Prodigio par est in nobilitate senectus : 100 105 sing. or perhaps to signify the various methods of torture and death used by this emperor. 96. Of the tyrant.] Domini, lit. of the lord-i. e. the Domitian, who thus lorded it over the lives of his subjects. emperor 97. Old age in nobility.] q. d. From the days of Nero, till this hour, it has been the practice to cut off the nobility, when the emperor's jealousy, fear, or hatred, inclined him so to do; insomuch that, to see a nobleman live to old age, is something like a prodigy; and indeed this has long been the case. 98. Of the giants.] These fabulous beings were supposed to be the sons of Titan and Tellus. These sons of Earth were of a gigantic size, and said to rebel and fight against Jupiter. See Ŏv. Met. lib. 1. fab. vi. q. d. Since to be born noble is so very dangerous, I had much rather, like these Terræ filii, claim no higher kindred than my parent Earth, and though not in size, yet as to origin, be a brother of theirs, than be descended from the highest families among our nobility. 101. Who cannot now, &c.] Who is ignorant of the arts of the nobility, either to win the emperor's favour, or to avoid his dislike, or to escape the effects of his displeasure? these are known to every body-therefore it can hardly be supposed that they are unknown to emperor-hence poor Domitius miscarried in his stratagem. See the note on 1. 95. Domitian could perceive, yet could swallow down the grossest flattery, and thus far deceive himself, (comp. 1. 70.) yet no shift, or trick, to avoid his destructive purposes could ever deceive him. 102. Who can wonder, &c.] Lucius Junius Brutus saved his life by affecting to play the fool in the court of Tarquin the Proud, when many of the nobility were destroyed, and, among the rest, the brother of Brutus. Hence he took the surname of Brutus, which signifies senseless-void of reason. q. d. This old piece of policy would not be surprising now; it would be looked upon but as a shallow device; therefore, however it might succeed in those days of ancient simplicity, we Old age in nobility is equal to a prodigy: Hence it is, that I had rather be a little brother of the giants. 100 Of the nobles? who can wonder at that old subtlety of thine, Nor better in countenance, tho' ignoble, went Rubrius, guilty of an old crime, and ever to be kept in silence: 105 The belly of Montanus too is present, slow from his paunch: find it would not do now, as the wretched Domitius sadly experienced. 103. On a bearded king.] Alluding to the simplicity of ancient times, when Rome was governed by kings, who, as well as their people, wore their beards; for shaving and cutting the beard were not in fashion till later times. Barbatus was a sort of proverbial term for simple, old-fashioned. See AINSW. It is remarkable that, long before the days of Brutus, we have an instance of a like device, by which David saved himself at the court of Achish, king of Gath. 1 Sam. xxi. 10-15. 104. Nor better in countenance.] He looked as dismal as the rest. See l. 74. Tho' ignoble.] Though he was of plebeian extraction, and therefore could not be set up as a mark for Domitian's envy and suspicions, as the nobles were, yet he well knew that no rank or degree was safe: as none were above, so none were below his displeasure and resentment. 105. Guilty, &c.] What this offence was, is not said particularly; however, its not being to be named, must make us suppose it something very horrible; or that it was some offence against the emperor, which was kept secret. Some commentators have supposed it to have been debauching Julia, Domitian's wife. 106. And yet more wicked, &c.] More Jewd, more abandoned, than even that unnatural wretch, the emperor Nero, who, though himself a monster of lewdness, yet wrote a satire against Quintianus, in which he censures him severely for the very abominations which Nero himself was guilty of. See AINSW. Improbus, No. 7. 107. The belly, &c.] As if his belly were the most important thing belonging to him, it, rather than himself, is said to be present. This Montanus was some corpulent glutton, fat and unwieldy. 108. Crispinus, &c. Here we find Crispinus brought forward, again-vocatus ad partes-See 1. 1 and 2. With morning perfume.] The amomum was a shrub which the Easterns used in embalming. Of this a fine perfumed ointment was made, with which Crispinus is described as anointing himself VOL. I. Quantum vix redolent duo funera: sævior illo 110 Qui nunquam visæ flagrabat amore puellæ, Grande, et conspicuum nostro quoque tempore monstrum! 115 Nemo magis rhombum stupuit: nam plurima dixit 120 early in a morning, and in such profusion, as that he seemed to sweat it out of his pores. Some think that the word matutino, here, alludes to the part of the world from whence the amomum came-i. e. the East, where the sun first arises: but I find no example of such a use of the word.. 109. Two funerals, &c.] Crispinus had as much perfume about him as would have served to anoint two corpses for burial. It was a euston among the ancients to anoint the bodies of persons who died with sweet ointments. See Matt. xxvi. 12. This custom, among others, was derived from the Easterns to the Romans. 