_ So Cicero in his Oration against
Catiline
(in Cat.
Satires
, the tongue (hasta, lingula), plays.
Elevare is
said of that which causes the lanx of the balance to "kick the beam. "
Castigare is to set the balance in motion with the finger, until,
perfect equilibrium being obtained, it settles down to a state of rest.
Public taste being distorted, to attempt to correct it would be as
idle as to try to rectify a false balance by merely setting the beam
vibrating.
[1186] _Quæsiveris. _ Alluding to the Stoic notion of αὐταρκεῖα: "Each
man's own taste and judgment is to him the best test of right and
wrong. "
[1187] _Quis non? _ An ἀποσιώπησις: Whom can you find at Rome that is
not laboring under this perversion of taste and want of self-dependence?
[1188] _Ah, si fas dicere. _ Cf. Juv. , Sat i. , 153, "Unde illa priorum
Scribendi quodcunque animo flagrante liberet Simplicitas, cujus non
audeo dicere nomen. " Lucil. , Fr. incert. 165.
[1189] _Sed fas. _ "When I look at all the childish follies, the empty
pursuits, the ill-directed ambition that, in spite of an affectation
of outward gravity and severity of manners, disgraces even men of
advanced years; the senseless pursuits of men who ought to have given
up all the trifling amusements of childhood, and who yet assume the
grave privilege of censuring younger men; it is difficult not to write
satire. "
[1190] _Canities. _ See the old proverb, πολιὰ χρόνου μήνυσις οὐ
φρονήσεως. "Hoary hairs are the evidence of time, not of wisdom. "
[1191] _Nuces. _ Put generally for the playthings of children. Cf.
Suet. , Aug. , 83. Phædr. , Fab. xiv. , 2. Mart. , v. , 84, "Jam tristis
nucibus puer relictis Clamoso revocatur à magistro. "
[1192] _Sapimus patruos. _ Cf. Hor. , iii. , Od. xii. , 3, "Exanimari
metuentes patruæ verbera linguæ. " ii. , Sat. iii. , 87, "Sive ego pravè
seu rectè hoc volui, ne sis patruus mihi. " Parents, being themselves
too indulgent, frequently intrusted their children to the guardianship
of uncles, whose reproofs were more sharp, and their correction more
severe, as they possessed all the authority without the tenderness and
affection of a parent.
[1193] _Quid faciam? _ "How shall I check the outburst of natural
feeling? For my character, implanted by nature, is that of a hearty
laugher. " Cachinno is a word used only by Persius. Cf. Juv. , iii. , 100,
"Rides? majore cachinno concutitur. " The ancients held the spleen to
be the seat of laughter, as the gall of anger, the liver of love, the
forehead of bashfulness.
[1194] _Scribimus inclusi. _ So Hor. , ii. , Ep. i. , 117, "Scribimus
indocti doctique poemata passim. " Inclusi, "avoiding all noise and
interruption, we shut ourselves in our studies. " Hor. , Ep. , II. , ii. ,
77," Scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus et fugit urbes. " Juv. , Sat.
vii. , 58.
[1195] _Togâ. _ The indignation of Persius is excited by the declaimer
assuming all the paraphernalia and ornament of the day kept most sacred
by the Romans, viz. , their birthday (cf. ad Juv. , Sat. xii. , 1),
simply for the purpose of reciting his own verses. For this custom of
reciting, cf. ad Juv. , vii. , 38.
[1196] _Sardonyche. _ Cf. Juv. , vii. , 144, "Ideo conductâ Paulus agebat
Sardonyche. " It was the custom for friends and clients to send valuable
presents to their patrons on their birthdays. Cf. ad Juv. , iii. , 187.
Plaut. , Curcul. , V. , ii. , 56, "Hic est annulus quem ego tibi misi
natali die. " Juv. , Sat. xi. , 84.
