_
"Lets out his voice (his sole remaining boast),
And rants the nonsense of a clam'rous ghost.
"Lets out his voice (his sole remaining boast),
And rants the nonsense of a clam'rous ghost.
Satires
Plin.
, v.
, 4.
[439] _Circo. _ Cf. x. , 80, "duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et
Circenses. " Tac. , Hist. , i. , 4, "Plebs sordida ac Circo et Theatris
sueta. "
"From those thy gripes restrain,
Who with their sweat Rome's luxury maintain,
And send us plenty, while our wanton day
Is lavish'd at the circus or the play. " Dryden.
[440] _Marius. _ Vid. ad i. , 47.
[441] _Discinxerit. _ Cf. Virg. , Æn. , viii. , 724, "Hic Nomadum genus et
discinctos Mulciber Afros. " Sil. Ital. , ii. , 56, "Discinctos Libyas. "
Money was carried in girdles (xiv. , 296), and the Africans wore but
little other clothing. For the amount of his plunder, see Plin. , ii. ,
Ep. xi. , "Cornutus, censuit septingenta millia quæ acceperat Marius
ærario inferenda. "
[442] _Acersecomes. _ Some "puer intonsus" with flowing locks like
Bacchus or Apollo. Φοῖβος ἀκερσεκόμης. Hom. , Il. , xx. , 39. Pind. ,
Pyth. , iii. , 26.
[443] _Conjuge. _ Cf. the discussion in the senate recorded Tac. , Ann. ,
iii. , 33, _seq. _
[444] _Conventus. _ "Loca constituta in provinciis juri dicundo. " The
different towns in the provinces where the Roman governors held their
courts and heard appeals. The _courts_ as well as the _towns_ were
called by this name. They were also called Fora and Jurisdictiones.
Vid. Plin. , III. , i. , 3; V. , xxix. , 29. Cic. in Verr. , II. , v. , 11.
Cæs. , B. G. , i. , 54; vi. , 44.
[445] _Celæno. _ Cf. Virg. , Æn. , iii. , 211, "dira Celæno Harpyiæque
aliæ. "
[446] _Promethea. _
"E'en from Prometheus' self thy lineage trace,
And ransack history to adorn thy race. " Hodgson.
[447] _Frangis virgas. _
"Rods broke on our associates' bleeding backs,
And headsmen laboring till they blunt their axe. " Dryden.
[448] _Incipit ipsorum. _
"The lofty pride of every honor'd name
Shall rise to vindicate insulted fame,
And hold the torch to blazon forth thy shame. " Hodgson.
[449] _Contra te stare. _
"Will to his blood oppose your daring claim,
And fire a torch to blaze upon your shame. " Gifford.
[450] _Temples. _ The sealing of wills was usually performed in temples;
in the morning, and fasting, as the canon law afterward directed.
[451] _Santonico. _ The Santones were a people of Aquitania, between the
Loire and Garonne. Cf. Mart. , xiv. , Ep. 128, "Gallia Santonico vestit
te bardocucullo. "
[452] _Sufflamine. _ "The introduction of the drag-chain has a local
propriety: Rome, with its seven hills, had just so many necessities for
the frequent use of the sufflamen. This necessity, from the change of
the soil, exists no longer. " Badham.
[453] _Testes. _ Cf. vi. , 311, Lunà teste.
[454] _Damasippus_ (cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 16) was a name of the
Licinian gens. "Damasippus was sick," says Holyday, "of that disease
which the Spartans call horse-feeding. "
[455] _Hordea. _ Horses in Italy are fed on barley, not on oats.
[456] _Eponam_ (cf. Aristoph. , Nub. , 84), the patroness of grooms.
Some read "Hipponam," which Gifford prefers, from the tameness of the
epithet "solam. " Cf. Blunt's Vestiges, p. 29.
"On some rank deity, whose filthy face
We suitably o'er stinking stables place. " Dryden.
[457] _Amomo_, an Assyrian shrub. Cf. iv. , 108.
[458] _Idumeæ. _ The gate at Rome near the Arch of Titus, through which
Vespasian and Titus entered the city in triumph after their victories
in Palestine.
