Quisnam hominum est, quem tu contentum videris uno Flagitio? dabit in laqueum vestigia noster Perfidus, et nigri patietur carceris uncum, Aut maris Ægæi rupem, scopulosque frequentes Nec surdum, nec Tiresiam quenquam esse Deorum. 245 243. "Who is there," &c.] Who ever contented himself with sin ning but once, and stopped at the first fact? 244. "Our perfidious wretch," &c.] Noster perfidus, says Juvenal, meaning the villain who had cheated Calvinus, and then perjured himself. As if the poet had said-Don't be so uneasy, Calvinus, at the loss of your money, or so anxious about revenging yourself upon the wretch who has perjured you; have a little patience, he won't stop here, he'll go on from bad to worse, till you will find him sufficiently punished, and yourself amply avenged. 244-5. "Into a snare."] He'll do something or other which will send him to gaol, and load him with fetters. Or he will walk into a snare (comp. Job, xviii 8-10.) and be entangled in his own devices. 245. "Suffer the hook," &c.] The uncus was a drag, or hook, by which the bodies of malefactors were dragged about the streets after execution. See sat. x. 1. 66. But, by this line, it should seem as if some instrument of this sort was made use of, either for torture, or closer confinement in the dungeon. 246. "Rock of the Egean sea."] Or, if he should escape the gal lows, that he will be banished to some rocky, barren island in the Ægean sea, where he will lead a miserable life. Perhaps the island Seriphus is here meant. See sat. vi, 563. "Who is there of men, whom you have seen content with one "Base action? our perfidious wretch will get his feet into "A snare, and will suffer the hook of a dark prison, 245 "Or a rock of the Ægean sea, and the rocks frequent "To great exiles. You will rejoice in the bitter punishment "Of his hated name, and at length, glad will confess, that no one of "The gods, is either deaf, or a Tiresias." 246. "The rocks frequent," &c.] The rocky islands of the Cyclades, (see sat. vi. 562, note.) to which numbers were banished, and frequently, either by the tyranny of the emperor, or through their own crimes, persons of high rank. 247. "You will rejoice," &c.] You, Calvinus, will at last triumph over the villain that has wronged you, when you see the bitter sufferings, which await him, fall upon him. 248. "His hated name. e."] Which will not be mentioned, but with the utmost detestation and abhorrence. -"At length-confess."] However, in time past, you may have doubted of it, you will in the end joyfully own→→→→→ 248-9. "That no one of the gods," &c.] Whose province it is to punish crimes, is either deaf, so as not to hear such perjury, or blind, so as not to see every circumstance of such a transaction, and to punish it accordingly. Comp. 1. 112-19. 249. "Tiresias."] A blind soothsayer of Thebes, fabled to be stricken blind by Juno, for his decision in a dispute between her and her husband, in favour of the latter, who in requital gave him the gift of prophecy. END OF THE THIRTEENTH SATIRE. SATIRA XIV. 1 ARGUMENT. This Satire is levelled at the bad examples which parents set their children, and shews the serious consequences of such examples, in helping to contaminate the morals of the rising generation, as we are apt, by nature, rather to receive ill impressions than good, and are, besides, more pliant in our younger than in our riper PLURIMA sunt, Fuscine, et famâ digna sinistrâ, Et nitidis maculam hæsuram figentia rebus, 5 Line 1. Fuscinus.] A friend of Juvenal's, to whom this Satire is addressed. Worthy of unfavourable report.] Which deserve to be ill spoken of, to be esteemed scandalous. The word sinistra here is metaphorical, taken from the Roman superstition, with regard to any thing of the ominous kind, which appeared on the left hand; they reckoned it unlucky and unfavourable. See sat. x. 1. 129, where the word is applied, as here, in a metaphorical sense. 2. Fixing a stain, &c.] A metaphor, taken from the idea of clean and neat garments being soiled, or spotted, with filth thrown upon them, the marks of which are not easily got out. So these things of evil report fix a spot, or stain, on the most splendid character, rank, or fortune-all which, probably, the poet means by nitidis re`bus. 3. Which parents, &c.] The things worthy of evil report, which are afterwards particularized, are matters which parents exhibit to their children by example, and deliver to them by precept. Comp. 1. 