[1197] _Sede. _ The Romans always stood while pleading, and sat down
while reciting. Vid. Plin. , vi. , Ep. vi. , "Dicenti mihi solicitè
assistit; assidet recitanti. " These seats were called cathedræ and
pulpita. Vid. Juv. , vii. , 47, 93. An attendant stood by the person who
was reciting, with some emollient liquid to rinse the throat with.
This preparation of the throat was called πλάσις, and a harsh, dry,
unflexible voice was termed ἀπλαστός.
[1198] _Collueris. _ D'Achaintre's reading is preferred here, "Sede
leges celsâ liquido com plasmate guttur Collueris:" for _legens_ and
_colluerit_. _Patranti ocello_ seems to convey the same idea as the
"oculi putres" of Hor. , i. , Od. xxxvi. , 17, and the "oculos in fine
trementes" of Juv. , Sat. vii. , 241 (cf. ii. , 94), "oculos udos et
marcidos," of Apul. , Met. , iii. Cf. Pers. , v. , 51, and the epithet
ὑγρὸς, as applied to the eyes of Aphrodite.
[1199] _Titi_, are put here (as Romulidæ in v. 31) for the Romans
generally, among whom, especially the higher orders, Titus was a
favorite prænomen; or Titi may be put for Titienses, as Rhamnes for
Rhamnenses; in either case the meaning is the same. But the other
parts may be differently interpreted. _Hic_ may be equivalent to "cum
operibus tuis;" _trepidare_ mean "the eager applause of the hearers;"
_more probo_ "the approved and usual mode of showing it by simultaneous
shouts" _voce serena_. Cf. Hor. , A. P. , 430.
[1200] _Lumbum. _ Cf. iv. , 35. Juv. , Sat. vi. , 314, "Quum tibia lumbos
incitat. "
[1201] _Vetule. _ Cf. Juv. , xiii. , 33, "Die Senior bullâ dignissime. "
[1202] _Cute perditus. _ "Bloated, swollen, as with dropsy. " So
Lucilius, xxviii. , Frag. 37, "Quasi aquam in animo habere intercutem. "
"Pandering to the lusts of these itching ears, you receive such
overwhelming applause, that though swelling with vanity, even you
yourself are nauseated at the fulsome repetition. "--_Ohe. _ Cf. Hor. ,
ii. , Sat. v. , 96, "Importunus amat laudari? donec ohe jam ad cœlum
manibus sublatis dixerit urge et crescentem tumidis infla sermonibus
utrem. " So i. , Sat. v. , 12, "Ohe! jam satis est. " There may be, as
Madan says, an allusion to the fable of the proud frog who swelled till
she burst. Cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 314.
[1203] _Caprificus. _ Cf. Juv. , x. , 143, "Laudis titulique cupido hæsuri
saxis cinerum custodibus, ad quæ discutienda valent sterilis mala
robora ficus. Quandoquidem data sunt ipsis quoque fata sepulcris. "
Mart. , Ep. , X. , ii. , 9, "Marmora Messalæ findit caprificus. "
[1204] _En pallor seniumque! _ "Is then the fruit of all thy study, that
has caused all thy pallor and premature debility, no better than this?
that thou canst imagine no higher and nobler use of learning than for
the purpose of vain display! " Lucilius uses senium for the tedium and
weariness produced by long application.
[1205] _Oh Mores!
_ So Cicero in his Oration against Catiline (in Cat. ,
i. , 1), "O Tempora, O Mores! " Cf. Mart. , vi. , Ep. ii. , 6.
[1206] _Scire tuum. _ So l. 9, "Nostrum istud _vivere_ triste. " So
Lucilius, "Id me nolo scire mihi cujus sum conscius solus: ne damnum
faciam, scire est nescire nisi id me scire alius scierit. "
[1207] _Digito monstrariar. _ So Hor. , iv. , Od. iii. , 22, "Quod monstror
digito prætereuntium Romanæ fidicen lyræ. " Plin. , ix. , Epist. xxiii. ,
"Et ille 'Plinius est' inquit. Verum fatebor, capio magnum laboris mei
fructum. An, si Demosthenes jure lætatus est quod ilium anus Attica ita
noscitavit οὗτος ἐστι Δημοσθένης ego celebritate nominis mei gaudere
non debeo? " Cic. , Tus. Qu. , v. , 36.
