Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris is a useful Latin literary phrase having conceptual counterparts in other languages.
"It is a comfort to the unfortunate to have had companions in woe."
This Latin phrase idiomatically means "misery loves company". According to [1] it appeared in Dominici De Gravina's (Italian historian (fl. 1330 - 1350)) Chronicon de rebus in Apulia gestis.
[edit] Literary references
Spoken by the demon Mephastophilis (Mephistopheles) in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe in Scene 5, Mephastophilis is answering Faustus' inquiries on the importance of the soul. Faustus is intrigued that a being such as Lucifer has such an interest in collecting Faustus' soul.
Faustus' intitial inquiry to Mephastophilis is this, "What good will my soul do thy lord?" to which Mephastophilis vaguely answers, "To enlarge his kingdom."
Faustus, further questioning Lucifer's motives, then asks Mephastophilis "Is this the reason he tempts us thus?", to which Mephastophilis replies "Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris".
