V ,;. '.;. .-. ; g .;. ;;. ;.;. '.;. .;.; .% .\ .;.' .;. ,;.';.;.;;;;■ V .-. .\ .;.>.".;.".;, ;« .;;.;. j 1 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 1 (Eljap.r? A ^ 3 5 5 So £t>u1 I 1 — Ll£0v3 1 8 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I Si •:• •:• •:• •:• •:- ■:• •. . -. i %• •:• •:• •:• •:• •:• : •:• •:• •:• :• -;• THE SATIRES OP P E R S I U S TRANSLATED WITH NOTES. EY WILLIAM DRUMMOND, ESQ. M. P. — FELLOW OP THE ROYAL SOCIBTIES OP LONDON AND EDINBURGH. LONDON PRINTED POR J. GINGER, 169, PICCADILLY. 1803. 4? tf$sa s^* PRINTED EY B. N. SHURY, BERWICK-STREET, PREFACE In offering to the Public a new English version of Persius, my object has rather been to express his meaning clearly, than either to translate his words literally, or to copy his manner servilely. The sentiments of this satirist are indeed admir- able, and deserve to be better known than they are; but his poetry cannot be praised for its ele- gance, nor his language for its urbanity. It is one thino-, to esteem the excellent sense of an author, and another, to propose his style as a model of imitation. The defects of Persius, considered with respect to composition, cannot perhaps be easily defend- ed. Even Casaubon, his fondest admirer, and most successful interpreter, admits that his style 11 PREFACE. is obscure. If, however, any apology can be made for this first sin against good writing, it is in the case of a satirist, and above all, of a sati- rist who dared to reprobate the crimes, and to ridicule the follies of a tyrant. If Persius be obscure, let it be remembered, he lived in the time of Nero. But it has been remarked, that this Author is not obscure, only when he lashes and exposes the Roman emperor. It was very well, it has been said, to employ hints, and to speak in half sentences, while he censured the vices of a cruel and luxurious despot ; but there could be no oc- casion for enveloping himself in obscurity, while he expounded the doctrines of the Stoics to his friend Cornutus, or expatiated to the poet Bassus on the true use of riches. But those who blame Persius for his obscu- rity, ought to reflect, that of all the various kinds of poetry satire is that, which loses most, by being read at a period very distant from the time of its PREFACE. Ill composition. Just observations upon men and manners will indeed be esteemed in every age, when taste and literature flourish ; and well de- scribed characters will always interest readers of judgment and feeling. But it is not the nature of satire to dwell upon general topics, without allu- sion to existing circumstances, or without refer- ence to particular, and even familiar, examples. But it may be asked, if vice and folly would not be exposed with perhaps greater effect, by the delineation of fictitious characters, and by gene- ral observations upon manners, than by dwelling upon the absurdity of a temporary fashion, or upon the guilt or weakness of an obscure indi- vidual. To this question the satirist may justly reply, that his aim is not only to censure vice, but to punish those who practice it. If example teach at all, it teaches most where it applies best. The principle upon which punishment is justly inflicted, is for the sake of example ; and the punishment, which we dread because it may be ours, seems terrible even when it falls upon others, IV PREFACE. General and abstract reasoning upon virtue and morality, may delight the wise and the good ; but it rarely corrects the foolish, or reforms the profligate. As the moralist treats generally of virtue and of wisdom, of the influence of reason, and of the subordination of the passions ; so the satirist remarks and censures those private and indivi- dual deviations from good sense or good conduct, which it does not fall within the province of the moralist to observe. The moralist displays the variety of the human character, as it exists in all ages and nations ; the satirist marks its shades and its defects in particular instances. While, therefore, I fully admit the charge of obscurity, which has been brought against Persius, I cannot allow to it that weight, which it would have in most other cases. Indeed, we may as well complain of the rust on an ancient coin, as of the obscurity of an ancient satire. Nature, it is true, always holds up the same mirror, but prejudice, PREFACE. V habit, and education, are continually changing the appearance of the objects seen in it. The objections which have been made to my Author in some other respects, are more difficult to answer. His unpolished verses, his coarse comparisons, and his ungraceful transitions from one subject to another, manifest, it is said, either his contempt or his ignorance of elegant composition. It cannot, indeed, be contended, that Persius displays the politeness of Horace, or that in the composition either of his words, his sentences, or his satires, he shows himself an adept in the callida jundura. His poetry is a strong and rapid torrent, which pours in its infracted course over rocks and precipices, and which occasion- ally, like the waters of the Rhone, disappears from the view, and loses itself under ground. Among the defects of this Author in point of style, must be remarked the too evident labour, VI PREFACE. with which he wrote, or rather corrected what he had written. In poetry, as well as in painting and in sculpture, the most perfect are generally the most laboured productions. The imagination, however, is seldom pleased with what suggests ideas of difficulty and toil — with what has been produced by an unusual effort, and is conti- nued by a painful and unremitting exertion. In order to be graceful, it is necessary to be easy; and the poet, who aims at elegance, must conceal the pains which it costs him, to write with free- dom, and yet with accuracy. When we read fine verses, which flow easily, of which the sound is harmonious, the sentiments are just, the images natural, and the ideas con- nected ; we can scarcely at first sight persuade ourselves, that they were probably composed with difficulty, and corrected with care. On the contrary, we are almost willing to give credit to the fiction of the poet, and to believe, that he is inspired by Muses, and writes, as they dictate. As the eye frequently wanders over a beautiful PREFACE. Vll garden, without perceiving the skill which has placed the groves, or spread the waters ; so the mind does not always remark the art, which in a fine poem has polished the numbers, or adorned the language. Every reader of taste is charmed with the grace, the beauty, the elegance, the har- mony, the majesty of Virgil's poetry ; but the attentive critic alone will know how to appreciate the incessant labour, the unwearied vigilance, the scrupulous accuracy, and the patient industry, which must have been employed in the composi- tion of the yEneis, and of the Georgics, the most sublime productions of the Roman Muse. It may indeed be considered as a proof of no common excellence in a poet, when his works have all the merits, which are produced by care and attention, without the appearance of stiff- ness, or pedantry. Who, upon a first perusal of the charming verses of Guarini, would suspect, that they had been extremely laboured ? yet the graces of Guarini's style have an air of negli- gence, which the poet never indulged. It is well Vlll PREFACE. known, that Pope corrected his works with the most scrupulous solicitude ; nevertheless the pre- cision of the critic seems seldom to constrain the facility of the master, or to cramp the genius of the poet. In the writings of Persius we have continually to lament his studied compression, his elaborate brevity, his painful energy. Not satisfied with pruning the too luxuriant shoots, he lops off the branches, which make the ornaments of the tree. He seems perpetually to forget that a satirist does not write only for the wise, to whom a word is enough ; and he is constantly guilty of the rare, though fatal error, of having said too little. But although some critics have been thus far justly severe upon Persius, is it possible that they should be so much prejudiced against him, by the imperfections of his style, as to deny that this excellent satirist possessed energy, acuteness, and spirit? Because his language is rude, is not PREFACE. IX his bold and manly sense to be admired ? What mind is so fastidious as to contemn just observa- tions, and sound and wise reflections, because they are not expressed in the most elegant man- ner? The ancients, who must have seen the defects of Persius better than we can do, never- theless admired him. All the philosophers and poets of his time seem to have esteemed him ; and the best critic, and the wittiest epigram- matist of antiquity, were among the number of those who celebrated him. And then comes the elder Scaliger, with all his offensive pedantry, to inform us that Persius was silly and dull. But Ouintilian would not have praised a silly writer, nor would Martial have admired a dull one. As the translator of Persius, I have sometimes thought it necessary to polish his language. Even Dryden found the expressions of this Au- thor too much forced to be literally translated ; and he observes, with more truth than delicacy, that his verses are scabrous and hobbling. PREFACE. What Dryden judged too rude for imitation, the critics of the present day will probably think I have been prudent in not copying. I have ge- nerally, therefore, followed the outlines ; but I have seldom ventured to employ the colouring of Persius. Where the coarse metaphor, or the extravagant hyperbole debases, or obscures the sense in the original, I have changed, or even omitted it ; where the idiom of the English language required it, I have thought myself justified, in abandoning the literal sense of my Author; and lastly, where the bold hand of the Roman satirist has torn the veil, which ought perhaps for ever to have concealed from mankind the monstrous and unnatural crimes of Nero, I have turned the attention of my readers to re- flections less disagreeable, and to objects less dis- gusting. Some, I know, there are who think, that in translation not a thought of the author should be lost, and not one added to him. Such readers I shall not often please. But I must observe, that PREFACE. of all kinds of poetry satire is the most difficult to translate with fidelity, and yet with elegance. The epic, the tragic, or the lyric poet, speaks to the heart, or to the imagination ; and his ideas may be expressed in almost every tongue. What language but can convey the sublime, paint the beautiful, or express the pathetic! Not only works of taste and imagination, but even philosophic and didactic poems are more easily translated than satiric compositions. We can always follow, though we may not always allow the reasoning of Lucretius; and it would perhaps be an easier task to translate well the Art oi Poetry of Horace, than to preserve the grace, the spirit, and the elegance of the original, in rendering many of his satires. Dryden observes, in apology for the style of Persius, that when he wrote, the Latin language was more corrupted than in the time of Juvenal, and consequently of Horace. But ought not Dryden to have known that Persius wrote before Xll PREFACE. Juvenal? Besides, it cannot be supposed that the Latin language had lost very much of its purity in the time of either of these poets. Per- sius was born about eighteen years after the death of Augustus Csesar; and Juvenal began to flou- rish about eighty years after the same period. But the silver age of Roman eloquence was re- markable, rather for the decline of taste, than for the corruption of language. The fault seems to have been fastidious delicacy; for refinement, when it becomes excessive, is not less hurtful to good writing, than the very coarseness and rude- ness which it would avoid. Qiiintilian, indeed, complains, that barbarisms were gaining ground; and in some degree authorizes Dryden's observa- tion, by remarking that Persius had employed one word without much attention to the purity of its Latinity. But it is well known, that new expressions had been frequently employed by the best Latin authors. Cicero has introduced many words from the Greek, in his philosophical works, which are models of eloquence. Horace, the purest of the Roman poets, contends for the PREFACE. Xlll admission of new words. Virgil employs se- veral words in a sense peculiar to himself, as is remarked by Aurelius Victor. The Latinity of Livy has not escaped without censure ; and though his style is better, his language is not purer than that of Tacitus. This last admirable writer offends only by the affected conciseness of his manner, which does not possess the simpli- city required in history. Even Seneca himself, amidst the glare of his false eloquence, is guilty of incorrectness in taste, rather than of impurity in language. True indeed it is, that when taste is corrupted, language generally declines ; but it is not the want of refinement, which can be im- puted as a fault to most of the authors, who wrote immediately subsequent to the Augustan age. A learned critic contends, that Persius brought satiric poetry to perfection, inasmuch as he was the first who treated only of one subject in each of his satires. Unity of subject, adds he, is as essential to satire, as unity of fable to tra- gedy. XIV PREFACE. I am doubtful if this be either true with respect to fact, or just with respect to criticism. Horace certainly does not violate the unity of subject, for example, in his first satire; and Persius can hardly be said to have preserved it in his sixth. In the fifth likewise, the most excellent of his satires, Persius cannot claim much praise for preserving the unity of subject, as he commences with some severe strictures upon bombast poets, and concludes with a dissertation upon liberty, as it was understood by the Stoics. But is this critic right, in thinking that unity of subject is conformable to the nature, or consis- tent with the original plan of satire ? Let us very briefly retrace the history of this species of poe- try, and afterwards examine the justice of this opinion. During the early ages of Rome the Fescennine verses, and the songs of the Salii, were probably the only poetical compositions known to the Ro- mans. The Fescennine verses were generally PREFACE. XV sung, or recited, at the annual celebration of the feast of Saturn, and upon other occasions of pub- lic rejoicing. But the Tuscans were at this time the most esteemed for their poetical productions of any people of Italy ; and the Romans having insti- tuted scenic representations, in order to appease the anger of the gods after a pestilence, hired some players from Tuscany, to assist at these exhibi- tions. As the language of the Tuscans was not understood at Rome, they confined themselves to pantomime, and by their looks and gestures, full of expression, spoke to the heart and to the pas- sions, with the energy of a thousand tongues. The Romans soon caught the art, which they admired. In the year 5 11 of Rome, Livius An- dronicus performed several pieces of his own, and added the interest of dialogue to the graces of ac- tion. Previous to this acra, the poems recited in public were known by the name of Satire. Many disputes have arisen on the derivation of this XVI PREFACE. word. According to Diomedes the grammarian, it may be derived, either a Satyris, because it abounds with immodest and ridiculous things, such as might be said and done by those repre- senting satyrs on the stage ; or from satura lanx, a full dish, in which the various first fruits of the year were anciently offered to the gods. If satire be entirely a Roman poem, as is as- serted both by Horace and Quintilian; the latter is evidently the juster derivation. It is then per- haps only necessary to admit this fact, to be con- vinced that satire was originally considered as a mixed and motley kind of composition — an olla, in which subjects were introduced with little attention to order or method. If, indeed, arrangement or regularity had been thought essential to this species of composition, Horace would not have shewn himself so defi- cient in that lucid order which he recommends in his Epistle to the Pisos. But the truth is, that he considered variety as essential to satire. The PREFACE. XVH dish was not only to be full of fruit, but was to contain all kinds. Et sermone opus est, modo tristi ssepe jocoso, Defendente vicem modo rhetoris atque poetae : , Interdum urbani, parcentis viribus, atque Extenuantis eas consulto. Ridiculum acri Fortius et melius plerumque secat res. hor. But even if it should appear that satire was of Greek, or rather of Sicilian origin, still the ear- liest of the Roman satirists seem to have thought, that unity of subject was by no means consistent with the nature of the poetry which they wrote. Had not this been the case, they would not have preferred the old Greek comedy to the new. Me- nander would have been their model, and not Aristophanes. It is partly from considering with attention the ancient satires which still remain ; and partly from investigating with accuracy the history of satiric poetry, that we shall be best enabled to form a just judgment with respect to it. If I were to offer my opinion, I should say, that I believe XV111 PREFACE. satire admits not less variety in style, than in subject. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes episto- lary, it is confined neither in manner nor in mat- ter. Now it is familiar, now it is dictatorial; now it speaks the easy language of elegant co- medy, now it assumes the more serious tone of tragic declamation. With Horace, it is witty, instructive, ironical; with Persius, it is concise, learned, and ardent; with Juvenal, it is diffuse, eloquent, and unrelentingly severe. In the comparison which Dryden has drawn between these masters, I cannot think he has shewn his judgment to be very accurate, or his taste to be very correct. The whole, indeed, of his admirable preface to Juvenal, displays his fine bold genius, but is not remarkable for depth or for accuracy of knowledge. I cannot think that Horace is a less pleasing satirist than Juve- nal. On the contrary, the delight which I re- ceive from the latter is generally mixed with a considerable portion of pain, — that pain too not excited by ideal miseries, not created by imagi- PREFACE. XIX nary woes — but resulting from the contempla- tion of real horrors, of existing crimes, and of practiced atrocities. Juvenal conducts his reader through no illusory scenes. It is to human life that he directs the attention. — It is there he points out a thousand causes for mournful reflection — it is there he exhibits enough, more than enough, to rouse the indignation of the moralist, and to excite the spleen of the satirist. Every vice that can blacken, and every weakness that can degrade our nature, are held forth to execration in his terrible page. But the philanthropist looks in vain for some extenuating word, some relent- ing expression, some exculpatory clause, which might indicate that mankind in general are not the slaves of vile passions, the perpetrators of detestable vices, the dupes or the agents of vil- lainy. The pictures drawn by the vigorous and masterly hand of Juvenal may justly claim our admiration ; but surely little delight can be felt in learning, even from him, the monstrous de- pravity of which humanity has been but too often found susceptible. XX PREFACE. Horace seems to have studied the effects -of light and shade in his pictures, with more atten- tion than his rival ; and he has happily combined the broad humour of the old Greek comedy with the elegance of the new. 1 think, in comparing him even with Juvenal, we may say, midto est tersior, ac pums magis Horalhis, et ad notanda ho- minum mores precijmus* The defect of Juvenal seems to be, that his tone is too generally, I had almost said inva- riably, grave. The Romans understood by satire a more mixed kind of composition than this poet (excellent as he certainly is,) seems to have at- tempted. We are surprised at the high strain of invective, at the magnificent verses, at the sound- ing eloquence, which we find in almost every page of a book, denominated by its author, a farrago libelli. It will scarcely be urged in favour of Juvenal, that when he does not soar upon his eagle pinions, his flight is often directed where the eye of taste PREFACE. XXI cannot wish to follow it. In his sixth, the wittiest of all his satires, his scurrility, and his obscenity, have little — perhaps no pretensions to humour. In comparing the three great satirists of anti- quity, I am inclined to give the first place to Ho- race, the second to Juvenal, and the third to Per- sius. Horace is the most agreeable and the most instructive writer; Juvenal the most splendid declaimer; and Persius the most inflexible mora- list. The first is like a skilful gladiator, who vanquishes without destroying his antagonist; — the second exerts gigantic strength in the con- test; — and the third enters the lists with all the ardour of a youthful combatant. If the style of Horace be chaster, if his Latinity be purer, if his manner be gayer and more agreeable than either of the two satirists who follow him, he does not write finer verses than Juvenal, nor has he nobler thoughts than Persius. The poetry of the first resembles a beautiful river, which glides along through pleasant scenes, sunny fields, and smiling valleys : that of the second is like the majestic XX11 PREFACE. stream, whose waters, in flowing by the largest city in Europe, are polluted with no small portion of its filth and ordure : that of the third may be compared to a deep and angry torrent, which loves to roll its sullen waves under the dark sha- dow of the mountain, or amidst the silent gloom of the forest. Having now considered the character of Persius as a poet, I shall proceed to make some observations upon him as a critic and a moralist. 