Publius Terentius Afer (Terence) Eunuchus 1.2

Henry Thomas Riley (Translator), George Colman (Translator)

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Eunuchus. Publius Terentius Afer (Terence). Henry Thomas Riley (Translator), George Colman (Translator). Ney York. 1874.

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Current edition Perseus

Eunuchus; or, The Eunuch (English) (Terence. The Comedies of Terence. Riley, Henry Thomas; Colman, George, translators. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1872.)

Editions (1)
Eunuchus Perseus (Terence. Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex. Parry, Edward St. John, editor. London: Whittaker and Co.; George Bell, 1857.) — 1.2 focus

Notes on the current edition

Eunuchus; or, The Eunuch

1. Approach this fire. Ignem is generally supposed to be used figuratively here, and to mean the flame of love. Eugraphius, however, would understand the expression literally, observing that courtesans usually had near their doors an altar sacred to Venus, on which they daily sacrificed.
2. Of course it’s because. It must be observed that these words, commencing with Sane, quia vero, in the original, are said by Phaedria not in answer to the words of Thais immediately preceding, but to her previous question, Cur non recta introibas? Why didn’t you come into the house at once? and that they are spoken in bitter irony.
3. From Sunium: This was a town situate near a lofty Promontory of that name in Attica . It was famous for a fair which was held there.
Sunium’s rocky brow
is mentioned by Byron in the song of the Greek Captive in the third Canto of Don Juan.
4. Set out for Caria : This was a country of Asia Minor upon the sea-coast, opposite to the island of Rhodes .
5. Servant-maid from Aethiopia: No doubt Aethiopian or negro slaves were much prized by the great, and those courtesans whose object it was to ape their manners.
6. Ladies of quality: Reginae, literally queens, here means women of rank and distinction.
7. Paid twenty minae: The mina contained one hundred drachmae of about 9¾d. each.
8. Ah wretched me!: Donatus remarks that the Poet judiciously reserves that part of the plot to betold here, which Thais did not relate to Phaedria in the presence of Parmeno; whom the Poet keeps in ignorance as to the rank of the damsel, that he may with the more probability dare to assist Chaerea in his attempt on her.
9. From the dispositions of other women: Donatus observes that this is one of the peculiar points of excellence shown by Terence, introducing common characters in a new manner, without departing from custom or nature; since he draws a good Courtesan, and yet engages the attention of the Spectators and amuses them. Colman has the following Note here:
Under the name of Thais, Menander is supposed to have drawn the character of his own mistress, Glycerium, and it seems he introduced a Courtesan of the same name into several of his Comedies. One Comedy was entitled Thais, from which St. Paul took the sentence in his Epistle to the Corinthians, Evil communications corrupt good manners.
Plutarch has preserved four lines of the Prologue to that Comedy, in which the Poet, in a kind of mock-heroic manner, invokes the Muse to teach him to depict the character of his heroine.