[1208] _Dictata. _ The allusion is to Nero, who ordered that his verses
should be taught to the boys in the schools of Rome. The works of
eminent contemporary poets were sometimes the subjects of study in
schools, as well as the standard writings of Virgil and Horace. Cf.
Juv. , vii. , 226, "Totidem olfecisse lucernas Quot stabant pueri quum
totus decolor esset Flaccus et hæreret nigro fuligo Maroni. "
[1209] _Cirratorum. _ "Boys of high rank with well-curled hair. " Cf.
Mart. , i. , Ep. xxxv. , "Cirrata caterva magistri. "
[1210] _Ecce! _ "See," answers Persius, "the noblest result, after all
you can hope to attain, is only to have your poems lisped through by
men surcharged with food and wine! "
[1211] _Inter pocula. _ Cf. Juv. , vi. , 434; xi. , 178.
[1212] _Romulidæ_, the degenerate self-styled descendants of Romulus.
With equal bitterness Juvenal calls them "Quirites," iii. , 60;
"Trojugenæ," viii. , 181; xi. , 95; "Turba Remi," x. , 73.
[1213] _Balba de nare. _ Balbutire is properly a defect of the _tongue_,
not of the nose.
[1214] _Eliquare_ is properly used of the melting down of metals. It is
here put for effeminate affectation of speech.
[1215] _Phyllidas. _ Not alluding probably to the Heroics of Ovid on
these two subjects, but to some wretched trash of his own day.
[1216] _Assensere. _ From Ov. , Met. , ix. , 259, "Assensere Dei. " So xiv. ,
592.
[1217] _Cinis. _ Cf. Ov. , Trist. , III. , iii. , 76. Amor. , III. , ix. , 67,
"Ossa quieta precor tuta requiescite in urnâ, Et sit humus cineri non
onerosa tuo. " Propert. , I. , xvii. , 24, "Ut mihi non ullo pondere terra
foret. " Juv. , vii. , 207, "Dii Majorum umbris tenuem et sine pondere
terram Spirantesque crocos et in urnâ. perpetuum ver. "
[1218] _Levior cippus. _ Virg. , Ecl. , x. , 33, "Oh mihi tum quam molliter
ossa quiescant. " Alluding to the usual inscription on the sepulchral
cippi, "Sit tibi terra levis. " It is strange, says D'Achaintre, that
the Romans should wish the earth to press lightly on the bones of their
friends, whom they honored with ponderous grave-stones and pillars;
while they prayed that "earth would lie heavy" on their enemies, to
whom they accorded no such honors.
[1219] _Nascentur violæ. _ Cf. Hamlet, Act v. , sc. 1, "And from her fair
and unpolluted flesh shall violets spring. "
[1220] _Uncis naribus. _ Hor. , i. , Sat. vi. , 5, "Ut plerique solent naso
suspendis adunco Ignotos. " ii. , Sat. viii. , 64, "Balatro suspendens
omnia naso. " Mart. , i. , Ep. iv. , 6, "Nasum Rhinocerotis habent. " The
Greek μυκτηρίζειν.
[1221] _Os populi_, as the Greeks say, τὸ διὰ τοῦ στόματος εἶναι: and
Ennius, "Volito vivus' per ora virûm. "
[1222] _Cedro. _ From the antiseptic properties of this wood, it was
used for presses for books, which were also dressed with the oil
expressed from the tree. Plin. , H. N. , xiii. , 5; xvi. , 88. Cf. Hor. , A.
P. , 331, "Speramus carmina fingi posse linenda cedro et levi servanda
cupresso. " Mart. , v. , Ep. vi. , 14, "Quæ cedro decorata purpurâque
nigris pagina crevit umbilicis. " Dioscorides calls the cedar τῶν νεκρῶν
ζωήν. i. , 89.
