Perde 5
[Textpart 6]
My Glycerium has discovered her parents.
PAMPHILUS
Her father is an intimate friend of ours.
970
DAVUS
You do tell good news.
970
PAMPHILUS
And there’s no hinderance to my marrying her at once.
CHARINUS
Is he dreaming the same that he has been wishing for when awake?
PAMPHILUS
Then about the child, Davus.
DAVUS
O, say no more; you are the only person whom the Gods favor.
CHARINUS
I’m all right if these things are true. I’ll accost them.
PAMPHILUS
Who is this? Why, Charinus, you meet me at the very nick of time.
CHARINUS
That’s all right.
975
PAMPHILUS
Have you heard—?
975
CHARINUS
Every thing; come, in your good fortune do have some regard for me. Chremes is now at your command; I’m sure that he’ll do every thing you wish.
975
PAMPHILUS
I’ll remember you; and because it is tedious for us to wait for him until he comes out, follow me this way; he is now in-doors at the house of Glycerium; do you, Davus, go home; send with all haste to remove her thence. Why are you standing there? Why are you delaying?
DAVUS
I’m going. (PAMPHILUS and CHARINUS go into the house of GLYCERIUM. DAVUS then comes forward and addresses the Audience.) Don’t you wait until they come out from there; she will be betrothed within: if there is any thing else that remains, it will be transacted in-doors.
Grant us your applause.Grant us your applause: Plaudite. Colman has the following remark at the conclusion of this Play: All the old Tragedies and Comedies acted at Rome concluded in this manner. Donec cantor vos Plaudite dicat, says Horace. Who the cantor was, is a matter of dispute. Madame Dacier thinks it was the whole chorus; others suppose it to have been a single actor; some the prompter, and some the composer. Before the word Plaudite in all the old copies is an Ω, which has also given rise to several learned conjectures. It is most probable, according to the notion of Madame Dacier, that this Ω, being the last letter of the Greek alphabet, was nothing more than the mark of the transcriber to signify the end, like the Latin word Finis in modern books; or it might, as Patrick supposes, stand for Ωδος, cantor, denoting that the following word Plaudite was spoken by him. After Plaudite in all the old copies of Terence stand these two words, Calliopins recensui; which signify, I, Calliopius, have revised and corrected this piece. And this proceeds from the custom of the old critics, who carefully revised all Manuscripts, and when they had read and corrected any work, certified the same by placing their names at the end of it.
