Original: His acting talent was eventually discovered; and he adopted the names "Maccius" (a clownish stock-character in popular farces) and "Plautus" (a term meaning either "flat-footed" or "flat-eared," like the ears of a hound).
Simplified: He called himself "Macchius" (a clownish character in popular farces), and "Plautus" (a term meaning "flat-footed").