1. The decline of Roman eloquence, and the bad taste in criticism, which prevailed at Rome under the reign of Nero, furnished Persius with the subject of his first satire. In his strictures upon the poetasters of his time, he is, indeed, as Ascensius terms him, acerbissimiis irrisor. He ri- dicules the verses of Nero with very little cere- mony, and mocks without reserve, the literary pretensions of his courtiers. Does the taste of nations then decline so rapidly? fifty years had PREFACE. XX111 probably not elapsed between the publication of the ^Eneis, and the composition of this bitter in- vective against the corrupt taste of the Romans in poetry and eloquence. If it be indeed true, as has been asserted by se- veral writers, and especially by D'Alembert in a discourse which he pronounced before the French Academy, that taste, though not generally pos- sessed, is no wise an arbitrary thing; it seems difficult to account for the short duration of those periods, which in different ages have been most distinguished for refinement and for learning. When true notions of grandeur and of beauty have once been understood : and when mankind have once agreed in admiring the most perfect productions of art ; it appears extraordinary, that the admitted standards of excellence should not longer continue the models of imitation. History and experience, however, teach us, that revolutions in taste are at least as frequent as in politics and in manners. XXIV PREFACE. These fluctuations in the taste of nations may be influenced by many causes, but they seem gene- rally to be produced by the love of that variety, to which Nature herself has habituated man. Every pleasure appears to us to be heightened by no- velty ; and as the first emotions are the strongest, so the imagination is still most forcibly affected by change. The human mind is too restless to remain long satisfied with the contemplation of the same objects. We seek for beauty, and we recognize it under many forms : we are not al- ways most delighted with what is most regular: we not only desire variety, but we are sometimes pleased with contrast. It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise, that writers should hope to suc- ceed by attempting what is new and uncommon. It is in consulting the human mind, that they strive to please by variety ; and in making this endeavour too, even where they are neither di- rected by judgment, nor inspired by genius, they are often flattered by temporary success, and by transient reputation. PREFACE. XXV Affectation is another cause of the rapid decline of eloquence, among nations already advanced to refinement. As the most finished works of man still fall short of that perfection, which it will ever be more easy to imagine, than to attain; so the desire of improving excellence will some- times hurry us into extravagance, and lead us to make trials, which are beyond our strength. In- judicious writers are apt to forget, that when they are arrived at the sublime, one step further will carry them into the bombast; nor do they ever seem able to form to themselves an idea of that beauty, which is, when unadorned, adorned the most. Accordingly, in their works they go on embel- lishing, what was already ornamented ; refining, where elegance already existed ; and adding new graces, where they already abounded. They are never content with what can be done by the art of the sculptor, but, like the Roman emperor, they gild the statue. Bad taste indeed is seldom satisfied with sim- plicity. Nor are authors more guilty in this re- XXVI PREFACE. spect, than readers. It is the common error of bad writers , to think that their works are sublime , when they are only bombast ; and it is the common fault of bad critics not to discover the mistake. When Persius wrote, the vice of affectation seems to have been universal. His own compo- sitions, as Scaliger remarks, are not exempt from it. Many of his observations, however, are well worthy of our attention; for in these days we are not without our Accii in verse, or our Pedii in eloquence. We have indeed many speakers and many writers; but we have few, who seem to think with Longinus, that just judgment in speaking and writing is the last fruit of long experience. 2. I shall now direct the attention of the reader to the moral character of Persius as a writer ; be- cause this to a satirist must always be of the highest importance. Cicero has observed of how great consequence it is to an orator, that he should be esteemed a man of virtue and principle. But if a PREFACE. XXV11 good moral character be necessary to those, who endeavour to persuade others, it is surely no less essential to those, who presume to blame, and who attempt to reform the manners of mankind. Abi- lity and virtue are indispensable in a satirist. We can neither bear with dullness in him who laughs at our follies, nor pardon crimes in him who censures our vices. In order to be better enabled to appreciate the moral character of Persius, I shall make some remarks upon the philosophy of that sect to which he belonged, whose principles he ge- nerally followed, and whose doctrines he incul- cated by his precepts, and recommended by his example. From the time the Romans began to apply themselves to Greek literature, until the esta- blishment of the Eclectic sect, the philosophical world at Rome seems to have been chiefly divided between the systems of Zeno and of Epicurus. In vain had Cicero ridiculed the lofty maxims XXV111 PREFACE. of the first of these philosophers — in vain had he exposed the presumptuous reasoning of the second. Whether the arguments of the Roman orator were not considered as convincing upon these topics ; whether his speculations were too profound for his age ; or whether his scepticism was too strong for it; it does not appear that he succeeded in making many converts to the doctrines of the new Academy, of whose philo- sophy he was the advocate. The licentious crowd still listened to the agreeable lessons taught by the followers of Epicurus ; and the few but inflexible disciples of Stoicism adhered to their philosophy, in spite of the raillery of wits, and the subtleties of Dialecticians. In the number of those who argued most warmly in favour of the dogmas of the Portico, our Author is to be placed. The heroic virtues of the Stoics seem to have suited " the habits of his soul." Their precepts were dictated in the highest strain of morality. Patience in misfortune, calm- ness in danger, insensibility to pain, indifference PREFACE. XXIX to pleasure, and moderation in all things, were according to them inseparable from wisdom, and necessary to virtue. They held, that the great object of man should be to sustain the dignity of his moral nature; and they acknow- ledged no perfect liberty but that, which en- tirely frees the mind from the thraldom of the passions. It is in his fifth satire, that Persius treats of this stoical doctrine of liberty. In nothing did the sect of Zeno push farther its almost romantic philosophy. According to this theory, no man was either truly wise, or truly free, who suffered himself in any degree to be swayed by his pas- sions. These, the Stoics considered as the tyrants of the soul; and they taught, that their usurpation ought to be resisted by every one, who aspired to the rank of philosopher. To extirpate the passions altogether from the breast, and to leave the mind in a state of apathy, cannot but be contrary both to reason, and to XXX PREFACE. nature. The passions, which are so constantly the motives of conduct, and the springs of action, are implanted in us, in order to stimulate our minds, and to incite us to exertion. Those, who' have studied human nature, not in the systems of philosophers, but in the world, need not be told, that as man is a being formed for society, so he must consequently be influenced by passions and affections. We are made susceptible of anger, in order that we may repel injury — of fear, in order that we may attend to the preser- vation of our existence— of desire, in order that we may continue our species. It is not therefore against the passions, but against an improper indulgence of them, that good sense will direct us to guard. It is not against impulses, which Nature ordains, but against excesses which out- rage her, that sound Philosophy cautions her disciples. If we see the existence of final causes demonstrated in the wonderful organization of the human body, can we suppose, that the con- stitution of the mind of man was less the work of design and intelligence ? Shall we believe PREFACE. XXXI that it is with no wise intention, and for no useful purpose, that Nature makes us susceptible of so many various emotions? The control of reason over the passions is indeed essential to happiness; and to restrain and moderate their violence will always be the task of philosophy, and the proof of wisdom. But they who teach us, that we ought to suppress all feeling — to be sensible neither to grief, nor to joy — to be in- different to pain and to pleasure — to be moved neither by love nor by hatred, nor by ambition, nor by hope, nor by fear, nor by anger — recom- mend what cannot be practiced, and what, if it could, would be absurd and unnatural. Cicero has ably exposed the doctrine of the Stoics concerning the nature of the Deity; and has ridiculed with his usual pleasantry their roluudum ardent em volubilem Deum. It is not a little difficult, indeed, to understand that part of their system, where they endeavour to make it appear, that the world is governed by the wisdom and providence of their igneous and material XXX11 PREFACE. god. If Persius has any where abandoned the principles of Stoicism, it seems to be upon this topic. It is evident from his second satire, that he had studied the writings of Plato, and that, like that philosopher, he had conceived an exalted notion of the Divine Intelligence. Whilst Ido- latry lavished treasures upon the gods which she herself had created — whilst Superstition daily immolated victims upon her bloody altars — and whilst the capital of the world was divided be- tween atheists and fanatics — or at least between those who thought, the gods interfered in every thing, and those who thought, they interfered in nothing, — a heathen poet taught the sublime lesson, that a pure heart is the most acceptable gift which man can make to his Creator. Well might Bishop Burnet say of this satire, that it may pass for an excellent lecture in divi- nity. From the remarks which I have made upon the object and tendency of my Author's writings, I flatter myself that the reader, who is yet unac- PREFACE. XXX11I quainted with them, and who can be satisfied with good sense and sound morality, without looking for wit, for elegance, or for invention, will be inclined to peruse them : and I have no doubt, but that he may be induced to think with me, that many of the maxims of Persius might be observed in the present age, with considerable advantage both to its morals, and to its taste in literature. I cannot conclude this Preface without la- menting, that an early and untimely death should have prevented the Poet, whose works I have translated, from giving them a more finished ap- pearance. His short day was so truly glorious, that it ever must be lamented it was closed so soon. Above all, the fate of Persius must have been mourned by the friendly Cornutus. It was his bosom, which had first received and cherished the neglected plant — it was his care, which had long fostered it with such fond and assiduous culture — it was his arm, which had already warded off a thousand dangers. Alas 1 the flower XXXIV PREFACE. was just expanded in full blossom to the morn- ing sun, when the day overcast, and this pro- mised pride of the garden perished by the relent- less storm. THE LIFE OF PERSIUS. Aulus Persius Flaccus, according to the frag- ment ascribed to Probus, was born on the day before the Nones of December, in the consulship of Fabius Persicus, and Lucius Vitellius; and died in that of Rubrius Marius, and Asinius Gallus, on the eighth of the Kalends of December. But as there were only twenty-eight years be- tween these two consulships, the author of the fragment is afterwards guilty of a glaring mis- take, in stating that Persius died at thirty years of age. o XXXVI LIFE OF PERSIUS. Persius was born at Volaterrae in Etruria. He was of the equestrian order, and was allied to some of the noblest families of Rome. The author of the fragment says, his father died when Persius was scarcely six years old. But the ac- count given by our Poet himself, seems to con- tradict this assertion* Saepe oculos memini tangebam parvus olivo, Grandia si nollem morituri verba Catonis Discere, ab insano multum laudanda magistro, Quae pater adductis sudans audiret amicis. Jure etenim id summum, quid dexter senio ferret, Scire erat in votis, damnosa canicula quantum Raderet, &c. What, could a child, not six years of age, have occasioned his father a sweating, because he could not repeat Cato's dying speech ? And was this same infant, who was to have publicly recited the dying words of the Roman patriot, in LIFE OF PERSIUS. XXXV11 the habit of playing at hazard, and of making calculations of chances? Persius studied at Volaterras, till he was twelve years of age. After that period, he was under the tuition of two masters at Rome, one of whom was a grammarian, and the other a rhetorician. The author of the fragment says, Persius did not become the pupil of Cornutus, till he had reached his sixteenth year. But our Poet tells us, his acquaintance with Cornutus did not commence till after he had taken the virile gown: Cum primum pavido custos mihi purpura cessit — Now the age at which the praetexta was laid aside, was seventeen years. Among the number of friends and companions of Persius, were the poets Lucan and Bassus. XXXV111 LIFE OF PERSIUS. The latter is mentioned with respect by Quin- tilian. The author of the fragment says, sero cognovit ■fnempc Persius) Senecam, seel nonut caperetur ejus ingenio. By this I can only understand, that Per-: sius could never relish the pompous eloquence, and declamatory style of Seneca. It is impos- sible that he should nothave admired the talents, and respected the virtues of that philosopher, who was also a Stoic. Persius was a person of the mildest manners, remarkable for the beauty of his form, and for the modesty of his appearance. His piety was exemplary, in discharging the relative duties of his situation. When he died he left a sum of money, together with his books, to Cornutus. The philosopher accepted the books, and de- livered the money to the sisters of his pupil. LIFE OF PERSIUS. XXXIX It appears that Persius wrote seldom and slowly. His Satires were much valued by his cotemporaries. The poet Lucan particularly ad- mired them. He is said to have died of a stomach complaint. He forms one of the few examples of a young man, during the course of a short life, having acquired immortality for his name by his vir- tues, his talents, and his learning. THE TRANSLATOR'S PROLOGUE. POET AND FRIEND. POET. JNay, spare your censures, nor condemn the lays: The town — the town may yet accord its praise. — Enlighten'd Warton may approve the style ; And classic Giffard nod the head and smile. F. have I not told you o'er and o'er again, Not to indulge your rhiming scribbling vein ? Besides, your age : consider, Sir, your age, And learn to temper your poetic rage. P. As time speeds on, and years revolve, my friend, I grow too idle, or too old to mend. While yet a youth, my pure descriptive lays The learn'd could suffer, and the partial praise. xlii translator's prologue, v. 13 — 36. Her brilliant tints Imagination threw O'er the wild scenes my artless pencil drew ; Soft numbers fell unstudied from my tongue, Fancy was pleased, and Judgment yet was young : Gay Hope then smoothed the wrinkled brow of Time, Love waved his torch, and youth was in its prime. But soon the tempest gather'd o'er my head, Health lost her bloom, and faithless Pleasure fled ; Friendship retired, and left me to decay, And Love desponding threw his torch away. 