"Tempore jam, Cæsar, figuli tua castra sequantur." Tempestate meâ. Circæis nata forent, an III. Atque utinam his potiùs nugis tota illa dedisset 135 140 145 150 to revolve rapidly in an horizontal direction, while the hand of the potter moulds the clay to the desired shape. 134. Digna viro] Digna Montano.-Noverat ille, &c.] He was an old court glutton, and was well acquainted with the luxury of former emperors. M. 136. Aliamque famem] A second or false appetite, excited by the stimulus of wine. 137. Nulli major, &c.] No man understood eating, both in theory and practice, better than he did. M. 139. Rutupino] Circeum and Lucrinus lacus were in Italy; but Rutupium or Rutupia was a town in our island, the great sea-port of the Romans, commonly supposed to be the modern Sandwich. O.-Fundo] The oyster-bed. 141. Echini] The echinus was, probably, the sea craw-fish, or prickly lobster without claws. 145. Cattis torvisque Sicambris] Two formidable tribes of Germany. 147. Anxia] Exciting anxiety, alarming.-Præcipiti penná] Ill news flies apace. 150. Impunè et vindice nullo] The poet means to reprove the tameness of the nobles in submitting to these cruelties. When they were extended to the lowest of the people (cerdonibus), means were devised for cutting off the tyrant. W. Coperat: hoc nocuit Lamiarum cæde madenti. 152. Nocuit] Exitio fuit illi.-Lamiarum] The Lamian family was most noble. See Hor. lib. iii. ode xvii. Of this was Ælius Lama, whose wife, Domitia Longina, Domitian took away, and afterwards put the husband to death. The Lamiæ here may stand for the nobles in general, (as, before, cerdones for the rabble in general,) who had perished under the cruelty of Domitian, and with whose blood he might be said to be reeking (madenti) from the quantity of it he had shed during his reign. M. E Juv. Sat. SATIRA V. ARGUMENT. In this excellent Satire, Juvenal takes occasion, under pretence of advising one Trebius to abstain from the table of Virro, a man of rank and fortune, to give a spirited detail of the mortifications to which the poor were subjected by the rich, at those entertainments, to which, on account of the political connexion between patrons and clients, it was sometimes thought necessary to invite them. Its parts are clearly, as follow:-I. A general reflection upon the baseness of dependence, by way of introduction.-II. Indignities put upon the client previous to the entertainment -III. The difference between the patron and client in respect of wine, water, and attendants. IV. In bread.-V. Dishes.-VI. The dessert. VII. The aggravation of the whole, the cruel pleasure of teazing a poor client; and a spirited conclusion.-From Gifford and Owen. AD TREBIUM. I. Si te propositi nondum pudet, atque eadem est mens, ; 1. Propositi] Your way of life. Vitæ ratio. R. 5 2. Bona summa] Supremam felicitatem. P.-Aliená quadrá] At another's expence. Quadra signifies, literally, a square trencher. M. 3. Sarmentus, Galba] Two parasites of the Augustan age; one mentioned by Horace, the other by Martial. O. Iniquas mensas] In quibus non omnes æquales. Where inferior provisions are set before the inferior guests. 5. Quamvis jurato, &c.] i. e. “If you are not ashamed of your vile dependence, you discover such a SERVILE disposition, that, like slaves, your oath should not be accepted as testimony in ANY matter; you have so much of the SLAVE in you, that you should not have a FREE-MAN'S privilege." Free-men only were credited upon oath; slaves were always examined by torture. 0. 6. Ventre nihil frugalius] The demands of nature are easily Defecisse puta, quod inani sufficit alvo ; Tam jejuna fames? cum possit honestius illic 10 Il. Primo fige loco, quod tu, discumbere jussus, Mercedem solidam veterum capis officiorum: (Fructus amicitiæ magnæ, cibus: imputat hunc Rex, Et, quamvis rarum, tamen imputat.) Ergò duos post 15 Si libuit menses neglectum adhibere clientem, (Tertia ne vacuo cessaret culcita lecto,) "Una simus," ait. Votorum summa! Quid ultra satisfied-hunger wants not delicacies. M. Cum sale panis Latrantem stomachum bene leniet. Hor. 8. Crepido-pons] The usual haunts of beggars. 