[459] _Dominum. _ Cf. Mart. , i. , Ep. 113, "Cum te non nossem dominum
regemque vocabam. " Cf. iv. , Ep. 84, 5.
[460] _Inscripta lintea. _ Perhaps "curtains, having painted on them
what was for sale within. " Others say it means "embroidered with
needlework;" or "towels," according to Calderinus, who compares
Catull. , xxv. , 7.
[461] _Armeniæ. _ The allusion is to Corbulo's exploits in Parthia and
Armenia in Nero's reign, A. D. 60. Cf. ad iii. , 251. There were great
disturbances in the same quarters in Trajan's reign, which caused his
expedition, in A. D. 114, against the Armenians and Parthians. In A. D.
100, Marius Priscus was accused by Pliny and Tacitus. Vid. Plin. ,
ii. , Ep. xi. Probably half way between these two dates we may fix the
writing of this Satire.
[462] _Mitte Ostia. _ So most of the commentators interpret it. "Send
your Legatus to take the command of the troops for foreign service,
waiting for embarkation at Ostia. " But if so, "ad" should be expressed,
and either Tiberina added, or Ostia made of the 1st declension.
Britann. , therefore, and Heinrich explain it, "Pass by his own doors;"
omitte quærere illic, "he is far away. "
[463] _Sandapila. _ The bier or open coffin, on which the poor, or those
killed in the amphitheatre, were carried to burial; hence "sandapila
popularis. " Suet. , Domit. , 17. Stepney (in Dryden's version) thus
enumerates these worthies:
"Quacks, coffin-makers, fugitives, and sailors,
Rooks, common soldiers, hangmen, thieves, and tailors. "
[464] _Resupinantis. _ In Holyday's quaint version,
"Among great Cybel's silent drums, which lack
Their Phrygian priest, who lies drunk on his back. "
[465] _Ergastula. _ Private prisons attached to Roman farms, in which
the slaves worked in chains. The Tuscan were peculiarly severe. Vid.
Dennis's Etruria, vol. i. , p. xlviii.
[466] _Turpia cerdoni. _ Cf. iv. , 13," Nam quod turpe bonis Titio
Seioque decebat Crispinum. " Pers. , iv. , 51, "Tollat sua munera cerdo. "
"And crimes that tinge with shame the cobbler's face,
Become the lords of Brutus' honor'd race. " Hodgson.
[467] _Locasti.
_
"Lets out his voice (his sole remaining boast),
And rants the nonsense of a clam'rous ghost. " Hodgson.
[468] _Sipario. _ The curtain or drop-scene in _comedy_, as _Aulæum_ was
in _tragedy_. Donat.
[469] _Phasma. _ Probably a translation from the Greek. Ter. , Eun. ,
pr. 9, "Idem Menandri phasma nunc nuper dedit. " Catullus is not to
be confounded with C. Valerius Catullus of Verona (the old Schol.
says Q. Lutatius Catullus is meant, and quotes xiii. , 11, whom
Lubinus, ad loc. , calls "Urbanus Catullus") as far as the Phasma is
concerned. --_Laureolus_ was the chief character in a play or ballet by
Val. Catullus, or Laberius, or Nævius: and was crucified on the stage,
and then torn to pieces by wild beasts. Martial (de Spect. , Ep. vii. )
says this was acted _to the life_ in the Roman amphitheatre, the part
of the bandit being performed by a real malefactor, who was crucified
and torn to pieces in the arena, "Non falsâ pendens in cruce Laureolus. "
"And Lentulus _acts_ hanging with such art,
Were I a judge, he should not _feign_ the part. " Dryden.
[470] _Sedet. _
"Sit with unblushing front, and calmly see
The hired patrician's low buffoonery;
Smile at the Fabii's tricks, and grin to hear
The cuffs resound from the Mamerci's ear. " Gifford.
[471] _Cogente Nerone. _ Cf. Tac. , Ann. , xiv. , 14, who abstains from
mentioning the _names_ of the nobles thus disgraced, out of respect for
their ancestors. Cf. Dio. , lxi. Suetonius says (Nero, cap. xii. ) that
400 senators and 600 knights were thus dishonored (but Lipsius says 40
and 60 are the true numbers).
[472] _Nec dubitant. _ No doubt a spurious line.
