" The belief in the
effects of the "evil eye" is as prevalent as ever in Southern Europe.
effects of the "evil eye" is as prevalent as ever in Southern Europe.
Satires
vi.
, 11, "O Diem lætum notandum mihi candidissimo
calculo. " Cat. , lxviii. , 148, "Quem lapide illa diem candidiore notet. "
[1289] _Apponit. _ A technical word in calculating; as in Greek,
τιθέναι, and προστιθέναι. So "Appone lucro. " Hor. , i. , Od. ix. , 14.
[1290] _Annos. _ For the respect paid by the Romans to their birthdays,
see Juv. , xi. , 83; xii. , 1; Pers. , vi. , 19; and Censorinus, de Die
Natali, pass.
[1291] _Genio. _ Genius, "a genendo. " The deity who presides over each
man from his birth, as some held, being coeval with the man himself.
The birthday was sacred to him; the offerings consisted of wine,
flowers, and incense. "Manum a sanguine abstinebant: ne die quâ ipsi
lucem accepissent, aliis demerent. " Censor, a Varrone. Cf. Serv. ad
Virg. , Geor. , i. , 302. Hor. , ii. , Ep. ii. , 187, "Scit Genius natale
comes qui temperat astrum, naturæ deus humanæ, mortalis in unumquodque
caput;" and ii. , Ep. i. , 143, "Sylvanum lacte piabant, Floribus et vino
Genium memorem brevis ævi. " Cf. Orell. , in loc. On other days, they
offered bloody victims also to the Genius. "Cras Genium mero Curabis et
porco bimestri. " Hor. , iii. , Od. xvii. , 14.
[1292] _Aperto voto. _ "To offer no prayer that you would fear to
divulge," according to the maxim of Pythagoras, μετὰ φωνῆς εὔχεο,
and that of Seneca, "Sic vive cum hominibus tanquam deus videat: sic
loquere cum deo tanquam homines audiant. "
[1293] _Mens bona. _ Juv. , x. , 356, "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in
corpore sano. "
[1294] _Ebullit. _ "Boil away. "
[1295] _Hercule. _ Hercules was considered the guardian of hidden
treasure, and as Mercury presided over open gains and profits by
merchandise, so Hercules was supposed to be the giver of all sudden and
unexpected good fortune; hence called πλουτοδότης. Cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat.
vi. , 10, "O si urnam argenti fors quæ mihi monstret ut illi Thesauro
invento qui mercenarius agrum illum ipsum mercatus aravit, dives amico
Hercule. "
[1296] _Seria_, "a tall, narrow, long-necked vessel, frequently used
for holding money. "
[1297] _Expungam_, a metaphor from the military roll-calls, from which
the names of all soldiers dead or discharged were expunged.
[1298] _Ducitur. _ Casaubon reads "conditur. " Cf. Mart. , x. , Ep. xliii. ,
"Septima jam Phileros tibi conditur uxor in agro: Plus nulli, Phileros,
quam tibi reddit ager. "
[1299] _Mane. _ Cf. Tibull. , III. , iv. , 9, "At natum in curas hominum
genus omina noctis farre pio placant et saliente sale. " Propert. , III. ,
x. , 13, "Ac primum purâ somnum tibi discute lymphâ. " The ancients
believed that night itself, independently of any extraneous pollution,
occasioned a certain amount of defilement which must be washed away
in pure water at daybreak. Cf. Virg. , Æn. , viii. , 69, "Nox Ænean
somnusque reliquit. Surgit et ætherii spectans orientia Solis Lumina
rite cavis undam de flumine palmis Sustulit. " Cf. Theophrast. , περὶ
δεισιδαιμονιὰς, fin.
[1300] _Tiberino in gurgite. _ Cf. Juv. , vi. , 522, "Hibernum fractâ
glacie descendet in amnem, ter matutino Tiberi mergetur et ipsis
Vorticibus timidum caput abluet. " Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 290, "Illo mane
die quo tu indicis jejunia nudus in Tiberi stabit. " Virg. , Æn. , ii,
719, "Me attrectare nefas donec me flumine vivo abluero. " Ov. , Fast. ,
iv. , 655, "Bis caput intonsum fontanâ spargitur undâ. " 315, "Ter caput
irrorat, ter tollit in æthera palmas. "
[1301] _De Jove. _ Read, with Casaubon, "Est ne ut præponere cures Hunc
cuiquam? cuinam? "
[1302] _Staio. _ The allusion is probably to Staienus, whom Cicero often
mentions as a most corrupt judge. Pro Cluent. , vii. , 24; in Verr. ,
ii. , 32. He is said to have murdered his own wife, his brother, and
his brother's wife. Yet even to such a wretch as this, says Persius,
you would not venture to name the wishes you prefer to Jove. Cf.
