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Nec surdum, nec Tiresiam quenquam esse Deorum.

248—9. “That no one of the gods," &c.] Whose province it is to punish crimes, is either deaf, so as not to hear such perjury, or blind, so as not to see

every circumstance of such a transaction, and to punish it accordingly. Comp. I. 112-19.

249. "Tiresias."] A blind soothsayer

"The gods is either deaf, or a Tiresias."

of Thebes, fabled to be stricken blind by the latter, who in requital gave him the Juno, for his decision in a dispute between her and her husband, in favour of

gift of prophecy.

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SATIRE XIV.

ARGUMENT.

This Satire is levelled at the bad examples which parents set their children, and shews the serious consequences of such examples, in helping to contaminate the morals of the rising generation, as we are apt, by nature, rather to receive ill impressions than good, and are, besides, more pliant in our younger than in our

PLURIMA sunt, Fuscine, et famâ digna sinistrâ,
Et nitidis maculam hæsuram figentia rebus,
Quæ monstrant ipsi pueris traduntque parentes.
Si damnosa senem juvat alea, ludit et hæres
Bullatus, parvoque eadem movet arma fritillo :
Nec de se melius cuiquam sperare propinquo
Concedet juvenis, qui radere tubera terræ,
Boletum condire, et eodem jure natantes
Mergere ficedulas didicit, nebulone parente,

Line 1. Fuscinus.] A friend of Juvenal's, to whom this Satire is addressed.

Worthy of unfavourable report.] Which deserve to be ill spoken of, to be esteemed scandalous.

The word sinistra here is metaphorical, taken from the Roman superstition, with regard to any thing of the ominous kind, which appeared on the left hand; they reckoned it unlucky and unfavourable. See sat. x. 1. 129, where the word is applied, as here, in a metaphorical sense.

2. Fixing a stain, &c.] A metaphor, taken from the idea of clean and neat garments being soiled or spotted, with filth thrown upon them, the marks of which are not easily got out. So these things of evil report fix a spot, or stain, on the most splendid character, rank, or fortune-all which, probably, the poet

means by nitidis rebus.

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3. Which parents, &c.] The things worthy of evil report, which are afterwards particularized, are matters which parents exhibit to their children by example, and deliver to them by precept. Comp. 1. 9.

4. If the destructive die pleases, &c.] If the father be fond of playing at dice.

Wearing the bulla, &c.] His son, when a mere child, will imitate his example. For the bulla, see sat. xiii. 1. 33, note.

5. The same weapons, &c.] Arma, literally denotes all kind of warlike arms and armour; and by met. all manner of tools and implements, for all arts, mysteries, occupations, and diversions. AINSW. The word is peculiarly proper to express dice, and other implements of

SATIRA XIV.

ARGUMENT.

riper years. From hence he descends to a Satire on avarice, which he esteems to be of worse example than any other of the vices which he mentions before; and concludes with limiting our desires within reasonable bounds.

THERE are many things, Fuscinus, worthy of unfavourable

report,

And fixing a stain which will stick upon splendid things, Which parents themselves shew, and deliver to their children. If the destructive die pleases the old man, the heir wearing the bulla

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Will play too, and moves the same weapons in his little dice-box.
Nor does the youth allow any relation to hope better of him,
Who has learnt to peel the funguses of the earth,

To season a mushroom, and, swimming in the same sauce,
To immerse beccaficos, a prodigal parent,

gaming, wherewith the gamesters attack each other, each with an intent to ruin and destroy the opponent.-See sat. i. 92, note.

5. Little dice-box.] Master, being too young to play with a large dice-box, not being able to shake and manage it, has a small one made for him, that he may begin the science as early as possible. See AINSW. Fritillus.

6. Nor does the youth allow, &c.] The poet, having mentioned the bringing up children to be gamesters, here proceeds to those who are early initiated into the science of gluttony. Such give very little room to their family to hope that they will turn out better than the for

mer.

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Et canâ monstrante gulâ. Cum septimus annus
Transierit puero, nondum omni dente renato,
Barbatos licet admoveas mille inde magistros,
Hinc totidem, cupiet lauto cœnare paratu
Semper, et a magnâ non degenerare culinâ.

Mitem animum, et mores, modicis erroribus æquos
Præcipit, atque animas servorum, et corpora nostrâ
Materiâ constare putat, paribusque elementis ?
An sævire docet Rutilus? qui gaudet acerbo
Plagarum strepitu, et nullam Sirena flagellis
Comparat, Antiphates trepidi laris, ac Polyphemus,
Tum felix, quoties aliquis tortore vocato
Uritur ardenti duo propter lintea ferro?
Quid suadet juveni lætus stridore catenæ,
Quem mire afficiunt inscripta ergastula, carcer
Rusticus? Expectas, ut non sit adultera Largæ

which feed on figs, now called beccaficos,
or fig-peckers; they are to this day
esteemed a great dainty.

It was reckoned a piece of high luxury to have these birds dressed, and served up to table, in the same sauce, or pickle, with funguses of various kinds.

9. A prodigal parent.] Nebulo signifies an unthrift, a vain prodigal; and is most probably used here in this sense. See AINSW. Nebulo, No. 2.

10. A grey throat, &c.] Gula is, literally, the throat or gullet; but, by met. may signify a glutton, who thinks of nothing but his gullet. So yasne, the belly, is used to denote a glutton; and the apostle's quotation from the Cretan poet, Tit. i. 12. yasiges agyot, instead of slow bellies, which is nonsense, should be rendered lazy gluttons, which is the undoubted sense of the phrase.

Cana gula here, then, may be rendered an hoary glutton--i. e. the old epicure, his father setting the example, and shewing him the art of luxurious cookery.

10. The seventh year, &c.] When he is turned of seven years of age, a time when the second set of teeth, after shedding the first, is not completed, and a time of life the most flexible and docile.

12. Tho' you should place, &c.] Though a thousand of the gravest and most learned tutors were placed on each side of him so as to pour their instructions into both his ears at the same time, yet they would avail nothing at all towards

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reclaiming him.--q. d. The boy having gotten such an early taste for gluttony, will never get rid of it, by any pains which can be taken with him for that purpose.

The philosophers and learned teachers wore beards; and were therefore called barbati. They thought it suited best with the gravity of their appearance.

PERS. sat. iv. 1. 1, calls Socrates, barbatum magistrum. See Hor. lib. ii. sat. iii. 1. 35, and note.

13. He would desire, &c.] He would never get rid of his inclination to glut tony.

13--14. With a sumptuous preparation.} With a number of the most delicious

provisions, dressed most luxuriously, and served up in the most sumptuous

manner.

14. Not to degenerate, &c.] Either in principle or practice, from the profuse luxury of his father's ample kitchen.

So true is that of HOR. Epist. lib. i. epist. ii. 1. 68, 9.

Quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit odorem

Testa diu.

15. Rutilus.] The name of some master, who was of a very cruel disposition towards his servants.

—Kind to small errors.] Making allowance for, and excusing, small faults.

16. And the souls of slaves, &c.] Does he think that the bodies of slaves consist of the same materials, and that their

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