Prodigious faithfulness! and worthy the Tuscan books! And a swarm of bees had settled, in a long bunch, nesses, 75 If that same thing no mortal can know. Behold, with how great A voice he denies it, what steadiness there is of feigned countenance. By the rays of the sun, and the Tarpeian thunderbolts he swears; 69. A river, &c.] All rivers run into the sea, and many with great violence; therefore the poet cannot mean that there is any wonder in this; but in flowing with unusual and portentous appearances, such as being mixed with blood, which Livy speaks of, lib. xxiv. c. 10. or the like. 70. Rushing.] Torrens-violent, headlong, running in full stream, like the rushing of a land-flood, with dreadful violence, eddying in whirlpools of milk. When we consider what has been said in the last seven lines, what an idea does it give us of the state of morals at Rome in the time of Juvenal! 71. Ten sestertiums.] About 80%. 14s. 7d. of our money. -Intercepted.] i. e. Prevented from coming to your hands. 72. What if another, &c.] The poet endeavours to comfort his friend under his loss, and to keep him from indulging too great a concern about it, by wishing him to consider that he is not so great a sufferer as many others perhaps might be by a like fraud. -Secret, &c.] Arcana-q. d. bis centum sestertia arcana-i. e. delivered or lent secretly, when no witnesses were by, as had been the case of Juvenal's friend Calvinus. 74. Which the corner, &c.] Another, says he, may have lost so large a sum of money, as even to be greater than could be easily contained in a large chest, though stuffed at every corner, in which he had stowed it. 75. So easy and ready, &c.] So prone are men to despise the gods, who are witnesses to all their actions, that if they can but hide them from the eyes of men, they make themselves quite easy under the commission of the greatest frauds. 76. Behold, with how great, &c.] This contempt of the gods is carried so far, that men will not only defraud, but, with a loud unfaltering voice, and the most unembarrassed countenance, deny every thing that's laid to their charge; and this by the grossest perjury. 77. Feigned countenance.] Putting on, in his looks, a semblance of truth and honesty. 78. By the rays of the sun.] This was an usual oath. See Æn. iii. 599, 600, and note. Delph. edit. -Tarpeian thunderbolts.] i. e. The thunder of Jupiter, who had a temple of the Tarpeian rock. See sat. vi. 47, note. 1 Et Martis frameam, et Cirrhæi spicula vatis; Sunt, in Fortunæ qui casibus omnia ponunt, 79. Cyrrhæan prophet.] Apollo, who had an oracle at Delphos, near Cirrha, a city of Phocis, where he was worshipped. 80. Virgin-huntress.] Puellæ venatricis. Diana, the fabled goddess of hunting; she, out of chastity, avoided all company of men, retired into the woods, and there exercised herself in hunting. 81. Trident.] Neptune's trident was a sort of spear with three prongs at the end, and denoted his being king of the sea, which surrounded the three then known parts of the world. With this instrument he is usually represented, and with this he was supposed to govern the sea, and even to shake the earth itself: so that there is no wonder that the superstitious heathen should swear by it, as Neptune was so considerable an object of their veneration and worship. See VIRG. Æn. i. 142–149, et al. -Father of Egeus.] Egeus was the son of Neptune, the father of Theseus. He reigned at Athens--he threw himself into the Ægean sea, which was so named after him. 82. Herculean bows.] Perhaps the poet particularly here alludes to those fatal bows and arrows of Hercules, which he gave to Philoctetes, the son of Paas, king of Meliboa, a city of Thessaly, at the foot of mount Ossa; and which weapons, unless Philoctetes had carried to Troy, it was fated that the city could not have been taken. See VIRG. Æn. iii. 402, and note, Delph. 83. Armories of heaven.] Juvenal held the Roman mythology in great contempt: he certainly means here to deride the folly of imagining that the gods had arsenals or repositories of arms. 84. A father, &c.] Here is an allusion to the story of Thyestes, the brother of Atreus, who, having committed adultery with the wife of Atreus, Atreus in revenge killed and dressed the child born of her, and served him up to his brother at his own table. The defrauder is represented as perjuring himself by many oaths; and now he wishes, that the fate of Thyestes may be his, that he may have his son dressed and served up to table for him to eat, if he be guilty of the fraud which is laid to his charge. 