e Eunuch of Menander; to which
practice of borrowing from various Plays, allusion is made in the
Prologue, where he mentions the mixing of plays; "contaminari
fabulas."]

[Footnote 101: _Grant us your applause_)--Ver. 982. "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 +O+ which has also given
rise to several learned conjectures. It is most probable,
according to the notion of Madame Dacier, that this +O+, 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
+Odos+, 'cantor,' denoting that the following word 'Plaudite' was
spoken by him. After 'Plaudite' in all the old copies of Terence
stand these two words, 'Calliopius 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."]

* * * * *
* * * *

EUNUCHUS; THE EUNUCH.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

LACHES,[1] an aged Athenian.
PHAEDRIA,[2] } his sons.
CHAEREA,[3] }
ANTIPHO,[4] a young man, friend of Chaerea.
CHREMES,[5] a young man, brother of Pamphila.
THRASO,[6] a boastful Captain.
GNATHO,[7] a Parasite.
PARMENO,[8] servant of Phaedria.
SANGA,[9] cook to Thraso.
DONAX,[10] }
SIMALIO,[11] } servants of Thraso.
SYRISCUS,[12] }
DORUS,[15] a Eunuch slave.
THAIS,[13] a Courtesan.
PYTHIAS,[14] } her attendants.
DORIAS,[15] }
SOPHRONA,[16] a nurse.
PAMPHILA,[17] a female slave.

_Scene._--Athens; before the houses of LACHES and THAIS.

THE SUBJECT.

A certain citizen of Athens had a daughter named Pamphila, and a son
called Chremes. The former was stolen while an infant, and sold to a
Rhodian merchant, who having made a present of her to a Courtesan of