with air and struck with the hands, or used for a football. "Paganica"
was a similar ball, but harder, being stuffed with feathers, and was
used by the country-people. "Harpastum" was a small ball used by the
Greeks, which was scrambled for as soon as it came to the ground, whence
it received its name. The Greeks had a proverb similar to this
expression, [Greek: Theon paignia anthropoi], "men are the playthings of
the Gods." So Plato called mankind [Greek: Theon athurmata], "the sport
of the Gods."]

[Footnote 9: _The Aetolians_)--Ver. 24. Aetolia was a country of
Greece, the southern portion of which was bounded by the Corinthian
Gulf; it was opposite to the Elean territory, from which it was divided
by the gulf.]

[Footnote 10: _To rescue his son_)--Ver. 32. "Filio dum parceret."
Literally, "so long as he might spare his son."]

[Footnote 11: _Of the Quaestors_)--Ver. 34. In speaking of these
officers, Plautus, as usual, introduces Roman customs into a Play the
scene of which is in Greece. It has been previously remarked that the

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