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    Contents:
  • Introduction
  • Act 1
  • Act 2
  • Act 3
  • Act 4
  • Act 5
    		•

    T. Maccius Plautus, Miles Gloriosus, or The Braggart Captain (ed. Henry Thomas Riley)

    Editions and translations: Latin (ed. F. Leo) | English (ed. Henry Thomas Riley)
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    4.6
    (1216)
    ( [1] Enter ACROTELEUTIUM and MILPHIDIPPA from the house of PERIPLECOMENUS.)

    MILPHIDIPPA  (in a low voice) . Mistress, see! the Captain's near.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (in a low voice) . Where is he?

    MILPHIDIPPA  Only look to the left. Eye him askance, that he mayn't perceive that we are looking at him.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  I see him. Troth, now's the time, in our mischief, for us to become supremely mischievous.

    MILPHIDIPPA  'Tis for you to begin.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Prithee, did you see him yourself? (Aside.) Don't spare your voice, so that he may hear.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . By my troth, I talked with his own self, at my ease, as long as I pleased, at my leisure, at my own discretion, just as I wished.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . Do you hear what she says?

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . I hear. How delighted she is because she had access to you.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . O happy woman that you are!

    PYRGOPOLINICES  How I do seem to be loved!

    PALAESTRIO  You are deserving of it.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . By my troth, 'tis passing strange what you say, that you had access to him and prevailed. They say that he is usually addressed, like a king, through letters or messengers.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . But, i' faith, 'twas with difficulty I had an opportunity of approaching and beseeching him.

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . How renowned you are among the fair

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . I shall submit, since Venus wills it so.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . By heavens! I return to Venus grateful thanks, and her I do beseech and entreat, that I may win him whom I love and whom I seek to win, and that to me he may prove gentle, and not make a difficulty about what I desire.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . I hope it may be so; although many ladies are seeking to win him for themselves, he disdains them and estranges himself from all but you alone.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Therefore this fear torments me, since he is so disdainful, lest his eyes, when he beholds me, should change his sentiments, and his own gracefulness should at once disdain my form.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . He will not do so; be of good heart.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . How she does slight herself!

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . I fear lest your account may have surpassed my looks.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud.) I've taken care of this, that you shall be fairer than his expectations.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Troth, if he shall refuse to take me as his wife, by heavens I'll embrace his knees and entreat him! If I shall be unable to prevail on him, in some way or other, I'll put myself to death. I'm quite sure that without him I cannot live.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . I see that I must prevent this woman's death. Shall I accost her?

    PALAESTRIO  By no means; for you will be making yourself cheap if you lavish yourself away of your own accord. Let her come spontaneously, seek you, court you, strive to win you. Unless you wish to lose that glory which you have, please have a care what you do. For I know that this was never the lot of any mortal, except two persons, yourself and Phaon of Lesbos1 , to be loved so desperately.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . I'll go in-doors
    (1248)
    2 --or, my dear Milphidippa, do you call him out of doors.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . Aye; let's wait until some one comes out.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . I can't restrain myself from going il to him.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . The door's fastened. ACROT. (aloud) . I'll break it in then.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . You are not in your senses.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . If he has ever loved, or if he has wisdom equal to his beauty, whatever I may do through love, he will pardon me by reason of his compassionate feelings.

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . Prithee, do see, how distracted the poor thing is with love.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . 'Tis mutual in us.

    PALAESTRIO  Hush! Don't you let her hear.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . Why do you stand stupefied? Why don't you knock?

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Because he is not within whom I want.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . How do you know
    (1255)
    3 ?

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . By my troth, I do know it easily; for my nose would scent him if he were within.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . She is a diviner. Because she is in love with me, Venus has made her prophesy.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . He is somewhere or other close at hand whom I do so long to behold. I'm sure I smell him.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . Troth, now, she really sees better with her nose than with her eyes.

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . She is blind from love.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Prithee, do support me.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . Why?

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Lest I should fall.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . Why?

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Because I cannot stand; my senses--my senses are sinking so by reason of my eyes.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . Heavens! you've seen the Captain.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . I have.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . I don't see him. Where is he?

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . Troth, you would see him if you were in tove.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (aloud) . I' faith, you don't love him more than I do myself, with your good leave.

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . No doubt all of the women, as soon as each has seen you, are in love with you.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . I don't know whether you have heard it from me or not; I'm the grandson of Venus.

    ACROTELEUTIUM  (aloud) . My dear Milphidippa, prithee do approach and accost him.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  (to PALAESTRIO) . How she does stand in awe of me!

    PALAESTRIO  (to PYRGOPOLINICES) . She is coming towards us.

    MILPHIDIPPA  (advancing) . I wish to speak with you.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  And we with you.

    MILPHIDIPPA  I have brought my mistress out of the house, as you requested me.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  So I see.

    MILPHIDIPPA  Request her, then, to approach.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  Since you have entreated it, I have prevailed upon my mind not to detest her just like other women.

    MILPHIDIPPA  I' faith she wouldn't be able to utter a word if she were to come near you; while she was looking at you, her eyes have in the meantime tied her tongue.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  I see that this woman's disorder must be cured.

    MILPHIDIPPA  See how terrified she is since she beheld you.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  Even armed men are the same; don't wonder at a woman being so. But what does she wish me to do?

    MILPHIDIPPA  You to come to her house; she wishes to live and to pass her life with you.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  What!--I come home to her, when she is a married woman? Her husband is to be stood in fear of.

    MILPHIDIPPA  Why,--for your sake, she has turned her husband out of her house.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  How? How could she do so?

    MILPHIDIPPA  The house was her marriage-portion.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  Was it so?

    MILPHIDIPPA  It was so, on my word.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  Bid her go home; I'll be there just now.

    MILPHIDIPPA  Take care, and don't keep her in expectation; don't torment her feelings.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  Not I, indeed. Do you go then.

    MILPHIDIPPA  We are going. (ACROTELEUTIUM and MILPHIDIPPA go into the house of PERIPLECOMENUS.)

    PYRGOPOLINICES  But what do I see?

    PALAESTRIO  What do you see?

    PYRGOPOLINICES  See there, some one is coming, I know not who, but in a sailor's dress.

    PALAESTRIO  He is surely wanting us, now; really, it is the shipmaster.

    PYRGOPOLINICES  He's come, I suppose, to fetch her.

    PALAESTRIO  I fancy so.

    1 Phaon of Lesbos: Sappho, the poetess, was enamoured of Phaon the Lesbian. When he deserted her, she threw herself from the Leucadian promontory or Lover's Leap, which was supposed to provide a cure for unrequited love. Her death was the consequence. See her Epistle to Phaon, the twenty-first of the Heroides of Ovid.

    2 I'll go indoors: It must be remembered, that all this time they have pretended not to see Palaestrio or his master. Milphidippa cautioned her mistress only to take a side-glance at him (limis), after which they have, probably turned their backs.

    3 How do you know: In Ritschel's edition, these words are attributed to Palaestrio. This is clearly a mistake, for Palaestrio has not yet joined in their conversation. He and his master are listening to what they say.

    There is one comment on or cross reference to this page.

    Cross references from W. M. Lindsay, Syntax of Plautus:
    9, 1 [IX. The Interjection.]: eccum praesto militem

    Preferred URL for linking to this page: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Pl.+Mil.+1216

    NSF, NEH: Digital Libraries Initiative, Phase 2 provided support for entering this text.

    This text is based on the following book(s):
    The Comedies of Plautus. Henry Thomas Riley. London. G. Bell and Sons. 1912.

    This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a medium level of accuracy.

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