Antestari: Procedural Law in Curculio 620–625

Therapontigonus Platagidorus themiles gloriosus and Phaedromus the adulescens amans, rivals for the purchase of the uirgo intacta Planesium (enslaved to the leno Cappadox), are having their first encounter with one another; Phaedromus’ parasitus Curculio is present, as well. The line assignments for this excerpt from the scene have been contested, as have both the meaning of the verb antestari (621, 623) and the syntactical role of the accusatives associated with the verb. I propose here a solution to the matter that takes into account the plainest meaning of an accusative construed with licet, the stagecraft of the scene, and intratextual connections to moments earlier and later in the play. Phaedromus must be the speaker of the first line and a quarter, which includes the Roman legal formula to summon someone to court (ambula in ius, 621). The line must be shouted at Therapontigonus, who has attempted to purchase Planesium, recently discovered to be a freeborn citizen. The soldier responds with a refusal (non eo). Phaedromus then asks someone to serve as a witness for his summons of Therapontigonus (licet te antestari?). So much is clear; the remainder is not.