[1223] _Scombros. _ Hor. , ii. , Ep. i. , 266, "Cum scriptore meo capsâ
porrectus apertâ deferar in vicum vendentem thus et odores et piper
et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis. " Mart. , vi. , Ep. lx. , 7, "Quam
multi tineas pascunt blattasque diserti, Et redimunt soli carmina docta
coci," i. e. , verses so bad as to be only fit for wrapping up cheap
fish and spices.
[1224] _Fas est. _ D'Achaintre's reading and interpretation is adopted,
instead of the old and meaningless _feci_.
[1225] _Exit. _ A metaphor from the potter's wheel. Hor. , A. P. , 21,
"Amphora cœpit institui currente rotâ cur urceus _exit_? "
[1226] _Rara avis. _ "An event as rare as the appearance of the Phœnix. "
Cf. Juv. , Sat. vi. , 165, "Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima
cygno. " vii. , 202, "Corvo quoque rarior albo. " Hor. , ii. , Sat. ii. , 26.
[1227] _Euge! Belle! _ The exclamations of one praising the recitations.
"Though a Stoic, and therefore holding that virtue is its own reward, I
am not so stony-hearted as to shrink from all praise. Yet I deny that
this idle, worthless praise can form the legitimate end and object of a
wise man's aim. "
[1228] _Ilias Acci. _ Cf. ad v. , 4. The effusion not of true genius,
but of the besotting influence of drugs. "The poet," as Casaubon says,
"has not reached the inspiring heights of Hippocrene, but muddled
himself with the hellebore that grows on the way thither. " The ancients
were not unacquainted with the use of this artificial stimulant to
genius. Cf. Plin. , xxv. , 5, "Quondam terribile, postea tam promiscuum,
ut plerique studiorum gratia ad providenda acrius quæ commentabantur
sumpsitaverint. "
[1229] _Crudi_; i. e. , "over their banquets. " «Literally "undigested,"
as Juv. , Sat. i. , 143, "Crudum pavonem in balnea portas. " Hor.
said of that which causes the lanx of the balance to "kick the beam. "
Castigare is to set the balance in motion with the finger, until,
perfect equilibrium being obtained, it settles down to a state of rest.
Public taste being distorted, to attempt to correct it would be as
idle as to try to rectify a false balance by merely setting the beam
vibrating.
[1186] _Quæsiveris. _ Alluding to the Stoic notion of αὐταρκεῖα: "Each
man's own taste and judgment is to him the best test of right and
wrong. "
[1187] _Quis non? _ An ἀποσιώπησις: Whom can you find at Rome that is
not laboring under this perversion of taste and want of self-dependence?
[1188] _Ah, si fas dicere. _ Cf. Juv. , Sat i. , 153, "Unde illa priorum
Scribendi quodcunque animo flagrante liberet Simplicitas, cujus non
audeo dicere nomen. " Lucil. , Fr. incert. 165.
[1189] _Sed fas. _ "When I look at all the childish follies, the empty
pursuits, the ill-directed ambition that, in spite of an affectation
of outward gravity and severity of manners, disgraces even men of
advanced years; the senseless pursuits of men who ought to have given
up all the trifling amusements of childhood, and who yet assume the
grave privilege of censuring younger men; it is difficult not to write
satire. "
[1190] _Canities. _ See the old proverb, πολιὰ χρόνου μήνυσις οὐ
φρονήσεως. "Hoary hairs are the evidence of time, not of wisdom. "
[1191] _Nuces. _ Put generally for the playthings of children. Cf.
Suet. , Aug. , 83. Phædr. , Fab. xiv. , 2. Mart. , v. , 84, "Jam tristis
nucibus puer relictis Clamoso revocatur à magistro. "
[1192] _Sapimus patruos. _ Cf. Hor. , iii. , Od. xii. , 3, "Exanimari
metuentes patruæ verbera linguæ. " ii. , Sat. iii. , 87, "Sive ego pravè
seu rectè hoc volui, ne sis patruus mihi. " Parents, being themselves
too indulgent, frequently intrusted their children to the guardianship
of uncles, whose reproofs were more sharp, and their correction more
severe, as they possessed all the authority without the tenderness and
affection of a parent.
