Davus

“ Acting upon the advice of Davus, Pamphilus assures his father at their next interview that he is quite ready to take the wife suggested to him. But Davus has been too clever by half. Simo goes straight to his friend, assures him that all is over between Pamphilus and Glycerium, that his son will gladly fulfil the contract already made for him, and begs of him, by their long friendship, not to refuse any longer a connection which will be for his son's advantage and for the happiness of all. ”

“ I see I ever lov’d you justly, Chremes.
Chremes. But then——
Simo. But what?
Chremes. From whence are you appriz’d
Chremes. Whence is’t you know
That there’s a difference between them?
Simo. Davus,
Davus, in all their secrets, told me so;
Advis’d me too, to hasten on the match
As fast as possible. Would he, d’ye think,
56
Do that, unless he were full well assur’d
My son desir’d it too?—Hear, what he says.
Ho there! call Davus forth.—But here he comes.
SCENE VI. Enter Davus.
Davus. I was about to seek you.
Simo. What’s the matter?
Davus. Why is not the bride sent for? it grows late. ”

“ Neither Chremes nor Phania are described as merchants. This addition is well managed by the author, as Davus, who thought the whole a fabrication, imagined he was more likely to gain credit by telling the tale that way; as a considerable traffick was carried on between Athens and the island of Andros, which was a very fertile spot.
M. Baron has translated this scene with great fidelity and beauty. Davus developes in it a plan to break off the dreaded match with Philumena, by introducing Glycera to Chremes: which incident is substituted instead of the birth of the child. ”

“ Thank Heav’n,
Some free-women were present at her labor?
Davus. Troth, she don’t know the gentleman, for whom
She plays this game. She thinks, should Chremes see
The child laid here, he would not grant his daughter.
Faith, he would grant her the more willingly.
Chremes. Not he indeed. (To himself.)
Davus. But now, one word for all,
Take up the child; or I shall trundle him
Into the middle of the street, and roll
You, madam, in the mire.
Mysis. The fellow’s drunk.
Davus. One piece of knavery begets another:
Now, I am told, ’tis whisper’d all about,
That she’s a citizen of Athens— (Loud.) ”

“ He goes into the house of Glycerium.
Scene V. Mysis alone.
Mys. (to herself.) That nothing can be secure to any one! Ye Gods, by our trust in you! I used to make sure that this Pamphilus was a supreme blessing for my mistress; a friend, a protector, a husband secured under every circumstance; yet what anguish is she, poor thing, now suffering through him? Clearly there’s more trouble for her now than there was happiness formerly. But Davus is coming out.
Scene VI. Enter Davus from the house of Glycerium with the child.
Mys. My good sir, prithee, what is that? ”

“ No wonder that a harlot has assurance.
Chremes. This is the Andrian’s servant-maid, I take it.
Davus. Do we then seem to you such proper folks
To play these tricks upon? (Loud to Mysis.)
Chremes. I came in time. (To himself.)
Davus. Make haste, and take your bantling from our door. (Loud.)
Hold! do not stir from where you are, be sure. (Softly.)
Mysis. A plague upon you: you so terrify me!
Davus. Wench, did I speak to you or no? (Loud.) ”

“ Davus retires out of sight.
Scene VII. Enter Chremes on the other side of the stage, going toward the house of Simo.
Chrem. (to himself.) After having provided the things necessary for my daughter’s nuptials, I’m returning, that I may request her to be sent for. (Seeing the child.) But what’s this? I’faith, it’s a child. (Addressing Mysis.) Woman, have you laid that here (pointing to the child) ?
Mys. (aside, looking out for Davus.) Where is he?
Chrem. Don’t you answer me?
Mys. (looking about, to herself.) He isn’t any where to be seen. Woe to wretched me! the fellow has left me and is off. ”

“ Davus. I know your affair also [115] .
Pam. A marriage is——
Davus. I know that also.
Pam. This very day too.
Davus. You stun me; I tell you I know every thing already. You, Pamphilus, fear lest you should be compelled to marry Philumena; and you, Charinus, lest you should not marry her.
Char. Exactly so.
Pam. ’Tis the very thing.
Davus. Then, Sir, in that very thing there is no danger at all; take my word for it.
Pam. For heaven’s sake, Davus, if you can do so, rid me of my fears at once.
Davus. I banish them all; Chremes does not intend to give you his daughter at present. ”