[473] _Gladios. _ This is the usual interpretation. Perhaps it would be
better to take "gladios" for the _death_ that awaits you if you refuse
to comply: as iv. , 96; x. , 345. So Badham:
"Place here the tyrant's sword, and there the scene;
Gods! can a Roman hesitate between! "
[474] _Thymele. _ Cf. i. , 36.
[475] _Ludus. _ Properly, "school of gladiators. "
[476] _Gracchus. _ Cf. ii. , 143.
[477] _Tunicæ. _ Cf. ii. , 143, tunicati fuscina Gracchi. Suet. , Cal. ,
30. The Retiarii wore a tunic only. The gold spira was the band that
tied the tall conical cap of the Salii; who wore also a gold fringe
round the tunic.
[478] _Seneca. _ There is said to be an allusion here to the plot of
Subrius Flavius to murder Nero and make Seneca emperor. It was believed
that Seneca was privy to it. Tac. , Ann. , xv. , 65.
[479] _Simia. _ Cf. xiii. , 155, "Et deducendum corio bovis in mare
cum quo clauditur adversis innoxia simia fatis. " The punishment of
parricides was to be scourged, then sewn up in a bull's hide with a
serpent, an ape, a cock, and a dog, and to be thrown into the sea. The
first person thus punished was P. Malleolus, who murdered his mother.
Liv. , Epit. lxviii.
[480] _Culeus. _ Cf. Suet. , Aug. , 33. Nero murdered his mother
Agrippina, his aunt Domitia, both his wives, Octavia and Poppæa, his
brother Britannicus, and several other relations.
[481] _Agamemnonidæ. _ Grangæus quotes the Greek verse current in Nero's
time, Νέρων, Ὀρέστης, Ἀλκμαίων μητροκτόνοι. Cf. Suet. , Nero, 39.
[482] _Virginius_ Rufus, who was legatus in Lower Germany, Julius
Vindex, proprætor of Gaul, and Sergius Galba, præfect of Hispania
Tarraconensis, afterward emperor, were the chiefs of the last
conspiracy against Nero. In August, A. D. 67, Nero was playing the fool
in Greece; in March, 68, he heard with terror and dismay of the revolt
of Vindex, who proclaimed Galba. Dio. , lxiii. , 22.
[483] _Quid Nero. _
"What but such acts did Rome indignant see
Perform'd in Nero's savage tyranny? " Hodgson.
[484] _Prostitui. _
"To prostitute his voice for base renown,
And ravish from the Greeks a parsley crown. " Gifford.
Nero was in Greece A. D. 67, into which year (though not an Olympiad)
he crowded all the games of Greece, "Certamina omnia et quæ
diversissimorum temporum sunt cogi in unum annum jussit. " Suet. ,
Ner. , 23. "Romam introiit coronam capite gerens Olympiam dextrâ manu
Pythiam," c. 25.
[485] _Domitius_ was the name both of the father and grandfather of
Nero. His father was Domitius Ahenobarbus, governor of Transalpine
Gaul. Suetonius (Nero, 6) tells us that the two pædagogi to whom his
childhood _was_ intrusted _were_ a _saltator_ and a _tonsor_. To this
perhaps his subsequent tastes may be traced.
[486] _Citharam. _ Cf. Suet. , Ner. , 12, "_Citharæ_ a judicibus ad se
delatam, adoravit ferrique ad Augusti _statuam_ jussit. "
"And on the proud Colossus of your sire,
Suspend the splendid trophy of--a lyre! " Hodgson.
"Sacras coronas in cubiculis circum lectos posuit: item statuas suas
Citharædico habitu: quâ notâ etiam nummum percussit. " Suet. , Ner. , 25.
[487] _Braccatorum. _ Gallia Narbonensis was called Braccata from the
Braccæ, probably "plaid," which the inhabitants wore. Plin. , iii. , 4.
Diod. , v. , 30. The Senones were a people of Gallia Lugdunensis, who
sacked Rome under Brennus; hence _Minores_, i. e. , "as though you had
been the hereditary enemies of Rome. "
[488] _Tunicâ molestâ. _ Cf. ad i. , 155, "a dress smeared with pitch and
other combustibles," and then lighted. Cf. Mart. , x. , Ep. xxv. , 5. In
some cases Nero buried his victims up to the waist, and then set fire
to their upper parts.
