Sed si cuncta vides simili fora plena querela, 135 Si, decies lectis diversa parte tabellis, Rem pateris modicam et mediocri bile ferendam, 136 diversa parte] "On the other side." 137] Is repeated (xvi. 41). 138 princeps] Hence well known, and a proof of wealth. 140 delicias] "My dainty dear," not "what dainty airs," as Juvenal is always goodnatured to his friend. 141 gallinae-albae] A white hen's egg was rare, like a white elephant. A white hen carried off by an eagle, and dropt in Livia's lap, might account for a proverb about white hens, but not about their chickens, though that particular hen had a brood and a large one afterwards; in general silver-spangled hens refuse to sit. = 143 ferendam 'Quam feras' (see note x. 141), εὐφόρητον ἂν γινομένην. 145 Conductum] Hired to fire and rob the house. It seems probable that here as 147, 154, inf. confer introduces a single class of crime; it would be an offence against symmetry to make conductum latronem a crime standing by itself; 144—146 140 145 150 deal with the guilt of incendiarism, which implies that of the suborner as well as of the criminal who actually applies the light. So 154, 155 we have the parricide, the person he sends to buy the poison and the habitual criminal who prepares it. sulfure] Not by charcoal. 146 dolo] Not by chance.— Fanua, a point very convenient for the incendiary, where no chance fire could begin. 147 templi] It is not clear where the temple is supposed to be: probably Juvenal was thinking at once of the offerings by kings and subject states which would be dedicated in temples at Rome, and of the offerings at Delphi and Olympia, some of which would be as old as Croesus and Midas. 148 adorandae robiginis] There is a little ambiguity here; the writer does not decide for himself or the reader whether the rust is a title to the veneration of the antiquary or of the devotee. 150, sq.] If there are no histori. Radat inaurati femur Herculis et faciem ipsam Et deducendum corio bovis in mare, cum quo Clauditur adversis innoxia simia fatis. Haec quota pars scelerum, quae Custos Gallicus urbis Usque a Lucifero, donec lux occidat, audit? Sufficit una domus. Paucos consume dies, et Humani generis mores tibi nosse volenti 155 160 Dicere te miserum, postquam illinc veneris, aude. cal offerings to be carried off whole, lesser thieves start up to scrape the thigh of Hercules, or even the face of Neptune, which they can do without blazoning their guilt; hence minor, for they would melt down whole statues, if there were any left.-Solitus is very puzzling: how can a man in the habit of melting down Juppiter be a minor sacrilegus? Gifford accuses Juvenal of negligence, Macleane suspects the text. Perhaps we are to think of an underling in Nero's wholesale perquisitions, who had helped to melt his plunder, and when that employment came to an end went into the same business in a small way on his own account.-Conflare, almost by way of retaliation, melt down the thunderer, as the thunderbolt, which sinners generally fear, melts the hills. 156] The monkey is clearly unlucky, since he suffers in his inno cence. · 157 Gallicus] A gentle praefec 165 tus urbis under Domitian. It is difficult to make this agree with any Fonteius, as the first would place the satire soon after 72 A.D. and Gallicus can hardly have been in office then. 160 una] That of Gallicus. 165 madido cirro] The reeking topknot into which the stiffened curly locks were twisted after being moistened with the soap used as a dye. 166] So far the connection with the subject is obvious; it is as absurd to be surprised at wickednes in Rome as at any other local peculiarity, but the next illustration confuses the sense. Calvinus does not think his loss a laughing matter; what is gained by telling him that the pygmies do not dream of laughing at their military misadventures? We need not answer the question if we suppose that vv. 162 -173 were written without reference to Calvinus and shoved in from Juvenal's commonplace book. Ad subitas Thracum volucres nubemque sonoram Mox impar hosti raptusque per aera curvis 170 Quanquam eadem assidue spectentur proelia, ridet Poena erit?" Abreptum crede hunc graviore catena 167] The pygmies see something in the air like a cloud, and they hear a noise coming from it, and they know the cranes have come from Thrace to pounce upon them. Juvenal gives the result of their observation first, the grounds of it second; the order which is natural for the poet of the pygmies, is the reverse of that which is natural for them. 172] "Though it isn't for want of better opportunity than ours. 173] Certainly implies that what is sport to us is death to them. 177, sq.] "Still you don't get your money back; and when you behead him, you won't get much blood to console you, and you'll be hated for that." Mayor makes minimus 175 180 185 "though you only take a few drops," in spite of 'corpore trunco.' 181] After dilating from 120-173 on the sufficiency of a little common sense to subdue excessive irritation at a trifling loss, Juvenal here falls back on an appeal to philosophy; the subject is not congenial, and after a dozen lines on the folly of desiring vengeance, we have more than fifty on the certainty that in some form or other Calvinus will have his revenge. 184 mite] Thales was wise, ergo gentle. 185 dulci] From its honey, which, it is hinted, made Socrates goodtempered. 186 saeva inter vincla] With the cruel accompaniment of chains. Paullatim vitia atque errores exuit omnes, Nemo magis gaudet, quam femina. Cur tamen hos tu 199 Mens habet attonitos et surdo verbere caedit 195 Poena autem vehemens ac multo saevior illis, Juvenal does not mean that he was in irons at the moment of his execution from the Phaedo 60 d, we know that he was not. 187 Accusatori] Who, the Scholiast thinks, asked for it. 188, sq.] "Will certainly teach you that the wish for vengeance is foolish, and probably extinguish the wish." 189 minuti] "Dwarfed," never allowed to attain its proper stature, whereas exigui means naturally small. 194 surdo] Incorporeal, and therefore inaudible. 197 Caedicius] According to the Scholiast, Juvenal wished to hold up the cruelty of this courtier of Nero to public reprobation; perhaps we may trust him for Caedicius having been a courtier; but the scholiasts have invented so many impossible references to Nero that it is impossible to be sure about this. 199 Spartano] Glaucus, son of Epicydes, was requested by a Mile 200 sian to preserve the half of his fortune. The sons of the Milesian claimed the money. Glaucus consulted the oracle of Delphi on the results of perjury, and received this answer: Γλαῦκ' Επικυδείδη, τὸ μὲν αὐτίκα κέρδιον οὕτω ὅρκῳ νικῆσαι, καὶ χρήματα ληΐσ σασθαι. ὄμνυ· ἐπεὶ θάνατός γε καὶ εὔορκον μένει ἄνδρα. ἀλλ' ̔́Ορκου πάϊς ἐστὶν ἀνώνυμος, οὐδ ̓ ἔπι χεῖρες, οὐδὲ πόδες κραιπνὸς δὲ μετέρχεται, εἰσόκε πᾶσαν συμμάρψας ὀλέσει γενεήν, καὶ οἶκον ἅπαντα. ἀνδρὸς δ' ευόρκου γενεὴ μετόπισθεν ἀμείνων. He repented, but was told it was too late, and his family had expired before the battle of Salamis. (Cf. Her. vi. 86.) 200 dubitaret retinere] Just the opposite sense of dubito to dubitet optare, sup. 97. Mens et an hoc illi facinus suaderet Apollo? Reddidit ergo, metu, non moribus; et tamen omnem Vocem adyti dignam templo veramque probavit Hi sunt, qui trepidant et ad omnia fulgura pallent, 205 210 } 215 220 |