SATIRA VI. ARGUMENT. This Satire is almost twice the length of any of the rest, and is a bitter invective against the fair sex. The ladies of Rome are here represented in a very shocking light. The Poet takes CREDO pudicitiam Saturno rege moratam In terris, visamque diu; cum frigida parvas Silvestrem montana torum cum sterneret uxor 5 Sed potanda ferens infantibus ubera magnis, 10 Aut aliqua extiterant, et sub Jove, sed Jove nondum Line 1. Saturn.] The son of Cœlum and Vesta. Under his reign in Italy the poets place the Golden Age, when the earth, not forced by plough or harrow, afforded all sorts of grain and fruit, the whole world was common, and without inclosure. 2. Was seen long.] During the whole of the Golden Age. 3. The household god.] Lar signifies a god, whose image was kept within the house, and set in the chimney, or on the hearth, and was supposed to preside over and protect the house and land. 5. The mountain-wife.] Living in dens and caves of the mountains. 15 7. Cynthia.] Mistress to the poet Propertius. 7,8. Nor thee whose bright eyes, &c.] Meaning Lesbia, mistress to Catullus, who wrote an elegy on the death of her sparrow. The poet mentions these ladies in contrast with the simplicity of life and manners in ancient times. 9. Her great children.] According to Hesiod, in the Golden Age, men were accounted infants, and under the care of their mother, till near an hundred years old. Potanda well suits this idea, for such might rather be said to drink, than to suck. 10. Belching the acorn.] The first race SATIRE VI. ARGUMENT. occasion to persuade his friend Ursidius Posthumus from marriage, at the expence of the whole sex. See Mr. Dryden's Argument. 1 BELIEVE that chastity, in the reign of Saturn, dwelt Upon earth, and was seen long: when a cold den afforded Small habitations, and fire, and the household-god, 5 And inclosed the cattle, and their masters, in one conmon shelter: Or some, even under Jupiter, but Jupiter not as yet 15 13. And composed out of clay.] Or mud, by Prometheus, the son of Iapetus, one of the Titans. See AINSW. Prometheus. So this poet, sat. xiv. 35. Et melior luto finxit præcordia Titan. See sat. iv. 133. and note. 15. Under Jupiter, &c.] When Jove had driven his father Saturn into banishment, the Silver Age began, according to the poets. Jove was the supposed son of Saturn and Ops. 16. Bearded.] The most innocent part of the Silver Age was before Jove had a beard; for when once down grew upon his chin, what pranks he played with Y Per caput alterius: cum furem nemo timeret 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 Emilius 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, f. 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. Viventis vivat Gabiis, ut vixit in agro; Vivat Fidenis, et agello cedo paterno. Quis tamen affirmat nil actum in montibus, aut in Speluncis? adeo senuerunt Jupiter et Mars? 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 |