[489] _Vigilat_ refers to Cicero's own words, "Jam intelliges multo me
_vigilare_ acrius ad salutem, quam te ad pernicem reipublicæ. "
[490] _Novus. _ Cicero was the first of the Tullia gens that held
a curule magistracy. Arpinum, his birthplace, now Arpino, was a
small town of the Volsci. The Municipia had their three grades, of
patricians, knights, and plebeians, as Rome had; they lived under their
own laws, but their citizens were eligible to all offices at Rome.
[491] _Leucas_, i. e. , "Actium. " _Thessaliæ_, "Philippi. " The words
following probably refer to the brutal cruelty of Augustus after the
battle.
[492] _Libera. _ "When Rome could utter her free unfettered sentiments"
(as sup. , "Libera si dentur populo suffragia"). Not in the spirit
of servile adulation, with which she bestowed the same title on her
emperors.
[493] _Vitem. _ The centurion's baton of office as well as instrument of
punishment. Cf. xiv. , 193; Mart. , x. , Ep. xxvi. , 1. See the story of
Lucilius, nicknamed Cedo alteram, in Tac. , Ann. , i. , 23.
[494] _Majora cadavera. _ Besides their fierce gray eyes (xiii. , 164),
the Germans were conspicuous for their stature and red hair. "Truces
et cærulei oculi, rutilæ comæ, magnum corpora et tantum ad impetum
valida. " Tac. , Germ. , iv. "Cimbri præ Italis ingentes. " Flor. , iii. ,3.
[495] _Lauro secundâ. _ A double triumph was decreed to Marius; he gave
up the second to Q. Lutatius Catulus, his noble colleague, to satisfy
his soldiers, who knew, better than Juvenal, that the _nobleman's_
services did _not_ fall short of those of the plebeian. Marius
afterward barbarously murdered him.
[496] _Deciorum. _ Alluding to the three immolations of the Decii,
father, son, and grandson, in the wars with the Latins, Gauls, and
Pyrrhus. All three bore the name of Publius Decius Mus. Juvenal comes
very near the formula of self-devotion given in Liv. , viii.
[439] _Circo. _ Cf. x. , 80, "duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et
Circenses. " Tac. , Hist. , i. , 4, "Plebs sordida ac Circo et Theatris
sueta. "
"From those thy gripes restrain,
Who with their sweat Rome's luxury maintain,
And send us plenty, while our wanton day
Is lavish'd at the circus or the play. " Dryden.
[440] _Marius. _ Vid. ad i. , 47.
[441] _Discinxerit. _ Cf. Virg. , Æn. , viii. , 724, "Hic Nomadum genus et
discinctos Mulciber Afros. " Sil. Ital. , ii. , 56, "Discinctos Libyas. "
Money was carried in girdles (xiv. , 296), and the Africans wore but
little other clothing. For the amount of his plunder, see Plin. , ii. ,
Ep. xi. , "Cornutus, censuit septingenta millia quæ acceperat Marius
ærario inferenda. "
[442] _Acersecomes. _ Some "puer intonsus" with flowing locks like
Bacchus or Apollo. Φοῖβος ἀκερσεκόμης. Hom. , Il. , xx. , 39. Pind. ,
Pyth. , iii. , 26.
[443] _Conjuge. _ Cf. the discussion in the senate recorded Tac. , Ann. ,
iii. , 33, _seq. _
[444] _Conventus. _ "Loca constituta in provinciis juri dicundo. " The
different towns in the provinces where the Roman governors held their
courts and heard appeals. The _courts_ as well as the _towns_ were
called by this name. They were also called Fora and Jurisdictiones.
Vid. Plin. , III. , i. , 3; V. , xxix. , 29. Cic. in Verr. , II. , v. , 11.
Cæs. , B. G. , i. , 54; vi. , 44.
[445] _Celæno. _ Cf. Virg. , Æn. , iii. , 211, "dira Celæno Harpyiæque
aliæ. "
[446] _Promethea. _
"E'en from Prometheus' self thy lineage trace,
And ransack history to adorn thy race. " Hodgson.
