Cum duo crura habeas, offendere tot caligatos, Da testem, Judex cum dixerit: audeat ille Præmia nunc alia, atque alia emolumenta notemus plead his cause against him, must have the resolution and impudence of that brawling lawyer of Mutina (hod. Modena), who, for a fee, would undertake the most dangerous and desperate causes. 24. Since you have two legs.] (Which are now safe and sound) to be objects of mischief to the soldiers, who will kick your shins with their clouted shoes, and break them. -Common soldiers.] Caligatos-having the caliga on their feet and legs stuck full of nails and spikes, hence called caligati. See sat. iii. 222-48, and notes. 25. Thousands of nails.] Each soldier having a great number. -So far from the city.] Who can be so foolish and ignorant, so unacquainted with the ways of the world, and especially with the manners of the soldiery, as to venture upon any quarrel with a soldier? Quis tam procul absit ab urbe? q. d. Who can be so ignorant of the world! The expression seems proverbial: the people in a town, or great city, as Rome was, must be supposed to know mankind better than rustics, who live in the country, and are usually raw and ignorant; hence called inurbani, rude, simple, homely. So the Greeks used the word aσrsios, (from assu, a city, particularly Athens,) to denote a sharp man, well acquainted 25 30 35 with the ways of the world; answering, in great measure, to the English word politic, which is from the Latin politicus, and this from Gr. λ, a city. 26. So much a Pylades.] So much like Pylades; alluding to Pylades, the friend of Orestes, who underwent all dangers with him and for him, and even exposed his life for him, when he went to Taurica to expiate his crimes at the altar of Diana Taurica. See EURIP. Iphigen. in Tauris. Whom, beside all I have been saying of your own personal dangers from the soldiery, could you find such a friend, as to expose his safety for your sake, and enter within the camp to plead your cause, or to take your part? -Mole of the rampart.] The Romans used to surround their encampments with vast heaps or banks of earth, thrown up by way of rampart. The mass of earth which formed this might properly be called moles aggeris. A person could not get into the camp without first passing this. Who would, says the poet, venture beyond this for your sake? 27. Let tears, &c.] Cease to implore with tears your friends to help you. 28. About to excuse themselves.] Forbear to solicit your friends, who, instead of complying with such a request, will find a thousand excuses for not complying with your solicitations. 29. When the judge says, &c.] But 25 Since you have two legs, to offend so many common soldiers, Thousands of nails. Who can be so far from the city? Besides, who is so much a Pylades, beyond the mole of the rampart That he would come? let tears immediately be dried up, and let us Not solicit friends about to excuse themselves. 30 When the judge says-" Give evidence:" let him dare, Or a field, if a wicked neighbour has taken away from me; suppose you could prevail on a friend to go with you, to be a witness for you in the cause, who saw you beaten by the soldier, and suppose the judge calls on the cause, and bids you produce your evidence; let any man, (I know not who I name nobody,) but let me see the man who dares to swear publicly in court that he saw the blows given 31. Worthy the beard, &c.] I will allow him to be a man of primitive virtue, fidelity, and courage; such as resided in our great ancestors, who knew not our modern effeminacy; they neither shaved their beards, nor cut their hair. 32. You might sooner produce, &c.] Paganus literally signifies one in, or of, the country, or country village; here it is used in contradistinction to a soldier. It is more easy to bring a false accusation, and support it by false testimony, against such a one, than to bring a true accusation, and to support it by true testimony, against either the property or honour of a soldier-armati. See ante, 1. 8, note. 36. Of oaths.] When soldiers were inlisted, they took an oath of allegiance and fidelity to the emperor, to their country, and to their general. Now, says Juvenal, let us consider some farther privileges of taking the oaths as a soldier, and, by this, being enrolled in the army. -A dale.] Convallis signifies a vale or valley, enclosed on both sides with hills, commonly the most fruitful part of an estate. See Ps. lxv. 13. -My ancestral estate.] My familyestate, descended to me from my ancestors. He speaks as a common person. 37. Or a field.] Some other favourite spot. If a wicked neighbour hath by violence entered and disseised me of these. 38. Hath dug up, &c.] If he hath removed my boundary. The stones which were set up for boundaries were held sacred; they adorned them with chaplets, and every year offered to the god Terminus, on the top of the boundary stones, sacrifices of honey, meal, and oil, made into cakes. This composition was called puls. See AINSW. And the cakes, liba. See ib. libum. -Middle border.] i. e. Which stood on the line between my estate and my neighbour's. It was always reckoned a grievous offence to remove a land-mark; it was expressly forbidden in the divine law, Deut. xxvii. 