X
r
^L
LATIN PROSE OP THE SILVER AGE
LATIN PROSE
OF THE SILVER AGE
SELECTIONS
EDITED BY
C. E. BROWNRIGG, M.A.
CHIEF CLASSICAL MASTER IN MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL, OXFORD
WITH AN
INTRODUCTION
BY
T. H. WARREN, M.A.
I'KESIDENT OF MAODALEN COLLEGE
LONDON
BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.C.
GLASGOW AND DUBLIN
1895
PEEFACE.
The following selections have been made from the
chief prose writers in the period 14 A.D.-180 A.D. (death
of Augustus to that of Aurelius): to have included all
the prose writers would have necessitated extending the
book to undesirable limits.
Although, with striking exceptions (notably Tacitus
and the younger Pliny), these prose authors are not
generally read by young students, and despite the fact
that from some stand-points such an abstention may be
wise, yet it has none the less always seemed a matter of
regret that boys of higher forms and even other students
should have little or no knowledge of these writers
except that which is gleaned from passages in "Unseen"
books. The mere fact that passages do appear in such
books and in public examination papers, is a sufficient
testimony that from the lower stand-point of practical
utility it is an advantage to have some acquaintance
with silver age authors other than Tacitus and the
younger Pliny : but, to take higher ground, a knowledge
of this kind must bring with it a more comprehensive
view of Latin literature.
In making these selections I have had no previous
collection before me, but while reading the authors have
marked a number of pieces which seemed to bring out
the variety and salient characteristics of the writings:
from the whole number I have made for the purpose of
this volume the selections published. As depending on
vi LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
a single judgment it is not a very certain process, and
it is more than possible that those who know these
authors may miss some favourite passages and consider
that others of inferior merit have been included; but I
hope I have not sacrificed too much in my desire for
variety. The elder Pliny has given me most trouble,
even though I cannot profess to have read him from
cover to cover.
The notes are intended to give only slight assistance
in translation : to make the book as complete as possible
(within a small compass), I have tried to explain the
allusions throughout: Petronius, indeed, would be espe-
cially difficult without some kind of a commentary.
As it is confessedly an editor's duty to furnish a text
which admits of translation, and more especially so in
the case of selections, I have done my best to satisfy
the canon. In the greater number of authors I have,
for the most part, followed the text of the recent editions
in the Teubner series : Friedliinder (Leipzig, 1891) has
furnished that for Petronius, Eyssenhardt for the Golden
Ass of Apuleius. When words appear in italics they
are conjectures generally of the German editors, but in
one or two cases of my own: when on the other hand
words which, although appearing in the MSS., interfere
with the sense, have been omitted, I trust the fact has
not been overlooked in the notes. In Petronius one or two
lines have been omitted for obvious reasons. For so many
authors any attempt at a complete apparatus criticus
seemed outside the purpose, but at the same time I did
not like to leave serious difficulties of reading unnoticed.
For general information I owe most to the history of
Teuffel (Schwabe's translation), and in less degree to
those of Schanz, Simcox, and Cruttwell : on the particu-
lar authors to Friedliinder's edition of the Cena Trimal-
PREFACE. Vll
chionis, Roth's preface to Suetonius, Hildebrand's Apuleius,
the writings of Hertz on Gellius, Peterson's edition of
Quintilian, bk. x., and Tacitus' Dialogus de omtoribus.
Other smaller debts are acknowledged in the notes, but
(with the exception of Mayor's Juvenal) I have more
generally referred to German than to English editors:
indeed, except on Tacitus and Pliny the younger, Eng-
lish commentaries are few and far between. I very
much regret, however, that this small book was practi-
cally completed before Professor Tyrrell's recent volume
came into my hands, full as it is of interesting criticism
and suggestion.
In conclusion I should like to express my gratitude
to the President of Magdalen College for having written
the Introduction : it is the latest of the many services he
has done me, and I could wish that the book were more
worthy of the trouble he has taken. At the same time
it should be pointed out that for my errors of selection
or comment he is in no way responsible.
C. E. B.
MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL,
June 6, 1895.
CONTENTS.
Page
PREFACE, v
GENERAL SCHEME OF WRITERS OF THE SILVER AGE, - - xiii
INTRODUCTION, ....... xxiii
SELECTIONS :
YELLEIUS PATERCULUS - - - - . - 1 * *
*)(I- A consideration of the fact that in the different arts,
history, tragedy, comedy, &c., many eminent men
are contemporaneous, - - - - - 2
II. A brief account of the rise, projects, and death oj
Tiberius and C. Gracchus, .... 4
III. The character and early career of Julius Caesar, - 7
IV. Defeat and death of On. Pompeius, - - - 10 ,
>.V. The battle of Actium and defeat of Antony, - -11'
^VI. The rise of Arminius, and disastrous defeat of the
army of Varus, - - - - - 13 *
SENECA 16
I. Extract from Consol. ad Marciam, - 18
^IL Extract from Consol. ad Marciam, - - 20 V
III. Life should be lived in harmony with nature, - - 22
IV. The right acquisition and use of money not alien to
the life of a philosopher, ----- 23 ,
7-x V. The evils of inconsiderate anger, - <5 I J-vf. - - 25 *
VI. The wrong use of money, - - - - - 27
VII. Nothing befits a ruler so much as clemency, - - 28
VIII. The gift depends on the giver, not on the size of the gift, 29
IX. The right manner of giving, - - - - - 31
X. Various causes assigned for earthquakes, - - 32
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
<\L
Seneca moralizes on the use of mirrors, - ' - 34 >
XII. The true bearing and outward appearance of the
philosopher, - - - - 36
J^XIII. It is not pain, but fortitude in pain which is desirable, 37 *
XIV. The ethics of suicide, 40
XV. The uncertainty of life, 43
y XVI. Extract from the 'ATroKoXo/ciWoxm, - - 47
PETKONITS ........ 49
I. Trimatchio's singing slave, - - - - 49 x '
r~ II. Trimalchio after dinner reads his will, - - 51 * J
^ III. Trimalchio tells the story of Ids life, - 52 t/
PLINY THE ELDER ....... 55
I. The earth we live on, - - - - - - 56
"**II, Conceptions and fallacies about the god', 58 *
III. Mutability of fortune, - - - 61
IV. Death and the spirits of the dead, - - 64
V. The pi'arl an<1 'its history, - - 65 k
*- VI. The nightingale, - - 68
VII. Wine at Rome, - ... - 69
VIII. ApellesandProtogen.es, - - 72
QIJINTILIAN - 74
I. Quint!/ ian mourns the loss of his wife and sons, - 75
II. 1 1 OKI to produce emotion in of hers, - - - 78
A^III. Quintil ian' s estimate of Roman authors, - - 81
I V. On gesture in oratory, - - - - - - 89
V. The good orator 'must be a good man, - - - 91
*gN-VI. The vrinciplcs of education, - - - - 94 *
VII. Quare ineruditiingeniosiores vulgo habeantur, - 96
/ TACITUS . 99
I. The character and death of Agricola, ... 100
II. The pleasures of the orator 1 s life, - - - 102
III. Tin 1 manners of the Aestii: their mode of collecting
amber, ........ 104
CONTENTS. XI
Page
IV '. The death of Otho after the news of Bedriacum, -105 *
>^ V. Preparations for the siege, and description of
Jerusalem, - - - - - - - 107
** VI. Seneca's correspondence ivith Nero, - - - 109
X VII. The death of Seneca, 112 '
PLINY THE YOUNGER 114
"^ I. A contrast betiveen the occupations of Rome and
literary leisure, - - - - - - 115
II. A description of Pliny's villa, - - - - 115
, X III. Pliny's account of his uncle's method of life, - - 120 '
IV. A ghost story, - - - - 122
V. A description of the Clitumnus, - ... 125
VI. An overflow of the Tiber, - - 126
X VII. The fame of Pliny and Tacitus, - -127
VIII. A description of Trajan's entry into Rome, - 128
SUETONIUS 131
Death of Julius Caesar, 132 '
Appearance and habits of Augustus, - - - 134
Tiberius' behaviour on his accession, - - - 136
The cruelty of Caligula, - - - - 138
Nero's passionate devotion to the circus and singing, 141
VI. Death of Nero, - - 143
VII. Death of Galba, - - 146
XVIII. Good acts of Titus, - - 147
X IX. Fears of Domitian, - - - - 149
APULEIUS - - - - - - - -152
st^, I. Psyche is tempted by her sisters to disobey her hus-
band's command, and by lighting a lamp to see
his face while asleep, - - - - - 153
V II. Venus, enraged at Cupid's love for Psyche, sets
various tasks to the unhappy girl, - - - 156
III. An arrest and a trial, ------ 158
IV. The properties of a mirror, 162
r
Xll LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Page
AULUS GELLIUS - 163
I. A point of casuistry: what is one's duty to one's
friend? - - - - 163
II. A question of grammatical usage, - - . - 166
III. Who were senatores pedarii? - 168
A criticism of Seneca as a critif, - - 169
V. Explanation of technical terms, . . . . 171
VI. Methods ofsi'-crct correspond/ nc< . - . . - 173
VII. A criticism of Virgil , - . . . -175
NOTES, - - - - - . - . - 179
GENERAL SCHEME OF THE CHIEF SILVER AGE
WRITERS,
FROM THE DEATH OF AUGUSTUS TILL THE REIGN
OP M. AURELIUS.
(The Grammarians and Jurists are omitted.)
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
AUGUSTUS,
CREMUTIUS CORUUS.
Cordus, whose works are not
died 14 A.D.
extant, wrote on the end of
AUFIDIUS BASSUS.
the republic and the found-
TIBERIUS,
ing of the empire (vide Tac.
14-37 A.D.
Ann. iv. 34, 35). Bassus (also
not extant) on the same sub-
ject and the wars in Germany
(for a notice, vide Quintil.
x. 1. 103; Selection iii. of
Quint., line 116-129).
VELLEIUS PATER-
Epitome of (Greek and) Ro-
CULUS,
man History up to consul-
floruit circ. 30 A.D.
ship of M. Vinicius (30 A.D.),
in two books (the first being
incomplete).
VALERIUS MAXIMUS,
Factorum et dictorum mcmora-
floruit circ. 30 A.D.
bilium libri novcm largely
drawn from Livy, but also
in a less degree from Cicero
and Sallust.
A. CORNELIUS
A writer on a variety of sub-
CELSUS,
jects, but we now possess
floruit circa 30 A.D.
only eight of his original
thirteen books on medicine.
Quintilian (xii. 11. 24) refers
to him rather contemptu-
ously as a man " mediocri
ingenio".
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
PHAEDRUS.
Five books of versified Aesop's
fables, with additions, e.g.
GAIUS
anecdotes of the times of
CALIGULA,
Augustus and Tiberius, &c.
37-41 A.D.
Phaedrus was a freedman,
born probably in Thrace.
The first two books seem to
CLAUDIUS,
have been published under
41-54 A.D.
Tiberius, the last three un-
der Caligula.
SENECA, (?) 4-65 A.D.
A list of his writings, &c., will
NERO,
be found in the introductory
54-68 A.D.
note to the selections.
CURTIUS RUFUS,
Ten books dealing with the
floruit circa 50 A.D.
history of Alexander the
Great: the first two books
are lost. There is a dispute
about the date of Curtius,
as while some critics would
place him under Augustus,
others refer him to the reign
of Vespasian: a recent Ital-
ian critic places him under
Aurelius, and Niebuhr and
llanke still later.
COLUMELLA,
Twelve books De re rustica,
circa 50 A.D.
and another earlier treat-
ment of the same subject of
which we have the treatise
De arboribus: he also wrote
on other subjects, as he him-
self mentions books written
contra, astrologos. He was
a native of Gades.
ASCONIUS PEDIANUS,
A critic and commentator, es-
3-88 A.D.
pecially on Virgil and Cicero.
(Of his criticisms we possess,
in imperfect form, those
which deal with five speeches
of Cicero that on the Pro
Milone being best known. )
GENERAL SCHEME OF WRITERS.
XV
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WOUKS.
NERO,
A. PERSIUS FLACCUS
Six hexameter satires on men
54-68 A.D.
34-62 A.D.
and manners viewed from
the Stoic stand-point.
ANNAEUS LUCANUS,
A voluminous writer (also a
39-65 A.D.
Spaniard, like so many con-
temporary authors), whose
greatest work, the Pharsalia,
or the epic of the Civil War
in ten books, has been pre-
served for us. Quintilian's
estimate of him will be found
in the third selection from
Quintilian.
PETRONIUS ARBITER,
The author of a satirical novel
time of Nero.
dealing mainly with plebeian
life at Rome, but containing
also some literary criticism
couched in the form of paro-
dies. Of the original work
we possess considerable frag-
ments (see Biicheler's edi-
tion), the most considerable
being the Oena Trimalchi-
onis. The date of the satire
is much disputed, but if we
accept the evidence of Tac.
(^4 nn. xvi. 17-18) there are
strong reasons for assigning
it to the times of Nero.
T. CALPURNIUS
Wrote seven eclogues in imi-
SICULUS,
tation of Virgil. Possibly
time of Nero.
also averse panegyric on Piso
which has come down to us
without the name of the
author.
LUCILIUS JUNIOR (?),
A poem called Aetna, in imi-
time of Nero.
tation of and wrongly as-
cribed to Virgil (in the ap-
pendix to whose poems it
OTHO A '] 68 "
has come down to us).
VITEL- r 69
LIUS, J
LATIN OF THE SILVEIl AGE.
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
VESPASIAN,
C.PLINIUS SECUNDUS
De Jaculatione equestri', De
69-79 A.D.
(Pliny the Elder),
vita Pomponi; Bellorum Ger-
23-79 A.D.
maniae xx.; Dubii sermonis
viii., a grammatical work;
A fine Aufidii Bassi xxxi., a
history of which we have a
few unimportant fragments:
it was used by Tacitus;
Naturae Historiarum xxxvii.
This is the list given by
the younger Pliny in his
account of his uncle's writ-
ings and manner of life
(vide Selection iii.).
TITUS,
C. VALERIUS
Eight books of Argonautica,
79-81 A.D.
FLACCUS,
being an obvious imitation
?-90 A.D.
of the similar work of Apol-
lonius Rhodius: he attempts
to copy Virgil's style, and
occasionally with success.
DOMTTIAN,
SILIUS ITALICUS,
Seventeen books forming the
81-96 A.D.
25-101 A.D.
epic Punica, or a verse his-
tory of the second Punic
War, the material being
NKRVA,
largely, if not entirely, de-
96-98 A.D.
rived from Livy, and the
style based on that of Virgil.
Silius was also a Greek
scholar, as is shown by his
Homer us Latinus, at first a
translation and afterwards
an abstract of the Iliad.
It is a very disputed point,
however, if this work is to
be referred to Silius, as the
traditional author was, ac-
cording to the early MSS.
heading, Homerus, or else,
according to later MSS.,
Pindarus. The ascription to
Silius depends on the inter-
pretation of certain acrostics
in the poem itself (vide
Teuffel, p. 115 and refer-
ences).
(M25)
GENERAL SCHEME OF WRITERS.
XV11
EMPEROK.
WHITER.
WORKS.
NEEVA,
96-98 A.D.
P. PAPINIUS STATIU:
?45-?96 A.D.
M. VALERIUS
MARTIALIS,
circ. 40-102 A.D.
M. FABIUS QUIN-
TILIANUS,
circ. 35-95 A.U.
SEX. JULIUS FRON
TINUS,
circ. 40-93 A.D.
D. (?M.) JUNIUS
JUVENALIS.
Date uncertain, but
from, probably,
before 67 A.U. to
certainly after 127
A.D.
In addition to his Thebais (an
epic dealing with the quarrel
of the brothers Eteocles and
Polynices in twelve books),
we have also an incomplete
Achilleis, and five books of
Siivae ( rapidly composed
metrical sketches, some ex-
tremely difficult to translate).
That he was also a writer of
mimes is proved by the allu-
sion to the Agave in Juvenal,
7. 86 (vide Mayor's note).
Epigrams on life in Rome in
fifteen books: properly speak-
ing, there are twelve books
of epigrams, with an intro-
ductory book dealing with
theatrical performances (un-
der Titus) sometimes called
Liber Spcctaculorum, and two
concluding books with the
distinctive titles of Xcnia and
Apophoreta.
Work on the decay of oratory,
Institutio Oratorio,, ten books,
D&damationes (but vide In-
trod. to the selection from
Quintil).
A writer on agriculture, en-
gineering, and tactics. We
possess three of his books
dealing with military tactics
and two with the water sup-
ply of Home.
Sixteen satires, the authen-
I ticity of the last being a
matter of dispute, as far back
as the scholia.
XV111
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
EMPEKOK.
WRITER.
WORKS.
I
Dialogus de Oratoribus (on the
decay of oratory under the em- 1
pire).
Agricola (a history of Ta-
citus' father-in-law, with es-
pecial reference to his ex-
ploits in Britain).
Gcrmania.
Historiae (from Galba to
Domitian: Tacitus intended
to continue the work to in-
clude the reigns of Nerva
and Trajan) in (?) fourteen
books, of which we have the
first four and a portion of
the fifth.
Annalcs (Augustus to Ne-
ro), in possibly sixteen books:
we have the complete his-
tory of Tiberius, nothing of
Caligula, and portions only
of Claudius and Nero, i.e.
books i.-iv.; portions of v.
and vi., and fairly complete
but with serious gaps xi.-xvi.
The number of books to be
assigned to the Histories and
Annals depends on how we
assign the thirty books on
the lives of the Caesars which
Jerome mentions.
1. Gratiarum Actio, or as it is
generally called, Pan ctjyric
a speech in which Pliny re-
turns thanks to Trajan for
his election to consulship
(100 A.U.).
2. Nine books of letters to
various correspondents.
3. Correspondence between
Pliny and Trajan during
the former's governorship of
Bithynia.
TRAJAN,
98-117 A.D.
(P.) CORNELIUS
TACITUS.
Date uncertain, but
from, probably,
about 55 A.D., if
he was quaestor
underTitus (if this
be the right inter-
pretation of the in-
troductory chapter
of the Histories)
to after the acces-
sion of Hadrian.
C. PLINIUS CAECILIUS
SECUNDUS
(Pliny the Younger),
62-circ. 114 A.D.
GENERAL SCHEME OF WRITERS.
XIX
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
TRAJAN,
98-117 A.D.
HADRIAN,
117-138 A.D.
Several writers on
technical subjects
belong to this pe-
riod, i.e. Hyginus
on land bounda-
ries, Balbus on
geometry, Siculus
Flaccus on ques-
tions dealing with
land: of all these
we possess remains,
C. SUETONIUS TRAN-
QUILLUS.
Date uncertain, but
born probably un-
der Vespasian be-
fore 75 A.D. The
last reference to
S. is in a letter of
Pronto to the
young Aurelius,
which Roth (vide
preface to his edi-
tion, p. viii.) would
assign to the time
of Antoninus Pius.
i. Eight books on the lives of
the Caesars (J. Caesar to
Domitian). The first life is
deficient, as is proved by the
quotations of Lydus, DC ma-
gistratibus Romanorum (dis-
covered at beginning of this
century), who wrote in mid-
dle of 6th century.
There are many other
writings (mostly lost to us)
of Suetonius. A list of ten
is given by Suidas, and such
fragments as remain will be
found in the App. to Roth's
edition: it can scarcely be
doubted (vide Roth, p. Ixxi.
seq.) that S. wrote both in
Greek and Latin. The fol-
lowing seem to have been
the chief writings:
ii. De viris illustribus :
from this we possess the lives
of Terence, Horace, Lucan
(in part), Pliny the Elder (in
part). The lives of Juvenal,
Tacitus, and Pliny the Youn-
ger are clearly not genuine
(vide Roth, p. Ixxvii.): that
of Virgil is probably to be
referred to the commentator
Donatus, while even the
XX
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
HADEIAN,
i 117-138 A.D.
C. SUETONIUS TEAN-
QUILLUS.
ancient critics did not regard
that of Persius as the work
of Suetonius: we have also
part of the book dealing with
grammarians and rhetori-
cians.
iii. De malcdictis (-rrepl
ova(f)'f)p:wv \eeuv ). From
fragments seems to have been
written in Greek.
iv. Romana Instituta
dealing apparently with the
Roman triumph (lost: vide
sub Prata).
v. De nominibus, ct de
genere vestium (as the book
is called by Servius, ad. Virg.
Aen. vii. 612): lost.
vi. HistoriaLudicra; games
at Rome: lost: probably also
in Prata.
vii. De Graecorum lusibus
(irepi T&V Trap "EX\?7<n TTCU-
8iwi>). From fragments seems
like iii. to have been written
in Greek.
viii. ix. The two genealo-
gies mentioned by Suidas are
probably to be referred, the
one to the lives of the Cae-
sars, the other to the Vivi
Illustres.
x. Trepl TUIV v rots /3c/3Xt'ots
xi. Prata (probably in ten
books), dealing with a variety
of subjects, as the title sug-
gests (A. Gellius says that
similarly the word Xet^tDms
was used in Greek), and pro-
bably containing among other
things the book on the Ro-
GENERAL SCHEME OF WRITERS.
XXI
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
HADRIAN,
C. SUETONIUS TRAN-
man year mentioned by Sui-
117-138 A.D.
QUILLUS.
das, Romana Instituta and
De Ciccronis republica. We
possess a few fragments from
the Praia.
xii. Trepl iri<j'f}[jiwv iropvuv
(mentioned by Lydus).
xiii. De vitiis corporal ibus
(mentioned by Servius).
xiv. De institutione offici-
orum (mentioned by Pris-
cian).
xv. Three books, De Regi-
bus (mentioned in a letter of
Ausonius').
xvi. De Rebus variis (? to
be referred to Prata).
(ANNAEUS) FLORUS,
A digest of Roman history
time of Hadrian.
down to Augustus, compiled
chiefly from Livy.
ANTONINUS
M. CORNELIUS
We have several books of let-
Pius,
FRONTO.
ters addressed to Aurelius,
138-161 A.D.
Consul 1 43 A. D. ; died
Antoninus Pius, and per-
after 175 A.D., as
sonal friends, and treatises
is proved by his
on rhetoric addressed to Au-
allusion to coins
relius. Fronto was a native
with name of Com-
of Cirta in Africa.
inodus, not struck
before that year.
GAIUS.
The most conspicuous of a
A contemporary of
group of jurists who flour-
Hadrian, but was
ished at this time: his chief
still writing after
works were seven books Re-
the death of An-
rum cotidianarum, and four
toninus Pius.
Institutionum (which we pos-
sess almost complete).
AURELIUS,
AULUS GELLIUS.
Twenty books : of book viii.
161-180 A.D.
Date of birth and
we possess only the titles of
death uncertain,
the sections, and book xx. is
but probably wrote
incomplete.
about 170 A.D.
XX11
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
EMPEROR.
WRITER.
WORKS.
AURELIUS,
161-180 A.D.
L. APULEIUS.
Contemp. of Anton-
inus and Aurelius.
Metamorphoses (eleven books) ;
Apologia (a defence of him-
self when charged with em-
ploying magic); Florida (ex-
tracts from public lectures);
De Deo Socratis; De Platone
et eius dogmate ; De mundo
(a paraphrase of a possibly
Aristotelian treatise). He
also wrote poems ; a work
called Hermagoras, discus-
sions of questions of natural
science; and various mathe-
matical and other works.
INTRODUCTION.
Postquam, Saturno tenebrosa in Tartara misso,
Sub love mundus erat ; subiit argentea proles,
Auro deterior, fulvo pretiosior aere.
Ov. Met., i. 113-5.
The story of the evolution of the Roman Empire is
perhaps the most interesting chapter in all civil history.
The internal change from a primitive and patriarchal
monarchy to the oligarchy which called itself the re-
public, from this oligarchy, through certain phases of
endeavour after democracy in the limited sense in which
that word was understood by the ancient world, to a
despotism, at first thinly veiled under constitutional
fictions, but soon becoming absolute and even tyranni-
cal ; the parallel changes in outward relations, by which
a city-state was converted into a world-empire, and
through which Rome solved the great political problem
of antiquity, and found an answer to that riddle of the
Sphinx proposed in turn to Sparta, Athens, and Car-
thage; the long status quo of the imperial period, as
Rome's best modern historian terms it, and then the
decay, the 'decline and the fall' all this forms a
narrative full of interest and suggestion, and one which
fully and exactly to understand is for Englishmen,
especially in our day, of paramount importance.
The history of Rome's literature, not only as contain-
ing the greater part of the record of this constitutional
life-story, but also as giving us the best clue to the spirit
and therefore the secret of its various stages, is hardly
XXIV LATIN PROSE OF THE SILVER ACJE.
less interesting, and is even more singular. It follows,
but follows in a curious relation, the course of her
political history. Beginning late, long after the estab-
lishment of Roman nationality, Roman literature dies
early, predeceasing by some centuries the downfall even
of the Western Empire. It dies, in fact, as and when
the empire ceases to be truly Roman.
AVhy is this so ? That states and societies must ulti-
mately be dissolved, like individuals, like all things human
and mortal, would seem to be a natural law, and that
empires should prematurely decline owing to special
causes is not unnatural.
" I know that all beneath the moon decays,
And what by mortals in this world is brought
In time's great periods shall return to nought ;
That fairest states have fatal nights and days."
But what of literatures 1 Do they merely depend upon
the life of the society to which they belong, or have
they in themselves a limit, a curve, a parabola which they
must trace, an inevitable life -history of growth, of
blossoming, and decay; or again, are there cycles or
recurring seasons in their life, by which attempt passes
into creation, creation into criticism, and a dissipation
or suspension of forces must precede new productivity ?
We can hardly yet pronounce. 1
Certain it is that the decline and fall of Roman litera-
ture was very rapid. For a while the realm of letters,
like that of the state, was saved by reinforcement from
the provinces. Nothing is more interesting than to
watch this process, notable everywhere, most notable in
the case of Spain, which as it gave or gave back to Rome
1 Compare Velleius Puterculus' interesting remarks, p. 3, line 53 in this
selection.
INTRODUCTION. xxv
Trajan and Hadrian, so gave to Roman letters the
Senecas and Lucan, Martial and Quintilian, Columella
and Mela. The sacred fire kindled at the centre spreads
ever further and further, finding new material for its
flame, from Rome to Italy, from Italy to Gaul and Spain,
and leaping the sea to Africa. It is on the furthest
verge of the empire in our own Britain that it smoulders
on longest, fostered by men like Aldhelm and Bede,
and it is thence that it is rekindled.
But the centre had grown dark nearly five hundred
years earlier. Roman literature in the strict sense of
the word ends with the death of Marcus Aurelius, if
indeed it does not end before. After this period for
some two hundred years no writer of any eminent
originality arises at Rome. The declension from the
Golden to the Silver Age is not so remarkable as the
abrupt ending of the latter.
The first cause of this premature decline of the litera-
ture of Rome is not far to seek. It was obvious to the
Romans themselves, that it was the decay of freedom.
Postquam bellatum apud Adium, atque omnem potestatem ad
unum conferri pads interfuit, magna ilia ingenia cessere. 1
That this is a vera causa will appear more indisput-
ably if we follow the phases of the Silver Age with some
closeness. If we take with Mr. Brownrigg the limits of
the Silver Age to be, as hinted above, A.D. 14 and A.D.
180, it covers a period of a little more than one hun-
dred and sixty years. This period falls naturally into two
halves, some eighty years from the death of Augustus to
that of Domitian, and some eighty more to the death of
Aurelius. These halves present a striking contrast of
light and shade. " During fourscore years," says Gibbon,
speaking of the first half, " excepting only the doubtful
iTac. Hist.,i. 1.
XXVI LATIN PROSE OF THE SILVER AGE.
respite of Vespasian's reign, Rome groaned beneath an
unremitting tyranny which exterminated the ancient
families of the Republic, and was fatal to almost every
virtue and every talent which arose in that unhappy
period." l
The process of the extinction of the old spirit and the
old freedom was naturally gradual. Much of it had
really perished long before, under Augustus, in the civil
war, under Julius, and even earlier yet,
Olim vera fides, Sulla Marioque reccptis
Libertatis obit: Pompeio rebus adempto
Nunc etficta perit. 2
Augustus himself outlived his own greatness, and almost
all those glorious talents who had aggrandized or graced
his rule. In his later years, and under his successor,
the decline, as we read in the Annals, began, and
freedom was by degrees more and more circum-
scribed. Words were really or nominally free after deeds
were proscribed, Facta argnebantur, dicta impune erant. 3
The victim was first poisoned, then gagged, then
despatched. The old free spirit lingered awhile and
occasionally burst out. As the tyranny deepened it
became necessary to be absolutely inconspicuous. To
flatter and amuse might preserve for a while, but to
excel even in these arts was dangerous. In the reign of
Nero, to be virtuous was certain death, to be vicious only
uncertain safety. Nobilitas, opes, omissi gestique honores
pro crimine, et ob vir lutes certissimum exitium.^ Neither the
genius of Lucan, nor the respectability of Seneca, nor
the cynical frivolity of Petronius, neither austerity nor
complaisance were any permanent protection from the
i Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chap, iii., with note 51.
-Lucan, Phars., ix. 204. ^Tac. Ann., i. 72. 4 Tac. Hint., i. 2.
INTRODUCTION. XXV11
jealousy or caprice of the emperor. During his early
years there was a momentary lull, and the outspoken
notes of the Pharsalia are heard. 1 But they were the
very swan-song of liberty. Again, under the brief reigns
of Vespasian and Titus, there was a somewhat longer
respite, and the Flavian age with its writers arose. Then
Domitian, the duller and uglier Nero, once more forced
literature into silence or flattery, and "cleared Rome of
what most shamed him", truth and virtue. At last
with Nerva a better day dawned, and literature imme-
diately revived, when once more, "girt with friends or
foes a man could speak the thing he would", mm tem-
porum felicitate ubi sentire quae veils et quae sentias dicere
licet. 12 This is the period of Tacitus and the younger
Pliny, and of Juvenal.
But it was too late for the stock so often and so cruelly
lopped really to put forth any new life, or else other and
deeper seated causes were at work. Slavery continued
to eat out the heart of the ancient world. " The long
peace and the uniform government of the Romans intro-
duced a slow and secret poison into the vitals of the
empire." 3 The provinces settled into a flat monotony;
the empire swamped Rome, and as a detail Greek over-
powered Latin. The very efforts, made with the best
intention to foster letters, endowment and subsidy, the
multiplication of universities and colleges, the diffusion
of education, hastened the process or stereotyped the
results, and original production sank, while a " cloud of
critics, of compilers, of commentators", darkened the
face of learning, and the decline of genius was soon
followed by the corruption of taste." 4
1 Even these are introduced with the grossest flattery.
2 Tacitus, Hist., i. 1. Cf. Martial, xii. G. 1-2.
3 Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chap. ii. * Ibid.
XXV111 LATIN PROSE OF THE SILVER AGE.
Such in its main outline is the history of Latin
literature during the so-called Silver Age. The period of
which it is the expression is one then by no means want-
ing in interest. It is a period crowded with event and
incident, full of tragedy, 1 not wanting in comedy, full of
lessons, moral and intellectual. It is an age of high
culture and material civilization, of lofty strivings, as
well as of horrible degradations. Professional skill in
every branch was carried to the highest pitch. It
abounded in excellent lawyers and doctors, from Pliny
and Tacitus, Celsus and Galen downward. The instru-
ments and implements, surgical, culinary, and other, of
Pompeii are almost as elaborate and good as those of
our own day. The philosophers, who filled the place of
modern theologians, and the schoolmasters, at the head
of whom. respectively stand Seneca and Quintilian, were
many, and well informed. Books were easily and well
produced and multiplied. Good editions and commen-
taries abounded. But what gives to this age the deepest
interest of all is that it is the most central and most
important of all ages, for humanity and for ourselves.
The Silver Age may be said to begin with the era of
the birth of Christianity. It is the age of the Acts of
the Apostles, the age of the first years of the Christian
Church. It is no unnatural or insignificant legend
that connects Seneca with St. Paul. Though there is
no proof that they ever came into conscious contact,
the threads of their lives crossed each other curiously
more than once. The careless Gallio of Acts xviii. is
Seneca's brother, the dulcis Gallio of Seneca Quaest.
Nat. 4. Praef., and of Statins Silv. ii. 7. 32. The
Felix who "left Paul bound" (Acts xxiv. 27) is the
1 As Ben Jonson, Gray, and in our own day Mr. Robert Bridges, have recog-
nized and revealed.
INTRODUCTION. Xxix
brother of Pallas the favourite of the Emperor Claudius.
Bernice, who came " with great pomp " and sat in
court with her husband Agrippa to listen, as an
interesting entertainment, to this novel prisoner's
trial before Felix' successor Festus, was afterward to
follow the train of Vespasian and the uncertain favours
of Titus. The saints who salute the Philippians in St.
Paul's epistle are "chiefly they of Caesar's household"
(Phil. iv. 22). It is true, and it is sad, that as we read
of it in the Silver Age writers Christianity appears as
the object of misunderstanding and persecution, to the
thinkers foolishness, to the rulers a stumbling-block ; but
to us who read with knowledge of after events, it is at
once comforting and enlightening to mark how when
the night was darkest, the day was nearest, and to see
the light gradually gaining upon the gloom, and a quiet
dawn rising behind the glare and smoke of Nero's con-
flagrations.
Selections, like translations, seldom, perhaps never,
satisfy the advanced student, who is certain to complain
either of something inserted or of something omitted.
But they have their use and value, and for the novice
especially these may be considerable. They furnish an
introduction for the taste, a compendium for the memory.
Goethe, be it remembered, learned to love Shakespeare
through a selection sometimes ridiculed in England,
namely Dodd's Beauties. And in dealing with minor
authors, or with a Silver Age, a selection is particularly
helpful and appropriate. The main effort of school-boys
should be devoted to the Golden Ages, to the best and
purest writers. The strength and abundance, above all
the reality of Caesar and Cicero, the sublime intuitions,
the majesty and pathos, the Candida anima, the ' beautiful
soul' of Virgil speaking in his perfect music, the terse
XXX LATIN PROSE OF THE SILVER AGE.
vigour, wisdom, patriotism, and happy art of Horace,
the grace of Terence, the intellectual passion of Lucre-
tius, the idealism and pictorial pomp of Livy, these are
indeed golden,
semper dypASswia vta,
These, with the great Greek writers, are the best staple,
these set the best standard for the opening mind as soon
as it is worthy of them But the highest peaks and
ranges are better known and measured when we have
stood also and paused to study them upon the lower.
The student should be given, as soon as may be, some
glimpse or general idea of how the whole land lies, some
apergu of what followed, as of what led up to, the cul-
mination.
To provide the opportunity of this in a simple and
convenient form is, I conceive, the object of my friend
Mr. Brownrigg's little book, to which he has invited me
to write this preface.
He gives, it will be seen, selections of varying length
from some ten prose authors. He has assumed, and I
think rightly, that the chief poets of the Silver Age are
fairly well known. Juvenal is certainly well known.
Persius and Martial, and to some extent also Lucan and
Statius, are authors not unfamiliar to the sixth-form
room in Anthologies or selections made by the master
or 'pieces for unseen translation'.
But few school-boys read anything of Velleius Pater-
culus, of the elder or even the younger Pliny, of Seneca
or Quintilian. Of these writers he has given character-
istic and proportionate specimens. He has added a hint
of some of its various features in giving a page or two
from Petronius, the best, as also the worst, specimen of
the avowed decadent, a page or two of the chronique scan-
INTRODUCTION. XXXI
daleuse of Suetonius, and of the useful pedantry of Aulus
Gellius. He has done well, I think, to include Tacitus,
the greatest writer of the empire, the one golden prose
writer of the Silver Age, without whom no presentment
of the time could be complete.
Finally there is Apuleius of Madaura, educated at
Carthage and Athens, Punic, Greek, cosmopolitan, any-
thing rather than Eoman, a bizarre figure in Latin letters,
with his culture and myth, his ' precious ' style full of
revived archaisms, his flavour half of Plato, half of the
Arabian Nights. Strictly speaking Apuleius lies in time
as in place outside this age. His style is neither of gold
nor silver, but of a sort of tinsel or ormolu compounded
of various alloys, yet possessing a wonderful finesse and
flexibility of its own. Until we have read him we do
not know what the gamut of the Latin tongue contains. /
The prettinesses to which he compels it are as surprising j
as the wild honey found in the dead lion's carcase. His
African idiom is interesting, too, as furnishing a link
between the Silver Age and the unclassical yet strangely
eloquent language of the Latin fathers, Tertullian and
Augustine, and again with the Vulgate of St. Jerome.
If the style is the man or of the man, even more is the
style of the age. The style of the silver writers is em-
phatically characteristic of the Silver Age. In appreciat-
ing the one we understand the other. Like the age the
style isjjn^hsjaults^self-conscious and artificial, stilted
and stagey, full of the rhetoric of the schools and the
reciter's or the lecturer's room, unable to open its lips
without trope and epigram,
Paene iam quidquid loquimur figura est 1 ;
in its merits, clear and clean cut, and discriminating, the
1 Quintilian, ix. 3. 1. Cf. viii., Proem. 26. Nos quibus sordet omne quod
natura dictavit, qui non ornamenta quaerimus sed lenocinia
XXX11 LATIN PROSE OF THE SILVER AGE.
fit expression of the priggish yet genuine resolution of
the Stoics, with their suicides always theatrical, some-
times half noble, of the age of Nero and Domitian, but
also of Nerva and Trajan, of Petronius and Suetonius,
but also of Quintilian and Tacitus.
The age, then, and its authors are full of interest, and
just at this time a true appreciation of it may teach and
help us much. Our own day shows some symptoms of
a golden phase of letters paling into silver. We have
lived through a great period of creative activity. There
are signs abroad of a declension into a more rhetorical
and formal era, into a self-conscious seeking after style,
into a mawkish euphuism not unlike that so tersely de-
scribed and derided by Persius and Petronius.
The Silver Age of Rome seems to show us that to seek
style as the first thing is not always to find it, that
to teach it will not always give it, and that there is no
salvation even for a literature in the diffusion of educa-
tion, the popularization of ideas and the vulgarization of
technique, if a deeper spirit and faith be wanting.
Perhaps the parallel should not be pressed, or the
moral drawn too confidently. But in any case if this
little book conduces, as I think it is well fitted to do, to
a wider and juster knowledge of the career and meaning
of the literature of Rome and the scope of the Latin
tongue, it will have attained its object and its justi-
fication.
T. H. W.
.1
t)3
SELECTIONS FROM
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
(PROSE.)
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS.
This historian nourished about 30 A.D. or a little earlier.
Of his life we have considerable details, at any rate from 1 A.D.
to 29 or 30 A.D., the year of the consulship of Vinicius, to
whom he dedicated his work. He was a soldier in the army
of Tiberius Caesar : we find him as tribunus militum, praefec-
tus equitum, quaestor (A.D. 7) : he is employed as legatus on
several occasions, and, with his brother, took a distinguished
part in Tiberius' triumph of A.D. 13. In the following year
he was appointed praetor (being a candidatus Caesaris, i.e.
one of the four who had to be elected 'sine repulsa et ambitu'.
Tac. Ann. i. 15). Higher than this he does not seem to have
risen, and we have no allusion in his writings to any fact later
than 30 A.D.
In his actual writings he covers in an extremely condensed
form the history of the East and Greece, with passing remarks
on literary history: he then reviews the early growth of
Home, treating the subject at greater length as he approaches
his own day. He is, however, very inconsistent in the space
he allots to different events. As an annalist he is not without
merit, but as a historical critic he lacks impartiality. The
most striking characteristic of his work is the short but
graphic delineation of some of the leading actors in Roman
history : in dealing with events he is much more meagre
of information, as e.g. of Pharsalia or Actium. Perhaps there
has been a tendency to depreciate Velleius owing to hia..fiik,
.some attitude of flattery towards Tiberius and Sejanus towards
the close of the second book, but we must not forget that it
( M 25 ) C
2 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
was as a general that Tiberius was most successful, and it was
as a servant of that general that Velleius wrote. In style,
as might be expected, Jie has not broken with the traditions
of the golden age : his diction, with certain exceptions, is
not unclassical, but often he is careless in the ordering and
arrangement of his sentences, which stretch ^on_ endlessly
and are further complicated by awkward parentheses. He
also displays the tendency, which was afterwards to become
so irresistible, to secure effect by epigram and antithesis,
and in his strained, artificiality he has been well compared
(by Teuffel, Hist. Eom. Lit., vol. ii. p. 18) to Sallust.
A consideration of the fact that in the different arts -history,
tragedy, comedy, cOc., many eminent men are contemporaneous.
Cum haec particula operis velut formam propositi ex-
esserit, \quamquam intellego mihi in hac tarn praecipitj ,y -;.. xj
estinatione, quae me rotae pronive gurgitis ac verticis ^] ,- \
lodo nusquam patitur consistere, paene magis necessaria"^
>raetereunda quam supervacanea amplectenda/jnequeo'v
ftamen temperare mihi, quin rem saepe agitatam animo v
I meo neque ad liquidum ratione perductam signem stilo.
Quis enim aJ&LQcig mirari potest, quod eminentissima
cuiusque professionis ingenia in eandem,Jomam, et in
10 idem artati temporis congruere spatium, et ^e^mjLjdmodu.m :
clausa cajjso^ aliove saepto diversi generis animalia nihilo
minus separata alienis in unum quaeque corpus con-
gregantur, ita cuiusque clari operis capacia ingenia in
similitudine et temporum et profectuum semet ipsa ab
aliis separaverunt. Una neque multorum annorum spatio
divisa aetas per divini spiritus viros, Aeschylum Sopho-
clen Euripiden, inlustravit tragoediam ; una priscam illam
et veterem sub Cratino Aristophaneque et Eupolide
comoediam; ac novam Menandrus aequalesque eius
w-non aetatis magis quam operis Philemo ac Diphilus
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 3
et invenere intra paucissimos annos naque imitandam
reliquere. Philosophorum quoque ingenia Socratico ore
defluentia omnium, quos paulo ante enumeravimus, quanto
post Platonis Aristotelisque mortem floruere spatio 1 Quid
ante Isocratem, quid post eius auditores eorumque di- M*f " . ^
% scipulos clarum in oratoribus fuit ? Adeo quidem artatum c**f*
jangustiis temporum, ut nemo memoria dignus alter ab t .. r *t""
I altero videri nequivsrint.
Neque hoc in Graecis quam in Romanis evenit magis.
f Nam nisi aspera ac rudia repetas et inventi laudanda so
nomine, in Accio circaque eum Romana tragoedia est;
.Jj^rtW* dulcesque Latini leporis facetiae per Caecilium Teren- /' (
***-tiumque et Afranium subpari aetate nituerunt. Histori-
^* cos etiam, ut Livium quoque priorum aetati adstruas,
praeter Catonem et quosdam veteres et pbscuros minus
octoginta annis circumdatum aevum tulit, ut nee poet-
arum in antiquius citeriusve processit ubertas. At oratio
ac vis forensis perfectumque prosae eloquentiae decus,
ut idem separetur Cato (pace P. Crassi Scipionisque et
Laelii et Gr'accnorum et Fannii et Servii Galbae dixerim) 40
. ita universa sub principe operis sui erupit Tullio, ut
'delectari ante eum paucissimis, mirari vero neminem
possis nisi aut ab illo visum aut qui ilium viderit. Hoc
idem e.Yenisse grammaticis, plastis, pictoribus, scalptori-
*** 'bus/quisquis temporum institerit notis, reperiet, eminen-
tiam cuiusque operis artissimis temporum claustris cir-
\cumdatam. Huius ergo recedentis in quodque saeculum
ingeniorum similitudinis congregantisque se et in studium
jpar et in emolumentum causas cum saepe requiro, num-
quam reperio, quas esse veras confidam, sed f ortasse veri 50
similes, inter quas has maxime. Alit aemulatio ingenia, i-
et mine invidia, nunc admiratio imitationem accendit,
naturaque quod summo studio petitum est, ascendit in
_ summum difficilisque in perfecto mora est, naturaliterque
4 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
r -fyuod procedere non potest, recedit. Et ut primo ad con-
sequendos quos priores dr p1Trm J : i accendimur, ita ubi aut
praeteriri aut aequari eos posse desperavimus, studium
cum spe senescit, et quod adsequi non potest, sequi
*.,-' desinit et velut occupatam relinquens materiam quaerit
6onovam, praeteritoque eo, in quo eminere non possumus,
aliquid, in quo nitamur, conquirimus, sequiturque ut
jfrequens ac mobnTs' transitus maximum perfecti operis
jimpedimentum sit.
j Transit admiratio ab condicione temporum et ad urbium.
Una urbs Attica pluribus auctoribus eloquentiae quam
universa Graecia operibusque floruit, adeo^JiL corpora
' gentis illius separata sint in alias civitates, ingenia vero
solis Atheniensium muris clausa existimes. Neque hoc
ego magis miratus sim guam neminem Argivum The-
robanum Lacedaemonium oratorem aut dum vixit auctori-
tate aut post mortem memoria dignum existimatum.
Quae urbes et in alia talium studiorum fuere steriles,
nisi Thebas unum os Pindari inluminaret: nam Alcmana
v Lacones falso sibi vindicant. [i. 16-18.]
II.
A brief account of the rise, projects, and death of Tiberius and
C. Gracchus.
Inmanem deditio Mancini civitatis movit dissensionem.
Q.uippe Tiberius Gracchus, Tiberii Gracchi clarissimi atque
emineritissimi viri filius, P. Africani ex filia nepos, quo
quaestore et auctore id foedus ictum erat, nunc graviter
ferens aliquid a se pactum infirmari, nunc similis vel iudicii
vel poenae metuens discrimen, tribunus pi. creatus, vir
alioqui vita innocentissimus, ingenio florentissimus, pro-
posito sanctissimus, tantis denique adornatus virtutibus,
quantas perfecta et natura et industria mortalis condicio
10 recipit, P. Mucio Scaevola L. Calpurnio corisulibus abhinc
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 5
annos centum sexaginta duos descivit a bonis, pollicitusque ^\
toti Italiae civitatem, simul etiam promulgates agrariis
legibus, omnibus statum concupiscentibus, summa imis **
miscuit et in praeruptum atque anceps periculum adduxit J
rem publicam. Octavioque collegae pro bono publico
stanti imperium abrogavit, triumviros agris dividendis
colonisque deducendis creavit se socerumque suum, con-
sularem Appium, et Gaium fratrem admqdum iuvenem.
Tum P. Scipio Nasica, eius qui optimus vir a senatu
iudicatus erat, nepos, eius qui censor porticus in Capitolio 20
^ ecerat ' fili us > pronepos autem Cn. Scipionis, celeberrimi
viri P. Africani patrui, privatusque et togatus, cum esset
consobrinus Ti. Gracchi, patriam cognationi praeferens
et quidquid publice salutare non esset, privatim alienum
existimans (ob eas virtutes primus omnium absens ponti-
fex maximus factus est), circumdata laevo brachio togae
lacinia ex superiore parte Capitolii summis gradibus
insistens hortatus est, qui salvam vellent rem publicam,
se sequerentur. Turn optimates, senatus atque equestris
ordinis pars melior et maior, et intacta perniciosis con- so
siliis plebs inruere in Gracchum stantem in area cum *^
cater vis suis et concientem paene totius Italiae frequen- If *
tiam. Is fugiens decurrensque clivo Capitolino, fragmine
subsellii ictus vitam, quam gloriosissime degere potuerat,
immatura morte finivit. Hoc initium in urbe Roma civi-
lis sanguinis gladiorumque impunitatis fuit. Inde ius
vi obrutum potentiorque habitus prior, discordiaeque j>.
civium antea condicionibus sanari solitae f erro diiudicatae '
bellaque non causis inita, sed prput eorum merces fuit.
Quod baud mirum est : non enim ibi consistunt exempla, 40
unde coeperunt, sed quamlibet in tenuem recepta trami-
tem latissime evagandi sibi viam faciunt, et ubi semel
recto deerratum est, in praeceps pervenitur, nee quisquam
sibi putat turpe, quod alii fuit fructuosum.
b LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Decem deinde interpositis annis, qui Ti. Gracchum,
idem Gaium fratrem eius occupavit furor, tarn virtutibus
eius jomnibus quam huic errori similem, ingenio etiam
* * eloquentiaque longe praestantiorem. Qui cum summa
quiete animi civitatis princeps esse posset, vel vindican-
sodae fraternae mortis gratia vel praemuniendae regalis
potentiae eiusdem exempli tribunatum ingressus, longe
maiora et acriora petens dabat civitatem omnibus Italicis,
extendebat earn paene usque Alpis, dividebat agros, veta-
bat quemquam civem plus quingentis iugeribus habere/* Ai
quod aliquando lege Licinia cautum erat, nova constitue-j-^^
bat portoria, novis coloniis replebat provincias, indicia a
senatu transferebat ad equites, frumentum plebi dari in-
stituerat ; nihil immotum, nihil tranquillum, nihil quietum,
nihil denique in eodem statu relinquebat; quin alterum
eo ctiam continuavit tribunatum. Hunc L. Opimius consul,
vl > qui praetor Fregellas exciderat, persecutus armis unaque
Fulvium Flaccum, consularem ac triumphalem virum,
aeque prava cupientem, quern C. Gracchus in locum
Tiberii fratris triumvirum nomine, re autem socium
regalis adsumpserat potentiae, morte adfecit. Id unum
nefarie ab Opimio proditum, quod capitis non dicam
Gracchi, sed civis Roman! pretium se daturum idque
auro repensurum proposuit. Flaccus in Aventino arma-
tus ac pugnam ciens cum filio maiore iugulatus est;
70 Gracchus prof ugiens, cum iam comprehenderetur ab iis,
quos Opimius miserat, cervicem Euporo servo praebuit,
qui non segnius se ipse interemit, quam domino succur-
rerat. Quo die singularis Pomponii equitis Romani in
Gracchum fides fuit, qui more Coclitis sustentatis in
ponte hostibus eius, gladio se transfixit. Ut Ti. Gracchi
antea corpus, ita Gai mira crudelitate victorum in Ti-
berim deiectum est. [ii. 2-3 and 6.]
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 7
III.
The character and early career of Julius Caesar.
Secutus deinde est consulatus C. Caesaris, qui scribenti
manum iniicit et quamlibet festinantem in se morari
cogit. Hie nobilissima luliorum genitus familia et, quod
inter omnis antiquitatis studiosos constabat, ab Anchise
ac Yenere deducens genus, forma omnium civium excel-
lentissimus, vigore animi acerrimus, munificentia effusis-
simus, animo super humanam et naturam et fidem evectus,
magnitudine cogitationum, celeritate bellandi, patientia
periculorum Magno illi Alexandro, sed sobrio neque ira-
cundo simillimus, qui denique semper et cibo et somnoio
in vitam, non in voluptatem uteretur, cum fuisset C.
Mario sanguine coniunctissimus atque idem Cinnae gener, ^.o- -
cuius filiam ut repudiaret nullo metu compelli potuit,
cum M. Piso consularis Anniam, quae Cinnae uxor fuerat,
in Sullae dimisisset gratiam, habuissetque fere duode-
viginti annos eo tempore, quo Sulla rerum potitus est,
magis ministris Sullae adiutoribusque partium quam ipso
conquirentibus eum ad necem mutata veste dissimilem-
que fortunae suae indutus habitum nocte urbe elapsus
est. Idem postea admodum iuvenis, cum a piratis captus 20
esset, ita se per omne spatium, quo ab iis retentus est,
apud eos gessit, ut pariter iis terrori venerationique esset,
neque umquam aut nocte aut die (cur enim quod vel
maximum est, si narrari verbis speciosis non potest,
omittatur ?) aut excalcearetur aut discingeretur, in hoc - r
scilicet, ne si quando aliquid ex solito variaret, suspectus
iis, qui oculis tantummodo eum custodiebant, foret.
Longum est narrare, quid et quotiens ausus sit, quanto
opere conata eius qui obtinebat Asiam magistratus populi
Eomani metu suo destituerit: illud referatur documen-so
turn tanti mox evasuri viri. Quae nox earn diem secuta
8 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
est, qua publica civitatium pecunia redemptus est, ita
tamen, ut cogeret ante obsides a piratis civitatibus dari,
contracta classe et privatus et tumultuaria manu invectus
in eum locum, in quo ipsi praedones erant, partem classis
fugavit, partem mersit, aliquot navis multosque mortalis
cepit ; laetusque nocturnae expeditionis triumpho ad suos
revectus est, mandatisque custodiae quos ceperat, in
Bithyniam perrexit ad proconsulem luncum (is enim cum
40 Asia earn quoque obtinebat) petens, ut auctor fieret su-
mendi de captivis supplicii: quod cum ille se facturum
negasset venditurumque captivos dixisset (quippe seque-
batur invidia inertiam), incredibili celeritate revectus ad
mare, priusquam de ea re ulli proconsulis redderentur
epistulae, omnes, quos ceperat, suffixit cruci.
Idem mox ad sacerdotium ineundum (quippe absens
pontif ex factus erat in Cottae consularis locum, cum paene J\JLT
puer a Mario Cinnaque flamen dialis creatus victoria/*
Sullae, qui omnia ab iis acta fecerat irrita, amisisset id
50 sacerdotium) festinans in Italiam, ne conspiceretur a
praedonibus omnia tune obtinentibus maria et merito
iam infestis sibi, quattuor scalmorum navem una cum*"**"
duobus amicis decemque servis ingressus effusissimum
Adriatici maris traiecit sinum. Quo quidem in cursu
conspectis, ut putabat, piratarum navibus cum exuisset/^** jr< ^ ^
vestem alligassetque pugionem ad femur alterutri se ^ w
fortunae parans, mox intellexit frustratum esse visum
suum arborumque ex longinquo ordinem antemnarum jr**
praebuisse imaginem. Reliqua eius acta in urbe, nobilis-
eosima Cn. Dolabellae accusatio et maior civitatis in ea
favor, quam reis praestari solet, contentionesque civiles
cum Q. Catulo atque aliis eminentissimis viris celeberri-
mae, et ante praeturam victus in maximi pontificatus
petitione Q. Catulus, omnium confessione senatus prin-
ceps, et restituta in aedilitate adversante quidem nobili-
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 9
tate monumenta C. Marii, simulque revocati ad ius dig-
nitatis proscriptorum liberi, et praetura quaesturaque
mirabili virtute atque industria obita in Hispania, (cum
esset quaestor sub Vetere Antistio, avo huius Veteris
consularis atque pontificis, duorum consularium et sacer- 70
dotum patris, viri in tantum boni, in quantum humana
simplicitas intellegi potest) quo notiora sunt, minus egent
stilo.
Hoc igitur consule inter eum et Cn. Pompeium et M.
Crassum inita potentiae societas, quae urbi orbique ter-
rarum nee minus diverse cuique tempore ipsis exitiabilis
fuit. Hoc consilium sequendi Pompeius causam habuerat,
ut tandem acta in transmarinis provinciis, quibus, ut
praediximus, multi obtrectabant, per Caesarem confirma-
rentur consulem, Caesar autem, quod animadvertebat seso
cedendo Pompei gloriae aucturum suam et invidia com-
munis potentiae in ilium relegata confirmaturum vires
suas, Crassus, ut quern principatum solus adsequi non
poterat, auctoritate Pompei, viribus teneret Caesaris.
Adfinitas etiam inter Caesarem Pompeiumque contracta
nuptiis, quippe luliam, filiam C. Caesaris, Cn. Magnus
duxit uxorem. In hoc consulatu Caesar legem tulit, ut
ager Campanus plebei divideretur, suasore legis Pompeio:
ita circiter viginti milia civium eo deducta et ius urbis
restitutum post annos circiter centum quinquaginta duos 90
quam bello Punico ab Romanis Capua in formam prae-
fecturae redacta erat. Bibulus, collega Caesaris, cum
actiones eius magis vellet impedire quam posset, maiore
parte anni domi se tenuit: quo facto dum augere vult
invidiam collegae, auxit potentiam. Turn Caesari de-
cretae in quinquennium Galliae. [ii. 41-44.]
10 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
IV.
Defeat and death of Cn. Pompcy.
Turn Caesar cum exercitu fatalem vicloriae suae Thes-
saliam petiit. Pompeius, longe diversa aliis suadentibus,
quorum plerique hortabantur, ut in Italiam transmitteret
(neque hercules quidquam partibus illis salubrius fuit),
alii, ut bellum traheret, quod dignatione partium in dies
ipsis magis prosperum fieret, usus impetu suo hostem
secutus est. Aciem Pharsalicam et ilium cruentissimum
Romano nomini diem tantumque utriusque exercitus
profusum sanguinis et conlisa inter se duo rei publicae
10 capita effossumque alterum Romani imperii lumen et tot
talesque Pompeianarum partium caesos viros non recipit
enarranda hie scripturae modus. Illud notandum est:
ut primum C. Caesar inclinatam vidit Pompeianorum
aciem, neque prius neque antiquius quidquam habuit,
quam ut in omnes p&rtes praecones damantes signum, 'parce
civibus', ut militari verbo ex consuetudine utar, dimitterct.
Pro dii immortales, quod huius voluntatis erga Brutum
suae postea vir tarn mitis pretium tulit! Nihil in ilia
victoria mirabilius, magnificentius, clarius fuit, quam quod
20 neminem nisi acie consumptum civem patria desideravit :
sed munus misericordiae corrupit pertinacia, cum libentius
vitam victor iam daret, quam victi acciperent.
Pompeius profugiens cum duobus Lentulis consulari-
bus Sextoque filio et Favonio praetorio, quos comites
ei fortuna adgregaverat, aliis, ut Parthos, aliis, ut Afri-
cam peteret, in qua fidelissimum partium suarum haberet
regem lubam, suadentibus, Aegyptum petere proposuit
memor beneficiorum, quae in patrem eius Ptolemaei, qui
turn puero quam iuveni propior regnabat Alexandriae,
so contulerat. Sed quis in adversis beneficiorum servat
memoriam? Aut quis ullam calamitosis deberi putat
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 11
gratiam 1 Aut quando fortuna non mutat fidefti ? Missi
itaque ab rege, qui venientem On. Pompeium (is iam a
Mytilenis Corneliam uxorem receptam in navem fugae
comitem habere coeperat) consilio Theodoti et Achillae
exciperent hortarenturque, ut ex oneraria in earn navem,
quae obviam processerat, transcenderet : quod cum fecis-
set, princeps Romani nominis imperio arbitrioque Ae-
gyptii mancipii C. Caesare P. Servilio consulibus iugula-
tus est. Hie post tres consulatus et totidem triumphos 40
domitumque terrarum orbem sanctissimi atque praestan-
tissimi viri in id evecti, super quod ascendi non potest,
duodesexagesimum annum agentis pridie natalem ipsius
vitae fuit exitus, in tantum in illo viro a se discordante
fortuna, ut cui modo ad victoriam terra defuerat, deesset
ad sepulturam. [ii. 52-53.]
v.
The battle of Actium and defeat of Antony. [31 B.C.]
Advenit deinde maximi discriminis dies, quo Caesar
Antoniusque productis classibus pro salute alter, in ruin-
am alter terrarum orbis dimicavere. Dextrum navium
lulianarum cornu M. Lurio commissum, laevum Ar-
runtio, Agrippae omne classici certaminis arbitrium;
Caesar ei parti destinatus, in quam a fortuna vocaretur,
ubique aderat. Classis Antonii regimen Publicolae Sosio-
que commissum. At in terra locatum exercitum Taurus
Caesaris, Antonii regebat Canidius. Ubi initum certa-
men est, flfflf"- in altera parte fiiA^ dux, remiges, 10
milites, in altera nihil praeter milites. Prima occupat
fugam Cleopatra: Antonius fugientis reginae quam pug-
nantis militis sui comes esse maluit et imperator, qui in
-desertores saevire rJp.Tmp.rfl.tj desertor exercitus sui factus
""* est. Illis etiam detracto capite in longum fortissime
12 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
^_ pugnandi duravit constantia et desperata victoria in mor-
tem ^limicabatur. Caesar, quos ferro poterat interimere,
verbis mulcere cupiens clamitansque et ostendens fugisse
Antonium, quaerebat, pro quo et cum quo pugnarent.
