of AEschinus
for the irregular and clandestine nature of his proceedings.]

[Footnote 78: _Propitious to you_)--Ver. 707. Donatus remarks that
there is great delicacy in this compliment of AEschinus to Micio,
which, though made in his presence, does not bear the semblance of
flattery. Madame Dacier thinks that Terence here alludes to a line
of Hesiod, which says that it is the duty of the aged to pray.
Colman suggests that the passage is borrowed from some lines of
Menander still in existence.]

[Footnote 79: _Certainly I had rather_)--Ver. 730. He pauses after
"quidem," but he means to say that if he had his choice, he would
rather it had not been so.]

[Footnote 80: _Playing with dice_)--Ver. 742. The "tesserae" of the
ancients were cubes, or what we call "dice;" while the "tali" were
in imitation of the knuckle-bones of animals, and were marked on
four sides only. For some account of the mode of playing with the
"tali," see the last Scene of the Asinaria, and the Curculio of
Plautus, l. 257-9. Madame Dacier suggests that Menander may
possibly have borrowed this passage from the Republic of Plato,
B. X., where he says, "We should take counsel from accidents, and,
as in a game at dice, act according to what has fallen, in the
manner which reason tells us to be the best."]

[Footnote 81: _Hold of the rope_)--Ver. 755. "Restim ductans
saltabis." Donatus and Madame Dacier think that this is only a
figurative expression for a dance in which all joined hands;
according to some, however, a dance is alluded to where the person
who led off drew a rope or cord after him, which the rest of the
company took hold of as they danced; which was invented in
resemblance of the manner in which the wooden horse was dragged by
ropes into the city of Troy.]

[Footnote 82: _Salvation herself_)--Ver. 764. See an observation
relative to the translation of the word "Salus," in the Notes to
Plautus, vol. i. pages 193, 450.]

[Footnote 83: _Have done your duty_)--Ver. 767. His duty of
providing the viands and drink for the entertainment. So Ergasilus
says in the Captivi of Plautus, l. 912, "Now I will go off to my
government (praefecturam), to give laws to the bacon."]

[Footnote 84: _I must assist him_)--Ver. 795. Colman remarks on
this passage: "The character of Micio appears extremely amiable
through the first four Acts of this Comedy, and his behavior is i