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APPENDIX OF AUTHORS AND WORKS
(6) DONATUS* COMMENTARY: Text: P. Wessner (BT, 1902-8; repr. Stuttgart 1963);
H. T. Karsten (Leiden 1912—13). Cf. J. N. Grant, 'Notes on Donatus' commentary
on Adelphoe', G.R.B.S. 12 (1971) I97ff.
AFRANIUS, LUCIUS
LIFE
Active c. 160-120 B.C. as a writer of fabulae togatae (Veil. Pat. 1.17.1, 2.9.3) an d
possibly also as an orator in the lawcourts (Cic. Brut. 167 homo perargutus; Leo,
Gesch. 375 n.4).
WORKS
Forty-two titles represented by c. 430 fragmentary verses, almost all cited by grammarians,
are known. More than fifty verses: Vopiscus 'The surviving twin". More than
twenty verses: Divortium 'The divorce'; Emancipates'Free from father' (?); Epistula
'The letter'; Exceptus 'Rescued from shipwreck' (?); Fratriae 'Sisters-in-law';
Privignus 'The stepson'. Others: Abducta 'The kidnapped girl*; Aequales 'The
friends'; Auctio 'The auction'; Augur 'The augur'; Brundisinae 'The ladies from
Brindisi'; Cinerarius 'The hairdresser'; Compitalia 'The Crossroads Festival';
Consobrini 'The cousins'; Crimen 'Calumny'; Deditio 'Capitulation'; Depositum
'The sum set aside'; Ida (corrupt title); Incendium 'The fire'; Inimici 'The rivals';
Libertas ' Freedom'; Mariti' The husbands'; Materterae ' Mother's sisters'; Megalesia
'The Feast of the Great Mother'; Omen 'The sign'; Pantaleo (personal name, or
corrupt); Pompa 'The procession'; Prodigus 'The wastrel'; Proditus 'Betrayed';
Promus 'The steward'; Purgamentum 'The expiation'; Repudiati 'The rejected
lovers' (?); Sella 'The seat'; Simulans 'The feigner'; Sorores 'The sisters'; Suspecta
'The girl under suspicion'; Talio 'Tit for tat'; Temerarius 'Jumping to conclusions';
Thais; Titulus 'The notice'; Virgo 'The girl'.
The character and categories of these titles closely match those of New Comedy
playwrights such as Menander as opposed to those of the older pa/liata-wnters.
Afranius was evidently a self-conscious and well-educated artist, borrowing a good deal
in technique and themes from Menander (Cic. Fin. 1.3.7, Hor. Epist. 2.1.57) and
'even from the Latins' (Macr. Sat. 6.1.4. ( 2 5~3° Ribbeck, Compitalia), cf. Suet. Vita
Terenti p. 8) — Terence, whom he greatly admired (for his Menandrian aspirations?)
(Macr. loc. cit.), the tragedian C. Titius (Cic. Brut. 167), and Pacuvius (a quotation,
fr. 7 Ribbeck). The prologue of the Compitalia included or consisted of a defence of his
eclectic approach in the same argumentative manner as in a Terentian prologue;
elsewhere (277, 298f., 403^) there are fragments of prologues spoken by divinities and
abstractions, which implies that Menandrian ironies arising from the superior knowledge
of the audience were a feature of his plays. Quintilian qualifies his praise of
Afranius as an excellent all-round author for school-use like Menander because of the
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