"Are a phthisic, or putrid sores, or half a leg 95 "Of such consequence? let not poor Ladas doubt to wish for "The rich gout, if he does want Anticyra, nor 66 Archigenes: for what does the glory of a swift foot "Avail him, and the hungry branch of the Pisæan olive ?" "THO' THE ANGER OF THE GODS BE GREAT, YET CERTAINLY 66 IT IS SLOW. 100 "If they take care therefore to punish all the guilty, "When will they come to me?-But, perhaps too, the deity "Exorable I may experience: he useth to forgive these things. "Many commit the same crimes with a different fate. "One has borne the cross as a reward of wickedness, another a diadem." 66 Thus the mind trembling with the fear of dire guilt : 105 They confirm then you, calling him to the sacred shrines, He precedes, even ready of his own accord to draw you, and to teaze you. 110 For when great impudence remains to a bad cause, may obtain forgiveness, and find the Deity easy to be entreated. 103. He useth, &c.] i. e. Crimes of this sort, which was not committed out of contempt of the Deity, but merely to get a little money, he usually forgives. 104. Different fate.] Another subterfuge of a guilty conscience is, that though, in some instances, wrong doers are punished grievously, yet in others they succeed so happily as to obtain rewards so that the event of wickedness is very different to different people. 105. Borne the cross, &c.] The same species of wickedness that has brought one man to the gallows, has exalted another to a throne. 106, 7. Thus they confirm.] By all these specious and deceitful reasonings, they cheat themselves into the commission of crimes, and endeavour to silence the remonstrances and terrors of a guilty conscience. 108. He precedes, &c.] Thus confident, the wretch whom you summon to the temple, in order to swear to his innocence, leads the way before you, as if in the utmost haste to purge himself by oath. -Ready to draw, &c.] He is ready to drag you along by force, and to harass and teaze you to get on faster, in order to bring him to his oath. 109. When great impudence,&c.] When a man is impudent enough, however guilty, to set a good face upon the matter, this is mistaken by many for a sign of honest confidence, arising from inno cence. 110. He acts the farce, &c.] Alluding to a play written by one Lutatius Catullus, called the Phasma, or Vision, (see sat. viii. 185, 6.) in which there was a character of a buffoon, who ran away from his master, after having cheated him, and then vexed, and even provoked him, that he might be brought to swear himself off, cheerfully proposing thus to be perjured. This play is lost by time, so that nothing certain can be said concerning this allusion; but what is here said (after Holyday) seems probable. 111. Witty Catullus.] Some expound urbani, here, as the cognomen of this Catullus. 112. You miserable exclaim-] You, half-mad with vexation at finding your Vel potius quantum Gradivus Homericus: audis, XOmenta? ut video, nullum discrimen habendum est Et qui nec Cynicos, nec Stoïca dogmata legit Si nullum in terris tam detestabile factum 115 120 125 self thus treated, and in amazement at the impudence of such a perjury, break forth aloud. 112. Stentor.] A Grecian mentioned by Homer, Il. s. 1. 785, 6. to have a voice as loud as fifty people together. 113. Homerican Gradivus.] See note, sat. ii. 1. 128. Homer says, (Il. t. 860 -2.) that when Mars was wounded by Diomede, he roared so loud that he frightened the Grecians and Trojans, and made a noise as loud as 10,000 men together. In some such manner as this, wouldst thou, my friend Calvinus, exclaim, and call out to Jupiter. 114. Nor move your lips.] Canst thou be a silent hearer, O Jupiter, of such perjuries as these? wilt thou not so much as utter a word against such doings, when one should think thou oughtest to threaten vengeance, wert thou even made of marble or brass, like thine images which are among us? 115. Or why.] Where is the use to what purpose is it? 116. Put we, &c.] See sat. xii. 1. 89, note. 116, 17. From the loos'd paper.] Some think that the offerers used to bring their incense wrapped up in a paper, and, coming to the altar, they undid or opened the paper, and poured the incense out of it upon the fire. But others, by charta soluta (abl. absol.) understand a reference to the cus tom, mentioned sat. x. 55. (see note there,) of fastening pieces of paper, containing vows, upon the images of the gods, and taking them off when their prayers were granted, after which they offered what they had vowed. 117. "The cut liver," &c.] The liver cut out of a calf, and the caul which covered the inwards of an hog, were usual offerings. 119. "The statue of Bathyllus."] A fiddler and a player, whose statue was erected in the temple of Juno, at Samos, by the tyrant Polycrates.