Prefaces to Terence's Comedies and Plautus's Comedies (1694)

This volume brings together the original prefaces written by Laurence Echard in the late 1600s for his English renderings of Terence and Plautus. In these brief essays, Echard explains his translational choices, comments on the rivalry between English and French drama, and outlines the neoclassical principles that guided Restoration theatre. Listeners gain a window onto the scholarly debates of a time when ancient comedies were being reshaped for contemporary stages.

The edition is enriched by a modern editorial introduction that situates Echard’s work within his broader career as a historian and clergyman, and by meticulous notes that preserve the original punctuation, brackets, and even typographical quirks. Together, the prefaces reveal the ambitions and anxieties of a “hack” scholar trying to balance fidelity to the Latin texts with the tastes of a hungry audience. For anyone curious about the history of translation, early‑modern literary criticism, or the enduring appeal of Roman comedy, this listening experience offers both scholarly depth and lively narrative.