“ Scene VI. Scene VI.
Mysis (alone.)
Is there no reliance to be placed in any thing in this world? Heaven preserve me, I thought Pamphilus my mistress’s chief blessing: a friend, a lover, a husband, always ready to cherish and protect her: but, alas! what misery does she now endure on his account: hitherto he has been to her a source of more evil than good [170] . But here comes Davus! bless me, man, what are you about? where are you going to carry the child?
Scene VII. Scene VII.
Mysis, Davus, (with Glycera’s child.) ”

“ But in the meantime there is a chance for Bacchus and the Muses. Tell them to get out a jar of Falernian to-night, and do you unroll Menander. The counsels of the divine Plato are too eternal for my little mind. And, Davus," he added thoughtfully, as he rose and leaned on the slave's willing arm, "as soon as we get to the house, write down, 'Greece took her captors captive.' That has the making of a good phrase in it—a good phrase. ”

“ Terence has the art of making us feel interested in the favour of almost all his characters: they insensibly gain ground in our good opinion: even this Davus, who certainly has a spice of the rogue about him, creates a warm interest in his favour by his fidelity to Pamphilus; and his generosity in risking his own safety to serve him: he braves the threats of Simo, when, by assisting him, and betraying Pamphilus, he must have secured the old man’s favour, and consequently great advantages to himself. But very few of the worst characters in Terence’s plays seem to us to be wholly unamiable. ”

“ Their relations to one another are brought out with more delicate irony and finer psychological analysis, though with less vigour than those of Pseudolus and Calidorus, or of Ludus and Pistoclerus in the Pseudolus and Bacchides of Plautus. The Davus, Geta, and Syrus of the other plays are tamer and less humourous than the slaves of Plautus; but they play their part with wit and liveliness, and the rôle which they have to perform is not felt to be incompatible with the ordinary conditions of life. ”

“ AT THE WESTMINSTER PLAY
Plaudite! Bravo! Brave! Domini Quippus et Punnus are very much alive! A fact that may be inferred from just one line (there are more whence this came) in the Westminsterial play, when Davus takes Mysis "the New Woman," for his wife, and exclaims ”

“ SCENE II. Enter Davus from Glycerium’s.
Davus (to himself) . He may be easy now, I warrant him——
400 Chremes. See yonder’s Davus.
83 Simo. Ha! whence comes the rogue?
Davus. By my assistance, and this stranger’s safe. (To himself.)
Simo. What mischief’s this? (Listening.)
Davus. A more commodious man,
Arriving just in season, at a time
So critical, I never knew. (To himself.)
Simo. A knave!
Who’s that he praises? (Listening.)
Davus. All is now secure. (To himself.)
Simo. Why don’t I speak to him?
Davus. My master here! (Turning about.)
What shall I do? (To himself.)
Simo. ”

“ Chremes, the other old man, does not divide our interest with Simo; yet we see just enough of his good disposition, to make us sympathize with his happiness in the discovery of a daughter. Pamphilus is rendered interesting by his tenderness for Glycerium, and respect for his father. Davus supports the character of a shrewd, cunning, penetrating slave; he is wholly devoted to the interests of Pamphilus, but is often comically deterred from executing his stratagems by dread of the lash of his old master. ”

“ ACT III. Scene I. Scene I.
Mysis, Simo, Davus, Lesbia [139] , Glycera [140] .
Mysis. Indeed, Lesbia, what you say is very true: one scarcely ever meets with a constant lover.
[Simo to Davus.] This girl belongs to Glycera! Ha! Davus?
Davus. Yes.
Mysis. But as for Pamphilus——
Simo. [aside.] What’s that?
Mysis. He has kept his promise.
Simo. [aside.] Ha!
Davus. [aside.] Would to Heaven that he were deaf, or that she were dumb.
Mysis. For girl, or boy, he has given orders that the child shall be brought up [141] .
Simo. O Jupiter! what do I hear? it is all over, if what she says be truth. ”

“ Scene IV. Pamphilus and Davus.
Pam. What then does my father mean? Why does he thus make pretense?
Dav. I’ll tell you. If now he were angry with you, because Chremes will not give you a wife, he would seem to himself to be unjust, and that not without reason, before he has ascertained your feelings as to the marriage, how they are disposed. But if you refuse to marry her, in that case he will transfer the blame to you; then such disturbances will arise.
Pam. I will submit to any thing from him.
Dav. He is your father, Pamphilus. It is a difficult matter. Besides, this woman is defenseless. ”

