THE PROLOGUE. Since the Poet has found that his writings are carped at by unfair critics, and that his adversaries represent in a bad light the Play that we are about to perform, he shall give information about himself; you shall be the judges whether this ought to be esteemed to his praise or to his discredit. The Synapothnescontes 
 Synapothnescontes : Signifying "persons dying together." The "Commorientes" of Plautus is lost. It has been doubted by some, despite these words of Terence, if Plautus ever did write such a Play. is a Comedy of Diphilus; 
 Of Diphilus : Diphilus was a Greek Poet, contemporary with Menander. Plautus made it into a Play called the "Commorientes." In the Greek, there is a young man, who, at the early part of the Play, carries off a Courtesan from a Procurer; that part Plautus has entirely left out. This portion he has adopted in the Adelphi , and has transferred it, translated word for word. This new Play we are about to perform; determine then whether you think a theft has been committed, or a passage has been restored to notice which has been passed over in neglect. For as to what these malevolent persons say, that men of noble rank assist him, and are always writing in conjunction with him—that which they deem to be a heavy crimination, he takes to be the highest praise; since he pleases those who please you all and the public; the aid of whom in war, in peace, in private business, 
 In war, in peace, in private, business : According to Donatus, by the words " in bello ," Terence is supposed to refer to his friend and patron Scipio; by " in otio ," to Furius Publius; and in the words " in negotio " to Laelius, who was famed for his wisdom. each one has availed himself of, on his own occasion, without any haughtiness on their part. Now then, do not expect the plot of the Play; the old men 
 The old men : This is similar to the words in the Prologue to the Trinummus of Plautus, l. 16 : "But expect nothing about the plot of this Play; the old men who will come hither will disclose the matter to you." who come first will disclose it in part; a part in the representation they will make known. Do you cause your impartial attention to increase the industry of the Poet in writing?
 Enter MICIO, calling to a servant within. MICIO Storax! Aeschinus has not returned home from the entertainment last night, nor any of the servants who went to fetch him. To fetch him : " Advorsum ierant ." On the duties of the " adversitores ," see the Notes to Bohn's Translation of Plautus. 
 To himself. Really, they say it with reason, if you are absent anywhere, or if you stay abroad at any time, 'twere better for that to happen which your wife says against you, and which in her passion she imagines in her mind, than the things which fond parents fancy. A wife, if you stay long abroad, either imagines that you are in love or are beloved, or that you are drinking and indulging your inclination, and that you only are taking your pleasure, while she herself is miserable. As for myself, in consequence of my son not having returned home, what do I imagine? In what ways am I not disturbed? For fear lest he may either have taken cold, 
 Either have taken cold : Westerhovius observes that this passage seems to be taken from one in the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, l. 721 , et seq.: "Troth, if I had had them, enough anxiety should I have had from my children; I should have been everlastingly tormented in mind: but if perchance one had had a fever, I think I should have died. Or if one in liquor had tumbled any where from his horse, I should have been afraid that he had broken his legs or neck on that occasion." It may be remarked that.there is a great resemblance between the characters of Micio here and Periplecomenus in the Miles Gloriosus. or have fallen down somewhere, or have broken some limb. Oh dear! that any man should take it into his head, or find out what is dearer to him than he is to himself! And yet he is not my son, but my brother's. He is quite different in disposition. I, from my very youth upward, have lived a comfortable town life, and taken my ease; and, what they esteem a piece of luck, I have never had a wife. He, on the contrary to all this, has spent his life in the country, and has always lived laboriously and penuriously. He married a wife, and has two sons. This one, the elder of them, I have adopted. I have brought him up from an infant, and considered and loved him as my own. In him I centre my delight; this object alone is dear to me. On the other hand, I take all due care that he may hold me equally dear. I give—I overlook; I do not judge it necessary to exert my authority in every thing; in fine, the things that youth prompts to, and that others do unknown to their fathers, I have used my son not to conceal from me. For he, who, as the practice is, will dare to tell a lie to or to deceive his father, will still more dare to do so to others. I think it better to restrain children through a sense of shame and liberal treatment, than through fear. On these points my brother does not agree with me, nor do they please him. He often comes to me exclaiming, "What are you about, Micio? Why do you ruin for us this youth? Why does he intrigue? Why does he drink? Why do you supply him with the means for these goings on? You indulge him with too much dress; you are very inconsiderate." He himself is too strict, beyond what is just and reasonable; and he is very much mistaken, in my opinion, at all events, who thinks that an authority is more firm or more lasting which is established by force, than. that which is founded on affection. Such is my mode of reasoning; and thus do I persuade myself. He, who, compelled by harsh treatment, does his duty, so long as he thinks it will be known, is on his guard: if he hopes that it will be concealed, he again returns to his natural bent. He whom you have secured by kindness, acts from inclination; he is anxious to return like for like; present and absent, he will be the same. This is the duty of a parent, to accustom a son to do what is right rather of his own choice, than through fear of another. In this the father differs from the master: he who can not do this, let him confess that he does not know how to govern children. But is not this the very man of whom I was speaking? Surely it is he. I don't know why it is I see him out of spirits; I suppose he'll now be scolding as usual. Demea, I am glad to see you well. 
 To see you well : Cooke remarks, that though there are several fine passages in this speech, and good observations on human life, yet it is too long a soliloquy. 
 Enter DEMEA. DEMEA Oh,—opportunely met; you are the very man I was looking for. 
 I was looking for : Donatus observes that the Poet has in this place improved upon Menander, in representing Demea as more ready to wrangle with his brother than to return his compliments. 