'Twas then, when sickness and when sorrow drew Their sable curtain on my clouded view ; When lost to hope, I wander'd, wan and pale, O'er Cintra's rocks, or sought Vaucluse's vale ; That left in distant climes to droop and pine, The Muse's converse and her art were mine : Nor less beloved has been the tuneful lay, Since fortune smiled, and fate restored my day. F. O idle talk ! your early song, 'tis true, Might please the rustic and unletter'd crew ; But now the strain has lost its wonted fire, His art the Poet, and its tones the lyre. P. And yet for me the Muses still have charms, Their light yet guides me, and their fire yet warms. translator's prologue, v. 37 — 60. xliii For me the silvan world has beauties still, The shaded valley, or the sun-clad hill. Nor yet unwelcome does the hour draw nigh, Which leaves me free from busy crowds to fly ; The hour which warns me to renew the oil, The poet's pleasure, and the student's toil. Nor undelighted does my mind recall Its infant joys in yonder Gothic hall ; Where still the legendary tale goes round, Of charms and spells, of treasures lost and found, Of fearful goblins, and malicious sprites, Enchanted damsels, and enamour'd knights : Or led by fancy back to ancient times, To fairer regions, and to milder climes, I love through all the Muse's haunts to rove, On Hybla's hill, or in th' Aonian grove. Or seek those fabled scenes, by poets sung, Where his famed lyre the Thracian artist strung ; Where Phoebus, sighing o'er the shepherd's tomb, Bade the sweet flower of Hyacinthus bloom ; Where with young Zephyr Flora loved to play, And hid her blushes in the lap of May ; Where Dian nightly woo'd a blooming boy, And, veird by darkness, was no longer coy ; xliv translator's prologue, v. 6i — 84. Where erst, when winter's stormy reign began, A purple fountain changed Adonis ran, Her annual tears desponding Venus shed, And the wave redden'd, as the hunter bled. F. Cease, cease to dream. The golden age is o'er, And mortals know those happy times no more, When Pan with Phoebus piped upon the plains, When kings were shepherds, and when gods were swains. Plain common sense, thank Heaven, has banish 'd long The age of fable, and the reign of song. No cities now dispute the sacred earth, Which haply gave some favour'd poet birth ; Affairs of empire no Augustus quits To judge with critics, or unbend with wits: The world's great master might sweet verse admire, Might love the Muse, and listen to the lyre ; Might seek the festive board, where Horace sung, And learn what accents fell from Maro's tongue. Our Sovereign Lord, avenging Europe's wrongs, Turns not his thoughts from politics to songs. Alas, poor bards ! fled are those golden days, When monarchs' ears were tickled by your praise. Be wise, my friend, — the useless lyre resign, Forget Parnassus, and forsake the Nine. translator's prologue, v. 85 — 108. xlv Your Persius too, austere, though beardless sage, Will ne'er be borne in this enlighten'd age. His moral rules, his stiff ungracious air, Will fright the young, and never please the fair. No tender tale of grief, or love, he tells, Reports no scandal, even of Roman belles ; But ever grave, decisive, and severe, Scorns Folly's smile, nor asks for Pity's tear. P. Unused to courts, nor sprung from flattery's womb, The Muse beloved by Liberty and Rome, Satire, stern maid, no adulation knows, No weak respect for empty grandeur shows ; But, bold as free, brands purple Vice with shame, And blots from honour's page the harlot's name ; At Folly scoffs, in robes of ermine dress'd, And galls proud Arrogance by Power caress'd. Not such her lays, when on her native plains She sung rude carols to Etrurian swains. No art, no grace, no polish, then she knew, But coarsely colour'd, and with harshness drew. Then Momus ever in her train advanced, And Mirth and Revelry before her danced ; Triumphant Bacchus bore aloft the vine. And old Silenus sung the joys of wine. xlvi translator's prologue, v. 109 — 130. At length with skill great Ennius struck the lyre, Lucilius glow'd with all the Muse's fire ; Politer Horace blended strength with art, And ere he chid, was master of the heart : Ardent, impressive, eloquent, sublime, Th' Aquinian brook'd no compromise with crime : Nor with less lustre that stern satirist shone, Whose moral thunders roll'd around the throne, Whose vengeful bolts at Rome's oppressor hurl'd, Alarm'd the tyrant, and amazed his world. Late as I slumber'd in yon woodbine bower, And Fancy ruled the visionary hour ; Methought, conducted by an unknown hand, I roam'd delighted o'er Liguria's land ; Beheld its forests spread before my eyes, Its fanes, its palaces, its temples rise : When lo, the sun-burnt Genius of the soil, Ruddy his cheek, his arm inured to toil, Before me walk'd, and to a gloomy shade, O'ergrown with herbage wild, my steps convey'd ; Clear'd the rude path, and with his beechen spear Show'd where a laurel, half conceal'd, grew near. translator's prologue, v. 131 — 154. xlvii " Behold that tree," he cried, " neglected pine, u Hang its green bays, its drooping head decline ; " The Muses bade it for their Persius bloom, " O'ershade his ashes, and adorn his tomb. " Rapt Meditation oft by moonlight eve, " To wander here, a world unloved would leave, " Self-communing: here patient Grief would fly, " And lift to heaven the tear-unsullied eye : " Here stern Philosophy would muse alone, " And Wisdom call'd this peaceful grove her own : " Religion too would quit celestial bowers, " In this fair spot to gather earthly flowers. " But envious thorns, that none its worth might see, " Sprang from the ground to hide this beauteous tree ; " Haste then, O stranger, to this place draw nigh, 11 To kill the brambles, lest the laurel die." Straight, as he spake, methought an axe I seized, (For Fancy smiled, artd with the work was pleased.) Already the rude wilderness was clear'd, And the green laurel full in view appear 'd ; When his dark wings retiring Morpheus spread, And the loved vision with my slumbers fled. Oft since that hour I've linger'd o'er thy page, O youth lamented, at too green an age ! xlviii translator's prologue, v. 155 — 158. And if the Muse, propitious, hear my strains, Assist the labour, or reward the pains, That laurel, Persius, which once bloom'd for thee, Again shall flourish, and revive for me. THE SIX SATIRES OF PER SI US PROLOGUE JNec fonte labra prolui Caballino : Nee in bicipiti somniasse Parnasso Memini, ut repente sic Poeta prodirem. Heliconiadasque, pallidamque Pyrenen I His remitto, quorum imagines lambunt Hederze sequaces : ipse semipaganus Ad sacra vatum carmen affero nostrum. Qiiis expedivit psittaco suum x a k e > Picasque docuit nostra verba conari } Magister artis, ingeniique largitor Venter, negatas artifex sequi voces. Quod si dolosi spes refulserit nummi, Corvos poetas, et poetrias picas Cantare credas Pegaseium melos, PROLOGUE. JNe'er did I taste Castalia's stream ; Nor yet on fork'd Parnassus dream, That I should feel a poet's fire, Or string the lute, or strike the lyre. I leave the Muse's magic ground To bards profess'd, with laurel crown'd. The gift I offer to the Nine, A rustic wreath, to grace their shrine. What taught the parrot to cry, hail ? What taught the chattering pie his tale ? Hunger ; that sharpener of the wits, Which gives ev'n fools some thinking fits. Did rooks and pies but know the pleasure Of heaping high a golden treasure : And would their music money bring, Ev'n rooks and pies would shortly sing. THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS SATIRE I. SATIRA I. O curas hominum ! 6 quantum est in rebus inane ! Quis leget rnec, min' tu istud ais, nemo Hercule, nemo i Vel duo, vel nemo, turpe et miserabile, quare ? Ne mihi Polydamas, et Troiades Labeonem Prsetulerint, nugje, non, si quid turbida Roma Elevet, accedas : examenve improbum in ilia Castiges trutina : nee te quassiveris extra. Nam Romas est quis non ? ac, si fas dicere : sed fas Tunc, cum ad canitiem, et nostrum istud vivere triste SATIRE I. PERSIUS AND MONITOR, VERSE I — i! PERSIUS. Unhappy men lead lives of care and pain, Their joys how fleeting, and their hopes how vain ! M. But who will read a satire so begun ? P. What this to me — this ? — M. Faith, I '11 tell you, none. P. None, do you say ? M. Why, yes, perhaps, a few ; But still the number will dishonour you. P. Lest a lewd prince and his abandon 'd throng Bestow the laurel on a minion's song; And must we then reserve the sacred bays For those whom Rome's worst profligates shall praise? Rely not always on the general voice ; Nor place all merit in the people's choice ; Let your own eyes be those with which you see ; Nor seek in others, what yourself should be. For who at Rome does not ? — Dare I speak plain r I dare, I must, — to check my rage were vain. My spleen o'erflows, I sicken to behold A guilty world, in error growing old ; " A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. SO — 25, Aspexi, et nucibus facimus qusecunque relictis, Cum sapimus patruos : tunc, tunc, ignoscite. Nolo : Quid faciam ? sed sum petulanti splene cachinno. Scribimus inclusi, numeros ille, hie pede liber, Grande aliquid, quod pulmo animze praelargus anhelet. Scilicet haec populo, pexusque togaque recenti, Et natalitia tandem cum sardonyche albus, Sede leges celsa, liquido cum plasmate guttur Mobile conlueris, patranti fractus ocello. Heic, neque more probo videas, neque voce serena, Ingentes trepidare Titos, cum carmina lumbum Intrant, et tremulo scalpuntur ubi intima versu. Tun' vetule auriculis alienis colligis escas ? Auriculis, quibus et dicas cute perditus, ohe. Quo didicisse, nisi hoc fermentum, et qua; semel intus Innata est, rupto jecore exierit caprificus ? PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. I9—46. g 5s>ch stage of life mark'd by its empty joys, he infant and the man exchanging toys ; Triumphant vice and folly bearing sway, With doting age and vanity grown grey. M. But imitate the rest. See, they compose, In secret, polish 'd verse, and sounding prose. P. Until, at length, demanded by the crowd, The turgid nonsense be rehearsed aloud, See, at the desk the pale declaimer stand ; The ruby beaming on his lily hand ; Behind his back his wanton tresses flow ; With Tyrian dyes his splendid garments glow ; His pliant throat the liquid gargle clears ; His languid eye lasciviously leers ; The voice accords with the luxurious mien, The look immodest, with the tongue obscene : Around him close the splendid circle draws, Loud is the laugh, tumultuous the applause ; And Rome's first nobles, vanquish'd by his lyre, Tremble with lusts which his lewd lays inspire. And you, old dotard, do you waste your days, That fools, at length, may surfeit you with praise r Old M. " What, shall we live despised, without a name, " Callous to glory, and unknown to fame ? " As the wild fig-tree walls and columns cleaves, " And clothes the ruin with its mantling leaves \ " So all restraint indignant genius scorns, 11 Luxuriant spreads, and as it spreads adorns." 10 A PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 26 — 43. En pallor, seniumque. 6 mores ! usque adeone Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te scire hoc sciat alter ? At pulchrum est digito monstrari, et dicier, hie est. Ten'cirratorum centum dictata fuisse Pro nihilo pendas ? ecce inter pocula quzerunt Romulidas saturi, quid dia poemata narrent. Heic aliquis, cui circum humeros hyacinthina laena est, Rancidulum quiddam balba de nare locutus, Phyllidas, Hypsipylas, vatum et plorabile si quid, Eliquat ; et tenero supplantat verba palato. Assensere viri : nunc non cinis ille poetas Felix ? non levior cippus non imprimit ossa ? Laudant convivse :- nunc non e manibus illis, Nunc non e tumulo, fortunataque favilla, Nascentur violas ? rides, ait, et nimis uncis Naribus indulges : an erit qui velle recuset Os populi meruisse : et cedro digna locutus, Linquere nee scombros metuentia carmina, nee thus ? PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. 47 — 74. I] P. Lo, what decrepid age for fame endures ! Lo, the pale victim whom her voice allures ! No ray of health illumes your languid eye, And on your cheek youth's faded roses die. Yet you, O times ! O manners! toil for fame, And value knowledge only for its name. Old M. " But still, 'tis fine to be admired and known, " To gazing strangers by the finger shown." P. Truly 'tis fine, that fools extol your art, That lisping schoolboys learn your songs by heart; That when the flush'd voluptuary sups, He celebrates your name amidst his cups. Here one there is, in purple clad, whose Muse Collects the rancid offals of the stews ; In drawling snivelling song, delights to tell, How Phyllis loved, how constant, and how well- Sure, when this favour'd bard at length shall die, On his bless'd bones the turf shall lightly lie, Unfading laurel shall o'ershade the ground, And sweetest violets breathe incense round. But our offended poet stops us here, Condemns the satire, and reproves the sneer. " Who lives," he asks, " insensible to praise, " Deserves, and yet neglects the proffer'd bays ? " Who is not pleased, that from the bookworm's rage " The juice of cedar shall preserve his page ? " That page which cooks nor chandlers shall employ, " Nor ruthless grocers in their haste destroy." 12 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 44 — 6o* Qtiisquis es, 6 modo qucm ex adverso dicere feci, Non ego, cum scribo, si forte quid aptius exit, Quando haec rara avis est, si quid tamen aptius exit, Laudari metuam : neque enim mihi cornea fibra est : Sed recti, finemque, extremumque, esse recuso Euge tuum, et Belle, nam belle hoc excute totum: Quid non intus habet ? Non heic est Ilias Acci Ebria veratro ? non si qua elegidia crudi Dictarunt proceres ? non quicquid denique lectis Scribitur in citreis ? calidum scis ponere sumen : Scis comitem horridulum trita donare lacerna : Et, verum, inquis, amo ; verum mihi dicite de me. Qui pote ? vis dicam ? nugaris, cum tibi calve Pinguis aqualiculus propenso sesquipede exstet. O Jane, a tergo quem nulla ciconia pinsit, Nee manus auriculas imitata est mobilis albas, Nee linguse, quantum sitiat canis Appula, tantae. PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. 75 — 102. 1 thou, whate'er thy name, whoe'er thou art, Whom I suppose upon the adverse part, Think not, when well, if ever well, I write, 1 feel from praise no genuine delight : But praise ought not to be the only end, For which our morals or our lives we mend, % For which our virtue struggles to excel, And seeks pre-eminence in doing well. Besides, do all obtaining men's applause, Deserve the admiration which it draws ? Does drunken Accius glow with Homer's fire, Though courts extol him, and though fools admire ? From noble pens do no crude numbers flow, No cant of elegy, no whine of woe ? Have no quaint verses issued from the heads Of princes, lolling on their citron beds ? The winning art is not to you unknown, By which the venal crowd becomes your own. Rich banquets crown your hospitable board ; Your wardrobe too cast garments can afford. But you will have the truth. Shall I be plain ; Then, dotard, learn, that all your toil is vain. Nor now, when swoln and bloated with excess, Trick your old Muse in meretricious dress. O ! two-faced Janus, whom the people pass, Nor lift the mimic hands to show the ass ! No tongue lolls out, no finger points at thee, None laughs, or nods, or winks, but thou must see. 14 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 6l— 79. Vos 6 patricius sanguis, quos vivere fas est Occipiti casco, posticas occurrite sannae. Quis populi sermo est ? quis enim ? nisi carmina molli Nunc demum numero fluere, ut per leve severos Effundat junctura ungues : scit tendere versum Non secus, ac si oculo rubricam dirigat uno : Sive opus in mores, in luxum, in prandia regum, Dicere res grandes nostro dat Musa poetas. Ecce modo heroas sensus afferre docemus Nugari solitos Grasce, nee ponere lucum Artifices, nee rus saturum laudare, ubi corbes, Et focus, et porci, et fumosa Palilia fceno : Unde Remus, sulcoque terens dentalia, Quinti, Quum trepida ante boves Dictatorem induit uxor : Et tua aratra domum lictor tulit : euge poeta. Est nunc Brisaei quern venosus liber Acci, Sunt quos Pacuviusque, et verrucosa moretur Antiopa, asrumnis cor luctificabile fulta. Hos pueris monitus patres infundere lippos PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. I03 — 130. 15 Yc chiefs of Rome, who have not eyes behind, Prevent all insults on the side that's blind. What say the people ? " What," the flatterer cries, " But that your verse the critic's spleen defies ; " That taste and judgment mark each flowing line, « The sound harmonious, and the sense divine : " That whether feasts or battles be the theme, " A hero's glory, or a lover's dream, " Thy golden numbers by the Muse inspired, " By art are polish'd, and by genius fired." Heroic verse unletter'd dunces write, And scribbling schoolboys dictate and indite — Some praise the fields ; yet wanting skill to sing, Confound the tints of autumn and of spring ; Forgetting nature, paint a garish scene, Of cloudless skies, and groves for ever green : Or with rude pencil rustic manners draw, Where swarms the village round the kindling straw, Where pigs and panniers crowd the bustling street, And merry hinds to honour Pales meet ; Or show the spot whence Rome's great founders sprung: Nor, gallant Quintus, dost thou rest unsung, When the dictator's laurel graced thy brow, And thine own lictors bore away thy plough. Are there not some who love the turgid strain, Of drunken Accius, in his moody vein ? For whom a tragic rant can yield delight, Nor ev'n Pacuvius is too dull to write 1 l6 A PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 80— 96, Cum videas, quasrisne unde hasc sartago loquendi Venerit in linguas ? unde istud dedecus, in quo Trossulus exultat tibi per subsellia levis ? Nilne pudet, capiti non posse pericula cano Pellere, quin tepidum hoc optes audire ? DECENTER ! Fur es, ait Pedio. Pedius quid ? crimina rasis Librat in antithetis, doctus posuisse figuras Laudatur, bellum hoc, hoc bellum ? an Romule ceves ? Men' moveat quippe, et cantet si naufragus, assem Protulerim ? cantas cum fracta te in trabe pictum Ex humero portes ? verum, nee nocte paratum Plorabit, qui me volet incurvasse querela. Sed numeris decor est, et junctura addita crudis. Claudere sic versum didicit, Berecynthius Attin, Et qui casruleum dirimebat Nerea delphin, Sic costam longo subduximus Apennino. , Armavirum, nonne hoc spumosurnet cortice pingui ? PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. 131 — 158. 17 Do you demand, whence the disease has sprung ? What stains, corrupts, contaminates our tongue ? False taste through all our books and writings runs, And in the evil sires confirm their sons. Pale Affectation quits her sickly bed, Opes her dull eye, and lifts her languid head ; Ascends the rostrum, the tribunal seeks, Rants on the stage, and in the senate speaks. Is Pedius charged ? his own vile cause he pleads ! For pardon sues, and skill'd in tropes, succeeds ; Vices with figures weighs in well-poised scales, And shines in metaphor, where logic fails. What should we give ; what alms ? if on the shore, While round his neck the pictured storm he wore, The shipwreck 'd sailor, destitute of aid, Sung as he begg'd, and jested as he pray'd ? 'Tis not enough that wit and skill be proved ; Who means to move me, must himself be moved. I Poet. But if you blame what orators compose, Their flowery diction, and their measured prose, You must at least confess that song divine, Where Berecynthian Atyn swells the line ; Where famed Arion swims on glassy waves. And daring dolphin azure Nereus cleaves ; Where from the broad-back' d mountain s monstrous chine The hero carves a rib of Apennine. P. Compared with this, what could poor Virgil write ? His style is turgid, and his sense is trite : c l8 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 97-^112. Ut ramale vetus praegrandi subere coctum. Quidnam igitur tenerum, et laxa cervice legendum ?■ Torva Mimalloneis implerunt cornua bombis, Et raptum vitulo caput ablatura superbo Bassaris, et lyncem Masnas flexura corymbis Evion ingeminat : reparabilis adsonat Echo. Hax fierent, si testiculi vena ulla paterni Viveret in nobis summa delumbe saliva Hoc natat in labris : et in udo est Maenas, et Attin : Nee pluteum casdit, nee demorsos sapit ungues. Sed quid opus teneras mordaci radere vero Auriculas ? vide sis, ne majorum tibi forte Limina frigescant ? sonat heic de nare Canina Littera ? Per me equidem sint omnia protinus alba. Nil moror : euge, omnes, omnes bene mira; eritis res. Hoc juvat : heic, inquis, veto quisquam faxit oletum. PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. I59 — 186. 19 His wither'd laurel, faded, shrivell'd, shrunk, Stands on the blasted wild a leafless trunk. But when descending from this lofty strain, How sing our poets in their tender vein ? 2 Poet. To Mitnallonean measures blow the horn ; The victim's head let Bassaris adorn ; Let Manas lead the lynx with ivy bound, Evoe cry, while echo helps the sound. P. Enough, enough. I can no more endure This pompous stuff, affected and obscure. Where is the spirit of our fathers fled, Where the stern virtue by our country bred ; Where the exalted genius which inspired, The force which nerved it, or the pride which fired? Are these all gone ? Does nature give offence, Or chaste simplicity, or manly sense, That themes like these, by poetasters sung, Charm every ear, and hang on every tongue ? M. Do you not tremble, my unguarded friend, Lest some Patrician poet you offend ? Still will you wear that most uncourtly scowl, Still snarl a critic, still a Cynic growl ? P. 'Tis well, 'tis well. Be all their doggerel read ; Let courts applaud, and princes nod the head ; The same dead colour runs through all they write, A trackless waste of snow, where all is white. But I no more their faults and failings blame, Admired their works, immortal be their fame ; 20 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. II3 — 125. Pinge duos angues i pueri, sacer est locus : extra Meiite, discedo. Secuit Lucilius urbem, Te Lupe, te Muti, et genuinum fregit in illis. Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico Tangit, et admissus circum praecordia ludit, Callidus excusso populum suspendere naso. Men' mutire nefas, nee clam, nee curn scrobe ? nusquam. Heic tamen infodiam. Vidi, vidi ipse, libelle : Auriculas asini Mida rex habet. Hoc ego opertum, Hoc ridere meum tarn nil, nulla tibi vendo Iliade. Audaci quicunque afflate Cratino, Iratum Eupolidem prasgrandi cum sene palles, Aspice et hsec, si forte aliquid decoctius audis ; PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. 