Yet the fork of the coated Gracchus outdid this prodigy, When, as a gladiator, he traversed in flight the middle of the stage, More nobly born than the Manlii, the Capitolini, and Marcelli, 145 And the Catuli, and the pofterity of Paulus; than the Fabii, and Than all the fpectators at the podium: tho', to these, him You should add, at whose expence he then threw the net. That there are any ghofts, and fubterranean realms, This fame Gracchus meanly laid afide his own dress, took upon him the garb and weapons of a common gladiator, and exhibited in the public amphitheatre. Such feats were encouraged by Domitian, to the great scandal of the Roman nobility. Mediam arenam-may here fignify the middle of the amphitheatre, which was ftrewed with fand; on which part the gladiators fought this made arena be often used to fignify the amphitheatre itself. 145. Capitolini, &c.] Noble families, who were an orna ment to the Roman name. 147. The podium.] Iedov, Gr. from a foot. That part of the theatre next the orcheftra, where the nobles fat-it projected, in form fomething like the fhape of a foot. See Ainsworth. Tho', to thefe, &c.] Though to those who have been mentioned before, you fhould add the prætor, at whofe expence these games were exhibited.-The prætors often exhibited games at their own expence. But the poet may here be underftood to glance at the emperor Domitian, who was a great encourager of these ftrange proceedings of the young nobility. See note on 1. 143. He that fet forth, at his own charge, the fight of fword-players, and other like games unto the people, was called munerarius-Hence Juvenal fays-cujus tunc mu nere, &c. : 148. Threw the net.] Entered the lifts in the character of a Retiarius and thus, a man of the nobleft family in Rome, debased himself, and his family, by becoming a prize-fighter in the public theatre. 149. That there are any ghosts.] The poet now proceeds to trace all the foregoing abominations to their fource, namely, the disbelief and contempt of religion, thofe effential parts of it, particularly, which relate to a future ftate of rewards and punishments. By 150 Et contum, & Stygio ranas in gurgite nigras, By manes, here, we may underftand, the ghofts, or fpirits, of perfons departed out of this life, which exift after their departure from the body, and are capable of happiness and misery. See Virg. Æn. vi. 735—44• 149. Subterranean realms.] Infernal regions, which were fuppofed to be under the earth. 150. A boat-pole.] Contus fignifies a long pole or staff, fhod with iron at the bottom, to push on fmall veffels in the water. Juvenal here alludes to Charon, the ferry-man of hell, of whom Virgil fays, Æn. vi. 1. 302. Ipfe ratem conto fubigit. Frogs.] The poets feigned, that there were frogs in the river Styx. Some give the invention to Ariftophanes-See his comedy of the Frogs. Stygian gulph.] The river Styx, fuppofed to be the boundary of the infernal regions, over which departed fouls were ferried in Charon's boat. See Virg. Geor. iv. 467-80. If any of the gods fwore by this river falfely, he was to lofe his divinity for an hundred years. 152. Not even boys believe.] All these things are disbelieved, not only by perfons in a more advanced age, but even by boys. Unless those not as yet, &c.] The quadrans, which was made of brafs, in value about our halfpenny, was the bathingfee, paid to the keeper of the bath by the common people. See Sat. vi. 446. and Hor. Lib. i. Sat. iii. l. 137. Dum tu quadrante lavatum Rex ibis Little children, under four years old, were either not carried to the baths, or, if they were, nothing was paid for their bathing. The poet means, that none but children, and those very young indeed, could be brought to believe fuch things: thefe might be taught them, among other old women's ftories, by their nurses, and they might believe them till they grew old enough to be wifer, as the freethinkers would fay. 153. But think thou, &c.] Do thou, O man, whoever thou art, And a boat-pole, and black frogs in the Stygian gulph, 150 But think thou that they are true: What thinks Curius, and both The Scipios? what Fabricius, and the ghoft of Camillus? What the legion of Cremera, and the youth confumed at So Cannæ, 155 many warlike fouls? as often as from hence to them fuch art, give credit to these important matters, which respect a future state of rewards and punishments. 153. Curius.] Dentatus: thrice conful, and remarkable for his courage, fingular honefty, and frugality. What does he now think, who is enjoying the rewards of his virtue in ́elyfium? 154. The two Scipios.] Viz. Scipio Africanus Major, who conquered Hannibal, and Scipio Africanus Minor, who rafed Numantia and Carthage. Hence Virg. Æn. vi. 842-3. Geminos duo fulmina belli Pyrrhus. Scipiadas, cladem Libya.