Prefaces to Terence's Comedies and Plautus's Comedies (1694) Part 4

_Thra._ Right.

_Gna._ The Monarch has you in his Eye then?

_Thra._ Right again.

_Gna._ And wears you next his heart?

_Thra._ Very true: And trusts all his Army and Secrets to my Discretion.

_Gna._ Prodigious!

_Thra._ Then if he happen'd to be tir'd with Company, or fateagu'd with Business, and was desirous of Ease,---- as tho',---- you know what I mean.

_Gna._ Yes, Sir:------ As tho, when he had a mind to clear his Stomach, as a Man may say, of all Concerns,------

_Thra._ Right: Then was I his only Companion hand to fist.

_Gna._ Ay marry Sir! This is a Monarch indeed.

_Thra._ Oh! he's a Man of a thousand.

_Gna._ Yes, one of a million, if he chose you for his Companion.

_Thra._ All the Officers envy'd me, and grumbl'd at me behind my back; but I valued it not: They envy'd me intolerably: But above all, one who had the Charge o' the vast _Indian_ Elephants. One day, this Fellow being more turbulent than the rest, I snap'd him up; _Prithee Strato_, said I, _why art thou so fierce? Is't because you're Lord o' the wild beasts?_

_Gna._ Neatly said, as I hope to live; and shrewdly. Bless me!

you overthrow Man and Beast.---- What said he, Sir?

_Thra._ Not a word.

_Gna._ Nay, I can't tell how he shou'd.

_Thra._ But, _Gnatho_, did I never tell you how sharp I was upon a young _Rhodian_ Spark at a Feast?

_Gna._ Never, Sir; let's hear't, by all means.-- He has told it me a thousand times. [_Aside._

_Thra._ Why this _Rhodian_ Spark I told ye of, was with me at a Feast, where I happen'd to have a small Girl: This Stripling began to be sweet upon her, and waggish upon me too. _How now, you impudent Saucebox_, said I; _you're Man's meat your self, and yet have a mind to a Tid-bit._

_Gna._ Ha, ha, he.

_Thra._ What's the matter, hah?

_Gna._ Very fine, sharp, and delicate; that cou'd not be mended.

But pray, Sir, was this your own? I took it for an old Jest.

_Thra._ Did you ever hear't before?

_Gna._ Often, Sir; and it takes to a miracle.

_Thra._ They're oblig'd to me for't.

_Gna._ I'm sorry tho', you were so sharp upon the foolish young Gentleman. But pray, Sir, what did he say then?

_Thra._ He was quite dash'd out of Countenance; and the whole Company ready to dye with laughing. After that, every body stood in great awe of me.

_Gna._ And truly they had reason.

Here may be seen +Bragging+ and +Wheadling+ sufficiently, but still Nature closely observ'd, and all its due proportions; whereas the other has too much out-gone Probability, and strain'd his +Characters+ to an extravagant pitch. I shall not criticise upon the Particulars, but leave the Reader to judge their Differences; but only I may observe, that when +Characters+ are carry'd too high, as many of ours are, they may probably make an Audience laugh very heartily, but can give 'em but small Pleasure; whereas others will give 'em great Delight, tho' less Laughter.

I am afraid I have dwelt too long upon this Subject, therefore I pa.s.s on to our Author's +Plots+. In that respect, he had not often that +Art+ and +Management+ that +Terence+ had, nor in all his Plays was so +regular+ as he; tho' in several he was, particularly in those I have chosen. But then his Scenes were commonly less languishing, his +Incidents+ more surprizing, and his +Surprizes+ more admirable; undoubtedly he had more of the +Vis comica+, which I may translate +Liveliness of Intreague+, than +Terence+. His +Subjects+ were all more +Simple+ than the other's, but I am apt to believe, that will be reckon'd but a very small Commendation in our Nation, who are but little Lovers of such thin Dyet, as they call it. His +Narrations+ are more lively and sharp than those of +Terence+'s, and, I think, every whit as natural and as well brought in: I'm sure in some of 'em he can never be out-done as to his way of bringing of 'em in. As for the General Rules of the Stage, I refer the Reader to the Preface to +Terence+.

