over Pseudolus. Thee do I seek that thou mayst obtain thrice three times
triple delights in three various ways, joys earned by three tricks and
three tricksters, cunningly won by treachery, fraud and villainy, which in
this little sealed missive have I but erstwhile brought to thee....

CHAR. The rascal's spouting like a tragedian."

When Sosia, in the first scene of _Amph._ (203 ff.), turgidly describes
the battle between the Thebans and Teleboans, he is parodying the
Messenger of tragedy. Another echo from tragedy is heard at the end of the
play, when Jupiter appears in the role of deus ex machina.[116]

Burlesque of character and calling puts in an occasional appearance. The
recreant Sosia in _Amph._ 958 ff. mimics the dutiful slave. _As._ 259 ff.
contains an ironical treatment of augury, while in 751 ff. the poet has
his satirical fling at the legal profession.


b. True farce.

This is of course the comedy of situation and finds its mainstay in
mistaken identity. The _Men._ and _Amph._ with their doubles are
farce-comedies proper, but the element of farce forms the motive power of
nearly all the plots; for example, the shuffling-up of Acropolistis,
Telestis and the _fidicina_ in _Ep._, the quarrel between Mnesilochus and
Pistoclerus in _Bac._ resulting from the former's belief that his friend
had stolen his sweetheart, the exchange of names between Tyndarus and
Philocrates in _Cap._, the entrapping of Demaenetus with the _meretrix_ at
the dA(C)nouement of _As._, etc., etc. It is understood, we presume, that the
modern farce occupies no exalted position in the comic scale, is