105 Porticus exsistunt, qui promittunt hecatomben, Partem aliquam belli, et euntem in proelia turrim. Pacuvium, quin illud ebur ducatur ad aras, 101-104.] "People come forward who vow their hecatomb; hecatomb of oaen (ἑκατὸν βοῦς), that is, since elephants are not to be had. They would vow them if they were. 99 102-104. quatenus-concipitur] The construction is "Quatenus hic non sunt elephanti, nec venales, nec Latio," &c. "Inasmuch as there are no elephants to be had here, neither imported for sale, nor indigenous." Instead of the adjective which should be coupled with "venales by the second "nec," the sentence passes (in 1. 103. 104) into the finite construction," nec-concipitur." If 1. 102 would have scanned without it, the first "nec would probably never have been inserted. 104-107. sed privato] Elephants were imported by the emperors for the procession of the Ludi Magni; see on Sat. x 36-46. They were strictly preserved in the woods near Ardea; hence "Rutulis; Turni -agro," 1. 105. See Virg. Aen. vii. 409-413, "Dea tollitur alis Audacis Rutuli ad muros . . . . locus Ardea quondam Dictus avis; et nunc magnum manet Ardea nomen, Sed Fortuna fuit. Tectis hic Tur 111 115 nus in altis Jam mediam nigra carpebat nocte quietem." 104. furva gente] i. e. from the Moors. Cf. Sat. xi. 125. 107. siquidem] 66 inasmuch as." Thus giving the reason for their being Caesaris armentum.' 108. regi Molosso] i. e. Pyrrhus. His elephants, which were the first the Romans had seen, decided the battle of Heraclea, B.C. 280, against the Romans. Molosso is for Epirotae, as Molossia was a province of Epirus. 110. aliquam] very considerable;" a frequent meaning of the word. ' 120 De grege servorum magna et pulcerrima quaeque 118-120.] The well-known story of Iphigenia's sacrifice by Agamemnon, and the substitution of the stag. See Eurip. Iph. Aul. 1540 1589. 120. tragicae-cervae] "the stag of tragedy." Referring to the above play. In the Iph. in Taur. 1. 28, Iphigenia says, ἀλλ ̓ ἐξέκλεψεν ἔλαφον ἀντιδουσά μου "Αρτεμις 'Axaιoîs. Hence "furtiva piacula" here. 121. meum civem] Pacuvius. 121, 122. nec-rates] Referring still to the story of Iphigenia. "The object of Agamemnon's sacrifice (to procure the liberation of the detained fleet, στόλον ̓Αργείων, Xiλiovaúтav, Aesch. Ag. 44), was not comparable to the will, for which Pacuvius would make a similar offering." 124. meritum sane mirandum] The vows of Pacuvius, to which the testator would ascribe his recovery. 127. Mycenis (adj.)] i. e. Iphigenia. Here, of course, it means the daughter whom Pacuvius would sacrifice, if he had one. "See, from the success which would then probably attend Pacuvius (1. 123–126) how useful such a victim might be." 129. rapuit Nero] Sat. x. 15-18 and note. SATIRA XIII. A BAD WORLD. Calvinus is sur prised at as if it 5 Exemplo quodcumque mało committitur, ipsi Displicet auctori. Prima est haec ultio, quod se being Judice nemo nocens absolvitur, improba quamvis cheated; Gratia fallacem Praetoris vicerit urnam. were not Quid sentire putas omnes, Calvine, recenti an every- De scelere et fidei violatae crimine? Sed nec day ocTam tenuis census tibi contigit, ut mediocris Jacturae te mergat onus; nec rara videmus, Quae pateris. Casus multis hic cognitus, ac jam Tritus, et e medio Fortunae ductus acervo. Ponamus nimios gemitus: flagrantior aequo Non debet dolor esse viri, nec vulnere major. Tu quamvis levium minimam exiguamque malo currence. rum 10 Particulam vix ferre potes, spumantibus ardens 1. exemplo malo] In bad precedent. Similarly, an article of dress is said to be "exempli mali," "in bad style." 