110. Than him more cruel, &c.] Pompeius was another of this assembly, more cruel than Crispinus, in getting people put to death, by the secret accusations which he whispered against them into the emperor's ear. 111. Fuscus, who was preserving, &c.] Cornelius Fuscus was sent by Domitian general against the Dacians, where his army and himself were lost, and became food for the birds of prey. 112. Meditated wars, &c.] An irony, alluding to his being sent to command, without having any other ideas of war, than he conceived amid the sloth and luxury of his sumptuous villa. 113. Prudent Veiento.] See sat. iii. 185. The poet gives Veiento the epithet of prudent, from his knowing how to conduct himself wisely, with regard to the emperor, so as not to risk his displeasure, and from his knowing when, and how, to flatter to the best advantage. See l. 123. Deadly Catullus.] So called from his causing the death of many by secret accusations. He was raised by Domitian from begging at the foot of the Aricine hill, in the Via Appia, to be a minister of state. 114. Who barn'd, &c.] Catullus was blind, but his lust was so great, that he could not hear a woman mentioned without raging with desire. Or perhaps this alludes to some particular mistress which he kept, and was very fond of. 115. In our times, &c.] He was so wicked, as, even in the most degenerate times, to appear a monster of iniquity, Two funerals scarcely smell so much. Pompeius too, 110 A great, and also, in our times, a conspicuous monster! 115 A blind flatterer, a dire attendant from the bridge, Nobody more wonder'd at the turbot: for he said many things 120 The fish: thus he praised the battles and strokes of the Cilician, 116. A blind flatterer.] As he could admire a woman without seeing her, so he could flatter men whom he never saw; rather than fail, he would flatter at a venture. A dire attendant, &c.] There was a bridge in the Appian way, which was a noted stand for beggars. From being a beggar at this bridge, he was taken to be an attendant on the emperor, and a most direful one he was, for he ruined and destroyed many by se cret accusations. 117. Worthy that he should beg.] This he might be allowed to deserve, as the only thing he was fit for. See note 2, on l. 113. Aricinian axles.] Axes-by syn. for currus or rhedas-i. e. the carriages which passed along towards or from Aricia, a town in the Appian way, about ten miles from Rome, a very public road, and much frequented; so very opportune for beggars.-See HoR. lib. i. sat. v. 1. 1. Hod. la Ricca. 118. Throw kind kisses.] Kissing his hand, and throwing it from his mouth towards the passengers in the carriages, as if he threw them kisses, by way of soothing them into stopping, and giving him alms. See sat. iii. I. 106, and note. The descending carriage.] Aricia was built on the top of an high hill, which the carriages descended in their way to Rome: this seems to be the meaning of devexæ. See AINSW. Devexus-aFrom de and veho, q. d. Deorsum vehitur. um. 119. Nobody more wonder'd.] That is, nobody pretended more to do so, out of flattery to Domitian; for as for the fish, which Juvenal here calls bellua, (speaking of it as of a great beast,) he could not see it, but turned the wrong way from it, and was very loud in its praises: just as he used to flatter Domitian, by praising the fencers at the games he gave, and the machinery at the theatre, when it was not possible for him to see what was going forward. Juvenal might well call him, 1. 116, cæcus adulator. 121. The Cilician.] Some famous gladiator, or fencer, from Cilicia, who, probably, was a favourite of Domitian. Et 125 180 135 122. The machine.] Pegma-(from Gr. wywu, figo) a sort of wooden machine used in scenical representations, which was so contrived, as to raise itself to a great height-Boys were placed upon it, and on a sudden carried up to the top of the theatre. The coverings.] Velaria-were sail-cloths, extended over the top of the theatre, to keep out the weather. AINSW. 123. Veiento.] We read of him, sat. iii. Į. 185, as observing great silence towards those who were his inferiors; but here we find him very lavish of his tongue when he is flattering the emperor. See l. 113. Does not yield.] Is not behindhand to the others in flattery, not even to blind Catullus who spoke last. 124. O Bellona.] The supposed sister of Mars; she was fabled to preside over war-VIRG. En. viii. 1. 703. describes her with a bloody scourge. Her priests, in the celebration of her feasts, used to cut themselves, and dance about as if they were mad, pretending also to divine or prophesy future events. Estrus signifies a sort of fly, which we call a gad-fly; in the summer-time it bites or stings cattle, so as to make them run about as if they were mad. See VIRG. G. iii. l. 146---53. By meton. inspired fury of any kind. Hence our poet humourously calls the spirit which inspired the priests of Bellona by this name. For fa naticus see sat. ii. 1. 112. Divines.] In flattery to Domitian, he treats the event of the turbot as something ominous, as if the taking it predicted some signal and glorious victory, the taking some monarch prisoner-perhaps Arviragus, then king of the Britons, with whom Domitian was at war, might be prefigured, as falling wounded from his chariot into the hands of the emperor. 127. Is foreign.] Therefore denotes some foreign conquest. 128. Spears, &c.] Sudes-properly signifies a stake a pile driven into the ground in fortifications, also a spear barbed with iron. Hence aτaxensxws, the fin of a fish. AINSW. q. d. Do you perceive his sharp fins rising on his back; they look |