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Quadrantes lectica petit, fequiturque maritum
Languida, vel prægnans, & circumducitur uxor.
Hic petit abfenti, notâ jam callidus arte,
Oftendens vacuam, & claufam pro conjuge fellam :
Galla mea eft, inquit; citiùs dimitte: moraris ?
Profer, Galla, caput: Noli vexare, quiefcit.

Ipfe dies pulchro diftinguitur ordine rerum ;
Sportula, deinde forum, jurifque peritus Apollo,
Atque triumphales, inter quas aufus habere
Nefcio quis titulos Ægyptius, atque Arabarches;

125

130

121. An hundred farthings.] The quadrans was a Roman coin, the fourth part of an as, in value not quite an halfpenny of our money. An hundred of thefe were put into the sportula, or dole-basket: and for a fhare in this paltry fum, did the people of fashion (for fuch were carried in litters) feek in fo eager a manner, as that they crowded the very door up, to get at the Sportula.

122. Is led about.] The husband lugs about his fick or breeding wife in a litter, and claims her dole.

123. This afks for the abfent.] Another brings an empty litter, pretending his wife is in it.

Cunning in a known art.] i. e. He had often practised this trick with fuccefs.

125. "It is my Galla.] The fuppofed name of his wife. 126. "Put out your head.] i. e. Out of the litter, that I may fee you are there," fays the difpenfer of the dole.

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Don't vex her.] "Don't disturb her, replies the huf"band; don't difquiet her, fhe is not very well, and is taking a nap." By these methods he imposes on the difpenfer, and gets a dole for his abfent wife; though, ufually, none was given but to those who came in perfon-and in order to this, the greatest caution was commonly used. See 1. 97-8.

The violent hurry which this impoftor appears to be in (1. 125.) was, no doubt, occafioned by his fear of a discovery, if he ftaid too long.

Thus doth our poet fatirize, not only the meannefs of the rich in coming to the fportula, but the tricks and shifts which they made use of to get at the contents of it.

127. The day itself, &c.] The poet having fatirized the mean avarice of the higher fort, now proceeds to ridicule their idle manner of spending time.

128. The sportula.] See before, 1. 95. The day began with attending on this.

128. The

An hundred farthings feek; and the wife follows the husband, And, fick or pregnant, is led about.

This asks for the absent, cunning in a known art,

Shewing the empty and shut-up sedan instead of the wife. "It is my Galla (says he) dismiss her quickly: do you "delay?"

125

Galla put out your head -" don't vex her-fhe is

"afleep."

The day itself is diftinguished by a beautiful order of

things:

The sportula, then the forum, and Apollo learned in the law, And the triumphals: among which, an Ægyptian, I know not who,

Has dared to have titles: and an Arabian præfect; 130

128. The forum.] The common place where courts of juftice were kept, and matters of judgment pleaded. Hither they next reforted to entertain themselves with hearing the causes which were there debated.

Apollo learned in the law.] Auguftus built and dedicated a temple and library to Apollo, in his palace on mount Palatine; in which were large collections of law-books, as well as the works of all the famous authors in Rome. Hor. Lib. i. Epift. iii. 1. 16, 17. mentions this—

Et tangere vitat

Scripta Palatinus quæcunque recepit Apollo.

But I fhould rather think, that the poet means here, the forum which Auguftus built, where, it is faid, there was an ivory sta tue of Apollo, which Juvenal reprefents as learned in the law, from the conftant pleadings of the lawyers in that place. Here idle people used to lounge away their time.

129. The triumphals.] The ftatues of heroes, and kings, and other great men who had triumphed over the enemies of the state. These were placed in great numbers in the forum of Augustus, and in other public parts of the city.

-

An Egyptian, &c.] Some obfcure low wretch, who for no defert, but only on account of his wealth, had his statue placed there.

130. An Arabian præfect.] Arabarches-So Pompey is called by Cic. Epift. ad Attic. 1. 2. Epift. xvii. because he con

quered

Cujus ad effigiem non tantùm meiere fas eft.
Vestibulis abeunt veteres, laffique clientes,
Votaque deponunt, quanquam longiffima cœnæ
Spes homini caules miferis, atque ignis emendus.
Optima fylvarum interea, pelagique vorabit
Rex horum, vacuifque toris tantùm ipse jacebit :
Nam de tot pulchris, & latis orbibus, & tam
Antiquis, unâ comedunt patrimonia menfà.

135

quered a great part of Arabia, and made it tributary to Rome. But Juvenal means, here, fome infamous character, who had probably been præfect, or vice-roy, over that country, and had, by rapine and extortion, returned to Rome with great riches, and thus got a ftatue erected to him, like the Ægyptian above mentioned, whom fome fuppofe to have been in a like occupation in Ægypt, and therefore called Ægyptius. Arabarchesfrom Aga or Agabios and agx.

131. To make water.] There was a very fevere law on those who did this, at or near the images of great men. This our poet turns into a jeft on the ftatues above mentioned. Some are for giving the line another turn, as if Juvenal meant, that it was right, or lawful, not only to do this-non tantùm meire, but fomething worse. But I take the first interpretation to be the fenfe of the author, by which he would intimate, that the ftatues of fuch vile people were not only erected among thofe of great men, but were actually protected, like them, from all marks of indignity. So Perf. Sat. i. 1. 114. Sacer eft locus, ite prophani,-extrà meite.