—q. d. At this rate, I don't see that there is any difference between thy images, O Jupiter, and those that may be erected in honour of a fiddler. In this expostulatory exclamation to Jupiter, which the poet makes his friend utter with so much vehemence, there is very keen raillery against the folly and superstition that prevailed at Rome, which Juvenal held in the highest contempt. This almost reminds one of that fine sarcasm of the prophet Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 27. 120. Hear, &c.] The poet is now taking another ground to console his friend, by representing to him the frequency not only of the same, but of much greater injuries than what he has suffered; and that he, in being ill used, is only sharing the common lot of mankind, from which he is not to think himself exempt. Or rather as much as the Homerican Gradivus: "Do you hear, "O Jupiter, those things? nor move your lips, when you ought "To send forth your voice, whether you are of marble or of "brass? or why, 115 "On thy coal, put we the pious frankincense from the loos'd "Paper, and the cut liver of a calf, and of an hog "The white caul? as I see, there is no difference to be reckon'd, "Between your images, and the statue of Bathyllus." Hear, what consolations on the other hand one may bring, 120 And who neither hath read the Cynics, nor the Stoic doctrines, differing From the Cynics by a tunic: nor admires Epicurus Happy in the plants of a small garden. The dubious sick may be taken care of by greater physicians, I am silent: nor do I forbid you to beat your breast 120. Hear.] Accipe-auribus understood. 121. Neither hath read.] Never hath made these his study. -The Cynics.] The followers of Diogenes. -Stoic doctrines.] The doctrines of Zeno and his followers, who were called Stoics, from orwa, a porch, where they taught. -Differing, &c.] The people differed from each other in their dress, the Cynics wearing no tunic (a sort of waistcoat) under their cloaks, as the Stoics did; but both agreed in teaching the contempt of money, and of the change of fortune. 122. Epicurus.] A philosopher of Athens, a temperate and sober man, who lived on bread and water and herbs: he placed man's chief happiness in the pleasure and tranquillity of the mind. He died of the stone at Athens, aged seventy-two. His scholars afterwards sadly perverted his doctrines, by making the pleasures of the body the chief good, and ran into those excesses which brought a great scandal on the sect. Suspicit-lit. looks up to. 124. Dubious sick, &c.] Those who are so ill, that their recovery is doubtful, should be committed to the care of very experienced and able physicians. So, those who are afflicted with heavy misfortunes, stand in need of the most grave and learned advice. 125. Commit your vein, &c.] A person whose cause of illness is but slight, may trust himself in the hands of a young beginner. So you, Calvinus, whose loss is but comparatively slight, have no need of Stoics, or Cynics, or of such a one as Epicurus, to console you; I am sufficient for the purpose, though I do not read or study such great philosophers. -Philip.] Some surgeon of no great credit or reputation; but even his apprentice might be trusted to advise bleeding, or not, in a slight disorder. So you may safely trust to my advice in your present circumstances, though I am no deep philosopher; a little common sense will serve the turn. The whole of these two last lines is allegorical; the ideas are taken from bodily disorder, but are to be transferred to the mind. 126. If you shew, &c.] Could you shew no act in all the world so vile as this which has been done towards you, I would say no more-I would freely abandon you to your sorrows, as a most singularly unhappy man. 127. Nor do I, &c.] i. e. Go on, like a man frantic with grief-beat your breast slap your face till it be black and blue. P Quandoquidem accepto claudenda est janua damno, 129. Since, &c.] In a time of mourning for any great loss, it was usual to shut the doors and windows. —Loss being received.] A loss of money incurred. He is here rallying his friend Calvinus.--q. d. Inasmuch as the loss of money is looked upon as the most serious of all losses, doubtless you ought to bewail your misfortune, with every circumstance of the most unfeigned sor row. 130. Mourning of the house, &c.] i. e. Of the family-for, to be sure, the loss of money is a greater subject of grief, and more lamented, than the deaths of relations, 131. Nobody feigns, &c.] The grief for loss of money is very sincere, however feigned it usually is at funerals. 132. Consent to sever, &c.] Nobody contents himself with the mere outward show of grief--such as rending the upper edge of a garment, which was an usual sign of grief. 133. Vex the eyes, &c.] To rub the eyes, in order to squeeze out a few forced tears. See TERENT. Eun. act i. sc. i. where Parmeno is describing the feigned grief of Phædria's mistress, and where this circumstance of dissimulation is finely touched : Hæc verba unâ mehercle falsá lacrumulá, Quam, oculos terendo misere, vix vi expresserit, Restinguet, &c. So VIRG. En. ii. 1. 