Officium vatis peragentibus, his monuit nos. 114. Office of a prophet.] By thus warning the Romans of their approach ing danger. This was particularly the business of augurs, soothsayers, &c. -By these.] g. d. The voice gave warning of the enemy's approach, by these means (his) i. e. by the gods, who acted prophetically towards us. 115, 16. Latian affairs.] The affairs of Italy, anciently called Latium. 116. Fictile.] Fictilis-earthen ware. In those days of plainness and simplicity, when the images of Jupiter, and of the other gods, were made of potters' clay. -Polluted by no gold.] i. e. Before he had fine statues made out of the gold which had been taken by rapine and plunder. Comp. sat. iii. 1. 20. 117. These times.] Of ancient simplicity. -Home-born tables, &c.] Our ancestors did not send into foreign countries for materials to make tables, as it is now the fashion to do: they were content with the wood of their own trees. 118. Stood, &c.] Was received and applied to make such household furniture as was wanted. 119. Nut-tree.] All fruits that have an hard shell are called nuces, such as almonds, walnuts, and the like. So the nucem, here, may signify any tree bear. 115 120 125 130 ing such fruits; probably a walnut-tree is meant. 121. Venison.] Dama signifies a fallow deer, either buck or doe: here it denotes the flesh which we call venison. -The ointments.] Of perfume, with which they anointed their hair at their convivial meetings. See Hon. lib. iii. ode xxix. 1. 3, 4, 5: 122. Roscs.] They made garlands and wreaths of roses and other flowers, which the guests wore on these occasions. See Hon. ubi supr. and see ode the last, lib. i. 123. Ivory sustains, &c.] Unless their tables, which were of a round form, (orbes) were set on huge pedestals of ivory. The circumference meant by orbes, is here put for the tables themselves. Synec. -A lofty leopard, &c.] The figure of a great leopard carved in ivory, put by way of pedestal to support the table. -Agreat gape.] His jaws represented as stretched wide open. 124. Those teeth.] Elephants' teeth. -The gate of Syene.] Porta is here put, as denoting Syene to be the door, or gate, as it were, through which, from the island, the passage lay into Egypt, and thence to Rome. Syene was the metropolis of an island of that name; and this island was called Insula Elephantina, Performing the office of a prophet, warned us by these. 115 Those times home-born tables, and out of our own tree, those If haply the east-wind had thrown down an old nut-tree. 120 And the swift Moors, and the Indian darker than the Moors, And which a beast has deposited in a Nabathæan forest, 126 Now too much and too heavy for his head: hence arises appetite, Hence strength to the stomach: for a silver foot to them, Is what an iron ring would be upon the finger. Therefore the proud 129 Guest I am aware of, who compares me to himself, and despises My little affairs; insomuch that I have not an ounce of ivory, from the number of its elephants. It belonged to Egypt, and bordered on Ethiopia. He uses the word porta here, as Horace uses janua, when speaking of the city of Cumæ, as to be passed in the way to Baiæ. Sat. iii. 4. Janua Baiarum est. 125. Swift Moors.] The poet is describing the places from whence the elephants came. Many came from Mauritania, the inhabitants whereof were called Mauri, who were remarkable for their swiftness and activity. -The Indian.] The largest elephants came from India. -Darker, &c.] Of a blacker colour or complexion. 126. A beast has deposited, &c.] Bellua signifies any great beast; here, an elephant. These animals shed their teeth, which are often found. -Nabathaan forest.] Some forest of Arabia, which was called Nabathæa, from ', Nebith, the first-born of Ismael, the supposed father of the Arabs. 127. Too much and too heavy, &c.] The teeth of elephants grow to an enormous size and weight so as to be burthensome to the animal when grown old, till they drop out through age. -Hence arises uppetite, &c.] Orexis, from Gr. ogy, appeto, cupio. The sight of this fine ivory is a sort of whet to their appetite, (comp. 1. 121, 2.) gives vigour to the stomach. 128. A silver foot, &c.] A table set upon a foot made of silver they would scorn, as much as to wear a ring made of iron, instead of gold, upon their finger. The Romans were very anxious to appear with fine rings, and were so lux. urious as to have different sorts for summer and winter. See sat. i. 28, 29. sat. vii. 140, 1. 129, 30. Proud guest, &c.] Who can't sit down to a plain meal upon a plain table, but expects dainties set upon ivory. 130. Who compares, &c.] Who measures my fortune and expences by his own, and expects me to entertain him as he entertains others. 131. Little affairs.] My plain and frugal manner of living, according to the smallness of my fortune. -Insomuch that, &c.] I am so much (adeo), so totally without a single ounce of ivory, that even the squares of my chess-board are without it, nor is one of the chess-men made of it. Est eboris, nec tessellæ, nec calculus ex hâc 135 Sed nec structor erit, cui cedere debeat omnis Sumine cum magno lepus, atque aper, atque pygargus, 140 Et Scythicæ volucres, et Phoenicopterus ingens, Tessella is a small square stone, or piece of wood, with which they make chequer-work in tables, or boards. Here, probably, tessellæ means the chequers of a chess-board. Calculus signifies a little pebble, or gravel-stone, with which they marked; hence calculi, chess-men, table-men. AINSW. The game of chess is much more ancient than the days of Juvenal; it is a common opinion that it was invented by Palamede, at the siege of Troy. See CHAMBERS, art. Chess. 