20 At illi cum diu pro absente dimicassent duce, aegre sum-
missis armis cessere victoriam, citiusque vitam veniamque
Caesar promisit, quam illis ut earn precarentur persuasum
est; fuitque in confesso milites optimi imperatoris, im-
peratorem fugacissimi militis functum officio, ut dubites,
Jsuone an Cleopatrae arbitrio victoriam temperaturus
(fuerit, qui ad eius arbitrium direxerit fugam. Idem
locatus in terra fecit exercitus, cum se Canidius praecipiti
fuga rapuisset ad Antonium.
Quid ille dies terrarum orbi praestiterit, ex quo in
so quern statum pervenerit fortuna publica, quis in hoc
transcursu tarn artati operis exprimere audeat ? Victoria
vero fuit clementissima, nee quisquam interemptus est
paucissimis exceptis, qui ne deprecari quidem pro se
sustinerent. Ex qua lenitate ducis colligi potuit, quern
aut initio triumviratus sui aut in campis Philippiis, si ei
licuisset, victoriae suae facturus fuerit modum. At Sosium
I L. Arruntii prisca gravitate celeberrimi fides, mox, odium
Iclementia eluctatus sua, Caesar servavit incolumem. Non
praetereatur Asinii Pollionis factum et dictum memora-
40 bile: namque cum se post Brundusinam pacem continu-
isset in Italia neque aut vidisset umquam reginam aut
post enervatum amore eius Antonii animum partibus eius
se miscuisset, rogante Caesare, ut secum ad bellum pro-
ficisceretur Actiacum: mea, inquit, in Antonium maiora
merita sunt, illius in me beneficia notiora; itaque discri-
mini vestro me subtraham et ero praeda victoris. [ii.
85-86.]
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 13 fl I
/
The rise of Arminius and disastrous defeat of the army of Varus.
Varus Quintilius inlustri magis quam nobili ortus . ;
familia, vir ingenio mitis, moribus quietus, ut corpore, <K
ita animo immobilior, otio magis castrorum quam bellicae .**>
adsuetus militiae, pecuniae vero quam non contemptor,
Syria, cui praefuerat, declaravit, quam pauper fjJYi fA
ingressus dives pauperem reliquit; is cum exercitui, qui
erat in Germania, praeesset, concepit esse homines, qui &**"*
nihil praeter vocem membraque haberent hominum, qui-
que gladiis domari non poterant, posse iure mulceri. Quo * "
proposito mediam ingressus Germaniam velut inter viros 10
pacis gaudentes dulcedine iurisdictionibus agendoque pro
tribunali ordine trahebat aestiva. /a ^"
At illi, quod nisi expertus vix credat, in summa feri-
tate versutissimi natumque mendacio genus, simulantes
fictas litium series et nunc provocantes alter alterum in
iurgia, nunc agentes gratias, quod ea Romana iustitia fini-
ret feritasque sua novitate incognitae disciplinae mites-
ceret et solita armis discerni iure terminarentur, in sum-
mam socordiam perduxere Quintilium, usque eo, ut se
praetorem urbanum in foro ius dicere, non in mediis Ger- 20
maniae finibus exercitui praeesse crederet. Jumjuvenis
gen ere nobilis, manu fortis, sensu celer, ultra barbarum
promptus ingenio, nomine Arminius, Sigimeri principis
gentis eius films, ardorem animi vultu oculisque prae-
ferens, adsiduus militiae nostrae prio' comes, iure etiam
civitatis Romanae decus equestris consecutus gradus, "'
segnitia ducis in occasionem sceleris usus est, haud im- ,*(**
prudenter speculatus neminem celerius opprimi, quam -
qui nihil timeret, et frequentissimum initium esse calami-
tatis securitatem. Primo igitur paucos, mox pluris in so
societatem consilii recepit: opprimi posse Romanes et
14 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
/ dicit et persuadet, decretis facta iungit, tempus insidiarum . ( '- x
constituit. Id Yaro per virum eius gentis fidelem clari-
que nominis, Segesten, indicatur. Obstabant iam fata,
consiliis omnemque animi eius aciem praestrinxerant:,*^
quippe ita se res habet, ut plerumque cuius fortunam
mutaturus est deus, consilia corrumpat efficiatque, quod
miserrimum est, ut, quod accidit, etiam merito accidisse
jvideatur et casus in culpam transeat. Negat itaque se .
40 credere speciemque in se benevolentiae ex merito aesti-M~
I mare profitetur. Nee diutius post primum indicem tvf f *~-
I secundo relictus locus.
Ordinem atrocissimae calamitatis, qua nulla post
Crassi in Parthis damnum in externis gentibus gravior ^
Romanis fuit, iustis volummibus^ ut alii, ita nos conabi-^' 1 "
I mur exponere: nunc' summa deflenda est. Exercitus
omnium fortissimus, disciplina, manu experientiaque
bellorum inter Romanos milites princeps, jnarcore.ducis,
perfidia hostis, iniquitate fortunae circumventus, [cum ne.;
50 pugnandi quidem egrediendive occasio iis, in quantum
voluerant, data esset immunis, castigatis etiam quibusdam ' \&J**
gravi poena, quia Romanis et armis et animis usi fuissent)
inclusus silvis, paludibus, insidiis ab eo hoste ad inter-.^
necionem trucidatus est, quern ita semper more pecudum
trucidaverat, ut vitam aut mortem eius nunc ira nunc
venia temperaret. Duci plus ad moriendum quam ad
pugnandum animi fuit: quippe paterni avitique exempli
/ successor se ipse transfixit. At e praefectis castrorum
duobus quam clarum exemplum L. Eggius, tarn turpe
eo Ceionius prodidit, qui, cum longe maximam partem ab-
sumpsisset acies, auctor deditionis supplicio quam proelio U % ' A
mori maluit. At Yala Numonius, legatus Yari, cetera , '
quietus ac probus, diri auctor exempli, spoliatum equite
\ peditem relinquens fuga cum alis Rhenum petere ingres-
sus est. Quod factum eius fortuna ulta est; non enim >'''
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS. 15
desertis superfuit, sed deserter occidit. Yari corpus '
semiustum hostilis laceraverat feritas; caput eius absci- ^"^
sum latumque ad Maroboduum et ab eo missum ad
Caesarem gentilicii tamen tumuli sepultura honoratum ^
est. [ii. 117-119.] ro
16 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
SENECA.
L. Annaeus Seneca, himself the son of a writer (portions of
whose rhetorical writings we still possess), was a__Spaniard,
born at Corduba probably about 4 A.D. His parents brought
him while quite a child to Eome, and he seems early to have
devoted himself to the study of rhetoric and of philosophy, and
soon made such a mark as a pleader that he incurred the jea-
lousy of the Emperor Caligula. At this time he had already
become a senator. In 41 A.D. the first year of Claudius'
reign he was banished to Corsica, owing to the exertions of
Messalina (the cause being his intrigue with Julia Livilla,
Claudius' niece), and was not recalled till 48 A.D., and then
only through the good offices of Agrippina, to whose son,
afterwards the Emperor Nero, he became tutor. On Nero's
accession to power in A.D. 54, Seneca, as the imperial adviser,
at once became extremely powerful, and amassed a fortune
which became proverbial [both Juvenal and Tacitus call him
praedives'; vide Tac. Ann. xiii. 42, and Mayor's note and reff.
on Juv. x. 16]. At this period his life was hardly in harmony
with his own philosophy. On the one hand, he certainly
made an attempt to check the vicious development of Nero's
character ; on the other, he equally certainly used his oppor-
tunities for his own ends, arid his support of Nero's action in
the murder of Agrippina is indefensible. He was indeed a
man to whom precept came more easily than practice. In
his study he was most capable of seeing the better course, but
in political life he too often followed the worse. When Nero's
vicious character broke free from all restraints Seneca fell
under suspicion, and, realizing his danger, he wrote to the
emperor requesting leave to retire into private life, and offer-
ing him his wealth. The request Nero granted, while refusing
the gift, and at the same time feigned affection for the philo-
sopher. This was in the year 60 A.D., and five years later,
after the conspiracy of Piso, the emperor sent a tribune to
Seneca bidding him die. The philosopher and his wife
Paulina, who insisted on sharing his fate, opened their veins.
SENECA. 1 7
What followed is familiar to us from the narrative of Tacitus
[Ann. xv. 62]. Owing to Seneca's age and enfeebled body,
the blood ran slowly, and after hemlock had failed to act he
was suffocated by a vapour stove, while the veins in his wife's
arm were bound up by Nero's order ("nullo in Paulinam
proprio odio ac ne glisceret invidia crudelitatis iubet inhiberi
mortem": Tac. loc. cit.), and she lived to prove by her pale face
and wasted limbs ("ore ac membris pallentibus ") the con-
stancy of her affection. The whole passage in Tacitus will
well repay perusal; and despite the fact that it was somewhat
theatrical, Seneca's death was not unworthy of his philoso-
phical principles, and hardly merited the jeers of Dio Cassius.
As a writer he was in many respects the most brilliant
of the Silver Age a man of extraordinary ability, who, at
any other time than one devoted to rhetoric and the tinsel
adornments of style, and marked by an exaggerated tendency
to false adulation, would have earned a reputation second
only to that of Cicero. Certainly in versatility of genius he
was superior to his only rival of the age, Tacitus. But the
atmosphere of the time was congenial to Seneca, as his writ-
ings were congenial to his contemporaries ("ingenium temporis
eius auribus accommodatum": Tac. xiii. 3). It is therefore no
matter of wonder if his style degenerated into mannerisms
which are repeated with a regularity that becomes nauseous,
and we cannot but suspect a false ring of artificiality under
his sentiment and pathos. Quintilian, if not so severe as
Fronto or Aulus Gellius, is at any rate outspoken in his
criticism, and as on the whole the estimate is a fair one, it
has been included among the selections in this volume (see
page 88), and may well be referred to at this point.
Seneca was a voluminous writer, but many of his works
have been lost or exist only in fragments. We have three
books De Ira, seven De Beneticiis, eight on Naturales Quaes-
tiones, two De Clementia, a collection of Epistulae ad Lucilium
(124 in number), three Consolationes (those to Marcia, Poly-
bium, and Helvia), and other treatises such as those De Vita
Beata, De Tranquillitate Animi, De Brevitate Vitae, De Otio,
De Providentia. In addition to these there are nine tragedies
(M25 ) D
18 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
(the praetexta named Octavia, though included in Seneca's
plays, is certainly not his, mentioning as it does Nero's down-
fall, which happened three years after the philosopher's death),
and the satire on Claudius' apotheosis called the'ATro/coXoKwrwo-ts
(i.e., transformation into a pumpkin). There also exist four-
teen undeniably spurious letters (though believed to be genuine
from the time of Jerome to the sixteenth century, and even in
our own day) purporting to be a correspondence between
Seneca and St. Paul, and on the strength of these Jerome
included the philosopher 'in catalogo sanctorum'. A discus-
sion of the subject, which is full of interest, will be found in
English in Bishop Lightfoot's Dissertations on the Apostolic
Age, p. 249 seq., though there are more elaborate works in
French, e.g., those of FJeury and Aubertin. The coincidences
between the Stoic teaching of Seneca and that of the New
Testament are in many instances of remarkable closeness, but
can scarcely be expounded here. One or two of the selections
which follow have been intentionally picked out to illustrate
the parallelism of the teaching. 1
I.
This extract is from perliaps one of the earliest of Scnccds writ-
ings, a letter of consolation to Marcia (daughter of Cremutius
Cordus] on the loss of her son, who had, however, died three
years before. The note struck is the shortness and uncertainty
of life as Lucretius had put it many years before, vitaque
inancipio nulli datur, omnibus usu.
Quicquid est hoc, Marcia, quod circa nos ex adventicio
fulget, liberi, honores, opes, ampla atria et exclusorum
clientium turba referta vestibula, clara, nobilis aut for-
mosa coniux ceteraque ex incerta et mobili sorte pen-
dentia alieni commodatique adparatus sunt. Nihil horum
dono datur: collaticiis et ad dominos redituris instru-
1 The chapters from Tacitus, giving Seneca's correspondence with Nero and
the description of Seneca's death, have been added for the sake of complete-
ness, more especially as they are excellent examples of Tacitus at his best,
and are taken from a portion of the Annals too seldom read. See pp. 109-113.
SENECA. 19
mentis scena adornatur. Alia ex his primo die, alia
secundo referentur, pauca usque ad finem perseverabunt.
Itaque non est quod nos suspiciamus tamquam inter
nostra positi : mutua accepimus. Usus fructusque noster 10
est, cuius tempus ille arbiter muneris sui temperat: nos
oportet in promptu habere quae in incertum diem data
sunt, et adpellatos sine querela reddere. Pessimi debito-
ris est creditori facere convicium. Omnes ergo nostros,
et quos superstites lege nascendi optamus et quos prae-
cedere iustissimum ipsorum votum est, sic amare debe-
mus, tamquam nihil nobis de perpetuitate, immo nihil de
diuturnitate eorum promissum sit. Saepe admonendus
est animus, amet ut recessura, immo tamquam receden-
tia. Quicquid a f ortuna datum est, tamquam exemptum 20
auctore possideas. Rapite ex liberis voluptates, fruen-
dos vos invicem liberis date et sine dilatione omne gau-
dium haurite. Nihil de hodierna nocte promittitur.
Nimis magnam advocationem dedi: nihil de hac hora.
Festinandum est. Instatur a tergo: iam disicietur iste
comitatus, iam contubernia ista sublato clamore solventur.
Rapina rerum omnium est: miseri nescitis fuga vivere.
Si mortuum tibi filium doles, eius temporis quo natus est,
crimen est. Mors enim illi denuntiata nascenti est. In
hanc legem natus. Hoc ilium fatum ab utero statim pro- so
sequebatur. In regnum fortunae et quidem durum atque
invictum pervenimus, illius arbitrio digna atque indigna
passuri. Corporibus nostris inpotenter, contumeliose,
crudeliter abutetur: alios ignibus peruret vel in poenam
admotis vel in remedium. Alios vinciet: id nunc hosti
licebit, nunc civi. Alios per incerta nudos maria iactabit
et luctatos cum fluctibus ne in arenam quidem aut litus
explodet, sed in alicuius inmensae ventrem beluae decon-
det. Alios morborum variis generibus emaceratos din
inter vitam mortemque medios detinebit. Ut varia et*o
20 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
libidinosa mancipiorumque suorum neglegens domina et
poenis et muneribus errabit.
Quid opus est partes deflere? tota flebilis vita est,
Urgebunt nova incommoda, priusquam veteribus satis-
feceris. Moderandum est itaque vobis maxime, quae
inmoderate fertis, et in metus et in dolores humani pec-
toris dispensandae. Quae deinde ista suae publicaeque
conditionis oblivio est 3 Mortalis nata es, mortales pe-
peristi. Putre ipsa fluidumque corpus et causis repetita
so sperasti tarn inbecilla materia solida et aeterna gestasse 1
Decessit films tuus, id est, decucurrit ad hunc finem, ad
quern quae feliciora partu tuo putas properant. Hue
omnis ista quae in foro litigat, in theatris desidet, in
templis precatur turba dispari gradu vadit. Et quae
diligis et quae despicis, unus exaequabit cinis. Hoc
videlicet ilia Pythicis oraculis adscripta NOSCE TE.
Quid est homo? quodlibet quassum vas et quolibet
fragile iactatu. Non tempestate magna, ut dissiperis, est
opus. Ubicumque arietaveris, solveris. [Ad Marciam,
10-11.]
/
How much better it is to die at the heigJit of one's fame than to
survive one's reputation and meet ivith misfortune as was the
fate of Cn. Pompey, Cicero, and M. Cato. 1
ignaros malorum suorum, quibus non mors ut op-
timum jnventum naturae laudatur exspectaturque, sive
felititatem includit, sive calamitatem repellit, sive satie-
tatem ac lassitudinem senis terminat, sive iuvenile aevum
dum meliora sperantur, in flore deducit, sive pueritiam
ante duriores gradus revocat, omnibus finis, multis reme-
dium, quibusdam votum, de nullis melius merita quam
de iis, ad quos venit antequam invocaretur. Haec ser-
i The whole passage resembles in idea Juv. x. 283 foil.
SENECA. 21
"t*'"
vitutem invito domino remittit. Haec captivorum catenas '"'
levat. Haec e carcere educit quos exire imperium in- 10 ^^
potens vetuerat. Haec exulibus in patriam semper ani-
mum oculosque tendentious ostendit nihil interesse, infra
quod quis iaceat. Haec, ubi,- res communis fortuna male
divisit et aequo iure genitos aliutn~aliL donavit, exaequat
omnia. Haec est, post quam nihil quisquam alieno fecit
arbitrio. Haec est, in qua nemo humilitatem suam sensit. v< *
Haec est, quae nulli non patuit. Haec est, Marcia, quam
pater tuus concupiit. Haec est, inquam, quae efficit, ut
nasci non sit supplicium, quae efficit, ut non concidam . **
adversus minas casuum, ut servare animum salvum ac2o
potentem sui possim: habeo quod adpellem:-' Videaistic v- ;
cruces non unius quidem generis, sed aliter ab aliis I
fabricatas : capite quidam converses in terram suspendere,
alii per obscoena stipitem jegerunt, alii brachia patibulo >
explicuerunt. Video jjorfcuj^ video verbera. Et membris
singulis et articulis singula docuerunt machinamenta : at
video et mortem. Sunt istic hostes cruenti, cives superbi :
sed video istic et mortem. Non est molestum servire,
ubi si domini pertaesum est, licet uno gradu ad libertatem
transire. Caram te, vita, beneficio mortis habeo. ffiagitaso
quantum boni opportuna mors habeat, quam multis diu-
tius vixisse nocuerit. Si Cn. Pompeium, decus i&lud
/TA^Mlft /** t I
firmamentumque imperii, Neapoli valitudo "absfulisset,
indubitatus populi Romani princeps excesserat : at nunc
exigui temporis adiectio lastigio ilium suo depulit. Vidit
legiones in conspectu suo caesas. Et ex illo proelio, in
quo prima acies senatus fuit, quae inf elicis reliquiae sunt,
ipsum imperatorem superfuisse ! vidit Aegyptium carni^
ficem et sacrosanctum victoribus corpus satelliti praksti-
tit, etiamsi incolumis fuisset, poenitentiam salutis a^cturus?40
^^ttid enim erat turpius quam Pompeium vivere beneficio
regis? M. Cicero si illo tempore, quo Catilinae sicas ^' 9
22 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
devitavit, quibus pariter cum patria petitus est, conci-
disset liberata republica servator eius. Si denique filiae
suae funus secutus esset, etiamtunc felix mori potuit.
Non vidisset strictos in civilia capita mucrones nee divisa
percussoribus occisorum bona, ut etiam de suo perirent,
non hastam consularia spolia vendentem nee caedes nee
locata publice latrocinia, bella, rapinas, tantum Catilina--^
50 mm.7] Marcum Catonem si a Cypro et hereditatis ^.egi^ae f
dispensatione redeuntem mare devorasset vel cum ilia r
ipsa pecunia, quam adferebat civili bello stipendium,
nonne illi bene actum foreU hoc certe secum tulisset,
neminem ausurum coram Catone peccare: nunc annorum*'
adiectio paucissimorum virum libertati non suae tantum,
sed publicae natum coegit Caesarem fugere, Pompeium
sequi. Nihil ergo mali illi inmatura mors adtulit: omnium
etiam malorum remisit patientiam. [Ib. 2(D.]
m.
Life should le lived in harmony with nature.
Natura eriim duce utendum est. Hanc ratio observat,
hanc consulit. Idem est ergo beate vivere et secundum
naturam. Hoc quid sit, iam aperiam: si corporis dotes
et apta naturae conservabimus diligenter et inpavide
tamquam in diem data et fugacia, si non subierimus
eorum servitutem nee nos aliena possederint, si corpori
grata et adventicia eo nobis loco fuerint, quo sunt in
castris auxilia et armaturae leves : serviant ista, non im-
perent, ita demum utilia sunt menti. Incorruptus vir
10 sit externis et insuperabilis miratorque tantum sui, fidens
animo atque in utrumque paratus artifex vitae. Fiducia
eius non sine scientia sit, scientia non sine constantia:
maneant illi semel placita nee ulla in decretis eius litura
sit. Intellegitur, etiamsi non adiecero, conpositum ordi-
SENECA 23
natumque fore talem virum et in iis quae aget, cum
comitate magnificum. Erit vera ratio sensibus insita et
capiens inde principia: nee enim habet aliud, unde con-
etur aut unde ad verum inpetum capiat : in se revertatur.
Nam mundus quoque cuncta conplectens rectorque uni-
versi deus in exteriora quidem tendit, sed tamen in 20
totum undique in se redit: idem nostra mens faciat:
cum secuta sensus suos per illos se ad externa porrexerit,
et illorum et sui potens sit. Hoc modo una emcietur vis
ac potestas concors sibi et ratio ilia certa nascetur non
dissidens nee haesitans in opinionibus conprehensioni-
busque nee in persuasione, quae cum se disposuit et par-
tibus suis consensit et, ut ita dicam, concinuit, summum
bonum tetigit. Nihil enim pravi, nihil lubrici superest,
nihil in quo arietet aut labet. Omnia faciet ex imperio
suo nihilque inopinatum accidet, sed quicquid agetur, in 30
bonum exibit facile et parate et sine tergiversatione
agentis. Nam pigritia et haesitatio pugnam et incon-
stantiam ostendit. Quare audaciter licet profitearis
summum bonum esse animi concordiam. Virtutes enim
ibi esse debebunt, ubi consensus atque unitas erit : dissi-
dent vitia. [Ad Gallionem de Vita Beata.]
IV.
The right acquisition and use of money not alien to the life of a
philosopher.
Desine ergo philosophis pecunia interdicere: nemo
sapientiam paupertate damnavit. Habebit philosophus
amplas opes, sed nulli detractas nee alieno sanguine cru-
entas, sine cuiusquam iniuria partas, sine sordidis quaest-
ibus, quarum tarn honestus sit exitus quam introitus,
quibus nemo ingemiscat nisi malignus. In quantum vis
exaggera illas : honestae sunt, in quibus cum multa sint,
24 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
quae sua quisque dici velit, nihil est, quod quisquam
suum possit dicere. Ille vero fortunae benignitatem a
lose non submovebit et patrimonio per honesta quaesito
nee gloriabitur nee erubescet. Habebit tamen etiam quo
glorietur, si aperta domo et admissa in res suas civitate
poterit dicere: "quod quisque agrioverit, tollat".
magnum virum, optime divitem, si post hanc vocem tan-
tumdem habuerit! ita dico, si tuto et securus scruta-
tionem populo praebuerit, si nihil quisquam apud ilium
invenerit, quo manus iniciat, audacter et propalam erit
dives. Sapiens nullum denarium intra limen suum ad-
mittet male intrantem. Idem magnas opes, munus for-
2otunae fructumque virtutis, non repudiabit nee excludet.
Quid enim est quare illis bono loco invideat? veniant,
hospitentur. Nee iactabit illas nee abscondet: alterum
infruniti animi est, alterum timidi et pusilli velut magnum
bonum intra sinum continentis. Nee, ut dixi, eiciet
illas e domo. Quid enim dicet 1 utrumne " inutiles estis "
an " ego uti divitiis nescio'"? Quemadmodum etiam ped-
ibus suis poterit iter conficere, escendere tamen vehiculum
malet : sic pauper, si potuerit esse dives, volet, et habebit
itaque opes, sed tamquam leves et avolaturas. Nee ulli
so alii nee sibi graves esse patietur. Quid ? Donabit. Quid
erexistis aures 1 ? Quid expeditis sinum? Donabit aut
bonis aut eis, quos facere poterit bonos. Donabit cum
summo consilio dignissimos eligens, ut qui meminerit
tarn expensorum quam acceptorum rationem esse red-
dendam. Donabit ex recta et probabili causa. Nam
inter turpes iacturas malum munus est: habebit sinum
facilem, non perforatum, ex quo multa exeant et nihii
excidat. [Ib. 23.]
SENECA. 25
r </
The evils of inconsiderate anger: an elaborate antithesis between D*Q^^
Ratio and Ira.
Ratio utrique parti tempus dat. Deinde advocationem
et sibi petit, ut excutiendae veritati spatium habeat: ira
festinat. Ratio id iudicare vult quod aequum est: ira -M*^
id aequum videri vult quod iudicavit. Ratio nil -**
praeter ipsum de quo agitur spectat: ira vanis et extra ^
causam obversantibus commovetur. Yoltus jllajji^ecurior,
vox clarior, sermo liberior, ^jtfllfl ^^fiati^r? ^advocatjp- 1. *-* '
ambitiosior, favor popularis exasperant. Saepe Infesta
patrono^ reum damnat, etiam si ingeritur oculis veritas,
amat et tuetur errorem. Coargui non vult et in male 10 >
coeptis honestior illi pertinacia videtur quam poenitentia.
On. Piso fuit memoria nostra vir a multis vitiis integer,
sed pravus et cui placebat pro constantia rigor. Is cum
iratus duci iussisset eum, qui ex commeatu sine cpmmilit- i rJ*\+\ <^*
one redierat, quasi interfecisset quem non exhibebat,
roganti tempus aliquod ad conquirendum non dedit.
Damnatus extra vallum productus est et jam cervicem > .-.
porrigebat, cum subito adparuit ille coiiimmto qui occisus
^
J v rr . ; ,,. v x^, X
videbatur. lupc centurio'sjippiicj^praepositus conere
gladium ipecufatorem iubet, damnatum ad Pisonem re 20
ducit redditurus Fisoni innocentiam : nam militi f ortuna
reddiderat. Ingenti concursu deducuntur conplexi alter '
alterum cum magno gaudio castrorum commilitones.
QpnftcftTMJjfr tribunal furens Piso ac iubet duci utrumque,
et eum militem qui non occiderat et eum qui non peri-^
erat. Quid hoc indignius? quia unus innocens adpferu-
erat, duo peribant. Piso adiecit et tertium. Nam ipsum
centurionem, qui damnatum reduxerat, duci iussit. Con-
stituti sunt in eodem illo loco perituri tres ob unius in-
nocentiam. quam ^ojlecs est iracundia ad fingendae
so .**
26 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
causas furoris ! " Te, inquit, duel iubeo, quia damnatus
es. Te, quia causa damnationis commilitoni fuisti. Te,
quia iussus occidere imperatori non paruisti." Excogi-
tavit quemadmodum tria crimina faceret, quia nullumA "
invenerat.
Habet, inquam, iracundia hoc mali: non vult regi.
Irascitur veritati ipsi, si contra voluptatem suam adparuit^^*
Cum clamore et tumultu et totius corporis iactationjg . ^
* quos destinavit, insequitur adiectis conviciis maledictis- G
4oque. Hoc non facit -ratio: sed si itja opus est, silens f ^
quietaque totas domos funditus^tflfiii! et familias reipubli- 00
cae pestilentes cum coniugibus ac liberis perdit, tecta ipsa
diruit et solo exaequat et inimica libertati n'omina exstir-
pat : hoc non frendens nee caput quassans nee quicquam ' f ^
} indecorum iudici faciens, cuius turn maxime placidus esse
\ debet et in statu voltus, cum magna pronuntiat. Quid
opus est, inquit Hieronymus, cum velis xaedew aliquem, tua '
prius labra mordere? Quid, si ille vidisset desijijntem '
de tribunal! proconsulem et fasces lictori auferentem et
sosuamet vestimenta scindentem, quia tardius scindebantur r
aliena? Quid opus est mensam evertere? quid pocula
udfiigere ? quid se in columnas jngmgerej quid capillos
avellere 1 femur pectusque percutere ? Quantam iram ;
putas, quae, quia in alium non tarn cito quam vult erum-
pit, in se revertitur? Tenentur itaque a proximis et
rogantur, ut ipsi sibi placentur. Quorum nil facit quisquis
vacuus ira meritam cuique poenam iniungit. Dimittit
saepe eum, cuius peccatum deprendit, si poenitentia facti N r "
\ spem bonam pollicetur, si intellegit non ex alto venire
Jo nequitiam, sed summo, quod aiunt, animo inhaerere. "-
. Dabit inpunitatem nee accipientibus nocituram nee dan-
tibus. Nonnumquam magna scelera levius quam minora
cojipeseet, si ilia lapsu, non crudelitate commissa sunt, * i tx<-
his inest latens et .operta et inveterata calliditas. Idem -jjty*
SENECA. 27
delictum in duobus non eodem malo adficiet, si alter per
neglegentiam admisit, alter curavit ut nocens esset. Hoc
semper in omni animadversione servabit, ut sciat alteram ^ '
adhiberi, ut emendet malos, alteram, ut tollat. In utro-
que non praeterita, sed futura intuebitur. Nam, ut Plato
ait, nemo prudens punit, quid pectafufa est, sed ne peccetur. To
Bevocari enim praeterita non possunt, futura prohibentur.
Et quos volet nequitiaejtnale cedentis exempla fieri, palam A^t
occidet, non tantum ut pereant ipsi, sed ut alios pereundo &
deterreant. Haec cui exp^nctenda aestimandaque sunt,
vides quam debeat omni perturbatione liber accedere ad
rem summa diligentia tractandam, potestatem vitae nec-
isque. Male irato ferrum committitur. [De Ira, i. 18-
19.]
VI.
The wrong use of money.
Circa pecuniam plurimum vocif erationis est : haec fora
defatigat, patres liberosque committit, venena miscet,
gladios tarn percussoribus quam legionibus tradit. Haec
est sanguine nostro delibuta. Propter hanc uxorum
maritorumque noctes strepunt litibus et tribunalia magis-
tratuum premit turba, reges saeviunt rapiuntque et civi-
tates longo seculorum labore constructas evertunt, ut
aurum argentumque in cinere urbium scrutentur. Libet
intueri fiscos in angulo iacentes: hi sunt propter quos
oculi clamore exprimantur, fremitu iudiciorum basilicae 10
resonent, evocati ex longinquis regionibus indices sede-
ant iudicaturi, utrius iustior avaritia sit. Quid si ne
propter fiscum quidem, sed pugnum aeris aut inputatum
a servo denarium senex sine herede moriturus stomacho
dirumpitur? Quid si propter usuram milensimam vali-
tudinarius fenerator distortis pedibus et manibus ad con-
parandum non relictis clamat ac per vadimonia asses
28 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
suos in ipsis morbi accessionibus vindicate Si totam
mihi ex omnibus metallis, quae cum maxime deprimimus,
20pecuniam prof eras, si in medium proicias quicquid the-
sauri tegunt avaritia iterum sub terras referente, quae
male egesserat : omnem istam congeriem non putem dig-
nam quae frontem viri boni contrahat. Quanto risu
prosequenda sunt quae nobis lacrimas educunt? [Ib. iii.
33.]
VII.
Nothing befits a ruler so much as clemency.
Excogitare nemo quicquam poterit, quod magis decorum
regenti sit quam dementia, quocumque modo is et quo-
cumque iure praepositus ceteris erit. Eo scilicet f ormosius
id esse magnincentiusque fatebitur, quo in maiori prae-
stabitur potestate, quam non oportet noxiam esse, si ad
naturae legem conponitur. Natura enim commenta est
regem, quod et ex aliis animalibus licet cognoscere et ex
apibus, quarum regi amplissimum cubile est medioque
ac tutissimo loco. Praeterea onere vacat exactor alien-
loorum operum, et amisso rege totum dilabitur examen,
nee umquam plus unum patiuntur melioremque pugna
quaerunt. Praeterea insignis regi forma est dissimilisque
ceteris turn magnitudine, turn nitore. Hoc tamen maxime
distinguitur. Iracundissimae ac pro corporis captu pug-
nacissimae sunt apes et aculeos in volnere relinquunt:
rex ipse sine aculeo est. Noluit ilium natura nee saevum
esse nee ultionem magno constaturam petere, telumque
detraxit et iram eius inermem reliquit: exemplar hoc
magnis regibus ingens est. Est enim illi mos exercere
20 se in parvis et ingentium rerum documenta in minima
cogere. Pudeat ab exiguis animalibus non trahere mores,
cum tanto hominum moderatior esse animus debeat,
quanto vehementius nocet. Utinam quidem eadem ho-
SENECA. 29
mini lex esset, ut ira cum telo suo frangeretur nee saepius
liceret nocere . quam semel, nee alienis viribus exercere
odia! Facile enim lassaretur furor, si per se sibi satis-
faceret et si mortis periculo vim suam effunderet. Sed
ne nunc quidem illi cursus tutus est. Tantum enim ne-
cesse est timeat, quantum timeri voluit, et manus omnium
observet et eo quoque tempore, quo non captatur, peti seso
iudicet nullumque momentum inmune a metu habeat:
hanc aliquis agere vitam sustinet, cum liceat innoxium
aliis, et ob hoc securum salutare poten-tiae ius laetis omni-
bus tractare 1 Errat enim, si quis existimat tutum esse
ibi regem, ubi nihil a rege tutum, sed securitas securitate
mutua paciscenda est. Non opus est instruere in altum
editas arces nee in adscensum arduos colles emunire nee
latera montium abscidere, multiplicibus se muris turri-
busque sepire: salvum regem in aperto dementia prae-
stabit. Unum est inexpugnabile munimentum amor40
civium. Quid pulchrius est quam vivere optantibus
cunctis et vota non sub custode nuncupantibus 1 Si
paulum valitudo titubavit, non spem hominum excitari,
sed metuml Nihil esse cuiquam tarn pretiosum, quod
non pro salute praesidis sui commutatum velit 1 [De Cle-
mentia, i. 19.]
VIII.
The gift depends on the giver, not on the size of the gift.
Quid est ergo beneficium ? Benevola actio tribuens
gaudium capiensque tribuendo, in id quod facit prona et
sponte sua parata. Itaque non quid fiat aut quid detur
refert, sed qua mente, quia beneficium non in eo quod fit
aut datur consistit, sed in ipso dantis aut facientis animo.
Magnum autem esse inter ista discrimen vel ex hoc in-
tellegas licet, quod beneficium utique bonum est, id autem
quod fit aut datur, nee bonum nee malum est. Animus
30 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
est qui parva extollit, sordida inlustrat, magna et in
lopretio habita dehonestat: ipsa quae adpetuntur, neutram
naturam habent, nee boni nee mali. Refert, quo ilia
rector inpellat, a quo forma rebus datur. Non est bene-
ficium ipsum, quod numeratur aut traditur: sicut ne in
victimis quidem, licet opimae sint auroque praefulgeant,
deorum est honor, sed pia ac recta voluntate venerantium.
Itaque boni etiam farre ac fitilla religiosi sunt, mali rursus
non effugiunt inpietatem, quamvis aras sanguine multo
cruentaverint.
Si beneficia in rebus, non in ipsa benefaciendi voluntate
20 consisterent, eo maiora essent, quo maiora sunt, quae ac-
cipiinus. Id autem falsum est : nonnumquam enim magis
nos obligat qui dedit parva magnifies, qui "regum aequavit
opes animo ", qui exiguum tribuit sed libenter, qui pau-
pertatis suae oblitus est dum meam respicit, qui non
voluntatem tantum iuvandi habuit, sed cupiditatem, qui
accipere se putavit beneficium cum daret, qui dedit tam-
quam recepturus, recepit tamquam non dedisset, qui oc-
casionem qua prodesset et occupavit et quaesivit. Contra
ingrata sunt, ut dixi, licet re ac specie magna videantur,
so quae danti aut extorquentur aut excidunt, multoque
gratius venit, quod facili quam quod plena manu datur.
Exiguum est quod in me contulit : sed amplius non potuit.
At hie quod dedit magnum est: sed dubitavit, sed dis-
tulit, sed cum daret, gemuit, sed superbe dedit, sed cir-
cumtulit et placere non ei cui praestabat voluit. Ambi-
tioni dedit, non mihi.
Socrati cum multa multi pro suis quisque facultatibus
offerrent, Aeschines, pauper auditor : nihil, inquit, dignum
te, quod dare tibi possim, invenio et hoc uno modo pauperem
40 me esse sentio ? Itaque dono tibi quod unum habeo, me ipsum.
Hoc munus rogo qualecunque est boni consulas cogitesque olios,
cum multum tibi darent, plus sibi reliquisse. Cui Socrates :
SENECA. 31
\idni tu, inquit mihi magnum munus dederis, nisi forte te
parvo aestimas? Habebo itaque curae, ut te meliorem tibi
reddam quam accepi. Vicit Aeschines hoc munere Alci-
biadis parem divitiis animum et omnem iuvenum opulen-
torum munificentiam. \I)e Benefidis, i. 6-8.]
IX.
The right manner of giving.
Inspiciamus, Liberalis virorum optime, id quod ex
priori parte adhuc superest, quemadmodum dandum sit
beneficium, cuius rei expeditissimam videor monstraturus
viam: sic demus, quomodo vellemus accipere. Ante om-
nia libenter, cito, sine ulla dubitatione. Ingratum est
beneficium, quod diu inter manus dantis haesit, quod
quis aegre dimittere visus est et sic dare tamquam siU
eriperetur. Etiam si quid morae intervenit, evitemus
omni modo ne deliberasse videamur. Proximus est a
negante qui dubitavit, nullamque iniet gratiam. Namio
cum in beneficio iucundissima sit tribuentis voluntas, qui
nolentem se tribuisse ipsa cunctatione testatus est, non
dedit, sed adversus ducentem male retinuit : multi autem
sunt quos liberalis facit frontis infirmitas. Gratissima
sunt beneficia parata, facilia, occurrentia, ubi nulla mora
fuit nisi in accipientis verecundia. Optimum est ante-
cedere desiderium cuiusque, proximum sequi. Illud
melius, occupare antequam rogemur, quia, cum homini
probo ad rogandum os concurrat et subfundatur rubor,
qui hoc tormentum remittit, multiplicat munus suum. 20
Non tulit gratis qui, cum rogasset, accepit, quoniam
quidem, ut maioribus nostris, gravissimis viris, visum
est, nulla res carius constat quam quae precibus empta
est. Yota homines parcius facerent, si palam facienda
essent : adeo etiam deos, quibus honestissime supplicamus,
tacite malumus et intra nosmetipsos precari,
32 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Molestum verbum est, onerosum, demisso voltu dicen-
dum, rogo. Hums facienda est gratia amico et cuicumque,
quern araicum sis promerendo facturus. Properet licet,
so sero beneficium dedit qui roganti dedit. Ideo divinanda
cuiusque voluntas et, cum intellecta est, necessitate gra-
vissima rogandi liberanda est : illud beneficium iucundum
victurumque in animo scias, quod obviam venit. Si non
contingit praevenire, plura rogantis verba intercidamus,
ne rogati videamur, sed certiores facti statim promit-
tamus, facturosque nos etiam antequam interpellemur,
ipsa festinatione adprobemus. Quemadmodum in aegris
opportunitas cibi salutaris est et aqua tempestive data
remedii locum obtinuit, ita, quamvis leve et volgare bene-
4oficium sit, si praesto fuit, si proximam quamque horam
non perdidit, multum sibi adicit gratiamque pretiosi sed
lenti et diu cogitati muneris vincit : qui tarn parate fecit,
non est dubium quin libenter faciat. Itaque laetus facit
et induit sibi animi sui voltum. \Ib. ii. 1-2.]
X.
Various causes assigned for earthquakes.
Ignem causam motus quidam et quidem non ob eam-
dem causam iudicant : imprimis Anaxagoras, qui existimat
" simili paene ex causa et ae'ra concuti et terram, cum in
inferiore parte spiritus crassum ae'ra et in nubes coactum
eadem vi, qua apud nos quoque nubila frangi solent,
rumpit et ignis ex hoc conlisu nubium cursuque elisi
aeris emicnit. Hie ipse in obvia incurrit exitum quaerens
ac divellit repugnantia, donee per angusta aut nactus est
viam exeundi ad coelum, aut vi et iniuria fecit ". Alii
10 in igne causam quidem esse, sed non ob hoc iudicant, sed
quia pluribus obrutus locis ardeat et proxima quaeque
consumat. Quae si quando exesa ceciderint, tune sequi
SENECA. 33
motum earum partium, quae subiectis adminiculis desti-
tutae labant, donee corrueVunt nullo occurrente, quod
onus exciperet: tune chasmata, tune hiatus vasti aperi-
untur, aut, cum diu dubitaverunt, super ea se, quae
supersunt stantque, conponunt. Hoc apud nos quoque
videmus accidere, quotiens incendio laborat pars civitatis :
cum exustae trabes sunt aut corrupta, quae superioribus
firmamentum dabant, tune diu agitata fastigia concidunt 20
et tarn diu deferuntur atque incerta sunt, donee in solido
resederunt.
Anaximenes " terrain ipsam ait sibi esse causam motus
nee extrinsecus incurrere, quod illam inpellat, sed intra
ipsam et ex ipsa. Quasdam enim partes eius decidere,
quas aut humor resolverit aut ignis exederit aut spiritus
violentia excusserit. Sed his quoque cessantibus non
deesse, propter quod aliquid abscedat aut revellatur : nam
primum omnia vetustate labuntur nee quicquam tutuir*
a senectute est. Haec solida quoque et magni roborisso
carpit : itaque quemadmodum in aedificiis veteribus quae-
dam non percussa tamen decidunt, cum plus ponderis
habuere quam virium, ita in hoc universo terrae corpore
evenit, ut partes eius vetustate solvantur, solutae cadant
et tremorem superioribus adferant, primum, dum absce-
dunt. Nihil enim utique magnum sine motu eius, cui
haesit, absciditur. Deinde cum ceciderunt, solido ex-
ceptae resiliunt more pilae, quae cum cecidit, exsultat ac
saepius pellitur, totiens a solo in novum inpetum missa.
Si vero in stagnantibus aquis delata sunt, hie ipse casus40
vicina concutit fluctu, quern subitum vastumque inlisum
ex alto pondus eiecit." [Nat. Quaest. vi. 9-10.]
(M25)
34 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
v V/ XL
Seneca moralizes on the use of mirrors.
Derideantur nunc philosophi, quod de speculi natura , ''
disserant, quod inquirant, quid ita facies nostra nobis et
quidem in nos obversa reddatur, quid sibi rerum natura *
voluerit, quod, cum vera corpora edidisset, etiam simul- ^ T(/ ^
acra eorum adspici voluit. Quorsus pertinuit hanc con-
I parare materiam excipiendarum imaginum potentem 1
! non in hoc scilicet, ut ad speculum barbam velleremus*l
I aut ut faciem viri poliremus. In nulla re ilia negotium
Ihixuriae concessit: sed primum omnium, quia inbecilli , t ^
looculi ad sustinendum cominus solem ignoraturi erant>* ,
formam eius, hebetato ilium lumine ostendit. Quamvis
enim orientem occidentemque eum contemplari liceat, ^^
tamen JiaJbjj^Eft ipsum, qui verus est, non rubentis, sed H
Candida luce fulgentis nesciremus, nisi in aliquo nobis4^*
humore lenior et adspici facilior occurreret. Praeterea
duorum siderum occursum, quo inifilpellari dies solet, ,'
non videremus nee scire possemus, quid esset, nisi liberius
humi solis lunaeque imagines videremus. Inventa sunt
specula, ut homo ipse se nosset. Multa ex hoc conse-
2oquuntur: primum sui notitiam, deinde ad quaedam con-
silium : f ormosus, ut vitaret inf amiam, def ormis, ut sciret
redimendum esse virtutibus quicquid corpori deesset,
iuvenis, ut flore aetatis admoneretur illud tempus esse
discendi et fortia audendi, senex, ut indecora canis de-
poneret, ut de morte aliquid cogitaret: ad hoc rerum
natura facultatem nobis dedit nosmetipsos videndi. Fons
cuique perlucidus aut laeve saxum imaginem reddit :
mtper me in litore vidi,
cum placidum ventis staret mare.
soQualem fuisse cultum putas ad hoc se speculum comen- f
SENECA. 35
tium ? Aetas ilia simplicior et f ortuitis contenta nondum
in vitium beneficium detorquebat nee inventum naturae
in libidinem luxumque rajpiebat. Primo faciem suam N-**^
cuique casus ostendit. Deinde cum blandus sui mor-
talibus amor dulcem adspectum formae suae faceret,
saepius ea respexere, in quibus prius effigies suas vide- "^
rant. Postquam deterior populus ipsas subiit terras
icffossurus obruenda, ferrum primum in usu fuit (et id *
inpune homines erMfant, si solum eruissent) tune demum--
alia terrae mala, quorum laevitas aliud agentibus speciem 40
suam obtulit, quam hie in poculo, ille in aere ad alios
usus comparato vidit. Et mox proprie huic ministerio'^"
praeparatus est orbis, nondum argentei nitoris fragilis
vilisque materia. Tune quoque, cum antiqui illi viri in-
^pndjte viverent, satis nitidi, si squalorem opere collectum
adverso flumine eluerant, cura comere capillum fuit ac
prominentem barbam depectere : et in hac re quisque
sibi, alteri/in vicem operam dabat. Ne coniugum qui- t^ '
dem manu crinis ille, quern effundere olim mos viris fuit,
.adtrectabatur, sed ilium sibi ipsi sine ullo artifice f ormosi 50 ' : "
quatiebant, non aliter quam jjibam generosa animalia.
Postea iam rerum potiente luxuria specula totis paria
corporibus auro argentoque caelata sunt, gemmis deinde '
adornata et pluris unum ex his feminae constitit, quam
antiquarum dos fuit ilia, quae publice dabatur im-
peratorum pauperum liberis. An tu existimas auro in-
ditum habuisse Scipionis filias speculum, cum illis dos
fuisset aes grave 3 felix paupertas, quae tanto titulo
locum fecit! Non fecisset illis senatus dotem, si habuis-
sent. At quisquis ille erat, cui soceri loco senatus fuit, eo
intellexit accepisse se dotem, quam fas non esset reddere :
iam libertinorum virgunculis in unum speculum non suf-
ficit ilia dos, quam dedit senatus pro Scipione. Processit
enim paulatim in deterius opibus ipsis invitata luxuria et
36 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
incrementum ingens vitia ceperunt, adeoque omnia in-
discreta sunt diversissimis artibus, ut quicquid mundus
muliebris vocabatur, jarcinag viriles sint : minus dico, b
etiam militares. lam speculum ornaus tantum causaA>
adhibetur ? Nulli non vitio necessarium f actum est.
[Ib. i. 17.]
XII.
The true hearing and outward appearance of the philosopher.
Quod pertinaciter studes et omnibus omissis hoc unum
agis, ut te meliorem cotidie facias, et probo et gaudeo,
nee tantum hortor, ut perseveres, sed etiam rogo. Illud
autem te admoneo, ne eorum more, qui non proficere
sed conspici cupiunt, facias aliqua, quae in habitu tuo
aut genere vitae notabilia sint. Asperum cultum et
intonsum caput et neglegentiorem barbam et indictum
argento odium et cubile humi positum, et quicquid
aliud ambitio perversa via sequitur, evita. Satis ipsum
lonomen philosophiae, etiamsi modeste tractetur, invidio-
sum est: quid si nos hominum consuetudini coeperimus
excerpere 1 Intus omnia dissimilia sint, frons populo
nostra conveniat. Non splendeat toga, ne sordeat
quidem. Non habeamus argentum, in quod solidi auri
caelatura descenderit, sed non putemus frugalitatis indi-
cium auro argentoque caruisse : id agamus, ut meliorem
vitam sequamur quam volgus, non ut contrariam: alio-
quin quos emendari volumus, fugamus a nobis et averti-
mus. Illud quoque efficimus, ut nihil imitari velint
2onostri, dum timent, ne imitanda sint omnia. Hoc pri-
mum philosophia promittit, sensum communem, humani-
tatem et congregationem. A qua prof essione dissimilitude
nos separabit. Videamus, ne ista, per quae admirationem
parare volumus, ridicula et odiosa sint. Nempe pro-
positum nostrum est secundum naturam vivere: hoc
SENECA. 37
contra Haturam est, torquere corpus suum et faciles
odisse munditias et squalorem adpetere et cibis non
tantum vilibus uti, sed tetris et horridis. Quemadmodum
desiderare delicatas res luxuriae est, ita usitatas et non
magno parabiles fugere dementiae. Frugalitatem exigitso
philosophia, non poenam : potest autem esse non incompta
frugalitas. Hie mihi modus placet: temperetur vita
inter bonos mores et publicos: suspiciant omnes vitam
nostram, sed agnoscant. "Quid ergo 1 ? eadem faciemus,
quae ceteri ? nihil inter nos et illos intererit ?" Plurimum.
Dissimiles esse nos volgo sciat, qui inspexerit propius.
Qui domum intraverit, nos potius miretur quam supel-
lectilem nostram. Magnus ille est, qui fictilibus sic
utitur, quemadmodum argento. Nee ille minor est, qui
sic argento utitur, quemadmodum fictilibus. Infirmi40
animi est pati non posse divitias. [Ep. Mor. 5.]
It is not pain but fortitude in pain which is desirable.
Ut a communibus initium faciam, ver aperire se coepit,
sed iam inclinatum in aestatem, quo tempore calere de-
bebat, intepuit nee adhuc illi fides est. Saepe enim in
hiemem revolvitur: vis scire, quam dubium adhuc sit?
Nondum me committo frigidae verae : adhuc rigorem eius
infringe. "Hoc est, inquis, nee calidum nee frigidum
pati." Ita est, mi Lucili: iam aetas mea contenta est -+
suo frigore. Vix media tggelatur aestate. Itaque maior "t**-*?* 1
pars in vestimentis dfigitur. Ago gratias senectuti, quod ^
me lectulo adfixit. Quidni gratias illi hoc nomine agam 1 10
quicquid debebam nolle, non possum: cum libellis mihi
plurimus sermo est. Si quando intervenerunt epistulae
tuae, tecum esse mihi videor et sic adficior animo, tarn- '-
quam tibi non rescribam, sed respondeam. Itaque et de
38 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
hoc, quod quaeris, quasi conloquar tecum, quale sit,
una scrutabimur. Quaeris, an omne bonum optabile sit :
" si bonum est, inquis, fortiter torqueri et magno animo
uri et patienter aegrotare, sequitur, ut ista optabilia
Nihil autem video ex istis voto dignum. Neminem certe
20 adhuc scio eo nomine votum solvisse, quod flagellis caesus
esset aut podagra distortus aut eculeo longior factus."
Distingue, mi Lucili, ista, et intelleges esse in iis aliquid
optandum. Tormenta abesse a me velim: sed si susti-
nenda fuerint, ut me in illis fortiter, honeste, animose
geram, optabo. Quidni ego malim non incidere bellum 1 . f ,
Sed si inciderit, ut volnera, ut famem et omnia, quae - 1
bellorum necessitas adfert, generose f eram, optabo. Non
sum tarn demens, ut aegrotare cupiam : sed si aegrotan-
dum fuerit, ut nihil intemperanter, nihil effeminate fiat
so optabo. Ita non incommoda optabilia sunt, sed virtus,
qua perferuntur incommoda. Quidam ex nostris existi-
mant omnium istorum fortem tolerantiam non esse opta-
bilem, sed ne abominandam quidem, quia voto purum
bonum peti debet et tranquillum et extra molestiam
positum: ego dissentio. Quare 1 ? primum quia fieri non
potest, ut aliqua res bona quidem sit, sed optabilis non
sit. Deinde si virtus optabilis est, nullum autem sine
virtute bonum est, omne bonum optabile. Deinde etiamsi
uUimorum tormentorum fortis patientia optabilis est.
40 Etiamnunc interrogo : nempe fortitude optabilis est : atqui
pericula contemnit et provocat.' Pulcherrima pars eius ' '
maximeque mirabilis ilia est, non cedere ignibus, obviam
ire volneribus, interdum tela ne vitare quidem, sed
pectore excipere: si fortitude optabilis est, et tormenta
patienter ferre optabile est. Hoc enim fortitudinis pars
est. Sed separa ista, ut dixi : nihil erit quod tibi faciat
errorem. Non enim pati tormenta optabile est, sed
pati fortiter. Illud opto fortiter, quod est virtus.
SENECA. 39
"Quis tamen umquam hoc sibi optaU" Quaedam vota
aperta et prof essa sunt, cum particulatim fiunt : quaedam 50 *
latent, cum uno voto multa conprensa sunt. Tamquam .^ '
opto mihi vitam honestam. Vita autem honesta actioni-
bus variis constat: in hac est Eeguli area, Catonis scissum :' *
manu sua volnus, Rutilii exilium, c&lix venenatus, qui %> ^ f' x
Socratem transtulit e carcere in coelum. Ita, cum optavi
mihi vitam honestam, et haec optavi, sine quibus inter-
dum honesta non potest esse.
terque quaterque beati,
quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis j/
(contigit oppetere ! -n-C\ f- ^ ^ fl 60
Quid interest, optes hoc alicui an optabile fuisse fatearis 1
Decius se pro republica devovit: in medios hostes con-
citato equo mortem petens inruit. Alter post hunc,
paternae virtutis aemulus, conceptis sollemnibus ac iam
familiaribus verbis in aciem confertissimam incucurrit, de <^"
hoc sollicitus tantum, ut litaret, optabilem rem putans " ' '
bonam mortem. Dubitas ergo, an optimum sit memora-
bilem mori et in aliquo opere virtutis 1 Cum aliquis
tormenta fortiter patitur, omnibus virtutibus utitur for-
tasse : una in promptu sit eu maxime adpareat patientia. 70
Ceterum illic est fortitude, cuius patientia et perp^^sio
et tolerantia rami sunt. Illic est prudentia, sine qua ./-**-
nullum initur consilium, quae suadet, quod effugere non
possis, quam fortissime ferre. Illic est constantia, quae
deici loco non potest et propositum nulla vi extorquente ; I/
dimittit. Illic est individuus ille comitatus virtutum:
quicquid honeste fit, una virtus facit, sed ex consilii
sententia. Quod autem ab omnibus virtutibus conpro- * /'
batur, etiamsi ab una fieri videtur, optabile est. Quid 1
tu existimas ea tantum optabilia esse, quae per volup-so
tatem et otium veniunt? quae excipiuntur foribus or-
40 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
riatis 1 sunt quaedam tristis voltus bona. Sunt quaedam
vota, quae non gratulantium coetu, sed adorantium
venerantiumque celebrantur. Ita tu non putas Eegulum
optasse, ut ad Poenos pervenireU Indue magni viri
animum et ab opinionibus volgi secede paulisper. Cape,
quantum debes, virtutis pulcherrimae ac magnificentis- , .^
simae speciem, quae nobis non thure nee sertis, sed f**^
sudore et sanguine colenda est. Adspice MT^Catonem ''^^
. Qosacro illi pectori purissimas manus admoventem et vol-
nera^ parum autem demissa laxantem. Utrum tandem
illi dicturus es: "vellem quae velles". Et "moleste
fero". An: "feliciter quod agis 1 ?" Hoc loco mihi
r>| Demetrius noster occurrit, qui vitam securam et sine
ullis fortunae occursionibus "mare mortuum" vocat.
Nihil habere, ad quod exciteris, ad quod te concites,
cuius denuntiatione et incursu firmitatem animi tui n'jO
^ temptes, sed in otio inconcusso iacere non est tranquil- "''
litas : malacia est. Attains Stoicus dicere solebat: "malo
/loo me fortuna in castris suis quam in deliciis habeat. Tor-
queor, sed fortiter: bene est. Occidor, sed fortiter:
bene est." Audi Epicurum, dicet: "et dulce est". Ego
tarn honestae rei ac severae numquam molle nomen in-
ponam. Uror, sed invictus. Quidni hoc optabile sit 1 ? I
Optabile autem non quod urit me ignis, sed quod non
vincit. Nihil est virtute praestantius, nihil pulchrius.
Et bonum est et optabile, quicquid ex huius geritur ^^
imperio. Vale. \Ep. Mor. 67.]
XIV.
The ethics of suicide.
Subito nobis hodie Alexandrinae naves adparuerunt,
quae praemitti solent et mmtiare secuturae classis ad-
ventum : tabellarias voc.int. Gratus illarum Campaniae
SENECA. 41
adspectus est: omnis in pilis Puteolorum turba consistit
et ex ipso genere velorum Alexandrinas quamvis in
magna turba navium intellegit. Solis enim licet siparum
intendere, quod in alto omnes habent naves. (Nulla
enim res aeque adiuvat cursum quam summa pars veli :
illinc maxime navis urgetur. Itaque quotiens ventus in-
crebruit maiorque est quam expedit, antenna submittitur : 10
minus habet virium flatus ex humili.) Cum intravere
Capreas et promontorium, ex quo
alta procelloso speculatur vertice Pallas,
ceterae velo iubentur esse contentae: siparum Alexan-
drinarum insigne est. In hoc omnium discursu pro-
perantium ad litus magnum ex pigritia mea sensi volup-
tatem, quod epistulas meorum accepturus non properavi
scire, quis illic esset rerum mearum status, quid ad-
ferrent: olim iam nee perit quicquam mihi nee adquir-
itur. Hoc, etiamsi senex non essem, fuerat senti-20
endum: nunc vero multo magis, quia quantulumcumque
haberem, tamen plus iam mihi superesset viatici quam
viae, praesertim cum earn viam simus ingressi, quam
peragere non est necesse. Iter imperfectum erit, si in
media parte aut citra petitum locum steteris: vita non
est inperfecta, si honesta est. Ubicumque desines, si
bene desinis, tota est. Saepe autem et fortiter desinen-
dum est et non ex maximis causis. Nam nee maximae
sunt, quae nos tenent. Tullius Marcellinus, quern optime
noveras, adulescens quietus et cito senex, morbo et non so
insanabili correptus, sed longo et molesto et multa im-
perante coepit deliberare de morte. Convocavit con-
plures amicos : unusquisque, aut quia timidus erat, id illi
suadebat, quod sibi suasisset, aut quia adulator et blandus,
id consilium dabat, quod deliberanti gratius fore suspica-
batur : amicus noster Stoicus, homo egregius et, ut verbis
42 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
ilium, quibus laudari dignus est, laudem, vir fortis ac
stremms, videtur mihi optime ilium cohortatus. Sic
enim coepit: "Noli, mi Marcelline, torqueri tamquam de
40 re magna deliberes. Non est res magna vivere : omnes
servi tui vivunt, omnia animalia: magnum est honeste
mori, prudenter,. fortiter. ' Cogita, quamdiu iam idem
facias : cibus, somnus, libido : per hunc circulum curritur.
Mori velle non tantum prudens aut fortis aut miser,
etiam fastidiosus potest." Non opus erat suasore illi,
sed adiutore: servi parere nolebant. Primum detraxit
illis metum et indicavit tune familiam periculum adire,
cum incertum esset, an mors domini voluntaria fuisset:
alioquin tarn mali exempli esse occidere dominum quam
50prohibere. Deinde ipsum Marcellinum admonuit non
esse inhumanum, quemadmodum coena peracta reliquiae
circumstantibus dividantur, sic peracta vita aliquid por-
rigi his, qui totius vitae ministri fuissent. Erat Marcel-
linus facilis animi et liberalis, etiam cum de suo fieret:
minutas itaque summulas distribuit flentibus servis et
illos ultro consolatus est. Non fuit illi opus ferro, non
sanguine: triduo abstinuit et in ipso cubiculo poni taber-
naculum iussit. Solium deinde inlatum est, in quo diu
iacuit et calda subinde subfusa paulatim defecit, ut aie-
eo bat, non sine quadam voluptate, quam adferre solet lenis
dissolutio non inexperta nobis, quos aliquando liquit
animus. In fabellam excessi non ingratam tibi. Exitum
enim amici tui cognosces non difficilem nee miserum.
Quamvis enim mortem sibi consciverit, tamen mollissime
excessit et vitae elapsus est. Sed ne inutilis quidem
haec fabella fuerit: saepe enim talia exempla necessitas
exigit. Saepe debemus mori nee volumus : morimur nee
volumus. Nemo tarn inperitus est, ut nesciat quandoque
moriendum: tamen cum prope accessit, tergiversatur,
70 tremit, plorat. Nonne tibi videbitur stultissimus omnium,
SENECA. 43
qui flevit, quod ante annos mille non vixerat 1 ? aeque
stultus est, qui flet, quod post annos mille non vivet.