187 — 214. 21 Be it resolved, that this be sacred ground, That babbling critics be to silence bound : Be it resolved, that when occasion calls, Unlucky boys do not pollute these walls. Yet let me say, when old Lucilius sung, Invectives fell not garbled from his tongue. With greater art sly Horace gain'd his end, But spared no failing of his smiling friend ; Sportive and pleasant round the heart he play'd, And wrapt in jests the censure he convey'd; With such address his willing victims seized, That tickled fools were rallied, and were pleased. But why should I then bridle in my rage ? Why tremble thus to lash a guilty age ? Here let me dig — ev'n here the truth unfold (As once the gossip barber did of old), Here to my little book I will declare, Of ass's ears I've seen a royal pair. Nor would I now have miss'd this single hit For all the Iliads by the Accii writ. If such there be who feel the force and fire Of bold Cratinus' free and manly lyre ; Who, while they see triumphant vice prevail, O'er the stern page of Eupolis grow pale ; Or nightly loiter with that comic sage, Who lash'd, amused, did all but mend his age ; Let them look here ; and if by chance they find Men well described, or manners well design'd, A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. I. V. 126— 134. Inde vaporata lector mihi ferveat aure. Non hie, qui in crepidas Graiorum ludere gestit Sordidus, et lusco qui poscit dicere, lusce ; Sese aliquem credens, Italo quod honore supinus Fregerit heminas Areti asdilis iniquas : Nee qui abaco numeros, et secto in pulvere metas Scit risisse vafer, multum gaudere paratus, Si Cynico barbam petulans Nonaria vellat. His mane edictum, post prandia Callirhoen do. PERSIUS. SAT. I. V. 215 — 238. 23 Let them acknowledge that my breast has known Fires not less pure, less generous than their own. But let that sordid wretch approach not here, Whose utmost wit is some offensive jeer ; Whose narrow mind nor sense, nor honour knows ; Who mocks the tear which from affliction flows ; Who never kindred sigh of sorrow heaves, But dares to laugh when suffering nature grieves : Hence let such readers fly, though on them wait, An iEdile's honours, or Proconsul's state : And hence, far hence, be all that vulgar crew, Whose theme still is the stable or the stew ; Who mock all science, all her laws despise, Insult the good, and ridicule the wise ; Hence too, that mushroom race of beardless fools, An annual crop, the produce of our schools ; Who hear unmoved the sage's warning tongue, To mark his shoe ill form'd, or gown ill hung ; Whose noisy laugh, whose plaudits still are heard, When the pert wanton plucks the Cynic's beard. Ye thoughtless fools, for greater things unfit, The paths of vice for those of dullness quit : There kill the time — there linger out your day : Grow women's men, and dream your lives away. THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS. SATIRE II SATIRA II. X1UNC, Macrine, diem numera meliore lapillo, Qui tibi labentes apponit candidus annos. Funde merum Genio, non tu prece poscis emaci, Quae nisi seductis nequeas committere divis. At bona pars procerum tacita libabit acerra. Haud cuivis promptum est, murmurque, humilesque susurros Tollere de templis, et aperto vivere voto. Mens bona, fama, fides, hasc dare, et ut audiat hospes SATIRE II, V. I — 20. JLet a white stone of pure unsullied ray Record, Macrinus, this thy natal day, Which not for thee the less auspicious shines, That years revolve, and closing life declines. Haste then to celebrate this happy hour, And large libations to thy Genius pour. With splendid gifts you ne'er will seek the shrine, To tempt the power you worship as divine. To venal nobles you consign the task, To wish in secret, and in secret ask ; Let them for this before the altar bow ; And breathe unheard the mercenary vow : Let them tor this upon the votive urn Mute offerings make, and midnight incense burn. It ill might suit the selfish and the proud, Were the grand objects of their lives avow'd ; Were all the longings of their souls express'd, No latent wish left lurking in the breast. When truth or virtue is the boon we seek, We can distinctly ask, and clearly speak ; 28 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. II. V. q — 20. Ilia sibi introrsum, et sub lingua immurmurat : 6 si Ebullit patrui praeclarum funus ! et, 6 si Sub rastro crepet argenti mihi seria dextro Hercule ! pupillumve utinam, quern proximus haeres Impello, expungam ! namque est scabiosus, et acri Bile tumet. Nerio jam tertia ducitur uxor. Hsec sancte ut poscas, Tiberino in gurgite mergis Mane caput bis, terque, et noctem flumine purgas. Heus age, responde, minimum est quod scire laboro : De Jove quid sentis ? estne, ut praeponere cures Hunc, cuinam ? cuinam ? vis Staio ? an scilicet hasres, Quis potior judex, puerisve quis aptior orbis ? V. 21- 2 9 But when the guilty soul throws off disguise, Then whisper'd prayers, and mutter'd vows arise. O in his grave were my old uncle laid, And at his tomb funereal honours paid 1 O Hercules, when next I rake the soil, With a rich treasure recompence my toil ! Or might I, Gods, to my young ward succeed, Urge on his fate, nor Heaven condemn the deed ; The sickly child already seems to pine, And bile and ulcer hasten his decline. Three times hath Hymen's torch for Nerius burn'd, Three times hath he to widowhood return'd." And now, fanatic wretch, to purge your soul, Plunge where the sacred waves of Tiber roll; To them each morn the night's foul stains convey, And in their waters wash your crimes away. To one plain question honestly reply : What are your thoughts of him who rules the sky r As all our judgments rest on what we know, And good is still comparative below ; Is there a man whom ev'n as Jove you prize, Like him believe beneficent and wise ? What, are you doubtful ? such may Staius be ? Who is the juster judge, or Jove or he ? But let me ask, to Staius did you say One half of what you utter when you pray, Would he not from you with abhorrence turn, And you and all your bribes indignant spurn ? 3° A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. II. V. 21 — 37. Hoc igitur, quo tu Jovis aurem impellere tentas, Die agedum Staio : pro Jupiter 6 bone, clamet. Jupiter ! at sese non clamet Jupiter ipse ? Ignovisse putas, quia cum tonat, ocyus ilex Sulfure discutitur sacro, quam tuque, domusque ? An quia non fibris ovium, Ergennaque jubente, Triste jaces lucis, evitandumque bidental, Idcirco stolidam prasbet tibi vellere barbam Jupiter ? aut quidnam est, qua tu mercede Deorum Emeris auriculas ? pulmone, et lactibus unctis ? Ecce avia, aut metuens divum matertera, cunis Exemit puerum, frontemque, atque uda labella Infami digito, et lustralibus ante salivis Expiat, urentes oculos inhibere perita. Tunc manibus quatit, et spem macram supplice voto Nunc Licini in campos, nunc Crassi mittit in jedes. Hunc optent generum rex et regina : puellse PERSIUS. SAT. II. V. 49 — 76. 31 But do you hope, that Jove will lend an ear To prayers, which Staius would refuse to hear ? Do you believe that Heaven at you connived, Because its lightnings flew, and you survived : Because o'er you the thunder harmless broke, While the red vengeance struck the blasted oak ? Do you conclude that you may mock your God, Because his mercy still hath spared the rod ; Because no silent grove's unhallow'd gloom By mortals shunn'd hath yet conceal'd your tomb, Where, in last expiation of the dead, The augur worshipp'd, and the victim bled ? What are the bribes with which Jove's ear you win, Excusing guilt, and palliating sin ? Will prayer do this ? will vows your pardon gain ? While entrails smoke, and fatted lambs are slain ? Lo, from his cradle, all his parents' joy, The superstitious grandam lifts the boy ; Well skill'd the lines of destiny to trace, She bathes his eyes, with spittle daubs his face, Lays the mid-finger on his little brow, Extends her hands, and meditates the vow. In her quick thought Licinius quits his fields, And wealthy Crassus his possessions yields. " Let every bliss, sweet child of hope, be thine, " Bright stars beam on thee, and mild planets shine. " Let rival monarchs bow to thee the head, " And queens design thee for their daughters' bed. 3^ A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. II. V. 38 — 56. Hunc.rapiant : quicquid calcaverit hie, rosa fiat. Ast ego nutrici non mando vota : negato Jupiter hasc illi, quamvis te albata rogarit. Poscis opem nervis, corpusque fidele senectae : Esto, age : sed grandes patinas, tucetaque crassa Annuere his superos vetuere, Jovemque morantur. Rem struere exoptas casso bove, Mercuriumque Arcessis fibra : da fortunare penates, Da pecus, et gregibus fcetum, quo, pessime, pacto, Tot tibi in flammis junicum omenta liquescant ? Et tamen hie extis, et opimo vincere ferto Intendit : jam crescit ager, jam crescit ovile, Jam dabitur, jamjam : donee deceptus, et exspes Nequicquam fundo suspiret nummus in imo. Si tibi crateras argeriti, incusaque pingui Auro dona feram, sudes, et pectore laevo Excutias guttas, laetari praetrepidum cor : Hinc illud subiit, auro sacras quod ovato Perducis facies, nam fratres inter ahenos, persius. sat. ii. v. 77 — 104. 33 " To thee their charms may blooming nymphs expose, " And still thy footsteps press the springing rose.'* May never nurse with drawling canting whine, Invoke such blessings on a child of mine ! But if she should, good Jove, the infant spare, Though robed in white she shall prefer her prayer ! You ask strong nerves, age that is fresh and hale : 'Tis well ; go on. But how shall you prevail ? For were great Jove himself to give his nod, Your feasts and revels would defeat the god. You sigh for wealth, the frequent ox is slain, And bribes are ofFer'd to the god of gain. For flocks and herds to household gods you cry ; Why then, you fool, do daily victims die ? Yet does this man the wearied gods assail, And thinks by dint of offerings to prevail : Now 'tis the field, and now the fold which teems, Hope rests on hope, and schemes are built on schemes ; Until at length, deserted and alone, In the deep chest the last sad farthing groan. If to you e'er a present richly wrought, If silver cups and golden gifts I brought, Your eager hand would grasp at the decoy, And your light heart would dance with hope and joy. Hence, to the shrine with splendid bribes you run, In triumph carried, but by rapine won. And now each brazen brother's power you know, In bringing fortune, and averting woe. D 34 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. II. V. Sl'—'T- Somnia pituita qui purgatissima mittunt, Prascipui sunto, sitque illis aurea barba. Aurum, vasa Numas, Saturniaque impulit sera, Vestalesque urnas, et Tuscum fictile mutat. O curvas in terris animal, et coelestium inanes ! Quid juvat hoc, templis nostros immittere mores, Et bona dies ex hac scelerata ducere pulpa ? Hxc sibi corrupto casiam dissolvit olivo : Et Calabrum coxit vitiato murice vellus : Hasc baccam conchas rasisse, et stringere venas Ferventis massae crudo de pulvere jussit. Peccat et haec, peccat : vitio tamen utitur : at vos Dicite pontifices, in sancto quid facit aurum ? Nempe hoc, quod Veneri donatae a virgine puppas. Quin damus id superis, de magna quod dare lance Non possit magni Messalas lippa propago : PERSIUS. SAT. II. V. 105 — 132. 35 He, who hath promised most, is most revered, And wears, in proof of skill, a golden beard. Now gold hath banish 'd Numa's simple vase, And the plain brass of Saturn's frugal days. Now do we see to precious goblets turn The Tuscan pitcher, and the vestal urn. O grovelling souls, which still to earth incline, From mortal nature judging of divine ! Must man's corruption to the skies be spread, And godhead be by human passions led ? 'Tis sense, gross sense, which clouds our mental sight, And wraps the soul of man in moral night. This for mistaken grandeur bids us toil ; This steeps the cassia in the tainted oil ; This makes the fleece its native white forego, With costly dyes and purple hues to glow : This seeks the pearl upon the rocky shore, And strains the metal from the fusing ore : This still by vice obtains its secret ends, And this to earth the abject spirit bends. But you, ye ministers of Heaven, declare, What gold avails in sacrifice and prayer. Not more than dolls upon the altar laid, To Venus ofFer'd by the full grown maid. Let me give that, which wealth cannot bestow, The pomp of riches, nor the glare of show ; Let me give that, which from their golden pot Messala's proud and blear-eyed race could not : 36 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. II. V. 73 — 75, Compositum jus fasque animo, sanctosque recessus Mentis, et incoctum generoso pectus honesto ? Hasc cedo ut admoveam templis, et farre litabo. PERSIUS. SAT. II. V. I33 — 138. 37 To the just Gods let me present a mind, Which civil and religious duties bind, A guileless heart, which no dark secrets knows, But with the generous love of virtue glows. Such be the presents, such the gifts I make, With them I sacrifice a wheaten cake. THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS. SATIRE IH. SATIRA III. v. 1—9. JM empe hsec assidue. Jam clarum mane fenestras Intrat, et angustas extendit lumine rimas : Stertimus indomitum quod despumare Falernum Sufficiat, quinta dum linea tangitur umbra. En quid agis ? siccas insana canicula messes Jamdudum coquit, et patula pecus omne sub ulmo est. Unus ait comitum : verumne ? itane ? ocyus adsit Hue aliquis, nemon' ? turgescit vitrea bilis : Findor : ut Arcadias pecuaria rudere credas. SATIRE III. THE PHILOSOPHER AND DISCIPLE; OR, THE REPROACH OF IDLENESS. v. i— 16. VV hat, always thus ? Now in full blaze of day Sol mounts the skies, and shoots a downward ray ; Breaks on your darken'd chamber's lengthen'd night, And pours thro' narrow chinks long streams of light : Yet still subdued by sleep's oppressive power, You slumber, heedless of the passing hour ; Of strong Faler ian dissipate the fumes, And snore unconscious, while the day consumes. See the hot sun through reddening Leo roll, The raging dog-star fire the glowing pole ; The yellow harvest waving o'er the plain, The reapers bending o'er the golden grain ; — Beneath the spreading elm the cattle laid, And panting flocks recumbent in the shade. " Is it indeed so late r" the sluggard cries. " Who waits ? here, slaves ! be quick — I wish to rise. 42 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V. 10 — 28. Jam liber, et bicolor positis membrana capillis, Inque manus chartae, nodosaque venit arundo. Tunc queritur, crassus calamo quod pendeat humor. Nigra quod infusa vanescat sepia lympha ; Dilutas queritur geminet quod fistula guttas. O miser ; inque dies ultra miser, huccine rerum Venimus ? at cur non potius, teneroque columbo, Et similis regum pueris, pappare minutum Poscis, et iratus mammas lallare recusas ? An tali studeam calamo ? cui verba ? quid istas Succinis ambages? tibi luditur : effluis amens. Contemnere, sonat vitium percussa, maligne Respondet viridi non cocta fidelia limo. Udum et molle lutum es, nunc, nunc properandus,et acri Fingendus sine fine rota : sed rure paterno Est tibi far modicum, purum et sine labe salinum. Quid metuas? cultrixque foci secura patella est. Hoc satis ? an deceat pulmonem rumpere ventis, Stemmate quod Tusco ramum millesime ducis, PERSIUS. SAT. III. V. 17 — 44. 43 At length, to study see the youth proceed, Charged with his book, his parchment, and his reed, But now he finds the ink too black to write ; And now, diluted, it escapes the sight : Now it is made too thick, and now too thin, And now it sinks too deeply in the skin : The pen writes double, and the point, too wide, O'er the smooth vellum pours the sable tide. O wretch, whose habits into vices grow, Whose life accumulates the means of woe ! Dismiss the scholar, be again the boy, Replace the rattle, reassume the toy ; Repose in quiet on your nurse's lap, Pleased by her lullaby, and feed on pap. Who is deceived ; for whom are spread these lures? Is the misfortune mine, or is it yours, That you refuse to listen to the truth, And waste in idleness the hours of youth ? Of shame sure victim when that youth is pass'd, And sorrow mingles in your cup at last. Yet art thou young, and yet thy pliant mind Yields to the gale, and bends with every wind ; Seize then this sunny, but this fleeting hour, To nurse and cultivate the tender flower. Art thou of riches and of titles vain, A splendid equipage, a pompous train ? Or dost thou boast a Tuscan race as thine, A great, an ancient, and an honour'd line r 44 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V , 20, — 43. Censoremne tuum vel quod trabeate salutas ? Ad populum phaleras : ego te intus, et in cute novi. Non pudet ad morem discincti vivere Nattas ? Sed stupet hie vitio, et fibris increvit opimum Pingue : caret culpa : nescit quid perdat : et alto Demersus, summa rursus non bullit in unda. Magne pater divum, sasvos punire tyrannos Haud alia ratione velis, cum dira libido Moverit ingenium ferventi tincta veneno, Virtutem videant, intabescantque relicta. Anne magis Siculi gemuerunt aerajuvenci, Et magis auratis pendens laquearibus ensis Purpureas subter cervices terruit, Imus, Imus praecipites, quam si sibi dicat, et intus Palleat infelix, quod proxima nesciat uxor ? PERS1US. SAT. III. V. 45 — 72. 45 Does it suffice, the purple round thee thrown, To hail the Roman Censor as thine own ? Vain honours all — how little are the proud, Ev'n when their pomp imposes on the crowd ! I know thee well ; and hast thou then no shame, That thy loose life and Natta's are the same ? But he, to virtue lost, knows not its price, Fattens in sloth, and stupifies in vice : Sunk in the gulf, immerged in guilt he lies, Has not the power, nor yet the will to rise. Great Sire of Gods, let not thy thunder fall On princes, when their crimes for vengeance call ; But let remembrance punish guilty kings, And conscience wound with all her thousand stings ; Let Truth's fair form confess'd before them rise ; And Virtue stand reveal'd to mortal eyes, Astonish tyrants by her placid mien, And teach them, dying, what they might have been. Does he feel keener pangs, acuter pains, Whom, doom'd to death, the brazen bull contains ? Was he more cursed, who, mock'd with regal state, Around his throne saw slaves and courtiers wait, While from the roof, suspended by a thread, The pointed sword hung threatening o'er his head : Than he, who cries, while rushing on his doom, " I go, headlong, I go, nor fear the tomb :" — Who from his bosom dares not lift the veil, Shudders in thought, and at himself grows pale. 46 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V. 44~ 63- Sa;pe oculos, memini, tangebam parvus olivo, Grandia si nollem morituri verba Catonis Dicere, non sano multum laudanda magistro, Qua? pater adductis sudans audiret amicis. Jure : etenim id summum, quid dexter senio ferret Scire, erat in voto: damnosa canicula quantum Raderet, angustae collo non fallier orcas : Neu quis callidior buxum torquere flagello. Haud tibi inexpertum curvos deprendere mores, Quasque docet sapiens braccatis inlita Medis Porticus insomnis, quibus et detonsa juventus Invigilat, siliquis, et grandi pasta polenta. Et tibi qua? Samios diduxit littera ramos, Surgentem dextro monstravit limite callem. Stertis adhuc ? laxumque caput compage soluta Oscitat hesternum dissutis undique malis? Est aliquid quo tendis, et in quoddirigis arcum ? An passim sequeris corvos, testaque, lutoque, Securus qub pes ferat, atque ex tempore vivis ? Helleborum frustra, cum jam cutis aegra tumebit, persius. sat. in. v. 73 — ioo. 47 Trusting to none the secrets of his life, Not ev'n confiding in his weeping wife ? Oft, when a boy, unwilling still to toil, To shun my task, I smear'd my face with oil, Great Cato's dying speech neglected lay, And all my better thoughts to sport gave way ; With anxious friends my partial father came, And sweating saw his son exposed to shame. Alas, no pleasure then in books I knew, But still with dextrous hand the dice I threw. None with more art the rattling box could shake ; None reckon'd better on the envied stake ; None was more skill'd, along the level ground, To drive the whirling top in endless round. But you, what arts, what pleasures can entice, To wander in the thorny paths of vice ; You, who so lately from the porch have brought The godlike precepts, which great Zeno taught ; You, who in schools of rigid virtue bred, On simple fare with frugal sages fed, Where watchful youth their silent vigils keep, And midnight studies still encroach on sleep ; You, who have listen'd to instruction's voice, And with the Samian sage have made your choice ; Are you content to lose life's early day, Or pass existence in a dream away ? Ah, thoughtless youth, ere yet the fell disease planch your pale cheek, and on its victim seize, 48 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V. 6d. — 8l Poscentcs videas : venienti occurrite morbo. Et quid opus Cratero magnos promittere montes ? Discite 6 miseri, et causas cognoscite rerum, Quid sumus, et quidnam victuri gignimur, ordo Quis datus, aut metae quam mollis flexus, et unde : Quis modus argento, quid fas optare, quid asper Utile nummus habet : patriae, carisque propinquis Quantum elargiri deceat: quem te Deus esse Jussit, et humana qua parte locatus es in re. Disce : nee invideas, quod multa fidelia putet In locuplete penu, defensis pinguibus Umbris, Et piper, et pernas, Marsi monumenta clientis: Mamaque quod prima nondum defecerit orca Heic aliquis de gente hircosa centurionum Dicat, Quod sapio, satis est mihi : non ego euro Esse quod Arcesilas, aerumnosique Solones, Obstipo capite, et figentes lumine terram, Murmura cum secum, et rabiosa silentia rodunt, PERSIUS. SAT. III. V. 101 — 128. 