9. Dimidia brevior] Mutilata, dimidiata.-Tantine, &c.] Tantine pretii est tibi, vel a te æstimatur injuria cena, h. e. coena injuriosa, convivium, in quo tot talesque injuriæ tibi ferendæ sunt? tanti facis cœnam divitum nobiliumque, ut propter eam illas toleres injurias? R. 10. Cum possit] Fames sc.-Illic] Apud pontem aut crepidinem. 11. Tremere] Frigore horrere. R-Sordes farris canini] Mouldy crusts, only fit to be thrown to the dogs; the very refuse of dogs meat. "Ani 12. Fige] i. e. infige animo; as Virg. Æn. iii. 250. mis hæc mea figite dicta.”—Discumbere jussus] Invitatus ad cœnam. Discumbere, literally, means to lie down on a couch, after the manner of the Romans at their meals. M. 13. Mercedem solidum] Whatever services you may have rendered the great man, he thinks that an invitation to supper is a very solid and full recompence. M. 14. Fructus, &c.] i. e. All the benefit you reap from the great man's frendship, is a meal now and then.-Amicitia magna] See Sat. iv. 73, 74.-Imputat] The great man keeps, as it were, a regular account against you, and sets down every supper, as a payment of your services.-Rex] See Sat. i, 127. 16. Adhibere] Invitare. P. 17. Tertia ne vacuo] The dining-room had three couches, (thence called triclinium,) and each couch usually held three guests. The indignity put upon Trebius was, that he had but the last cushion or place (culcita) upon the lowest couch, tertia; and this, too, because there was no other person to occupy it; vacuo. 0. 18. Unùsimus] A familiar form of invitation, marking the affected condescension of the grandee to his humble client. 20 Quæris? Habet Trebius, propter quod rumpere somnum III. Qualis cœna tamen? Vinum, quod succida nolit 25 19. Habet Trebius propter quod, &c.] Such a favour as this is sufficient to make Trebius, the poor client, think, that he ought, in return, to break his rest, to rise before day, to hurry himself to the great man's levee in such a manner as to forget to tie his shoes; to run slip-shod, as it were, for fear he should seem tardy in paying his respects. M.-Compare Sat. iii. 115-118. 21. Salutatrix turba] Turba salutantium, multitudo clientum. -Peregerit orbem] Finierit circuitum; omnes patronos ex ordine salutaverit: ut Gallicè dicitur faire le tour. R.-Anglice, to go the round. 22. Sideribus dubiis] At day-break, when the stars begin to fade. 0.-Aut illo tempore] Or even at an earlier hour, when the stars are still bright and shining, so that their motions may be observed. 23. Sarraca Boöta] The constellation which we call Charles's Wain. The epithet frigida marks either its situation near the north pole, or the coldness of the early morning just before daybreak. 24. Vinum, quod succida, &c.] Tam crassum ut lana vix illud imbibat. P. 25. Corybanta] The Corybantes were priests of Cybele, who danced about in a wild and frantic manner.-The wine was so heady, and had such an effect on the guests who drank it, as to make them frantic, and turn them, as it were, into Corybants. M. 26. Pocula torques] The sentence is exceedingly embarrassed, but the sense seems to be this. The sorry wine soon turns Trebrius into a madman, Corybanta videbis: hence he quarrels with the waiters, jurgia proludunt: they retort: he is provoked and throws the glasses at them, pocula torques: They are provoked in their turn, throw off all reverence, and whirl a larger vessel from the side-board, lagena. At the same time, the poet forgets not to raise our indignation; for the poor client comes off the sufferer. He throws but glasses; they flagons: he throws only without effect, torques; they have their full revenge-they break his head, saucius terges vulnera. |