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Beauty.

Si, circumducto captivorum agmine et omni
Bellorum pompa, animam exhalasset opimam,
Quum de Teutonico vellet descendere curru ?
Provida Pompeio dederat Campania febres
Optandas: sed multae urbes et publica vota
Vicerunt. Igitur Fortuna ipsius et Urbis
Servatum victo caput abstulit. Hoc cruciatu
Lentulus, hac poena caruit ceciditque Cethegus
Integer, et jacuit Catilina cadavere toto.

280

285

Formam optat modico pueris, majore puellis
Murmure, quum Veneris fanum videt, anxia mater,
Usque ad delicias votorum. Cur tamen, inquit, 291
Corripias? Pulcra gaudet Latona Diana.
Sed vetat optari faciem Lucretia, qualem
Ipsa habuit: cuperet Rutilae Virginia gibbum
Accipere, atque suam Rutilae dare. Filius autem
Corporis egregii miseros trepidosque parentes 296
Semper habet: rara est adeo concordia formae
Atque pudicitiae: sanctos licet horrida mores
Tradiderit domus ac veteres imitata Sabinos,
Praeterea castum ingenium vultumque modestum,
Sanguine ferventem, tribuat natura benigna
Larga manu; quid enim puero conferre potest plus

283 286.] Pompey was seized with a dangerous illness at Neapolis in Campania, B.C. 50. On that occasion prayers were offered in several places for his recovery. "Multae urbes et publica vota vicerunt," 1. 284, 285. After his defeat by Caesar at Pharsalia, Pompey fled to Egypt. On landing he was treacherously murdered, and his head cut off, and brought to Caesar. Hence, 1. 285, 286,Fortuna-servatum victo caput abstulit," "robbed him in his defeat of the head which had been thus preserved;" i. e. he recovered from his sickness only to undergo defeat and decapitation. It is thus opposed to the integer" and "cadavere toto," 1. 288.

287, 288.] Sat. viii. 231, and

note.

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301

290. murmure] scil. of her prayers. 291. usque ad delicias votorum] even to the merest bagatelles of wishes." Probably petitions as to the colour of hair and eyes, &c. For "delicias," cf. Sat. vi. 47 and note.

292.] Parody on Virg. Aen. i. 500-502: "Illa pharetram Fert humero, gradiensque deas supereminet omnes: Latonae tacitum pertentant gaudia pectus."

293, 294. Lucretia Virginia] The well-known stories from Livy, i. 57, 58; iii. 44-48. The humpbacked Rutila is not known otherwise.

295. suam] sub. "faciem."

299. Sabinos] Sat. vi. 164 and note; and cf. Hor. Epod. ii. 41, 42, "Sabina qualis aut perusta solibus Pernicis uxor Appuli."

Custode et cura natura potentior omni?

I nunc, et juvenis specie laetare tui!-Quem 310
Majora exspectant discrimina? Fiet adulter
Publicus, et poenas metuet, quascumque mariti
Exigere irati; nec erit felicior astro

Martis, ut in laqueos numquam incidat. Exigit
autem

Interdum iste dolor plus, quam lex ulla dolori 315
Concessit. Necat hic ferro; secat ille cruentis
Verberibus.

Sed tuus Endymion dilectae fiet adulter
Matronae.-Mox quum dederit Servilia numos,
Fiet et illius, quam non amat: exuet omnem
Corporis ornatum.

320

"Sed casto quid forma nocet ?"-Quid profuit immo

313. exigere] sub. "solent."

314. laqueos] The iron-meshed net in which Vulcan entangled Mars to punish his adultery with Venus. The story is told in Hom. Od. viii. 266-366.

315. lex ulla] The Lex Julia de Adulteriis allowed the husband to kill the adulterer only under certain restrictions.