Sen. , Ep. x. , "Nunc quanta dementia est hominum! Turpissima vota Diis
insusurrant, si quis admoverit aurem, conticescent; et quod scire
hominem nolunt, deo narrant. "
[1303] _Jupiter. _ Cf. Hor. , i. , Sat. ii. , 17, "Maxime, quis non,
Jupiter! exclamat simul atque audivit. "
[1304] _Ignovisse. _ Cf. Eccles. , viii. , 11, "Because sentence against
an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the
sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. " Tib. , I. , ii. , 8; ix. ,
4. Claudian. ad Hadr. , 38, _seq. _ Juv. , xiii, 10, "Ut sit magna tamen
certè lenta ira deorum est. "
[1305] _Ilex. _ The idea is taken probably from the well-known lines
of Lucretius, vi. , 387, "Quod si Jupiter atque alii fulgentia Divei
Terrifico quatiunt sonitu cœlestia templa, Et jaciunt ignem quo quoique
est quomque voluntas: Quur quibus incautum scelus aversabile quomque
est non faciunt, ictei flammas ut fulguris halent Pectore perfixo
documen mortalibus acre? Et potius nulla sibi turpi conscius in re
volvitur in flammeis innoxius, inque peditur Turbine cœlesti subito
correptus et igni. " Lucian parodies it also, τὶ δήποτε τοὺς ἱεροσύλους
καὶ λῃστὰς ἀφέντες καὶ τοσούτους ὑβριστὰς καὶ βιαίους καὶ ἐπιόρκους,
δρῦν τινὰ πολλάκις κεραυνοῦτε ἢ λίθον ἢ νεὼς ἱστὸν οὐδὲν ἀδικούσης;
Jup. Conf. , ii. , 638.
[1306] _Tuque domusque. _ Probably taken from Homer, εἴπερ γάρ τε καὶ
αὐτίκ' Ὀλύμπιος οὐκ ἐτέλεσσεν, Ἔκ γε καὶ ὀψὲ τελεῖ· σύν τε μεγάλω
ἀπέτισαν, Σὺν σφῇσι κεφαλῇσι γύναιξί τε καὶ τεκέεσσιν.
[1307] _Fibris. _ When any person was struck dead by lightning, the
priest was immediately called in to bury the body: every thing that
had been scorched by it was carefully collected and buried with it.
A two-year old sheep was then sacrificed, and an altar erected over
the place and the ground slightly inclosed round. Lucan. , viii. , 864,
"Inclusum Tusco venerantur cæspite fulmen. " Hor. , A. P. , 471, "An
triste bidental moverit incestus. " Juv. , vi. , 587, "Atque aliquis
senior qui publica fulgura condit. " Ergenna, or Ergennas, is the name
of some Tuscan soothsayer, who gives his directions after inspecting
the entrails; the termination being Tuscan, as Porsenna, Sisenna,
Perpenna, etc. Bidental is applied indifferently to the place,
the sacrifice, and the person. Bidens is properly a sheep fit for
sacrifice, which was so considered when two years old. Hence bidens may
be a corruption of biennis; or from bis and dens, because at the age of
two years the sheep has eight teeth, two of which project far beyond
the rest, and are the criterion of the animal's age.
[1308] _Vellere barbam. _ Alluding to the well-known story of Dionysius
of Syracuse. Cf. Sat. i. , 133.
[1309] _Ecce. _ He now passes on to prayers that result from
superstitious ignorance, or over-fondness, and which, as far as the
_matter_ is concerned, are equally erroneous with the previous class,
though not of the same malicious character. On the fifth day after the
birth of an infant, sacrifices and prayers were offered for the child
to the deities Pilumnus and Picumnus. Purificatory offerings were
made on the eighth day for girls, and on the ninth for boys. The day
therefore was called dies lustricus, and nominalis, because the name
was given. The Greeks called it ὀνομάτων ἑορτή.
[1310] _Metuens Divûm_, i. e. , δεισιδαίμων. "Matetera, quasi Mater
altera. "
[1311] _Urentes. _ Literally, "blasting, withering.
" The belief in the
effects of the "evil eye" is as prevalent as ever in Southern Europe.
They were supposed to extend even to cattle. "Nescio quis teneros
oculus mihi fascinat agnos. " Virg. , Ecl. , iii. , 103. To avert this,
they anointed the child with saliva, and suspended amulets of various
kinds from its neck.
[1312] _Infami digito. _ The middle finger was so called because used
to point in scorn and derision. Cf. Juv. , x. , 53, "Mandaret laqueum
mediumque ostenderet unguem. "
[1313] _Manibus quatit. _ So Homer (lib. vi. ) represents Hector as
tossing his child in his arms, and then offering up a prayer for him.
[1314] _Licinus. _ Probably the Licinus mentioned in Juv. , Sat. i. , 109;
xiv. , 306; the barber and freedman of Augustus, an epigram on whom
is quoted by Varro. "Marmoreo Licinus tumulo jacet: at Cato parvo.
