Our character under

Admoveas, cujus tunc munere retia misit. Esse aliquid Manes et subterranea regna, Et contum, et Stygio ranas in gurgite nigras, 150 ground. Atque una transire vadum tot millia cymba,

154

Nec pueri credunt, nisi qui nondum aere lavantur. Sed tu vera puta: Curius quid sentit, et ambo Scipiadae, quid Fabricius manesque Camilli, Quid Cremerae legio, et Cannis consumta juventus, Tot bellorum animae, quoties hinc talis ad illos Umbra venit? Cuperent lustrari, si qua darentur Sulphura cum taedis, et si foret humida laurus. Blessings Illuc heu! miseri traducimur. Arma quidem ultrà of Roman Litora Juvernae promovimus, et modo captas 160 tion. Orcadas, ac minima contentos nocte Britannos:

civiliza

perly, it means the wall which ran round the arena, to protect the spectators from the wild beasts. The arena was itself excavated, and the top of the podium' 18 feet above its level. The more distinguished spectators occupied three tiers of reserved seats. These were immediately behind the 'podium,' and also called by that name, which has descended to our "pew." The other spectators occupied the higher tiers of benches.

147. ipsum] "The emperor himself" whether Nero or Domitian is uncertain. 'Admoveas: i. q. adjungas.'

66

66

148. munere] A show of gladiators was a munus ;"-to exhibit one was munus edere," and the exhibitor "editor" 66 munerator. ib. retia misit] Note on Sat. viii. 200-208.

or

tomary price for admission to the public baths. Cf. Sat. vi. 447.

153. Curius] See note on 1. 3.

155. Cremerae legio] The Fabia gens. During the Veientine war, the whole gens, headed by the consul Kaeso, established a military fort on the Cremera, which flows into the Tiber a few miles N. of Rome. After two years they were cut off by the Veientes, with the exception of one boy, who had been left in Rome. The above is the legendary account.

158.] At a 'lustratio' sulphur was burnt, and those present sprinkled from laurel-boughs dipped in water. Special sacrifices were also offered. For 'lustratio,' see note on Sat. xiii. 63. 159. Illuc-traducimur] "Down there our character is quite gone." Lit. "thither" (i. e. to the great of antiquity) we are traduced." "Traducere' is to lead by (in procession). Hence, exhibit, make notorious, and from this latter meaning, "defame' or "traduce.' Another rendering is, "To this point of infamy we are brought." But it is feebler.

160. Juvernae] Ireland. For the probable date of the Satire in connexion with these lines, see Macleane ad loc.

161. minima contentos nocte Britan

165

Sed quae nunc populi fiunt victoris in urbe,
Non faciunt illi, quos vicimus. Et tamen unus
Armenius Zalates cunctis narratur ephebis
Mollior ardenti sese indulsisse Tribuno.
Adspice, quid faciant commercia! Venerat obses.
Hic fiunt homines. Nam si mora longior Urbem
Indulsit pueris, non umquam deerit amator:
Mittentur braccae, cultelli, frena, flagellum.
Sic praetextatos referunt Artaxata mores.

nos] From the shortness of the
summer night in high latitudes. It
would seem from this passage, and a
similar one in Tacitus (Agric. 12),
that this was popularly believed to be
the case throughout the year. Taci-
tus, at any rate, suggests an explana-
tion which is inconsistent with any
other view. He says, that the ex-
tremities of the earth are less moun-
tainous than its centre, and therefore
throw shorter shadows!

163-168.] Translate, "And yet one, the Armenian Zalates, weaker than the other youths of his country, is said to have gratified our

170

eager Tribune." Caligula is meant by "tribunus" (sub. plebis) ;—it was one of the offices concentrated in the emperors.

166. commercia] "intercourse." 167. Hic fiunt homines] Ironically. 169. braccae &c.] Usual pre

sents to favourites.