[447] _Frangis virgas. _
"Rods broke on our associates' bleeding backs,
And headsmen laboring till they blunt their axe. " Dryden.
[448] _Incipit ipsorum. _
"The lofty pride of every honor'd name
Shall rise to vindicate insulted fame,
And hold the torch to blazon forth thy shame. " Hodgson.
[449] _Contra te stare. _
"Will to his blood oppose your daring claim,
And fire a torch to blaze upon your shame. " Gifford.
[450] _Temples. _ The sealing of wills was usually performed in temples;
in the morning, and fasting, as the canon law afterward directed.
[451] _Santonico. _ The Santones were a people of Aquitania, between the
Loire and Garonne. Cf. Mart. , xiv. , Ep. 128, "Gallia Santonico vestit
te bardocucullo. "
[452] _Sufflamine. _ "The introduction of the drag-chain has a local
propriety: Rome, with its seven hills, had just so many necessities for
the frequent use of the sufflamen. This necessity, from the change of
the soil, exists no longer. " Badham.
[453] _Testes. _ Cf. vi. , 311, Lunà teste.
[454] _Damasippus_ (cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 16) was a name of the
Licinian gens. "Damasippus was sick," says Holyday, "of that disease
which the Spartans call horse-feeding. "
[455] _Hordea. _ Horses in Italy are fed on barley, not on oats.
[456] _Eponam_ (cf. Aristoph. , Nub. , 84), the patroness of grooms.
Some read "Hipponam," which Gifford prefers, from the tameness of the
epithet "solam. " Cf. Blunt's Vestiges, p. 29.
"On some rank deity, whose filthy face
We suitably o'er stinking stables place. " Dryden.
[457] _Amomo_, an Assyrian shrub. Cf. iv. , 108.
[458] _Idumeæ. _ The gate at Rome near the Arch of Titus, through which
Vespasian and Titus entered the city in triumph after their victories
in Palestine.
[459] _Dominum. _ Cf. Mart. , i. , Ep. 113, "Cum te non nossem dominum
regemque vocabam. " Cf. iv. , Ep. 84, 5.
[460] _Inscripta lintea. _ Perhaps "curtains, having painted on them
what was for sale within. " Others say it means "embroidered with
needlework;" or "towels," according to Calderinus, who compares
Catull. , xxv. , 7.
[461] _Armeniæ. _ The allusion is to Corbulo's exploits in Parthia and
Armenia in Nero's reign, A. D. 60. Cf. ad iii. , 251. There were great
disturbances in the same quarters in Trajan's reign, which caused his
expedition, in A. D. 114, against the Armenians and Parthians. In A. D.
100, Marius Priscus was accused by Pliny and Tacitus. Vid. Plin. ,
ii. , Ep. xi. Probably half way between these two dates we may fix the
writing of this Satire.
[462] _Mitte Ostia. _ So most of the commentators interpret it. "Send
your Legatus to take the command of the troops for foreign service,
waiting for embarkation at Ostia. " But if so, "ad" should be expressed,
and either Tiberina added, or Ostia made of the 1st declension.
Britann. , therefore, and Heinrich explain it, "Pass by his own doors;"
omitte quærere illic, "he is far away. "
[463] _Sandapila. _ The bier or open coffin, on which the poor, or those
killed in the amphitheatre, were carried to burial; hence "sandapila
popularis. " Suet. , Domit. , 17. Stepney (in Dryden's version) thus
enumerates these worthies:
"Quacks, coffin-makers, fugitives, and sailors,
Rooks, common soldiers, hangmen, thieves, and tailors. "
[464] _Resupinantis. _ In Holyday's quaint version,
"Among great Cybel's silent drums, which lack
Their Phrygian priest, who lies drunk on his back. "
[465] _Ergastula. _ Private prisons attached to Roman farms, in which
the slaves worked in chains. The Tuscan were peculiarly severe. Vid.
Dennis's Etruria, vol. i. , p. xlviii.
[466] _Turpia cerdoni. _ Cf. iv. , 13," Nam quod turpe bonis Titio
Seioque decebat Crispinum. " Pers. , iv. , 51, "Tollat sua munera cerdo. "
"And crimes that tinge with shame the cobbler's face,
Become the lords of Brutus' honor'd race. " Hodgson.
