The Portable Roman Reader (Portable Library) (8 page)

BROMIA
(to herself):
Now all my hopes and means of
life lie wrecked
And gone; my heart has failed; nor does remain
One spark of courage; all things, sea and land,
And heaven itself, do wish to drag me down
And slay me; what to do I cannot tell.
Such wondrous things have happened in the house.
I’m faint! Oh, for a little water now!
I am exhausted and my strength is gone!
My head is sick! I neither see nor hear!
Nor is there one who is or does appear
More wretched than myself! Such things have chanced
My lady here today; her hour has come;
She straight invokes the gods. What voices come,
What noise, what flashes, how the thunder pealed,
How frequently! And every one fell flat
Just where he was; then with a mighty voice
Some one exclaimed: “Alcmena, help is nigh,
Be not afraid; for he who dwells on high,
Comes both to you and yours with kindly aid.
Rise up,” he says, “who’ve fallen to the ground
In terror and alarm.” Then where I lay
I rose; I thought the house was all on fire
Such flashes were there; then Alcmena cries
For me to come; and that brings fresh alarm.
Fear for my mistress is my first concern.
I go to see what she may wish, and there
I see two sons are born, nor any know
When they came forth, or did suspect their birth.
But what is this? And who is this old man,
Who lies before our door? Has he been struck
By Jupiter? ‘Twould seem as if he had,
He lies as still as if he were quite dead.
I’ll go and search out who he is; it is
My master; ’tis Amphitryon himself.
Amphitryon!
AMPHITRYON: I’m dead!
BROMIA: I pray thee rise!
AMPHITRYON: Nay, all is over.
BROMIA: See, take now my hand.
AMPHITRYON : Who holds me?
BROMIA: ‘Tis your maid, ’tis Bromia!
AMPHITRYON: I’m full of fear; for Jove has thundered so!
Nor is it otherwise than just as if
I was in Hell. But why have you come out?
BROMIA: Why, the same things that filled your heart
with dread
Alarmed us too; I never saw such sights;
Alas! Amphitryon, my mind gives way!
AMPHITRYON: Be quick; art sure I am Amphitryon?
BROMIA: I am.
AMPHITRYON: Quite sure? Look once again!
BROMIA: I am.
AMPHITRYON: Alone of all my household she retains
Her senses.
BROMIA: Nay, my lord, we all are sane.
AMPHITRYON: And yet my wife has made me to be mad
By her foul deeds.
BROMIA: But I will make you tell
Another tale, Amphitryon; you shall know
Your wife is good and faithful; in few words
The reasons and the arguments for that I’ll tell.
And first of all Alemena’s borne two sons.
AMPHITRYON: Two sons?
BROMIA: Yes, two.
AMPHITRYON: The gods preserve me now!
BROMIA: Permit me now to speak that you may know
The gods are all propitious to your wife and you.
AMPHITRYON: Speak then.
BROMIA: Well, when her labour first began,
She invoked the immortal gods to give her aid
With washen hands and covered head. There came
A sudden thunderclap with constant crashing.
We thought the house was coming to the ground.
The whole house flashed as if ‘twere made of gold.
AMPHITRYON: I pray you let me go, you’ve fooled
enough.
What happened then?
BRUMIA: While this proceeded, none
Of us did hear her either groan or cry;
It passed without a pain.
AMPHITRYON: Of that I’m glad,
Whatever her deserts towards me.
BROMIA: Pass on,
And hear my words. When she had brought forth boys,
She bade us wash them; we began to do so;
But the boy I washed, how large and strong
He was; we could not bind him in his cot.
AMPHITRYON: Too strange your talel And if these things
are true,
I do not doubt that help came from on high.
BROMIA: Still greater things remain, as you will say.
For after he was put into his cot
Two crested snakes of awful size come down
Into the tank for rain; and straightway both
Upraised their heads.
AMPHITRYON: Alas! Alas!
BROMIA: Fear not!
The snakes looked all around, and when they saw
The boys, they fly towards the cot. I then,
Retreating backward, draw them back as well,

