108. Qui... caput: by this periphrasis are described those unnatural wretches, who dressed their heads, like women: who, if they wanted to scratch them, gently introduced one finger only, for fear of discomposing their hair.

110. Hæc ... surdo: the words of Nævolus.

117. Fabricius: when C. Fabricius was censor, he adjudged Corn. Ruffinus, a senator who had twice been consul, unworthy of the senatorial dignity, because he had in his house silver vessels of ten pounds weight, esteeming it as a notorious example of luxury.

118. Masorum: the Masians were remarkably robust, and therefore in great demand at Rome, as chairmen or carriers of sedans.

120. Curvus: 'skilful.'

123. Nam... surdo: i. e. fortune is deaf to all petitions on my behalf.

This is expressed by an allusion to the story of Ulysses, who, sailing by Sicily and being forewarned of the danger of listening to the Sirens on the coast, stopped his mariners' ears with wax, and so sailed by them securely.

SATIRE X.

As

The subject of this Satire is the Vanity of Human Wishes. The poet takes his stand on the great theatre of the world and summons before him the illustrious characters of all ages. they appear in succession, he shows, from the principal events of their lives, how little happiness is promoted, by the attainment of what our indistinct and bounded views represent, as the most perfect of earthly blessings. Of these he instances wealth, power, eloquence, military glory, and personal accomplishments; all which have, as he observes, proved dangerous or destructive to their respective possessors. From hence, he argues the wisdom of acquiescing in the dispensations of Heaven; and concludes with a form of prayer, in which he points out, with great force and beauty, the objects for which a rational being may presume to approach the Almighty.

Juvenal seems, in the composition of this Satire, to have had in his thoughts Plato's second dialogue of Alcibiades and Persius's second Satire; he has, however, taken nothing from them, but the general idea; the filling up is entirely his own.

1. Gadibus: Gades, now Cadiz, is an island beyond the straits of Gibraltar, to the south of Spain. The ancients supposed it to be the extremity of the west whence the inscription, NE PLUS ULTRA, on the pillars of Hercules.

2. Gangen: the greatest river in the east, dividing India into two parts.

8. Togâ peace.

militia: the toga, says Cicero, is the badge of

In time of peace, situations in the administration of civil affairs are sought for; in time of war, posts of command in the army; each of which are often attended with damage to those who had eagerly sought them.

10. Mortifera... facundia: Demosthenes and Cicero both came to violent deaths.-Viribus ... confisus: Milo, the Crotonian wrestler. See Class. Dict.

11. Periit: this line is thus scanned:

Confi- | sus peri- | it ad- | miran- | disque lă- | cértis. The it in periit is made long by the cæsural pause.

13. Cuncta.. ... census: i. e. an income beyond the rate of a common fortune.

15. Temporibus... cohors: the construction is, Igitur tota cohors, illis diris temporibus, jussu Neronis, clausit Longinum et magnos hortos prædivitis Seneca, &c.

16. Longinum: Nero ordered Cassius Longinus to be put to death, because he had in his possession a statue of Cassius, one of the murderers of Julius Cæsar; but the real cause was, that he was rich.-Seneca: tutor to Nero, supposed to be engaged in Piso's conspiracy; but put to death in consequence of his great wealth. See Class. Dict.

17. Lateranorum ades: Plautius Lateranus had a sumptuous palace, in which he was beset by order of Nero, and killed so suddenly, that he had not a moment's time to take leave of his children and family. He had been designated consul.

The pope's palace, called the Lateran, is built on the site of this edifice.

18. Conacula literally, places to sup in; as the ancients used to sup in the highest part of the house, it is put here for a garret, where paupers lodged.

...

20. Contum: a pole, armed at one end, such as highwaymen used to carry. A boatman's pole is also called contus. 24. Toto foro: the senators and other rich Romans had chests of brass, in the forum of Mars, to hold and preserve their money but these, having once been robbed, they removed to the temple of Castor. These chests were also kept in the forum of Trajan.