85. Part of the head.] Sinciput signifies the forepart, or, perhaps, one half of the head, when divided downwards. See AINSW. Quasi semicaput-or, a scindendo, from whence sinciput. -Pharian vinegar.] Pharos was an island of Egypt, from whence came the best vinegar, of which were made sauces and seasonings for victuals of various kinds. The poet does not add this without an ironical fling at the luxury of his day. 86. There are, &c.] i. e. There are some so atheistically inclined, as to attribute all events to mere chance. 87. The world to be moved, &c.] Epicurus and his followers acknowledged that there were gods, but that they took no care of human affairs, nor interfered And the javelin of Mars, and the darts of the Cyrrhæan prophet; By the shafts, and the quiver of the virgin-huntress, 80 He adds also the Herculean bows, and the spear of Minerva, 85 There are who place all things in the chances of Fortune, And believe the world to be moved by no governor, Nature turning about the changes both of the light and year, And therefore intrepid they touch any altars whatsoever. Another is fearing lest punishment may follow a crime: 90 He thinks there are gods, and forswears, and thus with himself "Let Isis decree whatever she will concerning this body "Of mine, and strike my eyes with her angry sistrum, "So that, even blind, I may keep the money which I deny. in the management of the world. So commission of crimes, which he well deHOR. sat. v. lib. i. 1. 101-3. Deos didici securum agere ævum, Nec, si quid miri faciat natura, Deos id Tristes ex alto cœli demittere tecto. 88. Nature, &c.] A blind principle, which they call nature, bringing about the revolutions of days and years-(lucis et anni)-acting merely mechanically, and without design. 89. Intrepid they touch, &c.] When a man would put another to his solemn oath, he brought him to a temple, and there made him swear, laying his hand upon the altar. But what constraint could this have on the consciences of those who did not believe in the interference of the gods-what altars could they be afraid to touch, and to swear by in the most solemn manner, if they thought that perjury was not noticed? 90. Another, &c.] The poet, having before mentioned atheists, who thought the world governed by mere chance, or, though they might allow that there were gods, yet that these did not concern themselves in the ordering of human affairs, now comes to another sort, who did really allow not only the existence, but also the providence of the gods, and their attention to what passed among mortals, and yet such persons having a salvo, to console themselves under the scribes in the following lines. 91. Thus with himself.] i. e. Thus argues with himself, allowing and fearing that he will be punished. 92. "Let Isis," &c.] Isis was originally an Egyptian goddess; but the Romans having adopted her among their deities, they built her a temple at Rome, where they worshipped her. She was supposed to be much concerned in inflicting diseases and maladies on mankind, and particularly on the perjured. 93. Strike my eyes.] Strike me blind. -Angry sistrum.] The sistrum was a musical instrument; it is variously described, but generally thought to be a sort of timbrel, of an oval, or a triangular form, with loose rings on the edges, which, being struck with a small iron rod, yielded a shrill sound. The Egyptians used it in battle instead of a trumpet. It was also used by the priests of Isis at her sacrifices, and the goddess herself was described as holding one in her right hand. Her angry sistrum-per hypallagenfor the angry goddess with her sistrum. 94. Keep the money, &c.] Juvenal here describes one, who, having money intrusted to him, refuses to deliver it up when called upon, and who is daring enough, not only to deny his ever having Et phthisis, et vomica putres, et dimidium crus UT SIT MAGNA, TAMEN CERTE LENTA IRA DEORUM EST. 95. A phthisic.] (From Gr. poiois, a pow, to corrupt.) A consumption of the lungs. - Putrid sores.] Vomica-imposthumes of a very malignant kind. -Half a leg.] The other half being amputated on account of incurable sores, which threatened mortification. 