170. praetextatos-mores] "those of our Roman youth." See note on Sat. i. 78. For another rendering, see Macleane ad loc.

ib. Artaxata] The Armenian capital.

SATIRA III.

LIFE IN ROME.

The last words of Umbri

cius.

Quamvis digressu veteris confusus amici,
Laudo tamen, vacuis quod sedem figere Cumis
Destinet, atque unum civem donare Sibyllae.
Janua Baiarum est et gratum litus amoeni
Secessus. Ego vel Prochytam praepono Suburae. 5
Nam quid tam miserum, tam solum vidimus, ut non
Deterius credas horrere incendia, lapsus
Tectorum assiduos, ac mille pericula saevae
Urbis, et Augusto recitantes mense poetas ?
Sed dum tota domus rheda componitur una,
Substitit ad veteres arcus madidamque Capenam.
Hic, ubi nocturnae Numa constituebat amicae ;-
Nunc sacri fontis nemus et delubra locantur

2. vacuis] Cumae was a quiet old town, on the road to ("janua," 1. 4) the more fashionable Baiae; about four miles N. W. of it.

3. Sibyllae] "Euboïcis Cumarum allabitur oris... horrendaeque procul secreta Sibyllae, Antrum immane, petit." Virg. Aen. vi. init.

4, 5.] "And an attractive coast of pleasant retirement."

5. Prochytam] Now Procida; off Cape Misenum. See Macleane's description of this island.

ib. Suburae] A street of low shops (principally green-grocers') running from the Forum to the Esquiline hill.

9. Augusto rec. men. poetas] See note on Sat. i. 1-18.

11. substitit] Umbricius had walked on before the furniture-van (rheda),

10

and now waited for it at the Appianroad gate. "Capenam;" from its leading to Capua.

ib. veteres arcus] Probably the arched tomb of Horatia, which was near this gate. Livy i. 16.

ib. madidam] An aqueduct (the Aqua Appia) entered the city near the gate.

12. noctur. amicae] i. e. the nymph Egeria, one of the Camenae. She was alleged by Numa to have instructed him in the religious ceremonies he instituted. The grove near the Porta Capena was perhaps not the original scene of these interviews: cf. Livy, i. 21.

ib. constituebat] "made his assignations."

13. delubra] shrine (of the Camenae). See note on 1. 16.

Why he

quits Rome.

No ing except for sordid

open

arts,

Judaeis, quorum cophinus foenumque supellex,
(Omnis enim populo mercedem pendere jussa est 15
Arbor, et ejectis mendicat silva Camenis);-
In vallem Egeriae descendimus et speluncas
Dissimiles veris. Quanto praestantius esset
Numen aquae, viridi si margine clauderet undas 19
Herba, nec ingenuum violarent marmora tophum !
Hic tunc Umbricius, "Quando artibus, inquit,
honestis

25

Nullus in Urbe locus, nulla emolumenta laborum,
Res hodie minorest, here quam fuit, atque eadem cras
Deteret exiguis aliquid: proponimus illuc
Ire, fatigatas ubi Daedalus exuit alas,
Dum nova canities, dum prima et recta senectus,
Dum superest Lachesi, quod torqueat, et pedibus me
Porto meis, nullo dextram subeunte bacillo.
Cedamus patria: vivant Arturius istic

29

Et Catulus: maneant, qui nigrum in candida vertunt,
Quis facile est aedem conducere, flumina, portus,

13. locantur] "Are farmed out:" the correlative term to "conducere." See note on 1. 31, 'conducere.'

14. quorum supellex]" whose whole chattels are a basket and wisp of hay:"-the former to go begging with, the latter to sleep on. 15. mercedem] 66 rent. dere," "produce," lit. "pay."

'Pen

16. silva mendicat] i. e. its occupants do. The Jews went out begging and fortune-telling (see Sat. vi. 543) all day, and returned to the wood to sleep.

ib. ejectis Camenis] The grove was consecrated to the four Camenae, Egeria being herself one. See above. These Camenae are not the same as "the Muses," although confounded with them by the later Roman poets. The names of the other three are Carmenta, Antevorta, and Postvorta.