66

318-321.] But your handsome boy, you think, will at least only be thus criminal where he loves. Quite the contrary. You will find him do it for mere profit. He will strip his wretched companion even of her trinkets." Endymion was the handsome hunter of Mount Latmus, beloved by Selene (the moon). She laid him to perpetual sleep in a cavern of the mountain, that she might visit him without interruption.

324-345.] "But you will say he may be pure-minded; what mischief will his beauty then do him? Did then purity save Hippolytus or Bellerophon? or save Silius in our own time?" The story of Hippolytus is well known from the exquisite tragedy of Euripides. His spotless life provoked the displeasure

of Aphrodite, who inspired his stepmother. Phaedra, with a fatal passion. This however Hippolytus refused to gratify. Phaedra revenged herself by committing suicide, leaving a written letter in which she accused Hippolytus of having attempted her chastity. His father, Theseus, acted upon the statement. Poseidon had promised to grant any three prayers which he might address to him, and Theseus now preferred one for his son's death. A's Hippolytus drove along the coast to quit Attica, his horses were scared by a seamonster sent by Poseidon, and Hippolytus was thrown from the chariot and mortally injured. Artemis, whom Hippolytus had worshipped, appeared to him as he was dying, and apprised Theseus of his error. Hippolytus is said to have been restored to life by Aesculapius. According to a tradition adopted by Virgil (Aen. vii. 774-777), he was carried by Artemis to the grove of Aricia in Latium, where he was worshipped under the name of Virbius.

Bellerophon narrowly escaped the same fate at the court of Proetus,

326

Hippolyto grave propositum? quid Bellerophonti?
Erubuit nempe haec, ceu fastidita, repulsa.
Nec Stheneboea minus, quam Cressa, excanduit, et se
Concussere ambae. Mulier saevissima tunc est,
Quum stimulos odio pudor admovet. Elige, quid-

nam

Suadendum esse putes, cui nubere Caesaris uxor
Destinat? Optimus hic, et formosissimus idem 331
Gentis patriciae, rapitur miser exstinguendus
Messalinae oculis: dudum sedet illa parato
Flammeolo, Tyriusque palam genialis in hortis
Sternitur, et ritu decies centena dabuntur
Antiquo; veniet cum signatoribus auspex.

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where he had fled to be purified from a murder. The monarch's wife, Anteia (otherwise Sthenoboea, 1. 327), fell in love with him, and finding he resisted her solicitations, accused him to her husband. Bellerophon was sent to the court of Iobates, king of Lycia, with the famous "Bellerophonteae literae,' —a sealed letter containing a request that the bearer might be killed. Instead of himself executing the order, Iobates sent his guest against the Chimaera. From this expedition, however, he returned victorious; and having escaped some similar dangers, eventually succeeded to the throne of Lycia.

326, 327. haec] i. e. Phaedra. See last note. "Cressa" in 1. 327 is also Phaedra.

327. excanduit] Became enraged: lit." grew hot." It has been rendered," blushed" (with the shame of the repulse). But the verb never has this meaning.

ger.

328. concussere] "roused to an

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331, 332. optimus-patriciae] i. e. Caius Silius. He was of remarkable beauty, and excited a passion in the empress Messalina, the wife of Claudius. See Sat. vi. 116 seqq. She at last insisted on his going through the form of a marriage with her. As the alternative was assassination (see 1. 338, 339), he was forced to comply,

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335

and the mock marriage was celebrated in the 'horti Luculliani.' Claudius was at this time absent at Ostia. The news at last reached him, and he ordered Silius to be put to death. Messalina herself was dispatched by the orders of Narcissus, the emperor's freedman. See Sat. xiv. 329-331, where the transaction is inaccurately stated as follows: "cujus (scil. Narcissi) paruit imperiis, uxorem occidere jussus," scil. Claudius. The fact really was that Narcissus found he had not sufficient influence with the emperor to overcome his attachment to Messalina, and accordingly took the order on himself.

