Testimonia (test. 44)

85

Dramatourgein is different from hypodramatourgein in the following way:
dramatourgein is used of the poet responsible for the plot as a whole and the
verses, for example Euripides, Eupolis, Aristophanes and anyone else of this
sort, whereas hypodramatourgein is used of the man who takes what has
been said by these composers at some point and fits the material to his own
situation, as if they were assimilated to events that have only now occurred
Citation context A gloss on ύποδραματουργεϊν (v.l. ύποτραγωδεΐν, “play a
subsidiary role in tragedy” or perhaps “paratragedize”) at Luc. JTr. 1, where
Hera declares herself unable to speak in the mock-tragic/comic iambic trime-
ters that Hermes, Athena and Hera have used throughout most of the opening
portion of the dialogue.
Interpretation Eupolis serves here only as a convenient example of a poten-
tially quotable or adaptable dramatic poet. Nothing suggests that the author
of the note has any direct knowledge of the comedies themselves.

test. 44-7 K.-A.
Metrical Practice
test. 44 K.-A. (= test, xxxvi Storey)
= Cratin. test. 36 = Ar. test. 98
Rufinus of Antioch, Commentary on Terentian Meters (Grammatici Latini VI
p. 564.7-12; cf. VI pp. 78.19-24, 556.22-557.4)
Firmianus ad Probum de metris comoediarum sic dicit: “num quod de metris
comoediarum requisisti, et ego scio plurimos existimare Terentianas vel maxime
fabulas metrum non habere comoediae graecae, id est Menandri (test. 144)
Philemonos (test. 29) Diphili (test. 16) et ceterorum, quae trimetris versibus
constat, nostri enim veteris comoediae scriptores in modulandis fabulis sequi
maluerunt, Eupolin Cratinum Aristophanem”
Firmianus says the following to Probus on the subject of comic meters: “For
as for your question regarding comic meters, I too am aware that most people
consider that Terentian plays in particular do not display the meter typical of
Greek comedy, that is the comedy of Menander (test. 144), Philemon (test. 29),
Diphilus (test. 16) and the others, which is made up out of trimeter verses. For
in the versification of their plays our authors preferred to follow the authors
of the Old Comedy, Eupolis, Cratinus and Aristophanes”