“ Slaves, in Greece, were treated with great indulgence, and never chained but for some heinous fault, or when they were brought into the slave-market, (vide Plautus’s Captives, A. 1. S. 2,) and then they were only worn for a short time. As Simo here commands that Davus should be put into chains, we are to suppose him to be exasperated to the utmost, which naturally leads ad finem epitaseos, to the end of the epitasis. The anger of Simo, the distress of Pamphilus and Glycera, the imprisonment of Davus, and the anxious suspense of Charinus, are what Scaliger (Poet, B. 1. C. 9.) ”

“ Chremes. Oh, why d’ye think?
He’s gone to quarrel with her. (Sneering.)
Davus. Nay, but Chremes,
There’s more in this, and you shall hear strange news.
There’s an old countryman, I know not who,
Is just arriv’d here; confident and shrewd;
His look bespeaks him of some consequence.
A grave severity is in his face,
And credit in his words.
Simo. What story now?
Davus. Nay, nothing, Sir, but what I heard him say.
Simo. And what says he, then?
Davus. That he’s well assur’d
Glycerium’s an Athenian citizen.
Simo. Ho, Dromo! Dromo!
401 Davus. What now?
Simo. Dromo!
85 Davus. Hear me.
Simo. ”

“ If I am only able, Davus.
Dav. Trust me for that, Pamphilus, I tell you; your father will never this day exchange a single word with you, if you say that you will marry.
Scene VI. Enter Byrrhia, unperceived, at a distance behind Simo.
Byr. (apart to himself.) My master has ordered me, leaving my business, to keep an eye on Pamphilus to-day, what he is doing with regard to the marriage. I was to learn it; for that reason, I have now followed him55 (pointing to Simo) as 27 he came hither. Himself, as well, I see standing with Davus close at hand; I’ll note this. ”

“ By the use of the word “Commotus” he seems to allude to the wretched, restless existence of a man tied hand and foot, and continually working at the hand-mill. Westerhovius thinks that Simo uses this word sarcastically, in allusion to the words of Davus, at the beginning of the present Scene, “Animo otioso esse impero;” ”

“ If on account of his amour he shall decline to take a wife, that, in the first place, is an offense on his part to be censured. And now for this am I using my endeavors, that, by means of the pretended marriage, there may be real ground for rebuking him, if he should refuse; at the same time, that if that rascal Davus has any scheme, he may exhaust it now, while his knaveries can do no harm: who, I do believe, with hands, feet, and all his might, will do every thing ”

“ You must not expect their coming out.
Some editors give nearly twenty lines of dialogue between Chremes and Charinus respecting the marriage of the latter with Philumena, but those additional lines are spurious. The critics have decided that the play should terminate with the winding up of Pamphilus’s intrigue, and that that of Charinus should be left to the imagination: as the action must languish, if continued after the interest felt for the principal characters has subsided. Davus here addresses the spectators, as does Mysis, in A. 1. S. 4. ”

“ It is, however, more adviseable, even to seem tedious, than to hazard being obscure. Terence certainly opens his plays with great address, and assigns a probable reason for one of the parties being so communicative to the other; and yet it is too plain that this narration is made merely for the sake of the audience, since there never was a duller hearer than Master Sosia, and it never appears, in the sequel of the play, that Simo’s instructions to him are of the least use to frighten Davus, or work upon Pamphilus. ”

“ He is not rightly bound) —Ver. 956. “Non recte vinctus;” meaning “it was not well done to bind him.” The father pretends to understand him as meaning (which he might equally well by using the same words) , “non satis stricte,” “he wasn’t tightly enough” bound; and answers “I ordered that he should be,” referring to his order for Davus to be bound hand and foot. Donatus justly observes that the disposition of the old gentleman to joke is a characteristic mark of his thorough reconciliation.
100. Their joys are their own) —Ver. ”

“ Now it does not admit of it; you must put up with it; they say that she is a citizen of this place; a child has been born; do cease to trouble us.
Sim. By the Gods, I do conjure you not to bring your mind to believe those whose especial interest it is that he should be as degraded as possible. On account of the marriage, have all these things been feigned and contrived. When the reason for which they do these things is removed from them, they will desist.
Chrem. You are mistaken: I myself saw the servant-maid wrangling with Davus. ”

“ Conversation in Davos is of great simplicity. We are all either invalids or the friends of invalids. At first hearing it would appear as if a gigantic ball, at which nobody danced, was perpetually taking place. "Have you been sitting out much to-day?" "Yes, I sat out nine hours." "Ah, I only managed to get in seven," &c., &c. For the pure and perfect air is the main element of the cure at Davos, and in nearly all weathers the invalids are on the verandahs drawing in these draughts of new life and vigour. ”