333-336. parato-au pex] i. e. goes through all the ceremonies of a regular marriage. Cf. Sat. ii. 117— 126; and see last note.

333. illa] Messalina. 334. flammeolo] Notes on Sat. ii. 124; vi. 225.

ib. genialis] sub. "lectus." See note on Sat. vi. 22.

ib. Tyrius] "purple-dyed." 335. decies centena] Notes on Sat. i. 106; ii. 117.

336. signatoribus] Witnesses to the 'tabulae dotis, or marriage contract. See Sat. ii. 119 and note,

ib. auspex] The auspicia' were still taken before a marriage by the nuptiarum auspices,' although it

What we

Haec tu secreta et paucis commissa putabas ?-
Non, nisi legitime, vult nubere. Quid placeat, dic:
Ni parere velis, pereundum erit ante lucernas:
Si scelus admittas, dabitur mora parvula, dum res,
Nota Urbi et populo, contingat Principis aures. 341
Dedecus ille domus sciet ultimus: interea tu
Obsequere imperio, si tanti vita dierum
Paucorum. Quidquid levius meliusque putaris,
Praebenda est gladio pulcra haec et candida cer-
vix.

345

351

355

"Nil ergo optabunt homines?" Si consilium vis, may safe- Permittes ipsis expendere numinibus, quid ly wish for. Conveniat nobis, rebusque sit utile nostris. Nam pro jucundis aptissima quaeque dabunt dî. Carior est illis homo, quam sibi. Nos, animorum Impulsu et caeca magnaque cupidine ducti, Conjugium petimus, partumque uxoris: at illis Notum, qui pueri qualisque futura sit uxor. Ut tamen et poscas aliquid, voveasque sacellis Exta, et candiduli divina tomacula porci : Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano. Fortem posce animum, mortis terrore carentem, Qui spatium vitae extremum inter munera ponat Naturae, qui ferre queat quoscumque labores, Nesciat irasci, cupiat nihil, et potiores Herculis aerumnas credat saevosque labores Et venere, et coenis, et pluma Sardanapali. Monstro, quod ipse tibi possis dare: semita certe Tranquillae per virtutem patet unica vitae. Nullum numen habes, si sit prudentia; nos te 365 Nos facimus, Fortuna, deam, coeloque locamus.

had become a mere form. Cic. de Divin. i. 16.

338. vuit] sub. "Messalina." 338-341.] To Silius. "Here is your choice. If you refuse, Messalina will put you to death at once. If you comply, you will have a few days' respite, till Claudius hears of it; which he will be the last man in Rome who does."

360

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SATIRA XI.

A NOTE OF INVITATION.

Expen

sive tastes and their

Atticus eximie si coenat, lautus habetur;

Si Rutilus, demens. Quid enim majore cachinno Excipitur vulgi, quam pauper Apicius? Omnis quences. Convictus, thermae, stationes, omne theatrum

conse

De Rutilo. Nam dum valida ac juvenilia membra 5
Sufficiunt galeae, dumque ardent sanguine, fertur,
Non cogente quidem, sed nec prohibente tribuno,
Scripturus leges et regia verba lanistae.
Multos porro vides, quos saepe elusus ad ipsum
Creditor introitum solet exspectare macelli,
Et quibus in solo vivendi causa palato est.
Egregius coenat meliusque miserrimus horum
Et cito casurus jam perlucente ruina.
Interea gustus elementa per omnia quaerunt,

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10

trated in the emperor's person. See Sat. ii. 165. He ought therefore, in the latter capacity, to have prohibited such a public scandal. The 'tribuni plebis, as such, had nothing to do with regulating the public morals.

ib. non cogente] See Sat. viii. 193 and note.

8. leyes-lanistae] See note on Sat. iii. 158.

12. egregius] Compar. of" egregie." 13. casurus-ruinu] Metaphoricè, from the wall of a ruinous house, when the daylight begins to show through the fissures. Ruina," "its approaching fall.”

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