49 Apply the remedy, nor idly wait Till hope be fled, and medicine come too late ! Contemplate well this theatre of man ; Observe the drama, and its moral plan ; Study of things the causes and the ends; Whence is our being, and to what it tends ; Of fortune's gifts appreciate the worth ; And mark how good and evil mix on earth : Observe what stands as relative to you, What to your country, parents, friends, is due. Consider God as boundless matter's soul, Yourself a part of the stupendous whole ; Think that existence has an endless reign, Yourself a link in the eternal chain. Weigh these things well, and envy not the stores Which clients bring from Umbria's fruitful shores ; Forego, without regret, the noisy bar, Its din, its wrangling, its unceasing war ; Forsake that place where justice has a price, And may be bought for fish, or ham, or spice. But here, perhaps, some blustering son of Mars, Will treat my doctrine as an idle farce. — " What," doth he cry, " do I not know enough, " That I must listen to this learned stuff? " I do not wish to be esteem'd a sage, M Nor to be held the Solon of my age. " I hate the dull philosopher who sits, " Pores o'er his book, and talks and thinks by fits ; E 50 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V. 82— 99. Atque exporrecto trutinantur verba labello, jEgroti veteris meditantes somnia, gigni De nihilo nihilum, in nihilum nil posse reverti. Hoc est, quod palles : cur quis non prandeat, hoc est. His populus ridet, multumque torosa juventus Ingeminat tremulos naso crispante cachinnos. Inspice : nescio quid trepidat mihi pectus, et aegris Faucibus exsuperat gravis halitus, inspice sodes, Qui dicit medico ; jussus requiescere, postquam Tenia compositas vidit nox currere venas, De majore domo modiee sitiente lagena Lenia loturo sibi Surrentina rogavit. Heus bone, tu palles. Nihil est. Videas tamen istud, Quicquid id estt surgit tacite tibi lutea pellis. At tu deterius palles : ne sis mihi tutor : Jampridem hunc sepeli : tu restas. Perge, tacebo. Turgidus hie epulis, atque albo ventre, lavatur, Gutture sulphureas lente exhalante mephites. PERSIUS. SAT. III. V. 129 — 156. 51 " Whose crazy head with metaphysics teems, " Who deeply ruminates on sick men's dreams, u Who holds, that nothing is from nothing brought ; " And then again, that nought returns to nought. " And is it this, which racks that head of thine ? " Is it for this, that thou hast fail'd to dine ?" Now roars the laugh, and now the noisy crowd Of listening fools, delighted, shouts aloud. Some one there was, who finding strength to fail, His body meagre, and his visage pale, For the physician sent, and told his case, And show'd health's roses faded on his face. Three days' repose the fever's force restrains, And cools the current boiling in his veins. Once more desirous for the world to live, And taste of all the joys which it can give ; He quits his bed, prepares to bathe, and dine, And quaff the juice of the Surrentin vine. " How wan, how sallow !" the physician cries; " Ah, but 'tis nothing now," the sick replies : " Nothing, my friend ; the dire prognosis shows " Disease, productive of a thousand woes." " Nay, pr'ythee, peace — I do not ask thine aid ; " My guardian in his grave long since was laid." The doctor goes — the sick man's body swells, And water gathers in a thousand cells : His breath, sulphureous, taints the vernal gale, And airs mephitic from his lungs exhale ; 52 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. III. V. 100 — II Sed tremor inter vina subit, calidumque triental Excutit e manibus : dentes crepuere retecti. Uncta cadunt laxis tunc pulmentaria labris. Hinc tuba, candelae : tandemque beatulus alto Compositus lecto, crassisque lutatus amomis, In portam rigidos calces extendit : at ilium Hesterni capite induto subiere Quirites. Tange miser venas, et pone in pectore dextram, Nil calet hie, summosque pedes attinge, manusque, Non frigent, visa est forte pecunia, sive Candida vicini subrisit molle puella, Cor tibi rite salit ? positum est algente catino Durum olus, et populi cribro decussa farina. Tentemus fauces : tenero latet ulcus in ore Putre, quod haud deceat plebeia radere beta. Alges, cum excussit membris timor albus aristas i Nunc face supposita fervescit sanguis, et ira Scintillant oculi : dicisque, facisque, quod ipse Non sani esse hominis, non sanus juret Orestes. PERSIUS. SAT. III. V. 157 — 182. 53 At length unlook'd for death the wretch appals, And from his hand the lifted goblet falls. The trumpets sound, funereal torches glow, Announcing far the mockery of woe. On the state bed, the stiffen'd corse is laid, And all the honours due to death are paid ; O'er the sad relics new made Romans mourn, And place the ashes in the silent urn. " Thy well told tale does not to me apply, " No fever rages, and no pulse beats high. " Lay thine hand here ; my heart no throbbing knows, " And health for me uninterrupted flows." Methinks thou mayst a few exceptions make. Did loss of gold ne'er cause thine heart to ake ? Does not a fever rage whene'er, by chance, A fond maid's soul is pictured in her glance ? Say, dost thou sit contented at the board, Which just a cake and cabbage can afford ? Come, try thy mouth hah — there's an ulcer there, Too tender to be touch'd by such coarse fare. Thou hast an ague, when heart-chilling Fear Bristles thine hair, and whispers danger near: And Madness, horrid fiend, is nigh at hand, When raging Anger hurls his flaming brand ; And thou dost rave in such a frantic strain, As mad Orestes would pronounce insane ? THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS SATIRE IV SATIRA IV. V. I — 12. Kem populi tractas? barbatum hasc crede magistrum Dicere, sorbitio tollit quem dira cicutze. Quo fretus ? die hoc magni pupille Pericli. Scilicet ingenium, et rerum prudentia velox Ante pilos venit : dicenda, tacendaque calles. Ergo ubi commota fervet plebecula bile, Fert animus calida; fecisse silentia turbas Majestate manus : quid deinde loquere ? Quiritcs, Hoc, puto, non justum est, illud male, rectius illud. Scis etenim justum gemina suspendere lance Ancipitis libra; : rectum discernis, ubi inter Curva subit, vel cum fallit pede regula varo : SATIRE IV. -20. Imagine that divine Athenian sage (At once the shame and honour of his age) Who, by the malice of his foes belied, A victim to their rage, by hemlock died, In scoffing language to have thus address'd That beardless youth whom Athens once caress'd. " Art thou a statesman? wouldst thou hold the helm? And rule like Pericles the subject realm? Does sense mature, ere life has reached its noon ? Does thy young judgment bring forth fruit so soon? Ere yet the down has gather'd on thy cheek, Art thou instructed how, and when, to speak? Canst thou the tumult's mingled roar restrain, Silence command, nor wave the hand in vain ; On public good the public mind enlight, And lift the torch of truth where all is night? No doubt, thou canst in thy experience trust, Say what is right, and point out what is just ; No doubt, thy way thou always canst discern, And men and manners thou hast not to learn : 58 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. IV. V. 13 — 29, Et potis es nigrum vitio praefigere theta. Quin tu igitur summa nequicquam pelle decorus Ante diem blando caudam jactare popello Desinis, Anticyras melior sorbere meracas ? Qua; tibi summa boni est ? uncta vixisse patella Semper et assiduo curata cuticula sole. Expecta : haud aliud respondeat haec anus. I nunc. Dinomaches ego sum, suffla, sum candidus. Esto: Dum ne detenus sapiat pannucea Baucis, Cum bene discincto cantaverit ocyma verna;. Ut nemo in sese tentat descendere, nemo : Sed prascedenti spectatur mantica tergo. Quaesieris. Nostrin' Vectidi prasdia ? cujus ? Dives arat Curibus quantum non milvus oberret : Hunc ais ? hunc diis iratis, genioque sinistro : Qui quandoque jugum pertusa ad compita figit, Seriolas veterem metuens deradere limum, PERSIUS. SAT. IV. V. 21 — 48. 59 Thou holdest virtue at its proper price ; Fixing thy stigma on the brow of vice. But therefore cease, at every public place, To show the beauties of thy form and face. From all these idle practices refrain, And take to hellebore to clear thy brain. What have thy pleasures been ? what is thy care ? A sumptuous table, and luxurious fare ; Of thy fine skin the whiteness to display, Preserved untann'd amidst the blaze of day. But for thy mind ; — old Baucis at her stall, Who ne'er did aught but beets and cabbage bawl, Knows just as much — might place, as well as thou, The statesman's laurel on her wrinkled brow. None looks at home ; none seeks himself to know (The only knowledge undesired below). But each intent regards his neighbour's mind, Sees other's faults, and to his own is blind. That man thou blamest ; (him, whose lands extend Far as a kite its longest course can bend ;) And him thou wouldst consign to every woe Which gods award, or wretched mortals know ; Because he grudges annual presents due To frugal Pales and her rustic crew ; Gives to his wearied hinds a scanty meal, And dines himself upon an onion peel. Lo, at thine elbow an accuser stands, Who thy dark deed with foul opprobrium brands ; 60 A PERSII FLACCI SAT. IV. V. 30— 42. Ingemit, Hoc bene sit : tunicatum cum sale mordens Caspe : et farrata pueris plaudentibus olla, Pannosam faecem morientis sorbet aceti ? At si unctus cesses, et figas in cute solem, Est prope te ignotus, cubito qui tangat, et acre Despuat in mores : penemque arcanaque lumbi Runcantem, populo marcentes pandere vulvas. Tu cum maxillis balanatum gausape pectas, Inguinibus quare detonsus gurgulio exstat ? Quinque palaestritas licet haec plantaria vellant, Elixasque nates labefactent forcipe adunca, Non tamen ista filix ullo mansuescit aratro. Casdimus, inque vicem praebemus crura sagittis* persius. sat. iv. v. 49 — 76. 6r That deed, which covers even Vice with shame, While outraged Nature reddens at the name. [How truly fair was bounteous Nature's plan ! How wisely suited to the state of man ! For him her hand had traced a flowery way ; Mild was her reign, and gentle was her sway : But fury passions, owning no control, Seized on her empire, and usurp'd the soul. Then simple Nature charm'd mankind no more, Her pleasures vanish'd, and her power was o'er : Then, undistinguish'd, crowded on the view The smiling forms her magic pencil drew : Her hand then clothed the naked woods in vain, Or threw the flowery mantle o'er the plain, Gave form and order to the world below, And show'd the source whence thought and being flow. Unmark'd we see succeeding seasons roll, Revolving stars illume the glowing pole ; Unmark'd behold the glorious sun arise, Tinging with purple light the orient skies ; Unmark'd the spring, on wings of zephyrs borne, Hangs the wild rose upon the scented thorn ; Unmark'd the cluster bends the curling vine ; Unmark'd the tempest rocks the mountain pine. All-powerful habit the enchantment breaks ; While wonder sleeps, attention scarcely wakes, Each soft indulgence blunts the edge of joy ; And every pleasure has, or finds alloy. 62 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. IV. V. 43 — 52. Vivitur hoc pacto : sic novimus. Ilia subter Caecum vulnus habes : sed lato balteus auro Prastegit : ut mavis, da verba, et decipe nervos, Si potes. Egregium cum me vicinia dicat, Non credam ? Viso si palles improbe nummo, Si facis, in penem quicquid tibi venit amarum, Si Puteal multa cautus vibice flagellas : Nequicquam populo bibulas donaveris aures. Respue quod non es : tollat sua munera cerdo : Tecum habita : noris quam sit tibi curta supellex. PERSIUS. SAT. IV. V. 77 — 96. 63 Unhappy man takes passion for his guide, And sighs for bliss to sated sense denied ; Untamed desires impel the vicious mind, To God, to Virtue, and to Nature blind.] But dost thou hope thy crimes shall rest unknown, Hid by the splendour of thy golden zone ? Think not that rigid Virtue frames her laws In vile compliance with a mob's applause. If o'er his lusts the wretch cannot prevail, But in the sordid search of wealth grows pale ; If to our scorn he can himself expose, In drunken riot at the midnight shows ; Not all the splendour of a noble name Shall hide the folly, or conceal the shame. Look at thyself, examine well thy mind, To pride, to sloth, to luxury, resign'd ; Vicious, yet weak, and arrogant, yet mean, Retire, unequal to this troubled scene ; Live not of power the tyrant and the fool, Nor scourge that empire which thou canst not rule." THE SATIRES OF PERSIUS SATIRE V. SAT1RA V. AD ANN.-EUM CORNUTUM, CUJUS FUIT AUDITOR. v. i— 14. V at i bus hie mos est, centum sibi poscere voces, Centum ora et linguas optare in carmina centum : Fabula seu moesto ponatur hianda tragcedo, Vulnera seu Parthi ducentis ab inguine ferrum. Quorsum hasc ? aut quantas robusti carminis offas Ingeris, ut par sit centeno gutture niti ? Grande locuturi, nebulas Helicone legunto : Si quibus aut Prognes, aut si quibus olla Thyestze Fervebit, saepe insulso ccenanda Glyconi. Tu neque anhelanti, coquitur dum massa camino, Folle premis ventos ; nee clauso murmure raucus Nescio quid tecum grave cornicaris inepte, T^Tec stloppo tumidas intendis rumpere buccas. Verba togas sequeris, junctura callidus acri, SATIRE V, PERSIUS AND CORNUTUS, V. I — 16. fOETS, whene'er they sing, do still invite An hundred tongues to utter what they write : Whether the tragic Muse the tale rehearse, Or deeds in arms be told in epic verse. C. But wherefore thus ? for what bombast of thine Must all these hundred tongues in concert join ? Let him for sounding words and fustian seek, Who loves on themes of import high to speak ; Who all his sense in lofty language shrouds, And gropes on Helicon amidst the clouds. If such there be, who loving things obscure, Horrors delight, and Progne's feasts allure ; Who sit well pleased where Glyco is the guest, And share the banquet for Thyestes dress'd ; It is not thine to brood o'er dark designs, Or utterance give to empty sounding lines. 68 A. PERSII FLACCI SAT. V. V- 15 — 34. Ore teres modico, pallentes radere mores Doctus, et ingenuo culpam defigere ludo. Hinc trahe qua; dicas : mensasque relinque Mycenis Cum capite et pedibus : plebeiaque prandia noris. Non equidem hoc studeo, bullatis ut mihi nugis Pagina turgescat, dare pondus idonea fumo. Secreti loquimur : tibi nunc hortante Camena Excutienda damus prascordia : quantaque nostras Pars tua sit Cornute animae, tibi dulcis amice Ostendisse juvat : pulsa, dignoscere caulus Quid solidum crepet, et pictae tectoria lingua;. His ego centenas ausim deposcere voces : Ut quantum mihi te sinuoso in pectore fixi, Voce traham pura : totumque hoc verba resignent, Quod latet arcana non enarrabile fibra. Cum primum pavido custos mihi purpura cessit, Bullaque succinctis Laribus donata pependit : Cum blandi comites, totaque impune Suburra Permisit sparsisse oculos jam candidus umbo : Cumque iter ambiguum est, et vitas nescius error PERSIUS. SAT. V. V. 17— 44. 69 But thee the Muses and the arts engage, Well taught to lash the vices of the age ; Skill'd in smooth words keen satire to convey, And faults to censure, whilst thou seem'st in play ; Hence know thy task, let Atreus feast prepare, Rest thou contented with plebeian fare. P. 'Tis true, on lofty themes I seldom dvvel , Nor love with empty sounds my verse to swell. But now, my gentle friend, while thus the hours, While even the inspiring Muse herself is ours, Let me my heart unfold, and there disclose The generous love which for Cornutus glows. An hundred voices now I dare to ask, For praising thee becomes thy poet's task : Nor think these words a flattering Muse has sung \ They fall not varnish 'd from a faithless tongue : They leave my bosom to thy view reveal'd, And own the secret which it long conceal'd. When first, a timid youth, I knew the town, Exchanged the purple for the virile gown, The golden bulla from my neck unstrung, The sacred bauble by the Lares hung, From harsh restraint the first enlargement knew, And crowds of parasites around me drew ; When the white shield, by youthful warriors worn, Through all the streets of Rome by me was borne ; When too the martial dress forbade reproof, And kept each friendly monitor aloof: 7 quam nyvvm principio utatur Persius ? io6 NOTES TO SATIRE I. Ver. 4. Ne mihi Poly Jamas, &c. By Polydamas et Troides, Persius is generally supposed to have meant Nero and his courtiers. But was not Polydamas an illustrious character? Ot pnv up 'Exjop 'Io-olv, v.ou AMYMONI TlaXv^a^avlt. IXlOiS 1 . [A. Labeo was a minion of Nero's, who had translated the Iliad. Ver. 14. Grande alt quid, &c. Longinus remarks the difficulty of guarding against the bombast in writing ; and observes that authors are naturally led to seek what is grand ; but in avoiding dryness and feebleness, they become turgid, and vainly console themselves, with the reflection, that if they err, it is in attempting what is great and noble. 'OKug Floi* xtv iii/oii to oiSw sv roig [AzXira. dvo-epvXocxlolctlov' (puvu yoL» cnrocvls<; 0; psysSus £Ze«flby^r/rf. Male. Hellebore was taken by persons professing the art of divination, who probably drank it, in order to exhilarate their spirits, and to work themselves up to a proper pitch of phrenzy for acting their parts. The expression of Per- sius then means, that the Iliad of Accius, was turgid and declamatory, and was destitute of all real poetical merit. The hellebore, which was known in Italy by the name of veratrum, was of two sorts, the black and the white. The latter of these was, as Pliny assures us, much the stronger. It is only when speaking of the ex- ternal appearance of these two sorts, that Theophrastus sa y S — tw p^pwjaolt [XOVOV JW(p£/>«V. It appears from several authors, and among others from Pliny, that before any serious application to study, the ancients used to prepare themselves by taking a large dose of hellebore. The idlers of the present day would not be the more reconciled to the labours of the mind by such a diarrhetic discipline of the body. Fer. 57. calve Pinguls aqualiculus propenso sesquipede exstet. Casaubon says, pinguis aqualiculus, quia, ut ex aquali funditur aqua, sic ab ilia parte urina. It is very true, that aqualiculus is often used for venter. But here Per- NOTES TO SATIRE I. I09 sius probably alludes to those dropsical habits incurred by indolence, luxury, gluttony, and inebriety. The sense is, " you are an old fool to write verses, when, from the size of your paunch, it is evident that you have thought much more of indulging your appetite, than of cultivating your mind." Ver. 70. Nugari solitos Grace, &c. The fashion is again revived; and we have bald- heads in this country, who employ themselves in strumming modern airs on the untuned lyre of Pin- dar, and in adapting English strains to the pipe of Theo- Ver. 72. et fumosa Palilia, fcsV. The Palilia were rural feasts observed in honour of Pales. Varro. Ver. 76. venosus liber Acci. Venosus stands here for asper, durus, horridus. See the Thesaurus of R. Stephanus. Ver. 77. Sunt quos Pacuviusque, et verrucosa movetur Antiopa, y V. Pacuvius was the author of the tragedy of Antiopa — verrucosa, literally, full of warts, is put here figuratively to express the rugged style, in which this tragedy was written. 