Haec paria sunt : non eris nee fuisti. Utrumque tempus
alienum est. In hoc puncto coniectus es, quod ut ex-
tendas, quousque extendes 1 ? Quid fles 1 ? quid optas?
Perdis operam.
desinefata deumflecti sperare precando.
Rata et fixa sunt et magna atque aeterna necessitate du-
cuntur. Eo ibis, quo omnia eunt. Quid tibi novi est ?
ad hanc legem natus es. Hoc patri tuo accidit, hoc so
matri, hoc maioribus, hoc omnibus ante te, hoc omnibus
post te. Series invicta et nulla mutabilis ope inligavit
ac trahit cuncta. Quantus te populus moriturorum
sequetur 1 ? quantus comitabitur 1 fortior, ut opinor, esses,
si multa milia tibi commorerentur : atqui multa milia
hominum et animalium hoc ipso momento, quo tu mori
dubitas, animam variis generibus emittunt. Tu autem
non putabas te aliquando ad id perventurum, ad quod
semper ibas 1 ? Nullum sine exitu iter est. [Ep. Mor. 77.]
XV.
The uncertainty of life. So live as if each day were to le your last.
Omnis dies, omnis hora quam nihil simus ostendit et
aliquo argumento recenti admonet fragilitatis oblitos:
turn aeterna meditates respicere cogit ad mortem. Quid
sibi istud principium velit quaeris? Senecionem Cor-
nelium, equitem Romanum splendidum et officiosum,
noveras: ex tenui principio se ipse promoverat et iam
illi declivis erat cursus ad cetera. Facilius enim crescit
dignitas quam incipit. Pecunia quoque circa pauper-
tatem plurimum morae habet, dum ex ilia erepat. Hie
etiam Senecio divitiis inminebat, ad quas ilium duae res 10
44 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
ducebant efficacissimae, et quaerendi et custodiendi
scientia, quarum vel altera locupletem facere potuisset.
Hie homo summae frugalitatis, non minus patrimonii
quam corporis diligens, cum me ex consuetudine mane
vidisset, cum per totum diem amico graviter adfecto et
sine spe iacenti usque in noctem adsedisset, cum hilaris
coenasset: genere valitudinis praecipiti arreptus, angina,
vix conpressum artatis faucibus spiritum traxit in lucem.
Intra paucissimas ergo horas, quam omnibus erat sani
20 ac valentis officiis functus, decessit. Ille, qui et mari et
terra pecuniam agitabat, qui ad publica quoque nullum
relinquens inexpertum genus quaestus accesserat in ipso
actu bene cedentium rerum, in ipso procurrentis pecuniae
inpetu raptus est :
insere nunc, Meliboee, piros, pone ordine vites.
Quam stultum est aetatem disponere ne crastini quidem
dominum! quanta dementia est spes longas incho-
antium: emam, aedificabo, credam, exigam, honores
geram: turn deinde lassam et plenam senectutem in
so otium ref eram. Omnia, mihi crede, etiam f elicibus dubia
sunt. Nihil sibi quisquam de future debet promittere.
Id quoque, quod tenetur, per manus exit et ipsam, quam
premimus, horam casus incidit. Volvitur tempus rata
quidem lege, sed per obscurum : quid autem ad me, an
naturae certum sit, quod mihi incertum est? Naviga-
tiones longas et pererratis litoribus alienis seros in patri-
am reditus proponimus, militiam et castrensium laborum
tarda manipretia, procurationes officiorumque per officia
processus, cum interim ad latus mors est, quae quoniam
lonumquam cogitatur nisi aliena, subinde nobis ingeruntur
mortalitatis exempla non diutius, quam dum miramur,
haesura. Quid autem stultius quam mirari id ullo die
factum, quod omni potest fieri? stat quidem terminus
SENECA. 45
nobis, ubi ilium inexorabilis fatorum necessitas fixit, sed
nemo scit nostrum, quam prope versetur terminus: sic
itaque formemus animum, tamquam ad extrema ventum
sit. Nihil difFeramus. Cotidie cum vita paria faciamus.
Maximum vitae vitium est, quod inperfecta semper est,
quod aliquid ex ilia differtur. Qui cotidie vitae suae
summam manum inposuit, non indiget tempore. Ex hacso
autem indigentia timor nascitur et cupiditas futuri
exedens animum. Nihil est miserius dubitatione venien-
tium, quorsus evadant. Quantum sit illud, quod restat,
aut quale, contracts, mens inexplicabili formidine agitat.
Quo modo effugiemus hanc volutationem ? uno, si vita
nostra non prominebit, si in se colligitur. Ille enim ex
futuro suspenditur, cui inritum est praesens: ubi vero,
quicquid mini debui, redditum est, ubi stabilita mens
scit nihil interesse inter diem et seculum : quicquid dein-
ceps dierum rerumque venturum est, ex alto prospicit etco
cum multo risu seriem temporum cogitat. Quid enim
varietas mobilitasque casuum perturbabit, si certus sis
adversus incerta 1 Ideo propera, Lucili, vivere et singulos
dies singulas vitas puta. Qui hoc modo se aptavit, cui
vita sua cotidie fuit tota, securus est: in spe viventibus
proximum quodque tempus elabitur subitque aviditas et
miserrimus ac miserrima omnia efficiens metus mortis.
Inde illud Maecenatis turpissimum votum, quo et debili-
tatem non recusat et deformitatem et novissime acutam
crucem, dummodo inter haec mala spiritus prorogetur: TO
Debilem facito manu,
debilem pede, coxa,
tuber adstrue, gibberum,
lubricos quate denies:
vita dum superest, bene est.
Sane mihi, vel acuta
si sedeam cruce, sustine.
46 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Quod miserrmum erat, si incidisset, optatur et tamquam
vita petitur supplicii mora. Contemptissimum putarem,
so si vivere vellet usque ad crucem: "tu vero, inquit, me
debilites licet, dum spiritus in corpore fracto et inutili
maneat. Depraves licet, dum monstroso et deforto tem-
poris aliquid accedat. Suffigas licet et acutam sessuro
crucem subdas " : est tanti volnus suum premere et pati-
bulo pendere districtum, dum differat id, quod est in
malis optimum, supplicii finem 1 est tanti habere animam,
ut agam 1 ? Quid huic optes nisi deos faciles? quid sibi
vult ista carminis effeminati turpitude 1 ? quid timoris
dementissimi pactio 1 ? quid tarn foeda vitae mendicatio?
90 Huic putes umquam recitasse Vergilium
usque adeone mori miscrum est?
Optat ultima malorum et, quae pati gravissimum est,
extendi ac sustineri cupit: qua mercede? scilicet vitae
longioris. Quid autem huius vivere est ? diu mori. In-
venitur aliquis, qui velit inter supplicia tabescere et
perire membratim et totiens per stilicidia emittere ani-
mam, quam semel exhalare 1 invenitur, qui velit adactus
ad illud infelix lignum, iam debilis, iam pravus et in
foedum scapularum ac pectoris tuber elisus, cui multae
loomoriendi causae, etiam citra crucem fuerant, trahere
animam tot tormenta tracturam? nega nunc magnum
beneficium esse naturae, quod necesse est mori. Multi
peiora adhuc pacisci parati sunt : etiam amicum prodere,
ut diutius vivant, et liberos ad stuprum manu sua tradere,
ut contingat lucem videre tot consciam scelerum. Ex-
cutienda vitae cupido est discendumque nihil interesse,
quando patiaris, quod quandoque patiendum est. Quam
bene vivas ref ert, non quamdiu : saepe autem in hoc est
bene, ne diu. Yale. [Ep. Mor. 101.]
/
A. ' ' "'
SENECA. 47
XVI. *
The satire on the sham deification of Claudius, from which this
extract is taken, has been generally called 'ATroKoXoK^roxris, i.e.
transformation into a pumpkin, this being the title given by Dio.
But there seems no other authority for its being so termed, and,
as Teuffel suggests (Hist. Rom. Lit. vol. ii. p. 47), the St. Gatt
MS. calls it simply an ' apotheosis ' because the original title was
misunderstood.
Tandem lovi venit in mentem, privatjs. intra curiam
* morantibus, sententiam dicere senatoribus non licere nee
disputare. " Ego, inauitJP. .0.. interrogare vobis permis-
eram, vos mera mapa^ia fecistis. Volo servetis discipli-
nam curiae. Hie, qualiscumque est, quid de nobis existi-
mabiU" Illo dimisso primus interrogatur sententiam
I lanus pater. Is designatus erat in Kal. lulias postmeri-
| dianus Cos., homo quantum vis yafer, qui semper videt
apa irpbffffw Kal oTnVcrw. Is multa diserte, quod in foro vi- i
jyat, dixit, quae notarius persequi non potuit, et idea non 10
refero, ne aliis verbis ponam, quae ab illo dicta sunt.
Multa dixit de magnitudine deorum: non debere hunc
volgo dari honorem. "Olim, inquit, magna res erat
deum fieri: iam ^om imam fecisti [et iam pessimum
quemque ilium adfectare]. Itaque ne videar in personam,
non in rem dicere sententiam, censeo, ne quis post hunc
diem deus fiat ex his, qui apotpys Kapirbv tSovo-w, aut ex his,
quos alitjfefffaYMM fymipa. Qui contra hoc senatus consul-
turn deus factus, dictus pjctusxe erit, eum dedi larvis et
fc proximo munere inter novos auctoratos ferulis vapulare2o
placet." Proximus interrogatur sententiam Diespiter,
Vicae Potae filius, et ipse designatus Cos. nmnjjyjjajjyjj^.
Hoc quaestu se sustinebat, vendere civitatulas solebat.
Ad hunc belle accessit Hercules et auriculam illi tetigit.
Censet itaque in haec verba: "Cum divus Claudius et
divum Augustum sanguine contingat nee minus divam
48 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Augustam, aviam suam, quam ipse deam esse iussit,
longeque omnes mortales sapientia antecellat sitque e
republica esse aliquem, qui cum Romulo possit
30 S^^ ferventia rapa vorare: sl*"i -'V-o
censeo, ut divus Claudius ex hac die deus sit, ita uti ante
^eum quis optimo iure factus sit, eamque rem ad metamor-
phosis Ovidii adiciendam". Variae erant sententiae et
videbatur Claudius sententiam vincere. Hercules enim,
qui videret ferrum suum in igne esse, modo hue modo
illuc cursabat et aiebat: "Noli mihi invidere, mea res
agitur. Deinde tu si quid volueris, invicem faciam:
manus manum lavat."
s
PETRONIUS. 49
PETRONIUS.
Petronius or Titus Petronius (as Plutarch calls him) belongs
as an author probably to the beginning of the reign of Nero,
or the end of that of Claudius : this date has, however, not
been universally accepted, some critics placing it earlier, while
Niebuhr would postpone it to the third century. The name
Arbiter (in full 'arbiter elegantiarum ' ) clung to him, as,
while some later writers call him Petronius, others simply
refer to him as Arbiter.
The Cena Trimalchionis is in reality only an excerpt from a
large satirical work : it is not only valuable for its Latinity,
but also from the light which it throws on the luxurious life
and profligate manners of rich Eomans under the empire. As
we have it the Cena Trimalchionis is a novel or novelette with
many happy and witty touches, giving a sketch of a ' happy
day ' at Rome, interspersed with a certain amount of literary
criticism. In its mixture of prose and verse, dealing jocularly
with plebeian subjects, it may be styled a Menippean satire
(for which see note on Extract iii. line 15 of Aulus Gellius).
Moreover, it affords an excellent example of plebeian speech
and the colloquialisms of middle-class society, and, as might
be expected, contains a large number of proverbial sayings
and maxims : many of the words used in the description of the
Cena are not to be found elsewhere. The narrative deals
with the adventures of the freedman Eu&olpius. (f r an inter-
esting summary of the contents vide Simcox, Hist. Lat. Lit., ^
vol. ii.). ,
(L) * \^r
Trimalchio's singing slave.
Interposito deinde spatio cum secundas mensas Tri-
malchio iussisset afferri, sustulerunt servi omnes mensas
et alias attulerunt, ^T^^^ crqco et "'fljjfl tinctam .-
sparserunt et, quod nunquam ante videram, ex lapide
(M25) F
50 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
specular! pulverem tritum. Statim Trimalchio * poteram f ^
quidem' inquit 'hoc fericulo esse contentus;. secundas i
enim mensas habetis. Sed si quid belli habes, affer.'
Interim puer Alexandrinus, qui caldam ministrabat, ( l '
T .U-V * Juacjnias coepit imitari clamante Trimalchione subinde:
lo'muta'. Ecce alius lujju& Servus qui ad pedes Habinnae
sedebat, iussus, credo, a domino suo proclamavit subito
canora voce :
' interea medium Aeneas iam classe tenebat.'
Nullus sonus unquam acidior percussit aures meas; nam
I praeter errantis barbariae aut auctum aut deminutum cla-
j morem miscebat Atellanicos versus, ut tune primum me ^,\
etiam Vergilius offenderit. Plausum tamen, cum aliquando." , ,
desisset, adiecit Habinnas et 'nunquam' inquit f didicit,^<M
sed ego ad ^ii:c.ulatQres, eum mittendo erudibam. Itaque
2oparem non habet, sive muliones,. volet sive circulatores ^
" imitari. Desperatum valoe ingeniosus est : idem sutor est, lt^"^
idem cocus, idem jjisjofr omnis musae mancipium. Ilium
emi trecentis denariis.' Interpellavit loquentem Scintilla
et 'plane' inquit 'non omnia artificia servi nequam narras.
-^g a g a es ^; at curabo, sti^niam nabeat.' Eisit Trimalchio
et 'adcognosco' inquit 'Cappadocem: nihil sibi defraudit.
"*- Et mehercules laudo ilium; t hoc enim nemo parentat. Tu
autem, Scintilla, noli jselotypa esse. Crede mihi, et vos
novimus. ... Sed tace, lingua, dabo panem.' Tanquam
solaudatus esset nequissimus servus, JucerjQ.ajga de sinu ^M
fictilem protulit et amplius semihora tubicines imitatus
est guccin^^e Habinna et inferius labrum manu depri-
I mente. Ultimo etiam in medium processit et modo 4$
harundinibus quassis dho^aulas "imitatus est, modo lacer-^
natus cum flagello mulionum fata egit, donee vocatum l
ad se Habinnas basiavit, potionemque illi porrexit et A
' tanto melior ' inquit Massa, dono tibi c^lj^f-a-' [ 6 8-6 9, i r
with omissions.]
PETRONIUS. 51
(n)
Trimalchio after dinner reads his will.
Tia.r. contentione Trimalchia 'amici ' inquit 'et
servi homines sunt et aeque unum'la^teni biberunt, etiam
si illos malus Fatus oppressit. Tamen me salvo cito
aquam liberam gustabunt. Ad summam, omnes illos in >
testamento meo manumitto. Philargyro etiam fundum
.>*- lego et contubernalem suam, Carioni quoque in^ulam et
1 '* ' "^ ***^*** l *** l *V*^^ivwm***~- f ~ < Jj k ^ , ^Tj-AfOL '^^^^MV \ f
^^^yicesimam et lectum^ratJum. Nam Fortunatam meam /." ,
heredem facio, et commendo illam omnibus amicis meis :
et haec ideo omnia publico, ut familia mea iam mine sic
me amet tanquam mortuum'. Gratias agere omnes in-io
dulgentiae coeperant domini, cum ille pblitus nugarum
exemplar testamenti iussit afferri et totum a primo ad
ultimum ingemescente familia recitavit. Respiciens deinde
Habinnam 'quid dicis' inquit 'amice carissime ? Aedificas
monumentum meum, quemadmodum te iussi 1 Yalde te
rogo, ut sjgc,uiiidiui pedes statuae meae catellam ponas et
coronas et unguenta et Petraitis omnes pugnas, ut mihi
contingat tuo beneficio post mortem ^vivere; praeterea
ut sint in fronte pedes centum, in agrum pedes ducenti.
Omne genus enim poma volo sint circa cineres meos, et2o
vinearum largiter. Valde enim falsum est vivo quidem
domos cultas esse, non curari eas, ubi^diutjas.. nobis ha-
bitandum est. Et ideo ante omnia adici volo : " hoc mo-
numentum heredem non sequitur". Ceterum erit mihi
curae, ut testamento, ijjfiifewf 1 ,' " ft mortuus iniuriam acci-
piam. Praeponam enim unum ex libertis sepulcro meo
custodiae causa, ne in monumentum meum populus ca- 1> I %
^lim nnrr^i;, Te rogo, ut naves etiam in fronte monu-
menti mei facias plenis velis euntes, et me in tribunali
sedentem praetextatum cum anulis aureis quinque etso
nummos in publico de sacculo effundentem; scis enim,
52 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
f V*
quod epulum dedi bpoa^denarios. Fafti^nfoir- tfi t.ihi vi- ^
^Jgte, et |riclinia. facias et totum populum sibi gujviter /
facientem. Ad dexteram meam ponas statuam Fortunatae
meae columbam tenentem : et catellam cingulo alligatam
ducat: et cicarojiem meum, et anaphoras copiosas gypsa-
tas, ne effluant vinum. Et urnam licet fractam sculpas,
et super earn puerum plorantem. Ho*rologiurii in medio, -,, *
ut quisquis horas inspiciet, velit _nolit ? nomen meum le-
40 gat. Inscriptio quoque vide diligenter si haec satis ido-
nea tibi videtur : "C^ Pompous Trimalchio ^Iaecen,at)ianus ^
hie requiescit. Huic sevitafas absenti decretus est. Cum
posset in omnibus decujiis_ Romae esse, tamen noluit. \^"Y\
Pius, fortis, fidelis, ex parvo crevit, sestertium reliquit
trecenties, nee unquam philosophum audivit. Yale: et
tu." [71.]
(m)
Trimalchio tells the story of his life.
Nam ego quoque tarn fui quam vos estis, sed virtute
j*> mea ad hoc perveni. Corcillum est quod homines facit,
cetera quisquilia omnia. "Itene emo, bene vendo"; alius
voTis dicet." Felicitate dis|ilip_. Tu autem, gterteiQ,,^,^ '*
etiamnum ploras 1 lam curabo, fatum tuum plores. Sed rjjl
ut coeperam dicere, ad hanc me fortunam frugalitas mea '
perduxit. Tarn magnus ex Asia veni, quam hie candela-
brus est. Ad summam, quotidie me solebam ad ilium
metiri et ut celerius rostrum barbatum haberem, labra tu ^Jp"
10 de Jiicepfta ufigebam. Ceterum, quemadmodum di volulit,
" dominus indomo factus sum, et eccecepi ipsimi cerebellum,
quid multa ? Coheredem me Caesari fecit, et accepi J)aji-
mpnium laticjayium. Nemini tamen nihil satis est. Con-
cupivi negotiari. Ne multis vos morer, quinque naves
^ aedificavi, oneravi vinum et tune erat contra aurum -]?'*
misi Romam. Putares me hoc iussisse : omnes naves
C ^ y
^ f e e> e , & f tf>
PETRONIUS. 53
naufragarunt, factum, non fabula. Uno die Neptunus
r trecenties sestertium devoravit. Putatis me defecisse?
non mehercules mi haec iactura gusti fuit, tanquam nihil
facti. Alteras feci maiores et meliores et feliciores, ut2o
nemo non me virum fortem diceret. Scitis, magna navis
,magnam fortitudinem habet. Oneravi rursus vinum,
Jardum, fabam, seplasium, mancipia. Hoc loco Fortunata *"
fecit ; omne enim aurum suum, omnia vestimenta
vendidit et mi centum aureos in manu posuit. Hoc fuit
peculii mei fermentum. Cito fit, quod di volunt. Uno A ^
cursu centies sestertium conrotundavi. Statim redemi -
fundos omnes, qui patroni mei fuerant. Aedifico domum,
vvenaljcia cogmo iumenta; quicquid tangebam, crescebat " -V^
tanquam tavus. Postquam coepi plus habere, quam tota so
patria mea habet, rr\x.nninp HP. tabula: sustuli me de nego-
^ tiatione et coepi per libertos faenerare. Et sane nolentem
me negotium meum agere exhortavit mathematicus, qui
venerat forte in coloniam nostram, Graeculio, Serapa
-t^ nomine, consiliator deorum. fH^c mihi dixit, etiam ea,
T auae oblitus eram: ab afeia efc'acii tni omnia exnosuit:
quae oblitus eram; ab aibia et ^cii mi omnia exposuit;
*r intestinas meas noverat, tantum quod mihi non dixerat,
quid pridie cenaveram. Putasses ilium semper mecum
habitasse. Rogo, Habinna puto, interfuisti : "tu
domum tuam de rebus pusillis f ecisti. Tu parum f elix in 40
amicos es. Nemo unquam tibi parem gratiam refert. Tu
f t j5 v l a/h (l?nrHq, possides. Tu viperam sub ala nutricas " et, (
quid vobis non dixerim ? Et nunc mi restare vitae annos
triginta et menses quattuor et dies duos. Praeterea cito
accipiam hereditatem. Hoc mihi dicit Fatus meus. Quod
,jb si contigeritifundos Apuliae iungere, satis vivus pervenero.
^. Interim dum Mercurius vigilat, aedificavi hanc domum.
IM^ Ut scitis, casula erat; nunc templum est. Habet quattuor
cenationes. cubicula viginti, porticus marmoratos duos,
susum cdfitaonfeii, cubiculum in quo ipse dormio, viperae 50
54 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
A*r~-h unls ^essorium, ostiarii cell^rn perbonam; hospitmm
hospites capit. . Ad summam, Scaurus cum hue venit,
nusquam mavoluit hospitari, et habet ad mare paternum
hospitium. Et multa alia sunt, quae statim vobis osten- ,^
- dam. Creditc milii : asscm habeas, assem valeas; habcs,
Sic amicus vester, qui fuit jjj^a, nunc est rex.
Interim, Stiche, prefer vitalia, in quibus volo me
Prefer et unguentum et ex ilia amphora gustum, ex qua U> 1 '
iubeo lavari ossa mea.' [ 75-77.
PLINY THE ELDER. 55
PLINY THE ELDER.
Pliny the elder (23-79 A.D.) was a man of indefatigable
energy, combining the performance of official duties with
great literary activity. He began his career, as was custom-
ary, as a soldier, and served for some time in Germany, earn-
ing distinction, and possibly promotion, by his book De
laculatione Equestri. He was afterwards procurator Caesaris
in Hispania, Tarraconensis, and Gallia Narbonensis, having
been in the interim a teacher of grammar and rhetoric. On
his return he was received with great favour by Vespasian,
whose confidential friend he became. " Ante lucem ibat ad
Vespasianum imperatorem . . . inde ad delegatum sibi
officium: reversus dornum quod relicum temporis studiis
reddebat" (Pliny the Younger, Ep. iii. 5). It is possible
also that he held an official position in the Jewish war, and
was even procurator Syriae. Later he was admiral of the
fleet at Misenum, and it was while holding this office that
he lost his life while investigating the famous eruption of
Vesuvius in that year.
He was a very voluminous writer, but only the Natural
History has descended to us. This is a work in thirty-seven
books, dealing with natural science in its various branches
as applied to life. It is to a great extent a compilation
from previous authors as Pliny himself acknowledges, and the
materials are put together without any great discrimination.
Being in no way gifted with an acute critical faculty he puts
down side by side much that is valuable with much that is
nonsensical : " Actuated as he is by the desire to collect the
greatest quantity of material, Pliny is not very particular as
to what he accepts" (Teuffel, vol. ii. 99). In his Natural
History are to be found a large number of curious anecdotes
which, from their very absurdity, ought to have been ex-
cluded from any work dealing seriously with questions of
natural science. His tendency, moreover, to enumerate long
lists of details, often without any apparent connection, makes
a great part of the work very dull reading. Of this Pliny
56 LATIN OI* THE SILVER AGE.
was himself aware, as he complains of the dryness of the
material with which he has to deal. He is at once more-
reliable and more interesting when he discusses historical or
biographical points, and he throws much light on the opinions
held by his contemporaries on almost every subject. After
the fashion of his day he has an inclination_to moralize, and
follows Seneca in denouncing the immorality amLtha-.de-
generacy of the times. In style Pliny is_jmeven t At times
he puts down his facts and anecdotes without any attempt
at literary ornament. At other times he displays all the
characteristic faults of his age by his inclination to rhetoric_
and epigram, while in places his involved style makes his
meaning very obscure.
Besides the Natural History Pliny wrote several other
books, such as the life of Pomponius (under whom he served
in Germany), the work previously mentioned on javelin-
throwing, a discourse on the difficulties of the Latin language,
&c. ; but of these last books probably the most important
must have been the history of the wars in Germany, to which
Tacitus alludes (Ann. i. 69). There is a graphic account of
Pliny's death to be found in the pages of his nephew, the
younger Pliny (Ep. vi. 16).
I.
The earth we live on.
Sequitur terra, cui uni rerum naturae partium eximia
propter merita cognomen indidimus mat ernaevenerationis.
Sic hominum ilia, ut caelum dei, quae nos nascentes
excipit, natos alit, semelque editos sustinet semper, no-
vissime conplexa gremio iam a reliqua natura abdicates
turn maxime ut mater operiens, nullo magis sacra merito
quam quo nos quoque sacros facit, etiam monimenta ac
titulos gerens nomenque prorogans nostrum et memoriam
extendens contra brevitatem aevi, cuius numen ultimum
10 iam nullis precamur irati grave, tamquam nesciamus
hanc esse solam quae numquam irascatur homini. Aquae
PLINY THE ELDIiE. 57
subeunt in imbres, rigescunt in grandines, tumescunt in
fluctus, praecipitantur in torrentes, aer densatur nubi-
bus, furit procellis. At haec benigna, mitis, indulgens,
ususque mortalium semper ancilla, quae coacta generat,
quae sponte fundit, quos odores saporesque, quos sucos,
quos tactus: quos colores! quam bona fide creditum
foenus reddit! quae nostra causa alit! pestifera enim
animantia, vitali spiritu habente culpam, illi necesse est
seminata excipere et genita sustinere, sed in malis gen- 20
rantium noxa est. Ilia serpentem homine percusso
amplius non recipit, poenasque etiam inertium nomine
exigit, ilia medicas fundit herbas et semper homini
parturit. Quin et venena nostri miseritam instituisse
credi potest, ne in taedio vitae fames, mors terrae meri-
tis alienissima, lenta nos consumeret tabe, ne lacerum
corpus abrupta dispergerent, ne laquei torqueret poena
praepostera incluso spiritu cui quaereretur exitus, ne in
profundo quaesita morte sepultura pabulo fieret, ne ferri
cruciatus scinderet corpus. Ita est, miserita genuit id 30
cuius facillimo haustu inlibato corpore et cum toto san-
guine extingueremur nullo labore, sitientibus similes,
qualiter defunctos non volucris, non ferae attingerent,
terraeque servaretur qui sibi ipsi perisset. Verum fate-
amur. Terra nobis malorum remedium genuit, nos illud
vitae fecimus venenum. Non enim et ferro, quo carere
non possumus, simili modo utimur 1 Nee tamen querere-
mur merito, etiamsi malefici causa tulisset. Adversus
unam quippe naturae partem ingrati sumus. Quas non
ad delicias quasque non ad contumelias servit homini ?40
In maria iacitur, aut ut freta admittamus eroditur.
Aquis, ferro, ligno, igni, lapide, fruge, omnibus cruciatur
horis, multoque plus ut deliciis quam ut alimentis famu-
letur nostris. Et tamen quae summa patiatur atque
extrema cute tolerabilia videantur, penetramus in viscera
58 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
auri argentique venas et aeris ac plumbi metalla fodi-
entes, gemmas etiam et quosdam parvulos quaerimus
lapides scrobibus in profundum actis. Viscera eius extra-
himus. Ut digito gestetur, gemma petitur. Quot ma-
sonus atteruntur, ut unus niteat articulus! Si ulli essent
inferi, iam profecto illos avaritiae atque luxuriae cuniculi
refodissent! Et nriramur si eadem ad noxam genuit
aliqua 1 ? Ferae enim, credo, custodiunt illam arcentque
sacrilegas maims. Non inter serpentes fodimus et venas
auri tractamus cum veneni radicibus ? Placatiore tamen
dea ob haec, quod omnes hi opulentiae exitus ad scelera
caedesque et bella tendunt, quodque sanguine nostro
rigamus insepultisque ossibus tegimus, quibus tamen
velut exprobrato furore tandem ipsa se obducit et scelera
60 quoque mortalium occultat. Inter crimina ingrati animi
et hoc duxerim quod naturam eius ignoramus. [JV. //.,
ii. 63.]
>
Conceptions and fallacies about the r/ods.
Quapropter effigiem dei formamque quaerere inbecilli-
tatis humanae reor. Quisquis est deus, si modo est v alius,
et quacumque in parte, totus est sensus, totus visus,
totus auditus, totus animae, totus animi, totus sui.
Innumeros quidem credere atque etiam ex vitiis homi-
num, ut Pudicitiam, Concordiam, Mentem, Spem,
Honorem, Clementiam, Fidem, aut (ut Democrito placuit)
duos omnino, Poenam et Beneficium, maiorem ad so-
-^cordiam accedit. Fragilis et laboriosa mortalitas in
lopartes ista digessit infirmitatis suae memor, ut portioni- !
bus coleret quisque quo maxime indigeret. Itaque no-
mina alia aliis gentibus et numina in iisdem innumer-
abilia invenimus, inferis quoque in genera discriptis
morbisque et multis etiam pestibus, dum esse placatas
PLINY THE ELDER. 59
trepido metu cupimus. Ideoque etiam publice Febris
fanum in Palatio djflatimn est, Orbonae ad aedem Larum
et ara Malae Fortunae Esquiliis. Quamobrem maior
caelitum populus etiam quam hominum intellegi potest,
cum singuli quoque ex sqmetipsis totidem deos faciant
lunones Geniosque adoptando sibi, gentes vero quaedani20
animalia et aliqua etiam obscena pro dis habeant ac
multa dictu niagis pudenda, per fetidas cepas^ alia et
similia iurantes. Matrimonia quidem inter deos credi
tantoque aevo ex his neminem nasci, et alios esse grandae- *&
vos semper eanosque, alios iuvenes atque pueros, atri 1
^J"*"V-r -f* * jl I A Wf-f
coloris, aligeroB, clauaos, ovo editos et alternis diebus
viventes morientesque, puerilium prope deliramentorum
est. Sed super omnem inpudentiam adulteria inter
ipsos fingi, mox iurgia et odia, atque etiam furtorum
esse et scelerum numina. Deus est mortali iuvare mor-so
talem, et haec ad aeternam gloriam via. Hac proceres
iere. Eomani, hac nunc caelesti passu cum liberis suis
vadit maximus omnis aevi rector Vespasianus Augustus
fessis rebus subveniens. Hie est vetustissimus referendi
bene merentibus gratiam mos, ut tales numinibus ad-
scribant. Quippe et aliorum nomina deorum et quae
supra retuli siderum ex hominum nata sunt meritis.
lovem quidem aut Mercurium aliterve alios inter se
vocari et esse caelestem nomenclaturam quis non inter-
pretatione naturae fateatur inridendum? Agere curanuo
rerum humanarum illud quidquid est summum? Anne
tarn tristi atque multiplici ministerio non pollui ere- I
damus? Dubitemusne 1 Vix prope est iudicare, utrum
magis conducat generi humano, quando aliis nullus est
deorum respectus aliis pudendus. Externis famulantur t** *
sacris, ac digitis deos gestant, monstra quoque colunl,
damnant et p.Yp.ngiijft^f. cibos, imperia dira in ipsos ne . : ^ J
somno quidem quieto inrogant. Non matrimonia, non
i
60 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE. *~
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
liberos, non denique quicquam aliud nisi iuvantibu&
50 sacris deligunt. Alii in Capitolio f allunt ac f ulminan
pe^rant lovem, et hos iuvant scelera, illos sacra sua
poenis agunt. Invenit tamen inter has utrasque sen-
tentias medium sibi ipsa mortalitas numen, quo minus
etiam plana de deo coniectatio esset. Toto quippe mundo
et omnibus locis omnibusque horis omnium vocibus For-
tuna sola invocatur ac nominatur, una accusatur, una
agitur rea, una cogitatur, sola laudatur, sola a.rgn jtrir >**
Et cum conviciis colitur, volubilis, a plerisque vero et "I
caeca existimata, vaga, inconstans, incerta, varia, indig-
eonorumque fautrix. Huic omnia expensa, huic omnia
feruntur accepta, et in tota ratione mortalium sola
utramque paginam facit, adeoque obnoxiae sumus sortis,
ut sors ipsa pro deo sit, qua deus probatur incertus.
Pars alia et hanc pellit astroque suo eventus adsignat
nascendi legibus, semelque in omnes futuros umquam
deo decretum, in reliquum vero otium datur. Sedere
coepit sententia haec, pariterque et eruditum vulgus
et rude in earn cursu vadit. Ecce fulgurum monitus,
oraculorum praescita, haruspicum praedicta, atque etiam j
roparva dictu in auguriis, sternumenta et offensiones & ir * *
pedum. Divus Augustus prodidit laevum sibi calceum
praepostere inductum quo die seditione militari prope
adflictus est. Quae singula improvidam mortalitatem
involvunt, solum ut inter ista vel certum sit nihil esse
certi nee quicquam miserius homine aut superbius.
Ceteris quippe animantium sola victus cura est, in quo
sponte naturae benignitas sufficit, uno quidem vel prae-
ferenda cunctis bonis, quod de gloria, de pecunia, am-
bitione, superque de morte non cogitant. Verum in his
so deos agere curam rerum humanarum credi ex usu vitae
est, poenasque malenciis aliquando seras occupato deo in
tanta mole, numquam autem inritas esse, nee ideo
PLINY THE ELDER. 61
mum illi genitum hominem ut vilitate iuxta beluas esset. ^*-j^
Inperfectae vero in homine naturae praecipua solatia,
ne deum quidem posse omnia, namque nee sibi potest
mortem consciscere, si velit, quod homini dedit optimum
in tantis vitae poenis, nee mortales aeternitate donare
aut revocare defunctos, nee facere ut qui vixit non
vixerit, qui honores gessit non gesserit, nullumque
habere in praeterita ius praeterquam oblivionis, atqueoo
, (ut facetis quoque argumentis societas haec cum deo
copuletur) ut bis dena viginti non sint aut multa simi-
liter efficere non posse, per quae declaratur baud dubie
naturae potentia, idque esse quod deum vocemus. In
haec divertisse non fuerit alienum, vulgata propter ad-
siduam quaestionem de deo. \N. H. ii. 5.]
III.
Mutability of fortune.
Una feminarum in omni aevo Lampido Lacedaemonia
refertur quae regis filia, regis uxor, regis mater fuerit,
una Berenice quae filia, soror, mater Olympionicarum,
una familia Curionum in qua tres continua serie oratores
exstiterint, una Fabiorum in qua tres continui principes
senatus, M. Fabius Ambustus, Fabius Rullianus filius,
Q. Fabius Gurges nepos.
Cetera exempla fortunae variantis innumera sunt.
Etenim quae facit magna gaudia nisi ex malis, aut quae
mala inmensa nisi ex ingentibus gaudiis ( \ Servavit pro- 10
scriptum a Sulla M. Fidustium senatorem annis XXXVI.,
sed iterum proscriptura. Superstes Sullae vixit, sed
usque ad Antonium, constatque nulla alia de causa ab
eo proscriptum quam quia proscriptus fuisset. Tri-
umphare P. Ventidium de Parthis voluit quidem solum,
sed eundem in triumpho Asculano Cn. Pompei duxit
62 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
puerum, quamquam Masurius auctor est bis in tri-
umpho ductum, Cicero mulionem castrensis furnariae
fuisse, plurimi iuventam inopem in caliga militari
2otolerasse. Fuit et Balbus Cornelius maior consul, sed
accusatus atque de iure virgarum in eum iudice in con-
silium misso, primus externorum atque etiam in oceano
genitorum usus illo honore quern maiores Latio quo-
que negaverint. Est et L. Fulvius inter insignia
exempla, Tusculanorum rebellantium consul, eodemque
honore, cum transisset, exornatus confestim a populo
Romano, qui solus eodem anno quo fuerat hostis Romae
triumphavit ex iis quorum consul fuerat. Unus homi-
num ad hoc aevi Felicis sibi cognomen adseruit L. Sulla,
30 civili nempe sanguine ac patriae oppugnatione adoptatum
Sed quibus felicitatis inductus argumentis 1 ? Quod pro-
scribere tot milia civium ac trucidare potuisset. prava
interpretatio et future tempore infelix! Non melioris
sortis tune fuere pereuntes quorum miseremur hodie,
cum Sullam nemo non oderit 1 ? Age, non exitus vitae
eius omnium proscriptorum ab illo calamitate crudelior
fuit erodente se ipso corpore et supplicia sibi gignente ?
Quod ut dissimulaverit et supremo somnio eius, cui in-
mortus quodammodo est, credamus ab uno illo invidiam
40 gloria victam, hoc tamen nempe felicitati suae defuisse
confessus est quod Capitolium non dedicavisset.
Q. Metellus in ea oratione quam habuit supremis laudi-
bus patris sui L. Metelli pontificis, bis consulis, dictatoris,
magistri equitum, quindecimviri agris dandis, qui -plun-
mos elephantos ex primo Punico bello duxit in triumpho,
scriptum reliquit decetti maximas res optimasque, in
quibus quaerendis sapientes aetatem exigerent, consum-
masse eum: voluisse enim primarium bellatorem esse,
optimum oratorem, fortissimum imperatorem, auspicio
5osuo maximas res geri, maximo honore uti, summa sa-
PLINY THE ELDER. 63
pientia esse, summum senatorem haberi, pecuniam mag-
nam bono modo invenire, multos liberos relinquere et
clarissimum in civitate esse. Haec contigisse ei nee ulli
alii post Romam conditam. Longum est refellere et
super-vacuum abunde uno casu refutante. Siquidem is
Metellus orbam luminibus exegit senectam amissis in-
cendio, cum Palladium raperet ex aede Vestae, memora-
bili causa sed eventu misero. Quo fit ut infelix quidem
dici non debeat, felix tamen non possit. Tribuit ei
populus Romanus quod nulli alii ab condito aevo, uteo
quotiens in senatum iret curru veheretur ad curiam.
Magnum et sublime, sed pro oculis datum.
Huius quoque Q. Metelli qui ilia de patre dixit films
inter rara felicitatis humanae exempla numeratur. Nam
praeter honores amplissimos cognomenque Macedonici
a quattuor filiis inlatus rogo, uno praetorio, tribus con-
sularibus, duobus triumphalibus, uno censorio, quae sin-
gula quoque paucis contigere. In ipso tamen flore digna-
tionis suae ab C. Atinio Labeone, cui cognomen fuit
Macerioni, tribuno plebis, quern e senatu censor eiecerat, To
revertens e campo meridiano tempore, vacuo foro et Ca-
pitolio ad Tarpeium raptus ut praecipitaretur, convolante
quidem tarn numerosa ilia cohorte quae patrem eum ap-
pellabat, sed, ut necesse erat in subito, tarde et tamquam
in exsequias, cum resistendi sacroque sanctum repellendi
ius non esset, virtutis suae opera et censurae periturus,
aegre tribuno qui intercederet reperto a limine ipso
mortis revocatus, alieno beneficio postea vixit, bonis inde
etiam consecratis a damnato suo, tamquam parum esset
faucium certe intortarum expressique per aures sanguinis so
poena exacta. Equidem et Africani sequentis inimicum
fuisse inter calamitates duxerim, ipso teste Macedonico,
siquidem dixit: ite filii, celebrate exsequias, numquam
civis maioris funus videbitis. Et hoc dicebat iam Bali-
64 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
aricis, Diadematis, iam Macedonians ipse. Verum ut
ilia sola iniuria aestimetur, quis hunc iure felicem dixerit
periclitatum ad libidinem inimici, nee Africani saltern,
perire 1 ? Quos hostes vicisse tanti fuit 1 ? Aut quos non
honores currusque ilia sua violentia fortuna retroegit,
90 per mediam urbem censore tracto etenim sola haec
morandi ratio fuerat, tracto in Capitolium illo in quod
triumphans ipse deorum exuviis ne captives quidem sic
traxerat 1 ? Maius hoc scelus felicitate consecuta factum
est, periclitato Mc,cedonico vel funus tantum ac tale per-
dere, in quo a triumphalibus liberis portaretur in rogum
velut exsequiis quoque triumphans. Nulla est profecto
solida felicitas quam contumelia ulla vitae rupit, nedum
tanta. Quod superest, nescio morum gloriae an indigna-
tionis dolori accedat, inter tot Metellos tarn sceleratam
100 C. Atini audaciam semper fuisse inultam. [vii. 42.]
IV.
Death and the spirits of the dead.
Ipsum cremare apud Romanes non fuit veteris instituti.
Terra condebantur. At postquam longinquis bellis
obrutos erui cognovere, tune institutum. Et tamen
multae familiae priscos servavere ritus, sicut in Cornelia
nemo ante Sullam dictatorem traditur crematus, idque
voluisse veritum talionem eruto C. Mari cadavere.
Sepultus vero intellegatur quoquo modo conditus,
humatus vero humo contectus.
Post sepulturam vawae manium ambages. Omnibus
10 a supremo die eadem quae ante primum, nee magis a
morte sensus ullus aut corpori aut animae quam ante
natalem. Eadem enim vanitas in futurum etiam se
propagat et in mortis quoque tempora siba vitam menti-
tur, alias inmortalitatem animae ? alias transfiguration em,
PLINY THE ELDER. 65
alias sensum inferis dando et manes colendo deumque
faciendo qui iam etiam homo esse desierit, ceu vero ullo
modo spirandi ratio ceteris animalibus distet, aut non
diuturniora in vita multa reperiantur quibus nemo
similem divinat inmortalitatem. Quod autem corpus
animae per se? Quae material Ubi cogitatio illi?2o
Quomodo visus, auditus, aut qui tangit ? Quis usus eius
aut quod sine his bonum ? Quae deinde sedes quantave
multitudo tot saeculis animarum velut umbrarum?
Puerilium ista deliramentorum avidaeque numquam
desinere mortalitatis commenta sunt. Similis et de
adservandis corporibus hominum ac reviviscendi pro-
misso Democriti vanitas, qui non revixit ipse. Quae,
malum, ista dementia est iterari vitam morte? Quaeve
gemtis quies umquam, si in sublimi sensus animae manet,
inter inferos umbrae 1 ? Perdit profecto ista dulcedoso
credulitasque praecipuum naturae bonum, mortem, ac
duplicat obituri dolorem etiam post futuri aestimatione.
Etenim si dulce vivere est, cui potest esse vixisse 1 At
quanto facilius certiusque sibi quemque credere et
specimen securitatis antegenitali sumere experimento!
v .
The pearl and its history.
Concha ipsa, cum manum vidit, comprimit sese operit- A
que opes suas gnara propter illas se peti manumque, si
praeveniat, acfe sua abscidat nulla iustiore poena, et aliis
munita suppliciis, quippe inter scopulos maior pars in-
venitur, sed in alto quoque comitantur marinis canibus, (
nee tamen auras feminarum arcentur. Quidam tradunt sr+***
\f\j^A
sicut apibus ita concharum examinibus singulas magnitu-
dine et vetustate praecipuas esse yeluti duces mirae ad
cavendum sollertiae. Has urinlmtrilin cura peti, illis ^J^f^
(M25)
66 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
/
locaptis facile ceteras palantes retibus includi, multo ^T .,
deinde obrui eas sale in vasis nctilibus, rosa carne omni -
nucleos quosdam corporum, hoc est uniones decidere in
ima.
Usu afrteri non dubium est coloremque indiligentia
mutarp. Dos omnis in candore, magnitudine, orbe,
llvore 1 , pondere, haud promptis rebus in tantum ut nulli
duo reperiantur indiscreti, unde nomen unionum Ro-
manae scilicet inposuere deliciae. Nam id apud Graecos
non est, ne apud barbaros quidem inventores eius aliud
_. 20 quam margaritae. Et in candore ipso magna differentia. " ,<^
Clarior in Rubro mari repertis, Indices specularium ~>r .
lapidum squama adsimulat alias magnitudine praecel- V.V
lentes. Summa laus coloris est exaluminatos vocari.^.V^
Et procerioribus sua gratia est. Elench'bs appellant
Y>^ fastigata longitudine alabastrorum figura in pleniorera
orbem desinentes. Hos digitis suspendere et binos ac
ternos auribus feminarum gloria est, subeuntque luxuriae
eius nomina et taedia exquisita perdito nepotatu, si-
quidem, cum id fecere, crotalia appellant, ceu sono
soquoque gaudeant et collisu ipso margaritarum. Cu-
piuntque iam et pauperes lictorem feminae in publico ^j^U
unionem esse dictitantes. Quin et pedibus, nee crepida- f <JL
rum tantum obstrsbgulis sed totis socculis addunt. *
Neque enim gestare iam margaritas, nisi calcent ac per v**" 7 "
uniones etiam ambulent, satis est. In nostro mari re-
periri solebant, crebrius circa Bosporum Thracium, rufi
ac parvi in conchis quas myas appellant. At in Acar-
nania quae vocatur pina gignit, quo apparet non uno ,<
conchae genere nasci. Namque et luba tradit Arabicis
4oconcham esse similem pectini insecto, hirsutam echin- '
orum modo, ipsum unionem in carne grandini similem. V^^^^
Conchae non tales ad nos adferuntur. J Nee in Acar-
nania autem laudati reperiuntur, enormes et feri color- sf
v
PLINY THE ELDER. 67
isque marmorei. Meliores circa Actium sed et hi parvi,
et in Mauretaniae maritimis. Alexander polyhistor et
Sudines senescere eos putant coloremque exspirare.
Eorum corpus solidum esse manifestum est, .quod nullo!
lapsu franguntur. Non autem semper in media carne
reperiuntur, sed aliis atque aliis locis, vidimusque iam in <M\
extremis etiam marginibus velut e concha exeuntes, etso .^s
in quibusdam quaternos quinosque. Pondus ad hoc )
aevi semunciae pauci singulis scripulis excessere. In ' }>"*-
Britannia parvos atque decolores nasci certum est,
quoniam divus lulius thoracem quern Veneri Genetrici
in templo eius dicavit ex Britannicis margaritis factum
voluerit intellegi.
Lolliam Paulinam, quae fuit Gai principis matrona,
ne serio quidem aut sollemni caerimoniarum aliquo
apparatu sed mediocrium etiam sponsalium cena, vidi
K-jL\>*-O _- . . Q^-vt^A .. * UU* Cjt *
zmaragais margantisque opertam, alterno te'xtuiulgenti 7 69
bus toto capite, crinibus, '[spira,] auribus, collo, [n?onm- .
bus,] digitisque summa quad^ingentiens HS. colligeBat
, ipsam confestim paratam ma'ricupAtionem tabulis pro-
bare. Nee dona prodigi principis fuerant, sed avitae ^
opes, provinciarum scilicet spoliis partae. Hie est rapin-
arum exitus, hoc fuit quare M. Lollius infamatus regum
muneribus in toto oriente interdicta amicitia a Gaio
Caesare Augusti filio venenum biberet, ut neptis eius
quadringentiens HS. operta spectaretur ad lucernas.
Computet nunc aliquis ex altera parte quantum Curiusro
aut Fabricius in triumphis tulerint; imaginetur illorum
*- fercula et ex altera parte Lolliam unam imperii mulier-
culam accubantem: non illos curru detractos quam in \^- -
hoc vicisse malit 1 ? Nee haec summa luxuriae exempla
sunt. Duo fuere maximi uniones per omne aevum.
Utrumque possedit Cleopatra Aegypti reginarum novis-
sima per manus orientis regum sibi traditos. Haec,
8 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
cum exquisitis cotidie Antonius sagmaretur epulis, super-
bo simul ac procaci fastu, ut regina meretrix lautitiam
so eius omnem apparatumque obtrectans, quaerente eo quid
dStrui magnificentiae posset respondit una se cena
centiens HS. absumpturam. Cupiebat discere Antonius,
sed fieri posse non arbitrabatur. Ergo sponsioiSimis J*
factis postero die quo iudicium agebatur magnificam alias Xj^*
cenam, ne dies periret, sed cotidianam, Antonio adposuit
inridenti computationemque expostulanti. At ilia cor
larium id esse et consumpturam earn cenam taxationem
confirmans solamque se centiens HS. cenaturam, inferri
mensam secundam iussit. Ex praecepto ministri unum
90 tantum vas ante earn posuere aceti, cuius asperitas visque
in tabem margaritas resolvit. Gerebat auribus turn
maxime singulare illud et vere unicum naturae opus.
Itaque exspectante Antonio quidnam essej; ac^ura de-
tractum alterum mersit ac liquefactum ttlM>rbuit. Iniecit h?
alteri manum L. Plancus, index sporisibnis eius, eum l
quoque parant^ simili modo absumere, victumque An- ^
tonium pronuntiavit omine rato. Comitatur fama unionis
eius parem capta ilia tantae quaestionis victrice regina
dissectum, ut esset in utrisque Veneris auribus Romae
100 in Pantheo diniidia eorum cena. [ix. 55.]
The nightingale.
Lusciniis diebus ac noctibus continuis xv garrulus
-* sine intermissu cantus densante se frondium germine,
-~ non in novissimum digna miratu ave. Primum tanta
vox tarn parvo in corpusculo, tarn pertinax spiritus;
deinde in una perf ecta musica scientia : modulatus editur
Isonus et nunc continue spiritu trahitur in longum, nunc
jvariatur inflexo, nunc distinguitur jjonciso, c^oilatiu.
Jintorto, promittitur revocato, infuscatur ex inopinato,
PLINY THE ELDER. 69
interdum et secum ipse murmurat, plenus, gravis, acutus,
/ creber, extentus, ubi visum est, vibrans, summus, medius, 10
j imus. Breviterque omnia tarn parvulis in faucibus quae
tot exquisitis tibiarum tormentis ars hominum excogitavit,
ut non sit dubium hanc suavitatem praemonstratam
efficaci auspicio, cum in ore Stesichori cecinit infantis.
Ac ne quis dubitet artis esse, plures singulis sunt cantus,
nee iidem omnibus, sed sui cuique. Certant inter se,
palamque animosa contentio est. Victa morte finit saepe
vitam spiritu prius deficiente quam cantu. Medi-
tantur iuveniores versusque quos imitentur accipiunt.
Audit discipula intentione magna et reddit vicibusque2o
reticent. Intellegitur emendatae correptio et in docente
quaedam reprehensio. Ergo servorum illis pretia sunt,
et quidem ampliora_ quam quibus olim armigeri para-
bantur. Scio HS VI candidam alioquin, quod est prope
invisitatum, venisse quae Agrippinae Claudi principis
coniugi dono daretur. Visum iam saepe iussas canere
coepisse et cum symphonia alternasse, sicut homines re-
pertos,qui sonum earum addita in transversas harundines
aqua foramen inspirantes (Jinguaeve parva aliqua opposita
mora indiscreta redderent similitudine. Sed hae tantaeso
' tamque artifices argutiae a XV diebus paulatim desinunt,
nee ut fatigatas possis dicere aut satiatas. Mox aestu
aucto in totum alia vox fit, nee modulata aut varia.
Mutatur et color. Postremo hieme ipsa non cernitur.
Linguis earum tenuitas ilia prima non est quae ceteris
avibus. Pariunt vere primo cum plurimum sena ova.
[x. 43.] ^
VII. A f.
Wine at Rome.
Non possunt iure dici vina quae Graeci deuteria ap-
pellant, Cato et nos loram, maceratis aqua vinaceis. sed
70 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
tamen inter vina operaria numerantur. Tria eorum
genera: decima parte aquae ad,dita quam musti
sit, et ita nocte ac die nfedeiactis vinaceis rursusque 1
prelo subiectis. Alterum quomodo Graeci factitavere, V
tertia parte eius quod expressum sit addita aquae ex- I
pressoque dfefoclD ad tertias partes. Tertium est faecibus
vini expressum, quod faecatum Cato appellat. Nullum
10 ex his plus quam annui usus.
Verum inter haec subit mentem, cum sint genera
nobilia, quae proprie vini intellegi possint, LXXX fere in
toto orbe, duas partes ex hoc numero Italiae esse, prae-
terea longe ante cunctas terras. Et hinc deinde altius
cura serpit non a primordio hanc gratiam fuisse, auctori-
tatem post DC urbis annum coepisse.
Eomulum lacte, non vino, libasse indicio sunt sacra ab
eo . instituta, quae hodie custodiunt morem. . Numae
regis Postumia lex est : Vino rogum ne respargito. Quod
20 sanxisse ilium propter inopiam rei nemo dubitet. Eadem
lege ex mputatavite libari vina diis nefas statuit, ratione
excogitata ut putare cogerentur alias aratores et pigri
circa pericula arbusti. M. Varro auctor est Mezentium
Etruriae regem auxilium Rutulis contra Latinos tulisse
vini mercede quod turn in Latino agro fuisset.
Non licebat id feminis Eomae bibere. Invenimus inter
exempla Egnati Maetenni uxorem, quod vinum bibisset
e dolio, interf ectam 'Tusti a marito, eumque caedis a
Eomulo absolutum. Fabius Pictor in annalibus suis
so scripsit matronam, quod Iqculos in quibus erant clavSs ^J
cellae vinariae resi^af isset, a suis inedia mori coactam/
Cato ideo propinquos feminis osculum dare ut scirent an
temelum olfeVen^. Hoc turn nomen vino erat, unde et
temulentia appellata. Cn. Domitius iudex pronuntiavit
mulierem videri plus vini bibisse quam valitudinis causa
viro insciente et dote multavit. Diuque eius rei magna
- V^w
(
PLINY THE ELDER. 71
parsimonia fuit. L. Papirius imperator adversus Sam- JLji
nites dimicaturus votum fecit, si vicisset, lovi pocillum'
vini. Denique inter dona sextarios lactis datos inveni-
mus, nusquam vini. Idem Cato cum in Hispaniam navi-40
garet, unde cum triumpho rediit, non aliud vinum bibit
quam rentes, in tantum dissimilis istis qui etiam con-
vivis alia quam sibimet ipsis ministrant aut procedente
mensa subiciunt.
Lautissima apud priscos vina erant murrae odore con-
dita, ut t apparet in Plauti f abula quae Persa inscribitur,
quamquam in ea et calamum addi iubet. Ideo quidam
aroinatite delectatos maxime credunt. Sed Fabius Dos-
sennus his versibus decernit:
Mittebam vinum pulchrum, murrinam, 50
et in Acharistione :
L^jJU-* "^. (
Panem et ^olentam, virium murrinam.
Scaevolam quoque et L. Aelium et Ateium Capitonem
in eadem sententia fuisse video, quoniam in Pseudolo
sit : .^ Lfifa y^ it* p
Quod si opus est, ut dulce promajt indidem^
ecquid habet 1 ? Rogas*?
Murrinam, passum, defrutum, meila t . .,
quibus apparet non inter vina modo murrinam, sed inter
dulcia quoque nominatum. 6
f^fjU Apothecas fuisse et difFundi solita vina anno DCXXXin
urbis apparet indubitato Opimiani vini argumento, iam
intellegente suum bonum Italia. Nondum tamen ista
genera in claritate erant. Itaque omnia tune genita unum
habent consulis nomen. Sic quoque postea diu trans-
marina in auctoritate fuerunt et ad avos usque nostros,
quin et Falerno iam reperfe), sicut apparet ex illo comico
versu :
72 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Quinque Thasii vini depromam, bina Falerni.
70 P. Licinius Crassus L. Iwlius Caesar censores anno
urbis conditae DCLXV edixerunt, ne quis vinura Graecum
Amineumque octonis iieris singula quadrantalia venderet.
Haec enim verba sunt. Tanta vero Graeco vino gratia
erat ut singulae potiones in convictu darentur. [xiv.
12-16.] ^
VIII.
Apelles and Protogenes.
Verum et omnes prius genitos futurosque postea
superavit Apelles Cous olympiade centesima duodecima.
Picturae plura solus prope quam ceteri omnes contulit,
voluminibus etiam editis quae doctrinam earn continent.
Praecipua eius in arte venustas fuit, cum eadem aetate
maximi pictores essent. Quorum opera cum admiraretur
omnibus conlaudatis, deesse illam suam Venerem dicebat,
quam Graeci Charita vocant, cetera omnia contigisse, sed
hac sola sibi neminem parem. Et aliam gloriam usurpavit,
10 cum Protogenis opus inmensi laboris ac curae supra
modum anxiae miraretur, dixit enim omnia sibi cum illo
paria esse aut illi meliora, sed uno se praestare, quod
manum de tabula sciret tollere, memorabili praecepto
nocere saepe nimiam diligentiam. Fuit autem non mi-
noris simplicitatis quam artis. Melanthio dispositione
cedebat, Asclepiodoro de mensuris, hoc est quanto quid
a quoque distare deberet. Scitum est inter Protogenen
et eum quod accidit. Ille Ehodi vivebat, quo cum Apelles
adnavigasset avidus cognoscendi opera eius fama tantum
20 sibi cogniti, continue officinam petiit. Aberat ipse, sed
tabulam amplae magnitudinis in machina aptatam pic-
turae una custodiebat anus. Haec foris esse Protogenen
respondit interrogavitque a quo quaesitum diceret. Ab
hoc, inquit Apelles, adreptoque penicillo liniam ex colore
PLINY THE ELDER. 73
duxit summae tenuitatis per tabulam, et reverse Proto-
geni quae gesta erant anus indicavit. Ferunt artificem
protinus contemplatum subtilitatem dixisse Apellen ven-
isse, non cadere in alium tarn absolutum opus, ipsumque
alio colore tenuiorem liniam in ipsa ilia duxisse abeun-
temque praecepisse, si redisset ille, ostenderet adiceretque so
hunc esse quern quaereret, atque ita evenit. Revertit
enim Apelles et vinci erubescens tertio colore lineas secuit
nullum relinquens amplius subtilitati locum. At Proto-
genes victum se confessus in portum devolavit hospitem
quaerens, placuitque sic earn tabulam posteris tradi om-
nium quidem, sed artificum praecipuo miraculo. Con-
sumptam earn priore incendio Caesaris domus in Palatio
audio, spectatam nobis ante spatiose nih.il aliud contin-
entem quam linias visum effugientes inter egregia mul-
torum opera inani similem et eo ipso allicientem omnique 40
opere nobiliorem. Apelli fuit alioqui perpetua consuetudo
numquam tarn occupatum diem agendi ut non lineam
ducendo exerceret artem, quod ab eo in proverbium venit.
Idem perfecta opera proponebat in pergula transeuntibus,
atque ipse post tabulam latens vitia quae notarentur aus-
cultabat vulgum diligentiorem iudicem quam se prae-
ferens, feruntque reprehensum a sutore, quod in crepidis
una pauciores intus fecisset ansas, eodem postero die
superbo emendatione pristinae admonitionis cavillante
circa crus, indignatum prospexisse denuntiantem ne supra 50
crepidam sutor iudicaret, quod et ipsum in proverbium
abiit. Fuit enim et comitas illi, propter quam gratior
Alexandro Magno frequenter in officinam ventitanti
nam, ut diximus, ab alio se pingi vetuerat edicto sed
in officina imperite multa disserenti silentium comiter
suadebat rideri eum dicens a pueris qui colores tererent.
Tantum erat auctoritati iuris in regem alioqui iracundum.
[xxxv. 10-12.]
74 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
QUINTILIAN.
M. Fabius Quintilian was born, like many other distin-
guished writers of the first century A.D. such as Martial,
Lucan, and Seneca, in Spain, 35 A.D. But though a provincial
by birth, he was a Roman both by nature and education. At
Rome he first made his mark as a pleader in the law courts,
and to this period of his life he makes several allusions in the
Institutio Oratoria : he then became a highly distinguished
and esteemed professor of oratory, numbering among his
pupils Pliny the younger, and possibly Juvenal. From the
allusions in the poets, such as Juvenal iv. 75, vi. 75, vii. 186 (see
Mayor's note), he appears to have been not only in high re-
pute, but also from the worldly point of view a successful
teacher. Martial addresses him in very flattering terms in
answer apparently to a rebuke of some kind :
Quintiliane, vagae moderator summe iuventae
Gloria Romanae, Quintiliane, togae.