Pompeius nullo. Quis putet esse deos? " Casaubon supposes the Licinius
Stolo mentioned by Livy (vii. , 16) to be intended.
[1315] _Crassi. _ Cf. Juv. , x. , 108.
[1316] _Nutrici. _ Seneca has the same sentiment, Ep. ix. , "Etiamnum
optas quæ tibi optavit nutrix, aut pædagogus, aut mater? Nondum
intelligis quantum mali optaverint. "
[1317] _Albata. _ Those who presided over or attended at sacrifices
always dressed in white.
[1318] _Poscis opem nervis. _ Persius now goes on to ridicule those who
by their own folly render the fulfillment of their prayers impossible;
who pray for health, which they destroy by vicious indulgence; for
wealth, which they idly squander on the costly sacrifices they offer
to render their prayers propitious, and the sumptuous banquets which
always followed those sacrifices.
[1319] _Ferto_, a kind of cake or rich pudding, made of flour, wine,
honey, etc.
[1320] _Si tibi. _ He now proceeds to investigate the cause of these
misdirected prayers, and shows that it results from a belief that the
deity is influenced by the same motives, and to be won over by the same
means, as mortal men. Hence the costly nature of the offerings made and
the vessels employed in the service of the temple.
[1321] _Incusa. _ Cf. Sen. , Ep. v. , "Non habemus argentum in quod solidi
auri cœlatura descendit. " An incrustation or enchasing of gold was
impressed upon vessels of silver. This the Greeks called ἐμπαιστικὴ
τέχνη.
[1322] _Lævo. _ This is the usual interpretation. It may mean, "in your
breast, blinded by avarice and covetousness," as Virg. , Æn. , xi. , "Si
mens non læva fuisset. "
[1323] _Subiit. _ Sen. , Ep. 115, "Admirationem nobis parentes auri
argentique fecerunt: et teneris infusa cupiditas altiùs sedit crevitque
nobiscum. Deinde totus populus, in alio discors, in hoc convenit: hoc
suspiciunt, hoc suis optant, hoc diis velut rerum humanarum maximum cum
grati videri velint, consecrant. "
[1324] _Auro ovato. _ It was the custom for generals at a triumph to
offer a certain portion of their manubiæ to Capitoline Jove and other
deities.
[1325] _Fratres ahenos. _ It is said that there were in the temple porch
of the Palatine Apollo figures of the fifty Danaides, and opposite
them equestrian statues of the fifty sons of Ægyptus; and that some of
these statues gave oracles by means of dreams. Others refer these lines
to Castor and Pollux: but the words "præcipui sunto" seem to imply a
greater number. The passage is very obscure. Casaubon adopts the former
interpretation.
[1326] _Numæ. _ Numa directed that all vessels used for sacred purposes
should be of pottery-ware. Cf. ad Juv. , xi. , 116.
[1327] _Saturnia. _ Alluding to the Ærarium in the temple of Saturn.
[1328] _Pulpa_ is properly the soft, pulpy part of the fruit between
the skin and the kernel: then it is applied to the soft and flaccid
flesh of young animals, and hence applied to the flesh of men. It is
used here in exactly the scriptural sense, "the flesh. "
[1329] _Casiam. _ Vid. Plin. , xiii. , 3. Persius seems to have had in
his eye the lines in the second Georgic, "Nec varios inhiant pulchra
testudine postes Illusasque auro vestes, Ephyreiaque æra; Alba neque
Assyrio fucatur lana veneno nec _Casiâ_, liquidi _corrumpitur_ usus
_olivi_. " Both the epic poet and the satirist, as Gifford remarks, use
the language of the old republic. They consider the oil of the country
to be vitiated, instead of improved, by the luxurious admixture of
foreign spices.
[1330] _Calabrum. _ The finest wool came from Tarentum in Calabria. Vid.
Plin. , H. N. , viii. , 48; ix. , 61; Colum. , vii. , 2; and from the banks
of the Galesus in its neighborhood. Hor. , Od. , II. , vi. , 10, "Dulce
pellitis ovibus Galesi flumen. " Virg. , G. , iv. , 126. Mart. , xii. , Ep.