-- Fabricius.] C. Lufcinius the conful, who conquered Camillus.] A noble Roman; he, though banished, faved Rome from its final ruin by the Gauls. The Romans voted him an equestrian statue in the Forum, an honour never before conferred on a Roman citizen. 155. The legion of Cremera.] Meaning the 300 Fabii, who, with their flaves and friends, marched against the Vejentes, who, after many battles, furrounding them by an ambufcade, killed 300 near Cremera, a river of Tuscany, except one, from whom came afterwards the famous Fabius mentioned by Virg. Æn. vi. 845-6. The youth confumed, &c.] Cannæ-arum. A village of Apulia in the kingdom of Naples, where Hannibal defeated the Romans, and killed above 40,000. Among these, such a number of the young nobility, knights, and others of rank, that Hannibal fent to Carthage three bushels of rings in token of his victory. There was fuch a carnage of the Romans, that Hannibal is faid, at laft, to have stopped his foldiers, crying out-" Parce ferro." 156. So many warlike fouls.] Slain in battle, fighting for their country. Virg. Æn. vi, 660. places fuch in Elyfium. By 1 Umbra venit; cuperent luftrari, fi qua darentur 160 165 By mentioning the above great men, Juvenal means, that they were examples, not only of the belief of a future ftate, which influenced them in the atchievement of great and worthy deeds, during their lives, but, that, now they experienced the certainty of it, in the enjoyment of its rewards. 156. As often as from hence, &c.] When the fpirit of fuch a mifcreant, as I have before described, goes from hence, leaves this world, and arrives among the venerable fhades of these great and virtuous men, they would look upon themselves as defiled by fuch a one coming among them, they would call for luftrations, that they might purify themselves from the pollution which fuch company would bring with it. 157. If there could be given.] i. e. If they could come at materials for purification in the place where they are. 158. Sulphur with pines.] Fumes of fulphur, thrown on a lighted torch made of the wood of the unctuous pine-tree, were ufed among the Romans as purifying. See AINSW. Teda, N° 3 Pliny fays of fulphur-" Habet & in religionibus locum ad expiandas fuffitu domos.” Lib. xxxv. c. 15. Awet laurel.] They used alfo a laurel-branch dipped in water, and sprinkling with it things or perfons which they would purify. 159. Thither, alas! &c.] We wretched mortals all must die, and be carried into that world of fpirits, where happiness or mifery will be our doom. 160. Juverna.] Al. Luberna, hod. Hibernia, Ireland, It is thought by Camden, that the Romans did not conquer Ireland; this paffage of Juvenal feems to imply the contrary. The poet might speak here at large, as a ftranger to these parts, and but according to the report of the triumphing Romans, who fometimes took difcoveries for conquefts, and thought thofe overcome, who were neighbours to those whom they overcame. 161. Orcades.] A fhade arrives, they would defire to be purified, if there could be given Sulphur with pines, and if there were a wet laurel. Thither, alas! we wretches are conveyed! our arms, indeed, beyond The fhores of Juverna we have advanced, and the lately captured Orcades, and the Britons content with very little night. 160 But the things which now are done in the city of the conquering people, Those whom we have conquered do not: and yet one Armenian, Zelates, more soft than all our striplings, is faid To have yielded himself to a burning tribune. See what commerce may do: he had come an hostage. 165 161. Orcades.] A number of fmall islands in the north of Scotland, added to the Roman empire by the emperor Claudius. Hod. the Orkneys. The Britons content, &c.] At the fummer folftice the nights are very fhort; there is fcarce any in the most northern parts of Britain. 162. The things which, &c.] The abominations which are committed in Rome, are not to be found among the conquered people, at least not till they learn them by coming to Rome; inftances, indeed, may be found of this, as may appear by what follows. 164. Zelates.] An Armenian youth, fent as an hostage from Armenia. ---More foft, &c.] More effeminate-made fo, by being corrupted at an earlier period of life, than was ufual among the Roman youths. Ephebus fignifies a youth or lad from about 14 to 17. Then they put on the toga virilis, and were reckoned The word is compounded of i, at, and en, puberty. 165. To have yielded himfeif.] For the horrid purpofe of unnatural luft. men. A burning tribune.] Virg. Ecl. ii. 1. has ufed the verb ardeo in the fame horrid fenfe. The tribune is not named, but fome think the emperor Caligula to be hinted at, who, as Suetonius relates, ufed fome who came as hoftages, from far countries, in this deteftable manner. 156. See what commerce may do.] Commercia here fignifies intercourfe, correfpondence, converfe together. Mark the ef fects |