[1193] _Quid faciam? _ "How shall I check the outburst of natural
feeling? For my character, implanted by nature, is that of a hearty
laugher. " Cachinno is a word used only by Persius. Cf. Juv. , iii. , 100,
"Rides? majore cachinno concutitur. " The ancients held the spleen to
be the seat of laughter, as the gall of anger, the liver of love, the
forehead of bashfulness.
[1194] _Scribimus inclusi. _ So Hor. , ii. , Ep. i. , 117, "Scribimus
indocti doctique poemata passim. " Inclusi, "avoiding all noise and
interruption, we shut ourselves in our studies. " Hor. , Ep. , II. , ii. ,
77," Scriptorum chorus omnis amat nemus et fugit urbes. " Juv. , Sat.
vii. , 58.
[1195] _Togâ. _ The indignation of Persius is excited by the declaimer
assuming all the paraphernalia and ornament of the day kept most sacred
by the Romans, viz. , their birthday (cf. ad Juv. , Sat. xii. , 1),
simply for the purpose of reciting his own verses. For this custom of
reciting, cf. ad Juv. , vii. , 38.
[1196] _Sardonyche. _ Cf. Juv. , vii. , 144, "Ideo conductâ Paulus agebat
Sardonyche. " It was the custom for friends and clients to send valuable
presents to their patrons on their birthdays. Cf. ad Juv. , iii. , 187.
Plaut. , Curcul. , V. , ii. , 56, "Hic est annulus quem ego tibi misi
natali die. " Juv. , Sat. xi. , 84.
[1197] _Sede. _ The Romans always stood while pleading, and sat down
while reciting. Vid. Plin. , vi. , Ep. vi. , "Dicenti mihi solicitè
assistit; assidet recitanti. " These seats were called cathedræ and
pulpita. Vid. Juv. , vii. , 47, 93. An attendant stood by the person who
was reciting, with some emollient liquid to rinse the throat with.
This preparation of the throat was called πλάσις, and a harsh, dry,
unflexible voice was termed ἀπλαστός.
[1198] _Collueris. _ D'Achaintre's reading is preferred here, "Sede
leges celsâ liquido com plasmate guttur Collueris:" for _legens_ and
_colluerit_. _Patranti ocello_ seems to convey the same idea as the
"oculi putres" of Hor. , i. , Od. xxxvi. , 17, and the "oculos in fine
trementes" of Juv. , Sat. vii. , 241 (cf. ii. , 94), "oculos udos et
marcidos," of Apul. , Met. , iii. Cf. Pers. , v. , 51, and the epithet
ὑγρὸς, as applied to the eyes of Aphrodite.
[1199] _Titi_, are put here (as Romulidæ in v. 31) for the Romans
generally, among whom, especially the higher orders, Titus was a
favorite prænomen; or Titi may be put for Titienses, as Rhamnes for
Rhamnenses; in either case the meaning is the same. But the other
parts may be differently interpreted. _Hic_ may be equivalent to "cum
operibus tuis;" _trepidare_ mean "the eager applause of the hearers;"
_more probo_ "the approved and usual mode of showing it by simultaneous
shouts" _voce serena_. Cf. Hor. , A. P. , 430.
[1200] _Lumbum. _ Cf. iv. , 35. Juv. , Sat. vi. , 314, "Quum tibia lumbos
incitat. "
[1201] _Vetule. _ Cf. Juv. , xiii. , 33, "Die Senior bullâ dignissime. "
[1202] _Cute perditus. _ "Bloated, swollen, as with dropsy. " So
Lucilius, xxviii. , Frag. 37, "Quasi aquam in animo habere intercutem. "
"Pandering to the lusts of these itching ears, you receive such
overwhelming applause, that though swelling with vanity, even you
yourself are nauseated at the fulsome repetition. "--_Ohe. _ Cf. Hor. ,
ii. , Sat. v. , 96, "Importunus amat laudari? donec ohe jam ad cœlum
manibus sublatis dixerit urge et crescentem tumidis infla sermonibus
utrem. " So i. , Sat. v. , 12, "Ohe! jam satis est. " There may be, as
Madan says, an allusion to the fable of the proud frog who swelled till
she burst. Cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 314.