Some think the poet alludes to usurers, who transacted their business in the forum.

28. Jamne... auctor: i. e. do you now think much about wealth or ostentation, (quod) which caused one philosopher to laugh, another to weep?-Sapientibus alter: Democritus, a philosopher of Abdera, who always derided the vanity of man.

30. Contrarius auctor: Heraclitus, a philosopher of Ephesus, who acted contrary to Democritus, and wept for the folly of man. 35. Trabea: robes, worn by kings, consuls, and augurs.Tribunal: a seat in the forum, in the form of a half-moon, from

which the judges passed sentence. At the upper part was placed the sella curulis, on which the prætor sat.

36. Quid: the poet now derides the figure, which the prætor made, when presiding at the Circensian games.-Curribus: triumphal cars, which were drawn by four white horses.

38. Tunica Jovis: those who triumphed wore a tunic or garment, which, at other times, was kept in the temple of Jupiter.Sarrana: Sarra was the ancient name of Tyre, famous for its purple dye.

41. Publicus: sc. servus; the Romans had public as well as private servants, who attended them on such occasions as these. This servant assisted in holding up the heavy crown of the prætor.-Consul... eodem: the ancients had an institution, that a slave should ride in the same chariot with a consul, when he triumphed, and should admonish him to recollect that he was a

man.

As the prætor is here represented as triumphing, the word consul is used.

43. Volucrem... eburno: the eagle with expanded wings, which the triumphant prætor held, on the top of his ivory sceptre. 44. Præcedentia... officia: for longum agmen officii causâ : these were the great man's dependants, who, on this occasion, marched in solemn procession before the chariot.

45. Niveos... Quirites: in triumphal processions, citizens, clad in white, walked by the side of the chariot.

46. Defossa... amicos: whom the sportula, buried in his coffers, (and not sincere attachment,) has made his friends.' 47. Tunc Democritus in his time.

50. Vervecum... nasci: the Baotians, Thracians, and particularly the people of Abdera, a city of Thrace, were noted for stupidity.

52. Fortunæ... laqueum: mandare laqueum alicui, is a phrase somewhat like, go hang yourself.

53. Medium. unguem: to hold out the middle finger, the rest being contracted, was significant of the utmost contempt. 54. Ergò: i. e. since few can distinguish between what are real blessings, and the reverse.-Supervacua: the final a of this word is here preserved from elision.

...

55. Propter. deorum: it was customary with the ancients to write their vows on paper or waxen tablets, and, sealing them up, to affix them to the knees of the gods with wax: they used also to spread wax on the knees of the image, and thereon write their wishes. The knees were considered the seat of mercy.

The gods permit us to ask, but the consequences of having our petitions answered are often fatal.

56. Quosdam: the poet now passes to honors, and, by examples, shows that, like riches, they prove the destruction of many. 58. Pagina: pagina, in its proper and literal sense, signifies a page of a book, but here, a plate of brass, fixed before the

statues of eminent persons, containing all their titles and honors. -Restemque sequuntur: things dragged by ropes, are said sequi restem.

The populace pulled down all the statues of Sejanus, to please the emperor, with whom this prime minister was in disgrace, and dragged them about the streets of Rome.

59. Ipsas... Sejanus: some of the statues of Sejanus were on horseback; others in a triumphal car, drawn by two horses; all which were broken to pieces, the very chariots and horses demolished, and, if made of brass, carried to the fire and melted.

63. Facie... secundâ : i. e. ex statuâ hominis toto orbe secundi; Sejanus was so favored by Tiberius, that he raised him to the highest dignity, next himself.

65. Pone... trahat: the words of the populace, triumphing over Sejanus and flattering Tiberius.-Lauros: it was usual to adorn their houses with garlands of laurel on any public occasion of joy.

