Miles Gloriosus is a comedic play written by Titus Maccius Plautus . The title can be translated as "The Swaggering Soldier" or "Vainglorious Soldier". His source for Miles Gloriosus was a Greek play, now lost, called Alazon or The Braggart. Although the characters in Miles Gloriosus speak Latin, they are Greeks and largely have Greek names, clothing, and customs. The action takes place in Ephesus, a Greek city on the coast of Asia Minor, famous for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
“Whene’er a man is quartered at a friend’s, if he but stay three days, his company they will grow weary of. (translator Thornton)”
Hospes nullus tam in amici hospitium divorti potest, quin, ubi triduum continuum fuerit, jam odiosis siet.
Miles Gloriosus, Act III, scene 1, line 146.
Variant translation: No guest is so welcome in a friend's house that he will not become a nuisance after three days. (translator unknown)
Miles Gloriosus (The Swaggering Soldier)