2. auctori] the doer. 4. Praetoris urnam] The "judices" appointed by the Praetor to try a cause (see on Sat. iii. 213) were selected by lots drawn from an urn. If either of the litigants had interest with the Praetor ("gratia") he could favour them by tampering with the lots, so as to ensure their having such judges as they would 20 Sexaginta annos, Fonteio Consule natus ? Nona aetas agitur, pejoraque saecula ferri 17. Fonteio Consule] There were several consuls of this name. Possibly this is the "Capito Fonteius" of Horace (Sat. i. 5. 32). 19-22.] "Philosophy is a good teacher, but experience a better." 22. jactare] toss;” i. e. try to shake off, like a heifer or young horse. 25. pyxide]" poison.' Lit. the case in which it is kept. 27. Thebarum Of course here the OŃßη ÉTTάπVÀos (Hom. 11. iv. 406) of Boeotia; not the Aegyptian Onẞn EKATÓμTUXOS (Hom. II. ix. 383). 28. nona aetas Mr. Macleane is probably right in referring this to the division of the " Magnus Annus," by the Etruscans and Romans, into ten periods, of which the tenth was to witness the restoration of the first or golden age. See Niebuhr, Rom. Hist. i. 137 seqq. The ninth would, therefore, naturally be the period of greatest declension from it. The ordinary classification by metals cannot be referred to, as these are limited to four,-gold, silver, brass, and iron. An ingenious explanation has been given, by which 30 the "nona aetas " is referred to So- 29. quorum] Scil. "saeculorum.” 32. Faesidium] Some advocate of note. ib. agentem] sub. causas. 32, 33. vocalis-sportula] i. e. his clients, who applaud him for the sake of the "sportula" he distributes. Cf. Sat. x. 46; and see note on Sat. i. 95. 66 33. senior bulla dignissime] i. e. you gray-headed child." See Sat. v. 164 and note. 34. Veneres] "charms." There was some honesty in the golden age; 36 41 Quem tua simplicitas risum vulgo moveat, quum ton. 45 50 Nec rota, nec Furiae, nec saxum, aut vulturis atri 37. rubenti] With the blood of the victims. 38-59.] They lived thus (i. e. with the honesty you would exact now-a-days) in the golden age." Cf. Sat. vi. init. See 39, 40. sumeret -fugiens] Virg. Aen. viii. 319-325, "Primus ab aethereo venit Saturnus Olympo, Arma Jovis fugiens, et regnis exul ademtis... Aurea, quae perhibent, illo sub rege fuerunt Saecula." 40. virguncula] a little girl." 43. puer Tucus] Ganymede. "Herculis uxor:' Hebe. 44, 45. et jam-taberna] "Nor any Vulcan, with nectar just drained, wiping his arms sooty with the Liparaean workshop." The description of Vulcan washing after his work is given in Homer, Il. xviii. 414, 415, where Thetis comes to visit him: Σπόγγῳ δ ̓ ἀμφὶ πρόσωπα καὶ ἄμφω χεῖρ ̓ ἀπομόργνυ, Αυχένα τε στιβαρὸν καὶ στήθεα λαχνήEvTa. Nothing is said, indeed, about the cup of nectar, but Juvenal may have drawn on his own imagination for this; or the passage may be a parody on some contemporary poem. (Vulcan was a favourite subject. See Sat. i. 8, 9.) The lines have been thought to refer to the passage Il. i. 597-600, where Vulcan hands round the nectar to avert an impending quarrel. This meaning, however, can hardly be got out of "siccato nectare." 45. Liparaea taberna] Sat. i. 8, 9, and note. 46. sibi quisque] separately." Not at a common table, as afterwards. 47. talis] sub. "erat." 49. profundi] Probably "the sea. 50. Sicula conjuge] See Sat. x. 112 and note. "Sicula:" because Sicily was given to Proserpine by Jupiter at her wedding. See Pind. Nem. i. 18 seqq., vάow, Tàv 'Оλúμπου δεσπότας Ζεὺς ἔδωκεν Φερσεφόνα. 51. rota-saxum-vulturis] The well-known legends of Ixion, Sisyphus, and Tityus. For" Furiae " see Aen. vi. 605, "Furiarum maxima juxta Accubat." Scil. near Ixion and others. |