64, "Albi quæ superas oves Galesi. "
[1331] _Compositum. _ These lines, as Gifford says, are not only the
quintessence of sanctity, but of language. Closeness would cramp and
paraphrase would enfeeble their sense, which may be felt, but can not
be expressed. Casaubon explains compositum, "animum bene comparatum ad
omnia divina humanaque jura. " τὸ εὔτακτον τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὰ θεῖά τε καὶ
ἀνθρώπινα δίκαια. It may also imply the "harmonious blending of the
two. "
[1332] _Recessus. _ So the Greeks used the phrases μυχοὺς διανοίας,
ἄδυτα ταμιεῖα διανοίας. Cf. Rom. , xi. , 16, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
[1333] _Incoctum_ a metaphor from a fleece double-dyed. So Seneca,
"Quemadmodum lana quosdam colores semel ducit, quosdam nisi sæpius
macerata et recocta non perbibit: sic alias disciplines ingenia cum
accepere, protinus præstant: hæc nisi altè descendit, et diù sedit,
animum non coloravit, sed infecit, nihil ex his quæ promiserat
præstat. " Ep. 71. Cf. Virg. , Georg. , iii. , 307, "Quamvis Milesia magno
vellera mutentur Tyrios _incocta_ rubores. "
[1334] _Litabo. _ Cf. v. , 120, "Soli probi _litare_ dicuntur proprie:
_sacrificare_ quilibet etiam improbi. " Litare therefore is to _obtain_
that for which the sacrifice is offered. Vid. Liv. , xxxviii. , 20,
"Postero die sacrificio facto cum primis hostiis litasset. " Plaut. ,
Pœnul. , ii. , 41, "Tum Jupiter faciat ut semper _sacrificem_ nec unquam
_litem_. " Cf. Lact. ad Stat. Theb. , x. , 610. Suet. , Cæs. , 81. Even the
heathen could see that the deity regarded the purity of the heart,
not the costliness of the offering of the sacrificer. So Laberius,
"_Puras_ deus non _plenas_ aspicit manus. " τὸ δαιμονίον μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸ
τῶν θυόντων ἠθος ἢ πρὸς τὸ τῶν θυομένων πλῆθος βλέπει. Cf. Plat. , Alc. ,
II. , xii. , fin. , "Est litabilis hostia bonus animus et pura mens et
sincera sententia. " Min. , Fel. , 32.
[1335] _Farre. _ The idea is probably taken from Seneca. Ep. 95, "Nec
in victimis, licet opimæ sint, auroque præfulgeant, deorum est honos:
sed pia et recta voluntate venerantium: itaque boni etiam _farre_
ac fictili religiosi. " Hor. , iii. , Od. xxiii. , 17, "Immunis aram si
tetigit manus non sumptuosa blandior hostia mollivit aversos Penates
_farre_ pio et saliente mica. " Cf. Eurip. , Fr. Orion εὖ ἴσθ' ὅταν τις
εὐσεβῶν θύῃ θεοῖς· κἂν μικρὰ θύῃ τυγχάνει σωτηρίας.
SATIRE III.
ARGUMENT.
In this Satire, perhaps more than in any other, we detect Persius'
predilection for the doctrines of the Stoics. With them the
summum bonum was "the sound mind in the sound body. " To attain
which, man must apply himself to the cultivation of virtue, that
is, to the study of philosophy. He that does not can aspire to
neither. Though unknown to himself, he is laboring under a mortal
disease, and though he fancies he possesses a healthy intellect,
he is the victim of as deep-seated and dangerous a delusion as
the recognized maniac. The object of the Satire is to reclaim the
idle and profligate young nobles of his day from their enervating
and pernicious habits, by the illustration of these principles.
The opening scene of the Satire presents us with the bedchamber
where one of these young noblemen, accompanied by some other
youths probably of inferior birth and station, is indulging
in sleep many hours after the sun has risen upon the earth.
The entrance of the tutor, who is a professor of the Stoical
philosophy, disturbs their slumbers, and the confusion consequent
upon his rebuke, and the thin disguise of their ill-assumed
zeal, is graphically described. After a passionate outburst
of contempt at their paltry excuses, the tutor points out the
irretrievable evils that will result from their allowing the
golden hours of youth to pass by unimproved: overthrows all
objections which are raised as to their position in life,
and competency of means rendering such vigorous application
superfluous; and in a passage of solemn warning full of majesty
and power, describes the unavailing remorse which will assuredly
hereafter visit those who have so far quitted the rugged path
that leads to virtue's heights, that all return is hopeless. He
then proceeds to describe the defects of his own education; and
the vices he fell into in consequence of these defects--vices
however which were venial in himself, as those principles which
would have taught him their folly were never inculcated in him.
Whereas those whom he addresses, from the greater care that
has been bestowed on their early training, are without apology
for their neglect of these palpable duties. Then with great
force and vigor, he briefly describes the proper pursuits of
well-regulated minds; and looks down with contemptuous scorn on
the sneers with which vulgar ignorance would deride these truths,
too transcendent for their gross comprehension to appreciate.
