ern
low-comedy Jew: "I vant my inderesd!" Calidorus of the _Ps._ and
Phaedromus of the _Cur._ are but bleeding hearts dressed up in clothes.
The _milites gloriosi_ are all cartoons;[166] and the perpetually
moralizing pedagogue Lydus of the _Bac._ becomes funny, instead of
egregiously tedious, if acted as a broad burlesque.

The panders[167] are all manifest caricatures, too, especially the famous
Ballio of the _Ps._, whom even Lorenz properly describes as "der
Einbegriff aller Schlechtigkeit," though he deprecates the part as "eine
etwas zu grell and zu breit angefuhrte Schilderung."[168] "Ego scelestus,"
says Ballio himself.[169] He calmly and unctuously pleads guilty to every
charge of "liar, thief, perjurer," etc., and can never be induced to lend
an ear until the cabalistic charm "Lucrum!" is pronounced (264).

The famous miser Euclio has given rise to an inordinate amount of
unnecessary comment. Lamarre[170] is at great pains to defend Plautus from
"le reproche d'avoir introduit dans la peinture de son principal
personnage <Euclio> des traits outres et hors de nature." Indeed, he
possesses few traits in accord with normal human nature. But curiously
enough, as we learn from the _argumenta_ (in view of the loss of the
genuine end of the _Aul._), Euclio at the _denouement_ professes himself
amply content to bid an everlasting farewell to his stolen hoard, and
bestows his health and blessing on "the happy pair." This apparent
conversion, with absolutely nothing dramatic to furnish an introduction or
pretext for it, has caused Langen to depart from his usual judicious
scholarship. After much hair-splitting he solemnly pronounces it
"psychologically possible."[171] LeGrand points out[172] that his change
of heart is not a conversion, but merely a professed reconciliation to the
loss. But there is no need for all this pother. The simple truth is that
Plautus was through with his humorous complication and was ready to top it
off with a happy ending. It is the forerunner of modern musical comedy,
where the grouchy millionaire papa is propitiated at the last moment
(perhaps by the pleadings of the handsome widow), and similarly consents
to his daughter's marriage with the handsome, if impecunious, ensign.

3. Looseness of dramatic construction.

Lorenz with commendable insight has pointed out[173] that {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH TONOS~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA