 | The Andrian |  |
SCENE VIII.
Enter PAMPHILUS; DAVUS behind.Pam.
Where is this villain that has ruin'd me?
Davus.
I'm a lost man.
Pam.
And yet I must confess,
That I deserv'd this, being such a dolt,
A very ideot, to commit my fortunes
To a vile slave. I suffer for my folly,
But will at least take vengeance upon him.
Davus.
If I can but escape this mischief now,
Pam.
To my father
What shall I say?—And can I then refuse,
Who have but now consented? with what face?
I know not what to do.
Davus.
I'faith, nor I;
And yet it takes up all my thoughts. I'll tell him
I've hit on something to delay the match.
Pam.
Oh!
[seeing Davus.
Davus.
I am seen.
Pam.
So, Good Sir! What say you?
See, how I'm hamper'd with your fine advice.
Davus
coming forward.]
But I'll deliver you.
Pam.
Deliver me?
Davus.
Certainly, Sir.
Pam.
What, as you did just now?
Davus.
Better, I hope.
Pam.
And can you then believe
That I would trust you, Rascal? You amend
My broken fortunes, or redeem them lost?
You, who to-day, from the most happy state,
Have thrown me upon marriage.—Did not I
Foretell it would be thus?
Davus.
You did indeed.
And what do you deserve for this?
Davus.
The gallows.
—Yet suffer me to take a little breath,
I'll devise something presently.
Pam.
Alas,
I have not leisure for your punishment.
The time demands attention to myself,
Nor will be wasted in revenge on you.
Quid meritus? This question is taken from the custom of the Athenians, who never condemned a criminal without first asking what punishment he thought he deserved; and according to the nature of the culprit's answer, they mitigated or aggravated his punishment.
Dacier.The Commentators cite a passage exactly parallel from the Frogs of Aristophanes.
Characters too faintly drawn are the opposite of Caricature. Pamphilus in the Andrian is, in my mind a faint character. Davus has precipitated him into a marriage that he abhors. His mistress has but just been brought to-bed. He has a hundred reasons to be out of humour. Yet he takes all in good part.
Diderot.I cannot think there is much justice in the above observation. Pamphilus appears to me to have all the feelings of an amiable and ingenuous mind. There is an observation of Donatus on Simo's observing to Davus, at the end of the second Act, that his son appeared to him to be rather melancholy, which is in my opinion infinitely more just, and applicable to the character of Pamphilus than the remark of our ingenious French Critick. It has been reserved for this place on purpose to oppose them to each other. The passage and note on it are as follow.
Yet in my mind he seem'd a little sad.]
The propriety of behaviour necessary to the different characters of the Son and the Lover, is wonderfully preserved in this instance. A deceit, sustained with great assurance, would not have been agreeable to the character of an ingenuous youth: and it would have been improbable in the character of the Lover to have entirely smothered his concern. He suppresses it therefore in some measure, because the thing was to be concealed; but could not assume a thorough joyfulness, because his disposition and his passion inspired him with melancholy.
Donatus.It may be added also, as a further answer to Diderot, that the words with which Pamphilus concludes this act, alluding to his present situation, assign a very natural reason for his subduing the transports of his anger towards Davus.
| The Andrian | |