66. Cretatum: beasts, sacrificed to the celestial gods, were white; those to the infernal deities, were black.—Ducitur ... spectandus: criminals were dragged by a hook to the Scale Gemonia and thrown into the Tiber. The body of Sejanus was exposed three days at the Scale Gemoniæ, before it was cast into the river.

The Scala Gemonie was a place appointed either for torturing criminals or for exposing their bodies after execution. It was on Mount Aventine, and there were several steps which led up to it.

71. Verbosa... capreis: Tiberius, while at Capreæ, an island on the coast of Naples, was informed, that Sejanus had a design upon the empire: on which he wrote a long and pompous epistle to the senate, who had Sejanus seized and punished.

73. Turba Remi: the commons.'

74. Nursia Tusco: Sejanus was a Tuscan, born at Volsinium, where the goddess Nursia (the same as Fortune) was worshipped.

...

77. Augustum: emperor.'-Ex quo vendimus: the poorer sort of plebeians used to sell their votes to the candidates for public offices, before Julius Cæsar took from the people the right of electing their magistrates.

78. Effudit: sc. populus; have dismissed all care and concern about the state, and the election of officers.

80. Continet: withhold itself from all concerns of state.' 82. Mi obvius: i. e. as he was dragged to execution.

83. Brutidius: Brutidius Niger, the ædile and rhetorician, a great friend to Sejanus, who was ordered to be executed with him.

84. Victus Ajax: alluding to the story of Ajax (to whom the emperor is compared), who, being overcome in his dispute with Ulysses concerning the armor of Achilles, ran mad with grief, and vented his anger upon the cattle of the field.

85. Malè defensus: 'badly supported by the senate.'

88. Cervice obstrictå: those, who were dragged to punishment, had a chain or halter fastened about the neck.

91. Curules: the ivory chairs of state, in which Prætors, Ediles, and other high magistrates were carried, put here for the offices themselves.

94. Grege Chaldæo: Tiberius, at Capreæ, was surrounded by a band of Chaldæan astrologers, and was guided by them in all his affairs of state.-Pila: javelins, with which the Roman foot soldiers were armed; as if the poet had said,-" Do you wish to be an officer, to have soldiers under your command ?”—Cohortes : a cohort was the tenth part of a legion. The dignity of a Tribune of the soldiers is intended.

95. Castra domestica: the same as castra Prætoria. 100. Potestas: 'the magistrate.'

101. De mensurâ ... ædilis: an ædile was an inferior officer, who had jurisdiction over weights and measures; and was authorized to break them, if they were not just.

There were two kinds of ædiles, (strictly speaking, indeed, there were three,) the Curule and the Plebeian: the first were officers of considerable power; it is of the second kind that Juvenal here speaks.

103. Ergo ... ruina: here the poet draws a conclusion, from what has been said of Sejanus, that few are wise enough to distinguish true good from evil.

105. Et nimius... ruina: the note of Ruperti is as follows: "Sejanus ad altissimos adscendebat honoris gradus et ita graviarem sibi casum ruinamque parabat, similis ei, qui, modicis ædibus non contentus, turrim multorum tabulatorum exstruit, unde altior est casus et immane præceps, præcipitium, ruinæ (dat.) ad casum et violenter impulsa, h. e. unde superiores turris partes magnâ cum vi ruere vel decidere possint."

108. Illum: C. Julius Cæsar.

109. Flagra: while Rome enjoyed her freedom, slaves only, not Roman citizens, were permitted to be beaten with scourges. 110. Nulla non arte: i. e. omni arte ac modo,-per fas et nefas.

112. Generum Cereris: Pluto, who took away and married Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres.

114. Eloquium: the poet now shows, by the examples of Demosthenes and Cicero, that eloquence is equally pernicious.

115. Quinquatribus: the Quinquatria were festivals in honor of Minerva, the goddess of arts and sciences: they lasted five days, during which time the school-boys had holydays.

116. Quisquis ... Minervam: i. e. one who has only commenced his first elements. The youngest tyro, who has, as yet, only paid one single as to the master.-Minervam: by Metonymy for science itself.