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In Most. 974 ff. the word is aio, in Per. 482 ff. credo, in Poen. 731 ff.<br />
quippini, in Ps. 484 ff. va/ yap, in Rud. 1212 ff. licet and 1269 ff.<br />
censeo. The last two examples are the lengthiest.14<br />
The third of these motives is the introduction of clearly unnatural<br />
dialogue, wholly incidental and foreign to the action, for the<br />
sake of lugging in a joke. The As. (38 ff.) yields the following<br />
conversation between Demaenetus senex and his slave Libanus :<br />
I'LL By all that's holy, as a favor to me, spit out the words you<br />
have uttered.<br />
DE. All right, I'll be glad to oblige you. (Coughs.)<br />
Ll. Now, now, get it right up ! (Pats him on the back.)<br />
DE. More ? (Coughs.)<br />
Ll. Gad, yes, please ! Right from the bottom of YO'ur throat :<br />
more still ! (Pats.)<br />
DE. Well, how far down then?<br />
Ll. (Unguardedly.) Down to Hades is my wish !<br />
DE. I say, look out for trouble !<br />
Ll. (Diplomatically.) For your wife, I mean, not for you.<br />
DE. For that speech I bestow upon you freedom from punishment.<br />
" lS<br />
The childish bandying of words in Truc. 8S8 ff. is egregiously<br />
tiresome in the reading, but in action could have been made to<br />
produce a modicum of amusement if presented in the broad burlesque<br />
spirit that we believe was almost invariably employed.<br />
Wa. ives us a clue to the next topic.<br />
B. Devices absurd and inexplicable unless interpreted in a broad<br />
fa cal spirit.<br />
This includes peculiarities that have usually been commented<br />
on as weaknesses or conventions, or else been given up as hopeless<br />
incongruities, but which we hope to prove also yield their quota of<br />
amusement if clownishly performed. The foremost of these is the<br />
fa<br />
OUnning Slave or Parasite.<br />
We all know him : rushing madly cross stage at top-speed (if we<br />
take the literal word of the text for it), with girded loins, in search<br />
of somebody right under his nose, the while unburdening himself<br />
of exhaustive periods that, however great the breadth of the Roman<br />
HCf. also Poen. 426 fl., Rud. 938 fl.<br />
15Cf. similarly Cap. 121 fl., In fl., Cas. 725 fl., Most. 909, 999 f. Cf. infra II.<br />
B· S·<br />
45
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