given if we have prudence, the gods will not fail us; they will do their part. This explanation seems to me more consistent with the tone in which the writer speaks of the deities; but we can hardly be sure that we have discovered his meaning. See xiv. 315, n.] SATIRA XI. INTRODUCTION. JUVENAL invites his friend, whom he calls Persicus, to dinner, and prepares him for plain fare by observations on the conduct of those who with small means affect the indulgences of the rich, and who squander the little they have upon their belly. This extravagance he associates with self-ignorance, and takes occasion to commend that golden rule of life, KNOW THYSELF. He gives a simple account of his own table and establishment, comparing his own way of living with that of the worthies of former days, and contrasting it with the display and profusion of modern times, in respect to furniture, servants, and food, as well as the wanton entertainments with which the fashionable dinners of his day were accompanied. The time is that of the Megalesian festival in honour of Cybele, that is in April, and Juvenal was not young when he wrote. The composition is in Horace's style, without any appearance of imitation. The subject is not large, and there is no great variety of treatment. But as a picture of domestic manners and of a household of the better sort the satire is pleasing. If further historical evidence were needed than is abundantly found elsewhere in respect to the self-indulgence of the rich and their way of living, this satire would supply it. The principal commonplace is sensibly put, the simplicity of the olden time is described in a graphic way, there is heartiness in the invitation, and the occasion is marked with dramatic distinctness in the concluding lines. ARGUMENT. If Atticus lives well he's reckoned generous; if Rutilus, a madman. All men laugh to see a pauper epicure, and so all talk of Rutilus. He's young and stout enough for the wars, and yet (with the prince's leave) it's said he means to train for the arena. There's many a man who lives but for his palate, for whom his creditor looks out at the entrance of the market. The poorest live the best, just on the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile they search the elements for dainties, regardless of the price, or in their hearts preferring what is dearest. For men so reckless it is not hard to get the money. They'll sell their dishes or their mother's image, to season for four hundred sesterces a glutton's crockery. 'Tis thus they come to gladiators' fare. V. 21. That then which riches make respectable is wanton luxury in the poor. The man of learning who knows not the difference between a cash chest and a little purse I do well to despise. That rule came down from heaven, "KNOW THYSELF.” Remember it when you think of marrying or entering the Senate (Thersites did not seek Achilles' armour in which Ulysses made a doubtful figure); or if you aim at pleading some great cause, think who you are, whether a mighty speaker or mere mouther. In great things or in small take your own measure. Buy not a mullet if your purse will go no further than a gudgeon. What can you come to if your appetite grows larger as your purse grows emptier; when all you have is buried in your belly? The ring goes last, and Pollio with bare finger begs. Wantonness fears not early death, but age much worse than death. The steps are these. Money is borrowed first and spent at Rome; but when the usurer begins to trouble them, then off they go to some nice country town. To run away from the forum is no worse than from Suburra to migrate to Esquiliae: they only care that they must lose the games: they never think of blushing: Modesty is laughed at as she flies the town, and few men care to stay her. V. 56. To-day, my friend, you'll see whether I practise what I preach, or praise plain fare but call for rich. You'll find in me Evander, you shall be Hercules or Aeneas. Now listen to your dinner. A young kid from my farm, and wild roots gathered by my gardener's wife; fresh eggs warm in the nest, and hens that laid them; grapes fresh as when first plucked, the finest pears and apples, the crude juice dried from out them. V. 77. Such was the dinner of our senators when first they grew luxurious. The herbs he gathered in his little garden, such as a ditcher now turns up his nose at, Curius would boil with his own hand. The flitch hung up to dry in former times they kept for holidays, and lard for birthdays for their blood relations and part of the victim's meat. The great man who had thrice been consul, dictator too, went to such feasts stalking along with spade upon his shoulder. In the strict Censor's days no one would ask what sort of turtles might be found in the sea, to ornament the rich man's couch they were content with a rude ass's head. Their food and house and furniture were plain alike. V. 100. Unskilled in art, the cups they got for plunder the soldiers broke to ornament their harness or their helmets. The only silver that they had adorned their arms. Their