was discovered by Ritschl in
the Ambrosian (Milan) palimpsest, which gives, _e.g._ after the two
plays named: 'T. Macci Plauti Casina explicit': 'Macci Plauti Epidicus
explicit.' In Plaut. _Merc._ l. 6, the MS. reading _Mactici_ was
emended by Ritschl to _Macci Titi_; and in _Asin._ prol. l. 11,
_Maccius_ is the right reading. The MSS. read _Maccus_, which Buecheler
(_Rhein. Mus._ 41, 12) takes to mean 'buffoon,' or 'writer of
comedies,' from which Plautus took his family name, Maccius, on
becoming a Roman citizen. 'M. Accius,' formerly supposed to be the
name, is found in no MS., but 'Accius' is found in _Epitome Festi_, p.
239, which gives us the poet's birthplace, Sarsina in Umbria, and
suggests another derivation for his name: 'Ploti appellantur, qui sunt
planis pedibus, unde et poeta Accius, quia Umber Sarsinas erat, a
pedum planitie initio Plotus, postea Plautus est dictus.'

In the corresponding passage of Festus, we have only '...us poeta,
quia Umber,' etc. The name of the poet is lost, and the epitomizer has
doubtless made a mistake.

Sarsina is mentioned once by Plautus, _Mostell._ 770,

'Quid? Sarsinatis ecquast, si Umbram non habes?'

The year of his birth can only be conjectured; he died B.C. 184.

Cic. _Brut._ 60, 'Plautus P. Claudio L. Porcio coss. mortuus est.'

Jerome erroneously assigns Plautus' death to yr. Abr. 1817 = B.C. 200,
'Plautus ex Umbria Sarsinas Romae moritur, qui propter annonae
difficultatem ad molas manuarias pistori se locaverat; ibi quotiens ab
opere vacaret, scribere fabulas et vendere sollicitius consueverat.'

From this notice, and from the passage of Gellius below, we learn that
Plautus lost in foreign trade the money he had made as an assistant to
scenic artists, and had to work for his living in a flour mill at
Rome, during which time he wrote plays, and continued to do so
afterwards.

Gell. iii. 3, 14, 'Saturionem et Addictum et tertiam quamdam, cuius
nunc mihi nomen non subpetit, in pistrino eum scripsisse, Varro et
plerique alii memoriae tradiderunt cum, pecunia omni, quam in operis
artificum scaenicorum pepererat, in mercatibus perdita inops Romam
redisset et ob quaerendum victum ad circumagendas molas, quae
"trusatiles" appellantur, operam pistori locasset.'

We conclude from these varied employments that Plautus can hardly have
been less than thirty years old when he began to write plays. His
intimacy with the Scipios (Cic. _de Rep._ iv., apud Augustin. _Civ.
D