To him later Domitian entrusted the education of his grand-
nephews, and possibly to this must be ascribed the rather
extravagant language in which he addresses the emperor.
He married late in life, and had the misfortune to lose both
his wife and his two sons, the elder of whom was apparently
a youth of considerable promise. He himself died 95 A.D.
He did not commence writing till late in life, beginning
with a work on the decay of oratory, which has been lost.
Then followed the Institutio Oratoria, or the complete train-
ing of an orator from the cradle to the forum, a work showing
wide knowledge both of theory and practice. After dealing
with the early training and education of the would-be orator,
he treats the different departments of oratory. In the tenth
book, which is perhaps most often read, he enumerates the
various Greek and Roman authors whose works should be
studied, with criticisms on their style, which, if from their
very familiarity they seem to us somewhat trite, are certainly
marked by good sense and discrimination. Of the remaining
QUINTILIAN. 75
books, the eleventh deals with the cultivation of the memory,
and the twelfth maintains that the good orator should also
be a good man. There are also extant certain Declamationes
which purport to be the work of Quintilian. They are not
generally regarded as genuine, though Bitter, while rejecting
the longer, inclines to the view that the shorter are authentic :
other critics, with more probability, regard both longer and
shorter as belonging to a later collection, which were composed
in imitation of and bearing the name of Quintilian. Yet it
is hard to decide that none are genuine.
As his model, Quintilian took Cicero "hunc spectemus,
hoc propositum nobis sit exemplum" [x. i. 112] arid the older
classical writers. All his efforts are directed to a reprobation
of _the corrupt tendencies of his own day, love of antitheses
and rhetorical adornment. He more especially censures Se-
neca, whom he regarded as the main cause of the depraved
style. It is easy for us to see now that Quintilian himself
was not quite able to steer clear of the faults which he cen-
SUIS^ A sufficient example of this may be found in the
introductory part of the sixth book, in which he bewails the
death of his son with a profusion of rhetorical figures which
can hardly be surpassed even in the pages of Seneca.
I.
Quintilian mourns the loss of his ivife and sons.
Haec, Marcelle Victori, ex tua voluntate maxime in-
gressus, turn si qua ex nobis ad iuvenes bonos pervenire
posset utilitas, novissime paene etiam necessitate quadam
officii delegati mihi sedulo laborabam; respiciens tamen
illam curam meae voluptatis, quod filio, cuius eminens
ingenium sollicitam quoque parentis diligentiam mere
batur, hanc optimam partem relicturus hereditatis videbar,
ut, si me, quod aequum et optabile fuit, fata intercepissent,
praeceptore tamen patre uteretur. At me fortuna id
agentem diebus ac noctibus festinantemque metu meaeio
mortalitatis ita subito prostravit, ut laboris mei fructus
76 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
ad neminem minus quam ad me pertineret. Ilium enim,
de quo summa conceperam et in quo spem unicam senec-
tutis reponebam, repetito vulnere orbitatis amisi. Quid
nunc agam ? aut quern ultra esse usum mei, diis repugnan-
tibus, credam 1 ? Nam ita forte accidit, ut eum quoque
librum, quern de causis corruptae eloquentiae emisi, iam
scribere aggressus ictu simili ferirer. Nunc igitur opti-
mum fuit, infaustum opus, et quidquid hoc est in me
2oinfelicium litterarum, super immaturum funus consump-
turis viscera mea flammis iniicere neque hanc impiam
vivacitatem novis insuper curis fatigare. Quis enim mihi
bonus parens ignoscat, si studere amplius possum ; ac non
oderit hanc animi mei firmitatem, si quis in me alius usus
vocis, quam ut incusem deos superstes omnium meorum 1
Nullam in terras despicere providentiam tester; si non
meo casu, cui tamen nihil obiici, nisi quod vivam, potest,
at illorum certe, quos utique immeritos mors acerba
damnavit, erepta prius mihi matre eorundem, quae
sonondum expleto aetatis undevicesimo anno duos enixa
filios, quam vis acerbissimis rapta fatis, felix decessit?
Ego vel hoc uno malo sic eram afflictus, ut me iam nulla
fortuna posset efficere felicem. Nam cum omni virtute,
quae in feminas cadit, functa insanabilem attulit marito
dolorem; turn aetate tarn puellari, praesertim meae
comparata, potest et ipsa numerari inter vulnera orbitatis.
Liberis tamen superstitibus, et, quod nefas erat, sed
optabat ipsa, me salvo maximos cruciatus praecipiti via
effugit. Mihi films minor quintum egressus annum prior
4oalterum ex duobus eruit lumen. Non sum ambitiosus
in malis nee augere lacrimarum causas volo, utinamque
esset ratio minuendi. Sed dissimulare qui possum, quid
ille gratiae in vultu, quid iucunditatis in sermone, quos
ingenii igniculos, quam substantiam placidae et (quam
scio vix posse credi tantam) altae mentis ostenderit;
QUINTILIAN. 77
qualis amorem quicunque alienus infans mereretur.
Illud vero insidiantis, quo me validius cruciaret, fortunae
fuit, ut ille mihi blandissimus me suis nutricibus, me
aviae educanti, me omnibus, qui sollicitare illas aetates
solent, antef erret. Quapropter illi dolori, quern ex matre 50
optima atque omnem laudem supergressa paucos ante
menses ceperam, gratulor. Minus enim est, quod flendum
meo nomine quam quod illius gaudendum est. Una post
haec Quintiliani mei spe ac voluptate nitebar, et poterat
sufficere solatio. Non enim flosculos, sicut prior, sed iam
decimum aetatis ingressus annum, certos ac deformatos
fructus ostenderat. luro per mala mea, per infelicem
conscientiam, per illos manes, numina mei doloris, has
me in illo vidisse virtutes ingenii, non modo ad perci-
piendas disciplinas, quo nihil praestantius cognovi plurima eo
expertus, studiique iam turn non coacti (sciunt prae-
ceptores) sed probitatis, pietatis, humanitatis, liberalitatis,
ut prorsus posset hinc esse tanti fulminis metus, quod
observatum fere est, celerius occidere festinatam maturi-
tatem, et esse nescio quam, quae spes tantas decerpat,
invidiam, ne videlicet ultra, quam homini datum est,
nostra provehantur. Etiam ilia fortuita aderant omnia,
vocis incunditas claritasque, oris suavitas et in utra--
cunque lingua, tanquam ad earn demum natus esset,
expressa proprietas omnium litterarum. Sed haec spes To
adhuc; ilia maiora, constantia, gravitas, contra dolores
etiam ac metus robur. Nam quo ille animo, qua medi-
corum admiratione mensium octo valetudinem tulit ? ut
me in supremis consolatus est 1 ? quam etiam deficiens
iamque non noster ipsum ilium alienatae mentis errorem
circa solas litteras habuit? Tuosne ego, o meae spes
inanes, labentes oculos, tuum fugientem spiritum vidU
Tuum corpus frigidum exangue complexus animam
recipere auramque communem haurire amplius potui?
78 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
soDignus his cruciatibus, quos fero, dignus his cogitationi-
bus. Tene consular! nuper adoptione ad omnium spes
honorum prius admotum, te avunculo praetori generum
destinatum, te, omnium spe, acutissimae eloquentiae can-
didatum 1 ? Superstes parens tantum poenas ! Et si
non cupido lucis certe patientia vindicet te reliqua mea
aetate. Nam frustra mala omnia ad crimen fortunae
relegamus. Nemo nisi sua culpa diu dolet. Sed vivimus,
et aliqua vivendi ratio quaerenda est, credendumque
doctissimis hominibus, qui unicum adversorum solatium
oolitteras putaverunt. Si quando tamen ita resederit
praesens impetus, ut aliqua tot luctibus alia cogitatio
inseri possit, non iniuste petierim morae veniam. Quis
enim dilata studia miretur, quae potius non abrupta esse
mirandum esU Turn, si qua fuerint minus effecta iis,
quae levius adhuc afflicti coeperamus: imperitanti fortunae
remittantur, quae, si quid mediocrium alioqui in nostro
ingenio virium fuit, ut non extinxerit, debilitavit tamen.
Sed vel propter hoc nos contumacius erigamus, quod illam
ut perf erre nobis difficile est, ita facile contemnere. Nihil
100 enim sibi adversus me reliquit, et infelicem quidem sed
certissimam tamen attulit mihi ex his malis securitatem.
Boni autem consulere nostrum laborem vel propter hoc
aequum est, quod in nullum iam proprium usum perse-
veramus, sed omnis haec cura alienas utilitates (si modo
quid utile scribimus) spectat. Nos miseri sicut facultates
patrimonii nostri ita hoc opus aliis praeparabamus aliis
relinquemus. [vi. i. proem.]
II.
How to produce emotion in others.
Quodsi tradita mihi sequi praecepta sufficeret: satis
feceram huic parti, nihil eorum, quae legi vel didici, quod
modo probabile fuit, omittendo; sed eruere in animo est,
QUINTILIAN. 79
quae latent, et penitus ipsa huius loci aperire penetralia,
quae quidem non aliquo tradente sed experimento meo
ac natura ipsa duce accepi. Summa enim, quantum ego
quidem sentio, circa movendos affectus in hoc posita est,
ut moveamur ipsi. Nam et luctus et irae et indignationis
aliquando etiam ridicula fuerit imitatio, si verba vultum-
que tantum non etiam animum accommodarimus. Quid 10
enim aliud est causae, ut lugentes utique in recenti dolore
disertissime quaedam exclamare videantur, et ira nonnun-
quam indoctis quoque eloquentiam faciat, quam quod
illis inest vis mentis et veritas ipsa morum 1 Quare in
iis, quae verisimilia esse volemus, simus ipsi similes eorum,
qui vere patiuntur, affectibus, et a tali animo proficiscatur
oratio, qualem facere iudicem volet. An ille dolebit,
qui audiet me, qui in hoc dicam, non dolentem 1 irascetur,
si nihil ipse, qui in iram concitat se idque exigit, similia
patietur 1 siccis agentis oculis lacrimas dabit 1 Fieri non 20
potest. Nee incendit nisi ignis, nee madescimus nisi
humore, nee res ulla dat alteri colorem, quern non ipsa
habet. Primum est igitur, ut apud nos valeant ea, quae
valere apud iudicem volumus, afficiamurque antequam
afficere conemur. At quomodo fiet, ut amciamur 1 neque
enim sunt motus in nostram potestatem. Temptabo
etiam de hoc dicere. Quas <pavra(rias Graeci vocant, nos
sane visiones appellemus, per quas imagines rerum
absentium ita repraesentantur animo, ut eas cernere
oculis ac praesentes habere videamur. Has quisquis bene 30
conceperit, is erit in affectibus potentissimus. Hunc
quidam dicunt e^avraaiuTov, qui sibi res, voces, actus
secundum verum optime finget; quod quidem nobis
volentibus facile continget. An vero inter otia animorum
et spes inanes et velut somnia quaedam vigilantium ita
nos hae, de quibus loquor, imagines prosequuntur, ut
peregrinari, navigare, proeliari, populos alloqui, divi-
80 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
tiarum, quas non habemus, usum videamur disponere,
nee cogitare sed facere: hoc animi vitium ad utilitatem
40 non transf eremus 1 At hominem occisum queror; non
omnia, quae in re praesenti accidisse credibile est, in
oculis habebo 1 non percussor ille subitus crumpet 1 non
expavescet circumventus ? exclamabif? vel rogabit vel
fugiet 1 ? non ferientem, non concidentem videbo? non
animo sanguis et pallor et gemitus extremus denique
expirantis hiatus insidet 1 ?
Insequetur tvdpycia, quae a Cicerone illustratio et evi-
dentia nominatur, quae non tarn dicere videtur quam
ostendere; et affectus non aliter, quam si rebus ipsis
so intersimus, sequentur. An non ex his visionibus ilia
sunt: Excussi manibus radii, revolutaque pensa? Levique
patens in pectore vulnus? equus ille in funere Pallantis,
positis insignibus? Quid 1 ? non idem poeta penitus ultimi
fati concepit imaginem, ut diceret: Et dukes moriens
reminiscitur Argos? Ubi vero miseratione opus erit:
nobis ea, de quibus queremur, accidisse credamus atque
id animo nostro persuadeamus. Nos illi simus, quos
gravia, indigna, tristia passes queremur, nee agamus rem
quasi alienam sed assumanus parumper ilium dolorem.
eo Ita dicemus, quae in nostro simili casu dicturi essemus.
Vidi ego saepe histriones atque comoedos, cum ex aliquo
graviore actu personam deposuissent, flentes adhuc egredi,
Quodsi in alienis scriptis sola pronuntiatio ita falsis
accedit affectibus: quid nos faciemus, qui ilia cogitare
debemus et moveri periclitantium vice possumus 1 Sed
in schola quoque rebus ipsis affici convenit easque veras
sibi fingere, hoc magis quod illic ut litigatores loquimur
frequentius quam ut advocati. Orbum agimus et nau-
fragum et periclitantem, quorum induere personas quid
roattinet, nisi affectus assumimus? Haec dissimulanda
mihi non fuerunt, quibus ipse, quantuscunque sum aut
QUINTILIAN.
81
fui, pervenisse me ad aliquod nomen ingenii credo; fre-
quenter motus sum, ut me non lacrimae solum depre-
henderent sed pallor et veri similis dolor, [vi. 2. 25.]
in. /
Quintiliaris esteem of Roman authors.
Idem nobis per Eomanos quoque auctores ordo du-
cendus est. Itaque ut apud illos Homerus sic apud nos
Vergilius auspicatissimum dederit exordium, omnium eius
generis poetarum Graecorum nostrorumque baud dubie
proximus. Utor enim verbis iisdem, quae ex Afro
Domitio iuvenis excepi; qui mihi interroganti, quern
Homero crederet maxime accedere, Secundus, inquit, est
Vergilius, propior tamen primo quam tertio. Et hercule ut
illi naturae coelesti atque immortali cesserimus : ita curae
et diligentiae vel ideo in boc plus est, quod ei fuit magis 10
laborandum, et quantum eminentibus vincimur, fortasse
aequalitate pensamus. Ceteri omnes longe sequentur.
Nam Macer et Lucretius legendi quidem, sed non ut
pbrasin, id est, corpus eloquentiae faciant; elegantes in
sua quisque materia sed alter humilis alter difficilis.
Atacinus Yarro in iis, per quae nomen est assecutus,
interpres operis alieni, non spernendus quidem verum ad
augendam facultatem dicendi parum locuples. Ennium
sicut sacros vetustate lucos adoremus, in quibus grandia
et antiqua robora iam non tantam habent speciem quan- 20
tarn religionem. Propiores alii atque ad hoc, de quo
loquimur, magis utiles. Lascivus quidem in herois
quoque Ovidius et nimium amator ingenii sui, laudandus
tamen in partibus. Cornelius autem Severus, etiamsi
versificator quam poeta melior, si tamen, ut est dictum,
ad exemplar primi libri bellum Siculum perscripsisset,
vindicaret sibi iure secundum locum. Sermnum con-
( M 25 ) H
^ * .
9 fl
<>\AtVW<
82 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
summari mors immatura non passa est; puerilia tamen
eius opera et maximam indolem ostendunt et admirabilem
sopraecipue in aetate ilia recti generis voluntatem. Mul-
tum in Valerio Flacco nuper amisimus. Vehemens et poeti-
cum ingenium Saleii Bassi fuit, nee ipsum senectus matu-
ravit. Kabirius ac Pedo non indigni cognitione, si vacet.
Lucanus ardens et concitatus et sent en tils clarissimus et,
ut dicam quod sentio, magis oratoribus quam poetis
imitandus. Hos nominavimus, quia Germanicum Augus-
tum ab institutis studiis deflexit cura terrarum, parum-
que diis visum est esse eum maximum poetarum. Quid
tamen his ipsis eius operibus, in quae donate imperio
4oiuvenis secesserat, sublimius, doctius, omnibus denique
numeris praestantius ? Quis enim caneret bella melius,
quam qui sic gent? Quern praesidentes studiis deae
propius audirent 1 Cui magis suas artes aperiret familiare
numen Minerva 1 ? Dicent haec plenius futura saecula,
nunc enim ceterarum fulgore virtutum laus ista prae-
stringitur. Nos tamen sacra litterarum colentes feras,
Caesar, si non taciturn hoc praeterimus et Vergiliano
certe versu testamur:
Inter victrices hederam tibi serpere laurus.
soElegia quoque Graecos provocamus, cuius mihi tersus
atque elegans maxime videtur auctor Tibullus. Sunt
qui Propertium malint. Ovidius utroque lascivior, sicut
durior Gallus. Satira quidem tota nostra est, in qua
primus insignem laudem adeptus Lucilius quosdam ita
deditos sibi adhuc habet amatores, ut eum non eiusdem
modo operis auctoribus sed omnibus poetis praeferre non
dubitent. Ego quantum ab illis tantum ab Horatio
dissentio, qui Lucilium fluere lutulentum et esse aliquid,
quod tollere possis, putat. Nam eruditio in eo mira et
eo libertas atque inde acerbitas et abundantia salis, Multum
QUINTILIAN. 83
est tersior ac purus magis Horatius et, nisi labor eius
amore, praecipuus. Multum et verae gloriae quamvis
uno libro Persius meruit. Sunt clari hodieque et qui
olim nominabuntur. Alterum illud etiam prius satirae
genus sed non sola carminum varietate mixtum condidit
Terentius Varro, vir Romanorum eruditissimus. Pluri-
mos hie libros et doctissimos composuit, peritissimus
linguae Latinae et omnis antiquitatis et rerum Graecarum
nostrarumque, plus tamen scientae collaturus quam elo-
quentiae. Iambus non sane a Romanis celebratus est ut ft)
proprium opus, quibusdam interpositus ; cuius acerbitas
in Catullo, Bibaculo, Horatio, quanquam illi epodos
interveniat, reperietur. At Lyricorum idem Horatius
fere solus legi dignus. Nam et insurgit aliquando et
plenus est iucunditatis et gratiae et variis figuris et verbis
felicissime audax. Si quern adiicere velis, is erit Caesius
Bassus, quern nuper vidimus; sed eum longe praecedunt
ingenia viventium. Tragoediae scriptores veterum Attius
atque Pacuvius clarissimi gravitate sententiarum, ver-
borum pondere, auctoritate personarum. Ceterum nitorso
et summa in excolendis operibus manus magis videri
potest temporibus quam ipsis defuisse. Virium tamen
Attio plus tribuitur; Pacuvium videri doctiorem, qui
esse docti affectant, volunt. lam Varii Thyestes cuilibet
Graecarum comparari potest. Ovidii Medea videtur
mihi ostendere, quantum ille vir praestare potuerit, si
ingenio suo imperare quam indulgere maluisset. Eorum
quos viderim longe princeps Pomponius Secundus, quern
senes quidem parum tragicum putabant, eruditione ac
nitore praestare confitebantur. In comoedia maximego
claudicamus, licet Varro Musas, Aelii Stilonis sententia,
Plautino dicat sermone locuturas fuisse, si Latine loqui vel-
lent, licet Caecilium veteres laudibus ferant, licet Terentii
scripta ad Scipionem Africanum referantur; quae tamen
84 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
sunt in hoc genere elegantissima et plus adhuc habitura
gratiae, si intra versus trimetros stetissent. Vix levem
consequimur umbram, adeo ut mihi sermo ipse Eomanus
non reciperevideatur illam solisconcessam Atticisvenerem,
cum earn ne Graeci quidem in alio genere linguae ob-
100 tinuerint. Togatis excellit Afranius. . . .
At non historia cesserit Graecis, nee opponere Thu-
cydidi Sallustium verear. Neque indignetur sibi He-
rodotus aequari T. Livium, cum in narrando mirae iucun-
ditatis clarissimique candoris turn in contionibus supra
quam enarrari potest eloquentem; ita quae dicuntur
omnia cum rebus turn personis accommodata sunt ; affectus
quidem, praecipueque eos qui sunt dulciores, ut parcissime
dicam, nemo historicorum commendavit magis. Ideoque
immortalem illam Sallustii velocitatem diversis virtutibus
no consecutus est. Nam. mihi egregie dixisse videtur Ser-
vilius Nonianus, pares eos magis quam similes; qui et ipse
a nobis auditus est, clari vir ingenii et sententiis creber
sed minus pressus quam historiae auctoritas postulat.
Quam paulum aetate praecedens eum Bassus Aufidius
egregie, utique in libris belli Germanici, praestitit, genere
ipso probabilis in omnibus sed in quibusdam suis ipse
viribus minor. Superest adhuc et exornat aetatis nostrae
gloriam vir saeculorum memoria dignus, qui olim nomina-
bitur, mine intelligitur. Habet amatores nee imitatorem,
i2out cui libertas, quanquam circumcisis quae dixisset,
nocuerit. Sed elatum abunde spiritum et audaces sen-
tentias deprehendas etiam in iis, quae manent. Sunt et
alii scriptores boni, sed nos genera degustamus non
bibliothecas excutimus.
Oratores vero vel praecipue Latinam eloquentiam
parem facere Graecae possint. Nam Ciceronem cuicunque
eorum fortiter opposuerim. Nee ignoro, quantam mihi
concitem pugnam, cum praesertim non sit id propositi,
QUINTILIAN. 85
ut eum Demostheni comparem hoc tempore ; neque enim
attinet, cum Demosthenem in primis legendum veliso
ediscendum potius putem. Quorum ego virtutes pleras-
que arbitror similes, consilium, ordinem, dividendi, prae-
parandi, probandi rationem, omnia denique quae sunt
inventionis. In eloquendo est aliqua diversitas; densior
ille hie copiosior, ille concludit astrictius hie latius, pug-
nat ille acumine semper hie frequenter et pondere, illi
nihil detrahi potest huic nihil adiici, curae plus in illo in
hoc naturae. Salibus certe et commiseratione, qui duo
plurimum affectus valent, vincimus. Et fortasse epilogos
illi mos civitatis abstulerit; sed et nobis ilia, quae Atticiuo
mirantur, diversa Latina sermonis ratio minus permiserit.
In epistolis quidem, quanquam sunt utriusque, dialogisve,
quibus nihil ille, nulla contentio est. Cedendum vero in
hoc, quod et prior fuit et ex magna parte Ciceronem,
quantus est, fecit. Nam mihi videtur M. Tullius, cum
se totum ad imitationem Graecorum contulisset, effinxisse
vim Demosthenis, copiam Platonis, iucunditatem Isocratis,
Nee vero quod in quoque optimum fuit, studio consecutus
est tantum; sed plurimas vel potius omnes ex se ipso
virtutes extulit immortalis ingenii beatissima ubertas. 150
Non enim pluvias, ut ait Pindarus, aquas colligit sed vivo
gurgite exundat, dono quodam providentiae genitus, in
quo totas vires suas eloquentia experiretur. Nam quis
docere diligentius, movere vehementius potest 3 Cui
tanta unquam iucunditas affuit 1 ut ipsa ilia, quae extor-
quet, impetrare eum credas, et cum transversum vi sua
iudicem ferat: tamen ille non rapi videatur sed sequi.
lam in omnibus, quae dicit, tanta auctoritas inest, ut
dissentire pudeat, nee advocati studium sed testis aut
iudicus afferat fidem ; cum interim haec omnia, quae vix ieo
singula quisquam intentissima cura consequi posset,
fluunt illaborata, et ilia, qua nihil pulchrius auditum est,
86 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
oratio prae se fert tamen felicissimam facilitatem.
Quare non immerito ab hominibus aetatis suae regnare in
iudiciis dictus est, apud posteros vero id consecutus, ut
Cicero iam non hominis nomen sed eloquentiae habeatur.
Hunc igitur spectemus, hoc propositum nobis sit exem-
plum, ille se profecisse sciat, cui Cicero valde placebit.
Multa in Asinio Pollione inventio, summa diligentia, adeo
iro ut quibusdam etiam nimia videatur, et consilii et animi
satis; a nitore et iucunditate Ciceronis ita longe abest,
ut videri possit saeculo prior. At Messala nitidus et
candidus et quodammodo praeferens in dicendo nobili-
tatem suam, viribus minor. C. vero Caesar si foro tan-
turn vacasset, non alius ex nostris contra Ciceronem
nominaretur. Tanta in eo vis est, id acumen, ea con-
citatio, ut ilium eodem animo dixisse, quo bellavit,
appareat; exornat tamen haec omnia mira sermonis, cuius
proprie studiosus fuit, elegantia. Multum ingenii in
iso Caelio et praecipue in accusando multa urbanitas, dig-
nusque vir cui et mens melior et vita longior contigisset.
Inveni qui Calvum praeferrent omnibus, inveni qui
Ciceroni crederent, eum nimia contra se calumnia verum
sanguinem perdidisse; sed est et sancta et gravis oratio
et custodita et frequenter vehcmens quoque. Imitator
autem est Atticorum, f ecitque illi properata mors iniuriam,
si quid adiecturus sibi, non si quid detracturus fuit. Et
Servius Sulpicius insignem non immerito famam tribus
orationibus meruit. Multa, si cum iudicio legatur, dabit
190 imitatione digna Cassius Severus, qui si ceteris virtutibus
colorem et gravitatem orationis adiecisset, ponendus inter
praecipuos foret. Nam et ingenii plurimum est in eo
et acerbitas mira, et urbanitas eius summa; sed plus
stomacho quam consilio dedit. Praeterea ut amari sales,
ita frequenter amaritudo ipsa ridicula est. Sunt alii
multi diserti, quos persequi longum est. Eorum quos
QUINTILIAN. 87
viderim Domitius Afer et lulius Africanus longe prae-
stantissimi. Arte ille et toto genere dicendi praeferendus
et quern in numero veterum habere non timeas; hie
concitatior sed in cura verborum nimius et compositione 200
nonnunquam longior et translationibus parum modicus.
Erant clara et nuper ingenia. Et Trachalus plerumque
sublimis et satis apertus fuit et quern velle optima
crederes, auditus tamen maior; nam et vocis, quantam
in nullo cognovi, felicitas et pronuntiatio vel scenis suf-
fectura et decor omnia denique ei, quae sunt extra,
superf uerunt ; et Vibius Crispus compositus et iucundus
et delectationi natus, privatis tamen causis quam publicis
melior. lulio Secundo, si longior contigisset aetas,
clarissimum profecto nomen oratoris apud posteros foret. 210
Adiecisset enim, atque adiiciebat ceteris virtutibus suis
quod desiderari potest. Id est autem, ut esset multo
magis pugnans et saepius id curam rerum ab elocutione
respiceret. Ceterum interceptus quoque magnum sibi
vindicat locum ; ea est f acundia, tanta in explicando quod
velit gratia, tarn candidum et lene et speciosum dicendi
genus, tanta verborum etiam quae assumpta sunt pro-
prietas, tanta in quibusdam ex periculo petitis significantia.
Habebunt, qui post nos de oratoribus scribent, magnam
eos, qui nunc vigent, materiam vere laudandi. Sunt 220
enim summa hodie, quibus illustratur forum, ingenia.
Namque et consummati iam patroni veteribus aemulantur
et eos iuvenum ad optima tendentium imitatur ac sequitur
industria.
Supersunt, qui de philosophia scripserint, quo in genere
paucissimos adhuc eloquentes litterae Eomanae tulerunt.
Idem igitur M. Tullius, qui ubique, etiam in hoc opere
Platonis aemulus extitit. Egregius vero multoque quam
in orationibus praestantior Brutus suffecit ponderi rerum
scias eum sentire quae dicit. Scripsit non parum multa 230
00 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Cornelius Celsus, Sextios secutus, non sine cultu ac
nitore. Plautus in Stoicis rerum cognitioni utilis. In
Epicureis levis quidem sed non iniucundus tamen auctor
? est Catius. jEx industria Senecam in omni genere elo-
qentiae distuli propter vulgatam falso de me opinionem,
qua damnare eum et invisum quoque habere sum creditus.
Quod accidit mihi, dum corruptum et omnibus vitiis
fractum dicendi genus revocare ad severiora iu^jicia con-
tendo. Turn autem solus hie fere in manibus adolescen-
240 tium fuit. Quern non equidem omnino conabar excutere
sed potioribus praeferri non sinebam, quos ille non
destiterat incessere, cum ciiversi sibi conscius generis
placere^se in dicendo posse iquibus illi plaint diffider#t.
Amabant autem eum magis quam imitabantur tantumque
ab eo defluebant, quantum ille ab antiquis desenderat.
Foret enim optandum, pares ac saltern proximos illi viro
fieri. Sed placebat propter sola vitia et ad ea se quisque
dirigebat effingenda, quae poterat ; deinde cum se iactaret
eodem modo dicere, Senecam infamabat. Cuius et multae
25oalioqui et magnae virtutes fuerunt, ingenium facile et
copiosum, plurimum studii, multa rerum cognitio ; in qua
tamen aliquando ab his, quibus inquirenda quaedam
mandabat, deceptus est. Tractavit etiam omnem fere
studiorum materiam. Nam et orationes eius et poemata
et epistolae et dialogi feruntur. In philosophia parum
diligens, egregius tamen vitiorum insectator fuit. Mul-
tae in eo claraeque sententiae, multa etiam morum
gratia legenda; sed in eloquendo corrupta pleraque
atque eo perniciosissima, quod abundant dulcibus vitiis.
seoVelles eum suo ingenio dixisse, alieno iudicio. Nam si
aliqua' contempsisset, si jpartem non concupisset, si non
omnia sua amasset, si rerum pondera minutissimis sen-
tentiis non fregisset: consensu potius eruditorum quam
puerorum amore comprobaretur. Verum sic quoque
QUINTILIAN. 89
iam robustis et severiore genere satis firmatis legend us
vel ideo, quod exercere potest utrinque iudicium. Multa
enim, ut dixi, probanda in eo, multa etiam admiranda
sunt, eligere modo curae sit; quod utinam ipse fecisset. ,
Digna enim fuit ilia natura, quae meliora vellet, quae
quod voluit effecit. [x. 1. 85, seq.] 2 ^o
IV.
On gesture in oratory.
Et hi quidem, de quibus sum locutus, cum ipsis voci-
bus naturaliter exeunt gestus; alii sunt, qui res imita-
tione significant, ut si aegrum temptantis venas medici
similitudine aut citharoedum formatis ad modum per-
cutientis nervos manibus ostendas ; quod est genus quam
longissime in actione fugiendum. Abesse enim plurimum
a saltatore debet orator, ut sit gestus ad sensum magis
quam ad verba accommodatus ; quod etiam histrionibus
paulo gravioribus facere moris fuit. Ergo ut ad se
manum referre, cum de se ipso loquatur, et in eum, 10
quern demon stret, intendere et aliqua his similia per-
miserim; ita non effingere status quosdam et, quidquid
dicet, ostendere. Neque id in manibus solum sed in
omni gestu ac voce servandum est. Non enim aut in
ilia periodo, Stetit soleatus praetor populi Romany inclinatio
incumbentis in mulierculam Verris effingenda est; aut in
ilia, Caedebatur in media fwo Messanae, motus laterum,
qualis esse ad verbera solet, torquendus, aut vox, qualis
dolore exprimitur, eruenda; cum mihi comoedi quoque
pessime facere videantur, qui, etiamsi iuvenem agant, cum 20
tamen in expositione aut sensis sermo, ut in Hydriae
prologo, aut mulieris, ut in Georgo, incidit, tremula vel
effeminata voce pronuntiant. Adeo in illis quoque
est aliqua vitiosa imitatio, quorum ars omnis constat
imitatione.
90 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Est autem gestus ille maxime communis, quo medius
digitus in pollicem contrahitur explicitis tribus, et prin-
cipiis utilis cum leni in utramque partem motu modice
prolatus, simul capite atque humeris sensim ad id, quo
somanus feratur, obsecundantibus ; et in narrando certus
dum paulo productior; et in exprobrando et coarguendo
acer atque instans, longius enim partibus his et liberius
exseritur. Yitiose vero idem sinistrum quasi humerum
petens in latus agi solet, quanquam adhuc peius aliqui
transversum brachium proferunt et cubito pronuntiant.
Duo quoque medii sub pollicem veniunt; et est hie ad-
huc priore gestus instantior, principio et narrationi non
accommodatus. At cum tres contracti pollice premun-
tur: turn digitus ille, quo usum optime Crassum Cicero
4odicit, explicari solet. Is in exprobrando et indicando,
unde et ei nomen est, valet; et allevata ac spectante
humerum manu paulum inclinatus affirmat, versus in
terram et quasi pronus urget, aliquando pro numero est.
Idem summo articulo utrinque leviter apprehenso, duo-
bus modice curvatis, minus tamen minimo, aptus ad
disputandum est. Acrius tamen argumentari videntur,
qui medium articulum potius tenent; tanto contractiori-
bus ultimis digitis, quanto priores descenderunt. Est et
ille verecundae orationi aptissimus, quo, quattuor primis
50 leviter in summum coeuntibus digitis, non procul ab ore
aut pectore refertur ad nos manus et deinde prona ac
paululum prolata laxatur. Hoc modo coepisse Demo-
sthenen credo in illo pro Ctesiphonte timido summissoque
principio, sic formatam Ciceronis manum, cum diceret:
Si quid est ingenii in me, quod sentio quam sit exiguum.
[xi. 3. 88.]
QUINTILIAN. 91
The good orator must be a good man.
Sit ergo nobis orator, quern constituimus, is, qui a M.
Catone finitur, vir bonus dicendi peritus; verum, id
quod et ille posuit prius, et ipsa natura potius ac maius
est, utique vir bonus. Id non eo tantum, quod, si vis
ilia dicendi malitiam instruxerit, nihil sit publicis privat-
isque rebus perniciosius eloquentia, nosque ipsi, qui pro
virili parte conferre aliquid ad facultatem dicendi conati
sumus, pessime mereamur de rebus humanis, si latroni
comparamus haec arma non militi. Quid de nobis
loquor? Kerum ipsa natura in eo, quod praecipueio
indulsisse homini videtur quoque nos a ceteris animali-
bus separasse, non parens sed noverca fuerit, si facul-
tatem dicendi, sociam scelerum, adversam innocentiae,
hostem veritatis invenit. Mutos enim nasci et egere
omni ratione satius fuisset, quam providentiae munera
in mutuam perniciem convertere. Longius tendit hoc
iudicium meum. Neque enim tantum id dico, eum, qui
sit orator, virum bonum esse oportere, sed ne futurum
quidem oratorem nisi virum bonum. Nam certe neque
intelligentiam concesseris iis, qui, proposita honestorum 20
ac turpium via, peiorem sequi malent, neque prudentiam,
cum in gravissimas frequenter legum, semper vero malae
conscientiae poenas a semet ipsis improviso rerum exitu
induantur. Quodsi neminem malum esse nisi stultum
eundem, non modo sapientibus dicitur sed vulgo quoque
semper est creditum, certe non fiet unquam stultus
orator. Adde quod ne studio quidem operis pulcherrimi
vacare mens nisi omnibus vitiis libera potest: primum
quod in eodem pectore nullum est honestorum turpium-
que consortium, et cogitare optima simul ac deterrimaso
non magis est unius animi quam eiusdem hominis bonum
92 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
esse ac malum; turn ilia quoque ex causa, quod men-
tern tantae rei intentam vacare omnibus aliis etiam culpa
carentibus curis oportet. Ita demum enim libera ac
tota, nulla distringente atque alio ducente causa, spec-
tabit id solum, ad quod accingitur. Quodsi agrorum
nimia cura et sollicitior rei familiaris diligentia et
venandi voluptas et dati spectaculis dies multum studiis
auferunt (huic enim rei perit tempus, quodcunque alteri
4odatur): quid putamus facturas cupiditatem, avaritiam,
invidiam, quarum impotentissimae cogitationes sonmos
etiam et ilia per quietem visa perturbant? Nihil est
enim tarn occupatum, tarn multiforme, tot ac tarn variis
affectibus concisum atque laceratum quam mala mens.
Nam et cum insidiatur, spe, curis, labore distringitur ;
et iam cum sceleris compos fuit, sollicitudine, poeniten-
tia, poenarum omnium expectatione torquetur. Quis
inter haec litteris aut ulli bonae arti locus 1 Non hercule
magis quam frugibus in terra sentibus ac rubis occupata.
50 Age, non ad preferendos studiorum labores necessaria
frugalitas 1 ? Quid igitur ex libidine ac luxuria spei?
Non praecipue acuit ad cupiditatem litterarum amor
laudis 1 Num igitur malis esse laudem curae putamus ?
Iam hoc quis non videt, maximam partem orationis in
tractatu aequi bonique consistere? Dicetne de his
secundum debitam rerum dignitatem malus atque ini-
quus 1 Denique, ut maximam partem quaestionis eximam,
demus, id quod nullo modo fieri potest, idem ingenii,
studii, doctrinae, pessimo atque optimo viro : uter melior
eodicetur orator 1 ? Nimirum qui homo quoque melior.
Non igitur unquam malus idem homo et perfectus
orator. Non enim perfectum est quidquam, quo melius
est aliud. Sed, ne more Socraticorum nobismet ipsi
responsum finxisse videamur, sit aliquis adeo contra
veritatem obstinatus, ut audeat dicere, eodem ingenio,
QUINTILIAN. 93
studio, doctrina praeditum nihilo deteriorem futurum
oratorem malum virum quam bonum: convincamus
huius quoque amentiam. Nam hoc certe nemo dubita-
bit, omnem orationem id agere, ut iudici, quae pro-
posita fuerint, vera et honesta videantur. Utrum igiturro
hoc facilius bonus vir persuadebit an malus? Bonus
quidem dicet saepius vera atque honesta. Sed etiam si
quando aliquo ductus officio (quod accidere, ut mox
docebimus, potest) falso haec affirmare conabitur, maiore
cum fide necesse est audiatur. At malis hominibus ex
contemptu opinionis et ignorantia recti nonnunquam
excidit ipsa simulatio. Inde immodeste proponunt, sine
pudore amrmant. Sequitur in iis, quae certum est effici
non posse, deformis pertinacia et irritus labor. Nam
sicut in vita in causis quoque spes improbas habent. so
Frequenter autem accidit, ut his etiam vera dicentibus
fides desit, videaturque talis advocatus malae causae
argumentum.
Nunc de iis dicendum est, quae mihi quasi conspira-
tione quadam vulgi reclamari videntur. Orator ergo
Demosthenes non fuit? atqui malum virum accepimus.
Non Cicero? atqui huius quoque mores multi repre-
henderunt. Quid agam? magna responsi invidia sube-
unda est, mitigandae sunt prius aures. Mihi enim nee
Demosthenes tarn gravi morum dignus videtur invidia, 90
ut omnia, quae in eum ab inimicis congesta sunt, credam,
cum pulcherrima eius in re publica consilia et finem vitae
clarum legam; nee Marco Tullio defuisse video in ulla
parte civis optimi voluntatem. Testimonio est actus
nobilissime consulatus integerrime provincia administrata
et repudiatus vigintiviratus, et civilibus bellis, quae in
aetatem eius gravissima inciderunt, neque spe neque
metu declinatus animus, quo minus optimis se partibus,
id est rei publicae, iungeret. Parum fortis videtur qui-
94 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
loobusdam, quibus optime respondit ipse, non se timidum
in suscipiendis sed in providendis periculis; quod probavit
morte quoque ipsa, quam praestantissimo suscepit animo.
Quodsi def uit his viris summa virtus : sic quaerentibus,
an oratores fuerint, respondebo, quomodo Stoici, si in-
terrogentur, an sapiens Zeno, an Cleanthes, an Chrysip-
pus, respondeant, Magnos quidem illos ac venerabiles, non
tamen id, quod natura hominis summum habet, consecutos.
^^ <w r r, ;e principles of education.
Hinc iam, quas primas in docendo, partes rhetorum
putem, tradere incipiam, dilata Mmmper ilia quae sola
vulgo vocatur arte rhetorica. Ac mihi opportunus
maxime videtur ingressus ab eo, cuius aliquid simile
apud grammaticos puer didicerit. Et quia narrationum,
excepta qua in causis utimur, tres accepimus species,
fabulam, quae versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus,
non a veritate modo sed etiam a forma veritatis remota
argumentum, quod falsum sed vero simile comoediae
jfingunt; historiam, in qua est gestae rei expositio;
grammaticis autem poeticaa dedimus: apud rhetorem
initium sit historica, tanto rtybustioi 4 quanto verior. Sed
narrandi quidem quae nobis optima ratio videatur, turn
demonstrabimus, cum de iudiciali parte dicemus. Interim
admonere illud sat est, ut sit ea neque arida prorsus
atque ieiuna, (nam quid opus erat tantum studiis laboris
impend ere, si res nudas atque inornatas indicare satis
videretur?) neque rursus sinuosa et arcessitis descrip-
tionibus, in quas plerique imitatione poeticae licentiae
2oducuntur, kJsffivlat. Vitium utrumque; peius tamen
illud, quod ex inopia quam quod ex copia venit. Nam
in pueris oratio perfecta nee exigi nee sperari potest;
UINTILIAN. 05
melior autem indoles laeta generosique conatus et vel
plura iusto concipiens interim spiritus. Nee unquam
me in his discentis annis offendat, si quid superfuerit.
Quin ipsis doctoribus hoc esse curae velim, ut teneras
adhuc mentes more nutricum mollius alant et satiari
velut quodam iucundioris disciplinae lacte patiantur.
Erit illud plenius interim corpus, quod mox adulta aetas
astringat. Hinc spes roboris. Maciem namque et in-3<
firmitatem in posterum 'minari solet protinus omnibus
membris expressus infans. Audeat haec aetas plura et
inveniat et inventis gaudeat, sint licet ilia non satis
interim ac severa. Facile remedium est ubertatis;
sterilia nullo labore vincuntur. Ilia mihi in pueris
natura minimum spei dederit, in qua ingenium iudicio
# praesumitur. Materiam esse primum volo vel abundanti-
orem atque ultra quam oporteat fusam. Multum inde
decoquent anni, multum ratio limabi, aliquid velut usu
ipgjp deteretur, sit modo unde exffidi possit et quod4o
Sip; erit autem, si non ab jnitip tenuem nimium
mam duxerimus et quam camatOra altior rumfiat.
Quod me de his aetatibus sentire minus mirabitur, qui &
apud Ciceronem legerit: Volo enim se efferat in adolescente A*
fecunditas. -^
Quaproptcr in primis evitandus et in pueris praecipue
magister aridiis, non minus quam teneris adhuc plantis
siccum et sine humore ullo solum. Inde fiunt humiles
statim et velut terrain spectantes, qui nihil supra cotidi-
anum sermonem ^iftolfere audeant. Mamies illis proJ
sanitate et iudicii loco infirmitas est, et dum satis
putant vitio carer e^, in id ipsum incidunt vitium, quod
vlrtutibus carent. Quare mihi ne maturitas quidem ipsa
festinet, iiec musta in lacu statim austera sint; sic et
fr annos ferem et vetustate proficient. <frtw vr- *
Nee illud quidem quod admoneamus indignum est,
.L, ' ' jTf\a^Cu -Uj /t
96 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE
ingenia puerorum nimia interim emendatioliis severitate
deficere; nam et desperant et dolent et novissime ode-
runt et, quod maxime nocet, dum omnia timent, nihil
eo conantur. Quod etiam rustkns notum qst, qui frondibus
teneris non putant adhilJenaaiJi esse patcem^inareformi-
dare ferrum videntur et nondum cicatricem pati posse.
lucundus ergd turn, maxime debet esse praeceptor, ut
remedia, quae alioqui natura sunt aspera, molli manu
leniantur; laudare aliqua, ferre quaedam, mutare etiam,
reddita cur id fiat ratione, illuminare interponendo
aliquid sui. Nonmmcaiam hoc quoque erit utile, ipsum
totas dictare nMte'fias, quas et imitetur puer et interim
tanquam suas amet. Et si tarn negligens ei stilus fuerit,
70 ut emendationem non recipiat, expertus sum prodesse,
quotiens eandem materiam rursus a me tractatam scribere
de integro iuberem, posse enim eum adhuc melius ; quatenus
nullo magis studia quam spe gaudent. Aliter autem alia
aetas emendanda est, et pro modo virium et exigendum
et corrigendum opus. Solebam ego dicere pueris aliquid
ausis licentius aut laetius, laudare illud me adhuc, venturum
tempus, quo idem non permitterem,; ita et ingenio gaude-
bant et iudicio non fallebantur. [ii. 4, 1-14.]
VII.
' Quare incruditi ingcniosiores vulgo habeantur.'
Ne hoc quidem negaverim, sequi plerumque hanc
opinionem, ut fortius dicere videantur indocti; primum
vitio male iudicantium, qui maiorem habere vim credunt
ea, quae non habent artem, ut efifringere quam aperire,
rumpere quam solvere, trahere quam ducere putant
robustius. Nam et gladiator, qui armorum inscius in
rixam ruit, et luctator, qui totius corporis nisu in id,
quod semel invasit, incumbit, fortior ab his vocatur;
QUINTILIAN.
97
cum interim et hie frequenter suis viribus ipse proster-
nitur, et ilium vehementis impetus excipit adversariiio
mollis articulus. Sed sunt in hac parte, quae imperitos
etiam naturaliter fallant; nam et divisio, cum plurimum
valeat in causis, speciem virium minuit, et rudia politis
maiora et sparsa compositis numerosiora creduntur. Est
praeterea quaedam virtutum vitiorumque vicinia, qua
maledicus pro libero, temerarius pro forti, effusus pro
copioso accipitur. Maledicit autem ineruditus apertius
et saepius vel cum periculo suscepti litigatoris frequenter
etiam suo. Affert et ista res opinionem, quia libentis-
sime homines audiunt ea, quae dicere ipsi noluissent. 20
Illud quoque alterum, quod est in elocutione ipsa, peri-
culum, minus vitat conaturque perdite, unde evenit
nonnunquam, ut aliquid grande inveniat, qui semper
quaerit, quod nimium est; verum id et raro provenit, et
certa vitia non pensat. Propter hoc quoque interdum
videntur indocti copiam habere maiorem, quod dicunt
omnia; doctis est et electio et modus. His accedit,
quod a cura docendi, quod intenderunt, recedunt. Ita-
que illud quaestionum et argumentorum apud corrupta
iudicia frigus evitant nihilque aliud, quam quod vel so
pravis voluptatibus aures assistentium permulceat, quae-
runt. Sententiae quoque ipsae, quas solas petunt, magis
eminent, cum omnia circa illas sordida et abiecta sunt;
ut lumina non inter umbi'as, quemadmodum Cicero dicit,
sed plane in tenebris clariora sunt. Itaque ingeniosi
vocentur, ut libet, dum tamen constet, contumeliose sic
laudari disertum. Nihilominus confitendum est etiam
detrahere doctrinam aliquid, ut limam rudibus et cotes
hebetibus et vino vetustatem; sed vitia detrahit, atque
eo solo minus est, quod litterae perpolierunt, quo melius. 40
Verum hi pronuntiatione quoque famam dicendi fortius
quaerunt. Nam et clamant ubique et omnia levata, ut
(M25) I
98 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
ipsi vocant, manu emugiunt, multo discursu, anhelitu,
iactatione gestus, motu capitis furentes. lam collidere
manus, terrae pedem incutere, femur, pectus, frontem
caedere, mire ad pullatum circulum facit; cum ille eru-
ditus, ut in oratione multa summittere, variare, dispon-
ere, ita etiam in prommtiando suum cuique eorum, quae
dicet, colori accommodare actum sciat, et, si quid sit
soperpetua observatione dignum, modestus et esse et
videri malit. At illi hanc vim appellant, quae est potius
violentia; cum interim non actores modo aliquos in-
venias sed, quod est turpius, praeceptores etiam, qui
brevem dicendi exercitationem consecuti, omissa ratione,
ut tulit impetus, passim tumultuentur eosque, qui plus
honoris litteris tribuerunt, ineptos et ieiunos et trepidos
et infirmos, ut quodque verbum contumeliosissimum
occurrit, appellent. Verum illis quidem gratulemur
sine labore, sine ratione, sine disciplina disertis; nos,
eoquando et praecipiendi munus iam pridem deprecati
sumus et in foro quoque dicendi, quia honestissimum
finem putamus desinere, dum desideraremur : inquirendo
scribendoque talia consolemur otium nostrum, quae fu-
tura usui bonae mentis iuvenibus arbitramur, nobis certe
sunt voluptati. [ii. 12.]
TACITUS.
99
TACITUS.
Tacitus almost alone of the silver age prose writers is so
universally read by junior students that it may seem unne-
cessary to have made any selections from his writings; but
a few passages have been included, partly to furnish ex-
amples of his style, partly, in the case of the extracts from the
Annals, to illustrate the life of Seneca. Tacitus was born
55 A.D. and died about 120 A.D. His actual birthplace is
unknown, but it is clear that he came of a good family. He
studied under the rhetoricians Aper and Julius Secundus, and
was possibly a pupil of Quintilian. He had a distinguished
official career under four emperors (Vespasian to Trajan),
culminating with the consulship (97 A.D.) under Trajan. Of
the writers of the Silver Age none are probably so universally
read as Tacitus, and hence it is needless to attempt any
summary either of his political and philosophical views, his
merits and failings as an historian, or the peculiarities of his
style. It may be, however, pointed out that the epithet
'Taciteau' as frequently used can only be strictly applied to the
Annals, for at first, as may be seen both from the Dialogue on
Orators and the Agricola, he was a student and imitator of
Cicero (yet these books are not without indications of his later
style). In the Agricola we find that Tacitus, though breaking
away from the Ciceronian period, still retains many character-
istic Ciceronian turns of expression: his model has now become
Sallust, and indeed his later style is, perhaps, only a develop-
ment, under the special circumstances of his own genius and the
times in which he lived, of the Sallustian manner. The three
leading characteristics of this style are generally classed under
the heads Bre vitas, Varietas, Color Poeticjia, - The works of
Tacitus were Dialogus de oratoribus, De vita et moribus
lulii Agricolae (his father-in-law), Germania, Historiae (i.e.
of the emperors 69-96 A.D., probably originally in fourteen
books (or less), of which we have now the first four and part
of the fifth, i.e. only the history of the years 69 and 70),
Annales, dealing with the years 14-68 A.D., probably in six-
100 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
teen books : we have the first four books, parts of the next
two, and (fairly complete) books eleven to sixteen. The
existence of fourteen books of the histories is conjectured
from the remark of Jerome, " Cornelius Tacitus . . . vitas
Caesarum triginta voluminibus exaravit".
I.
The character and death of Agricola.
Natus erat Agricola Gaio Caesare tertium consule
idibus Iimiis: excessit quarto et quinquagesimo anno,
decumo kalendas Septembris Collega Priscoque consuli-
bus. Quod si habitum quoque eius posteri noscere velint,
decentior quam sublimior fuit; nihil metus in vultu:
gratia oris supererat. Bonum virum facile crederes, mag-
num libenter. Et ipse quidem, quamquam medio in
spatio integrae aetatis ereptus, quantum ad gloriam,
longissimum aevum peregit. Quippe et vera bona, quae
10 in virtutibus sita sunt, impleverat, et consular! ac trium-
phalibus ornamentis praedito quid aliud adstruere fortuna
poterat? Opibus nimiis non gaudebat, speciosae con-
tigerant. Filia atque uxore superstitibus potest videri
etiam beatus incolumi dignitate, florente fama, salvis
adfinitatibus et amicitiis futura effugisse. Nam sicut ei
non licuit durare in hanc beatissimi saeculi lucem ac prin-
cipem Traianum videre, quod augurio votisque apud
nostras auris ominabatur, ita festinatae mortis grande
solacium tulit evasisse postremum illud tempus, quo
aoDomitianus non iam per intervalla ac spiramenta tem-
porum, sed continue et velut uno ictu rem publicam
exhausit.
Non vidit Agricola obsessam curiam et clausum armis
senatumeteadem strage tot consularium caedes, totnobilis-
simarum feminarum exilia et fugas. Una adhuc victoria
Carus Metius censebatur, et intra Albanam arcem sen-
TACITUS. 101
tentia Messalini strepebat, et Massa Baebius turn
reus erat: mox nostrae duxere Helvidium in carcerem
manus; nos Maurici Rusticique visus, nos innocent! san-
guine Senecio perfudit. Nero tamen subtraxit oculosso
suos iussitque scelera, non spectavit: praecipua sub
Domitiano miseriarum pars erat videre et aspici, cum
suspiria nostra subscriberentur, cum denotandis tot
hominum palloribus sufficeret saevus ille vultus et rubor,
quo se contra pudorem muniebab.
Tu vero felix, Agricola, non vitae tantum claritate,
sed etiam opportunitate mortis. Ut perhibent qui inter-
fuerunt novissimis sermoriibus tuis, constans et libens
fatum excepisti, tamquam pro virili portione innocentiam
principi donares. Sed mihi filiaeque eius praeter acerbi-40
tatem parentis erepti auget maestitiam, quod adsidere
valetudini, fovere deficientem, satiari vultu complexuque
non contigit. Excepissemus certe mandata vocesque,
quas penitus ammo figeremus. Noster hie dolor,
nostrum vulnus, nobis tarn longae absentiae condicione
ante quadriennium amissus est. Omnia sine dubio, optime
parentum, adsidente amantissima uxore superfuere honori
tuo: paucioribus tamen lacrimis comploratus es, et
novissima in luce desideravere aliquid oculi tin.
Si quis piorum manibus locus, si, ut sapientibus placet, so
non cum corpore extinguuntur magnae animae, placide
quiescas, nosque domum tuam ab infirmo desiderio et
muliebribus lamentis ad contemplationem virtutum tua-
rum voces, quas neque lugeri neque plangi fas est. Ad-
miratione te potius et immortalibus laudibus et, si natura
suppeditet, similitudine decoremus: is verus honos, ea
coniunctissimi cuiusque pietas. Id filiae quoque uxorique
praceperim, sic patris, sic mariti memoriam venerari, ut
omnia facta dictaque eius secum revolvant, formamque
ac figuram animi magis quam corporis complectantur, o
102 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
non quia intercedendum putem imaginibus quae marmore
aut aere finguntur, sed, ut vultus hominum, ita simulacra
vultus imbecilla ac mortalia sunt, forma mentis aeterna,
quam tenere et exprimere non per alienam materiam et
artem, sed tuis ipse moribus possis. Quidquid ex Agricola
amavimus, quidquid mirati sumus, manet mansurumque
est in animis hominum, in aeternitate temporum, in fama
rerum; nam multos veterum velut inglorios et ignobilis
oblivio obruet: Agricola posteritati narratus et traditus
rosuperstes erit. [Agricola, 46.]
II.
The pleasures of the orator's life,
Ad voluptatem oratoriae eloquentiae transeo, cuius
iucunditas non uno aliquo momento, sed omnibus prope
diebus ac prope omnibus horis contingit. Quid enim
dulcius libero et ingenuo animo et ad voluptates honestas
nato quam videre plenam semper et frequentem domum
suam concursu splendidissimorum hominum 1 Idque scire
non pecuniae, non orbitati, non officii alicuius adminis-
trationi, sed sibi ipsi dari 1 Ipsos quin immo orbos et
locupletes et potent es venire plerumque ad iuvenem et
lopauperem, ut aut sua aut amicorum discrimina com-
mendent. Ullane tanta ingentium opum ac magnae
potentiae voluptas quam spectare homines veteres et
senes et totius urbis gratia subnixos in summa rerum
omnium abundantia confitentes, id quod optimum sit se
non habere 1 lam vero qui togatorum comitatus et egres-
sus ! quae in publico species ! quae in iudiciis veneratio !
quod illud gaudium consurgendi adsistendique inter
tacentes et in unum converses ! coire populum et circum-
fundi coronam et accipere adfectum, quemcumque orator
2oinduerit! Vulgaria dicentium gaudia et imperitorum
TACITUS. 103
quoque oculis exposita percenseo: ilia secretiora et tan-
turn ipsis orantibus nota maiora sunt. Sive accuratam
meditatamque profert orationem, est quoddam sicut
ipsius dictionis, ita gaudii pondus et constantia; sive
novam et recentem curam non sine aliqua trepidatione
animi attulerit, ipsa sollicitudo commendat eventum et
lenocinatur voluptati. Sed extemporalis audaciae atque
ipsius temeritatis vel praecipua iucunditas est; nam in
ingenio quoque, sicut in agro, quamquam alia diu seran-
tur atque elaborentur, gratiora tamen quae sua sponteso
nascuntur.
Equidem, ut de me ipso fatear, non eum diem laetio-
rem egi, quo mihi latus clavus oblatus est, vel quo homo
novus et in civitate minime favorabili natus quaesturam
aut tribunatum aut praeturam accepi, quam eos, quibus
mihi pro mediocritate huius quantulaecumque in dicendo
facultatis aut apud patres reum prospere defendere aut
apud centumviros causam aliquam feliciter orare aut
apud principem ipsos illos libertos et procuratores prin-
cipum tueri et defendere datur. Turn mihi supra tribu-40
natus et praeturas et consulatus ascendere videor, turn
habere quod, si non in aliquo oritur, nee codicillis datur
nee cum gratia venit. Quid 1 ? Fama et laus cuius artis
cum oratorum gloria comparandaest 1 Quinam inlustriores
sunt in urbe non solum apud negotiosos et rebus intentos,
sed etiam apud vacuos et adulescentes, quibus modo recta
indoles est et bona spes sui? Quorum nomina prius
parentes liberis suis ingerunt ? Quos saepius vulgus quo-
que imperitum et tunicatus hie populus transeuntes
nomine vocat et digito demonstrat ? Advenae quoque et so
peregrini iam in municipiis et coloniis suis auditos, cum
primum urbem attigerunt, requirunt ac velut adgnoscere
concupiscunt. [Dialogue, c. vi.]
104 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
III.
The manners of the Aestii: their mode of collecting amber.
Trans Suionas aliud mare, pigrum ac prope inmotum,
quo cingi cludique terrarum orbem hinc fides, quod
extremus cadentis iam solis fulgor in ortum edurat adeo
clarus, ut sidera hebetet; sonum insuper emergentis
audiri formasque equorum et radios capitis adspici per-
suasio adicit. Illuc usque, si fama vera, tantum natura.
Ergo iam dextro Suebici maris litore Aestiorum gentes
adluuntur, quibus ritus habitusque Sueborum, lingua
Britannicae propior. Matrem deum venerantur. Insigne
10 superstitionis formas aprorum gestant: id pro armis
omnique tutela securum deae cultorem etiam inter hostis
praestat. Earus ferri, frequens fustium usus. Frumenta
ceterosque fructus patientius quam pro solita German-
orum inertia laborant. Sed et mare scrutantur, ac soli
omnium sucinum, quod ipsi glaesum vocant, inter vada
atque in ipso litore legunt. Nee quae natura quaeve ratio
gignat, ut barbaris, quaesitum compertumve ; diu quin
etiam inter cetera eiectamenta maris iacebat, donee
luxuria nostra dedit nomen. Ipsis in nullo usu: rude
20 legitur, inf orme perf ertur, pretiumque mirantes accipiunt.
Sucum tamen arborum esse intellegas, quia terrena
quaedam atque etiam volucria animalia plerumque inter-
iacent, quae implicata humore mox durescente materia
cluduntur. Fecundiora igitur nemora lucosque sicut
Orientis secretis, ubi tura balsamaque sudantur, ita
Occidentis insulis terrisque inesse crediderim, quae vicini
solis radiis expressa atque liquentia in proximum mare
labuntur ac vi tempestatum in adversa litora exundant.
Si naturam sucini admoto igni temptes, in modum taedae
soaccenditur alitque flammam pinguem et olentem; mox
ut in picem resinamve lentescit. [Germania, 45.]
TACITUS. A [ V 105
IV. *
7%e death of Otho after the news of Bedriacum.
Opperjfibatur Otho nuntium pugnae nequaquam trepi-
dus et consilii certus. Maesta primum fama, dein prof ugi
e proelio perditas res patefaciunt. Non expectavit mili-
tum ardor vocem imperatoris ; bonum haberet animum
iubebant: superesse adhuc novas vires, et ipsos extrema
passuros ausurosque. Neque erat adulatio : ire in aciem,
excitare partium fortunam furore quodam et instinctu
flagrabant. Qui procul adstiterant, tendere manus, et
proximi prensare genua, promptissimo Plotio Firmo. Is
praetorii praef ectus identidem orabat, ne fidissimum exer- 10
citum, ne optime meritos milites desereret : maiore animo
tolerari ad versa quam relinqui; fortes et strenuos etiam
contra fortunam insistere spei, timidos et ignavos ad
desperationem formidine properare. Quas inter voces ut
flexerat vultum aut induraverat Otho, clamor et gemitus.