The Satire concludes very happily with the lively apologue of
a glutton; who, in despite of all warning and friendly advice,
perseveres even when his health is failing, in such vicious and
unrestrained indulgence, that he falls at length a victim to
his intemperance. The application of the moral is simple. The
mind that is destitute of philosophical culture is hopelessly
diseased, and the precepts of philosophy can alone effect a cure.
calculo. " Cat. , lxviii. , 148, "Quem lapide illa diem candidiore notet. "
[1289] _Apponit. _ A technical word in calculating; as in Greek,
τιθέναι, and προστιθέναι. So "Appone lucro. " Hor. , i. , Od. ix. , 14.
[1290] _Annos. _ For the respect paid by the Romans to their birthdays,
see Juv. , xi. , 83; xii. , 1; Pers. , vi. , 19; and Censorinus, de Die
Natali, pass.
[1291] _Genio. _ Genius, "a genendo. " The deity who presides over each
man from his birth, as some held, being coeval with the man himself.
The birthday was sacred to him; the offerings consisted of wine,
flowers, and incense. "Manum a sanguine abstinebant: ne die quâ ipsi
lucem accepissent, aliis demerent. " Censor, a Varrone. Cf. Serv. ad
Virg. , Geor. , i. , 302. Hor. , ii. , Ep. ii. , 187, "Scit Genius natale
comes qui temperat astrum, naturæ deus humanæ, mortalis in unumquodque
caput;" and ii. , Ep. i. , 143, "Sylvanum lacte piabant, Floribus et vino
Genium memorem brevis ævi. " Cf. Orell. , in loc. On other days, they
offered bloody victims also to the Genius. "Cras Genium mero Curabis et
porco bimestri. " Hor. , iii. , Od. xvii. , 14.
[1292] _Aperto voto. _ "To offer no prayer that you would fear to
divulge," according to the maxim of Pythagoras, μετὰ φωνῆς εὔχεο,
and that of Seneca, "Sic vive cum hominibus tanquam deus videat: sic
loquere cum deo tanquam homines audiant. "
[1293] _Mens bona. _ Juv. , x. , 356, "Orandum est ut sit mens sana in
corpore sano. "
[1294] _Ebullit. _ "Boil away. "
[1295] _Hercule. _ Hercules was considered the guardian of hidden
treasure, and as Mercury presided over open gains and profits by
merchandise, so Hercules was supposed to be the giver of all sudden and
unexpected good fortune; hence called πλουτοδότης. Cf. Hor. , ii. , Sat.
vi. , 10, "O si urnam argenti fors quæ mihi monstret ut illi Thesauro
invento qui mercenarius agrum illum ipsum mercatus aravit, dives amico
Hercule. "
[1296] _Seria_, "a tall, narrow, long-necked vessel, frequently used
for holding money. "
[1297] _Expungam_, a metaphor from the military roll-calls, from which
the names of all soldiers dead or discharged were expunged.
[1298] _Ducitur. _ Casaubon reads "conditur. " Cf. Mart. , x. , Ep. xliii. ,
"Septima jam Phileros tibi conditur uxor in agro: Plus nulli, Phileros,
quam tibi reddit ager. "
[1299] _Mane. _ Cf. Tibull. , III. , iv. , 9, "At natum in curas hominum
genus omina noctis farre pio placant et saliente sale. " Propert. , III. ,
x. , 13, "Ac primum purâ somnum tibi discute lymphâ. " The ancients
believed that night itself, independently of any extraneous pollution,
occasioned a certain amount of defilement which must be washed away
in pure water at daybreak. Cf. Virg. , Æn. , viii. , 69, "Nox Ænean
somnusque reliquit. Surgit et ætherii spectans orientia Solis Lumina
rite cavis undam de flumine palmis Sustulit. " Cf. Theophrast. , περὶ
δεισιδαιμονιὰς, fin.
[1300] _Tiberino in gurgite. _ Cf. Juv. , vi. , 522, "Hibernum fractâ
glacie descendet in amnem, ter matutino Tiberi mergetur et ipsis
Vorticibus timidum caput abluet. " Hor. , ii. , Sat. iii. , 290, "Illo mane
die quo tu indicis jejunia nudus in Tiberi stabit. " Virg. , Æn. , ii,
719, "Me attrectare nefas donec me flumine vivo abluero. " Ov. , Fast. ,
iv. , 655, "Bis caput intonsum fontanâ spargitur undâ. " 315, "Ter caput
irrorat, ter tollit in æthera palmas. "
[1301] _De Jove. _ Read, with Casaubon, "Est ne ut præponere cures Hunc
cuiquam? cuinam? "
[1302] _Staio. _ The allusion is probably to Staienus, whom Cicero often
mentions as a most corrupt judge. Pro Cluent. , vii. , 24; in Verr. ,
ii. , 32. He is said to have murdered his own wife, his brother, and
his brother's wife. Yet even to such a wretch as this, says Persius,
you would not venture to name the wishes you prefer to Jove. Cf.
