Or if, of so many, no one death pleases you, do not you With those who have no nightly quarrels with you, 35 Who exact no presents, nor complain that You don't comply with all their unreasonable desires? But the Julian law pleases Ursidius, he thinks To bring up a sweet heir, about to want a large turtle fish, 40 Be joined to Ursidius? If he, once the most noted of adulterers, Now reach his foolish head to the marriage headstall, Whom, so often, ready to perish, the chest of Latinus has concealed? What (shall we say beside?)—that a wife of ancient morals too 45 Prone, and slay for Juno a gilded heifer, If a matron of chaste life fall to your share. There are so few worthy to touch the fillets of Ceres, 50 44. Chest of Latinus.] The comedian Latinus played upon the stage the gallant to an adulteress, who, being in the utmost danger, upon the unexpected return of her husband, she locked him up in a chest; a part, it seems, that had been often realized by Ursidius in his younger days. 45. What.] Sat. iii. 1. 147, note, That a wife, &c.] q. d. This we may say, that, moreover, he is mad enough to expect a chaste wife. 46. The middle vein,] It was usual to bleed mad people in what was called the vena media-or middle vein of the arm. Pertundite -lit. bore through. Juvenal is for having Ursidius treated like a madman, not only for intending to marry, but especially for thinking that he could find any woman of ancient and chaste morals. 47. The Tarpeian threshold.] The Capitoline hill, where there was a temple of Jupiter, was also called the Tarpeian hill, on account of Tarpeia, a vestal virgin, who was there killed, and buried by the Sabines. 48. For Juno a gilded heifer.] Juno was esteemed the patroness of marriage, and the avenger of adultery. Farnab. See Æn. iv. 59. To her was sacrificed an heifer with gilded horns. 50. To touch the fillets of Ceres.] The priestesses of Ceres were only to be of chaste matrons: their heads were bound with fillets, and none but chaste women were to assist at her feasts. 51. Whose kisses, &c.] So lewd and debauched were the Roman women, that it was hardly safe for their own fathers to kiss them. Weave a crown, &c.] Upon wedding-days the common peo Unus Iberinæ vir sufficit? ocyus illud Quis tamen affirmat nil actum in montibus, aut in ple crowned their doors and door-posts with ivy-boughs; but persons of fortune made use of laurel, and built scaffolds in the streets for people to see the nuptial solemnity. See 1, 78, 53. Does one man suffice for Iberina?] i. e. For the woman you are going to marry. 56. Gabi.] A town of the Volscians, about ten miles from Rome. 57. Fidena.] A city of Italy. The poet means- "Let this innocent girl, who has such a reputa tion for living chastely in the country, be carried to some town, as Gabii, where there is a concourse of people, or to Fidena, which is still more populous, and if she withstands the temptations which she meets with there, then, says he, agello cedo paterno-I grant what you say about her chastity, while at her father's house in the country." 59. Are Jupiter and Mars, &c.] Juvenal alludes to the amours of these gods, as Jupiter with Leda, &c. Mars with Venus, the wife of Vulcan, &c. and hereby insinuates that, even in the most remote situations, and by the most extraordinary and unlikely means, women might be unchaste. 60. In the Porticos.] These were a sort of piazza, covered over to defend people from the weather, in some of which the ladies of Rome used to meet for walking-as ours in the Park, or in other public walks. 61. The spectacles.] Spectacula-the theatres, and other public places for shews and games. 63. When the soft Bathyllus, &c.] This was some famous dancer, who represented the character and story of Leda embraced by Ju piter in the shape of a swan-in this Bathyllus exhibited such la Does one man suffice for Iberina? you will sooner that But there is great fame of a certain (girl) living at her father's Is there a woman shewn to you in the Porticos worthy 55 60 That which you might love securely, and what you might pick out from thence? When the soft Bathyllus dances the nimble Leda, Tuccia can't contain herself: Appula whines As if embraced: the quick, the languishing, Thymele 65 And the courts alone sound, the theatre being empty and shut up, 70 scivious gestures as were very pleasing to the country ladies here mentioned. Chironomon-see sat. v. 121, and note. 65-6. Thymele long attends.] Thymele pays the utmost and unwearied attention to the dances, as well to the quicker motions, as to the languishing expressions of distress. 66. Learns.] Becomes acquainted with all this, and practises accordingly. 67. The lock'd-up curtains, &c.] Aulæum-a piece of hanging, or curtain, as in the theatre. It may stand here for all the ornaments of the theatre, which were taken down and laid aside when the season came for the theatres to be shut up. 68. The courts alone sound] The courts of justice with the pleadings of the lawyers. 