How it fares with his Praefectos Pelopea facit, Philomela tribunos. Tunc par ingenio pretium: tunc utile multis, 95 Vester porro labor fecundior, historiarum Scriptores? Petit hic plus temporis, atque olei plus; torians, Namque oblita modi millesima pagina surgit 100 Omnibus, et crescit multa damnosa papyro. Sic ingens rerum numerus jubet atque operum lex. 92. Praefectos] Originally, these were the commanders of the 'alae;' i. e. the contingent supplied by the allied states of Italy (socii'), who were not officered by themselves. Under the Empire, however, the term was applied also to the commanders of the cohortes' in the Roman army. See note on Sat. x. 94, 95. ib.] Pelopea and Philomela are names of tragedies. Pelopea was the daughter of Thyestes, and mother by him of Aegisthus. She was also the third wife of her uncle Atreus. Philomela was the daughter of Pandion, king of Attica. Her sister Procne was married to Tereus, the king of Thrace, who deserted her, and feigned an account of her death. By this means he procured the hand of Philomela. When the truth became known, Procne revenged herself by killing her son Itys, and serving up the body as a dish at his father's table. Eventually Philomela was transformed into a nightingale, Procne into a swallow, and Tereus into a hawk. 93. pulpita] "the stage." See note on Sat. iii. 154. ib. pascunt] By procuring them these appointments. 94, 95. Maecenas-Procul. &c.] Names of the old nobility (see 1. 90, 91), who were liberal patrons of literature. "Proculeius" is perhaps the Proculeius of Hor. Od. ii. 6, "Notus in fratres animi paterni." "Fabius" may be Fabius Maximus, a patron of Ovid, as was also "Cotta." "Lentulus" was a partizan of Cicero. 97. Decembri] The holiday month of the Romans, as the 'Saturnalia' occurred in it. See note on Sat. vi. 153-157. Cf. Hor. Sat. ii. 7. 4; "libertate Decembri." 98. Vester-fecundior] Ironical. 100. pagina] Sheet of the 'papyrus.' See note on Sat. i. 5, 6. 101. crescit papyro] grows (and not costlessly) with much papyrus." That is, even the material on which it is written has cost a good deal. 104. acta legenti] "to his newspaper reader." See note on Sat. ii. 136. 'Anagnostae,' or readers aloud, were habitually employed by the wealthy; and these "acta" (of which they could afford to pay for copies), probably formed an important part of the reader's daily task. There is no reference here to the actuarius,' or 'notary,' the short-hand writer who reported the proceedings of the senate, (acta publica,') officially. "Legenti" might indeed be used for scribenti" or advocates, 106 Sed "genus ignavum, quod lecto gaudet et umbra." Qui venit ad dubium grandi cum codice nomen. 110 115 Judice. Rumpe miser tensum jecur, ut tibi lasso 'excipienti,' the more usual phrase. But the "quis dabit.... quantum daret" would then have no sense, as it must mean a payment which any one might make in his private capacity, not that of a public of ficial. 105.] The patron quotes Horace to justify his neglect of them. See Ep. ii. 2. 77, 78. 107. libelli]" pleadings." See note on Sat. vi. 244. 108. Ipsi] The advocates. ib. creditor] The client, for whose debt the counsel is suing. 66 nomen 109, 110.] "or if he has at his side one, still more eager than the former, who comes with his huge ledger to a litigated (lit. doubtful) debt." Properly is the debtor's name written in the "codex," or ledger; but it is of constant use in Latin in the secondary sense of "debt." The creditor of 1. 108 (who is the "illo' in 109) is suing for debt, where the claim is not contested; the "acrior" (creditor) in 1. 109, 110, is suing where it is; so that the "dubium" is emphatic. For "codex," see note on Sat. i. 63. 111. folles] "lungs;" lit. "bellows. It means of course those of the advocate. 112. messem] "the fee." auriga' in Domitian's reign. He belonged to the 'russata (red) fac. tio;' hence "russati" here. These 'factiones' were four companies into which the drivers at the chariot races in the Circus were divided, and which represented the four seasons of the year. The other three were- - prasina' (green), for spring; 'veneta (blue), for autumn; and 'alba' (albata") for winter; the 'russata' itself standing for summer. This division into rival companies of course greatly increased the excitement of the races. See note on Sat. iii. 223. The betting often ran high upon them: in Sat. xi. 199 it is called the audax sponsio. A victorious auriga' received a considerable sum of money. 115. Consedere duces &c.] A parody on the contest of Ajax and Ulysses for the arms of Achilles in Ovid. See Met. xiii. 1 seqq. 116. pro libertate] scil. of your client. He has been claimed as a slave by some alleged proprietor. with 116, 117. bubulco judice] some cowherd for juror." See note on Sat. iii. 213, 'vadimonia.' The 6. 6 judices " were originally chosen from the senate, but afterwards from the equestris ordo' as well. In the decline of the republic their number was greatly augmented, and the qua Figantur virides, scalarum gloria, palmae. lification much reduced; so that the office was often filled by persons of mean condition. The "bubulcus here would have been a "judex" from one of the rusticae tribus.' 118. scalarum] "your garret ;" lit. the staircase to it. The upper stories of the Roman houses were underlet in flats (*coenacula '), often approached by a separate staircase on the outside, and occupied only by indigent persons. Cf. Sat. iii. 199. The wealthy lived entirely on the lower floors. ib. vir.-palmae] These were hung up at the door of an advocate who had won his cause. So Martial. Ep. vii. 28, "Sic fora mirentur Excolat et geminas plurima palma fores." 