Sen. , Ep. x. , "Nunc quanta dementia est hominum! Turpissima vota Diis
insusurrant, si quis admoverit aurem, conticescent; et quod scire
hominem nolunt, deo narrant. "
[1303] _Jupiter. _ Cf. Hor. , i. , Sat. ii. , 17, "Maxime, quis non,
Jupiter! exclamat simul atque audivit. "
[1304] _Ignovisse. _ Cf. Eccles. , viii. , 11, "Because sentence against
an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the
sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. " Tib. , I. , ii. , 8; ix. ,
4. Claudian. ad Hadr. , 38, _seq. _ Juv. , xiii, 10, "Ut sit magna tamen
certè lenta ira deorum est. "
[1305] _Ilex. _ The idea is taken probably from the well-known lines
of Lucretius, vi. , 387, "Quod si Jupiter atque alii fulgentia Divei
Terrifico quatiunt sonitu cœlestia templa, Et jaciunt ignem quo quoique
est quomque voluntas: Quur quibus incautum scelus aversabile quomque
est non faciunt, ictei flammas ut fulguris halent Pectore perfixo
documen mortalibus acre? Et potius nulla sibi turpi conscius in re
volvitur in flammeis innoxius, inque peditur Turbine cœlesti subito
correptus et igni. " Lucian parodies it also, τὶ δήποτε τοὺς ἱεροσύλους
καὶ λῃστὰς ἀφέντες καὶ τοσούτους ὑβριστὰς καὶ βιαίους καὶ ἐπιόρκους,
δρῦν τινὰ πολλάκις κεραυνοῦτε ἢ λίθον ἢ νεὼς ἱστὸν οὐδὲν ἀδικούσης;
Jup. Conf. , ii. , 638.
[1306] _Tuque domusque. _ Probably taken from Homer, εἴπερ γάρ τε καὶ
αὐτίκ' Ὀλύμπιος οὐκ ἐτέλεσσεν, Ἔκ γε καὶ ὀψὲ τελεῖ· σύν τε μεγάλω
ἀπέτισαν, Σὺν σφῇσι κεφαλῇσι γύναιξί τε καὶ τεκέεσσιν.
[1307] _Fibris. _ When any person was struck dead by lightning, the
priest was immediately called in to bury the body: every thing that
had been scorched by it was carefully collected and buried with it.
A two-year old sheep was then sacrificed, and an altar erected over
the place and the ground slightly inclosed round. Lucan. , viii. , 864,
"Inclusum Tusco venerantur cæspite fulmen. " Hor. , A. P. , 471, "An
triste bidental moverit incestus. " Juv. , vi. , 587, "Atque aliquis
senior qui publica fulgura condit. " Ergenna, or Ergennas, is the name
of some Tuscan soothsayer, who gives his directions after inspecting
the entrails; the termination being Tuscan, as Porsenna, Sisenna,
Perpenna, etc. Bidental is applied indifferently to the place,
the sacrifice, and the person. Bidens is properly a sheep fit for
sacrifice, which was so considered when two years old. Hence bidens may
be a corruption of biennis; or from bis and dens, because at the age of
two years the sheep has eight teeth, two of which project far beyond
the rest, and are the criterion of the animal's age.
[1308] _Vellere barbam. _ Alluding to the well-known story of Dionysius
of Syracuse. Cf. Sat. i. , 133.
[1309] _Ecce. _ He now passes on to prayers that result from
superstitious ignorance, or over-fondness, and which, as far as the
_matter_ is concerned, are equally erroneous with the previous class,
though not of the same malicious character. On the fifth day after the
birth of an infant, sacrifices and prayers were offered for the child
to the deities Pilumnus and Picumnus. Purificatory offerings were
made on the eighth day for girls, and on the ninth for boys. The day
therefore was called dies lustricus, and nominalis, because the name
was given. The Greeks called it ὀνομάτων ἑορτή.
[1310] _Metuens Divûm_, i. e. , δεισιδαίμων. "Matetera, quasi Mater
altera. "
[1311] _Urentes. _ Literally, "blasting, withering.
" The belief in the
effects of the "evil eye" is as prevalent as ever in Southern Europe.
They were supposed to extend even to cattle. "Nescio quis teneros
oculus mihi fascinat agnos. " Virg. , Ecl. , iii. , 103. To avert this,
they anointed the child with saliva, and suspended amulets of various
kinds from its neck.
[1312] _Infami digito. _ The middle finger was so called because used
to point in scorn and derision. Cf. Juv. , x. , 53, "Mandaret laqueum
mediumque ostenderet unguem. "
[1313] _Manibus quatit. _ So Homer (lib. vi. ) represents Hector as
tossing his child in his arms, and then offering up a prayer for him.
[1314] _Licinus. _ Probably the Licinus mentioned in Juv. , Sat. i. , 109;
xiv. , 306; the barber and freedman of Augustus, an epigram on whom
is quoted by Varro. "Marmoreo Licinus tumulo jacet: at Cato parvo.