 MICIO Why are you out of spirits? DEMEA Do you ask me, when we have such a son as Aeschinus, 
 Such a son as Aeschinus : The passage pretty clearly means by " ubi nobis Aeschinus sit ," "when I've got such a son as Aeschinus." Madame Dacier, however, would translate it: "Ask me—you, in whose house Aeschinus is?" thus accusing him of harboring Aeschinus; a very forced construction, however. why I'm out of spirits? MICIO aside. Did I not say it would be so? To DEMEA. What has he been doing? DEMEA What has he been doing? He, who is ashamed of nothing, and fears no one, nor thinks that any law can control him. But I pass by what has been previously done: what a thing he has just perpetrated! MICIO Why, what is it? DEMEA He has broken open a door, 
 Broken open a door : The works of Ovid and Plautus show that it was no uncommon thing for riotous young men to break open doors; Ovid even suggests to the lover the expediency of getting into the house through the windows. and forced his way into another person's house, beaten to death the master himself, and all the household, and carried off a wench whom he had a fancy for. All people are exclaiming that it was a most disgraceful proceeding. How many, Micio, told me of this as I was coming here? It is in everybody's mouth. In fine, if an example must be cited, does he not see his brother giving his attention to business, and living frugally and soberly in the country? No action of his is like this. When I say this to him, Micio, I say it to you. You allow him to be corrupted. MICIO Never is there any thing more unreasonable than a man who wants experience, who thinks nothing right except what he himself has done. DEMEA What is the meaning of that? MICIO Because, Demea, you misjudge these matters. It is no heinous crime, believe me, for a young man to intrigue or to drink; it is not; nor yet for him to break open a door. If neither I nor you did so, it was poverty that did not allow us to do so. Do you now claim that as a merit to yourself which you then did from necessity? That is unfair; for if we had had the means to do so, we should have done the same. And, if you were a man, you would now suffer that other son of yours to act thus now, while his age will excuse it, rather than, when he has got you, after long wishing it, out of the way, he should still do so, at a future day, and at an age more unsuited. DEMEA O Jupiter ! You, sir, are driving me to distraction. Is it not a heinous thing for a young man to do these things? MICIO Oh! do listen to me, and do not everlastingly din me upon this subject. You gave me your son to adopt; he became mine; if he offends in any thing, Demea, he offends against me: in that case I shall bear the greater part of the inconvenience. Does he feast, 
 Does he feast : Colman has the following observation here: "The mild character of Micio is contrasted by Cicero to that of a furious, savage, severe father, as drawn by the famous Comic Poet, Caecilius. Both writers are quoted in the Oration for Caelius, in the composition of which it is plain that the orator kept his eye pretty closely on our Poet. The passages from Caecilius contain all that vehemence and severity which, as Horace tells us, was accounted the common character of the style of that author." does he drink, does he smell of perfumes, 
 Smell of perfumes : For an account of the " unguenta ," or perfumes in use among the ancients, see the Notes to Bohn's Translation of Plautus. —it is at my cost. Does he intrigue, money shall be found by me, so long as it suits me; when it shall be no longer convenient, probably he'll be shut out of doors. 
 Will be shut out of doors : No doubt by his mistress, when she has drained him of his money, and not by Micio himself, as Colman says he was once led to imagine. Has he broken open a door—it shall be replaced; has he torn any one's clothes—they shall be mended. Thanks to the Gods, I both have means for doing this, and these things are not as yet an annoyance. In fine, either desist, or else find some arbitrator between us: I will show that in this matter you are the most to blame. DEMEA Ah me! Learn to be a father from those who are really so. MICIO You are his father by nature, I by my anxiety. DEMEA You, feel any anxiety? MICIO Oh dear,—if you persist, I'll leave you. DEMEA Is it thus you act? MICIO Am I so often to hear about the same thing? DEMEA I have some concern for my son. MICIO I have some concern for him too; but, Demea, let us each be concerned for his own share—you for the one, and I for the other. For, to concern yourself about both is almost the same thing as to demand him back again, whom you intrusted to me. DEMEA Alas, Micio! MICIO So it seems to me. DEMEA What am I to say to this? If it pleases you, henceforth—let him spend, squander, and destroy; it's nothing to me. If I say one word after this— MICIO Again angry, Demea? DEMEA Won't you believe me? Do I demand him back whom I have intrusted? I am concerned for him; I am not a stranger in blood; if I do interpose—well, well, I have done. You desire me to concern myself for one of them,—do concern myself; and I give thanks to the Gods, he is just as I would have him; that fellow of yours will find it out at a future day : I don't wish to say any thing more harsh against him. (Exit.) 
 MICIO These things are 
 These things are : Donatus observes here, that Terence seems inclined to favor the part of mild fathers. He represents Micio as appalled at his adopted son's irregularities, lest if he should appear wholly unmoved, he should seem to be corrupting him, rather than to be treating him with only a proper degree of indulgence. not nothing at all, nor yet all just as he says; still they do give me some uneasiness; but I was unwilling to show him that I took them amiss, for he is such a man; when I would pacify him, I steadily oppose and resist him; and in spite of it he hardly puts up with it like other men; but if I were to inflame, or even to humor his anger, I should certainly be as mad as himself. And yet Aesclhinus has done me some injustice in this affair. What courtesan has he not intrigued with? Or to which of them has he not made some present? At last, he recently told me that he wished to take a wife, 
 Wished to take a wife : Donatus remarks here, that the art of Terence in preparing his incidents is wonderful. He contrives that even ignorant persons shall open the plot, as in the present instance, where we understand that Aeschinus has mentioned to Micio his intention of taking a wife, though he has not entered into particulars. This naturally leads us to the ensuing parts of the Play, without forestalling any of the circumstances. I suppose he was just then tired of them all. I was in hopes that the warmth of youth had now subsided; I was delighted. But look now, he is at it again; however, I am determined to know it, whatever it is, and to go meet the fellow, if he is at the Forum. (Exit.)