9. 4. If the destructive die pleases, &c.] If the father be fond of playing at dice. Wearing the bulla, &c.] His son, when a mere child, will imitate his example. For the bulla, see sat. xiii. 1. 33, note. 5. The same weapons, &c.] Arma, literally, denotes all kind of SATIRE XIV. ARGUMENT. years. From hence he descends to a Satire on avarice, which he esteems to be of worse example than any other of the vices which he mentions before; and concludes with limiting our desires within reasonable bounds. THERE are many things, Fuscinus, worthy of unfavourable re port, And fixing a stain which will stick upon splendid things, Which parents themselves shew, and deliver to their children. 5 If the destructive die pleases the old man, the heir wearing the bulla warlike arms and armour; and, by met. all manner of tools and im plements, for all arts, mysteries, occupations, and diversions. AINSW. The word is peculiarly proper to express dice, and other implements of gaming, wherewith the gamesters attack each other, each with an intent to ruin and destroy the opponent. See sat. i, 92, note. 5. Little dice-box.] Master, being too young to play with a large dice-box, not being able to shake and manage it, has a small one made for him, that he may begin the science as early as possible. -See AINSW. Fritillus. 6. Nor does the youth allow, &c.] The poet, having mentioned the bringing up children to be gamesters, here proceeds to those who are early initiated into the science of gluttony. Such give very little room to their family to hope that they will turn out better than the former. 7. To peel the funguses of the earth.] Tuber (from tumeo, to swell or puff up) signifies what we call a puff, which grows in the ground like a mushroom-a toad.stool. But I apprehend that any of the fungous productions of the earth may be signified by tuber; and, in this place, we are to understand, perhaps, truffles, or some other food of the kind, which were reckoned delicious. Sat. v. 1. 116, note. To peel.] Or scrape off the coat, or skin, with which they are covered. VOL. II. T Boletum condire, et eodem jure natantes Mitem animum, et mores, modicis erroribus æquos 10 15 20 8. A mushroom.] The boletus was reckoned the best sort of mushroom. Comp. sat. v. 1. 147. See AINSW. Condio. 9. Beccaficos.] Ficedulas-little birds which feed on figs, now called beccaficos, or fig-peckers; they are to this day esteemed a great dainty. It was reckoned a piece of high luxury to have these birds dressed, and served up to table, in the same sauce, or pickle, with funguses of various kinds. A prodigal parent.] Nebulo signifies an unthrift, a vain prodigal; and is most probably used here in this sense. See AINSW. Nebulo, No. 2. 10. A grey throat, &c.] Gula is, literally, the throat or gullet; but, by met. may signify a glutton, who thinks of nothing but his gullet. So yase, the belly, is used to denote a glutton; and the apostle's quotation from the Cretan poet, Tit. i. 12. yaseges apyol, instead of slow bellies, which is nonsense, should be rendered lazy gluttons, which is the undoubted sense of the phrase. Cana gula here, then, may be rendered an hoary glutton-i. e. the old epicure, his father setting the example, and shewing him the art of luxurious cookery. 10. The seventh year, &c.] When he is turned of seven years of age, a time when the second set of teeth, after shedding the first, is not completed, and,a time of life the most flexible and docile. 12. Tho' you should place, &c.] Though a thousand of the graveest and most learned tutors were placed on each side of him, so as to pour their instructions into both his ears at the same time, yet they would avail nothing at all towards reclaiming him.-q. d. The boy having gotten such an early taste for gluttony, will never get rid of it, by any pains which can be taken with him for that purpose. The philosophers and learned teachers wore beards; and were therefore called barbati. They thought it suited best with the gravity of their appearance. PERS. sat. iv. 1. 1, calls Socrates-barbatum magistrum. See HoR. lib. ii. sat. iii. l. 35, and note, |