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Into your ancient friendship with your wife.
She has done nothing to deserve your blame,
She was compelled by me. I go to Heaven.
    (Jupiter disappears)

ACT V, SCENE III
    AMPHITRYON: It shall be as you wish; and see that you
    Your promises perform. I’ll go within
    To see my wife, and leave Tiresias.
    (To the audience) And now, spectators, clap for mighty Jove,
    And give applause for him that reigns above.

TERENCE
    (Publius Terentius Afer, 190? B.C.-?159 B.C.)

    Phormio
    Anonymous Translation, Published at London, 1734

CHARACTERS
    PHÆDRIA, Chremes’s son
ANTIPHO, Demipho’s son
PHORMIO, a parasite
DORIO, a bawd
GETA, Demipho’s servant
DAVUS, a crony of Geta’s

    NAUSISTRATA, Chremes’s wife e
SOPHRONA, a nurse

SCENE-Athens
    PROLOGUE
     
    Since the old bard can not provoke our poet
To leave the muse, and sit hereafter idle,
He new invectives now prepares, in hopes
To terrify him that he’ll write no more:
His former plays, maliciously he crys,
Are lightly scribled, and the style is poor:
This he reports, because our poet never
Brought on the stage a frantic youth that saw
A hind in flight, and by the hounds pursued,
Her case lamenting, and imploring aid:
But was he conscious that his play’s success
Was thro’ the actor’s merit, not his own,
He wou’d not, as he now offends, offend,
And then his plays wou’d meet with greater favour.
If any now shall say, or can suppose,
That, had not the old poet first provok’d
The young one to abuse him in return,
This had not known what prologues to have wrote,
Our poet answers thus; the prize to all
The servants of the muses is propos’d.
He strove to drive our poet from his studies,
And to subject him to the hand of need:
This strives to answer him, not to provoke:
Had his contention been in gentle words,
He, in return, had gently been reprov’d:
But let him think that, which he brought, repay’d:
Henceforward I shall cease to speak of him,
Since he continues to expose himself.
    Now kindly to my humble suit attend:
I here present to ye a play that’s new;
This comedy Phormio the Latins call,
And Epidicazomenos the Greeks:
Phormio ‘tis call’d from the chief character,
The parasite, who shall the bus’ness guide,
If in the poet’s favour ye’re inclin’d.
    Silent attend with an impartial ear,
That the same fortune now we may not meet,
Which we before had, when our company
Was by the tumult from their places drove;
Which, by the actor’s excellence, have since,
Assisted by your goodness, been restor’d.

ACT I, SCENE I
    (Davus)
    DAVUS: My good friend and countryman Geta came to me yesterday: I had a little money of his in my hands on an old account; which he desir’d me to make up; I have made it up, and am carrying it up to him. I hear that his master’s son is marry’d; I believe this is scrap’d together for a present to his bride. How unjust it is, that they who have but little shou’d be always adding something to the wealth of the rich! All that this poor fellow has sav‘d, by little and little, out of his wages, cheating his belly at the same time for’t, must go at once to her, who does not think with what difficulty ‘twas got: besides Geta will be struck for another sum when his mistress is brought to bed, and for another when the son’s birthday comes about next year, at which time he’ll be initiated: all this goes to the mother, tho the boy’s the pretence: but isn’t that Geta I see?

ACT I, SCENE II
    (Geta and Davus)
    GETA: If a red-hair’d man should enquire for me—
    DAVUS: Say no more, he’s at your elbow.
    GETA: 01 Davus, I was just coming to you.
    DAVUS: Here, take it; ‘tis all good; there’s exactly what I owe you. (He gives the money to Geta)
    GETA: I love you, and thank you for not neglecting me.
    DAVUS: Especially as times go now; things are come to such a pass, that if a man pays what he owes, his creditor’s to say he’s much oblig’d to him: but why are you melancholly?
    GETA: I? You don’t know