Nee praetoriani tantum, proprius Othonis miles, sed prae-
missi e Moesia eandem obstinationem adventantis exer-
citus, legiones Aquileiam ingressas nuntiabant, ut nemo
dubitet potuisse renovari bellum atrox, lugubre, incertum I
victis et victoribus. 20
Ipse aversus a consiliis belli 'hunc' inquit 'animum,
hanc virtutem vestram ultra periculis obicere nimis
grande vitae meae pretium puto. Quanto plus spei
ostenditis, si vivere placeret, tanto pulchrior mors erit.
Experti in vicem sumus ego ac fortuna. Nee tempus
conputaveritis : difficilius est temperare felicitati, qua te
non putes diu usurum. Civile bellum a Vitellio coepit, et
ut de principatu certaremus armis, initium illinc fuit:
ne plus quam semel certemus, penes me exemplum erit;
hincOthonem posteritas aestimet. FrueturVitellius fratre, 30
coniuge, liberis : mihi non ultione neque solaciis opus est.
106 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
Alii diutius imperium tenuerint : nemo tarn f ortiter reli-
querit. An ego tantum Romanae pubis, tot egregios
exercitus stejni rursus et rei publicae eripi patiar ? Eat
hie mecum animus, tamquam perituri pro me fueritis,
sed este superstites. Nee diu moremur, ego incolumitatem
vestram, vos constantiam meam. Plura de extremis
loqui pars ignayiae est. Praecipuum destinationis meae
documentum habete, quod de nemine queror; nam in-
4ocusare deos vel homines eius est, qui vivere velit'.
Talia locutus, ut cuique aetas aut dignitas, comiter
appellatos, irent propere neu remanendo iram victoris
asperarent, iuvenes auctoritate, senes precibus movebat,
placidus ore, intrepidus verbis, intempestivas suorum v/v
lacrimas coercens. Dari naves ac vehicula abeuntibus
iubet; libellos epistulasque studio erga se aut in Vitellium
contumeliis insignes abolet ; pecunias distribuit parce nee
ut periturus. Mox Salvium Cocceianum, fratris filium,
prima iuventa, trepidum et maerentem ultro solatus est,
solaudando pietatem eius, castigando formidinem: an
Vitellium tarn inmitis animi fore, ut pro incolumi tota
domo ne hanc quidem sibi gratiam redderet 1 mereri se
festinato exitu clementiam victoris; non enim ultima
desperatione, sed poscente proelium exercitu remisisse
rei publicae novissimum casum. Satis sibi nominis, satis
posteris suis nobilitatis quaesitum. Post lulios Claudios
Servios se primum in familiam novam imperium intu-
lisse : proinde erecto animo capesseret vitam, neu patruum
sibi Othonem fuisse aut oblivisceretur umquam aut
eonimium meminisset.
Post quae dimotis omnibus paulum requievit. Atque
ilium supremas iam curas animo volutantem repens
tumultus avertit, nuntiata consternatione ac licentia
militum; namque abeuntibus exitium mini&ibantur,
atrocissima in Verginium vi, quern clausa domo obside-
TACITUS. 107
bant. Increpitis seditionis auctoribus regressus vacavit
abeuntium adloquiis, donee omnes inviolati digrederentur.
Vesperascente die sitim haustu gelidae aquae sedavit.
Turn adlatis pugionibus duobus, cum utrumque pertemp- "ta
tasset, alterum capiti subdidit. Et explorato iam "pro-To
fectos amicos, noctem quietam, utque adfirmatur, non
insomnem egit: luce prima in ferrum pectore incubuit.
Ad gemitum morientis ingressi liberti servique et Plotius
Firmus praetorii praefectus unum vulnus invenere.
Funus maturatum; ambitiosis id precibus petierat, ne
amputaretur caput ludibrio futurum. Tulere corpus
praetoriae cohortes cum laudibus et lacrimis, vulnus
manusque eius exosculantes. Quidam militum iuxta
rogum interfecere se, non noxa neque ob metum, sed
aemulatione decoris et caritate principis. Ac postea pro- so
misce Bedriaci, Placentiae aliisque in castris celebratum
id genus mortis. Othoni sepulchrum exstructum est
modicum et mansurum. Hunc vitae finem habuit sep-
timo et tricensimo aetatis anno. [Tac. Hist. ii. 46-49.]
Preparations for the siege, and description of Jerusalem.
Igitur castris, uti diximus, ante moenia Hierosoly-
morum positis instruct/as legiones ostentavit : ludaei sub
ipsos muros struxere aciem, rebus secundis longius ausuri
et, si pellerentur, parato perfugio. Missus in eos eques
cum expeditis cohortibus ambigue certavit ; mox cessere
hostes et sequentibus diebus crebra pro portis proelia
^ serebant. donee adsiduis damnis intra moenia pellerentur.
Eomani ad obpugnandum versi; neque enim dignum
^Xvidebatur fam^elnTiostium opperiri, poscebantque pericula,
pars virtute, multi f erocia et cupidine praemiorum. Ipsi 10
Tito Roma et opes voluptatesque ante oculos, ac ni
108 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
statim Hierosolyma conciderent, morari videbantur. Sed
urbem arduam situTopera molesque firmaverant, ojjyUrvel
-" plana satis munirentur. Nam duos colles in immensum
> editos claudebant muri per artem obliqui aut introrsus
.- sinuati, ut latera obpugnantium ad ictus patescerent. ^
" Extrema rupis abrupta, et turres, ubi mons iuvisset, in
sexagenos pedes, inter dev.exa in centenos vicenosque
attollebantur, mira specie ac procul intuentibus pares.
20 Alia intus moenia regiae circumiecta, conspicuoque fas-
tjjgio turris Antonia, in honorem M. Antonii ab Herode
appellata.
Templum in modum arcis propriique muri, labore et
opere^nte alios; ipsaej)orticus. quis templum 'ambibatur,
egregium propugnaculum. Eons perennis aquae, cavati
sub terra monies et piscinae cisternaeque servandis
imbribus. Providerant conditores ex ^jiersitate morurn
crebra bella: inde cuncta quamvis adversus longum
obsidium; et a Pompeio expugnatis metus atque usus
sopleraque monstravere. Atque per avaritiam Claudian-
orum temporum empto iure muniendi struxere muros in
(pace tamquam ad bellum, magna conluviei et ceterarum^
urbium clade aucti; narn pervicacissimus quisque illuc
perf ugerat eoque seditiosius agebant. Tres duces, toti-
dem exercitus: extrema et latissima moenium Simo,
mediam urbem loannes [quern et Bargioram vocabant],
templum Eleazarus firmaverat. Multitudine et armis
loannes ac Simo, Eleazarus loco pollebat : sed proeliai**^
dolus incendia inter ipsos, et magna vis frumenti am-
4obusta. Mox loannes, missis per speciem sacrificandi qui
Eleazarum manumque eius obtruncarent, templo potitur.
Ita in duas factiones civitas discessit, donee propinquan-
tibus Romanis bellum externum concordiam pareret.
Evenerant prodigia, quae neque hostiis neque votis
^ piare fas habet gens superstitioni obnoxia, religionibus
TACITUS. 109
adversau Yisae per caelum concurrere acies, rutilantia ^
arma et subito nubium igne conlucere templum. Apertae
delubri fores et audita maior humana vox, ex-
cedere deos; simul ingens motus excedentium. Quae
pauci in metum trahebant: pluribus persuasio ineratso
antiquis sacerdotum litteris contineri, eo ipso tempore
fore ut valesceret Oriens profectique ludaea irerum poter-
entur. I Quae ambages Vespasianum ac Titum praedixerat,
.ised vulgus more humanae cupidinis sibi tantam fatorum
Jmagnitudinem interpretati ne adversis quidem ad vera
mutabantur. Multitudinem obsessorum omnis aetatis,
virile ac muliebre secus, sescenta milia fuisse accepimus :
I arma cuncti^, qui ferre possent, et plures quam pro
numero audebant. Obstinatio viris feminisque par; ac
si transferre sedes cogerentur, maior vitae metus quameo
mortis. Hanc adversus urbem gentemque Caesar Titus,
quando impetus et jsuj.)!^ belli locus abnueret, aggeribus
yingisque certare statuit : dividuntur legionibus munia et
quies proeliorum fuit, donee cuncta expugnandis urbibus
reperta apud veteres aut novis ingeniis struerentur. [//.
v. 11-13.]
VI.
Seneca's correspondence with Nero.
At Seneca crmnnantium non ignarus, prodentibus iis,
quibus aliqua honesti cura, et familiaritatem billy HlU^iy
aspernante Caesare, tempus sermoni orat et accepto ita
incipit : ' Quartus decumus annus est, Caesar, ex quo sj>ei
// tuae admotus sum, octavus, ut imperium obtines : medio
tempons tantum honorum atque opum in me cumulasti,
ut nihil felicitati meae desit nisi moderatio eius. Utar
magnis exemplis, nee meae fortunae, sed tuae. Abavus
tuus Augustus M. Agrippae ^lytilenense secretum, C. -
"' Maecenati urbe in ipsa velut peregrinum otium permisit;io
4. f, ^ ^L
+ ..,-'.& /? (,L4#<$- *W *#^
110 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
quorum alter bellorum socius, alter Romae Jgluribus
labojibus iactatus ampla quidem, sed pro ingentibus
meritis, praemia acceperant. Ego quid aliud muni-
ficentiae tuae adhibere potui quam studia, ut sic dixerim,
~ in umbra educata, et quibus claritudo venit, quod iuven-
tae tuae rudimentis adfuisse videor, grande huius rei pre-
tium. At tu gratiam inmensam, innumeram pecuniam
. circumdedisti, adeo ut plerumque intra me ipse volvam :
egone, equestri et provinciali loco ortus, proceribus
\20civitatis adnumeror 1 ? inter nobiles et longa decora prae-
\ f erentes novitas mea enituit ? ubi est animus ille modicis
contentus 1 ? talis hortos exstruit et per haec suburbana
incedit et tantis agrorum spatiis, tarn lato faenore exu-
^erat ? una def ensio occurrit, quod muneribus tuis obniti
non debui.
Sed uterque mensuram implevimus, et tu, quantum
princeps tribuere amico posset, et ego, quantum amicus a
principe accipere : cetera invidiam augent. Quae quidem,
/ ut omnia mortalia, infra tuam magnitudinem iacet, sed
jsomihi incumbit, mihi subveniendum est. Quo modo in
militia aut via fessus adminiculum orarem, ita in hoc
itinere vitae senex et levissimis quoque curis inpar, cum
opes meas ultra sustinere non possim, praesidium peto.
lube rem per procuratores tuos administrari, in tuam
fortunam recipi. Nee me in paupertatem ipse detrudam,
sed traditis quorum fulgore praestringor, quod temporis
hortorum aut villarum curae seponitur, in animum revo-
I cabo. Superest tibi robur et tot per annos visum summi
[ f astigii regimen : possumus seniores amici quietem repos-
^o cere. Hoc quoque in tuam gloriam cedet, eos ad summa
vexisse, qui et modica tolerarent'.
Ad quae Nero sic ferme respondit: 'Quod meditatae
jorationi tuae statim occurram, id primum tui muneris
(habeo, qui me non tantum praevisa, sed subita expedire
TACITUS. Ill
docuisti. Abavus meus Augustus Agrippae et Maecenati
usurpare otium post labores concessit, sed in ea ipse
I aetate, cuius auctoritas tueretur quidquid illud et quale-
I cumque tribuisset ; ac tamen neutrum datis a se praemiis
exuit. Bello et periculis meruerant; in iis enim iuventa
Augusti versata est. Nee mihi tela et manus tuae de-so
fuissent in armis agenti: sed quod praesens condicio
poscebat, ratione consilio praeceptis pueritiam, dein iu-
ventam meam fovisti. Et tua quidem erga me munera,
dum vita suppetet, aeterna erunt: quae a me habes,
horti et faenus et villae, casibus obnoxia sunt. Ac licet
* ~~Tnulta videantur, plerique haudquaquam artibus tuis
pares plura tenuerunt. Pudet referre libertinos, qui
-** ditiores spectantur: unde etiam mihi rubori est, quod
praecipuus caritate nondum omnes fortuna antecellis.
iVerum et tibi valida aetas , rebusque et f ructui rerum GO
sufficiens, et nos prima imperii spatia ingredimur, nisi
forte aut te Vitellio ter consuli aut me Claudio post-
ponis, et quantum Volusio longa parsimonia quaesivit,
tantum in te mea liberalitas explere non potest. Quin,
si qua in parte lubricum adulescentiae nostrae dedmat, '-'
*^_.revocas ornatumque robur subsidio inpensius regis 1 Non
tua moderatio, si reddideris pecuniam, nee quies, si re-
liqueris principem, sed mea avaritia, meae crudelitatis
metus in ore omnium versabitur. Quod si maxime con-
tinentia tua laudetur, non tamen sapienti viro decorum 7o
- fuerit, unde amico infamiam paret, inde gloriam sibi
recipere'. His adicit complexum et oscula, factus natura
et consuetudine exercitus velare odium fallacibus blan-
1 ditiis. Seneca, qui finis omnium cum dominante ser-
I monum, grates agit : sed instituta prioris potentiae com-
mutat, prohibet coetus salutantium, vitat comitantis,
rarus per urbem, quasi valetudine infensa aut sapientiae
studiis domi adtineretur. [Ann. xiv. 53-56.]
112 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
f7l4
The death of Seneca.
Ille interritus poscit testamenti tabulas ; ac denegante
centurione conversus ad amicos, quando meritis eorum
* referre gratiam prohiberetur, quod unum iam et tamen
. pulcherrimum habeat, imaginem vitae suae relinquere
testatur, cuius si memores essent, bonarum artium famam
fructum constantis amicitiae laturos. Simul lacrimas
eorum modo sermone, modo intentior in modum coer-
centis ad firmitudinem revocat, rogitans ubi praecepta
sapientiae, ubi tot per annos meditata ratio adversum
10 imminentia 1 Cui enim ignaram f uisse saevitiam Neronis 1
Neque aliud superesse post matrem fratremque inter- i^
fectos, quam ut educations, praeceptorisque necem adi-9* 1
ceret.
Ubi haec atque talia velut in commune disseruit, com-
plectitur uxorem, et paululum adversus praesentem for-
titudinem mollitus rogat oratque temperaret dolori neu
aeternum susciperet, sed in contemplatione vitae per vir-
tutem actae desiderium mariti solaciis honestis toleraret.
Ilia contra sibi quoque destinatam mortem adseverat ,
2omanumque percussoris exposcit. Turn Seneca gloriae ,
eius non adversus, simul amore, ne sibi unice dilectam
ad iniurias relinqueret, 'vitae' inquit ' delenimenta. .f'^
monstraveram tibi, tu mortis decus mavis : njojo. jnvidebo
exemplo. Sit huius tarn fortis exitus constantia penes
utrosque par, claritudinis plus in tuo fine'. Post quae
eodem ictu brachia ferro exsolvunt. Seneca, quoniam
senile corpus et parco victu tenuatum lenta effugia san- *
guini praebebat, crurum quoque et p^glitum venas \dr
abrumpit; saevisque cruciatibus defessus, ne dolore suo
soanimum uxoris infringeret atque ipse visendo eius tor-
menta ad inpatientiam delaberetur, suadet in aliud cubi-
TACITUS.
113
'*
culum abscedere. Et novissimo quoque momento sup-
pp.f}]'tfl.Titfl eloquentia -ar) vnfiajjs^ j^nptQTJbug pleraque
^tradidit, quae in vulgus edita eius verbis invertere
supersedeo.
At Nero nullo in Paulinam proprio odio, ac ne gjis- v
ceret invidia crudelitatis, iubet inhiberi mortem. Hor-
tantibus militibus servi libertique obligant brachia,
premunt sanguinem, incertum an ignarae. Nam, ut est
vulgus ad deteriora promptum, non def uere qui crederent, 40
donee implacabilem Neronem timuerit, famam sociatae
cum marito mortis petivisse, deinde joblata mitiore spe
blandimentis vitae evictam; cui addidit paucos postea
annos, laililabili in maritum memoria et ore ac membris
in eum pallorem albentibus, ut ostentui esset multum
vitalis spiritus egestum. Seneca interim, durante tractu
et lentitudine mortis, Statium Annaeum, diu sibi ami-
citiae fide et arte medicinae probatum, orat Jgrov^uim
pridem venenum, quo damnati publico Atheniensium
iudicio extinguerentur, promeret ; adlatumque hausit 50
frustra, frigidus iam artus et cluso corpore adversum
vim veneni. Postremo stagnum calidae aquae introiit,
respergens proximos servorum addita voce, libare se
liquorem ilium lovi liberatori. Exim balneo inlatus et
vapore eius exanimatus, sine ullo funeris sollemni cre-
matur. Ita codicillis praescripserat, cum etiam turn
* praedives et, praepotens supremis suis consuleret. [Ann.
xv. 62.1-Wt
^ ;
(M25)
K
11 4: LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
PLINY THE YOUNGER.
Pliny the younger, like Cicero, with whom in moments of
self-gratification he was fond of comparing himself, was essen-
tially a man of peace : he was adopted by his uncle, the elder
Pliny, whom in ability he undoubtedly surpassed. His life
is especially well known to us, both from allusions in his own
writings and also from inscriptions found at his native place
Novocomum. Born about 62 A.D. he was educated at Kome,
being a pupil of Quintilian and also of Nicetas of Smyrna,
a famous rhetorician of the time. He saw a little military
service in Syria, returned thence and took up the profession
of the bar, and made himself a name as a successful pleader in
the centum viral courts and as an orator in the curia : various
honours fell to his share, as he was quaestor, tribunus plebis,
praetor and consul in 100 A.D. (Cruttwell, Hist. llom. Lit.,
says that this was the second occasion of his holding the con-
sulship, but I have been unable to find his authority for the
statement) : later he was an augur and a legatus Caesaris in
Pontus and Bithynia. He died about 113 A.D.
None of his forensic speeches have come to us, though after
delivery he was wont to publish polished and emended ('re-
tractatas') editions: we do, however, possess the speech in
which he returns thanks to Trajan for his election to the con-
sulship. But Pliny's fame is secure, though it rests entirely
on his letters : these were written with a view to publication,
and are perhaps marked by an excess of self-satisfaction ; but
they are so finished examples of their own special style, so
graphic in narrative, and often of such a delicate humour that
their loss would have been a heavy one for students of Roman
life and Roman literature. In making a selection of a few
letters I have omitted some that are perhaps most familiar,
notably the two dealing with the eruption of Vesuvius; but I
have tried to pick out those which exemplify the characteris-
tics of his style.
PLINY THE YOUNGER.
115
A contrast between the occupations of Rome and literary leisure.
IMirum est quam singulis diebus in urbe ratio aut ^
con^tet aut constare videatur, pluribus cunctaque non rf*^*
constet. Nam si quern interroges 'hodie quid egistiT,
respondeat 'officio togae virilis interfui, sponsalia aut
nuptias frequentavi, ille me ad signandum testamentum,
ille in advocationem, ille in consilium rogavit'. Haec
quo die feceris necessaria, eadem, si cotidie fecisse te
reputes, inania VidenturT multo magis cum secesseris.
Tune enim subit recordatio 'quot dies quam ^frigMis
rebus absumpsi!' Quod evenit mihi, postquam in Lau-io^
rentino meo aut lego aliquid aut scribo aut etiam cor-
pori vaco, cuius fulturis animus sustinetur. Nihil audio
quod audisse, nihil dico quod dixisse paeniteat: nemo
apud me quemquam sinistris sermonibus carpit, neminem
ipse reprehendo, nisi tamen me, cum parum commode
scribo ; nulla spe, nullo timore sollicitor, nullis rumoribus
inquietor: mecum tantum et cum libellis loquor.
rectam sinceramque vitam, o dulce otium honestumque
ac paene omni negotio pulchrius ! mare, o litus, verum
secretumque t^ovye^ai, quam multa invenitis, quam multa2o
dictatis ! Proinde tu quoque strepitum istum inanemque
discursum et multum ineptos labores, ut primum fuerit
occasio, relinque teque studiis vel otio trade. Satius est
enim, ut Atilius noster eruditissime simul et facetissime
dixit, otiosum esse quam nihil agere. Vale. [i. 9.]
II.
A description of Pliny's villa.
Miraris cur me Laurentinum vel, si ita mavis, Laurens
meum tanto opere delectet: desines mirari, cum cogno-
116 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
veris gratiam villae, oportunitatem loci, litoris spatium.
Decem et septem milibus passuum ab urbe secessit, ut
peractis quae agenda fuerint salvo iam et composito die
possis ibi manere. Aditur non una via ; nam et Lauren-
tina et Ostiensis eodem ferunt, sed Laurentina a quarto
decimo lapide, Ostiensis ab undecimo relinquenda est.
Utrimque excipit iter aliqua ex parte harenosum, iunctis
lopaulo gravius et longius, equo breve et molle. Varia
nine atque inde facies : nam modo occurrentibus silvis via
coartatur, modo latissimis pratis difFunditur et patescit;
multi greges ovium, multa ibi equorum bourn armenta,
quae montibus hieme depulsa herbis et tepore verno
nitescunt. Villa usibus capax, non sumptuosa tutela.
Cuius in prima parte atrium frugi nee tamen sordidum,
deinde porticus in D litterae similitudinem circumactae,
quibus parvola sed festiva area includitur. Egregium
hae adversus tempestates receptaculum : nam specularibus
20 ac multo magis imminentibus tectis muniuntur. Est
contra medias cavaedium hilare, mox triclinium satis
pulchrum, quod in litus excurrit, ac si quando Africo
mare inpulsum est, fractis iam et novissimis fluctibus
leviter adluitur. Undique valvas aut fenestras non
minores valvis habet, atque ita a lateribus a fronte quasi
tria maria prospectat; a tergo cavaedium, porticum,
aream, porticum rursus, mox atrium, silvas et longinquos
respicit montes. Huius a laeva retractius paulo cubi-
culum est amplum, deinde aliud minus, quod altera
so f enestra admittit orientem, occidentem altera retinet, hac
et subiacens mare longius quidem sed securius intuetur.
Huius cubiculi et triclini illius obiectu includitur angulus,
qui purissimum solem continet et accendit. Hoc hiber-
naculum, hoc etiam gymnasium meorum est: ibi omnes
silent venti exceptis qui nubilum inducunt et serenum
ante quam usum loci eripiunt. Adnectitur angulo cubi-
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 117
culum in hapsida curvatum, quod ambitum soils fenestris
omnibus sequitur. Parieti eius in bibliothecae speciem
armarium insertum est, quod non legendos libros sed
lectitandos capit. Adhaeret dormitorium membrum4o
transitu interiacente, qui suspensus et tubulatus con-
ceptum vaporem salubri temperamento hue illuc digerit
et ministrat. Eeliqua pars lateris huius servorum liber-
torumque usibus detinetur, plerisque tarn mundis ut acci-
pere hospites possint. Ex alio latere cubiculum est
politissimumj deinde vel cubiculum grande vel modica
cenatio, quae plurimo sole, plurimo mari lucet; posthanc
cubiculum cum procoetone, altitudine aestivum, muni-
mentis hibernum: est enim subductum omnibus ventis.
Huic cubiculo aliud et procoeton communi pariete iun-50
guntur. Inde balnei cella frigidaria spatiosa et effusa,
cuius in contrariis parietibus duo baptisteria velut eiecta
sinuantur, abunde capacia, si mare in proximo cogites.
Adiacet unctorium, hypocauston, adiacet propnigeon
balinei, mox duae cellae magis elegantes quam sumptuosae :
cohaeret calida piscina mirifica, ex qua natantes mare
aspiciunt, nee procul sphaeristerium, quod calidissimo
soli inclinato iam die occurrit. Hie turris erigitur, sub
qua diaetae duae, totidem in ipsa, praeterea cenatio, quae
latissimum mare, longissimum litus, villas amoenissimas GO
prospicit. Est et alia turris: in hac cubiculum, in quo
sol nascitur conditurque : lata post apotheca et horreum :
sub hoc triclinium, quod turbati maris non nisi fragorem
et sonum patitur, eumque iam languidum et desinentem ;
hortum et gestationem videt, qua hortus includitur.
Gestatio buxo aut rore marine, ubi deficit buxus, ambitur :
nam buxus, qua parte defenditur tectis, abunde viret;
aperto caelo apertoque vento et quamquam longinqua
aspergine maris inarescit. Adiacet gestationi interiore
circumitu vinea tenera et umbrosa nudisque etiam pedi- TO
118 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
bus mollis et cedens. Hortum morus et ficus frequens
vestit, quarum arborum ilia vel maxime ferax terra est,
malignior ceteris. Hac non deteriore quam maris facie
cenatio remota a mari fruitur: cingitur diaetis duabus a
tergo, quarum fenestris subiacet vestibulum villae et
hortus alius pinguis et rusticus. Hinc cryptoporticus
prope publici operis extenditur. Utrimque fenestrae,
a mari plures, ab horto pauciores, sed alternis singulae.
Hae, cum serenus dies et inmotus, omnes, cum hinc vel
soinde ventus inquietus, qua venti quiescunt, sine iniuria
patent. Ante cryptoporticum xystus violis odoratus:
teporem solis infusi repercussu cryptoporticus auget,
quae ut tenet solem sic aquilonem inhibet summovetque,
quantumque caloris ante tantum retro frigoris. Similiter
Africum sistit, atque ita diversissimos ventos alium alio
latere frangit et finit. Haec iucunditas eius hieme, maior
aestate. Nam ante meridiem xystum, post meridiem
gestationis hortique proximam partem umbra sua tem-
perat, quae, ut dies crevit decrevitve, modo brevior modo
oolongior hac vel ilia cadit. Ipsa vero cryptoporticus turn
maxime caret sole, cum ardentissimus culmini eius
insistit. Ad hoc patentibus fenestris favonios accipit
transmittitque nee umquam aere pigro et manente ingra-
vescit. In capite xysti deinceps cryptoporticus horti
diaeta est, amores mei ; re vera amores : ipse posui. In
hac heliocaminus quidem alia xystum alia mare utraque
solem, cubiculum autem valvis cryptoporticum, fenestra
prospicit mare. Contra parietem medium zotheca
perquam eleganter recedit, quae specularibus et velis
looobductis reductisve modo adicitur cubiculo modo aufer-
tur. Lectum et duas eathedras capit : a pedibus mare, a
tergo villae, a capite silvae: tot facies locorum totidem
fenestris et distinguit et miscet. lunctum est cubiculum
noctis et somni. Non illud voces servolorum, non maris
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 119
murmur,, non tempestatum motus, non fulgurum lumen
ac ne diem quidem sentit, nisi fenestris apertis. Tarn
alti abditique secreti .ilia ratio, quod interiacens andron
parietem cubiculi hortique distinguit, atque ita omnem
sonum media inanitate consumit. Adplicitum est cubi-
culo hypocauston perexiguum, quod angusta fenestrano
suppositum calorem, ut ratio exigit, aut effundit aut
retinet. Procoeton inde et cubiculum porrigitur in solem,
quern orientem statim exceptum ultra meridiem oblicum
quidem sed tamen servat. In hanc ego diaetam cum me
recepi, abesse mihi etiam a villa mea videor, magnamque
eius voluptatem praecipue Saturnalibus capio, cum re-
liqua pars tecti licentia dierum festisque clamoribus per-
sonat: nam nee ipse meorum lusibus nee illi studiis meis
obstrepunt. Haec utilitas, haec amoenitas deficitur aqua
salienti, sed puteos ac potius f ontes habet : sunt enim in 120
summo. Et omnino litoris illi us mira natura: quo-
cumque loco moveris humum, obvius et paratus umor
occurrit, isque sincerus ac ne leviter quidem tanta maris
vicinitate corruptus. Suggerunt adfatim ligna proximae
silvae: ceteras copias Ostiensis colonia ministrat. Frugi
quidem homini sufficit etiam vicus quern una villa dis-
cernit: in hoc balnea meritoria tria, magna commoditas,
si forte balneum domi vel subitus adventus vel brevior
mora calfacere dissuadeat. Litus ornant varietate gra-
tissima nunc continua nunc intermissa tecta villarum, 130
quae praestant multarum urbium faciem, sive mari sive
ipso litore utare ; quod non numquam longa tranquillitas
mollit, saepius frequens et contrarius fluctus indurat.
Mare non sane pretiosis piscibus abundat, soleas tamen
et squillas optimas egerit. Villa vero nostra etiam medi-
terraneas copias praestat, lac in primis: nam illuc e
pascuis pecora conveniunt, si quando aquam umbramve
sectantur. lustisne de causis iam tibi videor incolere,
120 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
inhabitare, diligere secessum, quern tu nimis urbanus es
140 nisi concupiscis ? Atque utinam concupiscas! ut tot
tantisque dotibus villulae nostrae maxima commendatio
ex tuo contubernio accedat. Vale. [ii. 17.]
Pliny's account of his uncle's method of life.
Pergratum est mihi quod tarn diligenter libros avun- |* f '
culi mei lectitas ut habere omnes velis quaerasque qyui
sint omnes. Fungar injdicis partibus atque etiam quo '
sint ordine scripti notum tibi faciam: est enim haec
quoque studiosis non iniucunda cognitio. 'De jacjjda-
tione equestri unus ' : hunc, cum praef ectus alae militaret,
pari ingenio curaque composuit. 'De vita Pomponi
Secundi duo ' ; a quo singulariter amatus hoc memoriae
amici quasi debitum munus exsolvit. ' Bellorum Ger-
10 maniae viginti ' ; quibus omnia quae cum Germanis gessi-
mus bella collegit. Inchoavit, cum in Ger^nania mili- -
taret, somnio monitus: adstitit ei quiefecentl Drusi
Neronis effigies, qui Germaniae latissime victor ibi periit, I. '
commendabat memoriam suam orabatque ut se ab iniuria
oblivionis adsereret. ' Studiosi tres ', in sex volumina
propter amplitudinem divisi, quibus oratorem ab in-
cunabulis instituit et perficit. ' Dubii sermonis octo ' : - 5 ty**
scripsit sub Nerone novissimis annis, cum omne studio-
rum genus paulo liberius et erectius periculosum servitus
- 2ofecisset. 'A fine Aufidi Bassi triginta unus.' 'IsTaturae
historiarum triginta septem', opus diffusum, eruditum,
nee minus varium quam ipsa natura. Miraris quod tot
volumina multaque in his tarn scrupulosa homo occupatus
absolverit? magis miraberis, si scieris ilium ^aligpamjiu
__ causas actitasse, decessisse anno sexto et quinquagensimo,
\ medium tempus distentum impeditumque qua officiis
PLINY TtfE YOUtfGER. 12 1
maximis qua amicitia principum egisse. Sed erat acre
ingenium, incredibile studium, summa vigilantia. Lucu- s^ v
incipiebat, non auspicandi causa sed
studendi, statim a nocte multa, hieme vero ab horaso
septima, vel cum tardissime, octava, saepe sexta. Erat
/ sane somni paratissimi, non numquam etiam inter ipsa
( studia instantis et deserentis. Ante lucem ibat ad
Vespasianum imperatorem (nam ille quoque noctibus
utebatur), inde ad delegatum sibi omcium. Reversus
domum, quod relicum temporis, studiis reddebat. Post
cibum saepe, quern interdiu levem et facilem veterum
more sumebat, aestate, si quid otii, iacebat in sole, liber
legebatur, adnotabat excerpebatque. Nihil enim legit
quod non excerperet: dicere etiam solebat nullum esse40
librum tarn malum ut non aliqua parte prodesset. Post
solem plerumque frigida lavabatur: deinde gustabat
dormiebatque minimum : mox quasi alio die studebat in
cenae tempus. Super hanc liber legebatur, adnotabatur,
et quidem cursim. Memini quendam ex amicis, cum
lector quaedam peroeram pronuntiasset, revocasse et re- ^
peti coegisse, huic avunculum meum dixisse * intellexeras
nempef cum ille adnuisset, 'cur ergo revocalmsTlIe^em
ampHus versus hac tua interpellatione perdidimus.'
Tanta erat parsimonia temporis. Surgebat aestate a50
-. cena luce, hieme intra primam noctis, et tamquam aliqua
lege cogente. ,Haec inter medios labores urbisque fre-
mitum. In secessu solum balinei tempus studiis gxinie- /
batur: cum dico balinei, de interioribus loquor; nam
dum destringitur tergiturque, audiebat aliquid aut dicta- '
bat. In itinere quasi solutus ceteris curis huic uni vaca-
bat: ad latus notarius cum libro et jmgillaribus, cuius ^
manus hieme manicis muniebantur, ut ne caeli quidem
asperitas ullum studiis tempus eriperet; qua ex causa
Itomae quoque sella vehebatur. |e_p.eto me correptumeo
.'l^Lf.- M
122 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
ab eo cur ambularem : ' poteras ' inquid ' has horas non
perdere'; nam perire omne tempus arbitrabatur quod
studiis non inpenderetur. Hac intentione tot ista volu-
mina peregit &lectorumque commentarios centum sexa-
ginta mihi reliquit, opisthographos quidem et minu- ^ ^^-
tissime scriptos; qua ratione multlplicatur hie numerus.
Referebat ipse potuisse se, cum procuraret in Hispania,
vendere hos commentarios Largio Licino q.ua^nngentis
milibus minimum, et tune aliquanto pauciores erant.
7oNonne videtur tibi recordanti quantum legerit, quantum
scripserit, nee in officiis ullis nee in amicitia principis
fuisse, rursus, cum audis quid studiis laboris inpenderit,
nee scripsisse satis nee legisse 1 Quid est enim quod non
aut illae occupationes inpedire aut haec instantia non
possit efficere 1 ? Itaque soleo ridere, cum me quidam
studiosum vocant, qui, si comparer illi, sum desidiosissi- A '
mus. Ego autem tantum, quern partim publica partim * '
amicorum officia distringunt *? quis ex istis qui tota vita
litteris adsident collatus illi non quasi somno et inertiae
sodeditus erubescat 1 ? Extendi epistulam, cum hoc solum
quod requirebas scribere destinassem, quos libros re-
liquisset: confido tamen haec quoque tibi non minus
grata quam ipsos libros futura, quae te non tantum ad
legendos eos verum etiam ad simile aliquid elaborandum
possunt aemulationis stimulis excitare. Vale. [iii. 5.]
'
A ghost story.
Et mihi discendi et tibi docendi facultatem otium
praebet. Igitur perquam velim scire, esse phantasmata '
et habere propriam figuram numenque aliquod putes an
inania et vana ex metu nostro imaginem accipere. Ego
ut esse credam in primis eo ducor quod audio accidisse
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 123
Curtio Eufo. Tenuis adhuc et obscurus obtinenti Afri-
cam comes haeserat : inclinato die spatiabatur in porticu : ^
offertur ei mulieris figura humana grandior pulchriorque : f
perterrito Africam se, futurorum praenuntiam, dixit;
iturum enim Eomam honoresque gesturum adque etiam 10
cum summo imperio in eandem provinciam reversurum
ibique moriturum. Facta sunt omnia. Praeterea acce-
denti Carthaginem egredientique nave eadem figura in
litore occurrisse narratur. Ipse certe implicitus morbo, /* v
futura praeteritis, adversa secundis auguratus, spem
salutis nullo suorum desperante proiecit. lam illud
nonne et magis terribile et non minus mirum est, quod
exponam ut accepi ? Erat Athenis spatiosa et capax ,vx -
domus, sed infamis et pestilens. Per silentium noctis
sonus ferri, et si attenderes acrius, strepitus vinculorum 20
longius, primo, deinde e proximo reddebatur: mox ap-
parebat idcjon, senex macie et squalore confectus, pro-t
missa barba, horrenti capillo: cruribus compedes, mani- >*- j - x "'
bus catenas gerebat quatiebatque. Inde inhabitantibus
tristes diraeque noctes per metum vigilabantur : vigiliam
morbus et crescente formidine mors sequebatur. Nam
interdiu quoque, quamquam abscesserat imago, memoria
imaginis oculis inerrabat, longiorque causis timoris timor
erat. Deserta inde et damnata solitudine domus totaque
illi monstro relicta; proscribebatur tamen, seu quis emere, sof "
seu quis conducere ignarus tanti mali vellet. Venit
Athenas philosophus Athenodorus, legit titulum, audi-
toque pretio, quia suspecta vilitas, percunctatus, omnia
docetur ac nihilo minus, immo tanto magis conducit.
Ubi coepit advesperascere, iubet sterni sibi prima domus '
parte, poscit pugillares stilum lumen: suos omnes in
interiora dimittit, ipse ad scribendum animum oculos
manum intendit, ne vacua mens audita simulacra et
inanes sibi metus fingeret. Initio, quale ubique, silen-
,r*
124 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
4otium noctis, dein concuti ferrum, vincula moveri: ille
non tollere oculos, non remittere stilum, sed offirmare
animum auribusque praetendere : turn crebrescere fragor,
adventare, et iam ut in limine, iam ut intra limen audiri:
respicit, videt agnoscitque narratam sibi effigiem. Stabat
inuebatque digito, similis vocanti : hie contra ut paulum
exspectaret manu significat rursusque ceris et stilo in-
cumbit: ilia scribentis capiti catenis insonabat: respicit
rursus idem quod prius innuentem, nee moratus tollit ^ ~<s
lumen et sequitur. Ibat ilia lento gradu, quasi gravis
5ovinculis: postquam deflexit in aream domus, repente
dilapsa deserit comitem: desertus herbas et folia con-
cerpta signum loco ponit. Postero die adit magistratus,
monet ut ilium locum effpdi iubeant. Inveniuntur ossa ^\ *f
inserta catenis et implicita, quae corpus aevo terraque ^
putrefactum nuda et exesa reliquerat vinculis collecta u> * > ;
publice sepeliuntur. Domus postea rite conditis mani- ^j^jf
bus caruit. Et haec quidem adfirmantibus credo: illud
adfirmare aliis possum. Est libertus mihi, non in-
litteratus. Cum hoc minor frater eodem lecto quiesce-
co bat. Is visus est sibi cernere quendam in toro resi-
dentem admoventemque capiti suo cultros adque etiam -
ex ipso vertice amputantem capillos. Ubi inluxit, ipse
circa verticem tonsus, capilli iacentes reperiuntur.
Exiguum temporis medium, et rursus simile aliud
' priori fidem fecit. Puer in paedagogio mixtus pluri-
bus dormiebat: venerunt per fenestras (ita narrat) in
tunicis albis duo cubantemque detonderunt, et qua /if*x*
venerant recesserunt. Hunc quoque tonsum sparsosque
circa capillos dies ostendit. Nihil notabile secutum, nisi
To forte quod non fui reus, futurus, si Domitianus, sub quo
haec acciderunt, diutius vixisset. Nam in scrinio eius -U-^*-
datus a Caro de me libellus inventus est; ex quo con-
iectari potest, quia reis moris est summittere capillum, r *1^
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 125
isps meorum capillos depulsi quod imminebat periculi
signum fuisse. ,'Proinde rogo eruditionem tuam intendas.
Digna res est quam diu multumque consideres : ne ego
quidem indignus cui copiam scientiae tuae facias. Licet ' *
etiam utramque in partem, ut soles, disputes, ex altera
tamen fortius, ne me suspens^m incertumque dimittas,
cum mihi consulendi causa fuerit ut dubitare desinerem. so
Vale. [vii. 27.]
V.
A description of the Clitumnus.
Vidistine aliquando Clitumnum f ontem 1 Si nondum T^
(et puto nondum; alioqui narrasses mihi), vide quern ego
(paenitet tarditatis) proxime vidi. Modicus collis ad-
surgit, antiqua cupresso nemorosus et opacus. Hunc
subter exit fons et exprimitur pluribus venis sed impari-
bus, eluctatusque quern facit gurgitem lato gremio pate-
scit purus et vitreus, ut numerare iactas stipes et re- (/p
lucentis calculos possis. Inde non loci devexitate sed
ipsa sui copia et quasi pondere impellitur. Fons adhuc
et iam amplissimum flumen atque etiam navium patiens, 10
quas obvias quoque et contrario nisu in diversa tendentes
transmittit et perfert, adeo validus ut ilia qua properat
ipse, quamquam per solum planum, remis non adiuvetur,
idem aegerrime remis contisque superetur adversus. * '
lucundum utrumque per iocum ludumque fluitantibus,
ut flexerint cursum, laborem otio, otium labore variare.
Ripae* fraxino multa, multa populo vestiuntur, quas
perspicuus amnis ut mersas viridi imagine adnumerat. . >/^~
Rigor aquae certaverit nivibus, nee color cedit. Adiacet
templum priscum et religiosum: stat Clitumnus ipse 20
amictus ornatusque praetexta: praesens numen atque
etiam fatidicum indicant sortes. Sparsa sunt circa sacella '
complura totidemque dii. Sua cuique veneratio, suum
126 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
nomen, quibusdam vero etiam fontes. Nam praeter
ilium quasi parentem ceterorum sunt minores capite dis-
creti; sed flumini miscentur, quod ponte transmittitur.
Is terminus sacri profanique. In superiore parte navi-
gare tantum, infra etiam natare concessum. Balineum
Hispellates, quibus ilium locum divus Augustus dono
so dedit, publice praebent, praebent hospitium. Nee desunt
villae, quae secutae fluminis amoenitatem margini insis-
tunt. In summa, nihil erit ex quo non capias volup-
tatem. Nam studebis quoque; leges multa multorum
omnibus columnis, omnibus parietibus inscripta, quibus
fons ille deusque celebratur. Plura laudabis, nonnulla
ridebis; quamquam tu vero, quae tua humanitas, nulla
ridebis. Vale. [viii. 8.]
VI.
A n overflow of the Tiber.
Num istic quoque inmite et turbidum caelum? Hie
adsiduae tempestates et crebra diluvia. Tiberis alveum
excessit et demissioribus ripis alte superfunditur. Quam-
quam fossa quam providentissimus imperator fecit ex-
haustus, premit valles, innatat campis, quaque planum
solum, pro solo cernitur. Inde quae solet flumina acci-
pere et permixta devehere velut obvius sistere cogit,
atque ita alienis aquis operit agros quos ipse non tangit.
Anio, delicatissimus amnium ideoque adiacentibus villis
10 velut invitatus retentusque, magna ex parte nemora
quibus inumbratur fregit et rapuit: subruit montes et
decidentium mole pluribus locis clausus, dum amissum
iter quaerit, impulit tecta ac se super ruinas eiecit atque
extulit. Viderunt quos excelsioribus terris ilia tempestas
deprehendit alibi divitum apparatus et gravem supellec-
tilem, alibi instrumenta ruris, ibi boves aratra rectores,
hie soluta et libera armenta, atque inter haec arborum
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 127
truncos aut villarum trabes, varie lateque fluitantia. Ac
ne ilia quidem malo vacaverunt quae non ascendit amnis.
Nam pro amne imber adsiduus et deiecti nubibus tur-2o
bines, proruta opera quibus pretiosa rura cinguntur,
quassata atque etiam decussa monimenta. Multi eius-
modi casibus debilitati, obruti, obtriti, et aucta luctibus
damna. Ne quid simile istic pro mensura periculi vereor
teque rogo, si nihil tale, quam maturissime sollicitudini
meae consulas, sed et si tale, id quoque nunties. Nam
paulum differt patiaris adversa an exspectes; nisi quod
tamen est dolendi modus, non est timendi. Doleas enim
quantum scias accidisse, timeas quantum possit accidere.
Yale. [viii. 17.] so
The fame of Pliny and Tacitus.
Frequenter flgeati mihi evenit ut cfinjjjuiPidri, cum diu
se intra iudicum auctoritatem gravitatemque tenuissent,
omnes repente quasi victi coactique consurgerent lauda-
rentque; frequenter e senatu famam, qualem maxime
optaveram, rettuli : numquam tamen maiorem cepi volup-
tatem, quam nuper ex sermone Corneli Taciti. Narra-
bat sedisse se cum quodam Circensibus proximis : hunc
post varios eruditosque sermones requisisse ' Italicus es
an provincialis V se respondisse * nosti me, et quidem ex
studiis.' Ad hoc ilium 'Tacitus es an Pliniusf Expri-io
mere non possum quam sit iucundum mihi quod nomina
nostra, quasi litterarum propria, non hominum, litteris
redduntur, quod uterque nostrum his etiam ex studiis
notus quibus aliter ignotus est. Accidit aliud ante pau-
culos dies simile. Recumbebat mecum vir egregius,
Fabius Rufinus, super eum municeps ipsius, qui illo die
primum venerat in urbem; cui Rufinus, demonstrans me,
'vides hunc?' Multa deinde de studiis nostris. Et ille
128 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
'Plinius est' inquit. Yerum fatebor, capio magnum
20 laboris mei fructum. An, si Demosthenes iure laetatus
est quod ilium anus Attica . ita noscitavit, o5r6s &m Ai?-
noff84n)s, ego celebritate nominis mei gaudere non debeo 1 ?
Ego vero et gaudeo et gaudere me dico. Neque enim
vereor ne iactantior videar, cum de me aliorum iudicium,
non meum profero, praesertim apud te, qui nee ullius
invides laudibus et faves nostris. Vale. [ix. 23.]
VIII.
A description of Trajan's entry into Rome.
Ac primum, qui dies ille quo expectatus desideratusque
urbem tuam ingressus es! lam hoc ipsum, quod in-
gressus es, quam mirum laetumque ! Nam priores invehi
et inportari solebant, non dico quadriiugo curru et al-
bentibus equis, sed umeris hominum, quod adrogantius
erat. Tu sola corporis proceritate elatior aliis et excel-
sior, non de patientia nostra quendam triumphum, sed
de superbia principum egisti. Ergo non aetas quem-
quam, non valetudo, non sexus retardavit quo minus
looculos insolito spectaculo impleret. Te parvuli noscere,
ostentare iuvenes, mirari senes; aegri quoque neglecto
medentium imperio ad conspectum tui, quasi ad salutem
sanitatemque prorepere. Inde alii se satis vixisse te
viso, te recepto, alii nunc magis esse vivendum praedica-
bant. Feminas etiam tune fecunditatis suae maxima
voluptas subiit, cum cernerent cui principi cives, cui im-
peratori milites peperissent. Videres referta tecta ac
laborantia, ac ne eum quidem vacantem locum qui non
nisi suspensum et instabile vestigium caperet, oppletas
2oundique vias angustumque tramitem relictum tibi, ala-
crem hinc atque inde populum, ubique par gaudium
paremque clamorem. Tam aequalis ab omnibus ex ad-
PLINY THE YOUNGER. 129
ventu tuo laetitia percepta est quam omnibus venisti:
quae tamen ipsa cum ingressu tuo crevit ac prope in
singulos gradus adaucta est. Gratum erat cunctis quod
'senatum osculo exciperes, ut dimissus osculo fueras,
gratum quod equestris ordinis decora honore nominum
sine monitore signares, gratum quod tantum non ultro
clientibus salutatis quasdam familiaritatis notas adderes;
gratius tamen quod sensim et placide, et quantum respec- so
tantium turba pateretur, incederes, quod occursantium
populus te quoque, te immo maxime artaret, quod primo
statim die latus tuum crederes omnibus. Neque enim
stipatus satellitum manu, sed circumfusus undique nunc
senatus nunc equestris ordinis flore, prout alterutrum
frequentiae genus invaluisset, silentes quietosque lictores
tuos subsequebare : nam milites nihil a plebe habitu tran-
quillitate modestia differebant. Ubi vero coepisti Capi-
tolium ascendere, quam laeta omnibus adoptionis tuae
recordatio ! Quam peculiare gaudium eorum qui te primi 40
eodem loco salutaverant imperatorem! Quin etiam
deum ipsum tune praecipuam voluptatem operis sui per-
cepisse crediderim. Ut quidem isdem vestigiis institisti
quibus parens tuus ingens illud deorum prolaturus ar-
canum, quae circumstantium gaudia! quam recens clamor,
quam similis illi dies qui hunc genuit diem! ut plena
altaribus, angusta victimis cuncta! ut in unius salutem
collata omnium vota ! cum sibi se ac liberis suis intelle-
gerent precari quae pro te precarentur. Inde tu in
palatium quidem, sed eo vultu, ea moderatione, ut si so
privatam domum peteres; ceteri ad penates suos quisque,
iteraturus gaudii fidem, ubi nulla necessitas gaudendi est.
Onerasset alium eius modi introitus ; tu cotidie admira-
bilior et melior, talis denique quales alii principes futures
se tantum pollicentur. Solum ergo te commendat auget-
que temporis spatium. lunxisti enim ac miscuisti res
( M 25 ) L
130 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
diversissimas, securitatem olim imperantis et incipientis
pudorem. Non tu civium amplexus ad pedes tuos de-
primis nee osculum manu reddis : manet imperatori quae
eo prior oris humanitas. Incedebas pedibus ; incedis : laeta-
baris labore; laetaris: eadem quae omnia ilia circa te
nihil in ipso te f ortuna mutavit. Liberum est ingrediente
per publicum principe subsistere, occurrere, comitari,
praeterire: ambulas inter nos, non quasi contingas; et
copiam tui, non ut imputes, facis. Haeret lateri tuo
quisquis accessit, finemque sermoni suus cuique pudor,
non tua superbia facit. Kegimur quidem a te et subiecti
tibi, sed quemadmodum legibus sumus. Nam et iliac
cupiditates nostras libidinesque moderantur, nobiscum
70 tamen et inter nos versantur. Emines, excellis ut honor,
ut potestas, quae super homines quidem, hominum sunt
tamen. Ante te principes fastidio nostri et quodam
aequalitatis metu usum pedum amiserant. Illos ergo
umeri cervicesque servorum super ora nostra, te fama, te
gloria, te civium pietas, te libertas super ipsos principes
vehunt; te ad sidera tollit humus ista communis et con-
fusa principis vestigia. [Panegyric, 22-24.]
SUETONIUS. 131
SUETONIUS.
It is difficult to determine the exact date of either Suetonius'
birth or death (Teuffel suggests for the former 75 A.D., for the
latter 160), but his literary life may be regarded as belonging
to the second century A.D., the lives of the twelve Caesars being
published A.D. 120. He began his career as an advocate in the
time of Trajan, and then took to literature, and was Hadrian's
private secretary (epistularum magister); afterwards he re-
signed the post and betook himself to the writing of books, all
of which are almost entirely lost, except the important life of
the Caesars, and a small portion of the ' Viri Illustres ', a work
intended to chronicle the performances of Roman writers in
the various branches of literature (we possess a portion of De
Grammaticis and a very fragmentary De Rhetoribus). In
Roth's edition are also to be found the remains of various lost
books, some of which prove that Suetonius wrote in Greek as
well as in Latin.
The Life of the Caesars has of course made him famous. It
is no way an ideal biography, as there is little attention paid
to chronology, and, while there is a monotony of arrangement,
the various subjects are often treated most disproportionately.
No detail, however objectionable, is omitted, and Suetonius
seems to have been an indefatigable collector of other people's
opinions and scandalous stories about the Emperors. Nor
again in the character drawing does he possess any breadth of
treatment, or show any real power of psychological analysis.
Despite these drawbacks we should be, in our knowledge
of social life under the empire, much to seek had we not
Suetonius, as he is to some extent the Herodotus of the early
empire. His prose, though Pliny calls him a grammarian and
philologist, would not have satisfied classical purists : like
Tacitus, he appropriated many Greek and poetical constructions,
but he goes beyond him in admitting into his sentences many
Greek words. Moreover, though by intention straightforward,
he often risks his lucidity in aiming at brevity, and was, in-
deed, not infrequently an example of Horace's 'brevisjesse
.borOj obscurusjfio '.
LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
:, X
Death of Julius Caesar.
Ob haec simul et ob infirmamvalitudinem din cunctatus,
an se contineret et quae apud senatum proposuerat agere
differret, tandem Decimo Bruto adhortante, ne frequentis
(' ac iam dudum opperientis destitueret, quinta fere hora
progressus est libellumque insidiarum indicem, ab obvio
quodam porrectum, libellis ceteris, quos sinistra manu
\ r tcnebat quasi mox lecturus, commiscuit. Dem pluribus
liostiis caesis, cum litare non posset, introiit curiam spreta
rcligione Spurinnamque irridens et ut falsum arguens,
10 quod sine ulla sua noxa Idus Martiae adessent: quam-
quam is venisse quidem eas diceret, sed non praeterisse. ,
Assidentem conspirati specie omen circumsteterunt ; ili- ,> '
coque Cimber Tillius, qui primas partes susceperat, quasi ^
aliquid rogaturus propius accessit, renuentique et gestu
in aliud tempus difFerenti ab utroque umero togam adpre-
hendit; deinde clamantem: Ista quidem vis est, alter e
Cascis aversum vulnerat, paulum infra iugulum. Caesar i *
Cascae brachium arreptum graphic traiecit, conatusque n
prosilire alio vulnere tardatus est; utque animadvertit
2oundique se strictis pugionibus peti, toga caput obvolvit, *'if
simul sinistra manu sinum ad ima crura deduxit, quo
honestius caderet etiam inferiore corporis parte velata. M^ 4 ^
-^ Atque ita tribus et viginti plagis confossus est, uno modo -
ad primum ictum gemitu sine voce eclito ; etsi tradiderurit
v '\ quidam Marco Bruto irruenti dixisse: Kcu av TKVOV,
Exanimis, diffugientibus cunctis, aliquandiu iacuit, donee
lecticae impositum, dependente brachio, tres seryoli ^'^
domum retulerunt. Nee in tot vulneribus, ut Antistius
medicus existimabat, letale ullum repertum est, nisi quod
sosecundo loco in pectore acceperat.
\ Fuerat animus coniuratis corpus occisi in Tiberim
'
SUETONIUS. 133
trahere, bona publicare, acta rescindere, sed metu Marci
Antoni consulis et magistri equitum Lepidi destiterunt.
Postulante ergo Lucio Pisone socero testamentum eius
aperitur recitaturque in Antoni domo, quod Idibus Sep-
tembribus proximis in Lavicano suo fecerat demandave- L*x
ratque virgini Vestali maximae. Quintus Tubero tradit, '
heredem ab eo scribi solitum ex consulatu ipsius primo
usque ad initium civilis belli Cn. Pompeium, idque mili-
tibus pro contione recitatum. Sed novissimo testamento 40
tres instituit heredes sororum nepotes, Gaium Octavium
ex dodrante, et Lucium Pinarium et Quintum Pedium ex
quadrante reliquo; in ima cera Gaium Octavium etiam
in f amiliam nomenque adoptavit ; plerosque percussorum * -'
in tutoribus fili, si qui sibi nasceretur, nominavit, Decimum
Brutum etiam in secundis heredibus. Populo hortos circa
Tiberim publice, et viritim trecenos sestertios legavit.
Funere indicto rogus exstructus est in Martio campo
iuxta luliae tumulum et pro rostris aurata aedes ad simu-
lacrum templi Veneris Genetricis collocata; intraqueso
lectus eburneus auro ac purpura stratus, et ad caput
tropaeum cum veste, in que fuerat occisus. Praeferen-
tibus munera, quia suffe.cturus dies non videbatur, prae-
ceptum, ut omisso ordine, quibus quisque vellet itineribus
urbis, portaret in Campum. Inter ludos cantata sunt
quaedam ad miserationem et invidiam caedis eius accom-
modata ex Pacuvi Armorum iudicio :
Lien servasse, ut essent qui me perderent?
et ex Electra Atili ad similem sententiam. Laudationis
loco consul Antonius per praeconem pronuntiavit senatus
consultum, quo omnia simul ei divina atque humana de-
creverat, item ius iurandum, quo se cuncti pro salute
unius astrinxerant; quibus perpauca a se verba addidit.
Lectum pro rostris in forum magistratus et honoribus
134 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
functi detulerunt. Quern cum pars in Capitolini lovis
\ C/^ cejja cremare pars in curia Pompei destinaret, repente
J l>*^ duo quidam, gladiis succincti ac bina iacula gestantes,
\ ^ , ardentibus cereis succenderunt, confestimque circumstan-
tium turba virgulta arida et cum subselliis tribunalia,
To quicquid praeterea ad donum aderat, congessit. Deinde
tibicines et scenicijirtinces vestem, quam ex triumphorum
instrumento ad praesentem usum induerant, detractam
sibi atque discissam iniecere flammae, et veteranorum
militum legionarii arma sua, quibus exculti funus cele-
brabant; matronae etiam pleraeque ornamenta sua, quae
gerebant, et liberorum bullas atque praetextas. \Div.
Jul 81-84.]
II.
I
Appearance and habits of Augustus.
Cibi (nam ne haec quidem omiserim) minimi erat atque
vulgaris fere. Secundarium panem et pisciculos minutos ^s
et caseum bubulum manu pressum et ficos virides biferas^A J \1
^ maxime appetebat ; vescebaturque et ante caenam quo- x
cumque tempore et loco, quo stomachus desiderasset.
Verba ipsius ex epistolis sunt: Nos in essedo panem et
palmulas gustavimus. Et iterum : Dum lectica ex regia
domumredeo, panis unciam cum paucis acinis uvae duratinaelljV^
comedi. Et rursus : Ne ludaeus quidem, mi Tiberi, tarn dili- h
wgenter sabbatis ieiunium servat quam ego hodie servavi, qui in ( +)*\
balineo demum post horam primam noctis duas bucceas mandu- >-"U
cam prius quam ungui inciperem. Ex hac inobservantia
nonnumquam vel ante initumvel post dimissum convivium
solus caenitabat, cum pleno convivio nihil tangeret. Vini
quoque natura parcissimus erat. Non amplius ter bibere
eum solitum super caenam in castris apud Mutinam,
Cornelius Nepos tradit. Postea quotiens largissime se
invitaret, senos sextantes non excessit, aut si excessisset.
SUETONIUS. 135
reiciebat. Et maxime delectatus est Eaetico, neque
temere interdiu bibit. Pro potione sumebat perfusumso
aqua frigida panem, aut cucumeris frustum vel lactuculae
Ajp+i thyrsum, aut recens aridumve pomum suci vinosioris. (*J V
Post cibum meridianum, ita ut vestitus calciatusque i L ./j
erat, retectis pedibus paulisper conquiescebat, opposita '
ad oculos manu. A caena in lecticulam se lucubratoriam ^^jr^^
recipiebat; ibi, donee residua diurni actus aut omnia aut
ex maxima parte conficeret, ad multam noctem permane-
bat. In lectum inde transgressus, non amplius cum
plurimum quam septem horas dormiebat, ac ne eas qui-
dem continuas, sed ut in illo temporis spatio ter aut so
M-d**" quater expergisceretur. Si interruptum somnum recipe-
rare, ut evenit, non posset, lectoribus aut fabulatoribus
arcessitis resumebat, producebatque ultra primam saepe
lucem. Nee in tenebris vigilavit umquam nisi assidente
\fJ^^\ aliquo. Matutina vigilia ofFendebatur; ac si vel officii
vel sacri causa maturius evigilandum esset, ne id contra
commodum faceret, in proximo cuiuscumquedomesticorum
caenaculo manebat. Sic quoque saepe indigens somni, et
dum per vicos deportaretur et deposita lectica inter aliquas
moras condormiebat. 40
Forma fuit eximia et per omnes aetatis gradus venus- , . - ' {- *'
tissima; quamquam et omnis lenocinii neglegens et in
capite comendo tarn incuriosus, ut raptim compluribus
simul tonsoribus operam daret, ac modo tonderet modo
raderet barbam, eoque ipso tempore aut legeret aliquid
aut etiam scriberet. Vultu erat vel in sermone vel tacitus
adeo tranquillo serenoque, ut quidam e primoribus Galli-
arum confessus sit inter suos, eo se inhibitum ac remolli-
tum, quo minus, ut destinarat, in transitu Alpium per
simulationem conloquii propius admissus, in precipitium so
propelleret. Oculos habuit claros ac nitidos, quibus etiam
existimari volebat inesse quiddam divini vigoris, gaude-
136 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
batque, si qui sibi acrius contuenti quasi ad fulgorem
solis vultum summitteret; sed in senecta sinistro minus
vidit; dentes raros et exiguos et scabros; capillum leviter
inflexum et subflavum; supercilia coniuncta; mediocres
aures ; nasum et a summo eminentiorem et ab imo deduc-
tiorem; colorem inter aquilum candidumque ; staturam
brevem, (quam tamen, lulius Marathus, libertus et a
eomemoria eius, quinque pedum et dodrantis fuisse tradit)
sed quae commoditate et aequitate membrorum occulere-
tur, ut nonnisi ex comparatione astantis alicuius proceri-
oris intellegi posset. \Dw. Aug. 76-79.]