134. Yet by these, &c.] Though the handles of my knives are made of bone, yet my victuals suffer no damage, but taste as well, and are carved as well, as if my knife-handles were made of ivory. 136. A carver.] It was, among other instances of luxury, a fashion to have an artist, who had been taught to carve dexterously, at their entertainments : he, as well as the sewer who set on the dishes, was called structor, from struo, to prepare, or make ready. -School.] Pergula here signifies a place where the professors of any art, or science, taught their scholars publicly. I know not that we have an English word which exactly expresses it: in this sense of it, school, or academy, may come the nearest. 145 139. Scythian birds.] It is thought that pheasants are meant here; but the description is too vague to be certain what birds are precisely meant. -Phænicopter.] So called from Gr. Pointos, crimson, and rrigov, a wing; a bird, having its wings of a crimson colour. The tongue of this bird was a great dainty among the Romans. Phoenicopterus. Dat mihi penna rubens nomen: sed MART. epigr. lxxi, lib. xiii. 140. Gætulian goat.] Orix, a sort of wild goat, from Gætulia, a country of Africa. -Blunt iron.] Some large knife, or some chopping instrument of iron, worn blunt with constant use. 141. Made of elm, &c.] Trypherus had all kind of provision for a feast made in wood, as the best material for the conveniency of teaching; the hacking and Nor are my squares, nor a chess-man of this 135 139 Nor shall there be a carver, to whom every school ought 145 The homely boy, and safe from cold, shall reach forth. hewing of which, among the scholars, must have made no small noise. 141. Thro' all the Suburra.] A very public street in Rome, often mentioned before. The idea of carving being erect ed into a science, and taught by a public professor, but exercising his pupils on wooden subjects, is truly ludicrous. See sat. v. 121, note. 142. To take off, &c.] To carve according to art. 142, 3. The side of an African bird.] The wing of a turkey. This bird came from Numidia, a country of Africa, hence called gallus Numidicus. To take off the wing (as we call the pinion, and part of the breast) of a roasted bird, without leaving some part behind, is reckoned to require some skill in carving. 143. My little novice.] Tyrunculus (dim. from tyro) signifies a young soldier, scholar, or a young beginner, in any science. Here it describes Juvenal's boy as lately come out of the country, and beginning to learn his business. -Always rude.] Untaught from his cradle to this hour. 144. Accustomed.] Used only perhaps to cut a piece off a collop, or steak, of some plain meat. 145. Plebeian cups.] Such as the common people use. 146. Homely boy, &c.] Incultus here, perhaps, rather means meanly dressed, not trimmed up, not spruce; and yet so clad as to keep him warm, to secure him from the cold-A frigore tutus. Reach forth.] Porriget here describes the act of the servant, when he brings what is called for, and reaches or holds it forth to the guest, that he may take it. See sat. i. 1. 70; and sat. v. 1. 67. 147. Phrygian-Lycian, &c.] The nobility of Rome purchased elegant and handsome slaves, which were brought from Phrygia and Lycia, countries of Asia, by merchants who made it their business to traffic in slaves, and who, by using all arts to set them off to the best advantage, sold them at an extravagant price. These dealers were called mangones, because they painted the slaves, to make them look the better, and sell the dearer; from Gr. payyavor, a deceit by some contrivance, such as witchcraft. See AINSW. Or disguising a thing to make it look better than it is. 148. Ask in Latin.] For my poor boy understands no other language; therefore, when you ask, or call, for what you want, do it in Latin, or he won't understand you. 149. The same habit, &c.] All my servants are dressed and appear alike. Atque hodie tantum propter convivia pexi. 150 155 A quibus ipse venit, quorum sub vertice lusit : 160 Namque una atque eadem est vini patria, atque ministri. Incipiat prurire choro, plausuque probatæ Ad terram tremulo descendant clune puellæ. Spectant hoc nuptæ, juxta recubante marito, 165 Quod pudeat narrasse aliquem præsentibus ipsis ; Where he was 153. Little cottage.] born and brought up. 1. 60, 1. --Known kids.] Which he used to tend and play with. 154. Ingenuous countenance, &c.] An honest countenance, and a genuine unaffected modesty. 155. Such as it becomes, &c.] q. d. It would be well if the same could be said of our young nobility. -Glowing purple.] Alluding to the white robe, faced and trimmed with purple, which was worn by the young nobility till seventeen years of age. 170 This was called prætexta, and those who wore it prætextati. It was worn also by magistrates, and other noble persons, as a mark or badge of honour. See sat. i. 1. 78, note; and sat. ii. l. 170, note; and sat. x. 99. 156. Nor, hoarse.] Alluding to the change of the voice in boys at the age of puberty. 157. In the baths.] Where youths exposed their naked persons, for purposes tou horrid to explain. 159. Give you wine.] This modest boy of mine shall wait upon you at supper, and serve you. Withwine from his own countrybrought; and made From the same vines, beneath whose fruitful shade He and his wanton kids have often play'd. CONOREVE. 162.AGaditanian.] A Spanish girl from Gades, now Cadiz. See sat. x. 1. 1, note. 162, 3. Tuneful company.] An usual part of the entertainment, when great men feasted, was to have wanton women |