[1203] _Caprificus. _ Cf. Juv. , x. , 143, "Laudis titulique cupido hæsuri
saxis cinerum custodibus, ad quæ discutienda valent sterilis mala
robora ficus. Quandoquidem data sunt ipsis quoque fata sepulcris. "
Mart. , Ep. , X. , ii. , 9, "Marmora Messalæ findit caprificus. "
[1204] _En pallor seniumque! _ "Is then the fruit of all thy study, that
has caused all thy pallor and premature debility, no better than this?
that thou canst imagine no higher and nobler use of learning than for
the purpose of vain display! " Lucilius uses senium for the tedium and
weariness produced by long application.
[1205] _Oh Mores!
_ So Cicero in his Oration against Catiline (in Cat. ,
i. , 1), "O Tempora, O Mores! " Cf. Mart. , vi. , Ep. ii. , 6.
[1206] _Scire tuum. _ So l. 9, "Nostrum istud _vivere_ triste. " So
Lucilius, "Id me nolo scire mihi cujus sum conscius solus: ne damnum
faciam, scire est nescire nisi id me scire alius scierit. "
[1207] _Digito monstrariar. _ So Hor. , iv. , Od. iii. , 22, "Quod monstror
digito prætereuntium Romanæ fidicen lyræ. " Plin. , ix. , Epist. xxiii. ,
"Et ille 'Plinius est' inquit. Verum fatebor, capio magnum laboris mei
fructum. An, si Demosthenes jure lætatus est quod ilium anus Attica ita
noscitavit οὗτος ἐστι Δημοσθένης ego celebritate nominis mei gaudere
non debeo? " Cic. , Tus. Qu. , v. , 36.
[1208] _Dictata. _ The allusion is to Nero, who ordered that his verses
should be taught to the boys in the schools of Rome. The works of
eminent contemporary poets were sometimes the subjects of study in
schools, as well as the standard writings of Virgil and Horace. Cf.
Juv. , vii. , 226, "Totidem olfecisse lucernas Quot stabant pueri quum
totus decolor esset Flaccus et hæreret nigro fuligo Maroni. "
[1209] _Cirratorum. _ "Boys of high rank with well-curled hair. " Cf.
Mart. , i. , Ep. xxxv. , "Cirrata caterva magistri. "
[1210] _Ecce! _ "See," answers Persius, "the noblest result, after all
you can hope to attain, is only to have your poems lisped through by
men surcharged with food and wine! "
[1211] _Inter pocula. _ Cf. Juv. , vi. , 434; xi. , 178.
[1212] _Romulidæ_, the degenerate self-styled descendants of Romulus.
With equal bitterness Juvenal calls them "Quirites," iii. , 60;
"Trojugenæ," viii. , 181; xi. , 95; "Turba Remi," x. , 73.
[1213] _Balba de nare. _ Balbutire is properly a defect of the _tongue_,
not of the nose.
[1214] _Eliquare_ is properly used of the melting down of metals. It is
here put for effeminate affectation of speech.
[1215] _Phyllidas. _ Not alluding probably to the Heroics of Ovid on
these two subjects, but to some wretched trash of his own day.
[1216] _Assensere. _ From Ov. , Met. , ix. , 259, "Assensere Dei. " So xiv. ,
592.