III.
Tiberius behaviour on his accession.
Excessum Augiisti non prius palam fecit, quam Agrippa
iuvene interempto. Hunc tribunus militum custos appo-
situs occidit, lectis codicillis, quibus ut id faceret iubebatur;
quos codicillos dubium fuit, Augustusne moriens reliquis-
set, quo materiam tumultus post se subduceret; an nomine
Augusti Livia et ea conscio Tiberio an ignaro, dictasset.
Tiberius renuntianti tribune, factum esse quod imperasset,
neque imperasse se et reddituruin eum senatui rationem respon-
dit, invidiam scilicet in praesentia vitans. Nam mox
10 silentio rem obliteravit. lure autem tribuniciae potestatis
coacto senatu inchoataque adlocutione, derepente velut
impar dolori congemuit, utque non solum vox sed et
spiritus deficeret optavit ac perlegendum librum Druso
filio tradidit. Inlatum deinde Augusti testamentum, non
admissis signatoribus nisi senator!! ordinis, ceteris extra
curiam signa agnoscentibus, recitavit per libertum. Tes-
tament! initium fuit: Quoniam atrox fortuna Gaium et
Lucium filios mihi eripuit, Tiberius Caesar mihi ex parte
dimidia et sextante heres esto. Quo et ipso aucta suspitio
SUETONIUS. 137
est opinantium, successorem ascitum eum necessitate 20
magis quam iudicio, quando ita praefari non abstinuerit.
Principatum, quamvis neque occupare confestim neque
agere dubitasset, et statione militum, hoc est vi et specie
dominationis assumpta, diu tamen recusavit, impudentis-
simo mimo mine adhortantis amicos increpans ut ignaros,
quanta bellua esset imperium, nunc precantem senatum et
procumbentem sibi ad genua ambiguis responsis et callida
cunctatione suspendens ; ut quidam patientiam rumperent
atque unus in tumultu proclamaret : Aut agat, aut desistatf
alter coram exprobraret, ceteros, quod polliciti sint tardeso
praestare, sed ipsum, quod praestet tarde polliceri. Tan-
dem quasi coactus, et querens miseram et onerosam iniungi
sibi servitutem, recepit imperium ; nee tamen aliter, quam
ut depositurum se quandoque spem faceret. Ipsius verba
sunt: Dum veniam ad id tempus, quo vobis aequum possit
videri dare vos aliquam seneduti meae requiem.
Cunctandi causa erat metus undique imminentium
discriminum, ut saepe lupum se auribus tenere diceret.
Nam et servus Agrippae Clemens nomine non contem-
nendam manum in ultionem domini compararat, et L. 40
Scribonius Libo vir nobilis res novas clam moliebatur, et
duplex seditio militum in Illyrico et in Germania exorta
est. Flagitabant ambo exercitus multa extra ordinem,
ante omnia ut aequarentur stipendio praetorianis. Ger-
maniciani quidem etiam principem detractabant non a se
datum, summaque vi Germanicum, qui turn iis praeerat,
ad capessendam rem p. urgebant, quamquam obfirmate
resistentem. Quern maxime casum timens, partes sibi
quas senatui liberet, tuendas in re p. depoposcit, quando
universae sufficere solus nemo posset, nisi cum altero vel etiam 50
cum pluribus. Simulavit et valitudinem, quo aequiore
animo Germanicus celerem successionem vel certe socie-
tatem principatus opperiretur. Compositis seditionibus
138 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
Clementem quoque, fraude deceptum, redegit in potesta-
tem. Libonem, ne quid in novitate acerbius fieret,
secundo demum anno in senatu coarguit, medio temporis
spatio tantum cavere contentus; nam et inter pontifices
sacrificanti simul pro secespita plumbeum cultrum subi-
ciendum curavit, et secretum petenti nonnisi adhibito
eo Druso filio dedit, dextramque obambulantis veluti incum-
bens, quoad perageretur sermo, continuit.
Verum liberatus metu, civilem admodum inter initia
ac paulo minus quam privatum egit. Ex plurimis maxi-
misque honoribus praeter paucos et modicos non recepit.
Natalem suum, plebeis incurrentem circensibus, vix unius
bigae adiectione honorari passus est. Templa, flamines,
sacerdotes decerni sibi prohibuit, etiam statuas atque
imagines nisi permittente se poni: permisitque ea sola
conditione, ne inter simulacra deorum sed inter ornamenta
70 aedium ponerentur. Intercessit et quo minus in acta sua
iuraretur, et ne mensis September Tiberius, October Livius
vocarentur. Praenomen quoque imperatoris cognomenque
patris patriae, et civicam in vestibule coronam recusavit;
ac ne Augusti quidem nomen, quamquam hereditarium,
ullis nisi ad reges ac dynastas epistolis addidit. Nee
amplius quam mox tres consulatus, unum paucis diebus,
alterum tribus mensibus, tertium absens usque in Idus
Maias gessit. [Tib. 2-4-26.]
f>
IV. fc ^
The cruelty of Caligula.
Saevitiam ingenii per haec maxime ostendit. Cum ad
saginam ferarum muneri praeparatarum carius pecudes U
compararentur, ex noxiis laniandos adnotavit et custodi- $^ *
arum seriem recognoscens, nullius inspecto elogio, stans ,y
tantum modo intra porticum mediam, a calvo ad calvum \ **
SUETONIUS. 139
duel imperavit. Votum exegit ab eo, qui pro salute sua
gladiatoriam operam promiserat, spectavitque ferro dimi-
cantem, nee dimisit nisi victorem et post multas preces.
Alterum, qui se periturum ea de causa voverat, cunctan-
tem pueris tradidit; verbejiatum infulatumque
reposcentes per vicos agerent, quoad praecipitaretur ex
aggere. Multos honesti ordinis, deformatos prius stig-
matum notis, ad metalla. et munitiones viarum aut ad
bestias condemnavit, aut bestiarum more quadripedes
cavea coercuit, aut medios sejra dissecuit; nee omnes
gravibus ex causis, verum male de munere suo opinatos,
vel quod numquam per genium suum deiecassent. Par-
entes supplicio filiorum interesse cogebat; quorum uni
valitudinem excusanti leeticam misit, alium a spectaculo
poenae epulis statim adhibuit atque omni comitate ad 20
hilaritatem et iocos provocavit. Curatorem munerum ac
venationum, per continues dies in conspectu suo catenis
verberatum, non prius occidit quam offensus putrefacti
cerebri odore. Atellanae poetam ob ambigui ioci versi-
culum media amphitheatri harena igni cremavit. Equitem
R. obiectum feris, cum se innocentem proclamasset, re-
duxit, abscisaque lingua rursus induxit. Revocatum
quendam a vetere exilio sciscitatus, quidnam ibi facere
consuesset, respondente eo per adulationem: Deos semper
oravi ut, quod evenit, periret Tiberius, et tu imperares, opinans so
sibi quoque exules suos mortem imprecari, misit circum > .^ ,
insulas, qui universos contrucidarent. Cum discerpi V ^>f" " '
senatorem concupisset, subornavit, qui ingredientem cu
riam repente hostem publicum appellantes invaderent,
grapjiisque confossum lacerandum ceteris traderent; nee
ante satiatus est quam membra et artus et viscera hominis
tracta per vicos atque ante se congesta vidisset. Imma- Vy^
nissima facta augebat atrocitate verborum. Nihil magis
in natura sua laudare se ac probare dicebat quam, ut
140 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
4oipsius verbo utar, a8iaTpe\f/iai> (hoc est inverecundiam).
Monenti Antoniae aviae tamquam parum esset non oboe-
dire : Memento ait omnia mihi et in omnis licere ! Trucida-
turus fratrem, quern metu venenorum praemuniri medica-
mentis suspicabatur : Antidotum inquit adversus Caesarem?
Relegatis sororibus non solum insulas habere se, sed etiam
gladios minabatur. Praetorium virum ex secessu Anti-
cyrae, quam valitudinis causa petierat, propagari sibi
commeatum saepius desiderantem cum mandasset in-
terimi, adiecit, necessariam esse sanguinis missionem, cui tarn
50 diu non prodesset elleborum. Decimo quoque die numerum
puniendorum ex custodia subscribers, rationem se purgare
dicebat. Gallis Graecisque aliquot uno tempore condem-
natis, gloriabatur, Gallograeciam se subegisse. Non temere
in quemquam nisi crebris et minutis ictibus animadvert!
passus est, perpetuo notoque iam praecepto : Ita feri ut
se mori sentiatf Punito per errorem nominis alio quam
quern destinaverat, ipsum quoque paria meruisse dixit.
Tragicum illud subinde iactabat:
Oderint, dum metuant !
soSaepe in cunctos pariter senatores, ut Seiani clientis, ut
matris ac fratrum suorum delatores, invectus est, prolatis
libellis, quos crematos simulaverat, defensaque Tiberi
saevitia quasi necessaria, cum tot criminantibus creden-
dum esset. Equestrem ordinem ut scaenae harenaeque
devotum assidue proscidit. Infensus turbae faventi ad-
versus studium suum, exclamavit: Utinam P. E. unam
cervicem haberet! Cumque Tetrinius latro postularetur, et
qui postularent, Tetrinios esse ait. Eetiiirii tunicati quinque
numero gregatim dimicantes sine certamine ullo totidem
70 secutpribus succubuerant ; cum occidi iuberentur, unus
resumpta fuscina omnes victores interemit: hanc ut
crudelissimam caedem et deflevit edicto et eos, qui spec-
SUETONIUS. 141
tare sustinuissent, execratus est. Queri etiam palam de ^~^^
conditione temporum suorum solebat, quod nullis calami-
tatibus publicis insignirentur; Augusti principatum clade M^****
Variana, Tiberi ruina spectaculorum apud Fidenas memo- w
rabilem factum, suo oblivionem imminere prosperitate ^
rerum; atque identidem exercituum caedes, famem, pes- e
tilentiam, incendia, hiatum aliquem terrae optabat. [G.
Caligula, 27-31.]
Nero's passionate devotion to the circus and singing.
Cum magni aestimaret cantare etiam Romae, Neroneum
agona ante praestitutam diem revocavit, flagitantibusque
cunctis caelestem vocem respondit quidem in hortis se
copiam volentibus facturum, sed adiuvante vulgi preces
etiam statione militum, quae tune excubabat, repraesen-
taturum se pollicitus est libens ; ac sine mora nomen suum
in albo profitentium citharoedorum iussit ascribi, sorticu-
laque in urnam cum ceteris demissa, intravit ordine suo,
simul praef ecti praetorii citharam sustinentes, post tribuni
militum, iuxtaque amicorum intimi. Utque constitit, 10
peracto principio, Niobam se cantaturum per Cluvium
Rufum consularem pronuntiavit et in horam fere decimam
perseveravit, coronamque earn et reliquam certaminis
partem in annum sequentem distulit, ut saepius canendi
occasio esset. Quod cum tardum videretur, non cessavit
identidem se publicare. Dubitavit etiam an privatis
spectaculis operam inter scenicos daret, quodam prae-
torum sestertium decies offerente. Tragoedias quoque
cantavit personatus, heroum deorumque item heroidum
ac dearum personis effectis ad similitudinem oris sui et2o
feminae, prout quamque diligeret. Inter cetera cantavit
Canacen parturientem, Oresten matricidam, Oedipodem
excaecatum, Herculem insanum. In qua fabula fama est,
142 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
tirunculum militem positum ad custodiam aditus, cum
eum ornari ac vinciri catenis, sicut argumentum postu-
labat, videret, accurrisse ferendae opis gratia.
Equorum studio vel praecipue ab ineunte aetate fla-
gravit, plurimusque illi sermo, quamquam vetaretur, de
circensibuserat; et quondam tractum prasinum agitatorem
so inter condiscipulos querens, obiurgante paedagogo, de
Hectore se loqui ementitus est. Sed cum inter initia
imperii eburneis quadrigis cotidie in abaco luderet, ad
omnis etiam minimos circenses e secessu commeabat,
primo clam, deinde propalam; ut nemini dubium esset,
eo die utique affuturum. Neque dissimulabat velle se
palmarum numerum ampliare; quare spectaculum multi-
plicatis missibus in serum protrahebatur, ne dominis
quidem iam factionum dignantibus nisi ad totius diei
cursum greges ducere. Mox et ipse aurigare atque etiam
4ospectari saepius voluit, positoque in hortis inter servitia
et sordidam plebem rudimento, universorum se oculis in
circo maximo praebuit, aliquo liberto mittente mappam
unde magistratus solent. Nee contentus harum artium
experimenta Romae dedisse, Achaiam, ut diximus, petit,
hinc maxime motus: instituerant civitates, apud quas
musici agones edi solent, omnes citharoedorum coronas
ad ipsum mittere. Eas adeo grate recipiebat, ut legates,
qui pertulissent, non modo primes admitteret, sed etiam
familiaribus epulis interponeret. A quibusdam ex his
sorogatus ut cantaret super caenam, exceptusque effusius,
solos scire audire Graecos, solosque se et studiis suis dignos ait.
Nee profectione dilata, ut primum Cassiopen traiecit,
statim ad aram lovis Casii cantare auspicatus, certamina
deinceps obiit omnia. Nam et quae diversissimorum
temporum sunt, cogi in unum annum, quibusdam etiam
iteratis, iussit, et Olympiae quoque praeter consuetu-
dinem musicum agona commisit. Ac ne quid circa haec
SUETONIUS. 143
occupatum avocaret detineretve, cum praesentia eius
urbicas res egere a liberto Helio admoneretur, rescripsit
his verbis : eo
Quamvis nunc tuum consilium sit et votum celeriter reverti
me, tamen suadere et optare potius debes, ut Nerone dignus
revertar. [Nero, 21-23.]
^r*
VI. U.l^V^
Death of Nero.
Nuntiata interim etiam ceterorum exercituum defec-
tione, litteras prandenti sibi redditas concerpsit, mensam
subvertit, duos scyphos gratissimi usus, quos Homerios
a caelatura carminum Homeri vocabat, solo inlisit, ac
sumpto a Locusta veneno et in auream pyxidem condito,
transiit in hortos Servilianos, ubi, praemissis libertorum
fidissimis Ostiam ad classem praeparandam, tribunes cen-
turionesque praetorii de fugae societate temptayit. Sed
partim tergive^santibus, partim aperte detrectantibus,
uno vero etiam proclamante : Usque adeone mori miserum 10
est? varie agitavit, Parthosne an Galbam supplex peteret,
an atratus prodiret in publicum proque rostris quanta
maxima posset miseratione veniam praeteritorum pre-
caretur, ac ni flexisset animos, vel Aegypti praefecturam
concedi sibi oraret. Inventus est postea in scrinio eius /
hac de re sermo formatus; sed deterritum putant, ne
prius quam in forum perveniret discerperetur. ^w*-*- ")*" (^
Sic cogitatione in posterum diem dilata, ad mediam
fere noctem excitatus, ut comperit stationem militum
reces^sisse, prosiluit e lecto misitque circum amicos, etso
quia nihil a quoquam renuntiabatur, ipse cum paucis
hospitia singulorum adiit. Verum clausis omnium f oribus,
respondente nullo, in cubiculum rediit, unde iam et cus-
todes difFugerant, direptis etiam stragulis, amota et -
144: LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
pyxide veneni; ac statim Spiculum -mirmillonem
quemlibet alium percussorem, cuius manu periret, re-
quisiit, et nemine reperto, Ergo egOj inquit, nee amicum
liabeo nee inimicum? procurritque, quasi praecipitaturus
se in Tiberim. Sed revocato rursus impetu, aliquid
so secretions latebrae ad colligendum animum desideravit,
et offerente Phaonte liberto suburbanum suum inter
Salariam et Nomentanam viam circa quartum miliarium,
ut erat nudo pede atque tunicatus, paenulam obsoleti
^k ***+ colpris superinduit, adopertoque capite et ante faciem
\ i.. *-^ ? *optento sudario equum inscendit, quattuor solis comitan-
tibus, inter quos et Sporus erat. Statimque tremore
terrae et fulgure adverse pavefactus, audiit e proximis 1
castris clamorem militum et sibi adversa et Galbae pros-
pera ominantium, etiam ex obviis viatoribus quendam
40 dicentem : Hi Neronem persequuntur, alium scisci^antem :
Ecquid in urbe novi de Nerone? Equo autem ex odore
abiecti in via cadaveris consternato, detecta facie agnitus
est a quodam missicio praetoriano et salutatus. Ut ad
j^p > ,- \deverticulum ventu^m es^ dimissis equis, inter frutifeta
ac vepres per hartihdfhe'ti semitam aegre nee nisi strata
sub pedibus veste ad aversum villae parietem evasit. Ibi ,
hortante eodem Phaonte, ut interim in specum egestaek.u
harenae concederet, negavit se vivum sub terrain iturum t \
ac parumper commoratus, dum clandestinus ad villam in-
sotroitus pararetur, aquam ex subiecta lacuna poturus manu
hausit et Haec est, inquit, Neronis decoctaf dein, divolsa
' sentibus paenula, traiectos^ surculos rasit. Atque ita
quadripes per angustias effossae cavernae receptus inr
proximam cellam, decubuit super lectum modica culcita,
vetere jpallio strato, instructum; fameque et iterum siti
interpellate, panem quidem sordidum oblatum aspernatus
est, aquae autem tepidae aliquantum bibit. Tune uno
quoque hinc inde instante ut quam primum se impen-
SUETONIUS.
145
dentibus contumeliis enperet, scrftbem coram fieri imper-
avit, dimensus ad corporis sui modulum, componique 60
simul, si qua invenirentur, frusta marmoris, et aquam
simul ac ligna eonferri curando mox cadaveri, flens ad
singula atque identidem dictitans : Qualis artifex pereo !
Inter moras perlatos a cursore Phaonti codicillos prae-
ripuit legitque, se hostem a senatu iudicatum et quaeri,
ut puniatur more maiorum, interrogavitque quale id genus \^
esset poenae ; et cum comperisset, nudi hominis cervicem ^
inseri fu^cae, corpus virgis ad necem caedi, conterritus
duos pugiones, quos secum extulerat, arripuit, temptataque
utriusque acie rursus condidit, causatus nondum adesseio
fatalem horam; ac modo Sporum hortabatur ut lamentari
ac plangere inciperet, modo orabat ut se aliquis ad mortem
capessendam exemplo iuvaret; interdum segnitiem suam'
his verbis increpabat: Vivo' deformiter, turpiter ou irpt-n-ei
N^ouw, ov TTp^Trei vrj(peiv 5e? kv rot's rotoi^rots Aye Zyupe aeavrbv \
lamque equites appropinquabant, quibus praeceptum erat
ut vivum eum adtraherent. Quod ud sensit, trepidanter
effatus :
'' ITTTTWI' [ <j}KVirb?)wv d/J.(f)i KTVTTOS ofjara /3d\Xet
ferrum iugulo adegit, iuvante Epaphrodito a Iflbellis.80
Semianimisque adhuc irrumpenti centurioni et paenula
ad vulnus adposita in auxilium se venisse simulanti non
aliud respondit quam Sero ! et Haec est fides ! Atque in ea
voce defecit, extantibus rigentibusgue oculis usque ad
horrorem formidinemque j^ife^ium. Nihil prius aut
magis a comitibus exftgerat quam ne potestas cuiquam
capitis sui fieret, sed ut quoquo modo totus cremaretur.
Permisit hoc Icelus, Galbae libertus, non multo ante
vinculis exsolutus, in quae primo tumultu coniectus
fuerat. [Ib. 47-49.]
(M25)
M
146 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
VII.
Death of Galba.
Magna et assidua monstra iam inde a principio exitum
ei, qualis evenit, portenderant. Cum per omne iter dextra
sinistraque oppidatim victimae caederentur, taurus securis
ictu consternatus rupto vinculo essedum eius invasit ela-
tisque pedibus totum cruore perfudit; ac descendentem
speculator impulsu turbae lancea propevulneravit. Urbem
quoque et deinde Palatium ingressum excepit terrae tre-
mor et assimilis quidam mugitui sonus. Secuta sunt
aliquanto manifestiora. Monile, margaritis gemmisque
10 consortium, ad ornandam Fortunam suam Tusculanam ex
omni gaza secreverat ; id repente quasi augustiore dignius
loco Capitolinae Veneri dedicavit, ac proxima nocte som-
niavit speciem Fortunae querentis fraudatam se dono
destinato, minantisque erepturam et ipsam quae dedisset.
Cumque exterritus luce prima ad expiandum somnium,
pniemissis qui rem divinam appararent, Tusculum excu-
currisset, nihil invenit praeter tepidam in ara favillam
atnitumque iuxta senem in catino vitreo thus tenentem
et in calice fictili merum. Observatum etiam est, Kal.
20 Ian. sacrificanti coronam de capite excidisse, auspicanti
pullos avolasse; adoptionis die neque milites adlocuturo
castrensem sellam de more positam pro tribunali, oblitis
ministris, et in senatu curulem perverse collocatam. Prius
vero quam occideretur sacrificantem mane haruspex iden-
tidcm monuit, caveret periculum, non longe percussores
abesse.
Haud multo post cognoscit teneri castra ab Othone, ac
plerisque ut eodem quam primum pergeret suadentibus,
(posse enim auctoritate et praesentia praevalere) nihil am-
30 pirns quam continere se statuit et legionariorum firmare
praesidiis, qui multifariam diverseque tendebant. Loricam
SUETONIUS. 147
tamen induit linteam, quamquam baud dissimulans parum
adversus tot mucrones profuturam. Sed extractus rumo-
ribus falsis, quos conspirati, ut eum in publicum elicerent,
de industria dissiparant, paucis temere affirmantibus trans-
actum negotium, oppresses, qui tumultuarentur, advenire
frequentis ceteros gratulabundos et in omne obsequium
paratos; iis ut occurreret prodiit, tanta fiducia ut militi
cuidam occisum a se Othonem glorianti Quo auctore? re-
sponderitj atque in forum usque processit. Ibi equites, 40
quibus mandata caedes erat, cum per publicum dimota
paganorum turba equos adegissent, viso procul eo, parum-
per restiterunt; dein rursum incitati desertum a suis con-
trucidarunt.
Sunt qui tradant, ad primum tumultum proclamasse
eum: Quid agitis commilitones? ego vaster sum, et vos mei!
donativum etiam pollicitum. Plures autem prodiderunt,
optulisse ultro iugulum et ut hoc agerent, ac ferirent, quando
ita videretur, hortatum. Illud mirum admodum fuerit,
neque praesentium quemquam opem imperatori ferreso
conatum et omnes qui arcessirentur sprevisse nuntium,
excepta Germanicianorum vexillatione. li ob recens
meritum quod se aegros et invalidos magnopere fovisset,
in auxilium advolaverunt, sed serius, itinere devio per
ignorantiam locorum retardati. [Galba, 18-20.]
Good acts of Titus.
Natura autem benivolentissimus, cum ex institute
Tiberi omnes dehinc. Caesares beneficia a superioribus
concessa principibus aliter non haberent, quam si eadem
isdem et ipsi dedissent, primus praeterita omnia uno con-
firmavit edicto, nee a se peti passus est. In ceteris vero
desideriis hominum obstinatissime tenuit, ne quern sine
148 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
spe dimitteret; quin et admonentibus domesticis, quasi
plura polliceretur quam praestare posset, non oportere ait
quemquam a sermone pdndpis tristem discedere; atque etiam
lorecordatus quondam super csfenam, quod nihil cuiquam
toto die praestitisset, memorabilem illam meritoque lau-
datam vocem edidit : Amid, diem perdidi.
Populum in primis universum tanta per omnis occasio-
nes comitate tractavit, ut proposito gladiatorio munere,
non ad suum, sed ad spedantium arbitrium editurum se pro-
fessus sit; et plane ita fecit. . Nam neque negavit quic-
quam petentibus et ut quae vellent peterent ultro adhor-
tatus est. Quin et studium armaturae Threcum prae se
ferens, saepe cum populo et voce et gestu ut fautor cavil-
2olatus est, verum maiestate salva nee minus aequitate.
Ne quid popularitatis praetermitteret, nonnumquam in
thermis suis admissa plebe lavit.
Quaedam sub eo fortuita ac tristia acciderunt, ut con-
flagratio Yesvii montis in Campania, et incendium Romae
per triduum totidemque noctes, item pestilentia quanta
non temere alias. In iis tot adversis ac talibus non modo
principis solicitudinem sed et parentis affectum unicum
praestitit, nunc consolando per edicta, nunc opitulando
quatenus suppeteret facultas. Curatores restituendae
soCampaniae e consularium numero sorte duxit; bona op-
pressorum in Vesvio, quorum heredes non extabant, res-
titutioni afflictarum civitatium attribuit. Urbis incendio
nihil publice perisse testatus, cuncta praetoriorum suorum
ornamenta operibus ac templis destinavit praeposuitque
compluris ex equestri ordine, quo quaeque maturius pera-
gerentur. Medendae valitudini leniendisque morbis nul-
lam divinam humanamque opem non adhibuit, inquisito
omni sacrificiorum remediorumque genere.
Inter adversa temporum et delatores mandatoresque
40 erant ex licentia veteri. Hos assidue in foro flagellis ac
SUETONIUS.
149
fustibus caesos ac novissime traductos per amphitheatri
arenam, partim subici ac venire imperavit, partim in
asperrimas insularum avehi. Utque etiam similia quan-
doque ausuros perpetuo coerceret, vetuit inter cetera de
eadem re pluribus legibus agi, quaerive de cuiusquam
defunctorum statu ultra certos annos.
Pontificatum maximum ideo se professus accipere ut
puras servaret manus, fidem praestitit, nee auctor posthac
cuiusquam necis nee conscius, quamvis interdumulciscendi
causa non deesset, sed periturum se potius quam perditurum 50
adiuraris. Duos patricii generis convictos in adfectatione
imperii, nihil amplius quam ut desisterent monuit, docens
principatum fato dari, si quid praeterea desiderarent, pro-
mittens se tributurum; et confestim quidem ad alterius
matrem, quae procul aberat, cursores suos misit, qui
anxiae salvum filium nuntiarent, ceterum ipsos non solum
familiari caenaeadhibuit, sed et insequenti diegladiatorum
spectaculo circa se ex industria conlocatis oblata sibi fer-
ramenta pugnantium inspicienda porrexit. Dicitur etiam,
cognita utriusque genitura, imminere ambdbus periculumco
adfirmasse, verum quandoque et ab alio; sicut evenit.
Fratrem insidiari sibi non desinentem, sed paene ex
prof esso sollicitantem exercitus, meditantem fugam, neque
occidere neque seponere ac ne in minore quidem honore
habere sustinuit, sed, ut a primo imperii die, consortem
successoremque testari perseveravit, nonnumquam secreto
pre cibus et lacrimis orans, ut tandem mutuo erga se animo
vellet esse. Inter haec morte praeventus est, maiore homi-
num damno quam suo. \_Div. Titus, 8-9.]
Fears of Domitian.
Per haec terribilis cunctis et invisus, tandem oppressus
est amicorum libertorumque intimorum conspiratione,
150 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
simul et uxoris. Annum diemque ultimum vitae iam
pridem suspectum habebat, horam etiam, nee non et genus
mortis. Adulescentulo Chaldaei cuncta praedixerant ;
pater quoque super caenam quondam fungis abstinentem ^ M
palam irriserat ut ignarum sortis suae, quod non ferrum
potius timeret. Quare pavidus semper atque anxius,
miniinis etiam suspitionibus praeter modum commove-
lobatur; ut edicti de excidendis vineis propositi gratiam
facere non alia magis re compulsus credatur, quam quod
sparsi libelli cum his versibus erant:
0iry77s eirl pifav, O/AWS ZTI KapTro<popricru,
Ocrcrov tirtcnreio-ai aoL, rpdye,
Eadem f ormidine oblatum a senatu novum et excogitatum
honorem, quamquam omnium talium appetentissimus, re-
cusavit, quodecretum erat ut, quotiens gereret consulatum,
eq. R. quibus sors obtigisset, trabeati et cum hastis mili-
taribus praecederent eum inter lictores apparitoresque.
20 Tempore suspecti periculi appropinquante, sollicitior
in dies, porticuum, in quibus spatiari consuerat, parietes
phengite lapide distinxit, e cuius splendore per imagines
quidquid a tergo fieret provideret. Nee nisi secreto atque
solus plerasque custodias, receptis quidem in manum cate-
nis, audiebat. Utque domesticis persuaderet, ne bono
quidem exemplo audendam esse patroni necem, Epaphro-
ditum a libellis capitali poena condemnavit, quod post
destitutionem Nero in adipiscenda morte manu eius adi-
utus existimabatur. Denique Flavium Clementem patru-
soelem suum, contemptissimae inertiae, cuius filios etiam
turn parvulos successores palam destinaverat et, abolito
priore nomine, alterum Vespasianum appellari iusserat,
alterum Domitianum, repente ex tenuissima suspitione
tantum non in ipso eius consulatu interemit. Quo maxime
facto maturavit sibi exitium.
SUETONIUS. 151
Continuis octo mensibus tot fulgura facta nuntiataque
sunt, ut exclamaverit : Feriat iam, quern volet/ Tactum de
caelo Capitolium templumque Flaviae gentis, item domus
Palatina et cubiculum ipsius, atque etiam e basi statuae
triumphalis titulus excussus vi procellae in monimentum 40
proxumum decidit. Arbor, quae private adhuc Vespasiano
eversa surrexerat, tune rursus repente corruit. Praenestina
Fortuna, toto imperil spatio annum novum commendanti
laetam eandemque semper sortem dare assueta, extremo
tristissimam reddidit, nee sine sanguinis mentione.
[Domit. 14-15.]
152 LATIX OF THE SILVER AGE\
APULEIUS.
Apuleius was one of the most versatile writers of the
second century, with a flow of language which is often merely
verbiage. Teuffel well sums up his characteristics : " He is a
genuine child of his age and country, versatile and many-sided
in his intellectual and literary activity, but utterly uncritical,
wildly fantastic, vain and conceited, devoid of taste in his
diction, which is a medley of all periods and styles ". Born of
wealthy parents in Africa, at Madaura, about 125 A.D., he was
educated at Carthage and afterwards at Athens; to write Greek
thus came naturally to him, but he set himself to acquire equal
facility in Latin. Yet his Latin always suggests that it is not
written by a native, as we find cheek by jowl classical words
and phrases and the popular words of his own day, the whole
composition being tinged by the arts of too evident Greek
rhetoric. Though these faults are very conspicuous in the
Metamorphoses, they are perhaps less so than in some of his
other writings, and yet in his preface he apologises for being
1 exotici ac forensis sermonis rudis locutor '. The Metamor-
phoses is a story of adventures, told in the form of an autobio-
graphy by a youth who had been changed into an ass. It is
thus in idea really an imitation of Lucian's similar work,
Aotf/aos r) 6vo$, and is often styled the Golden Ass of Apuleius.
It is in form partly an extension of the model furnished by
Lucian, but it includes also a large number of stories of
various kinds, among which is the well-known fable of Cupid
and Psyche (from which selections are given). Besides the
Metamorphoses we have an Apologia (a defence written when
charged with using magic arts to secure a wife), De Deo
Socratis, an exposition of some Platonic doctrines, De Platone
et eius dogmate, De mundo (a translation of a work ascribed
by some to Aristotle), and a collection of Apuleius' speeches
and lectures (for some time he was a public lecturer on philo-
sophy, being a Platonist) called Florida. We hear of many
other works on a variety of subjects chiefly scientific, but per-
haps we need not regret their loss. Apuleius has been little
AptfLEtus. 153
studied by English scholars, but has met with considerable
attention from the Germans, and the edition of Hildebrand
(which includes all the remains of Apuleius) contains a very
thorough discussion of the life and writings of Apuleius,
Platonicus Madaurensis, as St. Augustine calls him. For an
interesting estimate of Apuleius, see Mr. Whibley's preface
to the republication of Arlington's translation of the Golden
Ass, in the Tudor series.
Psyche is tempted by her sistcr~s"t6 disobey her husband's command,
and by lighting a lamp to see his face ivhilc asleep.
Tune Psyche misella utpote simplex et animi tenella
rapitur verborum tarn tristmm formidine: extra termi-
num mentis suae posita prorsus omnium mariti monitio- A *
num suarumque promissionum memoriam effudit et in
profundum calamitatis sese praecipitavit tremensque et
exangui colore lurida tertiata verba semihianti voce sub- / ^*"H
strepens sic ad illas ait.
4 Vos quidem carissimae sorores, ut par erat, in officio
vestrae pietatis permanetis, verum et illi qui talia vobis
adfirmant non videntur mihi mendaciumfmgere. Necenim 10 ' ''
umquam viri mei vidi faciem vel omnino cuiatis sit novi .
sed tantum nocturnis subaudiens vocibus maritum incerti
status et prorsus lucifugam tolero bestiamque aliquam 'I*-*^*"'
recte dicentibus vobis merito consentio. Meque magno-
pere semper a suis terret aspectibus malumque grande de
vultus curiositate praeminatur. Nunc siquam salutarem
opem periclitanti sorori vestrae potestis adferre, iam nunc
subsistite; ceterum incuria sequens prioris providentiae
beneficia conrumpit.'
Tune nanctae iam portis patentibus nudatum sororis20
animum facinerosae mulieres omissis tectae machinae
latibulis destrictis gladiis fraudium simplicis puellae '' '
154 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE, , /,
paventes cogitationes invadunt. Sic denique altera
'quoniam nos originis nexus pro tua incolumitate/iperi-
culum quidem nullum ante oculos habere compellit, viam^
qua sola deducit iter ad salutem, diu diuque cogitatam
monstrabimus tibi. Novaculam praeacutam adpulsu
etiam palmulae lenientis exasperatam tori qua parte
cubare consuesti latenter absconde lucernamque concin-
sonem completam oleo claro lumine praemicantem subde
aliquo claudentis aululae tegmine omnique isto apparatu
tenacissime dissimulate postquam sulcatos intrahens gres-
sus cubile solitum conscenderit iamque porrectus et ex-
ordio somni prementis implicitus altum soporem flare
coeperit, toro delapsa nudoque vestigio pensilem gradum
paullulatim minuens caecae tenebrae custodia liberate?
lucerna praeclari tui facinoris opportunitatem de luminis
consilio mutuare et ancipiti telo illo audaciter.prius dex-
tera sursum elata,nisu quam valido noxii serpentis nodum
40 cervicis et capitis abscinde. Nee nostrum tibi deerit sub-
sidiunvsed cum primum illius morte salutem tibi feceris,
anxiae praestolabimus cunctisque istis ocius tecum relatis
votivis nuptiis hominem te iungemus homini.'
Tali verborum incendio flammata viscera sororis iam
prorsus ardentis. Deserentes ipsam protinus, tanti mali
connnium sibi etiam eximie metuentes, flatus alitis im-
pulsu solito / porrectae super scopulum ilicp pernici se
fuga proripiunt statimque conscensis navibus abeunt.
At Psyche relicta sola nisi quod infestis furiis agitata
50 sola non est, aestu pelagi simile maerendo fluctuat et
quamvis statute consilio et obstinate animo, iam tamen
facinori suas manus admovens adhuc incerta consilii titu-
bat multisque calamitatis suae distraliitur aflectibus.
Festinat differt audet trepidat diffidit irascitur et, quod
est ultimum, in eodem corpore odit bestiam, diligit ma-
ritum. Yespera tamen iam noctem trahente praecipiti
APULEIUS. 155
festinatione nefarii sceleris instruit apparatum. Nox
aderat et maritus aderat protinusque . . . altum
soporem descenderat. Tune Psyche et corporis et
animi alioquin infirma, fati tamen saevitia subminis-ec
trante viribus roboratur et prolata lucerna et adrepta
novacula sexum audacia mutavit. Sed cum primum
luminis oblatione tori secreta claruerunt, videt omnium
ferarum mitissimam dulcissimamque bestiam, ipsum ilium
Cupidinem formosum deum formose cubantem, cuius
aspectu lucernae quoque lumen hilaratum increbruit- ;/ _; ',
et acuminis sacrilegi novacula praenitebat. At vero
Psyche tanto aspectu deterrita et impos animi, marcido
pallore defecta tremensque desedit in imos popjjtes et "A-*-* J
f errum quaerit abscondere, sed in suo pectore. Quod ro
profecto fecisset nisi ferrum timore tanti flagitii manibus
temerariis delapsum evolasset. lamque lassa, salute de-
fecta dum saepius divini vultus intuetur pulchritudinem,
recreatur animi, videt capitis aurei genialem cae_sariem f
ambrosia temu)entam, cervices lacteas genasque pur- " '
pureas pererrantes crinium globos decoriter inrgeditos, -
alios antependulos, alios retropendulos quorum splendore
nimio fulgurante iam et ipsum lumen lucernae vacillabat.
Per umeros volatilis dei pinnae roscidae micanti flore
candicant et quamvis alis quiescentibus extimae plumulae so
tenellae ac delicatae tremule resultantes inquieta las-
civiunt. Ceterum corpus glabellum atque luculentum
et quale peperisse Venerem non paeniteret: ante lectuli
pedes iacebat arcus et pharetra et sagittae, magni dei
propitia tela. Quae dum insatiabili ariimo Psyche satis
et curiosa rimatur atque pertrectat et mariti sui miratur
arma, depromit unam de pharetra sagittam et puncto
pollicis extremam aciem periclitabunda trementis etiam
nunc articuli nisu fortiore pupugit altius, ut per sum-
mam cutem roraverint parvulae sanguinis rosei guttae. 90
156 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Sic ignara Psyche sponte in Amoris incidit amorem.
[Metam. v. 18-23.]
Venus, enraged at Cupid's lov~/&f' Psyche, sets various tasks to the
unhappy girl.
I Sed Aurora commodum inequitante vocatae Psychae
Venus infit talia 'videsne illud nemus quod fluvio
praeterluenti ripisque longis attenditur, cuius imi gur-
, gites vicinum fontem despiciunt? Oves ibi nitentes
; aurique colore florentes incustodito pastu vagantur: inde
de coma pretiosi velleris floccum mihi confestim quoquo
modo quaesitum afFeras censeo.'
Perrexit Psyche volenter non obsequium quidem ilia
functura sed requiem malorum praecipitio fluvialis rupis
10 habitura. Sed inde de fluvio musicae suavis nutricula leni C
crepitu dulcis aurae divinitus inspirata sic vaticinatur
arundo viridis 'Psyche, tantis aerumnis exercita, neque tua
miserrima morte meas sanctas aquas polluasnecvero istius
orae contra formidabiles oves feras aditum quoad de solis
flagrantia mutuatae calorem truci rabie solent efferri ->
cornuque acuto et fronte saxea et non numquam venena-
tis morsibus in exitium saevire mortalium, sed dum
meridies solis sedaverit vaporem et pecuda spiritus fluvi- AA
alis serenitate conquieverint, poteris sub ilia procerissima
,.X ' v aoplatano quae mecum simul unurn fluentum bibit latenter
abscondere. Et cum primum mitigata furia laxaverint A|*
oves animum, percussis frondibus attigui nemoris lano- ly
sum aurum repperies quod passim stirpibus conexis ob-
haerescit.'
Sic arundo simplex et humana Psychen aegerrimam
salutem suam docebat. Nee auscultatu penitus intento
diligenter instructa ilia cessavit sed observatis omnibus
furatrina facili flaventis auri mollitie congestum greinium
P
APULEIUS. 157
Veneri reportat. Nee tamen apud dominam, saltern se-
cundi laboris periculum secundum testimonium meruitao
sed contortis superciliis subridens amarum sic inquit^'^^'
' nee me praeterit huius quoque facti auctor adultejinus.
Sed iam nunc ego sedulo periclitabor an oppido forti
animo singularique prudentia sis praedita. Videsne in-
sistentent_celsissimae illi rupi montis ardui verticem de
quo fontis atri fuscae defluunt undae proxumaeque con-
ceptaculo vallis inclusae Stygias inrigant paludes et rauca
Cocyti fluenta nutriunt? Indidem mihi de summi fontis
penita scaturrigine rorem rigentem hauritum ista confes-
tim deferes urnula.' 40
Sic aiens crustallo dedolatum vasculum, insuper ei
graviora comminata tradidit.
At ilia studiose gradum celerans montis extremum
petit tumulum certe vel illic inventura vitae pessimae
finem. Sed cum primum praedicti iugi conterminos
locos appulit, videt rei vastae letalem diflicultatem. tJ*^
Namque saxum immani magnitudine procerum et inac-
cessa salebritate lubricum mediis e faucibus lapidis fontes
horridos evomebat^qui statim proni foraminis lacunis
editi perque proclive delapsi et angusti canalis exartoso
contecti tramite proxumam convallem latenter incide-
bant. Dextra laevaque cautibus cavatis proserpunt et
longa colla porrecti saevi dracones inconivae vigiliae
luminibus addictis et in perpetuam lucem pupulis excu-
bantibus. lamque et ipsae metum incutiebant vocales
aquae. Nam et 'discede' et 'quid facis? vide' et 'quid
agis 1 ? cave' et 'fuge' et 'peribis' subinde clamant. Sic
impossibilitate ipsa mutata in lapidem Psyche quamvis
praesenti corpore sensibus tamen aberat et inextricabilis
periculi mole prorsus obruta lacrumarum etiam extreme eo
solacio carebat. Nee Providentiae bonae graves oculos
innocentis animae latuit aerumna, Nam optinii lovis -
158 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
V*
regalis ales ilia repente propansis utrimque pinnis affuit
rapax aquila memorque veteris obsequii, quo ductu Cupi-
dinis lovi pocillatorem Phrygium sustulerat, opportunam
ferens opem deique numen in uxoris laboribus percolens
alti culminis diales vias deserit et ob os puellae praevo-
lans incipit 'at tu simplex alio^uin et expers rerum
talium : speras quippe te sarictissimi nee minus truculenti
fofontis vel unam stillam posse furari vel omnino contin-
gere. Dis etiam ipsique lovi formidabiles aquas istas
Stygias vel fando comperisti? .Quodque vos deieratis
per numina deorum, deos per Stygis maiestatem solere?
Sed cedo istam urnulam ' et protinus adreptam completion
aquae festinat libratisque pinnarum nutantium motibus
inter genas saevientium dentium et trisulca vibramina
draconum remigium dextra laevaque porrigens nolentes
aquas et ut abiret inde ocius.minantes excipit, commenta
se ob iussum Veneris petere eique se praeministrare
soquare paulo facilior adeundi fuit copia. Sic acceptam
cum gaudio plenam urnulam Psyche Veneri citata rettu-
lit.
Nee tamen nutum deae saevientis vel tune expiare
potuit. [Ib. vi. 11-15.]
. "V " \
v Commodum puAicannfoufe J)naleris Aurora roseum ,
quatiens lacertum caelum inequitabat et me securae ^Y-*-^^*^
quieti revulsum nox diei reddidit. Aestus invadit ani-
mum vesperni recordatione facinoris, complicitis denique
pedibus ac palmulis in alternas digitorum vicissitudines
super genua conexis sic grabatum cossim insidens ubertim
flebam, iam forum et iudicia, iam sententiam, ipsum
denique carnificem imaginabundus. , An mihi quisquam
tam mitis tamque benivolus iudex otenget qui me trinae
APULEIUS. 159
caedis cruore pMjnn et tot civium sanguine delibutum I
innocentem pronuntiare poterit 1 Hanc illam mihi glorio-
sam peregrinationem fore Chpldaeus Diophanes obsti
praedicabat. Haec identiaem mecum replicans fortunas
meas eiulabam. Quati fores interdum et frequent! clamore -^-^
ianuae nostrae perstrepi.
Nee mora cum magna inruptione patefactis aedibus s~f-
magistratibus eorumque ministris et turbae miscellaneae
cuncta completa statimque lictores duo de iussu magistra-
tuum immissa manu trahere me sane non renitentem
occipiunt. Ac dum primum angipqrtum insistimus, statim 20
civitas omnis in populum effusa mira densitate nos inse- *
quitur. Et quamquam capite in terram, immo ad ipsos .
Inferos iam deiecto maestus incederem, obliquato tamen^
aspectu rem admirationis maximae conspicio. Nam inter
tot milia populi circumsedentis nemo prorsum qui non
risu dirumperetur aderat. Tandem pererratis plateis
omnibus et in modum eorum, qui lustralibus piamentis - -^
minas portentorum hostiis circumforaneis expiant, cir-
cumductus angulatini foijum mediumque tribunal adsti-
tuor. lamque'sublimo ^uggistiTmagistratibus resident!- so
bus, iam praecone publico silentium clamante repente
cuncti consona voce flagitant propter coetus multitudinem,
quae pressurae nimia densitate periclitaretur, iudicium K
tantum theatre redderetur^XNe^ mora cum passim popu-
lus procurrens caveae consaeptum mira celeritate con-
plevit, aditus etiam et tectum omne failim stipaverant. p
Plerique columnis implexi, alii statuis dependuli, non
nulli per fenestras et lacunaria semiconspicui, miro tamen
omnes studio visendi pericula salutis neglegebant. Tune
me per proscaenium medium velut quandam victimani40
publica ministeria perducunt et orchestrae mediae sistunt. ( * ;
Sic rursum praeconis amplo boatu citatus accusator qui-
dam senior exsurgit et ad dicendi spatium vasculo quo-
160 LATIN OF TJIE SILVER AGE.
dam in vicerii coli graciliter fistulato ac pei>tic?c guttatim
defluo infusa aqua populum sic adorat: /- & A^***-*-*-*'
* Neque parva res ac praecipue pacem civitatis cunctae
respiciens et exemplo serio profutura tractatur, Quirites
sanctissimi. Quare magis congruit sedulo singulos atque
universos vos pro dignitate publica providere ne nefarius ,
sohomicida tot caedium laniejiam quam cruenter exercuit} / t ***"
inpune commiserit. Nee me putetis privatis simultatibus
instinctum odio proprio saevire. <Sum namque nocturnae J
custodiae praefectus nee in hbcliernuin credo quemquam
pervigilem diligentiam meam culpare posse. Rem deni-
que ipsam et quae nocte gesta sunt cum fide proferam.
Nam cum fere iam tertia vigilia scrupulosa diligentia ^4
cunctae civitatis ostiatim singula considerans circumirenvf-^
conspicio istum crudelissimum iuvenem mucrone destricto M ^
passim caedibus operantem iamque tris numero saevitia
eoeius interemptos ante pedes ipsius spirantes adhuc cor-
poribus in multo sanguine palpitantes. Et ipse quidem
conscientia tanti facinoris merito permotus statim profugit
et in domum quandam praesidio tenebrarum elapsus per-
petem noctem delituit. Sed providentia deum, quae
nihil impunitum nocentibus permittit, priusquam iste f ^^
clandestinis itineribus elaberetur, mane praestqlatus ad^'^vy^*
gravissimum iudicii vestri sacramentum eum curavi per-
ducere. Habetis itaque reum tot caedibus impiatum,
reum coram deprensum, reum peregrinum.. Constanter " '
70 itaque in hominem alienum f erte sententias de eo crimine
quod etiam in vestrum civem severiter vindicaretis.'
Sic profatus accusator acerrimus immanem vocem re-
pressit. Ac me statim praeco, siquid ad ea respondere
vellem, iubebat incipere. At ego nihil tune temporis
amplius quam flere poteram non tarn Hercules truculen- v> ^
tarn accusationem intuens quam meam miseram conscien-
tiam. Sed tamen oborta divinitus audacia sic ad ilia;
APULEIUS. 161
'Nec ipse ignore quam sit arduum trinis civium cor-
poribus expositis eum qui caedis arguatur quamvis vera
dicat et de facto confiteatur ultro, tamen tantae multitu-so
dini quod sit innocens persuadere. -Sed si paulisper
audientiam publicam mihi tribuerit humanitas, facile vos
edocebo me discrimen capitis non meo merito sed ratio-
nabilis indignationis eventu fortuito tantam criminis
invidiam frustra sustinere.
Nam cum a cena me serius aliquanto reciperem potu-
lentus alioquin, quod plane verum crimen meum non
diffitebor, ante ipsas fores hospitii ad bonum autem
Milonem civem vestrum devorto video quosdam saevis-
/
simos latrones aditum temptantes et domus ianuas cardi-90 ^
obtortis evellere gestientes claustrisque omnibus,
quae accuratissime adfixa fuerant, violenter evulsis secum
iam de inhabitantium exitio deliberantes. Unus denique
et manu promptior et corpore vastior his adfatibus et
ceteros incitabat 'heus pueri, quam maribus animis et
viribus alacribus dormientes adgrediamur. Omnis cunc-
tatio, ignavia omnis facesset e pectore: stricto mucrone
per'totam domum caedes ambulet. Qui sopitus iacebit,
trucidetur; qui repugnare temptaverit, feriatur. Sic
salvi recedemus si salvum in domo neminem relique-ioo
rimus.' Fateor, Quirites, exterminare latrones boni civis
officium arbitratus, simul et eximie metuens et hospitibus
meis et mihi, gladiolo qui me propter huius modi pericula
comitabatur, armatus fugare atque proterrere eos adgres-
sus sum. At illi barbari prorsus et immanes homines
neque fugam capessunt et cum me viderent in ferro,
tamen audaciter resistunt.' [Metam, iii. 1-5.]
(M25)
162 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
IV.
The properties of a mirror.
Nam saepe oportet non modo similitudinem suam,
verum etiam similitudinis rationem considerare : num, ut
ait Epicurus, profectae a nobis imagines, velut quaedam
exuviae, iugi flore a corporibus manantes, cum leve ali-
quid et solidum offenderunt, illisae reflectentur et retro
expressae contra versum respondeant : an, utalii philosophi
disputant, radii nostri, seu mediis oculis proliquati et
lumini extrario mixti atque inuniti, uti, Plato arbitratur:
seu tantum oculis profecti sine ullo foris adminiculo, ut
10 Archy tas putat ; seu intentu aeris fracti, ut Stoici rentur :
cum alicui corpori incidere spisso et splendido et levi,
paribus angulis, quibus inciderant, resultent ad faciem
suam reduces, atque ita quod extra tangant et visant,
id intra speculum imaginentur. Videnturne nobis debere
philosophi haec omnia investigare et inquirere, et cuncta
specula vel uda vel suda soli videre? Quibus, praeter
ista, quao dixi, etiam ilia ratiocinatio necessaria est, cur
in planis quidem speculis ferme pares obtutus et imagines
videantur : in tumidis vero et globosis omnia def ectiora :
20 at contra in cavis auctiora : ubi et cur laeva cum dexteris
permutentur: quando se imago eodem speculo turn re-
condat penitus, turn foras exserat: cur cava specula, si
cxadversum soli retineantur, appositum fornitem accen-
dunt: qui fiat uti arcus in nubibus varie, duo soles
aemula similitudine visantur, alia praeterea eiusdem
modi plurima, quae tractat volumine ingenti Archimedes
Syracusanus, vir in omni quidem geometria multum ante
alios admirabili subtilitate; sed haud sciam an propter
hoc vel maxime memorandus, quod inspexerat speculum
so saepe ac diligenter. [Apologia, 426-429.]
AULUS GELLIUS. 163
AULUS GELLIUS.
,
Aulus Gellius (the author oi^Noctes Atticae). born about
130 A.D. according to Teuffel, though a man of obviously
limited powers, was an industrious student of ancient writers
and antiquities in general, and is fond of showing his learning
by giving extracts from archaic literature : these, in many
cases, are important, as they come from works which are
now lost to us. The Noctes Atticae, though in no sense a book
of any great brilliancy, is for the student of life and manners
under the second century of the empire full of interest, as
many of the habits and peculiarities of his contemporaries
are treated by Gellius in a manner which is amusing without
being really witty. Like Apuleius, who was his contemporary,
and according to some critics his imitator, Gellius was very
fond of parading his own learning at every possible moment.
Within recent years an attempt has been made to show that
Gellius was, like Apuleius, a native of Africa, but according
to his own words he seems to have been born, or certainly
educated from his early years, in Rome, arid afterwards to
have studied for a time at Athens. He is fond of archaisms,
and his language is often ^inflated, but is, on the whole, free
from many of the exaggerations of Apuleius. " The question
is not how to say a thing in the best way, but what Cato, or
Gracchus, or Cicero said. The age has no vigour of its own,
but builds the sepulchres of the prophets, and waits for in-
spiration to rise from their dust" [see Nettleship Essays on
Latin Literature, p. 248, seqJ\. His criticisms are unfair at
times, owing to the naturally narrow and pedantic turn of
his mind, yet in other cases he shows discrimination. His
pages contain no little information on a variety of subjects
ranging from Roman religion to etymology. The few follow-
ing selections will perhaps serve to illustrate how great this
variety is.
A point of casuistry : What is one's duty to one's friend?
Lacedaemonium Chilonem, virum ex illo incluto -T
numero sapientium, scriptum est in libris eorum, qui
164 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
vitas resque gestas clarorum hominum memoriae man-
daverunt, eum Chilonem in vitae suae postremo, cum
iam inibi mors occuparet, ad circumstantis amicos sic*
locutum :
' Dicta ' inquit * mea factaque in aetate longa pleraque
omnia fuisse non paenitenda, fors sit ut vos etiam sciatis.
Ego quidem in hoc certe tempore non fallo me, nihil esse
loquicquam commissum a me, cuius memoria aegritudini
sit, ni illud profecto unum sit, quod rectene an perperam
fecerim, nondum mihi plane liquet. ^ (^ Jl^*.
Super amici capite iudex cum duobus aliis fui. Ita
lex fuit, uti eum hominem condemnari necessum esset.
Aut amicus igitur capitis perdendus aut adhibenda fraus
legi fuit. Multa cum animo meo ad casum tarn ancipi-
tern medendum consultavi. Visum est esse id quod feci
praeqtiam erant alia toleratu facilius: ipse tacitus ad
condemnandum sententiam tuli, is qui simul iudicabant,
20 ut absolverent, persuasi. Sic mihi et iudicis et amici
officium in re tanta salvum fuit. Hanc capio ex eo facto
molestiam, quod metuo, ne a perfidia et culpa non ab-
horreat, in eadem re eodemque tempore inque communi
negotio, quod mihi optimum factu duxerim, diversum
eius aliis suasisse.'
Et hie autem Chilo, praestabilis homo sapientiae,
quonam usque debuerit contra legem contraque ins pro
amico progredi, dubitavit eaque res in fine quoque vitae
ipso animum eius anxit et alii deinceps multi philosophise
so sectatores, ut in libris eorum scriptum est, satis inquisite
satisque sollicite quaesiverunt, ut verbis, quae scripta
SUnt, ipsis Utar, el Set fiorideiv T$ (pity Trapa TO diKaiov /cat ^XP 1
Troaov /cat Trdia. Ea verba significant, quaesisse eos, an
nonnumquam contra ius contj-ave morem faciendum pro
amico sit et in qualibus causis et quemnam usque ad
modum.
AULUS GELLIUS. 165
Super hac quaestione cum ab aliis, sicuti dixi, multis,
turn vel diligentissime a Theophrasto disputatur, viro in
philosophia ,peripatetica modestissimo doctissimoque,
eaque disputatio scrip ta est, si recte menrinimus, in Iibro40
eius de amicitia primo. Eum librum M. Cicero videtur
legisse, cum ipse quoque librum de amicitia componeret.
Et cetera quidem, quae sumenda a Theophrasto existi- . A
,^y-
mavit, ut ingenium facundiaque eius fuit, sumpsit
transposuit commodissime aptissimeque ; hunc autem
locum, de quo satis quaesitum esse dixi, omnium rerum
aliarum difficillimum strictim atque cursim transgressus -*>* J J^
est, neque ea, quae a Theophrasto pensiculate atque ^JST
enucleate scripta sunt, exsecutus est, sed anxietate ilia et
quasi morositate disputationis praetermissa, genus ipsum 50
rei tantum paucis verbis notavit. Ea verba Ciceronis,
si recensere quis vellet, apposui : ' His igitur finibus
utendum esse arbitror, ut, cum emendati mores amicorum A --*'
sunt, turn sit inter eos omnium rerum, consiliorum,
voluntatum sine ulla exceptione communitas, ut etiam,
si qua fortuna acciderit, ut minus iustae voluntates ami-
corum adiuvandae sint, in quibus eorum aut caput agatur
aut fama, declinandum de via sit, modo ne summa tur-
pitudo sequatur; est enim, quatenus amicitiae venia dari
possit'. eo
1 Cum agetur ' inquit { aut caput amici aut fama, de- $ >
clinandum est de via, ut etiam iniquam voluntatem illius
adiutemus '. Sed cuiusmodi declinatio esse ista debeat
qualisque ad adiuvandum digressio et in quanta volun-
tatis amici iniquitate, non dicit. Quid autem refert scire
me in eiusmodi periculis amicorum, si non magna me
turpitudo insecutura est, de via esse recta declinandum,
nisi id quoque me docuerit, quam putet magnam turpi-
tudinem, et cum decessero de via, quousque degredi
debeam? 'Est enim' inquit 'quatenus dari amicitiae To
166 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
venia possit '. Hoc immo ipsum est, quod maxime dis-
cendum est quodque ab his, qui docent, minime dicitur, .
uyv quatenus quaque fini dari amicitiae venia debeat. Chilo v^*
ille sapiens, de quo paulo ante dixi, conservandi amici
causa de via declinavit. Sed video, quousque progressus
sit; falsum enim pro amici salute consilium dedit. Id
ipsum tamen in fine quoque vitae, an iure posset repre-
hendi culparique dubitavit.
* Contra patriam ', inquit Cicero, ' arma pro amico
sosumenda non sunt'. Hoc profecto nemo ignoravit, et
* priusquam Theognis ', quod Lucilius ait, ' nasceretur '.
Set id quaero, id desidero: cum pro amico contra ius,
contra quam licet, salva tamen libertate atque pace,
faciendum est et cum de via, sicut ipse ait, declinandum
est, quid et quantum et in quali causa et quonam usque
id fieri debeat. Pericles ille Atheniensis, vir egregio
ingenio bonisque omnibus disciplinis ornatus, in una
quidem specie, sed planius tamen, quid existimaret, pro-
fessus est. Nam cum amicus eum rogaret, ut pro re
oocausaque eius falsum deiuraret, his ad eum verbis usus
est : Ae? [j.ev ffVfj.TTf)dTTeLV rots (pi\ois, dXXd (Ue'x/H T&V 6ewv. {Noct.
Ait. 1-3.]
II.
A question of grammatical usage.
In oratione Ciceronis quinta in Verrem, libro spectatae
fidei, Tironiana cura atque disciplina facto, scriptum
fuit: "Homines tenues, obscuro loco nati, navigant; adeunt
ad ea loca, quae numquam antea adierant. Neque noti
esse iis, quo venerunt, neque semper cum cognitoribus
esse possunt, hac una tamen fiducia civitatis, non modo
apud nostros magistratus, qui et legum et existimationis
periculo continentur, neque apud cives solum Romanes,
qui et sermonis et iuris et multarum rerum societate
AULUS GELLIUS. 167
iuncti sunt, fore se tutos arbitrantur, sed quocumqueio
venerint, hanc sibi rem praesidio sperant futurum."
Videbatur compluribus in extremo verbo menda esse.