110 NOTES TO SATIRE I. Ver. 78. arumnis cor luctificahile fulta. We may here exclaim with Longinus, ov rpuyixoc, Hi Ttzvlu aXhot, 7roCrpoilpoc,yu}^x. Ver. 85. crimlna rasis Librat in antithesis , &c . When Longinus says '&m oi\a> xou ttolXiv udtwoppotr Xztlai •9'*ujtAarw? V7T cavlis — it is evident he means, when the figures are well chosen and properly introduced. Ver. 87. —an Romule ceves ? This is a happy stroke of satire, which can hardly be put in English with the force and brevity of the original. Ver. 89. cantas cumfracta, &c. See Sat. vi. v. 32. Ver. 93. Berecynthius At tin. What Osiris was to the Egyptians, Attin was to the Phrygians ; with this difference, indeed, that the worship of Attin was celebrated with rites, whose monstrous ex- cesses had no example even in the East. See Arnobius. Ver. 99. Torva Mimalloneis> &e. Joseph Scaliger having remarked the following words in the Nero of Dio, ix&ocpufamv Arriva, % Bxx)(a,g t it has been admitted by most of the commentators, who NOTES TO SATIRE I. Ill have since written upon Persius, that he has here in- troduced some verses of the Emperor's. But if the author of the life of Persius say truly, that Cornutus altered one of the verses of his pupil, ne hoc Nero in se dictum arbitraretur ; can it be imagined, that he would have suffered the tyrant's vanity to have been affronted by this public ridicule, by this unconcealed mockery of his talents as a poet \ The cautious preceptor would hardly have failed to have repressed the vivacity of his pupil in this instance, as well as in the other. Let us rather believe then, that the poet's allusions to Nero were not quite so plain, as has been imagined ; unless we should be inclined to consider the fragment ascribed to Probus as a forgery. Vcr. 104. summa delumbe saliva Hoc natat in labris: et in udo est Manas et At tin. This passage is not without difficulty. The word delumbe is here used substantively, and signifies feeble- ness or debility. Casaubon, in explaining the words, // in udo est Manas et Attin, says, et coria et multa alia aqua immersa et modefacta robur suum ac rovov priorem amittunt : funtquc languida et mollia. Ex eo dixit poeta in udo esse pro vypov uvoci molle , femineum atque enervatum neque ullo partum labore. This explanation does not appear to me quite satis- factory. When a foolish, or hasty thing was uttered, it was said, in ore nasci non inpectore. See Aulus Gellius, 112 NOTES TO SATIRE I. L. I. c. 15. and Quintilian has the expression verba in labris nascentia. But these foolish productions, of which Persius here speaks, might be said, not only in ore nasci, sed etiam summa saliva natare. They were written not only without reflection, and composed without judgment ; but they were to the last degree superficial and trifling. The passage may then be paraphrased as follows: Mac fierent si quid in Romanis pristini roboris maneret ? Vere ha ineptia aniles nascuntur in ore non in pectore, natantque summa saliva, ut super undas feruntur folia stramena, et alia leviora. Nunc nihil modeste est, nihil studiose, nihil composite dictum ; et (si isto modo intelligere sensum Persii forsan placeat lectori] Nero hanc corrup- tionem nomine ejus, exemploque Jirmat. Ver. 107. mordaci radere vero. Cicero has mordax homo ; and Quintilian uses an expression similar to our author's. The Italian transla- tor of Persius has copied this passage closely, if not elegantly. Ma che ti cal con verita mordace Andar radendo delicate orecchie. Ver. 109. sonat hie de nare canina Litera. Hi c — id est, in liminibus Neronis et procerum, sonare litera dicitur, cum irritatus aliquis minas fundi t at : NOTES TO SATIRE I. II3 proprie in canibus hcrrientibus locum habet : non incommode hac verba possent tribui : cum autem hicfuerit, in tuis verbis mi monitor : sensus erit, intelligo quid velis ; peri- culum enim pmsens denuntias, si propositio permansero : priorem interpret ationem jure aliquis prceferat. Casaubon. ' Ver. 113. Pinge duos angues. Veteres Gentiles serpentes appinxcre ad conciliandum loco sacro reverentiam, quos mystuos tener e terra divite mittit Arabs.— Ipse suos Genius adsit visurus honores, Cui decorent sanctas mollia serta comas. Illius puro distillent tempora hardo, At que satur libo sit, madeatque mero. TIBUL. L. ii. El. 2. It was also the custom to send presents upon the natal day in ancient times : Sicci terga suis, rara pendentia crate, Moris erat quondam f est is servare diebus, . Et natalitimn cognatis ponere lardum Accedente nova, si quam dabat hostia, came. juv. Sat. xi. L'aureniius (in his learned treatise de variis Sacris Gen- NOTES TO SATIRE II. II7 tilium) is mistaken, when he says, Nat ale sacrum Genio factum sine victima sed cum thure et mero. The reader of these notes will remember, how Juvenal commences his twelfth satire : Natali, Corvine, die mihi dulcior hccc lux, Ghiafestus promissa Deis an im alia cespes, Expectat. Ver. 14. Nerio jam tertia ducitur uxor. In the way in which I have rendered ducitur, I have followed the opinion of Casaubon, and of Stephanus. Some of the old copies erroneously have it conditur. Ver. 15. Tiberino in gurgite mergis Mane caput bis, terque Servius informs us that there were three modes of purification among the ancients, aut tada sulphure et igne, aut aqua, aut aere. It, however, appears from abundance of testimonies, that other lustrations were in use. Lustrations by water were frequent among the an- cients. Even in the lesser mysteries of Eleusis the sym- bolical purification of the soul, by ablutions of the body, was not dispensed with. Taula p\ y. Kimchi observes, that it was formed either of one stone, or of many piled together — According to R. Maimonides tsiun was the same with nephasb. " They do not," says the Talmud, " make nepbasbotb for the just ; their words preserve their me- mory." orp-on o'phyV j-wsj paw p« •oji-oi on Ver. 30. pulmone et Jactibus iinctis. The satire conveyed in these words is strong. Is it by offering sacrifices, (the poet asks) that you gain the favour of heaven r And then, what sacrifices ? the lungs and entrails of animals, which you cannot eat yourselves, 120 NOTES TO SATIRE II. you lay upon the altars of the gods. Juvenal imitates, and improves the irony of this passage : Ut tamen et poscas aliquid, voveasque sacellis, Ext a, et candiduli divina tomacula porcl. Sat. x.- Ver. 31. aut metuens divum matertera, &c. It may be conjectured, that there were females, whose business it was to perform that lustration, to which the pOet alludes. In this case, the prophetess taking the child from its mother, was termed matertera, i. e. mater altera. Ver. 32. ■ front emque, at que uda labeJla In/ami digit 0, et lustralibus ante salivis. Dryden translates this, " Then in the spawl her middle finger dips, Anoints the temples, forehead, and the lips ; Pretending force of magic to prevent By virtue of her nasty excrement." This would indeed have been a very nasty sort of lustration. That, to which Persius alludes, was dirty enough of all conscience. The spittle was mixed with dust, and then rubbed upon the forehead. The middle finger (which among the ancients expressed a great deal according to the position in which it was held) was employed to administer this charm. Thus Petronius ; Mox turbatum sputo puherem anus, medio sustulit digito, NOTES TO SATIRE II. 121 frontemque repugnantis sigtiat. I extract the following words from Brissonius. At Beda refer/ morem in ecclesia inolevisse scriptum re/iquit, ut sacerdotes illius his, quos percipiendis baptismi sacratnentls prepararent, prius inter cetera consecratis exordia de saliva oris sui nares tange- renty et aures, dicentes ephata, &c. Ver. 35. Tunc manibus quatity &c. This ceremony had a very ancient and illustrious example ; and these lines will naturally recur to the recollection of the learned reader. Au]a£ oy oy tpiXou viou smi xvo~E 7rrjA£ T£ X, s P EjwSV £7T£'J^jU£l/0f All, T CcXXOHTW T£ SiOHft. IMXO. £. Spem macram for infant em tenelhtm. Ver. 36. Nunc Licini in campos, &c. This was probably Licinius Stolo, who, according to Livy, was condemned to pay a fine by Popilius Lena, for possessing together with his son, more land than was permitted by the law which he himself had made. Some have supposed that the person meant here, was Licinus, and not Licinius. Licinus was a freedman of Augustus, and possessed great riches. The immense wealth of Crassus is expatiated upon by Plutarch. The word mittit here is borrowed from a law phrase ; and the old woman is ludicrously represented as putting the child in possession of houses and estates in the same language, 122 NOTES TO SATIRE II. which was employed by the Praetor, when he adjudged what was due to the right owner. Ver. 40. Color autem (says Tully) alius pre- eipue decorus Deo est, &c. In the mysteries of Isis and of Ceres the priests were robed in white. Nee ulla Una eis candore mollitiave prce- ferenda, says Pliny, speaking of garments made of cot- ton : vestes inde (adds he) sacerdotibus Mgypti gratissima. Apuleius affords a yet stronger testimony. Tunc influ- unt turba sacris divinis initiata viri, foeminaque omnis dignitatis, et omnis atatis, lintea vestis candore puro lu- minosi. Ovid says, speaking of the festivals of Ceres, Festa pice Cereri celeb rab ant annua mat res Ilia, quibus nivea velatce corpora veste, &c. Met. L. x. again, in his Fasti ; Alba decent Cererem, vestes Cerealibus albas Sumite, nunc pulli vellaris usus abest. The custom of wearing white garments was also common among the Druids and the priests of Gaul. Plin. L. xvi. c. 43. Ver. 42. • tucetaque crassa. Tucetum was originally a word taken from the lan- guage of the Gauls. See the Thesaurus of R. Sre- phanus. NOTES TO SATIRE II. 123 Ver. 48. 1 et opirno vincere ferto. Casaubon rightly prefers this reading to et opinio vin- cere far to. Ver. 56. 1 nam fratres inter ahenos. Persius is here supposed by most of his commentators to mean fifty brazen statues of the sons of j*Egyptus, which stood in the porch of Apollo's temple. These statues were consulted as oracles. Ver. 58. sitque illis aurea barba. Videntur (Romani) aureas barbas diis de se bene me- rit is apposuisse. Casaubon. Ver. 61. curvce in tern's anima, et cosiest ium inanes ! J$hiid juvat hoc, temp/is nostras immittere mores, Et bona Diis ex hac scelerata ducere pulpa ? Hac sibi corrupto casiam dissolvit olivo : Et Calabrum coxit vitiato murice vellus : Hac baccam concha rasisse, et stringere venas Feruentis masses crudo de pulvere jus sit. Peccat et hac, peccat : vitio tamen utitur : at vos Dicite pontifices, in sancto quid facit aurum P Nempe hoc, quod Veneri donata a virgine puppa. S^uin damns id superis, de magna quod dare lance Nonpossit magni Messala lippa propago : Compositum jus fasque animo, sanctosque recessus 124 NOTES TO SATIRE II. Mentis, et incoctum generoso pectus honestoP Hac cedo ut admoveam templis, et farre lltabo. Some of these verses have much poetical merit ; and contain much excellent instruction. Are there not even Christian temples, where they deserve to be written up in letters of gold ? This satire is founded upon the second Alcibiades of Plato, which I recommend to the student to read along with it. I have already observed in my Preface, that if ever Persius abandons the doctrines of the Stoics, it is in this poem. The Stoics contended for the existence of a irgomx ; but they adopted with this belief all the superstitions of the popular worship. Cicero, in the third book of his treatise de Natura Deorum, charges them with admitting all the puerile and contradictory fables, which had imposed upon vulgar credulity ; and alludes to that very practice, of offering bribes to the Deity, which Persius condemns with so much just se- verity. NOTES TO SATIRE III. 125 SATIRE III, Ver. 2. et angustas extendi t lutnine rimas. • Hypallage : non enirrt rimes extenduntur, out dilatan/ur, quod inepte qui dam scribunt : sed lumen extenditur, trans- mittente sole radios suos per rimas. Casaubon. Ver. 3. Stertimus, for ster litis. Ver. 4. §hiinta dum linen tangitur umbrit. Most of the commentators upon Persius have under- stood him in this place, to mean eleven o'clock, A. M. I have not specified the particular hour. The Romans divided the natural day, i. e. from sun-rising to sun- setting, into twelve hours. Hence the length of those hours was the same only twice a year. The distinction made by the Romans, between the civil and the natural day, is thus explained by Censorinus. Dies partim na~ turalis, partim civilis. Naturalis dies, tempus ab orients sole, ad solis occasum, cujus contrarium est tempus nox, ab occasu solis ad ortutn ; civilis autem dies vacatur /e?npus, quod fit uno cceli circuitu, quo dies verus et nox continentur. It appears that the Romans were acquainted with the use of sun-dials before the first Punic war. Pliny says, that Lucius Papirius Cursor placed a dial on the temple 126 NOTES TO SATIRE III. of Quirinus eleven years previous to that period. He observes, that Fabius Vestalis, upon whose authority he states this fact, has not mentioned either the method according to which the dial was constructed, the arti- ficer who made it, whence it was brought, or in what author he found it described. It is to be suspected, that the Roman dials were not very exact. Seneca says, facilius inter philosophos y quam inter horologia, conveniet. Salmasius thinks, that only eleven lines were drawn on the dials. See what Cas- siodorus, who wrote in the sixth century, has. said de Horologio Solari. Vitruvius ascribes the invention of water-clocks to Ctesibius of Alexandria. They were introduced at Rome by Scipio Nasica ; and were first employed in the con- sulship of Pompey, to regulate the length of the speeches made in the Forum. In this the Romans copied the Athenians. It appears from Eschines, that in the pub- lic trials at Athens certain portions of time were allow- ed to the accuser, as well as to the prisoner, and the judge. These divisions of time were regulated by a water-clock. No orator was permitted to speak after his time had elapsed, nor without the water was poured into the clep- sydra, could he commence his discourse. Sigonius has quoted several authorities to prove the use of the wa- ter-clock among the Athenians ; and to show that it regulated the length of public orations. I observe, however, he has not cited the following words from NOTES TO SATIRE III. 12"] Demosthenes, in his celebrated speech de falsa legationc, Ou yocp tyu x.pwou.ce.1 Tr, It is probable, that the Greeks were instructed by the Egyptians in the art of making the clepsydra, or water-clock. That ingenious people generally formed this machine with a cynoccphalus sculptured upon it ; a name by which it is sometimes called. Sunt qui tra- dunt, says a learned author, cynocephalum non modo melere sed etiam latrare singulis horis. The imaginary animal, called a cynocephalus by the Egyptians, was supposed to be an ape with a dog's head. It is mentioned twice by Pliny, and, I think, once by Solinus. I am led to believe that the Egyptians were acquainted with the use of sun-dials even in very remote periods. I agree with Goguet, that their obelisks were originally intended to serve as gnomons : but ingenuity would soon contract the size of the gnomon ; and it may be pre- sumed, would render it more useful upon a smaller scale. This I can the more easily believe, because the astronomical science of the Egyptians was undoubtedly profound ; and from the accuracy with which they cal- culated the greater divisions of time, such as cycles, years, and months, it is probable they would endeavour to measure its minuter portions with equal exactness. It appears, indeed, that the very name given to the regular divisions of the day, by the Greeks and Romans, is taken from an Egyptian word : and that Horus, though 128 NOTES TO SATIRE III. undoubtedly altered in the termination, is the original of cc(>a, hora, whence so many modern nations derive words of similar signification. Apud eos (nempe Mgyp- tiosj, says Macrobius, Apollo qui et Sol Horus vocatur, ex quo et horce viginti quatuor, quibus dies noxque confici- tur, nomen acceperunt. Some authors seem inclined to throw doubts on this derivation made by Macrobius. But I am induced to think, if Horus was an appellation of the sun, consi- dered with respect to a particular period of the year, the etymology is very far from being fanciful or forced. Still less will it appear to be so, when compared with that of Horapollo, who derives the Egyptian word from the Greek "HXios $i 'ilpog uttoIsIuv upcov xpoflziv. It has been supposed, upon the authority of Epiphanius, that Horus and Harpocrates were the same (Cuperus in Har- pocratej. But I am inclined to think with Jablonski, that they were distinct. The Egyptians symbolically represented the sun under the name of Harpocrates when it passed the winter solstice, and rose from the lower hemisphere. Again, the solar orb was distinguished by the name of Horus, when, immediately before and after entering the sign of Leo, it poured upon the world the full blaze of its meridian glory. This opinion is con- firmed by the signification of the word horus ; which in Egyptian, according to Salmasius, was lord or king, though more properly the latter. Some have erroneously derived it from the Hebrew TtK, fire or light ; and NOTES TO SATIRE III. I 29 Jablonski, with still less appearance of plausibility, understands borus to have been an Egyptian word, which signified virtus effectrix vel causalis. Ver. 5. siccas insana canicula messes Jamdudum coquit, &c. Nam caniculce exortu accendi solis calores quis ignorat ? cujus sideris effectus amplissimi in terra sentiuntur. Plin. L. ii. c. 40. One is rather surprised at this from a philosopher. Ver. 8. turgescit vitrea bilis. Horace has splendida bilis. Ver. 9. Findor : ut Arcadia pecuaria rudere credas. It is thought by some of his commentators, that Per- sius makes the young man close his part of the dialogue at nemon f and they readfinditur instead of findor. But as all the old copies have findor, I think it right to abide by them. Casaubon is of opinion, that the young man still continues speaking, until Persius interrupts him, by ex- claiming — ut Arcadia; pecuaria rudere credas. But the words turgescit vitrea bilis, are evidently addressed by the poet to the reader. In the satires of the ancients, narration and dialogue continually interrupt each other. The reading then will be. Unus ait comitum. " Verumne ? Itane? ocyus adsit Hue aliquis. Neman f" P. Turgescit vitrea bilis. C. " Findor." P." UtArcadiapecuaria rudere credas." K 130 NOTES TO SATIRE III. These last words Persius addresses to the young rake. They are thus explained by Casaubon — sic enim clamas, ut asino rudenti et chopEm sis similis. Ver. 10. et bicolor positis membrana capillis. The inside of the parchment was white : the outside was yellow. Hence Juvenal says, — atque ideo crocea membrana tabella ImpJetur. The hair was removed by a pumice stone. Ver. n. nodosaque venit arundo. As I have translated arundo literally a reed, it may perhaps be proper to inform some of my readers, that the Romans made pens of reeds, as we do of quills. They were seldom of Italian growth, but were gene- rally gathered in other countries. Chartis serviunt ca- lami ; Egyptii maxime cognatione quadam papyri ; proba- tions tamen Gnidiiy et qui in Asia circum Anaiticum lacum nascuntur. Dioscorides, in speaking of this kind of reed, calls it 7ro\v(rocpxo<;. But it is difficult to under- stand this, unless we suppose the fleshy or pithy part of the reed was dried before using. See what Tour- nefort, Chardin, and other modern travellers, have said concerning the reeds employed fcr pens in the Levant. Some have