NOTES. SATIRE I. THE STATE OF THE TIMES. INTRODUCTION.-The reference to the trial of Marius Priscus (line 49) shows that the satire was not written before 100 A. D. Juvenal first gives his reasons for writing. He is tired of hearing wearisome accounts of mythological commonplaces, and will take his revenge by giving his tormentors something to listen to. He then explains why he chooses the field of satire: the corruption of the times, when luxury and wealth rule society, forces an earnest man to deal with the present rather than the past. He will take human life with all its passions as his theme; these passions were never more openly displayed than at this time in Rome, when gambling, gluttony, and avarice are at their height. The subject may demand more audacity than he possesses, but, if he dare not deal with the living, he may at least attack the vices of the generation just passed away. 1. Auditor tantum, a mere listener. The practice of giving readings from one's own poems (introduced by Asinius Pollio about 100 B. c.) had become very common and, to most people, very disagreeable. The younger Pliny, however, seems to have enjoyed it. Cf. Plin. Ep. I, 13. Reponam, pay back-i. e., write something of my own for others to listen to. 2. Rauci, from so much reading aloud. Theseide-i. e., the story of Theseus, as the Aeneid was the story of Aeneas. Mythology and hero-stories furnished a rich field for the society poet. 3. Ergo, then, as often. Togatas (fabulas). The principal forms of Roman drama were: togatae, comedies on Roman subjects, in which the characters wore the toga; palliatae, comedies dealing with Greek life, in which the Greek garment, the pallium, was worn; praetextae, tragedies, so called from the toga praetexta. 4. Ingens Telephus. The adjective probably refers to the length of the poem. Telephus was king of Mysia, wounded by Achilles's spear. Cf. Hor. A. P. 96. 5. Summi. There is some doubt about the meaning; probably summi here extremi-i. e., the margin up to the very last part of the book was full. 6. In tergo. Roman books were usually composed of sheets of papyrus or parchment. It was customary to write on only one side of each sheet. Cf. Fig. 1. 7. Lucus Martis. Several such groves are mentioned by the ancients; this may be any one of them. 8. Antrum Vulcani. Vergil VIII, 422, calls Lipara, one of the Aeolian islands, north of Sicily, Vulcani domus. 9. Agant and the following verbs are subjunctive in indirect questions, objects of clamant. |