Debuisse enim scribi putabant non futurum, sed ' futur-
am ', neque dubitabant, quin liber emendandus esset, ne,
ut in Plauti comoedia moechus, sic enim mendae suae ,, ^ .v*- j
inludiabant, ita in Ciceronis oratione soloecismtwr esset
' manifestarius '. C*++~} -"M ^ ** *^*i
Aderat forte ibi amicus noster, homo lectione multa
exercitus, cui pleraque omnia veterum litterarum quae-
sita, meditata evigilataque erant. Is libro inspecto ait, 20
nullum esse in eo verbo neque mendum neque vitium et
Ciceronem probe ac vetuste locutum. 'Nam futurum'
inquit 'non refertur ad rem, sicut legentibus temere et
incuriose videtur, neque pro participio positum est, set . n
verbum est indefinitum, quod Graeci appellant 'd^ap^- i/<
<t>arov', neque numeris neque generibus praeserviens, sed */|
liberum undique et inpromiscum, quali C. Gracchus \^4^^ r
verbo usus est in oratione, cuius titulus est de P. Popilio
ircum conciliabula, in qua ita scriptum est : Credo ego
inimicos meos hoc dicturum. Inimicos dicturum inquit, so
non ' dicturos ' ; videturne ea ratione positum esse apud
Gracchum dicturum, qua est apud Ciceronem futurum 1
sicut in Graeca oratione sine ulla vitii suspicione omni-
bus numeris generibusque sine discrimine tribuuntur
huiuscemodi verba: 'tpelv', 'iroi^a-eiv', 'Zaeadai', et similia.'
In Claudi quoque Quadrigarii tertio annali verba haec , . '
esse dixit: I dum conciderentur, hostium copias ibi &*
occupatas futurum; in duodevicesimo annali eiusdem
Quadrigarii principium libri sic scriptum: Si pro tua
bonitate et nostra voluntate tibi valitudo subpetit, est<
quod speremus, deos bonis bene facturum; item in
Valerii Antiatis libro quarto vicesimo simili modo scrip-
tum esse: Si eae res divinae factae recteque perlitatae
.
168 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
essent, haruspices dixerunt, omnia ex sententia pro-
cessurum esse. * Plautus etiam in Casina, cum de puella
loqueretur, occisurum dixit, non * occisuram ', his verbis :
[S.] [Sed] etiamne habet Casina gladium?
[P.] Habet, sed duos. [S.] Quid du6s? [P.]
Altero te. . ,
50 Occisurum ait, alter6 vilicum. //
Item Laberius in Gemellis :
N6n putavi, inquit, hoc earn facturum.
Non ergo isti omnes, soloecisniw quid esset, ignorarunt,
sed et Gracchus dicturum et Quadrigarius futurum et
facturum et Antias processurum et Plautus occisurum et
Laberius facturum indefinite modo dixerunt, qui modus
neque in numeros neque in personas neque in tempora
neque in genera distrahitur, sed omnia istaec una eadem-
que declinatione complectitur, sicuti M. Cicero futurum
co dixit non virili genere neque neutro, soloecismus enim
plane foret, sed verbo usus est ab omni necessitate gene-
rum absolute '. [Ib. i. 7.]
in.
Who ivcrc senator cs pedarii.
Non pauci sunt, qui opinantur, ' pedarios senatores '
appellatos, qui sententiam in senatu non verbis dicerent,
sed in alienam sententiam pedibus irent. Quid igitur?
cum senatusconsultum per discessionem fiebat, nonne
universi senatores sententiam pedibus f erebant 1 Atque
haec etiam vocabuli istius ratio dicitur, quam Gavius
Bassus in commentariis suis scriptam reliquit. Senatores
enim dicit in veterum aetate, qui curulem magistratum
gessissent, curru solitos honoris gratia in curiam vehi, in
10 quo curru sella esset, super quam considerent, quae ob
earn causam ' curulis ' appellaretur ; sed eos senatores,
AULUS GELLIUS. 169
qui magistratum curulem nondum ceperant, pedibus ita-
visse in curiam: propterea senatores nondum maioribus
honoribus 'pedarios' nominates. M. autem Yarro in
satira Menippea, quae 'IinroKtw inscripta est, equites
quosdam dicit * pedarios ' appellatos, videturque eos
significare, qui nondum a censoribus in senatum lecti *,*/"*
senatores quidem non erant, sed, quia honoribus populi
usi erant, in senatum veniebant et sententiae ius habe-
bant. Nam et curulibus magistratibus functi, si nondum 20
a censoribus in senatum lecti erant, senatores non erant
et, quia in postremis scripti erant, non rogabantur sen-
tentias, sed, quas principes dixerant, in eas discedebant.
Hoc significabat edictum, quo nunc quoque consules
cum senatores in curiam vocant, servandae consuetu-
dinis causa tralaticio utuntur. Verba edicti haec sunt:
Senatores quibusque in senatu sententiam dicere licet.
Versum quoque Laberii, in quo id vocabulum positum
est, notari iussimus, quern legimus in mimo, qui Stric- ^.< \- '
turae inscriptus est: so
Caput sine lingua pedani sententia est. wt -* *
Hoc vocabulum a plerisque barbare dici animadvertimus :
nam pro 'pedariis' 'pedaneos' appellant. [76. iii. 18.] ^
viv.
A criticism of Seneca as a critic.
De Annaeo Seneca partim existimant ut de scriptore $ 1
minime utili, cuius libros adtingere nullum pretium operae 4 j*
sit, quod oratio eius vulgaria videatur et pmtrita, res *-'
atque sententiae aut inepto inanique impetu sint aut levi /
et caus i^i can argutia, eruditio autem vernacula et plebeia '
nihilque ex veterum scriptis habens neque gratiae neque
dignitatis. Alii vero elegantiae quidem in verbis parum
esse, non infjtiuff eunt, sed et rerum, quas dicat, scientiam
170 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
doctrinamque ei non deesse dicunt et in vitiis morum IL
10 obiurgandis severitatem gravitatemque non invenustjmLAXVT*^
Mihi de omni ems ingenio deque omni scripto indicium
censuramque facere non necessum est; sed quod de M.
Cicerone et Q. Ennio et P. Vergilio iudicavit, ea res cuius-
modi sit, ad considerandum ponemus.
In libro enim vicesimo secundo epistularum moralium,
quas ad Lucilium conposuit, deridiculos versus Q. Ennium
de Cetego antique viro fecisse hos dicit:
is dictust ollis popularibus olim
Qui turn vivebant homines atque aevum agitabant,
20 Flos dejjfoatus populi. .auadaeque medulla.
Ac deinde scripsit de isdem versibus verba haec : Admiror
eloquentissimos viros et deditos Ennio pro optimis ridicula
laudasse. Cicero certe inter bonos eius versus et hos
refert. Atque id etiam de Cicerone dicit: Non miror,
inquit, fuisse, qui hos versus scriberet, cum fuerit, qui
laudaret; nisi forte Cicero summus orator agebat causam
suam et volebat hos versus videri bonos. Postea hoc I..AV
etiam addidit insulsissime : Apud ipsum quoque, inquit, v
Ciceronem invenies etiam in prosa oratione quaedam, ex
soquibus intellegas, ilium non perdidisse operam, quod En-
nium legit. Ponit deinde, quae apud Ciceronem repre-
hendat, quasi Enniana, quod ita scripserit in libris de
republica : ut Menelao Laconi quaedam fuit ^na.vi'1r|qnp.TiR
iucunditas, et quod alio in loco dixerit: braidloqiiejiiiam
in dicendo colat. Atque ibi homo nugator Ciceronis
errores deprecatur et: non fuit, inquit, Ciceronis hoc
vitium, sed temporis; necesse erat haec dici, cum ilia
legerentur. Deinde adscribit, Ciceronem haec ipsa inter-
posuisse ad effugiendam inf amiam nimis lascivae orationis
40 et nitidae. > ->.-..
De Yergilio quoque eodem in loco verba haec ponit:
Vergilius quoque noster non ex alia causa duros quosdam
AULUS GELLIUS. 171
versus et enormes et aliquid supra mensuram trahentis
interposuit quam ut Ennianus populus adgnosceret in
novo carmine aliquid antiquitatis.
Sed iam verborum Senecae ]3Jgat; haec tamen inepti Fr
_./ ftJv^ et insubidi hominis ioca non praeteribo: Quidam sunt,
inquit, tarn magni sensus Q. Ennii, ut, licet scripti sint
inter hircosos, possint tamen inter unguentatos placere; e ^-^^
et, cum reprehendisset versus, quos supra de Cetego^o
posuimus : qui huiuscemodi, inquit, versus amant, liqueat Ct, t&
tibi eosdem admirari et Soterici lectos.
Dignus sane Seneca videatur lectione ac studio adule-
scentium, qui honorem coloremque veteris orationis So-
terici lectis compararit, quasi minimae scilicet gratia^ et \
relictis iam contemptisque. Audias tamen commemorari
ac referri pauca quaedam, quae idem ipse Seneca bene
dixerit, quale est illud, quod in hominem avarum et '
avidum et pecuniae sitientem dixit: Quid enim refert ^rr^vC^
quantum habeas 1 multo illud plus est, quod non habes. 60
Benene hoc? sane bene; sed adulescentium indolem non
tarn iuvant quae bene dicta sunt quam m%iunt quae lA^J'
pessime, multoque tanto magis, si et plura sunt, quae
deteriora sunt, et quaedam in his non pro nthp- s
aliquo rei parvae ac simplicis, sed in re ancipiti pro con- \. '
silio dicuntur. [xii. 2.]
V.
Explanation of technical terms.
Otium erat quodam die Romae in fero a negotiis et
laeta quaedam celebritas feriarum legebaturque in con-
sessu forte conplurium Enni liber ex annalibus. In GO
libro versus hi f uerunt :
Proletarius publicitus scutisque feroque
Ornatur ferro; muros urbemque forumque
Excubiis curant.
172 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Turn ibi quaeri coeptum est, quid esset * proletarius '.
Atque ego, aspiciens quempiam in eo circulo ius civile
10 callentem, familiarem meum, rogabam, ut id verbum
nobis enarraret, et, cum illic se iuris, non rei gram-
maticae peritum esse respondisset, 'eo maxime' inquam
' te dicere hoc oportet, quando, ut praedicas, peritus iuris
es. Nam Q. Enriius verbum hoc ex duodecim tabulis
vestris accepit, in quibus, si recte commemini, ita scrip-
turn est : Adsiduo vindex adsiduus esto. Proletario iam
civi quis volet vindex esto. Petimus igitur, ne an-
nalem nunc Q. Ennii, sed duodecim tabulas legi arbitrere
et, quid sit in ea lege * proletarius civis ', interpretere '.
20 ' Ego vero ' inquit ille ' dicere atque interpretari hoc de-
berem, si ius Faunorum et Aboriginum didicissem. Sed
enim cum 'proletarii' et 'adsidui' et 'sanates' et 'vades'
et * subvades ' et * viginti quinque asses ' et ' taliones '
furtorumque quaestio ' cum lance et licio ' evanuerint
omnisque ilia duodecim tabularum antiquitas, nisi in
legis actionibus centumviralium causarum lege Aebutia
lata consopita sit, studium scientiamque ego praestare
debeo iuris et legum vocumque earum, quibus utimur '.
Turn forte quadam lulium Paulum, poetam memoriae
sonostrae doctissimum, praetereuntem conspeximus. Is a
nobis salutatur, rogatusque, uti de sententia deque ratione
istius vocabuli nos doceret, 'qui in plebe' inquit 'Romana
tenuissimi pauperrimique erant neque amplius quam mille
quingentum aeris in censum def erebant, ' proletarii ' ap-
pellati sunt, qui vero nullo aut perquam parvo aere cen-
sebantur, ' capite censi ' vocabantur, extremus autem
census capite censorum aeris fuit trecentis septuaginta
quinque. Sed quoniam res pecuniaque familiaris obsidis
vicem pignerisque esse apud rempublicam videbatur
4oamorisque in patriam fides quaedam in ea firmamen-
tumque erat, neque proletarii neque capite censi milites,
AULUS GELLIUS. 173
nisi in tumultu maximo, scribebantur, quia familia pecu-
niaque his aut tenuis aut nulla esset. Proletariorum
tamen ordo honestior aliquanto et re et nomine quam
capite censorum fuit: nam et asperis reipublicae tem-
poribus, cum iuventutis inopia esset, in militiam tumul-
tuariam legebantur armaque is sumptu publico praebe-
bantur, et non capitis censione, sed prosperiore vocabulo
a munere officioque prolis edendae appellati sunt, quod,
cum re familiari parva minus possent rempublicam iuvare, 50
subolis tamen gignendae copia civitatem frequentarent.
Capite consos autem primus C. Marius, ut quidam ferunt,
bello Cimbrico difficillimis reipublicae temporibus vel
potius, ut Sallustius ait, bello lugurthino milites scrip-
sisse traditur, cum id factum ante in nulla memoria ex-
taret. ' Adsiduus ' in XII tabulis pro locuplete et facile
facienti dictus aut ab (adsiduis ab) acre dando, cum id
tempora reipublicae postularent, aut a muneris pro fami-
liari copia faciendi adsiduitate '.
Verba autem Sallusti in historia lugurthina de C. eo
Mario consule et de capite censis haec sunt: Ipse interea
milites scribere, non more maiorum nee ex classibus, sed
ut libido cuiusque erat, capite censos plerosque. Id
factum alii inopia bonorum, alii per ambitionem consulis
memorabant, quod ab eo genere celebratus auctusque
erat et homini potentiam quaerenti egentissimus quisque
oportunissimus. [xvi. 10.]
Methods of secret correspondence,
Libri sunt epistularum C. Caesaris ad C. Oppium et
Balbum Cornelium, qui rebus eius absentis curabant. In
his epistulis quibusdam in locis inveniuntur litterae sin-
gulariae sine coagmentis syllabarum, quas tu putes positas
I
174 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
; nam verba ex his litteris confici nulla possunt.
Erat autem conventum inter eos clandestinum de com-
mutando situ litterarum, ut in scripto quidem alia aliae
locum et nomen teneret, sed in legendo locus cuique ^uus
et potestas restitueretur : quaenam vero littera pro qua
10 scriberetur, ante is, sicuti dixi, conplacebat, qui hanc
^ ***-*"* scribendi latebram parabant. Est adeo Probi gram-
matici commentarius satis curiose factus de occulta litte-
rarum signification in epistularum C. Caesaris scr N iptura.
Lacedaemonii autem veteres, cum dissimulare et occul-
tare litteras publice ad imperatores suos missas volebant,
ne, si ab hostibus eae captae forent, consilia sua nosce-
rentur, epistulas id genus factas mittebant. Surculi duo
' A ^M^ A erant teretes, oblonguli, pari crassamento eiusdemque ^4^^"*
.;\jj..V longitudinis, derasi atque ornati consimiliter; unus im-
2operatori in bellum proficiscenti dabatur, alterum domi
magistratus cum iure atque cum si^nb habebant. Quando
usus venerat litterarum secretiorum, circum eum surculum jjff
lorum modicae tenuitatis, longum autem, quantum rei
satis erat, conplicabant, volumine rotundo et simplici,
ita uti orae adiunctae undique et cohaerentes lori, quod
plicabatur, coirent. Litteras deinde in eo loro per trans-
. c >^* versas iuncturarum oras versibus a summo ad imum pro-
ficiscentibus inscribebant; id lorum litteris ita perscriptis
^ ^ revolutum ex surculo imperatori commenti istius conscio
so mittebant; resolutio autem lori litteras truncas atque
mutilas reddebat membraque earum et apices in partis
diversissimas spargebat : proyterea, si id lorum in manus
hostium inciderat, nihil quicquam coniectari ex eo scripto
quibat; sed ubi ille, ad quern erat missum, acceperat,
surculo conpari, quern habebat, a capite ad finem, pro-
inde ut debere fieri sciebat, circumplicabat, atque ita lit-
tcrae per eundem ambitum surculi coalescentes rursum
coibant integramque et incorruptam epistulam et facilem
AULUS GELLIUS. 175
legi praestabant. Hoc genus epistulae Lacedaemonii
' <TKVTd\rji> ' appellant. Legebamus id quoque in vetere4j .j^
historia rerum Poenicarum, virum indidem quempiam *{
inlustrem sive ille Hasdrubal sive quis alius est non j.
retineo epistulam scriptam super rebus arcanis hoc
modo abscondisse : pugillaria nova, nondum etiam cera in- -\*k >
lita, accepisse, litteras in lignum incidisse, postea tabulas,
uti solitum est, cera conlevisse easque tabulas, tamquam
non scriptas, cui facturum id praedixerat misisse; eum
deinde ceram derasisse litterasque incolurnes ligno incisas
Est et alia in monumentis rerum Graecarum profundaso
aedam et inopinabilis latebra, barbarico astu excogitata.
Histiaeus nomine fuit, loco natus in terra Asia non
ignobili. Asiam tune tenebat imperio rex Darius. Is
Histiaeus, cum in Persis apud Darium esset, Aristagorae
cuipiam res quasdam occultas nuntiare furtivo scripto
volebat. Comminiscitur opertum hoc litterarum admi-
randum. Servo suo diu oculos aegros habenti capillum L**^
ex capite omni tamquam medendi gratia deradit caputque W*^
eius leve in litterarum formas conpungit. His litteris, (4^^
quae voluerat, perscripsit, hominem postea, quoad capillus eo
adolesceret, domo continuit. Ubi id factum est, ire ad
Aristagoran iubet et 'cum ad eum' inquit 'veneris, man-
dasse me dicito, ut caput tuum, sicut nuper egomet feci,
deradat'. Servus, ut imperatum erat, ad Aristagoran
venit mandatumque domini adfert. Atque ille id non
esse frustra ratus, quod erat mandatum fecit. Ita litterae
perlatae sunt. [xvii. 9.]
VII.
A criticism of Virgil.
Favorinum philosophum, cum in hospitis sui Antiatem
villam aestu anni concessisset nosque ad eum videndum
176 LATIN OF THE SILVER AGE.
Roma venissemus, memini super Pindaro poeta et Ver-
gilio in hunc ferme modum disserere: 'Amici' inquit
' familiaresque P. Vergilii in his, quae de ingenio mori-
busque eius memoriae tradiderunt, dicere eum solitum
f erunt, parere se versus more atque ritu ursino. Namque
ut ilia bestia fetum ederet ineffigiatum informemque lam-
bcndoque id postea, quod ita edidisset, conformaret et
lofingeret, proinde ingenii quoque sui partus recentes rudi
esse facie et inperfecta, sed deinceps tractando colen-
doque reddere iis se oris et vultus liniamenta. Hoc
virum iudicii subtilissimi ingenue atque vere dixisse, res '
inquit 'indicium facit. Nam quae reliquit perfecta ex-
politaque quibusque inposuit census atque dilectus sui
supremam manum, omni poeticae venustatis laude florent;
sed quae procrastinata sunt ab eo, ut post recenserentur,
et absolvi, quoniam mors praeverterat, nequiverunt, ne-
quaquam poetarum elegantissimi nomine atque iudicio
2odigna sunt. Itaque cum morbo obpressus adventare
mortem viderat, petivit oravitque a suis amicissimis
inpense, ut Aeneida, quam nondum satis elimavisset,
adolerent.'
' In his autem ', inquit ' quae videntur retractari et
corrigi debuisse, is maxime locus est, qui de monte Aetna
factus est. Nam cum Pindari, veteris poetae, carmen,
quod de natura atque flagrantia mentis eius compositum
est, aemulari vellet, eiusmodi sententias et verba molitus
est, ut Pindaro quoque ipso, qui nimis opima pinguique
so esse facundia existimatus est, insolentior hoc quidem in
loco tumidiorque sit. Atque uti vosmetipsos ' inquit
'eius, quod dico, arbitros faciam, carmen Pindari, quod
est super monte Aetna, quantulum est mihi memoriae,
dicam :
Tas epevyovrai /J.ev aTrXaroi; Trvpbs ayv6rarai
'EK fj.vxuv TrayaL' TroTa.fj.oi 5' a/mpai<rij> ^tv irpoxeovri pbov KO.TTVOV
AULUS GELLIUS. 177
' dXX' h 8p(j>J>aicriv irtrpas
ei trbvrov 7rXc/ca <ji)V
Kea/o 5' 'A0cuVroio Kpovvotis epirtrbv 40
Aetpordrovs avair^TreC rtpas jj.tv dav/Jidcriov irpocridtffdai, 6av/j,a
8 Ka.1 TrapebvTUv d/coucrat.
Audite nunc, inquit, Vergilii versus, quos inchoasse eum
verius dixerim, quam fecisse:
Portus ab accessu vcntorum inmotus et ingens
Ipse, sed horrificis iuxta tonat Aetna minis
Interdumque atram prorumpit ad aethera nubem,
Turbine fumantem piceo et candente favilla,
Adtollitque globos flammarum et sidera lambit;
Interdum scopulos avulsaque viscera mentis 50
Erigit eructans liquefactaque saxa sub auras
Cum gemitu glomerat fundoque exaestuat imo.
lam principio' inquit 'Pindarus, veritati magis obsecutus,
id dixit, quod res erat quodque istic usu veniebat quodque
oculis videbatur, interdius fumare Aetnam, noctu flam-
migare; Vergilius autem, dum in strepitu sonituque ver-
borum conquirendo laborat, utrumque tempus, nulla dis-
cretione facta, confudit. Atque ille Graecus quidem
fontes imitus ignis eructari et fluere amnes fumi et flam-
marum fulva et tortuosa volumina in plagas maris f erre, eo
quasi quosdam igneos angues, luculente dixit; at hie
noster 'ateam nubem turbine piceo et favilla fumantem'
p6o> Kctirvov aWuva interpretari volens, crasse et inmodice
congessit, globos quoque flammarum, quod ille Kpowofo
dixerat, duriter et dripus transtulit. Item quod ait:
sidera lambit, vacanter hoc etiam' inquit 'accumulavit
et inaniter '. Neque non id quoque inenarrabile esse ait
et propemodum insensibile, quod ' nubem atram fumare '
dixit 'turbine piceo et favilla candente'. 'Non enim
fumare' inquit 'solent neque atra esse, quae sunt can-To
( M 25 ) O
178 LATIN OP THE SILVER AGE.
dentia; nisi si 'candenti' dixit pervulgate et inproprie
pro ferventi favilla, non pro ignea et relucenti. Nam
* candens ' scilicet a candore dictum, non a calore. Quod
1 saxa ' autem ' et scopulos eructari et erigi ' eosdemque
ipsos statim 'liquefieri et gemere atque glomerari sub
auras ' dixit, hoc ' inquit ' nee a Pindaro scriptum nee
umquam fando auditum et omnium, quae monstra di-
cuntur, monstruosissimum est'. [xvii. 10.]
NOTES.
VELLEIUS PATERCULUS.
I.
3. If verticis is not a gloss it had best be taken as hendiadys
with gurgitis.
7. neque...perductam, without bringing it to any definite con-
clusion : so 'ad liquidum' is used by Seneca and Quintilian.
9. formam...spatium, a zeugma : 'have agreed in one character
and fallen into one period of time'.
18. These three are taken regularly as representatives of the old
comedy : so Quintilian in book x. and Horace Sat. i. 4. 1, "Eupolis
atque Cratinus Aristophanesque poetae | Atque alii quorum comoedia
prisca virorum est ". I omit after novam the word comicam which
appears in the codd.
22. 'Derived their-teaching from the words of Socrates.'
34. ut = even supposing that.
43. nisi aut ab illo visum, &c. : i.e. those who flourished just
before or just after him : so he means roughly, his contemporaries.
49. par is to be taken with both studium and emolumentum,
'devoted themselves to like pursuits and made like progress '.
70. The Lacedaemonians, though proverbially not orators, yet had
a concise method of putting what they wanted to say. " If a man con-
verses with the most ordinary Lacedaemonian, he will seldom find
him good for much in general conversation, but at any point in the
discourse he will be darting out some notable saying, terse and full of
meaning, with unerring aim " (Plato Protag. 342). Cf. also what
Thucydides says of Brasidas (iv. 84), fy 5e ov8 cLSiWros, ws Aa/ce5cu-
/J.6i>i05, ciVeti/.
II.
I. deditio Mancini : he, defeated by the Numantines (137 B.C.),
made a disgraceful peace which the Romans refused to acknowledge,
and as a compensation for their act delivered up Mancinus to the
Numantines, who, however, refused the gift.
II. boni : in the common sense of the senatorial or aristocratical
party : cp. use of 'optimates'.
180 VELLEIUS PATERCULUS.
12. agrariis legibus: mainly consisting in depriving rich holders
of state lands in excess of the limit allowed by the Licinian laws
of 367 B.C. and distributing them in untenable lots of thirty jugera
to the needy f armers-t -the limit of thirty is conjectured by Momm-
sen from 14 of the Lex Agraria (for which see Bruns' Fontes
Juris Romani, p. 70).
13. statum: citizenship, civil rights: cp. for use of word Tac.
Ann. iii. 28, " multorum excisi status".
56. iudicia a senatu. This seems the correct account of C.
Gracchus' judicial law : is that given by the other authorities, except
Livy Epitome, and Plutarch (C, Gracchus c, v.), who represent him as
combining the equites with the senators as judices. Appian (B. Civ.
i. 22) is very clear : rd St-Kaarripia . . . es TOVS 'nrirtas a-rrb r&v
POV\VTU>V Ater^epe. For a discussion of the reform of Tiberius and
Gaius see Underbill's edition of Plutarch's Lives of the Gracchi.
III.
9. On one occasion Alexander when drunk burned the city of
Persepolis, and on another killed his best friend Clitus.
13. fi I iamn Cornelia.
27. qui oculis, &c. Possibly 'they put no other restraint upon
him than watching him'. [Krause says, 'they had no mental com-
munication with him' which seems a frigid interpretation.]
34. The reading is doubtful: tumultuaria probably means 'hastily
collected' as opposed to regularly trained. Perhaps it would be
simpler not to read manu (Halm's conjecture), but take privata,
(instead of privatus) and tumultuaria with classe.
43. quippe sequebatur, from combined feelings of envy and
indolence : Oudendorp's conjecture of avaritia for invidia, though
perhaps needless, would make good sense.
60. Dolabellae accusatio, in 77 B.C. for extortion in Mace-
donia.
74. Hoc igitur consule. Caesar was consul in 59 B.C., the
first Triumvirate having been formed at the close of the previous
year. Pompey, in addition to the ratification of his acts, wished for
lands for his veterans, Caesar desired to again obtain a voice in the
state (having been discredited through his connection with the Cati-
line conspiracy), while Crassus was connected with the moneyed class,
who had a grievance, as the senators refused to grant a revision of
an unprofitable contract to the publicani.
92. Bibulus made an effort to stop the agrarian law by proclaim-
ing unfavourable omens, and employing the tribune's intercessio, but
finding it useless withdrew practically into private life. The consul-
ship of 59 was styled in joke that of Julius and Caesar.
NOTES. 181
IV.
4. fuit for the more regular fuisset.
15, 16. quam ...dimitteret. There is obviously something
missing here, (1) an order of clemency, (2) a military term, such as
tesseram or signum (it is hardly possible to regard dimitteret as a
special militare verbum). From Suetonius' words (Div. Jul. 75) it is
clear that Caesar regarded his captives in a different way to Pompey.
I have therefore accepted, in default of better, the conjecture of
Kuhnken, which appears in the text.
28. memor beneficiorum. The title of Ptolemy Auletes had
been recognized in 59 B.C. by the triumvirs (for consideration re-
ceived). The king was afterwards expelled, but restored again in
55 B.C. by Gabinius, but mainly owing to Pompey's influence (see Cic.
Ep. ad Fam. I. i. 2, 7).
45. terra defuerat : an exaggeration which is perhaps more
justly applied by Jxivenal to Alexander, "Unus Pellaeo iuveni non
sufficit orbis" [x. 168]. Velleius talks of Caesar "alterum paene
imperio nostro ac suo quaerens orbem" [ii. 46].
V.
10. omnia in altera parti fuere : on Caesar's side every one
was prepared.
15. detracto capite : deprived of their leader.
17. For Caesar's action cp. line 15 of IV.
36. modum, 'limit' or 'end': the word does not appear in the
MSS.
39. Pollio : vide Hor. Od. n. i. 14 : the friend of Virgil (Ed. viii.).
He had served Caesar in the civil war, and later joined the triumvirs,
being then appointed by Antony to see after the veterans who had
received lands in Transpadane Gaul (possibly the beneficia alluded
to) : his merita in Antonium must have been largely the reconcilia-
tion he effected between Antony and Octavius at the peace of
Brundisium (40 B.C.).
VI.
1. Varus Quintilius : a graphic account is given by Tacitus
(Ann. i. 61) of Germanicus' troops visiting the scene of the disaster
of Varus.
4. quam non, 'how far he was from being'.
18. solita arm is. Disputes generally ended by the sword were
now decided by the law courts.
23. Arminius: for the later contests with Arminius see Tac.
Ann. i. 63, seq.
182 SENECA.
26. civitatis Romanae, &c. : a common practice of the Romans
to secure loyalty by giving either the full citizenship or most of its
privileges to leading provincials: Romanae decus is Burman's read-
ing: the words in the MSS., Romae eius, can make no sense.
44. Crassi in Parthis damnum : the defeat of Crassus at
Carrhae, 53 B.C., when Crassus was killed and the Roman eagles
captured.
67. hostilis feritas. From Tacitus' words it appears that the
Germans hanged some of the captives on gallows (patibula) and
buried others alive (quae scrobcs, Ann. i. 61).
SENECA.
15. lege nascendi : 'both those who by the order of their birth
we hope will survive ourselves, and those who desire most naturally
to die before us'. Here we find an allusion to the Roman dread of
children dying before their parents (funera natorum, Juv. x. 241
and Mayor ad loc.), and in general of pracmaturi cincres (Juv. xi.
44). Seneca at the beginning of the Consolatio says that Marcia
loved her father almost as well as her children, " nisi quod non
optabas superstitem : nee scio an optaveris : permittit enim sibi
quaedam contra bonum morem magna pietas".
24. advocationem, 'delay', 'adjournment': technically an ad-
journment of the case to permit the securing of legal assistance.
31. et quidem. The quidem may be represented in English
by repeating the substantive : 'we have come under fortune's sway,
a sway which is at once stern and irresistible ',
53. desidet: I accept Haase's conjecture, which is necessary for
the sense.
56. Nosce te: a translation of the Greek gnomic saying, yvuidi
, cp. Juv. xi. 27: it was the oracle given by Apollo to Cyrus:
yiyvuaKuv evSaifAwv, K/ooicre, irepdcreis" (Cyrop. vii. 2, 20).
II.
12. infra quod : the soil under which one lies makes no dif-
ference.
24. stipitem : the crux had originally no cross-piece, but was
simply a pointed pole on which the victim was impaled : after the
addition of the cross-piece the victim was either left to perish in
the manner we generally associate with crucifixion, or even
hung upon it. The article on the word 'cross' in Dr. Murray's
Neiv English Dictionary furnishes a most interesting history of the
word.
NOTES. 183
32. On. Pompeius : cp. Juv. x. 282 for a similar reflection.
34. excesserat. To represent how nearly the result was fulfilled
we have, as often elsewhere, the indicative: potuit, however (line 45),
comes under a different rule, as it belongs to a phrase of duty or possi-
bility, and regularly remains in indicative, the perfect being em-
ployed instead of the pluperfect (vide Madvig 348, cp. Eton Lat.
Gram. p. 315).
42. M. Cicero, cp. Juv. x. 120.
47. de suo peri rent : 'that men might pay from their own
money the cost of their own death' (be murdered at their own
expense).
48. hastam : originally the symbol of a sale of booty taken in
battle : then of sale of goods of prescribed person, the sale being
technically a sectio, and the purchaser called sector (cp. Cic. Pro Rose.
Am. 103).
50. M. Catonem : Cato on the proposition of Claudius (insti-
gated by the triumvirs, who wished Cato out of the way) was en-
trusted with the duty of expelling Ptolemy, king of Cyprus. Cato
sent a message to Ptolemy (who thereupon committed suicide), and
afterwards took possession of the royal treasures, which he sold to
the highest bidder. The money was brought to Rome and after-
wards passed into Caesar's possession.
III.
1. Natura duce. An exposition of the fundamental principle of
the Stoic philosophy: 'be a rational part of the rational system of
nature': hence followed the subjection of the individual to the
whole : riches and other external goods may be useful as mtans, but
are not absolutely good in themselves : pleasure, as being individual,
was (certainly by the earlier Stoics) excluded : all good actions done
in rational pursuit of nature are equally right, all others are equally
worthless or bad : suicide is possible when the unit ceases to be of
service to the whole. For an amusing criticism of the Stoic tenets
vide Cic. Pro Murena 60-66, and Horace Sat. I. iii. 124, seq. ; and
for the Stoic wise man, Cic. de Fin. iv. 74. Zeno, Cleanthes, and
Chrysippus were the first three heads of the school. For the system
vide Ritter and Preller, 391-393, Schwegier p. 123, seq.
9. ita demum : ita marks the general apodosis to the several
protases.
31. in bonum : 'it will turn out well both readily and certainly
without any harking back on the part of the doer'.
IV.
1, 2. nemo... dam navit. Vide note on natura duce above.
13. agnoverit : 'call his own'.
184 SENECA.
30. Quid? Donabit: the reading here is doubtful: I follow
hat of Fickert : Haase (not without some MS. authority) would
read : Quid ? Donabit ? Credo, erexistis aures.
V.
3, 4. Reason wishes to give a fair verdict, Anger wishes that the
verdict it has given should be thought fair. The MSS. have in the
second clause non vult (I have omitted the non), probably through a
mistaken view of the antithesis.
7. advocatio : here = pleading, 'more showy pleading'.
47. Hieronymus, a philosopher of Rhodes quoted by Cicero in
several places : he lived about 300 B.C., and maintained that the rule
of life was the avoidance of pleasure and pain.
48. Quid ..si vidisset: cp. the similar passage in Juv. x. 36
about Democritus and the pompa at the Circensian games.
69. Plato. The. allusion seems to be to the Protagoras 324:
" oi)5eis yap KoXdfei TOI)S aoiKovvras Trpos rovrt^i rbv vovv ^x uv Ka '- TOIJTOU
freica tin ^Sliajffev . . . 01) yap av TO irpa^d^v dyfryTov Otifj, dXXct TOV
VI.
13. pugnum aeris, &c., 'a handful of coppers or a shilling
reckoned up by a slave'.
15. milensimam : the MSS. have aut before milensimam, which
looks as if some word had dropped out, but it is difficult to supply
one : milensimam itself seems wrong as the interest is absurdly small,
roW P er cen t P er month (1 per cent per annum, being T V of the
legal interest). Fickert reads hand milensimam presumably
meaning it as a litotes.
16. manibus ad comparandum non relictis : the phrase is
doubtful : the reading seems to vary between comparandum and
comparendum : Haase reads ad comparendum non retentus : I am
not sure what he means, but I suppose he takes pedibus and manibus
together, and would translate ' not prevented by his maimed hands
and feet from appearing in court ' (is this possible ?).
17. clamet, i.e. before the tribunal: vindicat, 'and by his
sureties demands his pence even in the paroxysms of his disease'.
VII.
11. plus, like ainplius, minus, &c., frequently does not affect the
case in the case of numerals : " noctem non amplius unam", but vide
Madvig, 305.
NOTES. 185
20. in minima cogere : this is Haase : 'to confine within a
small compass proofs, &c.': the MSS. reading is minima agere, which
may be taken as ' scatter abroad small models of great truths '.
33. The text here seems unsatisfactory : possibly aliis may have
taken the place of atque, and the sentence should run, 'innoximn
atque ob hoc'.
VIII.
14. praefulgeant : an allusion to the habit of gilding the victim's
horns.
16. far re : a recollection of Horace, Odes in. xxiii. 17, seq.
22. regum aequavit opes animo : Virgil's "Corycius senex",
Georg. iv. 132 (where the reading is aequabat).
43. Quidni...dederis : ' surely you have given me '.
IX.
9. Proximus, &c. Hesitation is next door to refusal. For
proximus a, cp. Juv. x. 126, "(Philippica), volveris a prima quae
proxima".
14. frontis infirmitas : want of decision.
18. occupare : used like the Greek (pQdveiv. Cp. Livy i. 14,
"Fidenates occupabant bellum facere".
26. tacite . . . precari : cp. Persius ii. 5, seq., " At bona pars procerum
tacit& libavit accera ".
44. induit voltum : 'shows his feeling in his face'.
X.
2. Anaxagoras of Clazomenae (born 500 B.C.). His work, irepl
0i;0-eco?, was the chief cause of the pursuit of natural philosophy at
Athens : his theory was that there existed originally an infinite
number of infinitely small particles : a principle called vovs set these
particles into motion, and the motion continuing in perpetuity
caused the combination of the particles into the universe. The
theory will be found explained and criticized by Lucretius i. 830, seq.
For Lucretius' own views on the various causes of earthquakes see
book vi. 535, seq.
10. alii in igne : among these maybe the Heracliteans, as Hcra-
clitus regarded fire not only as the primitive element, but also as
the cause of motion : the various material elements according to his
theory were caused through condensation, when the fire was either
arrested or partially extinguished.
186 SENECA.
23. Anaximenes, one of the early Ionic philosophers, who sought
for some primitive matter from which the universe was derived.
Thales found this in water, Anaximenes in air, from which, by
rarefaction or condensation, fire, water, earth were formed.
XL
8. ' She has not busied herself to gratify luxury.'
28. nuper, &c. Ed. ii. 25, seq., where see Conington's note,
though it is quite possible that in both this passage and Georgia iv.
484, vent is and vento may be 'in a time of wind'.
38. ferrum primum in usu : both in Hesiod and Ovid the last
and worst age is the iron : cp. Juv. xiii. 30 and vi. 23, "omne aliud
crimen mox ferrea protulit aetas ".
48. Ne coniugum quidem : I accept here the ne of Haase,
which seems to give a better sense to the passage.
55. dos fuit ilia: the MSS. have non ilia, which is difficult.
Fickert retains the non, but puts a stop at fuit, i.e. ( antiquarum dos
fuit, non ilia ', &c.
XII.
9. ambitio. MSS. ambitionem, which, though translateable, is
hardly so satisfactory.
14. solid! auri...caelatura, i.e. silver vessels with raised (em-
bossed) gold- work, technically called asper (also inaequalis, Juv. v. 38),
as opposed to Icvis or purus, cp. Juv. i. 76, "argentum vetus et
stantem extra pocula caprum ".
21. sensus communis, ' communional sympathy', i.e. a right
perception of the duties, &c., owed by the individual to the society
at large. Vide Horace, Sat. I. iii. 65, 66.
25. Vide note on iii. 1.
XIII.
39. The MSS. have tormentorum alone, but after etiamsi some adjec-
tive seems necessary, so I have ventured to read ultimorum.
53. Reguli area: cp. Horace, Odes m. v. 41, seq.
53. Cato: who committed suicide at Utica after battle of Thapsus.
53. Rutilii exitium : banished 92 B.C. through the exertions of
the publicani, whose extortions he had tried to put down.
54. calix: an obvious emendation of the MSS. which go very far
astray, i.e. capia venantis: canis venenatus, &c.
58. Virg. Aen. i. 96.
62. Decius: cp. Juv. viii. 254: the father in the Latin war (340
B.C.), the son at the battle of Sentinum (295 B.C.), the grandson at
Asculum (279 B.C.).
NOTES. 187
94. Demetrius, a Cynic philosopher, the friend of the Stoic
Thrasea Paetus, at whose death he was present, Tac. Ann. xvi. 34:
according to Dio (Ixvi. 13), Demetrius was banished with other
philosophers by Vespasian.
XIV.
51. coena peracta: for the metaphor cp. Lucr. iii. 938.
77. Desine fata: Virg. Aen. vi. 376.
XV.
25. In sere: Virg. Ed. i. 74.
54. The MSS. reading is incollecta (collecta) mens...agitatur, which,
apart from the difficulty of incollecta or collecta, would require us to
take the whole sentence, quantum... aut quale, as an accusative of
respect. I therefore follow Haase.
65. in spe viventibus. Haase reads in spem, possibly coupling
et with proximum, but the superlative with quisque seems to render
this improbable.
82. detorto : the MSS. are corrupt : et de secto, et sancto, &c.
Fickert's dissecto is perhaps nearest the original, but both distorto
and detorto (Tac. has corpore detorto) are possible.
91. usque adeone: Turnus before his fight with Aeneas. Virg.
Aen. xii. 646.
XVI.
The story of the d7roKoAo/ciWw<m, i.e. Pumpkinification (Simcox), or
possibly apotatyosis, is that Jupiter sends Hercules as atravelled god to
inquire into the case of Claudius, when he comes up as a candidate
for divine orders. Hercules accosts Claudius with a line of Homer,
to which Claudius makes a neat rejoinder: Hercules eventually
arranges to plead Claudius' cause. The trial comes on, but Augustus,
who had hitherto figured as the silent member in the gods' circle,
delivers a speech in which he relates how his relatives were put to
death by Claudius. The candidate then is dismissed by the vote of
the examiners, and is dragged off by Mercury to the infernal regions,
where Aeacus condemns him to the unexhilarating pursuit of playing
dice with a bottomless dice-box (pcrtuso fritillo). While engaged at
the task Caligula appears and claims him successfully as a slave.
4. mera mapalia: mapalia are strictly Numidian straw huts.
Forcell. translates ' omnia incondite fecistis ' on the strength of
Festus' remark that mapalia is used of those 'qui inordinate vivunt',
as if an observance of all the courtesies of daily life were impossible
in rude huts.
7. postmeridian us, 'afternoon consul': possibly a satire on the
tendency under the emperors to shorten the tenure of the consul's
office.
188 PETRONIUS.
14. iam fabam imam fecistis. Haase reads: iam, Fama,
mimum fecisti ; Biicheler : iam famam mimum fecistis, with a refer-
ence to fabam mimum in Cic. ad Alt. i. 16, 13; even there, however,
the commentators are at a loss to explain it. Billerbeck (quoted by
Watson) explains that it means 'a joke', i.e. as the boys at the
Saturnalia when electing a king used beans with which to vote.
Possibly both there and here the right reading may be fabam imam
(the m of mimus being due to dittography), as Festus gives as a pro-
verb, " Tarn perit quam extrema f aba, in proverbio est, quod ea
plerumque aut proteritur aut decerpitur a praetereuntibus": what-
ever be the reading the sense is clearly, 'you have made a farce of
the honour'.
20. auctoratos: of gladiators (who hire themselves out): so Hor.
Sat. II. vii. 59. munere in the technical sense of 'a show' or games.
22. Vicae Potae : the word is explained by Cic. de Lcgibus, 11,
"quod si fingenda nomina, Vicae Potae, id est vincendi potis atque
potiundi ".
PETKONIUS.
I.
5. poteram : the imperfect of what was just about to happen,
I could have been ', or rather ' would have been '.
8. Of the numerous African slaves at Rome the Alexandrines
seem alone to have been highly prized : for example, the poor re-
tainer in Juv. v. has a Moor to wait upon him (his master has flos
Asiae), yet we also find among Trimalchio's slaves, 'duo Aethiopes
capillati ', who wait on the guests.
13. Aen. v. 1.
16. Atellanicos versus: such as would figure in an Atellana
(fabula): the Atellanae were originally Campanian farces introduced
at Rome about 300 B.C., and thrown into proper dramatic shape
about 100 B.C.: their popularity lasted till the times of the emperors.
The rustic farce of Juv. iii. 174 was probably an Atellana: even
Cicero (ad Fam. ix. 167) speaks of them with some respect.
21. desperatum valde: insanum ralde (Plautus, Frag.): some-
what similar is the Greek dav^affrbv oaov.
21. idem sutor: like Juvenal's 'hungry Greekling' (iii. 76, seq.).
22. omnis musae mancipium: cp. the pro verb "omnis Miner-
vae homo ".
23. trecentis denariis: a low price. Davus (Hor. Sat. n. vii.
43) speaks of himself depreciatingly as purchased for "quingentis
denariis": trecentis denariis would be, roughly speaking, over 10:
for a dearer slave see Hor. Ep. II. iii. 5.
26. Cappadocem, proverbial (with the Cretans and Cilicians,
rpla Ka-mra /cd/ctcrra) for deceit, lying, &c.
NOTES. 189
26. defraudit ( defraudat) : he doesn't deny himself anything.
27. nemo parentet: the meaning is apparently that he does
wisely to enjoy himself during his life, for enjoyment is not an offer-
ing which relatives can give at a grave : for parentalia, which took
place at various times of the year (especially in the third week in
February), vide Diet. Ant. sub voc. Parentalia.
35. mulionum fata egit: acted scenes from the life of.
37. tanto melior: 'Bravo!'
II.
1. contentions: i.e. the uproar occasioned by the previous ad-
mission of the cook and household to the banquet.
2. lactem : sc. lac.
6. insulam : a lodging-house let out generally in tenements to
' inquilini '.
17. Petraitis, a gladiator: representations of gladiatorial shows
were not uncommon on tombs.
19. in fronte pedes centum : Trimalchio can afford to have a
larger grave enclosure than was usual.
23. hoc monumentum, &c.: i.e. the grave enclosure does not
descend to the heir to treat as he likes. There are various abbrevia-
tions of this formula beside HMHNS, such as HM et LSS HNS
(LSS = locum sacrum sui = the enclosure). Trimalchio wishes his
elaborate tomb to remain undisturbed.
28. in fronte: I have supplied these words, as something is
necessary before monumenti.
30. praetextatum...anulis: prerogatives which Trimalchio had
acquired as a sevir (vide below).
32. binos denarios: i.e. at the cost of two denarii a head.
36. cicaronem: 'little boy'.
41. The inscription would perhaps run as follows :
C. POMPEIUS TRIMALCHIO
MAECAENATIANUS me REQUIESCIT
HuiC SEVIRATUS ABSENTI
DECRETUS EST
CUM POSSET IN OMNIBUS llOMAE DECURIIS
ESSE, TAMEN NOLUIT, .
PlUS, FORTIS, FlDELIS
SESTERTIUM RELIQUIT TRECENTIES
NEC UNQUAM PHILOSOPHUM
AUDIVIT
VALE: ET Tu.
1 90 PETEONIUS.
41. C. Pompeius Trimalchio Maecaenatianus: This title
is undoubtedly intended by Petronius to suggest the snobbishness of
the rich freedman : a slave on being manumitted prefixed the prae-
nomen and nomen of his master to his own cognomen: e.g. we have the
inscription (quoted by Jahn) on the tomb of a slave with the com-
mon name Dama: M. Fufius, M. L. ( = Marci libertus) Dama.
Maecaenatianus : in imperial and other important households where
there were numberless slaves, it was the custom when a slave was
transferred from another house that he should be known by the
name of his previous master in addition to his own : so if the title
here were to be accepted literally, it would mean, 'Trimalchio,
formerly a slave of Maecenas, liberated by Pompeius '.
42. seviratus: in the municipia, in order to throw open a career
for libertini, colleges of Augustales were formed (though we do
find ingenui among them, vide Diet. Ant. sub voc.), which were in-
termediate between the decuriones and the ordinary municipi'ss :
sometimes the seviri (sexviri) are mentioned with them, sometimes
not, but the most probable explanation is that the seviri having held
office for a year (and having during their office been obliged to
disburse money in giving some kind of shows or entertainments), then
passed into the guild of Augustales. During the seviratus these were
entitled to the praetexta and gold ring.
43. decuriis: i.e. the associations of scribae, lictores, praecones,
viatores : vide Tac. Ann. xiii. 27 for the offices open to freedmen at
Rome.
45. sestertium trecenties: 30,000,000 sesterces (with numeral
adverbs ccntena milia is understood, but in this phrase sestertium is
a neuter singular, cp. ' syngrapha sestertii centies ' in Cic.).
46. Vale : et tu : an imaginary dialogue between the dead man
and a passer-by.
III.
2. Corcillum, 'one's wits': vide Diet, sub voc. corculum, and also
cor for the use of heart where we say head.
4. sterteia, 'lazy fellow'.
12. coheredem Caesari: to avoid suspicion or ill favour it was
customary for prominent Romans to make the emperor a legatee :
the emperor, of course, was not bound to accept the legacy.
15. contra, 'exchanged for as an equivalent'. The phrase is a
remarkable one, as though the word is so used by Plautus the con-
struction there is different, contra being adverbial : i.e. auro contra
(i.e. posito).
27. Vide 45 above.
33. mathematicus, an astrologer: they were generally Chal-
daeans, and seem to have first come into prominence towards the end
of the Republic : decrees were at times passed expelling them (first
NOTES. 191
of all in 140 B.C., but frequently re-enacted, as in 16 A.D., vide Tac.
Ann. ii. 32). Their popularity was, doubtless, due to the spread of
superstition, which increased in proportion to the decay in the belief
in the old national religion. For a full note on the prominent part
they took see Mayor ad Juv. xiv. 248.
36. ab acia et acu, 'from the very beginning', a proverbial
phrase derived from needlework and tailoring.
39. tu, &c.: these are, of course, the words of the astrologer, which
Habinna should remember.
40. tu domum tuam de rebus pusillis fecisti : I have
accepted this conjecture. The text has dominant tuam rebus Mis,
which is difficult, and even if we retain it I doubt Friedlander's
translation, <Du hast dir deine Frau Gemalin von dem bewussten
Ort geholt ', 'you got your lady wife from the place you wot of '.
47. dum Mercurius vigilat, 'by the favour of fortune': vigilare
seems to be a technical word for the assistance of the gods: vide ad
fin. Conington's note to Virgil, Aen. viii. 3.
50. cellationem : a set of garrets for the slaves.
55. assem habeas. The miser in Horace (Sat. I. i. 62) quotes a
similar proverb, probably, as Wickham points out, a saying of Lucilius
(given by Schol. on Juv. iii. 143), "quantum habeas, tantum ipse
sies tantique habearis ".
58. vital ia = grave clothes: Trimalchio goes through the farce of
being laid out for burial.
PLINY (THE ELDEE).
I.
6. ' Who must be especially sacred in our estimation, as it is she
who renders us sacred ' (i.e. by providing us with tombs which are
respected).
9. cuius: the antecedent is terra, i.e. we pray that the earth may
lie heavy on them when they are no more ( iam nullis): this is the
opposite of Martial's wish in the well-known elegy on the slave -girl,
Erotion, " Mollia non rigidus caespes tegat ossa, nee illi | Terra,
gravis fueris: non fuit ilia tibi " [v. 34], and of the common inscrip-
tion S T T L. [sit tibi terra levis].
19. Both vitali spiritu, &c., and in malis generantium give
the same idea: it is not the earth which nourishes such things that
is to blame, but the principle which gives them birth.
22. inertium nomine: sc. in the place of those who are too
indolent to do so.
29. pabulo fleret: like Polynices' body (Antig. 29) "oluvois y\vidv
eiffopwcrt irpbs xdpiv fiopas ".
192 PLINY THE ELDER.
31. I.e. 'by simply drinking this we may perish without bloodshed,
without the loss of any portion of our body (inlibato corpore), with-
out any struggle on our own part, but simply with a sensation of
thirst, and in such a way that after death beasts and birds will not
touch our corpse, but he who has died (thus) by his own hand is con-
secrated to the earth '.
39. adversus unam, &c.: against earth alone (in distinction to
the other elements).
44. The sense seems to be 'penetramus in viscera terrae quae
summa patiatur (ea) quae extrema cute tolerabilia videantur '.
55. Placatiore: the construction is rather obscure with dea as
an abl. absolute: the meaning is that the goddess (i.e. the earth)
shows herself more lenient (than we should expect) considering that
(1) omnes exitus, &c., (2) sanguine nostro, &c.
II.
2. si modo est alius: the commentators seem to take alius as
= other than the sun, which is not very satisfactory: it would be
tempting to read aliquis, i.e. if there is some definite god (cp. 'si est
aliqui sensus in morte '): Detlefsen tries to give a better sense to the
passage (though alius still remains) by punctuating ' Quisquis est,
deus si modo est, alius est ', &c.
4. I.e. he combines in his own person feeling, sight, hearing, spirit
(soul), mind, and is self-contained. The distinction of anima and
animus is to be found in Lucretius, who shows that the former is
spread through all the body, but that the ruling animus (which may
be affected apart from the anima) is in a definite place : yet at times
we see the animus and anima affected together (see Lucr. iii. 137,
and Munro's notes ad loc.).
22. cepas : like the Egyptians. Cp. Juv. xv. 9.
40. Some edd. put the note of interrogation after fateatur, and con-
nect inridendum with the next sentence. The meaning is practically
the same: the names of the gods do not exist really, but in our
interpretation of natural phenomena we construct them (I take non
intcrpretatione as = nisi interpretations) : it is equally absurd to sup-
pose that the highest existence (illud quidquid est summum) troubles
itself about human matters. This conception of the gods is that of
the Epicureans (cp. Lucr. i. 57, ii. 167).
46. digitis, i.e. by means of rings bearing their image.
50. fulminantem, i.e. Jupiter Tonans.
62. utramque paginam, i.e. fills both the debtor and creditor
side of the balance-sheet.
66. sedere: 'gain acceptance'.
NOTES. 193
70. ofFensiones pedum: for the story of Augustus cp. Suet.
Aug. 92: Pliny (xxviii. 28) tells us that some spat in their shoe as a
preventive of bad luck: to begin with the left foot foremost (as Apuleius
tells us he had an unfortunate habit of doing) was unlucky: for a
similar reason the steps of temples were of an uneven number, in
order that the worshipper might begin and end on the right foot.
81..sera...nunquam inritas: As the Greek proverb (of, I be-
lieve, uncertain authorship) has it " 6\{/ de&v aXtovffi ftuXoi, aXtovvi
5 XeTTci", 'the mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceeding
small '. Cp. also Juv. xiii. 100.
91. ut facetis, &c.: 'to treat in a lighter vein of proof our con-
nection with the deity '.
III.
1. Una: Pliny is at fault, as there were several other cases in
oriental dynasties.
2. fill a, of Leotychides: mater, of Agis: uxor, of Archidamas.
4. Curionum: The first was praetor (121 B.C.), the second consul
(76 B.C.), the third (not a man of very high character, though a
friend of Cicero) was a tribune of the plebs, and in the next year
(49 B.C.) propraetor in Sicily.
12. proscriptura: Sillig's emendation of MSS. proscriptus. The
proscription was by the order of Antony.
16. Ventidius (Bassus): the Asculano triumpho, refers to the
success of Cn. Pompeius in the Marsian (social war, 91-88), the
chief struggle of 90 being at Asculum (in Picenum) between the
Roman army and the native levies under Judacilius. V. served
Caesar in Gaul and in the civil war, afterwards raised troops to
support Antony (was consul suffectus 43 B.C.), and later was en-
trusted with the Parthian war, which he conducted with great
military success. For his humble origin cp. Cic. ad Fam. x. 18.
18. furnariae: so Turnebus emends the unsatisfactory fufinariae:
caliga militare = as a private soldier (for the use cp. Juv. xvi. 24).
20. Cornelius was a Spaniard: on his trial (on charge of illegal
assumption of Roman citizenship) he was defended successfully by
Cicero: the ius virgarum, of course, could not be exercised against a
Roman citizen.
25. Tusculanorum rebellantium: this was in the final revolt
of the Latin cities: "Tusculum was compelled (in 373 B.C.) to give up
its commonwealth, and to enter into the burgess-bond of Rome the
first instance of a whole people being incorporated with the Roman
commonwealth " (Mommsen, vol. I. p. 356).
37. In the manner of Herod Agrippa (Acts xii. 23).
38. supremo somnio, i.e. that his wife appeared and beckoned
him away: Appian says he died of fever: the Capitolium was
(M25) P
194 PLINY THE ELDER.
eventually dedicated by Q. Lutatius Catulus in 69 B.C. Dio's state-
ment that the name of J. Caesar was afterwards substituted for that
of Catulus seems quite at variance with Tacitus' words: Tac. Hist.
iii. 72, " Lutatii Catuli nomen inter tot Caesarum opera usque ad
Vitellium mansit. Ea tune aedes cremabatur" (i.e. in the attack of
the Vitellians 69 A.D. on Flavius Sabinus).
40. hoc felicitati defuisse, so also Tac. (loc. cit.): "hoc solum
felicitati eius negatum ".
44. plurimus is a correction of the MSS. primus.
56. Metellus: the story will be found at length in Ovid, Fasti
vi. 436, seq.
61. curru veheretur: this will hardly tally with the statement
of Gellius (see last extract) that senatores proper (in distinction to
pedarii) all possessed this right.
63. Q. Metellus (died 115 B.C.), an opponent of the Gracchi and
distinguished as an orator (Cic. Brut. xxi. 81): Cic. mentions the
same facts about his sons, and adds also that he left behind him
'tres filias nuptas': at the time of his father's death the fourth son
was a candidate for the consulship, hence Cicero elsewhere (Philipp.
viii. 4) speaks of the sons as 'quattuor consulares '.
76. censurae, i.e. the strictness of his censorship.
79. bonis consecratis : the customary proceeding in such cases.
Cp. Cic. Pro Domo saa 47, and also the account he gives of the
seizure of the possessions of Roscius Amerinus (Pro Roscio viii. 21).
IV.
4. Cornelia, sc. familia.
9. vanae, for MSS. variae.
10. supremo, for MSS. suprema.
12. With the whole passage cp. Lucr. in a similar strain, iii. 870,
seq.
24. The readings of the MSS. vary: we have dclenimentorum and
dementorum.
29. genitis, for MSS. gcntis.
32. obituri, for MSS. obitusi.
V.
11. rosa: fromrocfo: 'eaten away'.
16. baud promptis rebus: 'not easily discovered qualities'.
25. fastigata longitudine : i.e. their long tapering shape ending
in a full bulb: Juvenal, in his criticism of the rich woman (vi. 459),
tells us that she thinks nothing base when "Auribus extentis
magnos commisit elenchos ".
NOTES. 195
25. alabastrorum: like ointment boxes (cp. St. Matt. xxvi. 7),
i.e. flasks with long narrow necks to let the fragrant oil escape drop
by drop.
26. The accusative pleniorem orbem is better with desinentcs
than the abl. of the MSS.
31. lictorem feminae: i.e. it was the privilege of wives of the
imperial house to be attended by lictors.
40. insecto, notched: in the next line grandini would seem
naturally to mean ' hailstones ' ; but Hardouin would make it mean
' like the spotted measles of swine ' .
52. In Britannia: so Tac. Ayr. 12 "margarita sed subfusca ac
liventia".
62. quadringentiens H.S. : i.e. 40,000,000 sesterces, consider-
ably over 300,000.
63. ' Prepared to prove the price paid by means of the receipts ' :
the bracketed words spira and monilibus seem glosses added to ex-
plain the decorations on the hair and neck.
66. Lollius : he was governor in Galatia and afterwards in Gaul:
he accompanied the young G-aius as tutor to the east, and is said to
have accepted bribes from the princes in return for promises of im-
perial favour.
70. Curius, Fabricius: stock examples of simplicity, cp. Hor.
Odes i. xii. 40.
87. taxationem, i.e. the centiens H.S.
VI.
2. densante se frondium germine, i.e. 'when the buds begin
to break into leaves '.
3. in novissimum : not in the last place (a litotes).
5. For this very difficult passage it is possible to give rather
different translations. The difficulty is increased by the fact that
we have not only to explain the verbs, but also the adjectives which
are grammatically in agreement with spiritu. To Mr. P. V. M.
Benecke, of Magdalen College, I owe the following suggestions
" continue spiritu must mean that the song is on one note which is
taken as it were in one breath ; variatur inflcxo that the song varies
as the pitch is changed; distinguitur conciso, the notes are separated,
the breath being sharply arrested ; copulatur intorto, the notes are
closely bound together as the breath is prolonged ; promittitur
revocatOj a sudden outburst after a fresh breath ; infuscatur ex
inopinato, a sudden cessation. The remaining epithets do not follow
one another in any special order : ' now she is murmuring to herself,
now uttering her full voice, now lower, now higher, now in rapidly
repeated sounds (creber), now in prolonged notes, now in shakes
196 PLINY THE ELDER.
(vibrans), darting all over her voice from the upper to the middle or
lower notes'."
14. Stesichorus: of Himera (circa 630-550 B.C.). His real name
seems to have been Tisias : he is important in the history of the
drama by having permanently established the three divisions of the
choral song strophe, antistrophe,^epode (i.e. ra rpla rov ^TTjacx^pov).
