Di'philus
2. One of the principal Athenian comic poets of the new comedy, and a contemporary of Menander and Philemon, was a native of Sinope. (
Strab. xii. p.546; Anon.
de Com. pp. xxx. xxxi.)
He was a lover of the courtezan Gnatbaena, and seems sometimes to have attacked her in his comedies, when under the influence of jealousy. (Machon and Lynceus Samius, apud
Athen. xiii. pp. 579, f., 580, a., 583, f.)
He was not, however, perfectly constant. (Alciph.
Ep. 1.37.)
He is said to have exhibited a hundred plays (Anon.
l.c.), and sometimes to have acted himself. (
Athen. 13.583f.)
Though, in point of time, Diphilus belonged to the new comedy, his poetry seems to have had more of the character of the middle.
This is shewn, among other indications, by the frequency with which he chooses mythological subjects for his plays, and by his bringing on the stage the poets Archilochus, Hipponax, and Sappho. (Ath. xi. p. 487a., xiii. p. 599d.) His language is simple and elegant, but it contains many departures from Attic purity. Respecting his metres, see Meineke. (
Hist. Crit. pp. 443, 444, 448.)
Works
The following are the plays of Diphilus, of which we have fragments or titles
(Ath. ix. p. 401a., xv. p. 700d.), which was also ascribed to CALLIADES
(Ath. xi. p. 499d. e.; Poll. 10.72; Stob.
Flor. 108.9)
(Etym. Mag. p. 61, 10), which was also the title of a play of Antiphanes, by others ascribed to Alexis
(Suid.
s. v. Ἀθηναίας）
of which there was a second edition by Callimachus under the title of
Εὐνοῦχος or
Στρατιώτης (Ath. xi. p. 496e., 15.700, e.; Antiatticista, pp. 95. 17, 100. 31, 101. 29): the principal character in this play seems to have been such as Pyrgopolinices in the
Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, which was perhaps taken from the play of Diphilus
(Schol. Ven.
ad Il. ί. 123; corrupted in Etym. Magn. p. 744. 48, and Eustath. p. 740. 20)
(Ath. xi. p. 499c.; Antiatt. p. 84. 25)
(Ath. ix. p. 370e.)
(Harpocrat. p. 41. 3; Antiatt. p. 101. 10)
also ascribed to Sosippus, whose name is otherwise unknown (Ath. iv. pp. 132, e., 133, f. ; Poll. 10.12)
(Ath. x. p. 446d.; Antiatt. p. 108. 32);
Βοιώτιος (Ath. x. p. 417e.)
(Ath. vi. p. 254e.; and perhaps in
D. L. 2.120,
Διφίλου should be substituted for
Σωφίλου; see Menagius,
ad loc. and Meineke,
Hist. Grit. pp. 425, 426)
(Erot. gloss. Harpoc. p. 116)
(Ath. iii. p. 111e.)
(Antiatt. p. 110. 18)
(Ath. xiv. p. 645a.; and perhaps Poll. 10.72; see Meineke, p. 453)
(Ath. vi. p. 223a.).
Ἐλλεβοριζόμενοι (Antiatt. p. 100. 12)
(Ath. vi. pp. 226, e., 227, e., vii. p. 316f.; Etym. Mag. p. 490. 40, a gap being supplied from the Cod. Barocc. ap. Bekker,
Anecd. p. 1445; Harpocrat. p. 130. 22)
(Ath. iv. p. 165f.) or
Ἐναγίσματα (Schol.
Aristoph. Kn. 960; Photius and Suidas,
s. v. Ψωλός）
(Poll. 10.137)
or more correctly
Ἑπιτροπεύς (Antiatt. p. 69)
(Poll. 10.99)
(Ath. vi. p. 230f., vii. p. 291f.; Stob.
Flor. 105.5)
(Ath. x. p. 421e.)
(Ath. ix. p. 371a.)
(Stob.
Flor. 12.12)
(Ath. vi. p. 262a., x. p. 451b.)
(Poll. 10.38, 62)
of which the
Casina of Plautus is a translation (
Prolog. 31)
(Ath. vi. p. 307f., comp. iv. p. 168b.);
Μαινόμενος (Poll 10.18)
(Ath. iii. p. 124d.)
(Ath. x. p. 423e.)
(Etym. Mag. p. 206, 16)
(Ath. vi. pp. 236, b., 238, f, 247, d, x. p. 422b.)
(Ath. iv. p. 156f.)
probably for
Τιθραύστης (Ath. xiii. p. 484e.)
(Antiatt. p. 101. 4; and perhaps Eustath.
ad Horn. p. 1479. 46)
(Ath. vi. p. 225a.; Phot.
s. v. ῥαγδαῖος）
(Ammon.
Diff. Verb. p. 61)
(Ath. xi. p. 487a., xiii. p. 599d.)
(Poll. 9.81), which, however, belongs perhaps to Philemon
(Etym. Mag. p. 683, 24, corrected by Gaisford)
which was translated by Plautus under the title of
Commorientes, and partly followed by Terence in his
Adelphi. (Terent.
Prol. Adelph. 10; see Meineke,
Menand. et Philem. Reliq. p. 1)
(Harpoc. p. 55. 8)
of which there were two editions (Ath. vi. p. 247a. c., xiv. p. 657e.; Phot.
s. v. Φιμοί ; Harpocr. p. 182. 3)
(Ath. xiv. p. 640d.)
(Stob.
Flor. 116.32)
or
Φιλάδελφοι (Antiatt. p. 80. 29, 110. 17)
(Phot.
s. v. ὀπαία).
Other Fragments
There are other fragments, which cannot be assigned to their proper places.
Rudes
of Plautus
The
Rudens of Plautus is a translation of a play of Diphilus (
Prol. 32), but the title of the Greek play is not known.
Edition
Meineke, Frag. Com. Graec. i. pp. 445-457, iv. pp. 375-430.) 
