Plautus Menaechmi 1.2

Henry Thomas Riley (Translator)

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Menaechmi. Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley (Translator). London. 1912.

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Current edition Perseus

Menaechmi, or The Twin Brothers (English) (Plautus. The Comedies of Plautus, Volume 1. Riley, Henry Thomas, translator. London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 1912.)

Editions (1)
Menaechmi Perseus (Plautus. Plauti Comoediae, Volume 1. Leo, Friedrich, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1895.) — 1.2 focus

Notes on the current edition

Menaechmi, or The Twin Brothers

1. A custom-house officer: The portitores examined those who landed or embarked at any port, to see that they had no merchandize about them which had not paid duty. They also made the necessary enquiries who the parties were, and what was their destination. He compares his wife to one of these inquisitive persons
2. This mantle: The palla, a kind of mantle or cloak, was worn indifferently by both sexes among the Greeks and Romans. This will account for the circumstance of Menaechmus Sosicles wearing, as we shall see in the sequel, the palla of a female, without expecting to attract the notice of passers-by. The palla, which by the prose writers is also called pallium, was used for many other purposes than that of a garment. See Dr. Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
3. To destruction: Ad damnum. He calls the Courtesan damnum, sheer loss or wastefulness par eminence.
4. Of my allies: By these he means the Courtesan Erotium and the Parasite Peniculus, who have run no risk by helping him to filch away the mantle.
5. What share have I: Thinking himself alluded to as one of the socii or allies, the Parasite immediately appears before him and asks what share, then, he is to have of the booty.
6. When I see the remnants: He thinks that Menaechmus is alluding to something in the eating way, and says that he can tell whether the cook has done his duty well or not, by only looking at the scraps of the entertainment.
7. Ganymede: He is mentioned in the text under another name of a gross nature. Ganymede was the son of Tros, King of Troy . Jupiter was said, in the form of an eagle, to have carried him off, and made him cupbearer to the Gods, in the place of Hebe, the Goddess of youth.
8. Come, look at me: Saying this, he probably takes the palla from behind him, and putting it on, stalks about with it upon him. This he could do without the risk of being seen by his wife, as on the Roman stage a number of streets and lanes were seen to terminate, up which the actor would go a little way to escape observation from a house situate just at the end of another street. He means to ask the Parasite if he does not quite equal Ganymede or Adonis, as represented in the pictures, by reason of his tasteful attire.
9. On my guard: As Menaechmus has fallen out with his wife, the Parasite thinks there is no chance of a cena at his house. He is the more careful then to make enquiries, lest Menaechmus should contrive to baulk him of his banquet altogether.
10. My only eye: By this it appears that Peniculus has but one eye. In the Curculio, the Parasite of that name is also represented as having but one eye.
11. Let consume this day: He supposes the day to be dead so far as business is concerned; the cena, which generally commenced about three o’clock in the afternoon (and sometimes, perhaps, the prandium as well), was followed by potatio or drinking, which by such characters as Menaechmus and the Parasite would be prolonged to midnight, when they would see the day dead, and celebrate its funeral in their orgies.
12. To its navel: Umbilicus, the navel, was a term much used to signify the middle part of anything. Thus Delphi was called the umbilicus, or navel, of the world.
13. An excellent charioteer: The drivers of the chariots at the Circensian games were called agitatores. Of course they would look back every now, and then to see how near their opponents were, that they might keep the lead.
14. You’ve removed: Peniculus now loses patience, and reflects that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip.