Book XXVIII Argument
Van Heusde considers that this book contained some severe strictures on the part of a morose old man, or stern uncle, on the over-indulgence of a fond and foolish father. Yet a considerable portion of the Satire seems to contain a defense of the poet himself against the assaults of some invidious maligners, and in order to do this, he enters, generally, into a discussion of the habits and manners of young men of the age. Their licentiousness, he is prepared to admit, has been in great measure produced by the want of restraint in early youth. This petulance develops itself in an uncontrolled license of speech, regardless of all annoyance to the feelings of others—in avarice—in haughtiness, the peculiar vice of men of rank—ambition, luxury, and love of sensual pleasure. These charges he illustrates by a passage quoted from Cæcilius. Even those who do show some taste for better things, and apply themselves to the cultivation of philosophy, do not, like Polemon, adopt the severe maxims of a self-denying system, but attach themselves to the school of Epicurus or Aristippus. To such as these, all good advice, all endeavors to reclaim them to the rugged paths of a stricter morality, are utterly hopeless and unavailing.
1 Let him grant the man what he wishes; cajole him, corrupt him altogether, and enfeeble all his nerves.1887
2 You can shorten your speech, while your hide is still sound.1888
3 He both loved Polemo, and bequeathed his “school” to him after his death; as they call it.1889
4... wherefore I am resolved to act against him; to prosecute him, and give up his name....
5... she will steal every thing with bird-limed hands; will take every thing, believe me, and violently sweep off all—1890
6... that ancient race, of which is Maximus Quintus, the knock-kneed, the splay-footed....1891
7... what they say Aristippus the Socratic sent of old to the tyrant....1892
8... to concede that one point, and yield in that in which he is overcome....1893
9... or if by chance needs be, elsewhere; if you depart hence for any place—
10... though the old woman returns to her wine-pot.1894
11... to threaten openly to name the day for his trial.
12... unhonored, unlamented, unburied—1895
13... substitute others, if you think whom you can.
14... lest he do this, and you escape from this sorrow.
15... what will become of me? since you do not wish to associate with the bad.1896
16... he never bestirs himself, nor acts so as to bring ruin on himself.
17 Here then was the meeting: arms and an ambuscade were placed.1897
18 I made away with a large quantity of fish and fatlings; that I deny....1898
19... add, moreover, a grave and stern philosopher.
20... rap at the door, Gnatho: keep it up! they stand firm! We are undone!
21 Come, come, you thieves; prate away your lies!1899
22 But flight is prepared; greatly excited, he steps with timid foot.1900
23 Why do you thus use engines throwing stones of a hundred pounds’ weight?1901
24... in the first place, gold is superabundant, and the treasures are open—
25... persuade... and pass: or tell me why you should pass.
26 † he besides orders our... who are entering....1902
27... to your own mischief, you destroyers of hinges1903
28 If Lucilius has provoked him in his love.
29 Whether you have kept aloof from your husband, a year, or this year—
30 besides this, some extra work, whenever you please1904
31 to whom I intrusted implicitly my life and fortunes.1905
32... on whom I have often inflicted a thousand stripes a day
33... that he is a capital botcher: sews up patchwork excellently.1906
34... by such great power they will elate their minds to heaven1907
35 But what are you doing? tell me that I may know—
36... Youth must provide now against old age.
37 As though you had dropsy in your mind.
38... as to face and stature....1908
39... and what is filthy in look and smell—
40... to forge supports of gold and brass—1909
41 Nor challenges at any price—
42 Go in, and be of good cheer.
43 Care nothing about teaching letters to a clod.1910
44 I have made up my mind, Hymnis, that you are taking from a madman1911
45 You know the whole affair. I am afraid I shall be blamed
46 Chremes had gone to the middle. Demænetus to the top.
47 Here you will find firm flesh, and the breasts standing forth from a chest like marble—1912
48 I will surpass the forms and atoms of Epicurus—
49 † Now you come toward us....1913
50... I come to the pimp... that he intends to buy her outright for three thousand sesterces.1914
Footnotes
1887 Nonius explains eligere by defatigare. It is used by Varro and Columella in the sense of “plucking up, weeding out,” eridicare; and metaphorically by Cicero in the same sense. (Tusc., iii., 34.) Gerlach maintains that nervos eligere is not Latin, and reads nervos elidat [which is confirmed by a passage in the same treatise of Cicero, “Nervos omnes virtutis elidunt.” Tusc., ii., 11].
1888 Compendi facere. Plaut., Most., I., i., 57, “Orationis operam compendiface.” Pseud., IV., vii., 44, “Quisquis es adolescens operam fac compendi quærere.” Asin., II., ii., 41, “Verbivelitationem fieri compendi volo.” Capt., V., ii., 12. Bacch., I., ii, 51; II., ii., 6. Terginum is a scourge made of hide (the “cowskin” of the Americans). Cf. Plaut., Ps., I., ii., 22, “Nunquam edepol vostrum durius tergum erit quam terginum hoc meum.”
1889 The story of Polemon entering intoxicated into the school of Xenocrates, and being suddenly converted by that philosopher’s lecture on temperance, is told by Diogenes Laertius (in Vit., i., c. 1), and referred to by Horace, ii., Sat. iii., 253, “Faciasne quod olim mutatus Polemon? ponas insignia morbi Fasciolas, cubital, focalia, potus ut ille dicitur ex collo furtim carpsisse coronas postquam est impransi correptus voce magistri.” He afterward succeeded Xenocrates; and Zeno and Arcesilaus were among his hearers. Cic., Orat., iii., 18.