homely fare was served in earthenware. If you're inclined to envy, you might envy those good times. The gods were nearer unto men; they warned the city of the Gauls' approach, such care for Rome had Jupiter when made of clay. The tables then were made of home-grown wood. But now the richest viands have no flavour except on a round table with a carved ivory stem; a silver one to them is rude as an iron ring upon the finger. V. 129. I'll have no guest then who despises poverty. I have not an ounce of ivory in all my house; the very handles of my knives are boue; and yet they do not spoil the meat, or cut the worse for that. And I've no carver taught by first-rate artist, who teaches them to cut up all fine dishes. My man's a novice too, and cannot filch except in a small way, a chop or so. I've only a rough boy in woollen clothes to offer you my vulgar herbs, no eastern bought for a vast price from dealers. Whatever you may ask for ask in Latin. They all are dressed alike, their hair cropped straight, combed out to-day in honour of my guest; boys from the farm, modest as those should be who wear the purple, not trained to lewdness. One shall bring you wine grown on his native hills. Look not for wanton dancing girls (such as your married ladies gaze at with their husbands at their elbow) to tickle lust: though women care for this more than the men. But this is not for humble houses. We leave the click of castanets and songs too lewd for brothels and all the tricks of lust for those who void their rheum on marble floors. We make allowances for wealth, only the poor are shamed by gambling and adultery: the rich who do such things are merry gentleYou'll find with me a different sort of sports: we'll read what Homer wrote and his peer Maro. It matters not what voice recites such verses. V. 183. But come, put care away and take a rest. We'll have no word of debts or jealous thoughts; before my door you must put off all this, home and its troubles, slaves and their breakages, and worse than all the ingratitude of friends. The great men. Idaean games are going on. The praetor, victim of his horses, sits as a conqueror in triumph; all Rome (the multitude must pardon me) has poured into the Circus, and by that shout I know that Green has won the day. For had it not you might have seen the city all in mourning as on that day of Cannae. Let boys go look at games, boys who can shout and bet and sit by girls they love. Let my shrunk skin drink in the sun, and put the toga off. To-day an hour ere noon you may go bathe: you must not do so every day of the six, for even such a life as that would pall. Pleasures are sweeter for unfrequent use. ATTICUS eximie si coenat lautus habetur, Si Rutilus demens. Quid enim majore cachinno 1. Atticus eximie si coenat] Atticus was the cognomen of many persons of high family and distinction under the empire. The name might be proverbial for wealth from the enormous fortune of T. Pomponius Atticus, the friend of Cicero. Rutilus is a cognomen found in several families, both patrician and plebeian. The owner of it here had run through his fortune. 'Lautus' is here a munificent person who lives well, but has means in proportion (see below, v. 22). 'Excipitur' means 'is taken up,' as we say. As to Apicius, see iv. 23, n. [Ribbeck places vv. 1-55 at the bottom of his page.] 4. Convictus, thermae, stationes,] In all companies there is talk of Rutilus. Loquuntur' is understood. Convictus' is equivalent to convivia' here, and in other writers of the empire (see Forcellini). Thermae' are the baths, where a great deal of gossip went on (Hor. S. i. 4. 75, n.: "In medio qui Scripta foro recitent sunt multi quique lavantes"). Ruperti thinks thermae' is again put for thermopolia,' as in S. viii. 168. But here Juvenal is speaking of better company. Places of public resort, where people gathered for conversation, to meet friends and so forth, as we do where bands play, were called 'stationes.' 'Statio' is not so used earlier than the empire. There were three principal theatres at Rome in and after the time of Augustus (see Hor. Epp. ii. 1. 60, n.: "arcto stipata theatro "). There may have been minor theatres besides. 6. Sufficiunt galeae] He means that while he might be doing his country service in the field, he prefers letting himself 5 to the 'lanista.' So he says of Lateranus . The 7. Non cogente quidem] I think Ruperti is right in taking Tribuno' for the emperor, as "nullo cogente Nerone" in viii. 193. As stated in the note there, Augustus prohibited senators from becoming gladiators, while Nero forced them to act as such. Here it is implied that though the emperor did not compel the man as Nero, he might have prevented him like Augustus. Tribunus' is used for the Emperor Caligula, as it appears, in ii. 165. The tribunician power was taken by C. Julius Caesar for life: τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν δημάρχων διὰ βίου ὡς εἰπεῖν προσέθετο (Dion Cass. xlii. 20). He was content with the power and with sitting by the tribunes and taking rank with them, but Augustus took the title of tribune: "id summi fastigii vocabulum Scripturus leges et regia verba lanistae. Augustus reperit, ne regis aut dictatoris nomen assumeret ac tamen appellatione aliqua caetera imperia praemineret" (Tac. Ann. iii. 56). In the decreta of the tribunes prohibere' was synonymous with 'intercedere.' It occurs in two decreta given by Aulus Gellius (vii. 19). 