Fearing for them, and for myself the while.
But when that one of whom I spoke saw them,
Immediately he jumped out of the cot
And made straight for the snakes; each with one hand
He seizes in a fatal grasp of death.
AMPHITRYON: Strange is your tale; too terrible to hear,
And horror seizes on me as you speak.
And say, what happened next?
BROMIA: The boy killed both;
And while this passes, one with clear loud voice
Calls out your wife’s name.
AMPHITRYON: Tell me who was that?
BROMIA: The king of gods and men, the mighty Jove.
He said he was the consort of Alcmena,
And that the son who slew the snakes was his;
The other yours.
AMPHITRYON: Indeed, then, I’m content,
To divide this happiness with Jove. Go home,
And bid your vessels to be straight made fit,
That I with many offerings may seek
The kindly will of Jove.
(To himself, as Bromia goes
inside)
Meanwhile I’ll ask
Counsel and help from seer Tiresias.
But what is this? How loud the thunder rolls!
Gods, I beseech your help.

JUPITER: Be of good cheer, Amphitryon. I am
The friend of you and yours; dismiss, I pray,
Your seers and soothsayers; the future I
Will tell you better far than they can do.
And, first of all, I borrowed for a time
Your wife, Alcmena, and so had a son;
You too had got one when you left to join
The army; both were born together at one birth.
That which is mine shall bring immortal fame
To you by his achievements; so return
Into your ancient friendship with your wife.
She has done nothing to deserve your blame,
She was compelled by me. I go to Heaven.

AMPHITRYON: It shall be as you wish; and see that you

Your promises perform. I’ll go within

To see my wife, and leave Tiresias.

(To the
audience)
And now, spectators, clap for mighty Jove,

And give applause for him that reigns above.

(Publius Terentius Afer, 190? B.C.-?159 B.C.)

 

Since the old bard can not provoke our poet
To leave the muse, and sit hereafter idle,
He new invectives now prepares, in hopes
To terrify him that he’ll write no more:
His former plays, maliciously he crys,
Are lightly scribled, and the style is poor:
This he reports, because our poet never
Brought on the stage a frantic youth that saw
A hind in flight, and by the hounds pursued,
Her case lamenting, and imploring aid:
But was he conscious that his play’s success
Was thro’ the actor’s merit, not his own,
He wou’d not, as he now offends, offend,
And then his plays wou’d meet with greater favour.
If any now shall say, or can suppose,
That, had not the old poet first provok’d
The young one to abuse him in return,
This had not known what prologues to have wrote,
Our poet answers thus; the prize to all
The servants of the muses is propos’d.
He strove to drive our poet from his studies,
And to subject him to the hand of need:
This strives to answer him, not to provoke:
Had his contention been in gentle words,
He, in return, had gently been reprov’d:
But let him think that, which he brought, repay’d:
Henceforward I shall cease to speak of him,
Since he continues to expose himself.

Now kindly to my humble suit attend:
I here present to ye a play that’s new;
This comedy
Phormio
the Latins call,
And
Epidicazomenos
the Greeks:
Phormio
‘tis call’d from the chief character,
The parasite, who shall the bus’ness guide,
If in the poet’s favour ye’re inclin’d.

Silent attend with an impartial ear,
That the same fortune now we may not meet,
Which we before had, when our company
Was by the tumult from their places drove;
Which, by the actor’s excellence, have since,
Assisted by your goodness, been restor’d.

DAVUS: My good friend and countryman Geta came to me yesterday: I had a little money of his in my hands on an old account; which he desir’d me to make up; I have made it up, and am carrying it up to him. I hear that his master’s son is marry’d; I believe this is scrap’d together for a present to his bride. How unjust it is, that they who have but little shou’d be always adding something to the wealth of the rich! All that this poor fellow has sav‘d, by little and little, out of his wages, cheating his belly at the same time for’t, must go at once to her, who does not think with what difficulty ‘twas got: besides Geta will be struck for another sum when his mistress is brought to bed, and for another when the son’s birthday comes about next year, at which time he’ll be initiated: all this goes to the mother, tho the boy’s the pretence: but isn’t that Geta I see?

GETA: If a red-hair’d man should enquire for me—

DAVUS: Say no more, he’s at your elbow.

GETA: 01 Davus, I was just coming to you.

DAVUS: Here, take it; ‘tis all good; there’s exactly what I owe you.
(He gives the money to Geta)

GETA: I love you, and thank you for not neglecting me.

DAVUS: Especially as times go now; things are come to such a pass, that if a man pays what he owes, his creditor’s to say he’s much oblig’d to him: but why are you melancholly?

GETA: I? You don’t know what tribulation and danger I’m in.