SOURCE: "The Theatre and the Masters of Comedy" in A Literary History of Rome, revised edition, Ernest Benn Limited, 1960, pp. 148-62.

Duff was an English classical scholar whose books include A Literary History of Rome: From the Origins to the Close of the Golden Age (1909) and Writers of Rome (1923). In the following excerpt from the revised edition of the former work, he provides an overview of Terence's plays and style.

It was the achievement of the young African, P. Terentius Afer (c. 195?-159 B.C.), to put upon Roman comedy the highest Hellenic polish. For his career our fullest source of knowledge is the interesting Life of Terence excerpted from Suetonius's work De Poetis and luckily preserved by Donatus in his commentary upon Terence. Suetonius is at pains to quote his authorities-some of them more than once-Fenestella, Nepos, Porcius, Volcatius, Varro, C. Memmius, Santra, Q. Cosconius, Afranius, Cicero...