as killing of myself; there are A hundred thousand sins 'twixt it and me, Which I must do I shall come to't at last;" Beaum. King and no King. Gresset applies it very happily to the singular depravity of the unfortunate Ver-Vert: "Il démentit les célébres maximes Où nous lisons, qu'on ne vient aux grands crimes Que par dégrés. Il fut un scélérat Profès d'abord, et sans noviciat." G.

Venit for fit, as venias for fias; vii. 29. R. In French devenir, in Italian divenire, to become.'

In time, no doubt, you will be considered qualified for admission into that abominable club of atheists, which has been formed for the sole purpose of burlesquing the rites of the Good Goddess.' G. vi. 314. Ov. A. A. iii. 244. R.

84. Domi in private.' Redimicula 'fillets' or 'ribbons' hanging from their caps: et tunica manicas et habent redimicula mitræ; Virg. Æ. ix. 614, &c. PR. iii. 66. R.

85. Monilia are so called as having been originally' memorials' of merit. TÏ. See note on στρεπτοφόρος· Her. viii. 113.

These necklaces' often consisted of so many rows as to cover the whole neck.' M.

86. It appears that more than one goddess was worshipped under this name: Macrob. Sat. i. 12. PR. vi. 314 sqq. R.

Antiqui sumen vocabant abdomen; Plin. xi. 84. PR. It may here be put, by synecdoche, for the whole animal, as in xii. 73. M.

87. Cf. xii. 8. PR. Ov. F. iii. 418. R. 'The large bowl' hints at the free indulgence which prevailed even among the ladies at their secret rites. G. vi. 315. On crater see note on Her. iii. 130.

'By a contrary regulation.' FA.

88. Sacra Bona, maribus non adeunda, Dea; Tib. I. vi. 22. M.

89. A parody of " procul, O procul este, profani," conclamat vates, "totoque absistite luco!" Virg. Æ. vi. 259 sq. M. Et procul hinc, moneo, procul hinc, quæcunque profane, ferte gradus; Sil. xvii. 28 sq. cf. Suet. Ner. 34. The Greek formulary was ἑκὰς, ἑκὰς, ὅστις ἀλιτρὸς or ἑκὰς, ἑκάς ἐστε βέβηλοι. R.

90. Here no female minstrel sounds the plaintive horn.' The horn, flute, and trumpet were used (as the bell among us) to summon the worshippers together. LU. (cf. Dan. iii.) The Phrygian flute (tibia, iii. 63.) was curved and is constantly called cornu: as nota Bona secreta Dea, quum tibia lumbos incitat et cornu pariter vinoque feruntur; vi. 314 sq. adunco tibia cornu; Ov. Met. iii. 533. xi. 16. F. iv. 181. The Berecynthian horn' (Hor. I Od. xviii. 13 sq.) is used as synonymous with the Berecynthian flute;' III Od. xix. 18 sq. IV Ŏd. i. 22 sq. R.

Gemere; vii. 71. R.

91. Orgies' were so called from the enthusiastic rage (gyǹ) with which they were celebrated.' FA.

Mystic torches' were carried in the Eleusinian procession. R.

92. The Athenians were called Cecropians from Cecrops their first king. GR.

Bapta so called from being deeply imbued in impurities,' or from their plunging in water' to purify themselves after their nefarious rites. GR. It is the title of a comedy of Eupolis, wherein he lashed such effeminate practices; in consequence of which, Alcibiades, who was the principal object of attack, endeavoured to have the author assassinated. VS.

So as to fatigue and disgust even Cotytto, the goddess of wantonness,' whose worship was introduced from Edonia in Thrace. GR.

93. We have here a picture quite in Hogarth's style. We are admitted into the conventicle of this detestable club, and behold the members at their several employ

ments.

The custom of tinging the eyes and eyebrows originated in the East. Jezabel put her eyes in paint;" 2 Kgs. ix. 30, margin; "i.e. in stibium, which made the eyes look black, and was accounted beautiful and also dilated the eyebrows, and made the eyes appear big; which, in some countries, was also thought very amiable." PT. "La grande beauté des dames Arabes et de toutes les femmes de l'Orient est d'avoir de grands yeux noirs bien fendus et à fleur de tête; Mémoires d'Arvieux t. iii. p. 297. We read of Astyages as κεκοσμημένος ὀφθαλμῶν ὑποyeap Xen. Cyr. 1. iii. 2. From the East, this fashion travelled to Greece; from Greece to Rome: the Greek ladies used antimony or black lead; the Romans lamp-black mixed with bear's grease. Plin. xxxviii. 11. AR. Black was the favourite colour; Hor. A. P. 37. PR. Mart. IX. xxxviii. 6. Nigro pulvere oculorum exordia producuntur; Tert. de Hab. Mul. 2. R. The fashion continued till a late date: μndè μéàαive reołowy vrò Bλepágon öraяas Naumach. G. and Jerome speaks of orbes stibio fuliginatos. FA. The operation, as performed by the Turkish females at Aleppo, is thus described by Shaw and Russel : Their method of doing it is by a cylindrical piece of silver, steel, or ivory, about two inches long, made very smooth, and about the size of a common probe. This they wet with water, in order that the powder of lead ore may stick to it, and applying the middle part horizontally to the eye, they shut the eyelids upon it, and so

drawing it through between them, it blacks the inside, leaving a narrow black rim all round the edge." M. See BO. p. 23.

