The Comedies of Plautus, Vol. II

ARGUMENT I

The soldier takes a courtesan away from Athens to Ephesus.
While he wishes to announce this to his love-struck master
As a messenger abroad, he is captured at sea
Nd he is given as a gift to that same soldier.
5He summons his master from Athens and bores
E through the common wall between their houses in secret,
So that he might be able to arrange for the lovers to meet.
Obherrens The guard/spy sees them from the tiles,
Lut he is mocked with jokes, as if he were someone else.
10Dikewise, Palaestrio goads the soldier
Into letting the concubine go, since he
Eagerly wishes to marry the neighbor's wife.
Re quests that she leave of her own accord, he gives many gifts. He himself, caught inside
Sthe house of the old man, pays the penalty for adultery.

This is an acrostic poem. The first letters of the lines spell "MILES GLORIOSVS" (The Boastful Soldier).

3 capsust caught corr. -tust cod. as it seems 5 〈servos〉 erum 〈ab〉 Ribbeck
6 ciam cod. (corr. B²) 7 liceret might be permitted cod. 8 Oberrans roaming about Ritschl,
who dislikes obhaerentis clinging 9 ridicule is with a joke Seyffert deluditur is mocked PCD
11 q. ei B² : q. cel cod. (instead of q. eei; scarcely quandoc ei) 13 modo
cod. (corr. B²)