69. The Megalesian games, &c.] The Megalesian games were instituted by Junius Brutus, in honour of Cybele, the mother of the gods. The Plebeian games were instituted either in remembrance of the people's liberty, upon the expulsion of their kings, or for the reconciliation of the people after secession to mount Aventine. See sat. iii. 163, and note. The Megalesian were celebrated in April, the Plebeian at the lafter end of November: so that there was a long distance of time between them. 70. Possess the masky &c.] During this long vacation from public entertainments, these ladies divert themselves with acting plays, dressing themselves in the garb of the actors. See DRYDEN. The thyrsus.] A spear twisted about with ivy, and proper to Bacchus, used by actors, when they personated him. The sash.] Subligar-a sort of clothing which the actors used to cover the lower parts of the body. Accius.] The name of some famous tragedian. Urbicus exodio risum movet Atellanæ 71. Urbicus.] Some famous comedian or buffoon. 75 80 Excites laughter.] i. e. While he represents, in a ridiculous manner, the part of Autonoe, in some interlude written on the subject of her story, in the Atellan style; the drift of which was to turn serious matters into jest, in order to make the spectators laugh.— Something like what we call burlesque. Interlude.] Exodio. See sat. iii. 1. 174, and note. 72. Atellan.] This species of interlude was called Atellan, from Atella, a city of the Osci, where it was first invented. It was a kind of Latin drama, full of jokes, banters, and merriments, (see AINSW.) the origin whereof may be seen in Liv. lib. vii. c. 2. See also ANT. Univ. Hist. vol. xii. p. 34, note l. Autonoe.] Autonoe was the daughter of Cadmus, and mother of Acteon, who was turned into a stag, and eaten by his own hounds. There was an exordium, or farce, on this subject, in which it may be supposed, that Autonoe was a principal character, probably the chief subject of the piece. Poor Elia, &c.] Some woman of the Ælian family which had fallen into decay and poverty. 73. The button of the comedian.] The fibula here denotes a circle of brass, put on the young singers, so as to prevent commerce with women, which was reckoned to spoil their voice. The lewd women, here spoken of, were at a great expense to get this impediment taken off, that they might be intimate with these youths. See 1. 378, note. 74. Will forbid Chrysogonus.] This was a famous singer, of whom the ladies were so fond, as to spoil his voice with their caresses, so that they hindered his singing. Hispulla.] Some great lady, famous for her lewdness with players, of which she was very fond. 75. Quintilian.] A grave rhetorician, born at Caliguris, in Spain; he taught rhetoric at Rome, and was tutor to Juvenal. The meaning is can it be expected, that any virtuous, grave, and sober man, can be admired, when the women are so fond of singers, players, and such low and profligate people? 76. You take a wife, &c.] The drift of this satire is to prejudice Ursidius, Juvenal's friend, so much against the women, as to make him afraid to venture on marriage. Here the poet intimates, that, Urbicus excites laughter in an interlude by the gestures Of Atellan Autonoë; poor Elia loves him. The button of the comedian is loosen'd for these at a great price. There are, who Will forbid Chrysogonus to sing. Hispulla rejoices In a tragedian: do you expect that Quintilian can be loved? 75 Or Glaphyrus, will become a father; or Ambrosius the piper. Let the posts be adorned, and the gate with the grand laurel, 80 if Ursidius should take a wife, she will probably be gotten with child by some of the musicians. 78. Let us fix, &c.] See before, l. 52, and note. 80. Vaulted canopy.] Testudineo conopeo. Testudineus-from testudo, signifies-of, belonging to, or like a tortoise, vaulted: for such is the form of the upper shell. Conopeum, from xa, a gnat. A canopy, or curtain, that hangs about beds, and is made of net-work, to keep away flies and gnats --an umbrella, a pavilion, a tester over a bed; which, from the epithet testudineo, we must suppose to be in à vaulted form. But, probably, here we are to understand by conopeo the whole bed, synec. which, as the manner was among great people, such as Ursidius appears to have been, had the posts and props inlaid with ivory and tortoise-shell; so that, by testudineo, we are rather to understand the ornaments, than the form. That the Romans inlaid their beds, or couches, with tortoise-shell, appears-sat. xi. l. 94, 5. Qualis in oceani fluctu testudo natarat, Clarum Trojugenis factura ac nobile fulcrum, This more immediately refers to the beds, or couches, on which they lay at meals; but, if these were so ornamented, it is reasonable to suppose, by testudineo conopeo, we are to understand, that they extended their expense and luxury to the beds on which they slept; therefore, that this noble infant was laid in a magnificent bed-this heightens the irony of the word nobilis, as it the more strongly marks the difference between the apparent and real quality of the child; which, by the sumptuous bed, would seem the offspring of the noble Ursidius, whereas, in fact, it would be the bastard of a gladiator. Comp. 1. 89, which shews, that the beds, or cradles, in which they laid their children, were richly ornamented. To thee O Lentulus.] The sense is--that if Ursidius should marry, and have a son, which is laid in a magnificent cradle, as the heir of a great family, after all, it will turn out to be begotten by some gladiator, such as Euryalus, and bear his likeness. He calls Ursidius by the name of Lentulus, who was a famous fencer, intimating that, like the children of Lentulus, Ursidius's children. |