Turning up his eyes, which quiver under the operation,' from the extreme sensitiveness of the part. They might be also 'tremulous from wantonness.' vii. 241. oculos udos ac tremulos, ac prona libidine marcidos, jam jamque semiadopertulos; Apul. Met. iii. p. 135. Ov. A. A. ii. 721. Pers. i. 18. Hor. I Od. xxxvi. 17. Lucian. Am. 14. LU. M. R.

95. In poculis libidines cælare juvit ac per obscœnitates bibere; Plin. xxxiii. pr. GR.

Priapus, the son of Bacchus and Venus, was the god of gardens and the tutelary deity of Abydos. PR.

96. His long and thick tresses are confined in network of gold.' Plin. xii. 14. PR. M. Otho and Elagabalus powdered their hair with gold dust. ΗΝ.

97. Understand vestimenta. 'Blue checks, or green (or pale yellow) stuffs, shorn of the pile.' Whence galbanos habet mores; Mart. I. xcvii. 9. LU. homo galbanatus; Id. III. lxxxii. 5. M. The Gauls invented checked stuffs. Rasa are opposed to pera. GR. They came into fashion in the Augustan age. PR. Mart. II. lxxxv. 4. Lana Istria Liburniaque pilo propior quam lane, pexis aliena vestibus, et quam Salacia scutulato textu commendat in Lusitania; Plin. viii. 48 s 73. xi. 24 s 28. R.

98. Nay even the valet swears by his lord's Juno.' BR. Men used to swear by the Gods, women by the Goddesses, Plin. ii. 7. PR. and servants by their master's Genius. cf. Tib. III. vi. 48. R. Notes on Hor. III Od. xvii. 14.

99. Another parody on Virgil: magni gestamen Abantis; Æ. iii. 286. vii. 246. and corripit haslam Actoris Aurunci spolium; Æ. xii. 93 sq. This wretch was proud of the effeminate Otho's mirror,'

no less than Turnus was of the gallant Actor's spear.' LU. Or of which Otho had erst despoiled some other redoubted champion.' Their mirrors were made of polished metal, and sometimes equalled the full length of the figure. Sen. Q. N. i. 17. HN. Stat. III S. iv. 94. BO. On the effeminacy of Otho, see Suet. 2. and 12. Tac. H. i. 71. &c. R. Though a favourite of Nero, he was the first to join Galba, of whose assassination he afterwards became the author. As an enemy of Galba (whom Vespasian suspected of a design upon his life) and of Vitellius, he was regarded with favour by the Flavian family, and consequently with aversion by Juvenal. Tacitus represents differently his last march: nec illi segne aut corruptum luxu iter; sed lorica ferrea usus est, et ante signa pedester, horridus, incomptus, fama que dissimilis; H. ii. 11.

G.

101. When an army encamped, the standards were pitched in the ground near the general's tent. When battle was to be given, the general 'commanded the standard to be taken up.' Tolli is opposed to statui. GR. M. The vexillum was a red flag,' which was hoisted on a spear from the top of the general's tent as a signal of preparation for battle. LI. 'Otho gave his orders from his toilet, while he was admiring himself in the glass.' LU.

102. In Annals,' the facts are digested under their several years. PR.

103. In a civil war, when the empire of the world was at stake!' viz. that between Otho and Vitellius. Nec deerant qui ambitione stolida luxuriosos apparatus conviviorum, et irritamenta libidinum, ut instrumenta belli mercarentur; Tac. H. i. 88. FA.

104. The antithesis here depends on the punctuation. HK. At one time to be acting the assassin, at another the petit

maitre.' After his suicide, his soldiers extolled him as fortissimum virum, unicum imperatorem; Suet. 12. Our satirist observes that such a character was undoubtedly (nimirum is used ironically, xiv. 54. Sil. v. 114. Hor. II S. ii. 106. as scilicet in 122. v. 76. vi. 239. vii. 159. xiv. 156.) Otho's due.' Suet. Galb. 19. Tac. H. i. 41 sqq. 'It was a great feat to murder an old man' manibus pedibusque articulari morbo distortissimis; S. G. 21. 23. It was a worthy occupation to be softening his cheeks with cosmetics :' munditiarum pæne muliebrium ; vulso corpore; quin et faciem quotidie rasitare, ac pane madido linere consuetum: idque instituisse a prima lanugine, ne barbatus unquam esset; Suet. Oth. 12. PR. HN. R.

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105 and 107. vi. 464. Hor. I Ep. iv. 15. R. In cute curanda plus æquo operata juventus; Id. ii. 29.

Consistency worthy of the first citizen in the republic! R. It was currently reported after his death, Galbum ab eo non tam dominandi, quam reipublicæ ac libertatis restituendæ causa interemptum ; Suet. Oth. 12.

106. The battle of Bebriacum' (between Verona and Cremona) decided the fate of the empire and transferred the purple to Vitellius. Tac. H. ii. 14 sqq. Suet. Oth. 8 sq. PR. R.

The spoil of the palace' intimates that the imperial dignity had become the prey of each daring adventurer. R.

107. Slices of bread, made of rice, beans, or wheat, and soaked in asses' milk, were spread over the face as a cosmetic. LU. vi. 461 sqq. CAS. Cutem in facie erugari et tenerescere, et candorem custodiri lacte asinino putabant; unde Poppea uxor Neronis, quocunque ire contigisset, secum sexcentas asellas ducebat ; Plin. xxviii. 12. xi. 41. PR. Tib. I. viii. 11. R.