132. The old and tired clients.] The clients were retainers, or dependents, on great men, who became their patrons: to these the clients paid all reverence, honour, and obfervance. The patrons, on their part, afforded them their intereft, protection, and defence. They alfo, in better times, made entertainments, to which they invited their clients. See before, note on 1. 95. Here the poor clients are reprefented, as wearied out with waiting, in long expectation of a fupper, and going away in despair, under their disappointment. Cliens is derived from Greek xλw, celebro-celebrem reddo-for it was no fmall part of their bufinefs to flatter and praise their pa

trons.

houses.

Veftibules.] The porches, or entries, of great men's

Veftibulum ante ipfum, primoque in limine.

VIRG. En. ii. 1. 469.

134. Pota

At whofe image it is not right fo much as to make water.
The old and tired clients go away from the veftibules,
And lay aside their wishes, altho' the man has had a very long
Expectation of a fupper: pot-herbs for the wretches, and
fire is to be bought.

Mean while their lord will devour the best things of the woods, and of the fea, 135

And he only will lie on the empty beds:

For from fo many beautiful, and wide, and antient dishes, They devour patrimonies at one meal.

134. Pot-herbs.] Caulis properly denotes the ftalk or stem of an herb, and, by Synecdoche, any kind of pot-herb-efpecially coleworts, or cabbage. See AINSW. Caulis, No 2.

To be bought.] The hungry wretches go from the patron's door, in order to lay out the poor pittance which they may have received from the fportula, in fome kind of potherbs, and in buying a little firewood, in order to dress them for a scanty meal.

The poet feems to mention this, by way of contrast to what follows.

135. Their Lord.] i. e. The patron of thefe clients. Rex, not only signifies a king-but any great or rich man: so a patron. See Juv. Sat. v. 1. 14. This, from the power and dominion which he exercised over his clients. Hence, as well as from his protection and care over them, he was called Patronus, from the Greek algw-vos-from walng, a father.

Mean while. i. e. While the poor clients are forced to take up with a few boiled coleworts.

The best things of the woods, &c.] The woods are to be ranfacked for the choiceft game, and the fea for the finest forts of fish, to fatisfy the patron's gluttony: these he will devour, without asking any body to partake with him.

136. On the empty beds.] The Romans lay along on beds, or couches, at their meals: Several of thefe beds are here suppofed to be round the table, which were formerly occupied by his friends and clients, but they are now vacant-not a fingle gueft is invited to occupy them, or to partake of the entertainment with this felfifh glutton.

137. Dibes. Which were round-in an orbicular shape---

hence called orbes.

Beautiful.] Of a beautiful pattern-antient-valuable for their antiquity; made, probably, by fome artifts of old time. 138. At one mead.] Menfâ-lit. table-which (by Meton) ftands here for what is fet upon it. Thus they wafte and devour their eftates, in this abominable and felfifh gluttony.

D

139. Na

Nullus jam parafitus erit: fed quis feret istas
Luxuriæ fordes? quanta eft gula, quæ fibi totos
Ponit apros, animal propter Convivia natum ?
Pœna tamen præfens, cum tu deponis amictus
Turgidus, & crudum pavonem in balnea portas :
Hinc fubitæ mortes, atque intestata fenectus.
It nova, nec triftis per cunctas fabula cœnas:
Ducitur iratis plaudendum funus amicis.

Nil erit ulterius, quod noftris moribus addat
Pofteritas eadem cupient, facientque minores.

:

140

145

139. No parafite.] From waga, near-and oilov, food. These were a kind of jesters, and flatterers, who were frequently invited to the tables of the great; and who, indeed, had this in view, when they flattered and paid their court to them. Terence, in his Eunuch, has given a moft fpirited and masterly specimen of parasites, in his inimitable character of Gnatho.

But fo fallen were the great into the meaneft avarice, and into the most fordid luxury, that they could gormandize by themselves, without even inviting a parafite to flatter or divert them. But who, even though a parafite, would endure (feret) fuch a fight?

140. Filthiness of luxury.] Sordes--naftiness-a happy word to defcribe the beaftlinefs of fuch gluttony with regard to the patron himself-and its ftinginefs, and niggardlinefs, with respect to others.

How great is the gullet.] The gluttonous appetite of these men.

--Puts.] Ponit-fets-places on the table.

141. Whole boars, &c.] A whole boar at a time—the wild boar, efpecially the Tufcan, was an high article of luxury, at all grand entertainments. The word natum is here used as the word natis. Hor. Lib. i. Od. xxvii. 1. 1.-See alfo Ov. Met. Lib. xv. 1. 117.

Quid meruiftis, oves, placidum pecus, inque tuendos
NATUM homines?

Juvenal fpeaks as if boars were made and produced for no other purpose than convivial entertainments.

142. 1 prefent punishment.] Of fuch horrid gluttony. Put off your cloaths.] Strip yourself for bathing. 143. Turgid.] Turgidus-fwoln-puffed up, with a full

ftomach.

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