196. Captique dolis lachrymisque coacti. 134. Lost money is deplored, &c.] When 130 135 140 we see a man deploring the loss of money, we may believe the sincerity of his tears. The poet in this, and the preceding lines on this subject, finely satirizes the avarice and selfishness of mankind, as well as their hypocrisy and all want of real feelings, where self is not immediately concerned. 135. If you see, &c.] q. d. However I night permit you to indulge in sorrow, if no instance of such fraud and villainy had happened to any body but yourself, yet if it be every day's experience, if the courts of justice are filled with complaints of the same kind, why should you give yourself up to grief, as singularly wretched, when what has happened to you is the frequent lot of others? 136. If, tablets.] i. e. Deeds or obligations written on tablets. See sat. ii. 1. 58, note. -Read over, &c.] i. e. Often read over in the hearing of witnesses, as well as of the parties. -By the different party.] This expression is very obscure, and does not appear to me to have been satisfactorily elucidated by commentators. Some read diversa in parte, and explain it to mean, that the deeds had been read over in different places-variis in locis, says the Delphin interpretation. However, after much consideration, I rather approve of reading diversa parte, by the different (i. e. the opposite) party. Pars means, sometimes, a side or party in contention. AINSW. In this view, it exagge rates the impudence and villainy of a man With your fists, nor to bruise your face with your open palm; Since, loss being received, the gate is to be shut, And with greater mourning of the house, with a greater tumult, Money is bewailed than funerals: nobody feigns grief In this case, content to sever the top of the garment, To vex the eyes with constrained moisture: Lost money is deplored with true tears. 131 But if you see all the courts filled with the like complaint, 135 140 You are to be put? How are you the offspring of a white hen, who denied his deed or obligation, seeing that his adversary, the creditor, having frequently read over the deed, could not be mistaken as to its contents, any more than the debtor, who had signified and sealed it, as well as heard it read over. 137. They say.] i. e. The fraudulent debtors say, that the hand-writings contained in the bonds are false and void. Supervacuus means superfluous, serv. ing to no purpose or use.-Supervacui ligni, i. e. of the inscribed wooden tablets, which are of no use, though the obligation be written on them. q.d. Notwithstanding the hand-writing appears against them, signed and sealed by themselves, and that before witnesses, yet they declare that it is all false, a mere deceit,and of no obligation whatsoever they plead, non est factum, as we say. 138. Whom their own letter conviets.] Whose own hand-writing proves it to be their own deed. —A principal gem, &c.] Their seal cut upon a sardonyx of great value, with which they sealed the deed. 139. Which is kept, &c.] Kept in splendid cases of ivory, perhaps one within another, for its greater security. By this circumstance, the poet seems to bint, that the vile practice which he mentions was by no means confined to the lower sort of people, but had made its way among the rich and great. 140. O sweet Sir.] Delicias-hominis understood. Comp. sat. vi. 47. An ironical apostrophe to his friend. Delicia is often used to denote a darling, a minion, in which a person delights; here delicias might be rendered choice, favourite, i. e. of fortune—as if exempted from the common accidents of life--as if put or placed out of their reach. 141. How.] Why-by what means-how can you make it out? 1 The offspring of a white hen.] The colour of white was deemed lucky. This expression seems to have been proverbial in Juvenal's time to denote a man that is born to be happy and fortunate. Some suppose the original of this say. ing to be the story told by Suetonius in his life of Galba, where he mentions an eagle, which soaring over the head of Livia, a little after her marriage with Augustus, let fall into her lap a white hen, with a laurel-branch in her mouth; which hen, being preserved, became so fruitful, that the place where this happened was called Villa ad Gallinas. But the poet saying nothing of fruitfulness, but of the colour only, it is rather to be supposed that Erasmus is right, in attributing this proverb to the notion which the Romans had of a white colour, that it denoted luck or happiness, as dies albi, and albo lapillo notati, and the like. 142. Unfortunate eggs.] The infelicibus ovis, put here in opposition to the white hen, seems to imply the eggs of some birds of unhappy omen, as crows, ravens, &c. figuratively to denote those who are born to be unfortunate. Sæpe sinistra cavâ prædixit ab ilice |