24. H.S. VT. i.e. 6000 sesterces.
27. Similar toys are not unknown in our own day: cp. Petron.
Cena Trimalchionis 68, "puer luscinias coepit imitari " : and 69,
"harundinibus quassis choraulas imitatus est " : it is doubtful
whether linyua means the actual tongue or an artificial arrangement:
indiscreta is to be taken with similitudine.
VII.
1. As various kinds of wine are here mentioned, it may be pointed
out that the processes were (1) treading out the grapes with the
naked feet (calcare), the produce being mustum and being used for
the best quality; (2) pressum or cxpressum by means of a press, and
largely used in the composition of mulsum; (3) sometimes the grapes
were allowed to wither after being stretched on trellis-work, and the
wine made from these was called passum and was stronger and
sweeter; (4) if the juice of these grapes was boiled down to 4- of its
original volume it was called defrutum (and much used for mixing
with or doctoring other wines), if to ^ it bore the name sapa; (5)
even in the case of the best wine or mulsum, it was customary
however repugnant the idea may seem to a modern palate to mix
it with aloes or myrrh (cp. Juv. vi. 303, " perfusa mero unguenta
Falerno"); (6) the mulsum was made by mixing honey in various
proportions (one part to five being perhaps the maximum), with the
wine (generally of class 2) ; (7) there was a cheap wine lora de-
scribed in the opening lines of this extract. Though we have plenty
of allusions to rare and curious old wines " cadum Marsi memorem
duelli " (Hor. Odes m. xiv. 18, and cp. Ep. I. v. 4), "calcatam bellis
socialibus uvam " (Juv. v. 30 : though of course the age of the wine
is intentionally exaggerated), or in the Cena Trimalchionis "Falernum
Opimianum annorum centum " (again a fictitious age, as Opimius'
date is 121 B.C., and Cicero in the Brutus speaks of it as being too
old even at that time), yet the fact that it was an habitual practice
to mix water with the wine in proportion varying from 1 to 3 or 3 to
1 (Hor. Odes ill. xix. 11: cp. also Martial's epigram on the huxter of
Ravenna (iii. 57) "cum peterem mixtum, vendidit ille merum ")
proves that the Romans \vere accustomed to drink new and strong
wine. The best of the Italian wines were the Caecuban and the
Falernian : for the various ways in which wine was treated after
being made, see Excursus iv. to Becker's Charicles.
2. Cato : i.e. in the De Re Rustica.
NOTES. 197
7. The meaning is that water is added in quantity equal to a
third of the wine already extracted, and after a further crushing of
the skins the juice extracted is reduced by boiling to a third of its
original volume.
23. circa pericula arbusti : probably means the danger of
climbing the trees. Pliny elsewhere tells us that, owing to the height
of the trees on which the vines were trained, the vine-gatherer con-
tracted that in case of accidents he should be provided with a funeral
pyre and tomb at the owner's expense.
39. lactis : the word is wanting in the MSS.
42. remiges: so Hertz emends the unsatisfactory remeans.
54. Pseudolo : of Plautus.
58. murrinam, see note on line 1 (5): passum, ib. (3): de-
frutum ib. (4).
68. comico versu : the author is unknown.
VIII.
2. Apelles: here spoken of as a native of Cos; others ascribe
him to Ephesus or Colophon.
13. manum de tabula: used also by Cicero as a proverb: "sed
heus tu manum de tabula " (ad Fam. vii. 25. 1).
16. hoc est: i.e. the principles of perspective.
21. aptatam : a blank canvas stretched for painting.
24. What the rivals drew is a matter of considerable doubt : (1) it
is suggested that Apelles drew a profile of himself on the canvas ;
that Protogenes drew another profile inside this only with finer out-
line, and that Apelles on returning drew a still finer profile between
the first and the second : (2) that Protogenes' line by means of using
a different colour divided the outline drawn by Apelles, who again
bisected the line of his rival by drawing one still finer.
28. cad ere in alium: i.e. could not be the work of any one else's
hand.
42. ' Nulla dies sine linea ' : we have later (I think as quoted by
Erasmus) the proverbial saying in a verse, 'nulla dies abeat, quin
linea ducta supersit '.
QUINTILIAN.
I.
1. Marcello Victor! : the friend of Quintilian, to whom the
whole Instilutio Oratorio, is dedicated.
14. repetito vulnere: i.e. the younger son: see line 39.
198 QUINTILIAN
17. corruptae eloquentiae : see Introduction to Quintilian: it
was probably a similar work to Tacitus' Dialogue.
18. optimum fuit, infaustum opus: 'it would have been
better for me to have thrown that ill-omened work, &c., on to the
untimely pyre '.
29. matre : the name is not known.
40. ambitiosus, 'I do not wish to make a show of my griefs'.
42. qui=how?
63. The meaning is that the young Quintilian was so far advanced
for his years that it was natural to fear the thunderbolt of the envy
of the gods: invidia here corresponds to the Greek (fidovos, which, as
the motive which causes the gods to bring ruin on men, figures so
much in Herodotus (see esp. iii. 40).
82. The reading in this and the following lines is open to question :
prius is in all MSS., and must mean ' before your death ' : some
edd. emend it to patris (i.e. young Quintilian's adoptive father) : in
the next line omnium spes is difficult, and the ablative makes the
sense more apparent : acutissimae is a conj. for the MSS. acutis or
acutae (some accept the fairly happy conj. Atticae, for which see note
on Messalla (III. 172 below) : tantum poenas as read is an aposiopesis,
which the old edd. avoid by reading tantum ad poenas amisi.
98. contumacius: in good sense 'with greater firmness', cp.
Tac. Hist. i. 3.
102. 'It is but just and kind (aequum est boni) to look with
indulgence on.'
105. sicut facultates : 'like the goods our father left us '.
II.
9. ridicula: absurd: see on III. 194 below.
17. An ille dolebit, &c. : cp. Persius' attack on the pleaders who
neglected this principle (Persius i. 81, seq.), and for other requisites to
produce emotion (i.e. knowledge of the audience addressed), cp. An-
tonius answer to Crassus (Cic. de Orat. i. 54, seq.), where he says
"teneat oportet venas (have a finger on the pulse of) cuiusque
generis, aetatis et ordinis ".
51. Excussi, Virg. Aen. ix. 476: Levique, xi. 40: positis
insignibus, xi. 89: et dulces, x, 782.
53. ultimi fati, &c. = of a dying man.
65. periclitantium vice, 'as if we ourselves were in danger'.
III.
In this long passage I have only attempted to give brief details of
the less known names : fuller particulars can be found in the larger
NOTES. 199
Dictionary of Classical Biography ; or, better still, in Peterson's edi-
tion of this tenth book of Quintilian : to the latter I owe much infor-
mation on this passage.
5. Afro Domitio: distinguished orator under the early empire
(died 59 A.D.), vide Tac. Ann. iv. 52.
8, 9. ut ... cesserimus ita : 'while we must bow before the
celestial genius of Homer, yet in Virgil there is ', &c. : ut and ita are
antithetic, and cesserimus is a potential subjunctive, as in line 101.
12. aequalitate = more evenness or consistent excellence.
13. Macer: a contemporary of Virgil, whose works are lost.
15. Varro Atacinus (so-called from river Atax in Gallia Nar-
bonensis), 82-37 B.c. : nomen est assecutus, i.e. through the
Argonautica (based, like the poem of Val. Flaccus, on Apollonius
Rhodius).
24. Cornelius Severus: friend of Ovid: his primus liber is un-
known.
26. For bellum Siculum Scaliger would read bellum civile:
Peterson suggests that bellum Siculum may be a gloss to explain
primi libri : the bellum Siculum was that against Sextus Pompeius.
27. Serranum: a generally adopted conjecture to replace the
otherwise inexplicable MSS. ferrenum or farrenum: for Serranus see
Juv. vii. 79 (Mayor's note).
32. Bassum : a poet and orator: vide Juv. vii. 80.
33. Rabirius and Pedo were two friends of Ovid.
36. Germanicum Augustum, i.e. Domitian, who assumed the
title after a campaign in Germany.
44. Domitian posed as the child of Minerva : Peterson reads the
genitive.
49. Virg. Eel. viii. 13 of Pollio.
53. Satira: frequently derived from satura, i.e. lanx satura, a
hotch-potch of various vegetables ; it is claimed as distinctively
Roman as dealing with Roman subjects, and not being political
satire like the old Greek comedy : for a discussion of the word see
Palmer's Introduction to his edition of Horace's satires. Lucilius
was the main writer of the satira ("Lucilius ardens ", Juv. i. 165) :
"Sucre lutulentum ", Hor. Sat. I. 4, 11.
61. nisi (some MSS. non) labor eius amore does not seem a
very happy phrase, though Quintilian uses the verb labor elsewhere
in this sense : the old editors read ad notandos hominum amores
(? mores) praecipuus.
63. hodieque et qui: if we retain this reading (as both Bonnell
and Peterson do) it = hodie quoque (a silver-age use of hodieque) et
qui (the relative sentence being added as an afterthought) : some
edd. read simply hodie qui.
200 QUINTILIAN.
66. Terentius Varro (flourished in earlier part of first cen-
tury B.C.) : a voluminous writer best known perhaps through his
Menippean satires (Petronius' work is a later instance of the satira
Menippea : vide introd. note to Petronius).
71. quibusdam interpositus : probably means 'interspersed
with other metres '.
72. Bibaculus : a writer of lampoons : Cremutius Cordus,
A.D. 25, when on his defence on charge of having written in praise of
Brutus and Cassius (see Tac. Ann. iv. 34), mentioned in support of
freedom of speech that the poems of Bibaculus had been tolerated
by Julius Caesar and Augustus.
76. Cassius Bassus the friend, and editor of Persius' poems:
said to have perished in the eruption of Vesuvius (with Pliny the
elder) : wrote a work on metres (see Jahn's note, quoted by Coning-
ton on Persius, Sat. vi. ).
78. Attius (Accius) (170-90 B.C.): Pacuvius (220-132 B.C.): for
these early Roman tragedians, see Sellar's chapter on early Roman
Tragedy (Roman Poets, 1st series ch. v.).
84. Varius : the epic (and Augustan) poet so often referred to by
Horace (Sat. i. 5. 40, and elsewhere) : his Thyestes was performed at
the games celebrating Actium : it is mentioned (in conjunction with
Ovid's Medea) by Tacitus in the Dialogue about orators.
91. se ntentia = following the verdict of : Stilo being the earliest
of Roman critical philologists.
93. Caecilius: the famous Roman comedian, the successor of
Plautus, and patron of Terence (for this cp. Cruttwell Hist. Rom.
Litr., p. 49).
100. Togatae, i.e. comedies acted in the Roman dress as opp.
to palliatae (admittedly borrowed from Greece and acted in Greek
pallium).
101. cesserit : vide line 8 above, cesserimus.
104. candoris : either ' frankness of judgment ' (a late use of the
word) or transparency (so Peterson).
111. Nonianus: an orator, and afterwards an historian in the
early days of empire.
114. Bassus Aufidius : see scheme of the silver age writers.
119, 120. The reading is doubtful : the MSS. nee immerito
remitti (rem uti) is untranslateable : Bonnell reads imitatorem, ut
cui libertas: recent edd. accept the conj. Cremuti (Cremutius Cordus,
vide note 72 supra).
134. inventio : management of the subject: Cornificius ( about
80 B.C.), if he be the author of the Rhetorica ad Herennium, divides
the orator's duty into five parts inventio, dispositio, memoria,
elocutio, pronuntiatio (vide Wilkins' Introd. to Cic. de Oratore i).
Inventio here would cover the first two divisions.
NOTES. 201
151. ut ait Pindarus: there is nothing in the Pindaric writings
we possess which really corresponds to this.
169. Asinius Pollio: a soldier, poet, and historian, belonging to
the clique of Maecenas: his praises are sung by Horace (Odes ii. 1) :
see also note on Sel. V. of Veil. Paterculus.
172. Messalla: (64 B.C. 8 A.D.) friend of Tibullus: Tacitus in
his Dialogue speaks of him as being even more strict in his choice of
words than Cicero : he inclined, therefore, to the Attic school of
oratory (who aimed at simplicity) : the other schools were the
Asianic, whose idea was rhetorical ornament (Hortensius being an
example), and an intermediate or eclectic school, the Rhodian (to
which Cicero belongs) : Calvus (184) belongs to the Attic.
183. nimia contra se calumnia: too strict self-criticism.
188. Sulpicius: a leading jurist of Cicero's day: if he had no
other title to fame, it would still rest secure on his famous letter of
consolation to Cicero on the death of his daughter Tullia (ad Fain.
iv. 5), a letter which, as Melmoth well says, "has drawn together
whatever human philosophy has of force to compose the perturba-
tions of a mind under the disquietude of severe afflictions ".
190. Cassius Severus: banished (24 A.D.) for libellous writ-
ings: Tac. Ann. iv. 21, speaks of him as "maleficae vitae sed orandi
validus ".
194. ut amari...ridicula: the sense of the passage turns on the
meaning we assign to ridicula : if it = mirth-provoking, then the
sense is ' though his wit is bitter, yet even bitterness of wit excites
our mirth '. On the other hand, as the sentence follows a criticism
of Severus, it is better perhaps to take ridicula as = absurd (it is a
late use of the word, but Quintilian so employs it in the sixth book),
and translate ' his wit is bitter, but mere bitterness is absurd ' (i.e.
we want something more to constitute true merit).
197. lulius Africanus: an orator, a native of Gaul, and a rival
of Afer (see line 5 supra).
202. Trachalus: consul 68 A.D., a friend of Otho (for the story
see Tac. Hist. i. 90).
207. Vibrus Crispus : distinguished as an orator, but even
more as a successful and wealthy delator under Nero : for his
influence see Juv. iv. 82, seq. (with Mayor's note), and cp. Martial'
viii. 99.
209. lulius Secundus: one of the characters of Tacitus' Dia-
logue (on which see note).
231. Celsus (vide scheme of silver age writers, where a rather
different view of Quintilian is quoted).
231. Sextios: a father and son, who expounded Pythagorean
doctrines, and founded a philosophical school.
232. Plautus: the reading is doubtful; the old edd. give Plancus.
202 QUINTILIAN.
234. Catius: a Gaul by birth and contemporary of Cicero: he
appears to be the same Catius under whose name Horace jests at the
Epicureans (vide Wickham's Introd. to Sat. ii. 4).
234. Seneca: for Gellius' criticism see Sel. IV. of Gellius, and
for Seneca vide Introduction to the selections from his writings.
261. The MSS. have si aliqua and siparum : Bonnell, while retain-
ing aliqua (which, though difficult, is possible), reads si partem: I
adopt Wolfflin's conj. of obliqua, read also by Peterson (for whose
critical note on the passage see his edition, p. 207).
IV.
1. I have included this selection to show how elaborately Quin-
tilian deals with the smallest details of his subject. Gesture with the
hand was an important requisite of the orator (indeed all gesture
seems to have been more studied by the Romans than the Greeks),
and it is a little hard for us to see the exact meaning of some of
Quintilian's directions, or when comprehended to understand their
value : the latter part of the section on gesture of the hand I
have omitted for this reason. Roughly speaking, the gestures he
gives depend on five movements of the hand, up and down, right
and left, and in front: the circular sweep he condemns, and says
the gesture behind one is rare. Of the three classes of gesture
which appear in this selection we have (a) those which are formed
by the junction of the middle finger (sometimes the first and middle
fingers) with the thumb, while the other three are spread out
(11. 25-37) ; (/3) those depending on the index or first finger, with
the other three kept down by the thumb, or the first finger slightly
pressed by the thumb and second finger ; (7) that which is produced
by raising the hand, with the tops of the fingers meeting, and then
dropping it in front in a deprecatory manner. Those who are
familiar with Naples will know what a large place gesture still takes
in Italian conversation.
7. saltator : for the indignity which attached to this word cp.
Cic. Pro Murena 6. 13, where it is called "maledictum ex trivio aut
scurrarum aliquo convicio ".
15. stetit soleatus: Cic. Vcrr. 2. 5. 33.
17. Caedebatur, Ib. 2. 4. 8.
21. Hydriae Georgo: two comedies of Menander.
26. Vide general note above.
27. principiis utilis: useful for the opening (or exordium) of
a speech : the hand in this position is moved to right or left (in
utramque partem) with a corresponding turn of head and shoulders.
30. The meaning is that it emphasizes the truth of a narrative
when extended a little farther, or, if farther still, is useful in in-
vective.
NOTES. 203
35. cubito pronuntiant: the meaning is that, if the hand be
brought too far across to the left, one delivers the speech with (or
over) the elbow.
39. usum Crassi : Cicero mentions Crassus' use of the index
finger (De Or. ii. 45).
41. With the hand raised to the shoulder and the fore-finger
bent we get assertion, if it point downward insistence, or thirdly (? if
pointed up) number (presumably the number one) : in argument, if
the thumb and middle finger touch the index, then the other fingers
are moderately bent when the top joint of the index is touched, but
more so, if the second joint.
48. This is the third gesture (see first note, ad fin.).
53. The De Corona.
55. The Pro Archia, and compare also the opening of the Pro
Sexto Roscio.
V.
1. M. Cato : in his book De Oratore : the saying is quoted by the
elder Seneca : for Cicero's different view of the relation between
the orator and good man cp. De Inventione I. 3. 4, where he points
out that eloquence at one time fell into disrepute owing to its
being acquired by bold pretenders.
4. Id non eo tantum : it is important not merely because, &c. :
the second reason is not given.
9. Quid, &c. : i.e. I can take a wider proof than my own case.
16. Longius : 'these are further results of my opinion '.
27. The reasons given are in main (1) he is not a wise man, be-
cause if he was wise he would not be evil ; (2) he has not time to
devote to the study; (3) his mind is preoccupied with anxiety;
(4) the better a man is in character, other qualities being equal, the
more perfect he will be ; (5) the bad man does not know how to deal
with an audience from his contempt of public opinion, and he is most
liable to be disbelieved.
78. sequitur: i.e. they waste their efforts in trying to prove
impossibilities.
89. ' Demosthenes' character does not seem to me to deserve such
grave reprehension.'
94. Testimonio est: ' Take as a proof '.
95. consulatus in 63 B.C. provincia in: Cilicia (51 B.C.).
96. vigintiviratus, the commissioners appointed to carry out the
Lex Julia (59 B.O.) for distributing the ager Campanus among poor
citizens. Cicero's opposition to the execution of this law led to the
reconciliation of the Triumvirs in 56 B.C. (vide Mommsen, vol. i/.
p. 306, seq.).
204 QUINTILIAN.
VI.
1. A short and interesting exposition of Quintilian's views on
education will be found in Hobhouse's Theory of Ancient Education
(Oxford Prize Essays).
12. robustior: ' has more substance '.
18. sinuosa: 'wanders from the point with far-fetched descrip-
tions '.
30, seq. I.e. the child whose framework has no superfluous flesh
upon it is not likely to become a strong man (whether this be true
physiologically or not I do not know).
36. in qua ingenium : 'when the critical faculty takes the
place of the inventive '.
40. sit modo : 'provided there be some material left for the
chisel or the graving tool' (i.e. if we draw out the metal plate
(laminam) too fine, it may break when we come to work on it).
44. Volo enim. Cic. de Or. ii. 21.
54. nee musta: i.e. new wine should not lose its sweetness too
quickly : it is the full-bodied wines which mature slowly (and be-
come ' dry ' ), which are valuable many years afterwards.
72. Before posse understand ' to say '.
VII.
10. ilium vehementis impetus, 'and despite the violence of his
attack', lit. =rthe man of the violent attack: mollis articulus =
nimble (or gentle) movement of the joints, or, as we might say, 'a
mere turn of the wrist '.
18. cum periculo : 'to the peril of the client whose case he has
undertaken '.
28. cura docendi : 'the pains to support their statements'.
32. Sententiae : 'fine sentiments': 'sentences' is so used in
Shakespeare, cp. Merchant of Venice, " Fine sentences and well ex-
pressed ".
34. inter umbras. Cic. de Or. iii. 26.
36. contumeliose : 'that the true orator would regard such an
epithet as an insult '.
40. I.e. the reduction in quantity is counterbalanced by the im-
provement in quality.
42. Nam et clamant: like a saltator (see IV. 6 above).
NOTES. 205
TACITUS.
I.
1. Gaio Caesare tertium consule, i.e. 40 A.D. as the con-
sulship of Collega and Priscus was 93 A.D.
2. quarto : the sexto of the MSS. seems an error.
5. metus : active, ' inspiring fear or formidable '.
12. speciosae : in good sense: as we say a 'handsome for-
tune ' : the MS. (we have two copies of one MS. of the Agricola) has
non contigerant, which seems quite contrary to the obvious sense.
16. non licuit : these words are supplied by Meiser to soften the
harshness of the construction.
17. augurio votisque ominabatur: a zeugma: 'foretold and
prayed for.'
22, seq. Of the persons referred to Metius was Nero's favourite
dwarf and the delator of Senecio, Messalinus a delator, Baebius a
mountebank, who became a delator : he had previously been con-
demned for extortion in the province of Baetiea, but escaped punish-
ment ; Helvidius (the son of the more famous Helvidius Priscus)
was condemned for ridiculing Domitian in a farce, Mauricius and
Rusticus were two brothers, one banished and the other executed by
Domitian, and Senecius was put to death (ace. to Dio Cass.) for
writing the life of the elder Helvidius.
28. nostrae man us : i.e., the senators of the time.
29. The zeugma by which Tacitus makes Visus and Senecio ' bathe
us in blood ' is undeniably harsh and undesirable : to read visus pu-
dore may perhaps be better, but even then it is not a happy phrase,
so I leave the statement in its own nakedness.
33. subscriberentur : technical : were made subjects for
delation.
47. uxore: Domitia.
55. et immortalibus : the MSS. have temporalibus, and the
difficulty can only be avoided by either reading as in the text, or else
quam temporalibus.
56. similitudine decoremus : the MS., which is obviously
corrupt, reads either militum or multum dccoramus: beside similitu-
dine, aemulatu has also been read by some edd., and colamus for
dccoramus.
59. formam. MSS. famam: Muretus conj. formam.
II.
7. orbitati : in search of a legacy : for a description of the kind of
legacy-hunting meant see Juv. v. 137, seq.: non ofFicii, &c. = or
because one has the enjoyment of a public office.
206 TACITUS.
13. urbis : MSS. orbis, which is perhaps extravagant.
15. togatorum : retainers or clients in full dress (for togatus see
Mayor on Juv. i. 76). Juvenal tells us that in many parts of Italy
the toga was never put on except for the purpose of being buried in
it.
15. comitatus et egressus : 'what a following when one goes
abroad' (Peterson).
20. induerit : sc. sibi induerit.
29. quamquam alia: this is the MSS. reading, and will make
sense, though Nissen's grata quae is undoubtedly easier.
32. Equidem : the speaker is Aper, a famous pleader of the day:
in the opening part of the dialogue we have a discussion between
him and Maternus, a poet and pleader, on the subject of poetry and
oratory : in the latter part between Aper and Messalla, the former
championing the methods of his own day, the latter attacking
them as degenerate, and praising the old school.
37. apud patres : some such phrase is clearly necessary for the
balancing of the sentence.
38. centum viros : important civil courts for deciding questions
of inheritance, &c. : Pliny complains that young pleaders should
make their first essay in these courts, beginning with what is" most
important, 'like schoolboys with Homer'.
44. Quinam : namis Orelli's conjecture for non.
50. digito : cp. Persius i. 28.
III.
4. emergentis : someedd. regard this as a gloss. Lipsius reads
se merge ntis.
20. pretiumque, &c., wonder at the price they receive.
26. quae : rather a complicated expression, the antecedent being
tura and balsama, and not nemora,
IV.
1. nuntium pugnae : the first battle of Bedriacum (April 19,
69 A.D.), in which the Vitellian troops were successful: in the second
(fought in October) the Vitellian troops were in turn defeated by the
advance portion of Vespasian's army, under Antonius Primus (for
an account of the two battles see Spooner Tac. Histories, Introd. p.
75, seq.).
7. furore quodam et instinctu : hendiadys ' with mad enthu-
siasm '.
14. ut : according as he.
NOTES. 207
19. nemo dubitet : i.e., in Tacitus' day : Mommsen, com-
paring this account with that of Plutarch, comes to the conclusion
that Tacitus is guilty of a gross exaggeration.
32. tenuerint : may have : reliquerit : could have.
42. irent : the subj. is probably dependent on movcbat, though it
may be taken with appellatos.
57. Servios : i.e. Servius Sulpicius Galba, the predecessor of
Otho.
65. Virginius (Kufus), governor of Germany under Nero : he
put down a rising of Vindex, and might have had the imperial
power in the place of Galba.
69. duobus : an obvious conject. from the context, esp. as Plu-
tarch mentions the two daggers.
75. ambitiosis : urgent.
79. noxa : 'for any offence they had committed'.
V.
12. videbantur : it is simpler to take Roma et opes as the subject
' seemed to be withheld from him ', than to take Hierosotyma, and
make morari active.
36. Bargioram : if the text be right Tacitus is wrong, as the
leaders were John of Giscala and Simon Bargiora : the difficulty
might be avoided by altering the position of the words.
49. excedentium: the /zera/Scuj'w/xej' evrevdev of Josephus: for the
general idea cp. Virg. A en. ii. 351.
53. ambages : so the MSS., though the use in norn. sing, is a
solecism.
VI.
4. spei...admotus : 'connected with your hopes'.
5. ut = since (Madv. 441).
6. honorum : reaching to consul (suffectus) in 57 A.D.
9. Mytilenense secretum : Agrippa received, 23 A.D., a com-
mand in the East, but retired to Mitylene to avoid the jealousy of
Marcellus (whose sister he had married, though he afterwards
divorced her to marry Julia). Maecenas lived eight years in seclu-
sion.
15. umbra : the life of the study or the lecture-room as opposed
to the camp or the pulvis forensis.
22. hortos exstruit : i.e. laid out with terraces, &c. : cp. the
marmorei horli of Lucan (Juv. vii. 81).
38. visum sum mi : visum is difficult, and must be taken
presumably to mean 'seen under Claudius' rule': nisum is not much
208 TACITUS.
better : summi, the adj., though not in MSS., seems necessary with
fastigii, though Furneaux ad loc. quotes an instance of the use of
fastigium by itself.
57. libertines : notably Pallas (cp. Juv. i. 109, where see
Mayor's note and ref.).
62. me Claudio postponis: sc. 'in acts of generosity'.
66. lubricum adulescentiae declinat: 'the uncertainty of
my youth causes me to err ' : Tacitus is fond of using the neuter of
adjectives as substantives with a dependent genitive, so " humido
pallidum ", " inculta montium ", and more strikingly, " alia honorum "
(Ann. i. 9) : (in) lubrico, however, appears in Cicero as a substantive,
and Pliny the younger has " lubricum aetatis ", so that perhaps this
cannot be counted as parallel to the other instances. In the next
line ornatum should be taken in conjunction with subsidio.
VII.
2. The suggestion is probably that he wished to add some special
bequests to his will.
6. fructum Halm's reading : the MSS. have tarn.
9. sapientiae : philosophy : i.e. Stoic (vide note on Sel. III. of
Seneca).
15. adversus praesentem fortitudinem : in contrast with
the fortitude he was showing : if we read formidincm it = with a
view to the danger which threatened (see Furneaux ad loc.).
34. in vulgus edita: among the lost works: invertere^to
adapt or paraphrase.
35. supersedeo : I think it useless.
37. iubet : not in MSS., but some such word is essential.
40. promptum ad ready to believe.
49. venenum : i.e. hemlock : the chilling effect of hemlock
(rjclidas cicutas as Juv. calls it, vii. 206) first seized the extremities:
so Dionysus (Frogs 123), in talking of the different ways of death,
calls that by hemlock \>vxpdv ye /ecu 5ucr%6t/xepo^ | evdtis yap dwo-
Tnfjyvvcn TatTf/o^/xta : a rapid circulation more quickly brought the
hemlock to the vital organs, and the hot bath was intended to
accelerate the senile flow of Seneca's blood.
PLINY (THE YOUNGEE).
I.
2. The account of single days seems to square up, but the general
account (cuncta ratio) of several days does not do so : cuncta is much
better than the inferior cunctis : the meaning is clear, i.e. that how-
NOTES. 209
ever well one seems to have spent each individual day the result of a
number of these days is unsatisfactory.
4. togae vi riles : i.e. of youths taking off the praetexta and bulla
and assuming the toga ; cp. Persius v. 30, " cum primum pavido
custos mihi purpura cessit, Bullaque succinctis Laribus donata
pependit".
6. advocationem : sc. to support him by my presence in court :
consilium may be taken generally, and there is nothing to show us
that it means ' to act as an assessor '.
9. frigid is : unprofitable.
II.
1. Considerable ingenuity has been displayed in attempts to re-
construct Pliny's villa: it must be remembered that the Eomans
aimed rather at adapting their villas to suit the nature of the site
than to comply to any strict architectural form.
5. salvo and composite : these words seem to refer to a well-
spent day in Rome rather than to the time spent in the villa (which
I take to be the meaning ascribed by Lewis and Short to the pas-
sage when they give compositus as = quiet, undisturbed).
9. iunctis: sc. equis, in a carriage.
17. D : there is a question as to the reading (between 0, D, A):
the objection to is not very great, as the letter was an oval
rather than a circle : but the best view is that the porticoes are like
two D's, i.e. D a.
24. valvas. . .fenestras : both served as windows, the former being
folding and reaching to the ground (such as are common in the
modern villa).
32. obiectu : by the projection.
34. continet : collects and augments.
35. nubilum and serenum : are used as substantives : the
meaning is that it is darkness and not cold which makes one cease
to use the place.
37. hapsida : prob. 'of semicircular form', and not 'with an
arched roof.
41. tubulatus : tunnel-shaped : the MSS. are corrupt here, as we
have sublatus, subulatus, and tabulatus (i.e. made of boards).
47. plurimo sole : well lighted by sun and sea.
53. si mare : if you consider the nearness of the sea : this gives
a better sense than the reading nare.
55. cellae : i.e. the tepidarium and the caldarium.
63. apotheca : to store the amphorae of wine (see Becker's
Gallus, Excursus iv.).
(M25) Q
210 PLINY THE YOUNGER.
77. prope public! operis : almost large enough to seem a
public work.
78. The reading given is a simple emendation (that of Keil) of the
MSS. ab horto singulae, sed altcrnis pauciores, which can only, I
suppose, mean that there was less than one window for each two on
the sea side.
87. I.e. when the sun was nearly overhead the shade of the crypto-
porticus would fall only on the xystus, but when the rays of the sun
struck the cryptoporticus slantwise the shade thrown by the build-
ing would gradually increase.
95. deinceps cryptoporticus : it seems necessary to take
cryptoporticus as genitive depending on capite : deinceps, then, can
hardly mean much more than 'and': I have since consulted the
note of Church and Brobribb, and from their statement that "this
cryptoporticus is distinct from the one previously mentioned ", I
infer that they take cryptoporticus here as a nominative. For deinceps
there is a variant deinde.
98. zotheca : a sort of recess curtained off (would properly mean
a cage for animals).
107. andron : sc. a vacant space between two walls to deaden
sounds.
119. deficitur : the drawback to the beauty of the situation is
the want of fresh water.
III.
7. Pomponi : he was accused with P. Vitellius at the time of
the fall of Sejanus (31 A.D.). Tac. Ann. v. 8 describes him as
"multa morum elegantia et ingenio inlustri " : he was released by
Caligula.
12. Drusi : the stepson of Augustus and younger brother of
Tiberius : he distinguished himself greatly in Germany in campaigns
beginning 15 B.C., his object being apparently to make the Elbe the
boundary instead of the Khine : he died B.C. 9 from a fall from his
horse.
15. volumina : i.e. rolls of papyrus, several of which might form
one liber.
20. Aufidii Bassi : see scheme of the silver age writers.
29. auspicandi : a good omen : i.e. lighting a candle in honour
of the god of fire.
37. cibum : i.e. his jentaculum or breakfast.
49. versus : i.e. lines of prose : for the construction with amplius
see Madvig 305.
53. in secessu : ' while on his holiday '.
54. de interioribus : sc. balnci, i.e. the actual operation of
bathing.
NOTES. 211
65. opisthographi : the use of these would seem to show Pliny's
economy, as opisthoyraphi was generally used for unimportant sub-
jects (such as school-boys' exercises). See Mayor's note on " scriptus
et in tergo necdum finitus Orestes " (Juv. i. 6).
67. procuraret : i.e. as an imperial officer in charge of thefiscus:
the career of a well-known Roman began with service in the army
(centurio primipilus, praefectus cohortis, tribunus militum, praefec-
tus alae), and he then entered political life, and qualified as here for
imperial office (procurator, later legatus Caesaris) or after holding
praetorship and consulship for senatorial provinces as propraetor or
proconsul.
IV.
3. numen aliquod : i.e. some supernatural power.
7. comes : i.e. in his 'retinue'; for the use cp. Juv. iii. 47, "nulli
comes exeo".
9. Africam : i.e. that she was Africa.
27. imago: the reminiscence of the phantom seemed to flit before
their eyes, and their terror lasted longer than its cause.
42. auribusque praetendere : grammatically animum is also
object of praetendere, but it can hardly be taken literally : the
whole phrase strengthened his resolution and deadened his ears by
its help.
72. Caro : i.e. Metius Caro the well-known delator : see note
to Tac. Sel. I. line 26.
73. summittere capillum : let the hair grow : it was the Ro-
man custom for the accused to appeal to the pity of the jury by
coming in black, with untrimmed hair and general appearance of
misery (cp. Cic. de Orat. i. 228, seq. ) : Juv. talks of " squalorem
rei" (xv. 135).
V.
6. eluctatusque : struggling through the whirlpool of its own
making it widens out, &c.
15. lucundum : it is pleasant for those who are sailing up and
down merely for sport and relaxation to work and rest by turns,
according as they have changed their course (i.e. work against
stream, and rest while drifting with it).
18. adnumerat : counts as her own.
VI.
4. fossa exhaustus : though its flow is checked by the ditch.
10. velut invitatus: the meaning seems to be that the Anio is so
charming a river that it is courted and detained by the villas on the
banks, rather than that the Anio, like a voluptuary, seeks the society
of the villas : either meaning of delicatissimus is, of course, possible.
212 PLINY THE YOUNGER.
VII.
1. centumviri : a most important civil court dealing with ques-
tions of inheritance and adoption (see Sel. II. of Tac. line 38).
7. cum quodam : this is the reading of the Medicean MS., and
is clearly preferable to sedisse secum circensibus proximis equitem
Eomanum, as the senate and equites had distinct places.
16. super eum : on the place above him on the lectus at the
triclinium.
21. The old woman (according to the version of the story in Cic.
Tusc. Disp.) was carrying a pail of water.
VIII.
8. Cp. with the whole description Shakespeare's account of the
popularity of Coriolanus (Act ii. Sc. 1, 195, seq.).
19. "Stalls, bulks, windows,
Are smothered up, leads fill'd and ridges horsed
With variable complexions, all agreeing
In earnestness to see him " (Shak. loc. cit.).
25. in singulos gradus : i.e. with each step of your advance.
28. monitore: more generally called ' nomenclator ' : a slave
whose business it was to inform his master of the names of those
who saluted him either in the street or attended the morning salu-
tatio. According to Seneca the nomenclator kept a book for visitors'
names.
33. latus crederes : i.e. without fear of personal violence.
42. deum ipsum : Keil (1870) added the word patrem, but he
has since omitted it. The reference is to the adoption in 97 A.D. by
Nerva of Trajan when the citizens were assembled on the Capitol
before the temple of Jupiter, so that probably deum may be taken
&s = Jovcm. The Panegyric seems to have been delivered in the
autumn of 100 A.D. when Pliny was designated consul for the fourth
time.
64. Eutropius records a saying of Trajan, "Talem se imperatorem
esse privatis, quales esse sibi imperatores privatus optasset".
SUETONIUS.
I.
16. Ista quidem, 'you mean violence, then'.
17. For aversum many of the old edd. prefer adrersum.
20. toga caput, so Pompey under similar circumstances, Lucan.
Phars. viii. 613, "ut vidit cominus enses | Involvit vultus": sinum
in next line means a fold of his toga.
NOTES. 213
25. Kal <ri> rewov : an inferior reading has also Kal <rt> el t
it is suggested that the Kal <rti TCKVOV may refer to the intrigue
between Caesar and Servilia (the mother of Brutus), but this is at
once unpleasant and unhappy. It may be questioned whether
Caesar in his dying moments would have used Greek, yet he was a
master of the language. We do not know what the origin is of the
more familiar 'et tu Brute' (which is not in Plutarch). Malone
suggested that it came from a Latin play performed at Oxford
(1582) and borrowed thence by Shakespeare (J. C. iii. 1, 77).
31. in Tiberim : as a malefactor's body dragged by an ' uncus '
down the scalae Gemoniae. (See Mayor's note to Juv. x. 66.)
49. ad simulacrum, 'to represent ' = in similitudinem.
54. omisso ordine: i.e. the ordo would be 'senate and magis-
trates: equites: soldiers: people by tribes ' (Causabon).
57. Armorum iudicio: i.e. a Latin rendering of the 'OTT\UJ>
icplcris between Ajax and Achilles : in the play the line is spoken
by Ajax to Ulysses.
71. The MSS. ad donum is rather a strange phrase and has been
variously emended (Roth retains it) : besides ad manum there have
been other conjectures ad munus, idoneum, odorum.
76. For the bulla and praetexta cp. Persius, v. 30. (See Pliny
the Younger, Sel. i. line 4. )
II.
2. secundarium panem : cp. the poet in Horace (Ep. ii. 1, 123)
who lives " siliquis et pane secundo " and the contrast between the
bread of the poor retainer and his patron (Juv. v. 67, seq.).
10. sabbatis : this may mean fast on sabbath days (which was
not a Jewish custom) or more correctly refer to the two fast days in
the week (dls TOV <ra/3/3drov) : the first may be what Suetonius meant,
as the Romans were very ignorant of Jewish ways ; as Causabon
well says " fit enim persaepe ut ignoremus ea quae, etsi prope sub
oculis geruntur exquirere negligimus" : on the Jewish sabbath with
relation to Roman superstition see Mayor's note on Juv. xiv. 96.
19. reiciebat sc. evomcbat: for Caesar's custom cp. the descrip-
tion of his dinner with Cicero at Puteoli (Ad. Att. xiii. 52), where
he seems to have eaten and drunk more freely " e/j-eTiKTiv agebat :
itaque et edit et bibit dSews ". (See Mr. G. E. Jeans' note on the
letter in his translation.)
24. retectis: would naturally = uncovered, but we should expect
them to be covered : Suetonius sometimes affects a compound with
re (which does not seem to alter the sense) as, e.g., remollitum, repos-
cente.
36. Matutina vigilia: sc. 'early rising'.
214 SUETONIUS.
59. et a memoria eius. Lipsius emends thus the unmeaning
etiam memoriam eius : some edd. prefer in memoria eius, i.e. in the
memoir of Augustus written by Marathus.
III.
I. Agrippa, i.e. Postumus Agrippa, son of Julia (Aug.'s
daughter) and M. Vipsanius Agrippa (Aug.'s admiral and chief
military adviser).
7. factum esse quod imperasset : a military formula: Tacitus
(Ann. i. 6) gives the same words.
II. adlocutione: especially of an address of consolation: so
Seneca (Cons, ad Marciam) "fatigatum amicorum adlocutione".
17. Gaium et Lucium: cp. Tac. Ann. i. 5, "Lucium Caesarem
euntem ad Hispanienses exercitus, G-aium remeantem et vulnere
invalidum mors fato propera vel iiovercae Liviae dolus abstulit".
The relation of the persons mentioned may be seen from the follow-
ing plan :
1st 2nd 1st
Scribonia = Augustus = Livia= Tib. Claudius Nero
Agrippa = Julia Tib. Nero (Emperor) = Vipsania (d. of Agrippa)
| T -i jT ~1 Drusus -
C. Caesar L. Caesar Julia Agrippina Postumus
Agrippa.
25. mimo: I have adopted this conj. for the unsatisfactory
animo of the MSS.
39. Clemens ace. to Tac. Ann. ii. 39; his plan was to rescue
Agrippa from the island of Planasia and persuade the army in
Germany to espouse his cause; but on hearing of his master's
murder he determined to personate Postumus and to raise a
rebellion: for Libo see Tac. Ann. ii. 27; he was grand-nephew of
Scribonia (wife of Augustus), and so distantly connected (second
cousin by adoption) to Tiberius.
44. praetorian is ; cp. Tac. Ann. i. 17: the pay of the praetorians
was two denarii (i.e. the smaller denarius which contained 10 asses
and not that of 16 asses), that of the legionaries one; the regular
term of service for the former was sixteen years, for the latter 20,
but in their case the limit seems often to have exceeded ("tricena
aut quadragena stipendia", Tac. loc. cit. ).
70. in acta sua iuraretur: in 42 B.C. triumvirs swore to main-
tain the acts of Julius Caesar ; in 24 B.C. senate ratified those of
Augustus; it then became the practice to take this oath on the 1st
of January each year (see also Furneaux's note on Tac. Ann. i. 72).
NOTES. 215
IV.
5. a calvo adcalvum: 'without distinction': the origin of the
phrase seems doubtful, but it is said to have arisen from the fact of
a bald man standing at each end of a row.
14. bestiarum more quadripedes: i.e. so bound as to have
to go on all-fours.
22. eaten is: a suggested reading is catomis 'on the shoulders'
(catomis caedi occurs in the schol. on Juv. ii. 142).
24. Atellanae: see Sel. I. of Petronius, line 15.
47. Anticyram...elleborum : there were two Anticyras which
produced hellebore (a medicine prescribed for madness), one in
Phocis, the other on the Maliac Gulf: cp. Hor. Sat. i. 3. 83;
Juv. xiii. 97. The third Anticyra (in Locris) did not apparently
produce the herb, but it was sometimes confused with the other two :
so Hor. A.P. 300, ' tribus Anticyris caput insanabile '.
59. Oderint dum metuant : from the Atreus of Accius.
66. Utinam P. R.: a wish by some attributed to Nero.
68. For a description of these classes of gladiators cp. Juv. viii. 199,
seq. (where see Mayor's notes).
75. clade Variana: see the Sel. of Velleius Paterculus dealing
with this.
76. Fidenas: 20,000 had been killed by a fall of an amphi-
theatre there; for a description of the calamity cp. Tac. Ann. iv. 62.
V.
11. peracto principle: prob. the regular apologetic formula,
* Domini mei audite me libenter'.
16. publicare: cp. Tac. Ann. xvi. 4, "mox flagitante vulgo ut
omnia studia sua publicaret (haec enim verba dixere) ingreditur
theatrum, cunctis citharae legibus obtemperans".
16. Dubitavit an daret: the reading is doubtful; many editors
retain non dubitavit...dare', but the appearance in some codd. of
daret, and also in privatis suggested the reading here adopted, which
is that of Gronovius.
29. prasinum : there were four factions (corresponding roughly
to racing stables), and the chariots which represented them were
distinguished by colours (white, blue, red, green) ; the last of these
seems to have been popular, see Juv. xi. 198.
42. mappam : signal of starting dropped from above the ctir-
ceres (Juv. xi. 193).
VI.
2. mensam subvertit: cp. Seneca, Sel. V. line 21.
10. Usque adeone. Virg. Aen. xii. 646, cp. Seneca Sel. XV.
line 91.
216 SUETONIUS.
14. Aegypti praefecturam : the meaning implied seems to be
that Egypt was not a very important force ; it is true that it was
not one of the provinces to which legates of consular or praetorian
rank were sent, but at any rate under Augustus it was jealously
guarded (cp. Tac. Ann. ii. 59, and see Furneaux).
33. Salariam et Nomentanam : the latter was a branch from
the former which lead into the Sabine district ( = the salt road).
37. proximis castris: probably that of the praetorians though
there were other castra (such, e.g., as that of the cohortes urbanae).
46. aversum : a very probable correction of the MSS. adversum.
48. se vivum : this may be an allusion to Virg. A en. iv. 564.
51. decocta: Pliny (N. H. xxxi. 5) says that Nero had his
water boiled (to destroy impurities) and afterwards cooled with ice.
52. traiectos.-.rasit. Burmann objecting to this construction
(yet compare Verg. Aen. v. 217) would readier 1 traiectos...repsit.
79. iTrww...pd\\i, Iliad x. 535.
VII.
20. coronam...excidisse: the technical term for this bad omen
was ace. to Festus 'caducum auspicium' ("caduca auspicia dicunt
cum aliquid in templo excidit ").
30. continere se : i.e. remain at home.
46. vester well disposed to.
52. vexillatione : here probably not of the veterans retained
four years nominally, but often much longer 'sub vexillo' (as in
Tac. Ann. i. 17), but of detachments of men (as in Tac. Ann. i. 38).
VIII.
18. Threcum : so. gladiators, cp. Sel. IV. line 68,
24. Vesvii mentis: 79 A.D. when Herculaneum and Pompeii
were destroyed. Pliny Ep. vi. 16.
45. pluribus legibus : i.e. bring the same case on by means of
a charge under a different law.
IX.
5. Chaldaei : see Petronius, Sel. III. line 33.
14. ' Enough to pour a libation on you at the sacrifice' : the lines
are from a poet Evenus : the <rol rpdye in the text is Roth's conjec-
ture (the lines in the original being spoken by a vine to a goat) :
most edd. read Kaicrape.
41. arbor: it was (Vespasian c. 5) a cypress tree which was
NOTES. 217
overturned on a windless day, but afterwards found growing as be-
fore.
43. To whom during all his rule he had been accustomed to
commend each new year (i.e. on the Calends of January).
APULEIUS.
I.
1. In prose, beside the translation of the Metamorphoses into
Elizabethan English by Adlington (1566), republished lately in the
Tudor series with an introd. by Mr. Whibley, a beautiful modern
translation of the marriage of Cupid and Psyche will be found in
Mr. Walter Pater's Marius the Epicurean, while a discourse on
the interpretation of the Cupid and Psyche myth by Mr. Andrew
Lang is prefaced to the publication (Nutt. 1887) of that portion of
Adlington's translation which deals with the marriage of Cupid and
Psyche. The poetical versions by Mr. Robert Bridges and Mr.
William Morris are well known.
9. pietatis : i.e. sisterly affection.
28. palmulae: probably, as Hildebrand says, 'Psyche's hand',
and not any kind of artificial strop (Adlington in his trans, omits
the phrase, as indeed he omits many others).
31. aululae : Hildebrand reads cauculae. Either will mean 'a
small vessel' (MSS. tabulae). Adlington, who translates 'hanging of
the chamber', must have mistaken the Latin or else had aulaei in his
text.
81. inquieta: used adverbially.
II.
3. ripisque longis, MSS. rupi longae : Hildebrand has rupisque,
and on the strength of Isid. Gloss, p. 693, he explains rupa as a rock
* ex utraque parte acuta'.
3. summi vertices: I incorporate Hildebrand's suggestion, as
I agree with him that the MS. reading imi gurgites makes no possible
sense : another conjecture is imi gurgites vicino monte desiliunt.
15. mutuatae calorem : Eyssenhardt's text is easier than
Hildebrand's flagrantia mutuata.
23. I.e. the closeness of the brushwood prevents the animals
getting through without the loss of some of their wool.
37. rauca : Lipsius' conjecture : Hildebrand suggests pulla as
being closer to the MSS. pauca, and suiting the Stygias paludes.
40. deferes: for this future with imperative sense, cp. Hor.
A. P. 385, and somewhat similarly Sat. i. 3. 74: in letter- writing it
is common ' tu me amabis sicut amas '.
218 APULEIUS.
50. exarto : other codd. have exerto (exsero) : Hildebrand in
his note says that exsero does not mean to extend (porrigere), but to
uncover (nudare) : yet against this I think might be set Quintil.
xi. 3. 88, "digitus longius his partibus et liberius exseritur" (see
Quintil. Sel. IV. line 32).
62. optimi: the more common reading is primi, which is to be
taken in the sense of lord or prince.
65. pocillatorem : sc. Ganymede: Ovid. M. x. 155; Homer
11. xx. 232.
67. diales: sc. cadestcs.
74. completum aquae: completum (if we retain this reading)
is supine, and is followed by a genitive, as in Cic. Verr. 2. 5. 57,
" completus mercatorum career". The codd. have adreptam
complctamque (complcxamque) : Eyssenhardt reads complexa ungue,
which is hardly happy.
III.
1. Apuleius, having supped not wisely but too well at the house of
Byrrhena, commits, as he imagines, a triple murder (really piercing
some wine-skins) : in the morning he wakes and repents of his
crime, especially when he finds himself haled off to court : this is
before he has been changed into an ass (from which event the book
takes the more familiar title of the Golden Ass), a transformation
which took place when he was desirous of becoming a bird.
8. carnificem imaginabundus: for this rare active use see
Livy xxv. 13, " vitabundus castra ".
12. Chaldaeus: see note to Petron. Sel. III. line 33.
21. populum : some edd. prefer pullicum, but the meaning may
well be as Hildebrand says "cive undique confluerites effecerunt
universum et conjunctum populuin ".
28. circumforaneis : cp. the taking round of the victims at the
Ambarvalia: vide Virg. Ed. iii. 77, Tibullus ii. 1.
29. mediumque tribunal: so Eyssenhardt, i.e. I am placed in
front of : Hildebrand retains eiusque : some edd., to make the accusa-
tive easier, read usque (instead of eius).
39. pericula: i.e. in their desire to watch another man's danger
(i.e. my own) they disregarded their own safety: I am not sure
whether this is the sense which Eyssenhardt wishes his reading (as in
the text) to have, or whether he takes risendi absolutely, and joins
pericula salutis (risk to their own safety) : perhaps, if the first inter-
pretation be taken, it would be easier to read with Hildebrand
salutaria (for the use cp. Tac. Ann. xv. 29), as otherwise the use of
the genitive with negligere must be taken as an imitation of the
Greek gen. with d./zeAeo', for which, though there are parallels with
other verbs (decipitur labor am: sermonis fallebar: regnavit popu-
lorum : &c. ), I can find no example.
NOTES. 219
43. vasculo: cp. the Greek use of the K\tyvdpa, and cp. Pliny
Ep. vi. 2.
50. tot caedium lanienam: Hildebrand, tantam.
IV.
4. cum I eve aliquid: cp. Lucretius' discussion of mirrors, iv.
150, seq.
8. Plato arbitratur. Timaeus 46 B, "And now there is no
longer any difficulty in understanding the creation of images in
mirrors, and in all smooth and bright surfaces. The fires from with-
in and from without communicate about the smooth surface and
form one image, which is variously refracted. All which phenomena
necessarily arise by reason of the fire or light about the eye combin-
ing with the fire or ray of light about the bright and smooth sur-
faces" (Jowett).
AULUS GELLIUS.
I.
1. Chilum : one of the seven sages: to whom are ascribed the two
famous sayings yv&di aeavrbv (Xen. says this was the answer given
by the Delphic Apollo to Croesus, vide Xen. Cyr. vii. 2. 20, seq. : it
was an inscription on the Delphic temple : vide Mayor's note on
Juv. xi. 27), and w5tv dyav: he was contemporary of Pisistratus,
and is said to have died of joy on his son winning the Olympian prize:
for his prophetic remark about the island Cythera, cp. Herod, vii. 235 ;
and for the fulfilment, Thuc. iv. 53-54.
38. Theophrastus (whose real name may have been Tyrtamus),
was the successor of Aristotle, and head of the Peripatetic school: he
wrote on scientific questions, but is perhaps best known to us by his
series of Ethical Characters (though these are perhaps a later com-
pilation made from his writings or lectures).
40. librurn: i.e. Ad Laelium de amicitia (the quotation is from
xvii. 61), either half of the full title serving as the name of the book:
in it Laelius discourses on the subject of friendship (with especial
reference to the death of his friend, Scipio Africanus minor) to his
two sons-in-law. The criticism on Cicero is to a certain extent justi-
fied, as he frequently misunderstood or confused their writings : his
quotations from them do not purport to be complete: he says him-
self "dTr6ypa<j)a sunt: minore labore fiunt" (on the whole subject,
cp. Teuffel, vol. i. 183).
54. rerum communitas: the well-known TO. r&v (t>l\ui> icoivd.
220 AULUS GELLIUS
81. Theognis: there is a certain appositeness in the mention of
Theognis as to judge from the remains of his lyric writings (Bergk.
Poetae Lyrici), his remarks on friendship alone, perhaps, attain
to any high moral excellence (vide 1. 323 seq. in Bergk.).
81. Lucilius: circ. 148 B.C. Cp. Juv. i. 20 and Cic. ad Fam. xii.
16. Vide also note on Quintil. Sel. iii. 54.
II.
2. Tironiana cura: the freedman and amanuensis of Cicero, to
whose diligence we mainly owe our collection of Cicero's letters :
Gellius says elsewhere that Tiro wrote a life of Cicero.
3. Homines tenues: the quotation is from Cic. Verr.2. 5. 65, 167.
5. cognitor = a person who vouches for the identity of another.
13. futurum: it might be said that the future participle with
esse came to be looked upon as an indeclinable future infinitive,
just as there is a periphrastic form in the passive (the supine in um
and iri).
36. Quadrigarii : both he and Antias were Roman annalists,
who compiled a history of Home down to their own day (i.e. time
of Sulla): they were used and are quoted by Livy (vide xxv. 39,
xxxvii. 48).
51. Laberius: a Roman of good birth (who was eventually
compelled by Caesar to the indignity of appearing on the stage).
His date was 107-44 B.C., and his great rival was Syrus (whom
Caesar is said to have preferred). The mimes seem to have to a
certain extent displaced the fabulae Atellanae, from which they dif-
fered in the absence of the regular stock characters, and the fact that
the actors did not wear masks. Cic. ad Fam. ix. 16. 7, makes a
comparison between the Atellanae and the mimes not to the advan-
tage of the latter. For the Atellanae, vide note on Petr. Sel. I. 15.
III.
1. The view of pedarii senatores, which may be now said to be
accepted, is that they were not without a right to speak, but were so
low down on the list that they did not get an opportunity of using
their privilege, and so could only signify their assent by assembling
behind the speaker whom they wished to support ('pedibus ore in
sententiam '). For their speaking, cp. Tac. A. iii. 65 " (ut) multique
etiam pedarii senatores certatim exsurgerent foedaque et nimia cen-
serent".
15. Menippea: Menippus of Gadara (circ. 280 B.C.) was the
inventor of the medley of prose and verse dealing with all topics:
at Rome he was imitated by M. Terentius Varro (116-27 B.C.), and
NOTES. 221
in the silver age we have an example in the satire of Petronius. For
Varro's treatment of these saturae, see especially Cruttwell, Hist.
Rom. Lit., pp. 141, seq.
IV.
1. Seneca: cp. the criticism on him by Quintil. Sel. III. ad fin.
23. i.e. in the Brutus (15. 57).
41. The passage in Seneca to which Gellius refers does not appear
in the works of Seneca we possess.
52. Sotericus: we know nothing of him, but it would seem that
he was a maker of cheap and bad furniture.
V.
23. viginti quinque asses: in Gell. xxv. 12, we have an ex-
planation, "si iniuriam alteri faxit, viginti quinque aeris poenae
sun to ".
23. taliones: the lex talionis is the ' tooth for a tooth ' punish-
ment : " sed iniurias atrociores, ut de osse fracto, non liberis modo,
verum etiam servis factas impensiore damno vindicaverunt, qui-
busdam autem iniuriis talionem quoque adposuerunt " (Gell. xxi. 33).
24. cum lance et licio: for this method of searching for stolen
property see Lewis and Short sub voc. licium (C) ; the lanx was a
plate held in front of the face, the licium a belt round the abdomen.
57. The reading is doubtful, ab aere dando is not a very happy
phrase: we have in the MSS. ab adsiduis ab aere dando and ab
assibus id est aere dando.
VI.
40. The description of the crKVTdX'rj given here corresponds with
that of Plutarch (Lysander).
50. Herod, v. 35 gives the story, though there we have no mention
of the slave suffering from ophthalmia: Polyaenus says the words
written were simply 'Icmcuos ' Apurrayopr] '\wviav diroaTTjffov.
VII.
5. Vergilii: there were many adverse critics of Virgil: one of the
severest is quoted by Macrobius (i. 24. 6) as expressing the belief
that Virgil's desire to have the Aeneid burned was only natural:
the attack made by Favorinus here is met by Scaliger and Heyne
(Excursus 15), the latter of whom points out that Virgil was not
aiming at exact description but poetical ornament.
222 AULUS GELLIUS.
7. So in the life of Virgil (attributed to Suetonius, but probably
the work of Donatus), p. 22, "traditur cotidie meditatos mane pluri-
mos versus dictare solitus ac per totum diem retractando ad paucis-
simos redigere, non absurde carmen se ursae more parere dicens et
lambendo demum effingere".
23. adolerent : ace. to Suet.'s life the request was made to Varius
no With lucca was Virm'l's -lif.pva.ru ov^nf/ ^~ j:i.: i_-__
v icc. to the life |
adderent tamen".
. . e o arus
who with i lucca was Virgil's literary executor, the condition being
(ace. to the life given by Servius), "ut superflua demerent, nihil
firpnt. t.n.rnAn "
^m Pyth ' l 4 (the Vir gian parallel is Aen. iii
570), the Traycu irvp6s are of course the streams of lava: &yv6rarai is
explained by Donaldson as referring to the use of sulphur for cleans-
ing purposes.
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BLACKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE. 9
HISTORY Continued.
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10 BLAOKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE.
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BLACKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE. 11
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12 BLACKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE.
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BLACKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE. 13
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BLACKIE AND SON'S EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE. 23
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VICAR OF WAKE-
HISTORY OF
MISS MITFORD'S OUR VILLAGE.
MARRYAT'S CHILDREN OF THE
NEW FOREST.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN.
LAMB'S TALES FROM SHAKSPEARE.
DANA'S TWO YEARS BEFORE THE
MAST.
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WATERTON'S WANDERINGS.
ANSON'S VOYAGE ROUND THE
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THE BASKET OF FLOWERS.
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LIFE OF DRAKE.
PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A
GALLEY-SLAVE.
THE SNOWSTORM. By MRS. GORE.
LIFE OF DAMPIER.
THE CRUISE OF THE MIDGE. M.
SCOTT.
To be followed ~by one volume on the first of each month.
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and girls alike, but especially the former, will highly prize; for whilst they
contain interesting, and at times very exciting reading, the tone throughout is of
that vigorous, stirring kind which is always appreciated by the young." Sheffield
Independent.
" The series will be worthy the attention of all who are interested in village
and school libraries." Glasgow Herald.
Detailed Prospectus and Press Opinions will "be sent post free on Application.
LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED, 50 OLD BAILEY, E.G.
GLASGOW AND DUBLIN.
NOW IN COURSE OF PUBLICATION.
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THE
NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS
THEIR FORMS, GROWTH,
REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION,
FROM THE GERMAN OF
ANTON KERNER VON MARILAUN,
Professor of Botany in the University of Vienna,
BY
F. W. OLIVER, M.A., D.Sc.,
Quain Professor of Botany in University College, London.
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF
MARIAN BUSK, B.Sc., AND MARY EWART, B.Sc
With about 1000 Original Woodcut Illustrations
and Sixteen Plates in Colours.
TT'ERNER'S NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS, now for the first
" time presented to English readers, is one of the greatest works on
Botany ever issued from the press. Its province is the whole realm of Plant
Life, and its purpose, as conceived by the author, Professor Kerner, of
Vienna University, is to provide "a book not only for specialists and
scholars, but also for the many ".
To the preparation of the work Professor Kerner has devoted a quarter
of a century of earnest labour, bringing to bear upon it the highest pro-
fessional knowledge, experience, and skill. It is thus in nowise a sweeping
together of current views, but has the rounded completeness of an original
work of art ; it might indeed be fitly named The Epic of Plant Life.
The work will be completed in 16 parts imperial 8vo, published monthly,
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Detailed Illustrated Prospectus, -with the Authors Note to the English Edition,
will be sent on Application.
LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED; GLASGOW & DUBLIN.
PA 2095 .L374 1895
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LATIN PROSE OF HE SILVER
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BBX-6279 (MCAB)