Our Author's princ.i.p.al Fault was, his mixing the +Representation+ with the +Theatral Action+ in many places, where he often makes his Actors speak immediately and directly to the Spectators; a Fault that +Terence+ was not wholly free from. This our modern Plays, I think, are never guilty of; only in our +Monologues+ and +Asides+, our Actors have got a custom of looking so full upon the Spectators, that it seems but one degree better. But our Author is not guilty of this in these three Plays, except in +Amphitryon+, and that by way of +Prologue+, or of any other Faults but what, I believe, I have shewn in my +Remarks+. And these that I have here chosen, are no ways inferior to +Terence+'s in matters of +Plot+ and +Intreague+, but in some respects superior, tho' not so elaborately wrought up, or always with that Niceness; so that these may undoubtedly prove excellent Models for our Poets Imitation, provided they observe Differences of Tastes, Humours, Ages, and Persons, and keep to those princ.i.p.al Beauties they already possess, some of which are undoubtedly above the Ancients. Only +Terence+ will teach 'em one thing that +Plautus+ does not, to wit, the great Cunning of working in +Under-Plots+, and still preserving the +Unity of Action+; for +Plautus+ has none of them. As for the Necessity of Rules, the Objections against 'em, and the wonderful Perfection our Plays might arrive to by a more close Observance of 'em, I must once more refer my Reader to the Preface to +Terence+. It was princ.i.p.ally upon the Poets Account, and for all such as are desirous of understanding and judging the Excellencies of Dramatick Poetry, that I translated these Plays. If it be objected, that the Poets, Criticks, and Lovers, as well as Judges of Dramatick Poetry, do most of 'em understand the Original; I must deny the Truth of it, tho' several of 'em do: But if they did, these will be much more proper for their Design, especially by means of the +Notes+ and +Remarks+; and the Reasons I urg'd for the translation of +Terence+, bear a greater force in this Author, for here is a greater Obscurity, by reason of corrupted Copies, wrong Points, false Divisions of whole Acts as well as Scenes, besides a greater number of knotty and obscure Pa.s.sages, than in +Terence+.

Tho' this was my princ.i.p.al, it was not my only Design of translating this Author, for I had all the way an Eye to School boys, and Learners of the +Latin+ Tongue: Therefore, upon that account, I have not only kept perfectly close to his Sence, but almost always to his Words too; a thing not only extream difficult in an Author so frequently verbose, but oftentimes dangerous too: And for an Instance, I need not go any further than the very first Sentence of the +Prologue+ to +Amphitryon+, which if I had made shorter, I cou'd have made better. I can't forbear mentioning a Pa.s.sage in the third Act of the same Play, which just now comes to my remembrance:

Nam certo si sis sa.n.u.s, aut sapias satis, Quam tu impudicam esse arbitrare, & praedicas, c.u.m ea tu sermonem nec joco, nec serio Tibi habeas, nisi sis stultior stultissimo.

Which I have translated, perhaps, too closely thus; +I'm sure, had ye either Wit, or Discretion, or weren't the greatest Fool in Nature, you'd ne'er hold Discourse, either in Mirth or Earnest, with the Woman you believe and declare a Strumpet.+ I'm confident many other Translators wou'd not have been so scrupulously nice, but have made shorter work of it. But I have not only been so scrupulous in this Case, but I have likewise imitated all his Faults and Imperfections, whenever I cou'd do it without extream Injury to the Translation; I speak of his +Puns+, +Quibbles+, +Rhimes+, +Gingles+, and his several ways of playing upon words; which indeed were the Faults of his Age, as it was of ours in +Shakespear+'s and +Johnson+'s days, and of which +Terence+, as correct as he is, is not perfectly clear. Our Author's playing upon words are of that various nature, and so frequent too, I need not go far for a single Instance, which shall be in the fore part of the Prologue to +Amphitryon+:

Justam rem & facilem esse oratum a vobis volo.

Nam juste ab justis sum orator datus.

Nam injusta ab justis impetrare non decet: Justa autem ab injustis petere, insipientia 'st: Quippe illi iniqui jus ignorant, neque tenent.

Which I have translated thus: +I desire nothing but what's reasonable, and feasible; for 'tis a reasonable G.o.d requires Reason from a reasonable People; but to require Roguery from reasonable People, is base; and to expect Reason from Rascals, is nonsence; since such People neither know Reason nor observe it.+ Our Author's Wit did many times consist in his playing upon Words; a great pity indeed, for a person who was so well able to writ after a more substantial way, of which we have many remarkable Instances. Besides his Quibbling, partly from his Carelesness and Necessities, he hath sometimes a vein of +Trifling+, which was but very indifferent; and on those places the Reader must make some allowance for the translation, and not expect more than the Matter will well bear. As for our Author's +Jests+ and +Repartees+, for what we know of 'em, I took a particular care in preserving their Force; and for the most part, I presume, I have done it in a great measure, sometimes by a lucky hit; or a peculiar happiness of our Tongue, other times by a little Liberty taken, and when all have fail'd, the +Remarks+ have generally supply'd the Defect, a way I was forc'd to content my self withal in many places; the worse they were, they were frequently more difficult to preserve, therefore I thought it as well to slur over some few of the meaner sort. Several of his +Jests+ and bits of +Satyr+ are undoubtedly lost to us, not only in respect of our Language, but also our Knowledge, and this sometimes makes his +Sence+ a little obscure. And as the +Sence+ of an Author ought to be his Translator's chiefest Care, so it has been mine; and tho'

I cannot affirm, that I have kept to it in every pa.s.sage, yet I believe I have often done it where a common Reader will think I have not; and I think it no commendation to my self to say I have hit it on many places where the Common Interpreters have missed.

After all, I dare not pretend to say, that this Translation equals the Original, for there is such a peculiar Air in this Author as well as +Terence+, that our Tongue seems uncapable of, or at least it does so to me. Yet still if 'twere always read with the Original, it wou'd make far more for me than otherwise. In short, the Reader ought to look upon this as a Translation of an Author who had several Faults, and such places, as the +English+ must of necessity appear mean, being little better in the Original; and likewise as an Author of Antiquity, some of whose Customs and Manners will appear a little uncouth and unsightly, in spight of all a Translator's Care.