[1217] _Cinis. _ Cf. Ov. , Trist. , III. , iii. , 76. Amor. , III. , ix. , 67,
"Ossa quieta precor tuta requiescite in urnâ, Et sit humus cineri non
onerosa tuo. " Propert. , I. , xvii. , 24, "Ut mihi non ullo pondere terra
foret. " Juv. , vii. , 207, "Dii Majorum umbris tenuem et sine pondere
terram Spirantesque crocos et in urnâ. perpetuum ver. "
[1218] _Levior cippus. _ Virg. , Ecl. , x. , 33, "Oh mihi tum quam molliter
ossa quiescant. " Alluding to the usual inscription on the sepulchral
cippi, "Sit tibi terra levis. " It is strange, says D'Achaintre, that
the Romans should wish the earth to press lightly on the bones of their
friends, whom they honored with ponderous grave-stones and pillars;
while they prayed that "earth would lie heavy" on their enemies, to
whom they accorded no such honors.
[1219] _Nascentur violæ. _ Cf. Hamlet, Act v. , sc. 1, "And from her fair
and unpolluted flesh shall violets spring. "
[1220] _Uncis naribus. _ Hor. , i. , Sat. vi. , 5, "Ut plerique solent naso
suspendis adunco Ignotos. " ii. , Sat. viii. , 64, "Balatro suspendens
omnia naso. " Mart. , i. , Ep. iv. , 6, "Nasum Rhinocerotis habent. " The
Greek μυκτηρίζειν.
[1221] _Os populi_, as the Greeks say, τὸ διὰ τοῦ στόματος εἶναι: and
Ennius, "Volito vivus' per ora virûm. "
[1222] _Cedro. _ From the antiseptic properties of this wood, it was
used for presses for books, which were also dressed with the oil
expressed from the tree. Plin. , H. N. , xiii. , 5; xvi. , 88. Cf. Hor. , A.
P. , 331, "Speramus carmina fingi posse linenda cedro et levi servanda
cupresso. " Mart. , v. , Ep. vi. , 14, "Quæ cedro decorata purpurâque
nigris pagina crevit umbilicis. " Dioscorides calls the cedar τῶν νεκρῶν
ζωήν. i. , 89.
[1223] _Scombros. _ Hor. , ii. , Ep. i. , 266, "Cum scriptore meo capsâ
porrectus apertâ deferar in vicum vendentem thus et odores et piper
et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis. " Mart. , vi. , Ep. lx. , 7, "Quam
multi tineas pascunt blattasque diserti, Et redimunt soli carmina docta
coci," i. e. , verses so bad as to be only fit for wrapping up cheap
fish and spices.
[1224] _Fas est. _ D'Achaintre's reading and interpretation is adopted,
instead of the old and meaningless _feci_.
[1225] _Exit. _ A metaphor from the potter's wheel. Hor. , A. P. , 21,
"Amphora cœpit institui currente rotâ cur urceus _exit_? "
[1226] _Rara avis. _ "An event as rare as the appearance of the Phœnix. "
Cf. Juv. , Sat. vi. , 165, "Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima
cygno. " vii. , 202, "Corvo quoque rarior albo. " Hor. , ii. , Sat. ii. , 26.
[1227] _Euge! Belle! _ The exclamations of one praising the recitations.
"Though a Stoic, and therefore holding that virtue is its own reward, I
am not so stony-hearted as to shrink from all praise. Yet I deny that
this idle, worthless praise can form the legitimate end and object of a
wise man's aim. "
[1228] _Ilias Acci. _ Cf. ad v. , 4. The effusion not of true genius,
but of the besotting influence of drugs. "The poet," as Casaubon says,
"has not reached the inspiring heights of Hippocrene, but muddled
himself with the hellebore that grows on the way thither. " The ancients
were not unacquainted with the use of this artificial stimulant to
genius. Cf. Plin. , xxv. , 5, "Quondam terribile, postea tam promiscuum,
ut plerique studiorum gratia ad providenda acrius quæ commentabantur
sumpsitaverint. "
[1229] _Crudi_; i. e. , "over their banquets. " «Literally "undigested,"
as Juv. , Sat. i. , 143, "Crudum pavonem in balnea portas. " Hor.
