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to his son, a boy of fourteen, who had killed a Sabine chief. Et pro concione laudavit, et bullâ aureâ donavit insigniens puerum ultra annos fortem præmiis 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 illi quorum patres curulem gesserunt magistratum. It was, however, afterwards universally worn by the prætextati.

The golden bulla was only worn by those, whose rank and wealth authorized it-bulla suspendi in collo infantibus ingenuis solet aurea. Those children who were poor wore leathern thongs, instead of the bulla, whence Juvenal,

-Et ruscum puero si contigit aurum

Vel nodus tantum, et signum de paupere loro.

The ancient scholiast observes, Antiquitus nobilium pueri bullas aureas habebant, pauperum de loris signum libertatis. But it is probable, that in the knots tied on these thongs, were supposed to exist those charms, which were capable of repelling evil. Macrobius, speaking of the bulla, says, inclusis intra eam remediis, quæ 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, flagellum in manu pro sceptro gerit. The gods, averters of evil, Averrunci nuncupati, were also

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 remarking, 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 god Harpocrates, which I have seen, viz. one in Cuper. de Harpocrat.; and another, No. 77 of the Abbé 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, τὸ γαρ φαινομενον σχῆμα τῆς το σελήνης, ὅταν ἦ διχομενος & σφαιροειδές, &c. I have no doubt myself, but that this ornament was originally worn by those nations, which had fallen into the Sabean superstition. The round bulla among the Egyptians was worn in honour of the sun, as seems to be indicated by its being found of that form on the figures of Harpocrates. When it was in the shape of a crescent, it was consecrated to Isis. As it is very possible that the Romans might not have known whence they derived the superstition of wearing the bulla, they perhaps were not very accurate in giving it its proper figure, and thus Macrobius might have been led to suppose, that its shape resembled that of a heart.

Succinctis Laribus, &c. succinctis autem (says Casaubon), id est, evwvos, quia habitu perigrinantium erant Lares pellibus amicti, cum cane comite. We may say of this obscure note, what Johnson said of one of Warburton's on Shakespeare, it puts the commentator almost on a level with the poet. Was it then in honour of the Lares viales, and not of the Lares familiares, that the bulla was hung up? If to the latter, as seems indubitable, Casaubon will not be found to have solved the difficulty.

Ver. 32.

totâque impune Suburrâ. The Suburra of ancient Rome did not correspond, as some have thought, with the Subura of the modern city. Donatus is mistaken, when he supposes it to have extended towards the Quirinal hill and the porta Viminalis. Panvinius thinks it extended between the Palatine mount, and mount Coelius. But I rather am inclined to follow Nardinus, who says, tota igitur illa planities inter Cœlium et Exquilinum à SS. Petri et Marcellini ade usque ad amphitheatrum Titi, Subura appellata fuit, &c.

Nardinus informs us, that in the Suburra were the lupanaria. This, he says, may be proved not only upon the authority of Rufus and Victor, but by six hundred testimonies besides from the ancient poets. I am not so well read in the ancient poets, as to be able to cite them quite so often upon this subject: but if the

reader think it worth his while to have a poetical authority, he may turn to Martial, who will furnish him with several. We are, however, obliged to Nardinus for his information, as we can no longer be at a loss to guess what attracted Persius, and possibly the blandi comites to the Suburra.

Ver. 33. Permisit sparisse oculos jam candidus umbo.. The most ancient scholiasts upon Persius, thought that umbo in this passage was put cuvedows for toga. Casaubon has adopted this opinion, and if he had executed his intention of writing de re vestiaria, would no doubt have treated this subject with his usual erudition. I have, however, preferred giving umbo its more common signification of a shield, in which I have followed the example of Dryden and Holyday.

It does not clearly appear, what part of the toga was understood by the umbo. Tertullian (de Pallio) mentions it. Ferrarius de re vestiaria shows it to be not different from the sinus: but I am led to suspect, that both he and Rubenius build too much upon conjecture, in their opinions upon this and other parts of the Roman dress. Ferrarius contends, in spite of the authority of Tertullian, that the sinus and the umbo, at least in togis communibus, were the same. Rubenius controverts this opinion; and Ferrarius replies to his objections in his Analecta. Rubenius says, after stating what he conceives to be the opinion of Lipsius, assen

tior, et existimo, umbonem dictum fuisse partem illam toga, quæ circa humerum sinistrum, in varias rugas contracta descendebat in pectus, et imponebatur balteo illi, qui sub humero dextro ad sinistrum ducebatur, atque ita umbonem cingebat.

Ferrarius replies, that Lipsius does not authorize this opinion. The words of Lipsius, to which Rubenius alludes, are-Latinos, vestis positum, qui ad pectus exibat in tumorem, umbonem vocasse. These words, Ferrarius contends, imply, that the umbo was composed ex sinu superiore et inferiore.

Upon reconsidering this dispute, which probably to some of my readers will not appear very interesting, I am inclined to coincide in opinion with Rubenius: I think the words of Tertullian decide it in his favour. Dehinc diluculo tunica prius cingulo correpta (quam præstabat moderatiorem texuisse) recognito rursus umbone, et si quid exorbitavit reformato, partem quidem de lævo pro- · mittat; ambitum vero ejus ex quo sinus nascitur, jam deficientibus tabulis retrahat à scapulis.

Ver. 40.

sub pollice vultum.

In order to illustrate these words, which none of the commentators seem rightly to have understood, I shall transcribe a passage from the celebrated Winckelmann's History of the Arts.

"Je commence par l'argile, comme la premiere matiere employée par l'Art, et surtout par les modeles en terre

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