Labitur hinc quidam, nimia formidine cursum Victrix turba: nec ardenti decoxit aeno Aut verubus longum usque adeo tardumque putavit Hic gaudere libet, quod non violaverit ignem, Exsultare reor. Sed qui mordere cadaver Sustinuit, nil unquam hac carne libentius edit. the reading found in two old MSS. Praestant instantibus omnes, whence Mercenus restored the reading in the text. One must suppose that Ombis got altered into omnes by one copyist, while another thought it was a contraction of omnibus. It may be added that the Ombites, who were at home, would be more easily reinforced than the Tentyrites. 77 hinc] Either "from among the Tentyrites," or "hereupon," "at this point.' 78 ast illum] 'Ast' emphasizes the change of subject. Cf. iii. 264: "Haec inter pueros varie properantur: at ille." 81 decoxit] Hence we must supply roasted with verubus. Cf. Val. Flac. viii. 254: "Pars verubus, pars undanti despumat aeno.' 80 85 90 95 84 Hic gaudere libet] Here one fancies what a blessing it was that they did not profane the stolen present of Prometheus. On libet, cf. ἄνδρες πολῖται, δόξα μοι παρεστάθη, K.T.A. (Soph. O. T.). 89 Nam] Introduces a special fact, to illustrate and confirm the general proposition, "sed-edit," which is naturally thrown into the aorist. "We rejoice... but he who is capable of tasting a corpse, thinks it the most delicious meal he ever tasted; for you mustn't think the first man might enjoy it perhaps, but no one else; rather, the man who stood waiting for his turn till the last, wiped his fingers along the ground, and sucked them, to have a taste of the blood, though the body was gone." 93 Vascones] At Calagurris, now Calahorra, on the Ebro, the birthplace of Quintilian. Extremi, longae dira obsidionis egestas. Pallorem ac maciem et tenues miserantibus artus, Et sua. Quisnam hominum veniam dare, quisve Deorum Et quibus illorum poterant ignoscere manes, 105 Zenonis praecepta monent: nec enim omnia, quaedam Nunc totus Graias nostrasque habet orbis Athenas. 110 97, 98.] Pity is due to a case of cannibalism, like theirs which we are treating.-Sicut, as we ought to pity them, so they were in great distress when they did it. 99 quicquid] Supply post. 104.] Ventribus is most like Juvenal; but all the MSS. have viribus, or urbibus. 108 Cantaber] J. had read of their resistance to Augustus; but they had nothing to do with Calagurris. 109 antiqui] It was at least 150 years ago; and Horace speaks of all poets a hundred years old as ancient. 115 Impulit hos? quae tanta fames infestaque vallo Quae lacrimas dedit: haec nostri pars optima sensus. "Nihil impedit quominus certe intelligas nam opponi potest quamvis" (Hand. Turs. iii. 634), who quotes no passages where modo must be taken closely with an interrogative pronoun or particle; hence I should paraphrase, “I should only like to know what calamity these had, to drive them to such a deed." 122, 123.] "What else could they do to put the Nile's conduct in not rising in an invidious light?" 124, 125.] The Britons were cannibals, and had their wives in common; so had the Agathyrsi. Such irregularities as que and aut, instead of a succession of necs, are common both in English and Latin, and very little or no principle can be traced in their use or avoidance. Here one might fancy that Britons, and either Sauromatae or Agathyrsi are collectively opposed to Cimbri. It is disputed whether 'Brito' means a Briton or a Breton. Ausonius, who unfortunately wrote when the connexion between Britain and Britany was growing closer, uses it as 120 125 130 وو 133 Quae lacrimas dedit] The Nature who gave us tears.-"Haec qua mollissima corda habemus.' 134 causam dicentis amici] If we are to keep the reading of most MSS. Casum lugentis is only found in suspicious MSS.; and several which have lugentis keep causam. One is almost inclined to translate, "the cause of our friend as he pleads it," "the cause he has to plead in a civil action, or the mourning he has to assume as a criminal." The alternative is to suppose Juvenal intended squallorem causam dicentis reique, which is very harsh. Squaloremque rei, pupillum ad jura vocantem Naturae imperio gemimus, quum funus adultae 135 Et minor igne rogi. Quis enim bonus et face dignus 140 Principio indulsit communis conditor illis. 145 150 155 Tantum animas, nobis animum quoque, mutuus ut nos 160 149.] Animus est quo sapimus; anima qua vivimus. 154 limite] So P. : limine is easier, as a neighbour shutting your house in, though intelligible, is rather clumsy here. 160 fera] Probably the serpent, as a general proposition would be awkward. 165 Indica tigris agit rabida cum tigride pacem 170 so would "Quibus non sufficit sed SATIRA XVI. QUIS numerare queat felicis praemia, Galle, 2 Nam] "Lucky soldiers get on very well; for, in fact, with good fortune, I should not mind serving myself. If the camp is lucky in itself, may I be taken in as a shy recruit, and find luck there; luck, I say, for fate can do more for a man 5 in the army than an introduction to Mars from his mistress or his mother." 6 Samia] Where Polycrates, to keep the people low, had built her the largest temple known to Herodotus. |