Per caput alterius: cum furem nemo timeret 20 25 30 35 the female sex are well known: iron watch over the marriage bed, and to bars and locks could not hold against his preserve it, or punish the violation of golden key. See HoR. lib. iii. ode xvi. it. 1-8. 17. By the head of another.] The Greeks introduced forms of swearing, not only by Jupiter, who was therefore called Ognios, but by other gods, and by men, by themselves, their own heads, &c. Like Ascanius, Æn. ix. 300. Per caput hoc juro, per quod pater acte solebat. 18. Lived with an open garden.] They had no need of inclosures to secure their fruits from thieves. 19. Astraa.] The goddess of justice, who, with many other deities, lived on earth in the Golden Age, but, being offended with men's vices, she retired to the skies, and was translated into the sign Virgo, next to Libra, who holdeth her balance. See Ov. Met. lib. i. 1. 150. 20. The two sisters.] Justice and Chastity. 22. Genius.] Signifies a good or evil dæmon, attending each man or woman at every time and place; hence, to -Of the sacred prop.] Fulcrum not only denotes the prop which supports a bed, (i. e. the bedstead, as we call it,) but, by synec. the couch or bed itself. The poet is here describing the antiquity of the sin of adultery, or violation of the marriage bed. 23, 4. The Iron Age-The Silver Age.] Of these, see Ovid. Met. lib. i. fab. iv. and v. 25. Yet, &c.] Here Juvenal begins to expostulate with his friend Ursidius Posthumus on his intention to marry. You, says he, in these our days of proffigacy, are preparing a meeting of friends, a marriage-contract, and espousals. The word sponsalia sometimes denotes presents to the bride. 26. By a master barber.] You have your hair dressed in the sprucest manner, to make yourself agreeable to your sweetheart. 27. Pledge to the finger.] The wedding-ring-this custom is very ancient. See CHAMBERS-Tit. Ring. By the head of another: when nobody feared a thief ther. 20 It is an old ancient practice, O Posthumus, to violate the bed 25 Yet a meeting, and a contract, and espousals, in our Say, by what Tisiphone, by what snakes are you agitated? With those who have no nightly quarrels with you, You don't comply with all their unreasonable desires? To bring up a sweet heir, about to want a large turtle fish, 28. One sound (of mind).] You were once in your senses, before you took marriage into your head. 29. What Tisiphone.] She was supposed to be one of the furies, with snakes upon her head instead of hair, and to urge and irritate men to furious actions. 30. Any mistress.] A wife to domineer and govern. -So many halters are safe.] Are left unused, and therefore readily to be come at, and you might so easily hang your self out of the way. 31. Dizzening windows.] Altæ, caligantesque-i. e. so high as to make one's head dizzy by looking down from them. Caligo-inis signifies sometimes dizziness. See AINSW. The poet insinuates, that his friend might dispatch himself by throwing himself out at window. 32. Emilian bridge.] Built over the Tiber by Æmilius Scaurus, about a mile from Rome. 35 Ursidius might throw himself over this, and drown himself in the river. 34-7. In these four lines our poet is carried, by his rage against the vicious females of his day, into an argument which ill suits with his rectitude of thought, and which had better be obscured by decent paraphrase, than explained by literal translation. See sat. . 1. 12. note. 38. The Julian law.] Against adultery. Vid. sat. ii. 37. Ursidius delights himself to think that, if he marries, the Julian law will protect the chastity of his wife. 39. An heir.] To his fortune and estate. -About to want, &c.] Now, at a time of life to be courted, as a single man, he'll have no presents of fish, and other dainties, from people who wish to ingratiate themselves with him, in hopes of being his heirs. (Comp. sat. v. l. 136— Mullorumque jubis, et captatore macello. 40 45 50 Extorquebis, ut hæc oculo contenta sit uno. Magna tamen fama est cujusdam rure paterno Viventis: vivat Gabiis, ut vixit in agro; Vivat Fidenis, et agello cedo paterno. Quis tamen affirmat nil actum in montibus, aut in 55 60 140.) This was very usual, and the people who did it were called captatores. See sat. x. 1. 202. AINSW. Turtur. 40. Inveigling market-place.] Macellum-the market-place for fish and other provisions, which were purchased by these flatterers to make presents of to those they wished to inveigle; and this seems to be the reason of the word captatore being placed as an epithet to macello in this line. 42. Once the most noted of adulterers.] From this it appears that Juvenal's friend, Ursidius, had been a man of very profligate character, a thorough debauchee, as we say. 43. Now reach, &c.] A metaphor, taken from beasts of burden, who quietly reach forth their heads to the bridle or halter. 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 And the crests of mullets, and the inveigling market-place. 40 What think you may not come to pass, if any woman Be joined to Ursidius? If he, once the most noted of adul terers, Now reach his foolish head to the marriage, headstall, Whom, so often, ready to perish, the chest of Latinus has concealed? 44 What (shall we say beside ?)-that a wife of ancient morals too If a matron of chaste life fall to your share. 50 54 There are so few worthy to touch the fillets of Ceres, Is there a woman shewn to you in the Porticos worthy 60 chaste matrons; 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 weddingdays the common people 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 any man suffice for Iberina?] i. e. For the woman you are going to concourse of people, or to Fidenæ, which is still more populous, and if she withstands the temptations which she meets with there, then, says he, agello cedo terno-I grant what you say about her chastity, while at her father's house in the country." pa 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. Quod securus ames, quodque inde excerpere possis ? 63. When the soft Bathyllus, &c.] This was some famous dancer, who represented the character and story of Leda embraced by Jupiter in the shape of a swan; in this Bathyllus exhibited such lascivious 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, 65 70 75 80 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 latter end of November: so that there was a long distance of time between them. 70. Possess the mask, &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 sush.] Subligar, a sort of clothing which the actors used to cover the lower parts of the body. -Accius.] The name of some famous tragedian. 71. Urbicus.] Some famous comedian or buffoon. -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. |