17. 39. An old cake.] This institution of a yearly sacrifice to the god Terminus, the god of boundaries, was as old as the days of Numa Pompilius, the successor of Romulus. Debitor aut sumptos pergit non reddere nummos, Quod placitum est, illis præstatur tempus agendi, Vivo patre datur: nam quæ sunt parta labore 40. A debtor goes on, &c.] A man that has borrowed a sum of money continues to refuse the payment. 41. Saying the hand-writings, &c.] Denying the validity of his bond. See sat. xiii. 137, note. 42. The year, &c.] There were judges, or commissioners, chosen to hear certain civil causes among the people, of whom every tribe had three: there being thirty-five tribes in Rome, there were, of course, one hundred and five judges, though named centumviri, from the greater number. By the year (annus) here, we are to understand a certain time of the year, when the judges sat to try causes; what we should call term-time. Annus properly signifies a circle, whence annulus, a ring. Being applied to time, it denotes the annual progress of the sun through the twelve signs of the Zodiac, which we call a year; but it may also denote the revolution of any certain time. -Of the whole people.] Totius populi -i. e. when the courts were open to the people at large, that they might get their causes heard and decided. -Begin suits.] The time of year when the centumviri will open their commission, and begin to try causes, must be waited for this may occasion much delay. 40 Hunc labor æquus 45 50 55 44. So often the benches, &c.] It so often happens that the seats are prepared for the judges, and they don't attend. Sternuntur may here signify the spreading of the benches for the judges with cushions, or the like. See AINSW. Subsellium, No. 2. 45. Laying by his garments.] Lacerna signifies a cloak, a riding coat, and various other species of garments; but here, the robes or dress of the judges. One judge, says the poet, lays by his garments; meaning, perhaps, that he goes out of court to do this, complaining that he can't bear the heat. Of Cæditius, see sat. xiii. 197, note. 46. Fuscus, &c.] Aurelius Fuscus, noted by Martial as a very drunken fellow. He is always going out of court to get rid of his liquor. -Prepared.] That is, for the hearing. 47. We depart.] By the strange avo. cations of the judges for different purposes, the day passes without the cause being tried, and the parties are forced to go away as they came. -The slow sand, &c.] A metaphor, taken from gladiators. See sat. ii. 143, 40 Or a debtor goes on not to render money taken, 49 We depart, and fight in the slow sand of the forum. The whole government of which the father possesses. fore, Coranus, There An attendant of banners, and earning the money of camps, 55 His father, tho' trembling, besets. Just labour note 2, ad fin.-lenta arena fori-for arena lenti fori. Hypall.—q. d. We, the litigating parties, carry on our contention in as low dilatory manner, seeing no end of the vexation and delay of the court. 48. Whom arms cover, &c.] q. d. But as for the soldiery, they meet with none of these disappointments-they may bring on their cause when they please. 50. Nor is the affair worn, &c.] Their cause is not delayed from time to time, till the matter grows stale, and wears away by length of procrastination. Or res here may signify estate, goods, fortune; and we may explain the poet to mean, that they are not ruined in their fortunes, as others are, by the expences of dilatory proceedings, by long and vexatious delays. -Long impediment.] Sufflamine. Metaph. See sat. viii. 1. 148, note. 51. A will, &c.] By the laws of Rome, a son, during the life of his father, could not dispose of his effects by will. Soldiers were excepted, so that their last wills were valid, though made during the father's life, and though they even excluded the father's from any share of their effects which they bequeathed: but this related only to what they got VOL. II. 55. An attendant of banners.] Who had followed and fought under the Roman banners. -Earning the money of camps.] Receiving his pay, and sharing the booty when enemies were defeated and plundered. 56. His father, tho' trembling.] An old man trembling with age, and not long for this world. -Besets.] Captat-wheedles him, in hopes of being his heir. See sat. x. 1. 202, and note. -Just labour, &c.] A diligent and faithful discharge of his duty as a soldier, has advanced this man to affluence and rank. 2 c Provehit, et pulchro reddit sua dona labori. 57. And renders, &c.] And has amply rewarded all the glorious pains which he has taken in the service of his country. 58. This certainly, &c.] q. d. It should certainly be the principal study of a general to promote and reward the brave; and that they who render the greatest services to their country by their valour, should be most happy. See AINSW. Refero, No. 5. Referre ipsius ducis is of difficult construction, but seems equivalent to referre ad ipsum ducem. For 'tis a noble general's prudent part, DRYDEN. 60 |