[467] _Locasti.
_
"Lets out his voice (his sole remaining boast),
And rants the nonsense of a clam'rous ghost. " Hodgson.
[468] _Sipario. _ The curtain or drop-scene in _comedy_, as _Aulæum_ was
in _tragedy_. Donat.
[469] _Phasma. _ Probably a translation from the Greek. Ter. , Eun. ,
pr. 9, "Idem Menandri phasma nunc nuper dedit. " Catullus is not to
be confounded with C. Valerius Catullus of Verona (the old Schol.
says Q. Lutatius Catullus is meant, and quotes xiii. , 11, whom
Lubinus, ad loc. , calls "Urbanus Catullus") as far as the Phasma is
concerned. --_Laureolus_ was the chief character in a play or ballet by
Val. Catullus, or Laberius, or Nævius: and was crucified on the stage,
and then torn to pieces by wild beasts. Martial (de Spect. , Ep. vii. )
says this was acted _to the life_ in the Roman amphitheatre, the part
of the bandit being performed by a real malefactor, who was crucified
and torn to pieces in the arena, "Non falsâ pendens in cruce Laureolus. "
"And Lentulus _acts_ hanging with such art,
Were I a judge, he should not _feign_ the part. " Dryden.
[470] _Sedet. _
"Sit with unblushing front, and calmly see
The hired patrician's low buffoonery;
Smile at the Fabii's tricks, and grin to hear
The cuffs resound from the Mamerci's ear. " Gifford.
[471] _Cogente Nerone. _ Cf. Tac. , Ann. , xiv. , 14, who abstains from
mentioning the _names_ of the nobles thus disgraced, out of respect for
their ancestors. Cf. Dio. , lxi. Suetonius says (Nero, cap. xii. ) that
400 senators and 600 knights were thus dishonored (but Lipsius says 40
and 60 are the true numbers).
[472] _Nec dubitant. _ No doubt a spurious line.
[473] _Gladios. _ This is the usual interpretation. Perhaps it would be
better to take "gladios" for the _death_ that awaits you if you refuse
to comply: as iv. , 96; x. , 345. So Badham:
"Place here the tyrant's sword, and there the scene;
Gods! can a Roman hesitate between! "
[474] _Thymele. _ Cf. i. , 36.
[475] _Ludus. _ Properly, "school of gladiators. "
[476] _Gracchus. _ Cf. ii. , 143.
[477] _Tunicæ. _ Cf. ii. , 143, tunicati fuscina Gracchi. Suet. , Cal. ,
30. The Retiarii wore a tunic only. The gold spira was the band that
tied the tall conical cap of the Salii; who wore also a gold fringe
round the tunic.
[478] _Seneca. _ There is said to be an allusion here to the plot of
Subrius Flavius to murder Nero and make Seneca emperor. It was believed
that Seneca was privy to it. Tac. , Ann. , xv. , 65.
[479] _Simia. _ Cf. xiii. , 155, "Et deducendum corio bovis in mare
cum quo clauditur adversis innoxia simia fatis. " The punishment of
parricides was to be scourged, then sewn up in a bull's hide with a
serpent, an ape, a cock, and a dog, and to be thrown into the sea. The
first person thus punished was P. Malleolus, who murdered his mother.
Liv. , Epit. lxviii.
[480] _Culeus. _ Cf. Suet. , Aug. , 33. Nero murdered his mother
Agrippina, his aunt Domitia, both his wives, Octavia and Poppæa, his
brother Britannicus, and several other relations.
[481] _Agamemnonidæ. _ Grangæus quotes the Greek verse current in Nero's
time, Νέρων, Ὀρέστης, Ἀλκμαίων μητροκτόνοι. Cf. Suet. , Nero, 39.
[482] _Virginius_ Rufus, who was legatus in Lower Germany, Julius
Vindex, proprætor of Gaul, and Sergius Galba, præfect of Hispania
Tarraconensis, afterward emperor, were the chiefs of the last
conspiracy against Nero. In August, A. D. 67, Nero was playing the fool
in Greece; in March, 68, he heard with terror and dismay of the revolt
of Vindex, who proclaimed Galba. Dio. , lxiii. , 22.