20. ingenuum] "the natural (lit. 'home-born') tufa" i. e. the rock from which the spring flowed, opposed to the marmora,' which had been brought there to ornament the margin. Cf. Virgil's "vivoque sedi

·

:

lia saxo," Aen. i. 167.
25.] See Virg. Aen. vi. 14 seqq.
Daedalus, ut fama est, fugiens
Minoïa regna
Redditus his
primum terris, tibi, Phoebe, sacravit
Remigium alarum."
'His terris,'
i. e. Čumae.

66

27. Dum superest Lach. quod torqueat] While Lachesis has something left to spin (lit. turn);" i. e. "while I have some life left." In the Roman writers all the three fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropis, spun the thread of human destiny. In the Greek poets this is the office of Clotho only. În Homer there is usually only one Moipa, who has no other name.

29, 30. Arturius-Catulus] Rich contractors of the day, of low origin. 31. aedem-flumina, portus] sub. "faciendam, -da, -dos." 'Aedes,' being singular, is a temple."

66

ib. conducere] "to contract for." These public works were let out by the aediles' to contractors (redemptores'). Cf. Hor. Ep. i. 1. 76, "Pars hominum gestit conducere publica." Under the empire the

Siccandam eluviem, portandum ad busta cadaver,
Et praebere caput domina venale sub hasta.
Quondam hi cornicines et municipalis arenae
Perpetui comites, notaeque per oppida buccae, 35
Munera nunc edunt et verso pollice vulgi
Quem libet occidunt populariter: inde reversi
Conducunt foricas; et cur non omnia? quum sint
Quales ex humili magna ad fastigia rerum
Extollit, quoties voluit Fortuna jocari.

or crime. Quid Romae faciam? Mentiri nescio: librum, Si malus est, nequeo laudare et poscere: motus Astrorum ignoro: funus promittere patris

cura

letting was managed by the "
tores operum publicorum,' the office
of aedile' having lost much of its
importance. See note on 1. 162.

31. fumina] The drainage of the surface or rain-water from a house into the public'cloacae.' 'Flumen' is thus distinguished from 'stillicidium,' which was the private right of the running of water through the drain of an adjacent house.

32. siccandam eluviem] ing (lit. drying) a sewer.' ib. portandum-cadaver]

empty

This

40

ib. arenae] See note on Sat. ii. 147," podium."

35. buccae] The cheeks puffed

would be on some occasion of a pub- out with blowing the 'cornu.'

lic funeral.

33.] "And offer themselves ('caput') for sale under the despotic spear;" i. e. for sale by auction. A spear was stuck up when an auction was going on, much as with us a carpet is hung out of the window. The first auctions were probably for disposing of the booty taken in war, which would account for the spear being thus used. Domina,' because the article sold is peremptorily knocked down to the highest bidder. The line of course means, "do any servile work you choose."

34.]

36. munera] See note on Sat. ii. 148.

ib. verso pollice] The life of a conquered gladiator was literally in the hands of the spectators. If they wished him to live, they pressed down their thumbs. So Hor. Ep. i. 18. 66," utroque tuum laudabit pollice ludum." If the contrary, they turned them up; hence verso.

38. foricas] Public urinals and privies. The proper keeping of these was one of the objects of contract from the aediles' or ' curatores;' see note on 1. 31. But there is ground for thinking that the word means a public" bonded warehouse" for goods, the dues from which were called Thereforiculiarium.'

"These (men, who were) once 'cornicines,' &c."

ib. municipalis arenae] "of the provincial amphitheatre."

were gladiators' shows at the chief country-towns in Italy, as well as at Rome, each of which had its orchestral

42, 43. motus astrorum] i. e. astrology. Cf. Sat. vi. 553–567.

43, 44. funus promittere patris]