thought, that the ancients made use of quills. They quote the following words of Juvenal : tanquam ex diversis partibus orbis NOTES TO SATIRE III. I3I Anxia prcecipiti venisset epistola penna. But the expression of the poet is evidently figurative. It is true, an ancient writer informs us in one instance, that as news were good or bad, a laurel or a feather was ordered to be fixed on the letter, which conveyed the intelligence. These authors have mentioned the figure of Egeria with greater reason, who is represented with a pen in her hand. Beckmann, however, supposes the pen to have been added by a modern artist. Ver. 13. Nigra quod infusa vane scat sepia lympha. The Romans seem to have employed several different kinds of ink. Some used the juice of the cuttlefish ; others soot mixed with a liquid. The Romans also occasionally coloured and gilded their letters. See Pliny and Dioscorides. Ver. 16. at cur non potius teneroque columbo Et similis regum pueris, &c I do not think the reader will understand this passage the better from Casaubon's note, which, however, if he think fit, he may consult. The manner in which the pigeon feeds its young, suggested the comparison which Persius makes. Ver. 17. pappare minutum Poscis ; et iratus ynamma, lallare recusas P The word pappare here signifies to feed. 132 NOTES TO SATIRE III. I am doubtful if, in following Casaubon, I have not ill translated lallare, in the next verse. He thus ex- presses himself. Irati autem infantes lallare recusant ; hoc est, dormire nolunt, cum eos sive mater, sive nutrix in cunis collocatos, provocat ad somnum cantillando. But I am rather inclined to think lallare signifies to suck ; and thus it was originally understood. The meaning of the whole passage then is. — " O wretch ! and every, day more a wretch ! are you then come to this pass ? But why do you not rather, like a pampered child, or like a creature incapable of doing any thing for itself, desire that they would feed the poor little bantling, and then quarrelling with mamma, refuse to suck. In short, act the child completely over again." In a poeti- cal version of an ancient and obscure author, I have sometimes found, that to give the spirit of the original, was the best thing, that could be done ; and not unfre- quently, that it was the only thing, that could be done. Ver. 20. tibi luditur : effiuis amens. Contemnere, sonat vitium percussa, maligne Respondetyviridi non cocta fidelia limo. Udum et molle latum es, nunc, nunc proper andus, et acri Fingendus sine fine rota. The whole of this passage, is (to use the words of Dryden) insufferably strained. I have ventured to change the metaphor. NOTES TO SATIRE III. I33 Ver. 25. ■ et sine labe salinnm. I am not satisfied with the explanation of Casaubon. He says, sali vis inest contra putredinem : inde purum vacant poeta, &c. But Persius alludes here to the bright- ness of the salt-cellar, which even at the tables of ,the poor was generally made of silver. Viviturparvo bene, cui paternum Splendet in mensa tenui salinum. Even in decrees, by which the gold and silver of private persons were confiscated for the use of the state, and the precious metals were forbidden to be converted into plate, the salt-cellar was excepted. See Livy, xxvi. 36. Without this explanation, it is impossible to understand what Horace means by the word splendet, in the verses quoted above. Ver. 26. Cultrixque foci sccura patelli. It was a custom religiously observed by the ancients, to make an offering of part of their meals to the house- hold gods, before eating any thing themselves. In every house there was a small and perpetual fire, which burnt in honour of Vesta. It was into this fire that the con- secrated meat was thrown. This custom was at least as old as Homer : &£o7 in nihilum nil posse reverti. This dogma seems to have been pretty generally re- ceived among the ancients. Even the philosophic Theists did not contend, that God had created matter ; they only insisted, that he had given it form, organization, and life. Ver. 92. Surrentina rogavit. Item Surrentina in vineis tantum nascentia, convalescen- tibus maxime probata propter tenuitatem salubritatemque. Plin. L. xiv. NOTES TO SATIRE III. I39 Ver. 103. Mine tuba candela. Gutherius pretends, that there was a triple Nania, or dirge, among the ancients in honour of the dead. De prima (inquit) qua in exequiarum eomitata, nihil repeto, qua £7n>«jJW xou Spyvuh*. ; sceunda canebatur ad rogum, tertia ad titmulum. The funeral procession was accompanied by trumpets, and sometimes by flutes. • at hie si plaustra ducenta Concurrantqite foro triafunera, magna sonabit Cornua quod vincat que tubas. HOR. /;/ ccrlo clamor que virum clangor que tub arum. VIRG. Nee mea tunc longa spatietur imagine pompa, Nee tuba sit fat i vana querela mei. PROPERT. Cant abut nicest is tibia funeribus ovid. Sicmcesta cecincre tuba;. PROPERT. It appears from Servius, that the tibia accompanied the funerals of young persons, and the tuba those of people advanced in age. Servius in V.JEn. This is confirmed by Lactantius. Jubet religio, ut majoribus mortuis tuba, minoribus tibia caneretur. Also by Statius, Cum signum luctus cornu grave rnugit adunco Tibia, cui teneros suetum producere manes, Lege Phrygian mcesta. At the funeral of Claudius, there was such a noise of instruments, says Seneca, ut etiam Claudius audire posset. I40 NOTES TO SATIRE III. It was the custom among the Romans to bury their dead at night ; and the funeral was attended by persons bearing torches. But perhaps by the word candelce, Per- sius alludes to the lamps which were usually placed in sepulchres. Of these lamps there are many absurd re- ports. It is pretended, that they were frequently found still burning at the expiration of many centuries. Li- cetus has even written a great deal to prove, that there was a species of fire, which can preserve itself without consuming the combustible matter which sup- ports it. Let us hear what evidence is brought in favour of the existence of this extraordinary species of fire. Scardeoneus argues strenuously for it : Nam (says he) circiter anno M. D. circa Ateste Municipium Patavinum y dum foderetur a rusticis terra solito altius, reperta est urnafictilis, et in ea altera urnula, in qua erat lucerna, adhuc ardens inter duas ampullas, quorum altera erat aurea y altera vero argentea, purissimo quodam liquore plenas. Cujus virtute, lucerna ilia per tot annos arsisse creditur, et nisi retecta fuisset, perpetuo arsura. It was the urn of Olybius Maximus, in which this lamp was found, and upon which we read, among others, the fol- lowing words : Abite hinc pessimifures— Vos quid vultis cum vestris oculis emissitiis f Abite hinc vestro cum Mercurio petasato caduceato- que. NOTES TO SATIRE III. 141 The story related by the author, who assumed the name of Martinus Chronographus , is yet more ridiculous. He tells us, that in 1601 a peasant dug up the body of a man, whose carcass was so immense in height, ut erect urn altce tncsnia Rsmce ex cede ret. At the head of this giant, (who it seems was Pallas the son of Evander,) stood an unextinguished lamp ; and had they not bored a hole in it, and let the oil run out, this wonderful lamp might have been burning still. Mark, gentle reader, it had already burnt two thousand six hundred and eleven years ! It has been thought by some learned men, that the wick in these lamps was made from the asbestos. This extraordinary mineral, of which the filaments are so pli- able as to admit of weaving, resists the operation of fire. Pliny expressly says, nikilque ignl dtperdit. In another place he says of it — ex eo vidimus mappas sor- dibus exustis splendescentes igni magis, quam possent, aquis. I believe, some experiments have been made before the Royal Society, which in a great degree con- firm what Pliny advances. With respect to the lamps, which the ancients placed in the sepulchres of the dead, it is extremely improba- ble that they burnt for any great length of time. In a small sepulchral vault, the quantity of oxygen gas would not have been sufficient to have preserved the flame, even if the oil, which supplied the lamp, had been inexhaustible. 142 NOTES TO SATIRE III. Ver. io4- crassisque lutatus amomis. The amomum is a small shrub, which in its growth in some degree resembles the vine. It has a small flower like that of the white violet, but its leaves are similar to those of the wild vine, which is called bryonia. The most excellent kind of the amomum, and that which has the most agreeable odour, is brought from Ar- menia. Its wood is reddish, inclining to the colour of gold. Such is the account, which I have taken from Dios- corides. The amomum is also described by Pliny, L. xii. c. 13. Salmasius observes, that the ancients gave the name of amomum to various aromatics. It was likewise em- ployed to signify perfumed ointments. In the ancient world, it was the custom to wash and to anoint the dead. Thus Virgil, Corpusque lavant frigentis, et ungunt. I must not omit here the curious note of Theodorus Marcilius. Unctionumferalium differentia mult a. I. alia libera et prisca; alia servilis et nova. 2. Unctio una mortui ante exequias et collocationem: altera posterior. 3. Unctio aut mortui est, aut reliquiarum. 4. Unctio aut odoribus et aromatis fieri solita, aut ab domine. Alia item multa unctionum differentia, sed justi voluminis ea res, non perfuntorii comment arioli. (Mehercule, in ea sententia sum. J NOTES TO SATIRE III. 143 Ver. I05. In port am rigidos calces extendit. After the dead body was anointed, and laid out upon the bed, and crowned with flowers ; it was carried into the vestibule, and was there placed with the feet opposite to the door. (This was called collocatio mortui ; or per- haps simply collocatio. See, how Lipsius has explained a passage in one of Seneca's Epistles.) 144 NOTES TO SATIRE I V. SATIRE IV. Ver. I . Rem populi tractas f In this satire Persius severely censures the conduct of Nero. He begins by imitating Plato's first Alcibiades ; and repeats part of the ironical conversation which Socrates addressed, in that celebrated dialogue, to his young and ambitious pupil. But the Roman satirist soon appears under the disguise of the Grecian sage ; and the raillery, which humbled the vanity of the as- piring Athenian, is converted into a just and terrible invective against the tyrant of Rome. It was, indeed, impossible for the poet to censure Nero under the name of Alcibiades, without soon and plainly discovering the real object of his satire. The character of that Athenian, shaded as it is by a thousand defects, interests us, even while it offends against mo- rality ; even while it amazes us by its levity ; even while it displeases us by its inconstancy. Blest with almost every advantage, which Nature can bestow — liberal in his disposition — brilliant in his conversation — seductive in his manners — beautiful in his person — at Athens a luxurious libertine— at Sparta a rigid moralist— now too easily influenced by the suggestions of ambition — NOTES TO SATIRE IV. 145 now too softly sensible to the charms of pleasure — strangely blending the insignificance of a fop, and the fickleness of a woman, with the magnanimity of a hero, and with the talents of a statesman — Alcibiades per- suaded his countrymen to forgive him many crimes, to pardon him innumerable follies, and to find him amiable, even when he was culpable. How opposite was the cha- racter of Nero ! that tyrant flattered only to betray ; and betrayed only to destroy. Exceeding the limits of mo- deration in the gratification of his desires, and abandoning the guidance of justice in the exercise of his power, he abused alike the gifts of nature and of fortune. Alcibiades loved pleasure, but Nero hated virtue. The vile atrocities, which Persius imputes to the tyrant, could never have been applicable to the young Athenian, at least while he was the pupil of Socrates. Alcibiades, under the in- fluence of passion, and corrupted by debauchery, is in- deed accused of unjustifiable vices ; but his mind had not arrived at that last degree of depravation, which causes so many wretches to forget character, to defy opinion, and to abandon principle ; which degrades all that is most excellent in human nature ; and which by making men infamous, makes them also desperate. To read this satire may be useful to the young. It may help to correct petulance — it may serve to warn inexperience — I cannot hope that it will reclaim guilt. But from it the young statesman may learn, that even in remote times, and in small states, government was con- L 146 NOTES TO SATIRE IV. sidered as a most difficult science : from it too, the high- born libertine may see, that as the sphere which he moves in, is wide and brilliant, his conduct and charac- ter are in proportion conspicuous, his vices in proportion heinous, and his follies in proportion ridiculous. Ver. 7. • fecisse silent i a turb<* and xcclxa-zieiv rn p^sipt ; and so speaks Luke the Evangelist. In the beginning of Herodian, the philosopher goes into the theatre, when the certamen Capitolinum was celebrated rca re rog p^jpof vsvpotli rou Jij^oi/ xoLTzcriya^i,. You may read in the Ha- drian of Xiphilinus, that the public criers were accus- tomed to command silence to the people always by the hand, never by the voice. But it was the custom of orators, when they stretched out the right hand, that, with the fourth and little fingers shut, they should ex- tend the others ; which Apuleius hath left testified in NOTES TO SATIRE IV. 147 his second book. There was another manner of pro- claiming silence, concrepatione digitorum. Thus Hiero_ nymus ad Rusticiun monacbum. — " As soon as the table being placed, he had exhibited a pile of books, with the eyebrow drawn down, and the nostrils contracted, and the forehead wrinkled, duobus digitalis concrepabat, inciting his scholars by this sign to listen to him." So persons, who said any thing in the ear, that they might indicate it to be worthy of being attended to in silence, digitis concrepabant. Teste eodem Hieronymo. Ver. 13. vitio prafgere theta. Si quis accepto breviculo (libcllo) in quo nomina militum continent ur, hitatur in spice re quant i ex tnilitibus supers int, quant! in bello ccciderint, et requirens qui inspicere missus est, propriam notam,verbi caussa utdici solet, ©ad unius- cujusque defunct i notnen adscribat, et propria rursus nota supers ti tern signet. Numquid videtur is qui not am ad de- functi nomen apponit, et propria rursus notnen nota super sti- tem signat, quod egerit aliquid, ut vel hie defuncti, vel tile caussam viventis acciperit. Rufinus. Casaubon is surely mistaken when he says, cum recen- sebant latcrculos militum, nominibus eorum qui perierant, prafigebant ; hoc erat expungere. The letter theta, the first of the word . It seems a little singular, that a living author, who is a man of research, should adduce the TiTpxypx^ocTov as a proof of the Jews having mystically adorned a triad. The bulla appears to have been an ornament worn by the Roman youth from very remote antiquity. Macro- bius mentions, that it was given by the elder Tarquin I56 NOTES TO SATIRE V, to his son, a boy of fourteen, who had killed a Sabine chief. Et pro condone laudavit, et bulla aurea donavit insignien s puerum ultra anno s for tern pr tenuis virilitatis et honoris. It appears from Macrobius, that in the early ages of the republic, this ornament was reserved for the children of those patrician magistrates, who had sat in the curule chair. Duntaxat Hit quorum patres curulem gesserunt magi stratum. It was, however, afterwards universally worn by the prcetextatl. The golden bulla was only worn by those, whose rank and wealth authorized it — bulla suspendi in collo infanti- bus ingenuis solet aurea. Those children who were poor wore leathern thongs, instead of the bulla, whence Ju- venal, Et ruscum puero si contigit aurum Vel nodus tantum, et signum depaupere loro. The ancient scholiast observes, Antiquitus nobilium pueri bullas aureus habebant , pauperum de loris signum liberiatis. But it is probable, that in the knots tied on these thongs, were supposed to exist those charms, which were capa- ble of repelling evil. Macrobius, speaking of the bulla, says, inclusis intra earn remediis, qua crederent adversus invidiam valentissima. These thongs might have been in imitation of those small whips, which the priests of Egypt emblematically used, to expel evil from their temples and habitations. According to Bellorius, the Syrian goddess, fagellum in manu pro sceptro gerit. The gods, averters of evil, Averrunci nuncupati, were also NOTES TO SATIRE V. I57 supposed to be armed with these whips, which had three leathern thongs with knots at the end of each. The Oriental scholar, will have anticipated me in re- marking, that the youth of the cast of the Bramins wear thongs of the antelope's skin round their necks, which they lay aside at fourteen years of age. With respect to the shape of the bulla, there appears some difference of opinion among Antiquarians. In the figures of the Egyptian godHarpocrates, which I have seen, viz. one in Cuper. de Harpocrat. ; and another, No. 77 of the Abbe Winckelmann's ancient Monuments ; the bulla is round. But Macrobius informs us, that among the Romans it was made in the shape of a heart. Macrob. in Somn. L. i. C. 6. But Plutarch, on the other hand, speaking of the bulla, says, to yap (ponvo^ivov a-yjipa. Trig c-fAni/y,?, orxv r) ^yji^vog a uce, lorsqu'il est question de la manoeuvre des figures de cire. Exigite ut mores teneros ceu pollice ducat Est si quis cera vultumfacit. Juv. M l62 NOTES TO SATIRE V. Ver. 55. et pallentis gratia cimiini. Cuminum. This plant grows to the height of eight or nine feet in hot countries. In our hot-beds it seldom exceeds three or four. It is planted in considerable quantities in the island of Malta, and the seed is sold for propagation to the inhabitants of other countries. The ancients put this spice into their wine ; and those, who drank it thus mixed, were remarkable for their paleness. Pliny observes, Omne cutninumpallorem bibentibus gignit, &c. Wine sometimes produces this effect bibentibus with- out the aid of Cumin spice. Ver. 57. hunc aha decoquit : ille In Venerem put ret. Dryden translates this, " One bribes for high preferment in the state, A second shakes the box, and sits up late : Another shakes the bed, dissolving there, Till knots," &c. Risum teneatis? Next let us hear the gentle Brewster. " This Spark the frail comsuming die devours ; While that dissolves away in loose amours." Is it the Spark who devours the die, or the die which devours the Spark ? If the former, I wish the young gentleman a good digestion. But if it be the die, which devours the young gentleman, as I suppose it is, I have yet to learn, what, in the name of nonsense, is meant NOTES TO SATIRE V. 163 by a frail consuming die. As for the paralytic line which follows, it is so miserably feeble, as really to claim compassion. A ballad writer would be ashamed of the rhyme. Ver. 60. Tunc crassos transisse dies, lucemque pajus- trem. I do not understand lucemque palustrem, as it is ge- nerally translated gloomy light. I rather think, that Per- sius alludes here to the luminous vapours, which are seen during the night to exhale from fens and bogs, and which are said to mislead the unwary traveller. The sense of this verse then, and of the subsequent, will be : " Then they lament, that they have journeyed through life in darkness and error, with no other light than the treacherous ray of the nocturnal vapour then, when too late, they regret their past life so much, as even to mourn, that there is any more of life to spend." Ver. 71. ■ canthwn This is the word to which I allude in my Preface. It is not pure Latin, but of Spanish or African origin. There is indeed the Greek word xxv^oq, which signifies the corner of the eye ; but from which we cannot derive canthus, as Quintilian pronounces it barbarous. Ver. 79. Marcus Datna, &c. The ceremony of making a slave free was very short. 