[483] _Quid Nero. _
"What but such acts did Rome indignant see
Perform'd in Nero's savage tyranny? " Hodgson.
[484] _Prostitui. _
"To prostitute his voice for base renown,
And ravish from the Greeks a parsley crown. " Gifford.
Nero was in Greece A. D. 67, into which year (though not an Olympiad)
he crowded all the games of Greece, "Certamina omnia et quæ
diversissimorum temporum sunt cogi in unum annum jussit. " Suet. ,
Ner. , 23. "Romam introiit coronam capite gerens Olympiam dextrâ manu
Pythiam," c. 25.
[485] _Domitius_ was the name both of the father and grandfather of
Nero. His father was Domitius Ahenobarbus, governor of Transalpine
Gaul. Suetonius (Nero, 6) tells us that the two pædagogi to whom his
childhood _was_ intrusted _were_ a _saltator_ and a _tonsor_. To this
perhaps his subsequent tastes may be traced.
[486] _Citharam. _ Cf. Suet. , Ner. , 12, "_Citharæ_ a judicibus ad se
delatam, adoravit ferrique ad Augusti _statuam_ jussit. "
"And on the proud Colossus of your sire,
Suspend the splendid trophy of--a lyre! " Hodgson.
"Sacras coronas in cubiculis circum lectos posuit: item statuas suas
Citharædico habitu: quâ notâ etiam nummum percussit. " Suet. , Ner. , 25.
[487] _Braccatorum. _ Gallia Narbonensis was called Braccata from the
Braccæ, probably "plaid," which the inhabitants wore. Plin. , iii. , 4.
Diod. , v. , 30. The Senones were a people of Gallia Lugdunensis, who
sacked Rome under Brennus; hence _Minores_, i. e. , "as though you had
been the hereditary enemies of Rome. "
[488] _Tunicâ molestâ. _ Cf. ad i. , 155, "a dress smeared with pitch and
other combustibles," and then lighted. Cf. Mart. , x. , Ep. xxv. , 5. In
some cases Nero buried his victims up to the waist, and then set fire
to their upper parts.
[489] _Vigilat_ refers to Cicero's own words, "Jam intelliges multo me
_vigilare_ acrius ad salutem, quam te ad pernicem reipublicæ. "
[490] _Novus. _ Cicero was the first of the Tullia gens that held
a curule magistracy. Arpinum, his birthplace, now Arpino, was a
small town of the Volsci. The Municipia had their three grades, of
patricians, knights, and plebeians, as Rome had; they lived under their
own laws, but their citizens were eligible to all offices at Rome.
[491] _Leucas_, i. e. , "Actium. " _Thessaliæ_, "Philippi. " The words
following probably refer to the brutal cruelty of Augustus after the
battle.
[492] _Libera. _ "When Rome could utter her free unfettered sentiments"
(as sup. , "Libera si dentur populo suffragia"). Not in the spirit
of servile adulation, with which she bestowed the same title on her
emperors.
[493] _Vitem. _ The centurion's baton of office as well as instrument of
punishment. Cf. xiv. , 193; Mart. , x. , Ep. xxvi. , 1. See the story of
Lucilius, nicknamed Cedo alteram, in Tac. , Ann. , i. , 23.
[494] _Majora cadavera. _ Besides their fierce gray eyes (xiii. , 164),
the Germans were conspicuous for their stature and red hair. "Truces
et cærulei oculi, rutilæ comæ, magnum corpora et tantum ad impetum
valida. " Tac. , Germ. , iv. "Cimbri præ Italis ingentes. " Flor. , iii. ,3.
[495] _Lauro secundâ. _ A double triumph was decreed to Marius; he gave
up the second to Q. Lutatius Catulus, his noble colleague, to satisfy
his soldiers, who knew, better than Juvenal, that the _nobleman's_
services did _not_ fall short of those of the plebeian. Marius
afterward barbarously murdered him.
[496] _Deciorum. _ Alluding to the three immolations of the Decii,
father, son, and grandson, in the wars with the Latins, Gauls, and
Pyrrhus. All three bore the name of Publius Decius Mus. Juvenal comes
very near the formula of self-devotion given in Liv. , viii.