1890 Viscatis manibus. Cf. Sen., Ep. viii., 3, “Quisquis nostrum ista viscata beneficia devitet.”
1891 To whom these vituperative alliterations (vatia, vatrax, vatricosus) are applied is uncertain. The Fabian gens are most probably alluded to. The reading “verrucosus,” therefore, has been suggested, to identify the person with the great Fabius Cunctator. (Aur. Vict., Vir. Ill., 43.) But this violates the metre, and still leaves the two other epithets unaccounted for. Three famous men of the gens had the prænomen Quintus, Æmilianus, his son Allobrogicus, and his grandson. Gerlach considers the last to be the object of the Satire, as his profligacy and licentiousness were notorious. Cf. Val. Max., III., v., 2.
1892 Of the numerous repartees of Aristippus to Dionysius, mentioned by Diogenes Laertius in his Life, it is difficult to say to which Lucilius alludes. Cf. Hor., ii., Sat. iii., 10; i., Epist. xvii., 13, seq.
1893 Cf. Hor., Epod. xvii., 1, “Jam jam efficaci do manus scientiæ.”
1894 Armillum, “a wine-pot,” vini urceolus, vas vinarium; so called quia armo, i. e., humero deportatur. Old women being naturally wine-bibbers (vinibuæ), “anus ad armillum” passed into a proverbial expression. Cf. Prov., xxvi., 11. 2 Pet., ii., 22.
1895 Nullo honore. Cf. Scott’s Lay of Last Minstrel, “Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.”
1896 Committere, Nonius explains by “conjungere, sociare.” Cf. Virg., Æn., iii., “Delphinum caudas utero commissa luporum.” Ov., Met, xii., 478, “Quà vir equo commissus erat.”
1897 Nonius quotes this passage as an instance of “convenire” used in the sense of “interpellare.”
1898 Altilium. Cf. Juv., v., 168, “Ad nos jam veniet minor altilis.” Hor., i., Ep. vii., 35, “Nec somnum plebis laudo satur altilium.” Cf. iv., Fr. 5.
1899 Argutamini. Cf. Enn. ap. Non., “Exerce linguam ut argutarier possis.” Næv., ibid., “totum diem argutatur quasi cicada.” Plaut., Amp., I., i., 196, “Pergin argutarier?” Bacch., I., ii., 19, “Etiam me advorsus exordire argutias?”
1900 Percitus is commonly used by the comic writers for the excitement of any strong passion, as love, anger, etc.
1901 Centenarias. So pondere centenario. Plin., vii., 20. Cf. ad lib. v., Fr. 22.
1902 Hopelessly corrupt. Dusa proposes puer.
1903 Confectores. Connected probably with Fr. 20, and referring to the violent entrances lovers used to effect into the houses of their mistresses. Cf. lib. iv., Fr. 15; xxix., Fr. 47. Hor., iii., Od. xxvi., 7. Where Zumpt explains vectes as instruments which “adhibebantur ad fores effringendas.” Conficere, i. e., frangere. Nonius.
1904 Subsecivus is properly applied to that which is “cut off and left remaining over and above,” as land in surveying, etc. So horæ subsecivæ, tempus subsecivum, “leisure hours, odd times,” used by Cicero and Pliny. So Seneca says of philosophy, “Exercet regnum suum: dat tempus non accipit. Non est res subseciva: ordinaria est, domina est: adest et jubet.” Cf. the Greek phrase ἐκ παρέργου.
1905 Concredidit. Plaut., Aul., Prol., 6.
1906 Sarcinator. Plaut., Aul., III., v., 41. Cento, “a patchwork coverlet.” Juv., vi., 121. Vid. Fest in voc. “prohibere.” The phrase centones sarcire also means, “to impose upon a person by falsehoods.” Cf. Plaut., Epid., III., iv., 19, “Quin tu alium quæras quoi centones sarcias.”
1907 The emendations of this Fragment are endless. The reading of the text is approved by Merula and Gerlach.
1908 Statura. Cf. Cic., Phil., ii., 16, “Velim mihi docas, L, Turselius, qua facie fuit, quâ staturâ.”
1909 Fulmenta, “any prop or support.” Hence “a bed-post.” Whence the proverb, “Fulmenta lectum scandunt.” Plautus also uses it for the “heel of a shoe,” “fulmentas jubeam suppingi soccis?” Trin., III., ii., 94, seq. Lib. iv., Fr. 19.
1910 Lutum for “lutulentum.”
1911 Gerlach thinks Hymnis, here and in lib. xxvii., Fr. 43, may be a proper name.
1912 Hic corpus. “Verba conciliatricis Lenæ.” Dusa. (Cf. Arist., Acharn., 1199).
1913 Given up even by Gerlach.
1914 Destinet. Cf. Plaut., Rud., Prol., 45, “Amare occœpit, ad lenonem devenit minis triginta sibi puellam destinat.” Pers., IV., iii., 80. Mart., III., i., 109; IV., iii., 35. Destinare is properly “to set one’s mind upon a thing.” So obstinare. Plaut., Aul., II., ii., 89.