164 NOTES TO SATIRE V. The p At cum Herodis venere dies, unctdque fenestra Disposita pinguem ntbulam vomuere lucerna Portantes villas ; rubrumquc amplexa catinum Cauda natat tbynni ; turnct alba fidelia vino : Labra moves tacitus, recutitaque sabbata palles. I have thought myself obliged to alter this passage from the original. Persius, in throwing contempt up- on the Jews, has expressed himself with as much ob- scurity, as when he censured the crimes, or laughed at the follies, of Nero. Upon the first consideration of the above verses it does not appear, why the superstitious man waits for the celebration of Herod's birthday, before he fasts at the sabbaths of the Jews. I can only conjecture, that that was the season when strangers were generally ad- mitted at Rome within the pale of the temple. The Herodians, who probably alone of all the Jews observed I70 NOTES TO SATIRE V. this festival of Herod, were numerous at Rome. They had disobliged their countrymen by the support which they gave to Herod the Great, and by acceding to the payment of a tribute to Augustus. It seems extraordinary that Persius should sneer at the Jews for lighting lamps at their festivals, as a simi- lar practice was common to the Romans. The Jews, however, had certainly given offence at Rome upon that subject. Accendere aliquem, says Seneca in one of his epistles, lucemas Sabbatis prohibeamus : quoniam, adds he contemptuously, nee lumine Dii egent, et ne homines quidem delectaniur fuligine. Nothing, however, was more common at Rome, than the lighting of lamps at festivals. Even upon occasions of domestic rejoicing, the doors of the house were hung with laurels, and illuminated with lamps. Juvenal in a beautiful satire thus expresses himself, — : Longos erexlt janua ramos, Et matutinis operatur festa lucernis. It appears from Tertullian, that the Christians soon adopted this practice. He thus charges the alienated disciples of the faith. Sed luceant, inqutt (nempe Chris- tusj, opera vestra. At nunc lucent tabernce et janua: nos- tra: : plures jam invenies Ethnicorum fores sine lucernis et laurels quam Christianorum. The Jews probably took their custom of burning lamps at their feasts from the Egyptians. Herodotus L. n. tells us, there was an annual sacrifice at Sais NOTES TO SATIRE V. I71 known by the name of the feast of lamps. The Chi- nese have a similar festival at the present day. We must not understand Persius in this place to speak of the feast of lamps among the Jews. That festival was instituted by Judas, and was held annually on the twen- ty-fifth of the month Cishleu. See Josephus, and Picart des Ceremonies des Juirs. Persius, as well as Suetonius, is mistaken in suppos- ing that the Jews fasted on their sabbaths. The verb roto, signifies quievit ; the substantive derived from it (and which is the same in sound) signifies quies. The Jews on their sabbath abstained from labour, but they did not observe it as a fast : on the contrary, it appears that the rotvn my sabbath eve was generally employed in preparing the feast of the succeeding day. They then lighted lamps, which burned dining the day-time, which practice they still continue. Picart says he has seen " leur appartement tres artistement illumine, tandis que les rayons du soleil encore doroit le toit de la maison." Through the whole of this passage, it is evident, Persius means to expose the meanness and poverty of the Jews. The rubrum catinum y the albafidelia, the cauda tbynni, all mark the wretchedness of the feast, at which the superstitious man assists. Persius alludes in the words, labra moves tacltus, to the Jews repeating inwardly certain words and prayers. Thus they never pronounce the name rtttV Jehovah but upon occasions of extraordinary solemnity ; and when 172 NOTES TO SATIRE V. at the commencement of the festival of Cheipur, the priest prays aloud from the hechal, the people repeat after him in a low voice that is scarcely audible. The real meaning of the word recutita has been rightly guessed at by Stelluti and Holyday. A more modern translator has strangely rendered it curtailed — " Strictly observant of the curtaiYd race, Poor thou, with anguish brooding on thy face," Brewster. But by what miracle did this translator account for the continuation of the curtailed race ? I believe this question would have puzzled the whole Sanhedrim, if God, instead of ordering the males of his chosen people to be circumcised, had ordered them to be curtailed. The severity which Persius displays in this passage, arose from a prejudice (if it was one) general among the Romans. The obstinacy, the treachery, and the in- tolerance of the Jews disgusted their conquerors. The usual lenity of the Caesars towards the inhabitants of the provinces annexed to their empire, was necessarily violated towards the children of Israel ; and in endea- vouring to subdue their untractable spirit, Rome was provoked to acts of cruelty and oppression unexampled in her annals. The rigid observance of their laws, as well as of the most minute ceremonies, rendered the Jews objects of derision to other nations, who considered them as the most ignorant and superstitious of mankind. But as the Roman arms gradually broke down the fence which NOTES TO SATIRE V. I73 separated them from the rest of the world, their ancient institutions could not prevent the inundation of new opinions. Various sects suddenly sprang up, who dis- puted with all the subtlety of dialecticians. Philoso- phical questions, never before heard of within the walls of the synagogue, startled Superstition in her dotage. The children of the house of Aaron beheld with indig- nation the progress of Gentile doctrines, and denounced angry curses against those who neglected the laws of Israel, to teach the philosophy of Greece, n»JlV noun m Tobw m« nn« — Cursed be the man instructing his son in the wisdom of the Greeks. In the age of Pcrsius the Jews were become better known to the Romans ; but their new masters treated them only with contempt. The satirist, without doubt, thought the worst opprobrium he could throw upon the votary of superstition, was to represent him observing the rites and ceremonies of the Jews and Syrians. Little did he know, that in that same country of Judea, where he believed misanthropy reigned with error, bigotry, and ignorance, a system was already taught, whose mo- rality was simpler and sublimer than his own ; and whose pure, benevolent, and exalted principles, far eclipsed all the splendid precepts admired in the school of Zeno. Ver. 185. Tunc nigri Jemures, ov que perl cula rupto : Hlnc grandes Galli } et cum sistro lusca sacerdos, 174 NOTES TO SATIRE V. Incussere Deos infantes corpora, si non Prcedictum ter mane caput gustaveris alii. The reader will probably smile at the translation Dryden has given of this passage. — " Then a crack 'd eggshell thy sick fancy frights, Besides the childish fear of walking sprites, Of o'ergrown gelding priests thou art afraid ; The timbrel, and the squintifego maid Of Isis awe thee :" &c. These priests were indeed what Dryden calls them. Herodian informs us how they received the appellation of Galli, — TT&Xoa jw.ru/ vyz<; ogyix^ov lirilu 7ro\a,fxw TaAAw vrdpfagsopli) from which, continues he, the ro^iat Ugopwoi received their surname : they were generally called at Rome by names more descriptive of their situation than Galli, such as, evirati, abscissi, semi-viri, &c. Lucian thus describes the ceremony of their inauguration. Ado- lescens quicunque ad hoc paratus venit, abjectis vestibus, magna voce in medium progreditur, at que ense distringit : accept o autem eo, continuo se ipsum sec at, curritque per urbem, et ea qua resecuit in manibus portat. in quam- cunque autem domum hac abjicit, ex ea, et vestemfamineam, et ornamentum muliebrem accipit. These eunuchs were the priests not of Isis, but of Cybele or Cybebe, the goddess of the Phrygians. I have preferred giving her the latter name, as being more expressive. KvGnQsw xv^iug ro iwi rw xstp&Xviv fiir\w' o§tv NOTES TO SATIRE V. 17$ x.oci rw (Arilifxx, tuv Qsoov aVo1« iv§ , B spikenard, casia, roses, baccar, &c. Ver. 17. Et signum in vapida naso tetigisse lagena. This is to draw from the life. Horace himself could hardly have given a more striking picture of avarice. Ver. 18. Genitos horoscope, varo Products genio. . In the age of Persius the number of judicial astrolo- gers at Rome seems more than once to have excited the indignation of the poet, who justly reprobated a super- stition by which jugglers and sciolists imposed upon the credulity of the people. The senate had in vain decreed the expulsion of those cheats : they assumed the names of Chaldceiy Genethliaci, and Mathematici ; and obtained the highest credit among the lower orders of the Ro- mans, who were the dupes of their impostures. Every body knows the weakness of Dryden upon the subject of astrology. He has no note upon these words of Persius. NOTES TO SATIRE VI. 181 Ver. 22. Utarego, utar. Perhaps the French language would admit here of a more literal translation than ours can do without offend- ing the idiom. J'userai moi, j'userai des biens que j'aye. An English translator, fearful of losing any of the graces of repetition, renders these words, I, I will use, will use my fortune too. Brewster. Ver. 27. trabe rupta, Bruttla saxa Prendlt amicus inops : &c. Dryden conjectures that these lines are Lucan's, be- cause they are more poetical than is common with the verses of Persius. Dryden's conjecture can hardly be admitted, I think, upon any one principle of critical justice. I remember six or eight very beautiful lines in Aurengzebe : shall we say, that they were not Dryden's, because they much surpass any others in that piece ? Dryden says further, that except this passage, and two lines at the conclusion of the second satire, our poet has written nothing elegantly. I have very amply criticised upon Persius in my Preface, and shall not therefore dis- cuss his poetical merits here. But before the reader de- termines upon the justice of Dryden's observation, I would wish him to examine the following passages in Persius. Satire I. from v. 115 to v. 119; Satire II. from v. 23 to v. 27; from v. 59 to v. 69 ; Satire III. from v. 35 to v. 43 ; from v. 65 to v. 72 ; Satire V. from l82 NOTES TO SATIRE VI. v. 30 to v. 51. I do not contend that every thing in these passages is elegant, but I think they entitle Persius to put in his claim for the laurel, not less than those which are cited by Dryden. Ver. 31. Nunc et de ce spite vivo Frange aliquid. Brewster has translated this, — " Sell, sell some land, and so support thy friend." 1 he general fidelity of Brewster's translation I admit, however in other respects I may speak of it naso adunco. His having mistaken his author here, I can therefore very easily forgive to him, and the more readily, that all the commentators seem to have misunderstood this passage. Persius does not literally mean that the avaricious man should sell any part of his land to support his rela- tion, as has been generally supposed. The private sa- crifices to the Lares were made upon a turf, which probably (especially among the poor} supplied the place of a more costly altar. Thus Juvenal, ^uafestus promts sa Deis animalia cespes Expectat, Horace says in one ode, Hie vivum mihi cespitem, hie Verbenas pueri, ponite thuraque Bini cum patera meri. He begins another, NOTES TO SATIRE VI. 1 83 Martiis ccelebs quid again CaJendis ^uidvelint flores, et ace err a thuris Plena, miraris, positusque carbo in Cespite vivo, Docte sermones utriusque lingua: ? Now as the sacrifices to the Lares were always in proportion to the daily consumption of provisions, and to the expenditure of the family ; the person who less- ened his household expences might be said, frangere ali- quid de vivo cespite. He contracted the size of his altars, and the quantity of the offerings made upon them, be- cause his mode of living, in other respects, was become less expensive. The meaning of Persius, therefore, is, contract your own expences^ and bestow some of your wealth on your indigent friend. Ver. 32. « ■ ne pictus oberret Car idea in tabula. Sailors escaped from shipwreck, were wont to carry about with them a picture descriptive of their misfor- tune. This was painted of a blue colour. See Casaubon. Ver. 39. maris expers. Much has been written about these two words. Per- haps enough, to have made it better, to have written no more. But as I differ from other commentators about their import, I shall concisely state how I understand them. 184 NOTES TO SATIRE VI. According to some of the interpreters of Persius, these words signify void of manliness. Dryden seems to have understood them in this sense : " Now toys and trifles from their Athens come, And dates and pepper have unsinewed Rome." If I understand rightly the following couplet of Brewster, he seems to have preferred a more literal signification : " Pack'd up with dates and pepper, here they throng, And ship their damn'd philosophy along." This expression is evidently copied from the phrase of Horace : ■ Chium maris expers. Now did Horace mean Chian wine void of strength, or Chian wine which had never crossed the seas ? I think, without doubt, the latter. The poet is ridi- culing the entertainment of Nasidienus. Now if we understand Chium expers maris to mean weak Chian wine, we entirely lose the point, which Horace meant to give. Nasidienus, if he had no better wine to present his guests than weak Chian, was perhaps more to be pitied than to be blamed ; but if he gave them bad Ita- lian wine, and impudently called it Chiari, his false- hood and his vanity were deservedly punished and ex- posed. Having thus fixed the sense of the phrase maris expers, as it was used by Horace, we shall have the less diffi- culty in ascertaining how it was employed by Persius, NOTES TO SATIRE VI. 185 But it is necessary to the comprehension of this passage to observe here, that the poet speaks figuratively, and borrows his metaphor from the taste. The word sapere literally signifies to taste; and Persius continues his observations, as if he had really employed sapere in its literal signification. This will shew us that we are not to take the phrase pipere et palmis in its literal sense, any more than the word sapere. Now let us see how the sense of this difficult passage will be. Bestius, says the satirist, inveighs against the teachers of the Grecian philosophy. " So it is," cries he, U that since they have come among us, hoc nostrum sapere maris expers : this our taste, not versant in foreign flavours — (/. e. the plain natural sense of the Roman people) postquam urbi cum pipere ct palmis venit : afterwards came to the city with pepper and dates — (/. e. afterwards was corrupted by vicious innovations) — Fceniseca crasso vitiarunt un- guine pultas : the hay-cutters have vitiated their pud- dings with thick oil — {/'. e. and even the lowest orders of the people have become corrupt and luxurious.) Ver. 51. Kan adeo, inquis, Exossatus ager juxta est. Casaubon has rightly interpreted exossatus ager, " a piece of land cleared from rocks and stones ;" /. e. a cultivated field. But I differ from that commentator, when, by understanding urbem, he makes juxta equiva- lent to suburbanus. There is certainly no authority for l86 NOTES TO SATIRE VI. this ; and I am doubtful if it be not altogether contrary to the sense. All the commentators, indeed, seem to me, to have mistaken the meaning of this difficult pas- sage, from construing juxta as a preposition, and not as an adverb. I know very well, that when juxta is taken adverbially it generally signifies ceque, eodem modo, simi- liter. Thus Tacitus, spent ac metum juxta gravatus. But this rule is not without its exceptions. Suetonius has the following passage. Tantique in avum, et qui juxta erant, obsequii, ut non immerito sit dictum, nee servum meliorem ullum, nee deteriorem dominum fuisse. Now as, in the words of Persius, there is no accusa- tive expressed, I am there also inclined to understand juxta as an adverb. I think too, it helps to elucidate the sense ; but of that, the reader will presently judge. I agree with a commentator whose notes in general are puerile enough, that " the taking est from juxta, and transferring it to exossatus, is not the natural method of the syntax." I, however, differ entirely from him when he says that exossatus signifies exhausted. I likewise think that non adeo refers to what has been before said, and should by no means be construed with exossatus. I would therefore point the passage as fol- lows, — " Non adeo," i inquis;' " Exossatus ager juxta est." I shall now give my own interpretation. The selfish and avaricious heir is pressed by his relation, to say NOTES TO SATIRE VI. 187 whether or not he objects to the manner in which this latter proposes to expend his fortune. AnprohibesP cries the rich man. Die dare. Non aeleo, inquis; not so truly, say you; but you add, exossatus ager juxta est ; a rich field is hard by. The relation immediately perceives that his heir by this insinuates, that though he does not openly object to his proposed plans of expenditure, yet he would recommend a wiser method of laying out his money. — viz. in the purchase of an estate, which though it might add nothing to his own pleasures, might benefit those who are to succeed to him. In consequence the rich man is offended, and exclaims, — Age si mihi nulla Jam reliqua ex amitis, &c. This explanation appears to myself to be satisfactory, and I hope it will be found so by others. The only ob- jection, I think, that can be urged against it, is with respect to the meaning and construction of adeo. But I find it used sometimes for certe, as the reader will see by looking into Stephanus ; and, employed in this way, it answers to the sense I give the passage. Ver. 79. Depinge ubi sistam Inventus, Chrysippe, tui finitor acervi. In the preceding satire it may have been observed, that I have rendered fruge Cleanthea literally Cleanthean corn. This may appear obscure, and it may be thought, that I might have said better, with Dryden, Stoic insti- l88 NOTES TO SATIRE VI. lutes, or even with Brewster, Stoic seed. But it appeared to me, that Persius probably had some reason for ex- pressing himself as he did, and I am confirmed in this opinion by the words above quoted. After Zeno, Cleanthes and Chrysippus were the most distinguished teachers among the Stoics. Cleanthes ap- pears to have followed pretty closely the steps of his master Zeno ; but Chrysippus has in many things dif- fered from both. Hence the Stoics were not thoroughly agreed amongst themselves ; some following Cleanthes, and others Chrysippus. Persius, both by his using the expression/r«o-£ Cleanihea in the fifth satire, and by this sarcasm against Chrysippus in the sixth, seems desirous to mark whom of the two philosophers he preferred. i. The first point concerning which Cleanthes and Chrysippus differed, was with respect to perception. The former thought, that sensible impressions were made upon the brain, and that the objects of its contem- plation were actually imprinted upon it. This opinion is not very dissimilar to those of Democritus, Leucip- pus, and Aristotle. It was, however, justly controvert- ed by Chrysippus. The doctrine of material images floating betwixt mind and matter, and of the sensible species of things leaving impressions upon the brain, is one of the most vulnerable parts, either of the Epicu- rean, or of the Aristotelian philosophy. 2. The next question, upon which these two philo- sophers disagreed, was, whether or not virtue could be NOTES TO SATIRE VI. 159 lost, after having been once acquired. Cleanthes main- tained that it could not, Chrysippus that it could. If human virtue were perfect virtue, I should think with Cleanthes. 3. The tendency of the Stoics to materialism, did not prevent them from asserting, that the world had a mind which guided, and a providence which protected it. Chrysippus maintained that providence existed in the a;ther, and Cleanthes that it resided in the sun. Non nostrum tantas componere lites. The reader may find other subjects of difference in the precepts of these celebrated Stoics, by consulting Diogenes Laertius, and Stobasus among the ancients, and Stanley and Bruckerus among the moderns. Re- ferring him to these authors, I forbear dwelling any longer upon this subject, or swelling these Notes to a greater size. Depinge ubi sistam Inventus, Cbrysippe, tui finitor accrvl. FINIS. ¥W4