The staging of Aristophanes' Ecclesiazusae is complicated considerably by the large number of individual male citizen parts in the play. These include Praxagora's husband Blepyrus, Blepyrus' anonymous Neighbour and his friend Chremes, the First Citizen and the Second Citizen, the Young Man ‘Epigenes’, and the δεσπτης who leads out the Chorus. These are not necesarily all independent characters, but the great difficulty with the play is in deciding precisely who is to be identified with whom. R. G. Ussher, the most (...) recent Oxford editor of the text, distinguishes four separate characters, and divides the parts in the following way. (shrink)

In the first act of Terence'sAndria, we find a dialogue between the old man Simo and Sosia, the freedman, with the former explaining why he has decided to arrange a false wedding for his young son Pamphilus. He has, in fact, learned that his son, despite being betrothed, has had a relationship with another girl and that—quite a serious matter—the fiancée's father, Chremes, has heard about the clandestine affair. In verses 144–9 Simo reports on the not-altogether friendly meeting he has (...) had with Chremes, who is furious about the complete disrespect that has been shown to his daughter; Simo's only defence is to attempt to deny the truth (146:ego illud sedulo negare factum). (shrink)

The application of λκθος ànd its derivatives and the Latin terms ampullae and ampullari to the turgid or elevated style of poetry or oratory has provoked such a variety of explanations amongst modern and ancient commentators that it would be a tedious business to examine them all in detail. The ancient commentators on Horace, Ars Poetica, 11. 93–7 interdum tamen et vocem comoedia tollit, iratusque Chremes tumido delitigat ore; et tragicus plerumque dolet sermone pedestri Telephus et Peleus, cum pauper et (...) exsul uterque proicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba… were not even in agreement on the question of the precise correspondence of the two words, for while Porphyrion said that proicit ampullas was imitated directly from the ληκθειος Mοcomflex;σα of Callimachus, Pseudacron's note makes no reference to ληκθζειν at all, but merely connects the metaphor with the inflated appearance of the Roman ampulla. And though modern scholars do not question the fact that the two words do correspond in some degree, there has been a wide divergence of opinion on the derivation and meaning of the metaphor. Ritter and Wilkins, for example, held that the meaning ‘paint-pots’ was indicated by the conjunction of ληκθος with pingere in one of Cicero's letters to Atticus, and that in Horace, Epistles 1. 3. 12–14. (shrink)

Scene V.viii of Terence's Phormio brings to a climax the confrontation between the trickster Phormio and the two old men Demipho and Chremes. Phormio, exploiting his knowledge of Chremes' extra-marital affair in Lemnos, persuades Chremes to surrender any claim to thirty minae, extracted by false pretences, which have in fact been used to purchase a girl for Chremes' son Phaedria. Demipho urges resistance to this blackmail, suggesting that they have more chance of placating Chremes' wife Nausistrata if they themselves tell (...) her about the Lemnian affair. Phormio reacts by moving towards Chremes' house and calling out Nausistrata by name. The old men try in vain to restrain him. (shrink)

Christianism often mentions perfumes. Its liturgy based on Scripture uses incense and balm. A reading from the Bible and the lives of saints reveals many extraordinary perfumes (“odours of sanctity”). The Virgin Mary holds extreme importance among saints and it is quite common to see her spreading miraculous fragrances. These are subtle, discrete but pleasant signals from Heaven. They are sent to everyone in order to convert non‑believers or turn back believers to the faith in God. The divine origin of (...) perfumes is tied up with the memories and hopes from Paradise. It marks bodies escaping from death and entering into eternal life. (shrink)