ARGUMENT OF THE PLAY (II)

Amore captus Alcumenas Iuppiter Mutavit sese in formam eius coniugis, Pro patria Amphitruo dum decernit cum hostibus. Habitu Mercurius ei subservit Sosiae. Is advenientis servum ac dominum frustra habet. Turbas uxori ciet Amphitruo, atque invicem Raptant pro moechis.  Blepharo captus arbiter Vter sit non quit Amphitruo decernere. Omnem rem noscunt. geminos Alcumena enititur.[2]

Jupiter, being seized with love for Alcmena, changed his form to that of her husband, Amphitryon, while he was doing battle with his enemies in defence of his country.  Mercury, in the guise of Sosia, seconds his father and dupes both servant and master on their return.  Amphitryon storms at his wife:  charges of adultery, too, are bandied back and forth between him and Jupiter.  Blepharo is appointed arbiter, but is unable to decide which is the real Amphitryon.  They learn the whole truth at last, and Alcmena gives birth to twin sons.

PERSONAE

    DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  MERCVRIVS DEUS
  SOSIA SERVUS
  IVPPITER DEUS
  ALCVMENA MATRONA
  AMPHITRVO DUX
  BLEPHARO GUBERNATOR
  BROMIA ANCILLA

      MERCURY, a god.
      SOSIA, slave of Amphitryon.
      JUPITER, a god.
      ALCMENA, wife of Amphitryon.
      AMPHITRYON, commander-in-chief of the Theban army.
      BLEPHARO, a pilot.
      BROMIA, maid to Alcmena.

Scaena Thebis.

    Scene:—­Thebes.  A street before Amphitryon’s house.

PROLOGVS[3]

PROLOGUE

[Footnote 3:  The genuineness of the Prologues of these plays has long been a moot question.  The tendency of the more recent investigators has been to hold that all were, at least in part, written by Plautus himself.]

MERCVRIVS DEVS

    SPOKEN BY THE GOD MERCURY

Ut vos in vostris voltis mercimoniis emundis vendundisque me laetum lucris adficere atque adiuvare in rebus omnibus et ut res rationesque vostrorum omnium bene me expedire voltis peregrique et domi bonoque atque amplo auctare perpetuo lucro quasque incepistis res quasque inceptabitis,

According as ye here assembled would have me prosper you and bring you luck in your buyings and in your sellings of goods, yea, and forward you in all things; and according as ye all would have me find your business affairs and speculations happy outcome in foreign lands and here at home, and crown your present and future undertakings with fine, fat profits for evermore;

et uti bonis vos vostrosque omnis nuntiis me adficere voltis, ea adferam, ea uti nuntiem quae maxime in rem vostram communem sient—­