8. Scripturus leges] This is explained in a note on Horace, S. ii. 7. 59: Auctoratus eas." The 'lanista' was the trainer, who also hired gladiators on his own account under a bond, the penalties of which were very severe. They are therefore called 'regia verba,' the words of a tyrant: 'leges' are his rules. Fertur scripturus' is, it is reported he means to write them out, the rules to learn and the bond to sign. As to 'lanista' see S. iii. 158, n. 9. Multos porro vides] These are such as Horace describes, S. i. 2. 7, sqq.: "Hunc si perconteris avi cur atque pa 10 15 Besides these were eggs and the drink called 'mulsum,' from which the 'promulsis' or preliminary course was named. These persons got provocatives from water, air, and earth, fish, fowl, and vegetables, and the more they cost the more in their hearts they relished their dainties, a common weakness with the vain and extravagant. Horace tells his man to go and take exercise and get an appetite, and Sordidus atque animi quod parvi nolit despise a cheap meal if you can (S. ii. 2. then, says he, "Sperne cibum vilem," rentis Praeclaram ingrata stringat malus ingluvie rem, Omnia conductis coemens obsonia nummis, haberi Respondet." Juvenal says, you see many besides, whom their creditors, not able to catch them elsewhere, wait for at the entrance of the market, fellows who live to eat but do not eat to live, as Socrates said (Gell. xix. 2). As to macellum' see S. v. 95, n. The place was enclosed, and was named after the wall, maceria,' with which it was surrounded (see Cic. in Verr. ii. 3. 62, Long's note). 12. Egregius coenat meliusque] Caeteris' may be understood. Egregius' is an unusual comparative form, from ' egregie.' [Ribbeck has a note on this 15). I am surprised to find from Jahn that Heinrich somewhere recommends 'alimenta' for elementa.' 17. Ergo haud difficile est] "Well then (since nothing stops them) it is not difficult to fetch the money which they are bent upon throwing away-they may pawn their dishes and dispose of their mother's bust, and season a glutton's platter with four hundred sesterces." As to 'opponere,' this was a common meaning of the word before Cicero and after (see Forcellini). Handsome silver dishes were found in all houses with any pretension to wealth, and they commonly had 'caelatores,' chasers in silver, on the slave establishment Lancibus oppositis vel matris imagine fracta, Sic veniunt ad miscellanea ludi. Refert ergo quis haec eadem paret; in Rutilo nam Sumit et a censu famam trahit. Illum ego jure (S. ix. 145, n.) whose work this statuette or bust of the man's mother might be. His made dish was to cost upwards of three guineas. Gulosum fictile,' the dish of the glutton. It is now of earthenware, but he does not mind that. Ruperti says about the mother's statue, "fracta ex industria ut non cognosci possit et sine pudore vendi." Where does he get this? It may have been broken by carelessness. The man is not supposed to care much about the image, though it is his mother's. 20. miscellanea ludi.] 'Miscellanea' is a mess of all sorts of things, as the Scholiast explains it. Having spent all he had to spend, the man comes to put up with gladiators' fare. Ludus' is the lanista's school. Ludi' is not for 'ludii,' as Ruperti says (vi. 82). 6 21. Refert ergo quis haec eadem paret;] 'Ergo' is as I said, going back to v. 1 (see x. 44, n.: "Ergo supervacua," &c.). Refert' (rem fert) it makes a difference. 'Haec eadem' is these said dainties. Ventidius is put as Atticus was for any wealthy person. Ventidius Cumanus was procurator of Judaea in the reign of Claudius, and we have had another Ventidius above (vii. 199). The name must have represented a rich family, or Juvenal would not have used it. Laudabile nomen' is represented in 'lautus,' v. 1. For sumit' Heinrich would read sumptus' to get a subject for 'est' and 'trahit,' and to avoid the tautology in 'nomen sumit' and 'famam tra. hit.' Some tautology may be allowed. It is not much, and 'a censu makes the second clause explanatory of the first. The subject of the three verbs is contained in 'haec eadem paret.' Ruperti says 'Luxuria a censu fainam trahit,' which is wrong. In Rutilus the thing is luxury, in Ventidius it takes a creditable name. Juvenal speaks of 'ambitiosa paupertas' pervading all classes (iii. 182). See Pers. iv. 52: Tecum habita, noris quam sit tibi curta supellex." The saying yo σeavròv is attributed to each of the seven wise men, to Pythagoras, to Socrates, and to the Delphic oracle, to which or other divine source Juvenal ascribes it. 29. Conjugium quaeras] Grangaeus quotes as a wise man's saying the words of a woman wise too late. Deianira says (Ovid, Heroid. ix. 29, sqq.) : |