Pompeius nullo. Quis putet esse deos? " Casaubon supposes the Licinius
Stolo mentioned by Livy (vii. , 16) to be intended.
[1315] _Crassi. _ Cf. Juv. , x. , 108.
[1316] _Nutrici. _ Seneca has the same sentiment, Ep. ix. , "Etiamnum
optas quæ tibi optavit nutrix, aut pædagogus, aut mater? Nondum
intelligis quantum mali optaverint. "
[1317] _Albata. _ Those who presided over or attended at sacrifices
always dressed in white.
[1318] _Poscis opem nervis. _ Persius now goes on to ridicule those who
by their own folly render the fulfillment of their prayers impossible;
who pray for health, which they destroy by vicious indulgence; for
wealth, which they idly squander on the costly sacrifices they offer
to render their prayers propitious, and the sumptuous banquets which
always followed those sacrifices.
[1319] _Ferto_, a kind of cake or rich pudding, made of flour, wine,
honey, etc.
[1320] _Si tibi. _ He now proceeds to investigate the cause of these
misdirected prayers, and shows that it results from a belief that the
deity is influenced by the same motives, and to be won over by the same
means, as mortal men. Hence the costly nature of the offerings made and
the vessels employed in the service of the temple.
[1321] _Incusa. _ Cf. Sen. , Ep. v. , "Non habemus argentum in quod solidi
auri cœlatura descendit. " An incrustation or enchasing of gold was
impressed upon vessels of silver. This the Greeks called ἐμπαιστικὴ
τέχνη.
[1322] _Lævo. _ This is the usual interpretation. It may mean, "in your
breast, blinded by avarice and covetousness," as Virg. , Æn. , xi. , "Si
mens non læva fuisset. "
[1323] _Subiit. _ Sen. , Ep. 115, "Admirationem nobis parentes auri
argentique fecerunt: et teneris infusa cupiditas altiùs sedit crevitque
nobiscum. Deinde totus populus, in alio discors, in hoc convenit: hoc
suspiciunt, hoc suis optant, hoc diis velut rerum humanarum maximum cum
grati videri velint, consecrant. "
[1324] _Auro ovato. _ It was the custom for generals at a triumph to
offer a certain portion of their manubiæ to Capitoline Jove and other
deities.
[1325] _Fratres ahenos. _ It is said that there were in the temple porch
of the Palatine Apollo figures of the fifty Danaides, and opposite
them equestrian statues of the fifty sons of Ægyptus; and that some of
these statues gave oracles by means of dreams. Others refer these lines
to Castor and Pollux: but the words "præcipui sunto" seem to imply a
greater number. The passage is very obscure. Casaubon adopts the former
interpretation.
[1326] _Numæ. _ Numa directed that all vessels used for sacred purposes
should be of pottery-ware. Cf. ad Juv. , xi. , 116.
[1327] _Saturnia. _ Alluding to the Ærarium in the temple of Saturn.
[1328] _Pulpa_ is properly the soft, pulpy part of the fruit between
the skin and the kernel: then it is applied to the soft and flaccid
flesh of young animals, and hence applied to the flesh of men. It is
used here in exactly the scriptural sense, "the flesh. "
[1329] _Casiam. _ Vid. Plin. , xiii. , 3. Persius seems to have had in
his eye the lines in the second Georgic, "Nec varios inhiant pulchra
testudine postes Illusasque auro vestes, Ephyreiaque æra; Alba neque
Assyrio fucatur lana veneno nec _Casiâ_, liquidi _corrumpitur_ usus
_olivi_. " Both the epic poet and the satirist, as Gifford remarks, use
the language of the old republic. They consider the oil of the country
to be vitiated, instead of improved, by the luxurious admixture of
foreign spices.
[1330] _Calabrum. _ The finest wool came from Tarentum in Calabria. Vid.
Plin. , H. N. , viii. , 48; ix. , 61; Colum. , vii. , 2; and from the banks
of the Galesus in its neighborhood. Hor. , Od. , II. , vi. , 10, "Dulce
pellitis ovibus Galesi flumen. " Virg. , G. , iv. , 126. Mart. , xii. , Ep.