I endeavour'd to be as like my Author as I cou'd, especially in that which I reckon his distinguishing Character, to wit, the natural and unaffected easiness of his Stile, and as this seems the most capable of imitation, so I believe I have been more successful in this Particular than in any other: and that is the main Reason I have had so many Abbreviations, to make it appear still more like common Discourse, and the usual way of speaking. Perhaps I may be thought to have been too bold in that point, because I have had some that are not usual in Prose; therefore I don't set this way as a Copy for any one to follow me in, nor shall I use it myself in any other Piece. I have all the way divided the +Acts+ and +Scenes+ according to the true Rules of the Stage, which are extreamly false in all the Editions of this Author, especially the +Scenes+.

To make this Translation the most useful that I cou'd, I have made +Remarks+ upon each Play, and those are of two sorts, tho' equally intermix'd: The first, to shew the Author's chief Excellencies as to his Contrivance and Management of his +Plots+ and +Incidents+; the second, to discover several Beauties of +Stile+ and +Wit+, princ.i.p.ally such as are not very clear, or cannot well be preserv'd in our Tongue; and those are likewise to vindicate my Translation.

Several of these I must own my self oblig'd to Madam +Dacier+ for, or at least the hint, tho' some of 'em I cou'd not have miss'd of in the prosecution of those Designs I aim'd at. I have borrow'd little or nothing from any other, for her's are far the best +Notes+ I ever met with, tho' many of 'em were done more to shew her Parts and Reading than for any real use, a thing which I shall never aim at.

I have been forc'd in most of 'em to be extream nice and curious in penetrating into the bottom of the Author, for I find it far more difficult to discover a Beauty than a Fault. I might have enlarg'd upon 'em, and have made several more, with good grounds, but I thought it dangerous to say all that cou'd be said; but instead of that I was forc'd, much against my will, to dash out several of those upon +Amphitryon+ upon the account of the Printer, but the rest are more full and compleat.

If business wou'd have permitted me, I shou'd have ventur'd upon three more of our Authors Plays; and upon that Account, I have taken somewhat less time than was necessary for the translating such an extraordinary difficult Author; for this requires more than double the time of a +Historian+ or the like, which was as much as I cou'd allow my self. I made choice of these three Plays as well for their +Modesty+ as +Regularity+, for above all things I wou'd by no means give the least Encouragement to Lewdness or Obscenity, which grow too fast of themselves; and therefore I thought I cou'd not chuse better than after a Lady. +Amphitryon+ had the Name, and never fail'd of a general Approbation; +Epidicus+ was our Author's Favourite, and truly there is much Art in it, tho' it is a little heavy; and +Rudens+ is in several respects a better Play than any of +Plautus+'s or +Terence+'s. I'm afraid +Amphitryon+ will bear the worse in our Tongue, upon the Account of Mr. +Dryden+'s, whose Improvements are very extraordinary; but considering Mr. +Dryden+'s Management is of such a different Nature, this will still be as useful and as proper for my +Design+, or at least to School-boys and Learners. I must do that great Man the Justice in saying, that he has not only much improved the +Humour+, +Wit+, and +Design+ in many places, but likewise the +Thoughts+. I'll mention one, which just now comes into my mind. +Alcmena+ in the Second Act complains thus: +How poor and short are this Life's Pleasures, if once compar'd with the Sorrows we endure? 'Tis Man's Destiny, and Heaven's Pleasure, to mix our Joys with bitter Potions; and for some few Hours of Satisfaction, we meet with Ages of Ills and Troubles.+ Mr. +Dryden+, by the help of Blank Verse, and a little more room, has better'd it extreamly.

Ye n.i.g.g.ard G.o.ds! you make our Lives too long: You fill 'em with Diseases, Wants, and Woes, And only dash 'em with a little Love; Sprinkled by Fits, and with a sparing Hand.

Count all our Joys, from Childhood ev'n to Age, They wou'd but make a Day of ev'ry Year:

And to carry it on further yet, and to make it appear more fine and clear, he says,

Take back your Sev'nty Years, (the stint of Life) Or else be kind, and cram the Quintessence Of Sev'nty Years into sweet Sev'nty Days: For all the rest is flat, insipid Being.

I mention this the rather, because it may serve for one Instance of what Improvements our Modern Poets have made on the Ancients, when they built upon their Foundations. For we find that many of the fine things of the Ancients are like Seeds, that, when planted on +English+ Ground by a Skilful Poet's Hand, thrive, and produce excellent Fruit.

But I'm afraid this +Preface+ has been too long and tedious for this small Piece; but the Press stays, and the hast I'm in will not permit me to make it shorter, or so much as review it; yet before I conclude, I must inform the Reader, that I had the Advantage of another's doing their +P+lays before me; from whose Translation I had very considerable Helps, especially in the +Jests+ and +Quibbles+.