96. Of such consequence.] Tanti-of so much consequence--i. e. as to counterbalance the joy of possessing a large sum of money. -Ladas.] The name of a famous runner, who won the prize at the Olympic games. 97. The rich gout.] So called, because it usually attacks the rich and luxurious. -If he does not want Anticyra.] i. e. If he be not mad. Anticyra, an island of the Archipelago, was famous for producing great quantities of the best hellebore, which the ancients esteemed good to purge the head in cases of madness. Whence naviga Anticyram, was as much as to say, you are mad. See HOR. lib. ii. sat. iii. 1. 166. 98. Archigenes.] Some famous physician, remarkable, perhaps, for curing madness. See sat. vi. 235. 95 100 105 110 -The glory of a swift foot, &c.] What good does the applause got by his swiftness do him? it will not fill his belly. 99. Hungry branch of the Piscan olive.] Pisa was a district of Elis, in Peloponnesus, in which was Olympia, where the Olympian games were celebrated: the victors in which were crowned with chaplets made of olive-branches, hence called Pisæan. The hungry branches-i. e. that will afford no food to the gainers of it. See note on 1. 93, ad fin. The speaker here means, that to be sick and rich, is better than to be healthy and poor; that the famous Ladas, unless he were mad, would sooner choose to be laid up with the gout and be rich, than to enjoy all the glory of the Olympic games and be poor. 100. Tho' the anger, &c.] Another flatters himself, that, though punishment may be heavily inflicted some time or other, yet the evil day may be a great way off. See Eccl. viii. 11. 101. If they take care, &c.] q. d. If they do observe the actions of men, and attend to what they do, so as to take order for the punishment of guilt, wherever they find it, yet it may be a great while before it comes to my turn to be punished. "Are a phthisic, or putrid sores, or half a leg 95 "Of such consequence? let not poor Ladas doubt to wish for "The rich gout, if he does want Anticyra, nor 66 Archigenes for what does the glory of a swift foot : "Avail him, and the hungry branch of the Pisæan olive?" 66 THO' THE ANGER OF THE GODS BE GREAT, YET CERTAINLY IT IS "If they take care therefore to punish all the guilty, 100 "When will they come to me?-But, perhaps too, the deity "Exorable I may experience: he useth to forgive these things. Many commit the same crimes with a different fate. 66 "One has borne the cross as a reward of wickedness, another "a diadem." 105 Thus the mind trembling with the fear of dire guilt 110 For when great impudence remains to a bad cause, 103. Exorable, &c.] It may be I shall escape all punishment; for perhaps I may obtain forgiveness and find the Deity easy to be intreated. -He useth, &c.] i. e. Crimes of this sort, which was not committed out of contempt of the Deity, but merely to get a little money, he usually forgives. 104. Different fate.] Another subterfuge of a guilty conscience is, that though, in some instances, wrong doers are punished grievously, yet in others they succeed so happily as to obtain rewards so that the event of wickedness is very different to different people. 105. Borne the cross, &c.] The same species of wickedness that has brought one man to the gallows, has exalted another to a throne. 106, 7. Thus they confirm.] By all these specious and deceitful reasonings they cheat themselves into the commission of crimes, and endeavour to silence the remonstrances and terrors of a guilty conscience. 108. He precedes, &c.] Thus confident, the wretch whom you summon to the temple, in order to swear to his innocence, leads the way before you, as if in 110. He acts the farce, &c.] Alluding to a play written by one Lutatius Catullus, called the Phasma, or Vision, (see sat. viii. 185, 6.) in which there was a character of a buffoon who ran away from his master, after having cheated him, and then vexed, and even provoked him, that he might be brought to swear himself off, cheerfully proposing thus to be perjured. This play is lost by time, so that nothing certain can be said concerning this allusion; but what is here said (after Holyday) seems probable. 111. Witty Catullus.] Some expound urbani, here, as the cognomen of this Catullus. 112. You miserable exclaim-] You, half-mad with vexation at finding your |