120. bulbi] roots; i. e. carrots, onions, &c. "Roots" is still the term for these in one Oxford college. ib. Afrorum epimenia] "A slave's (lit. African's) monthly allowance for diet;" also called 'menstruum.' See note on Sat. xiv. 126. 121. devectum] 66 come down the Tiber:" i. e. Etruscan or Sabine wine, which were the inferior qualities. See Hor. Od. i. 20, 1. 9, 10, "Vile potabis modicis Sabinum Cantharis." The 'fine wines' of Campania were shipped to Ostia, and so came up the stream. 122, 123. Si-unus] "Say even you had as many as four briefs, and made a gold piece by them, you have still to pay the fee of the 'pragmaticus." The "pragmatici prompted counsel in court on the law of the case: a practice derived, with the term itself, from the Greek "bar," but which was only introduced at Rome under the Empire. The "pragmatici" (and probably those who employed them) did not stand high with the profession. Not that counsel were supposed, of necessity, to know the law. But where they did not, the orthodox practice was to submit a case for the opinion ("responsum ") of a jurisconsult. The pragmatici" carried writingtablets, and were hence also called "tabelliones." 122. aureus] sub. 'nummus.' See Smith's Dict. Ant. 182. 124-149.] "It is true, eminent counsel like Aemilius may command their own fee; and yet, very likely our argument was the better of the two. This is just (125-128) be. cause he has position, owing to his family and supposed wealth; the only grounds (129-149) on which an advocate can succeed now-adays." Aemilius is not known otherwise. 125-128.] "He has ancestral trophies ("currus, quadrijuges," &c.), and, in fact, a fine equestrian statue of himself." Eminent counsel seem to have received this distinction; see Martial, Epig. ix. 70. 5, 6, "Tam grave percussis incudibus aera resultant, Causidicum medio cum faber aptat equo." Eminus, et statua meditatur proelia lusca. 130 Qui solet et vexat lutulenta balnea turba, Et tamen hoc ipsis est utile: purpura vendit 135 128. lusca] The common rendering is probably right, "blind of one eye," as in Sat. x. 158. In fact, the word seems never to mean totally blind. Why the statue had one eye thus closed, is another question. "To represent Aemilius in the act of taking aim," is the answer generally given. But this would be a monstrous intention to impute to a statuary. How do we know that Aemilius had not lost an eye, with such effect on the features, that it could not be disguised even in his bronze cast? 129. Sic] i. e. by imitating this display of Aemilius, as their only chance of getting a practice. See I. that country, who bore the litter. Sat. iii. 240 speaks of a Liburnian bearer. ib. assere] With the pole by which the litter is carried; i. e. with the weight of his litter. 133. murrhina] See Sat. vi. 156. 134.] "Enim" explains the " emturus" of 1. 133:-how Tongillius, having no money, can make such purchases. His display in dress gets him credit. Lit. the line is "His purple, direct from the ship,' with its Tyrian thread, guarantees his solvency." ib. stlataria] Stlata was a merchant-ship, not merely a "privateer," as it is usually rendered; and "stla135-149. taria" may mean 'imported.' But it 129. Pedo-Matho-Tongilli] is quite uncertain. Inferior advocates of the day. For Matho, see note on Sat. i. 32. ib. conturbat] "Smashes;" i. e. goes bankrupt. It was the technical term; Mart. ix. 4, 5, "Conturbabit Atlas, et non erit uncia tota." "Rationes" ("accounts") is said to be understood after it. 130. rhinocer.] A vessel for unguents, made of the horn of that animal. 131. turba] scil. of his slaves. ib. lutulenta] With following him through the streets. 132. juv.-Medos] Slaves from 135-149.] See note on 1. 129. They are obliged to keep up appearances.' 136. amethystina] "violet;" the amethyst being of that colour.Vestimenta' is understood. 137. fucie) 66 appearance." For census," see note on Sat. v. 57. 66 138.] "The fact is, expense at Rome is unlimited." 139-149.] "As to eloquence, Cicero himself would not get into practice by it Nobody will get practice, but those who are either wealthy, or believed to be so." rhetoricians, Respicit hoc primum, qui litigat, an tibi servi 141 Declamare doces? O ferrea pectora Vecti, 150 stans Profert, atque eadem cantabit versibus îsdem. summa Quaestio, quae veniant diversa parte sagittae, 142. togati] "clients in correct costume. See note on Sat. i. 96. 143. conducta] "hired." 143, 144, 145. Paulus-Cossus Busilus] Indigent advocates, not otherwise known. 146.] "When has Basilus ever the chance of exhibiting a weeping mother?" i. e. when is he ever employed in an important case? The afflicted relatives of the parties were brought into court to enhance the effect of the counsel's speech. Usually, of course, this would be on the defendant's side; but it might also be useful to a plaintiff. The prosecution of a fraudulent guardian, for instance, would have been an oppor66 flentem tunity to introduce the matrem. 147-149.] "You must go to Gallia, or Africa, if you really wish to make any thing by your oratory." For "Gallia," see note on Sat. i. 44; and cf. Sat. xv. 111. No other writer speaks of Africa being famous for its orators. 155 151. perim. saevos-tyr.] An usual theme for declamations. " Vectius," 1. 150, is the rhetoric teacher. ib. cantabit] "din into you." So Ter. Heaut. ii. 3. 19, "qui horum mores cantabat mihi." ib. versibus] "Versus" is properly a line of writing, and usually a line or verse in poetry. But it is occasionally used, like ' carmen and numeri,' of prose. 154. crambe] See Lat. Dict. : 155, 156. Quis color-sagittae] Terms from the rhetoric schools:'How to embellish; how to class the cause; where the real point at issue lies; what shafts (opponent's arguments) may be aimed from this or that quarter." "Color," as in Sat. vi. 280, is "rhetorical ornament.' |