64, "Albi quæ superas oves Galesi. "
[1331] _Compositum. _ These lines, as Gifford says, are not only the
quintessence of sanctity, but of language. Closeness would cramp and
paraphrase would enfeeble their sense, which may be felt, but can not
be expressed. Casaubon explains compositum, "animum bene comparatum ad
omnia divina humanaque jura. " τὸ εὔτακτον τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὰ θεῖά τε καὶ
ἀνθρώπινα δίκαια. It may also imply the "harmonious blending of the
two. "
[1332] _Recessus. _ So the Greeks used the phrases μυχοὺς διανοίας,
ἄδυτα ταμιεῖα διανοίας. Cf. Rom. , xi. , 16, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
[1333] _Incoctum_ a metaphor from a fleece double-dyed. So Seneca,
"Quemadmodum lana quosdam colores semel ducit, quosdam nisi sæpius
macerata et recocta non perbibit: sic alias disciplines ingenia cum
accepere, protinus præstant: hæc nisi altè descendit, et diù sedit,
animum non coloravit, sed infecit, nihil ex his quæ promiserat
præstat. " Ep. 71. Cf. Virg. , Georg. , iii. , 307, "Quamvis Milesia magno
vellera mutentur Tyrios _incocta_ rubores. "
[1334] _Litabo. _ Cf. v. , 120, "Soli probi _litare_ dicuntur proprie:
_sacrificare_ quilibet etiam improbi. " Litare therefore is to _obtain_
that for which the sacrifice is offered. Vid. Liv. , xxxviii. , 20,
"Postero die sacrificio facto cum primis hostiis litasset. " Plaut. ,
Pœnul. , ii. , 41, "Tum Jupiter faciat ut semper _sacrificem_ nec unquam
_litem_. " Cf. Lact. ad Stat. Theb. , x. , 610. Suet. , Cæs. , 81. Even the
heathen could see that the deity regarded the purity of the heart,
not the costliness of the offering of the sacrificer. So Laberius,
"_Puras_ deus non _plenas_ aspicit manus. " τὸ δαιμονίον μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸ
τῶν θυόντων ἠθος ἢ πρὸς τὸ τῶν θυομένων πλῆθος βλέπει. Cf. Plat. , Alc. ,
II. , xii. , fin. , "Est litabilis hostia bonus animus et pura mens et
sincera sententia. " Min. , Fel. , 32.
[1335] _Farre. _ The idea is probably taken from Seneca. Ep. 95, "Nec
in victimis, licet opimæ sint, auroque præfulgeant, deorum est honos:
sed pia et recta voluntate venerantium: itaque boni etiam _farre_
ac fictili religiosi. " Hor. , iii. , Od. xxiii. , 17, "Immunis aram si
tetigit manus non sumptuosa blandior hostia mollivit aversos Penates
_farre_ pio et saliente mica. " Cf. Eurip. , Fr. Orion εὖ ἴσθ' ὅταν τις
εὐσεβῶν θύῃ θεοῖς· κἂν μικρὰ θύῃ τυγχάνει σωτηρίας.
SATIRE III.
ARGUMENT.
In this Satire, perhaps more than in any other, we detect Persius'
predilection for the doctrines of the Stoics. With them the
summum bonum was "the sound mind in the sound body. " To attain
which, man must apply himself to the cultivation of virtue, that
is, to the study of philosophy. He that does not can aspire to
neither. Though unknown to himself, he is laboring under a mortal
disease, and though he fancies he possesses a healthy intellect,
he is the victim of as deep-seated and dangerous a delusion as
the recognized maniac. The object of the Satire is to reclaim the
idle and profligate young nobles of his day from their enervating
and pernicious habits, by the illustration of these principles.
The opening scene of the Satire presents us with the bedchamber
where one of these young noblemen, accompanied by some other
youths probably of inferior birth and station, is indulging
in sleep many hours after the sun has risen upon the earth.
The entrance of the tutor, who is a professor of the Stoical
philosophy, disturbs their slumbers, and the confusion consequent
upon his rebuke, and the thin disguise of their ill-assumed
zeal, is graphically described. After a passionate outburst
of contempt at their paltry excuses, the tutor points out the
irretrievable evils that will result from their allowing the
golden hours of youth to pass by unimproved: overthrows all
objections which are raised as to their position in life,
and competency of means rendering such vigorous application
superfluous; and in a passage of solemn warning full of majesty
and power, describes the unavailing remorse which will assuredly
hereafter visit those who have so far quitted the rugged path
that leads to virtue's heights, that all return is hopeless. He
then proceeds to describe the defects of his own education; and
the vices he fell into in consequence of these defects--vices
however which were venial in himself, as those principles which
would have taught him their folly were never inculcated in him.
Whereas those whom he addresses, from the greater care that
has been bestowed on their early training, are without apology
for their neglect of these palpable duties. Then with great
force and vigor, he briefly describes the proper pursuits of
well-regulated minds; and looks down with contemptuous scorn on
the sneers with which vulgar ignorance would deride these truths,
too transcendent for their gross comprehension to appreciate.
The Satire concludes very happily with the lively apologue of
a glutton; who, in despite of all warning and friendly advice,
perseveres even when his health is failing, in such vicious and
unrestrained indulgence, that he falls at length a victim to
his intemperance. The application of the moral is simple. The
mind that is destitute of philosophical culture is hopelessly
diseased, and the precepts of philosophy can alone effect a cure.
