Quorum Flaminiâ tegitur cinis, atque Latinâ. 171. Whose ashes are covered.] When the bodies were consumed on the funeral pile, the ashes were put into urns and buried. -The Flaminian and Latin way.] These were two great roads, or ways, leading from Rome to other parts. In the via Flaminia and via Latina, the urns and remains of the nobles were buried, and had monuments erected. See Sat. v. l. 55. Hence have been so often found in ancient Roman inscriptions on monuments, Siste viator. It was ordered by the law of the Whose ashes are covered in the Flaminian and Latin way. Twelve Tables, that nobody should be buried within the city; hence the urns of the great were buried, and their monuments were erected, on those celebrated roads or ways. For the Flami nian way, see before, 1. 61. note. The via Latina was of great extent, reaching from Rome, through many famous cities, to the farthest part of Latium. SATIRA II. ARGUMENT. The Poet, in this satire, inveighs against the hypocrisy of the philosophers and priests of his time-the effeminacy of mili tary officers-and magistrates. Which corruption of man ULTRA Sauromatas fugere hinc libet, et glacialem Line 1. I could wish.] Libet-lit. it liketh me. Sauromata.] A northern barbarous people; the same with the Sarmata. Ov. Trist.ii.198. calls them Sauromatæ truces. 1, 2. Icy ocean.] The northern ocean, which was perpetually frozen. Lucan calls it Scythicum pontum (Phars. 1.1.)Scythia bordering on its shore. Et qua bruma rigens, et nescia vere remitti, Astringit Scythicum glaciali frigore pon tum. The poet means, that he wishes to leave Rome, and banish himself, though to the most inhospitable regions, when ever he hears such hypocrites, as he afterwards describes, talk on the subject of morality. 2. They dare.] i. e. As often as they have the audacity, the daring impudence to declaim or discourse about morals. 3. Curii.] Curius Dentatus was thrice consul of Rome: he was remarkable for his courage, honesty, and frugality. - Live (like) Bacchanals.] Their conduct is quite opposite to their profession; 5 for while they make an outward shew of virtue and sobriety, as if they were so many Curii, they, in truth, addict themselves to those debaucheries and impurities, with which the feasts of Bacchus were celebrated. These were called Bacchanalia. See them described, LIV. xxxix. 8. Bacchanalia stands here for Bacchanaliter. Grecism. These are frequently found in Juvenal and Persius. 4. Unlearned.] Their pretences to learning are as vain and empty, as to virtue and morality. 4, 5. Plaster of Chrysippus.] Gypsum signifies any kind of parget or plaster, (something, perhaps, like our plaster of Paris,) of which images, busts, and likenesses of the philosophers were made, and set up, out of a veneration to their memories, as ornaments, in the libraries and studies of the learned: in imitation of whom, these ignorant pretenders to learning and philosophy set up the busts and images of Chrysippus, Aristotle, &c. that they might be supposed admirers and followers of those great men. SATIRE II. ARGUMENT. ners, as well among them, as among others, and, more particularly, certain unnatural vices, he imputes to the atheism and infidelity which then prevailed among all ranks. I COULD wish to fly hence, beyond the Sauromatæ, and the icy Ocean, as often as they dare any thing concerning morals, And commands a book-case to keep original images of Cleanthes. No credit to the countenance: for what street does not abound With grave obscenes? dost thou reprove base (actions) when thou art Omnia plena denotes the affectation of these people, in sticking up these images, as it were, in every corner of their houses. Chrysippus was a stoic philosopher, scholar to Zeno, and a great logician. 5. The most perfect of these.] If any one buys the likeness of Aristotle, &c. he is ranked in the highest and most respected class among these people. 6. Aristotle like.] An image resembling or like Aristotle, who was the scholar of Plato, and the father of the sect called Peripatetics, from rigirarsa, circumambulo, because they disputed walking about the school. Inter Socraticos notissima fossa cinædos? 10. Among the Socratic, &c.] i. e. Among those, who, though infamously vicious, yet profess to be followers, and teachers of the doctrine and discipline of Socrates, who was the first and great teacher of ethics or moral philosophy. But it is not improbable, that the poet here glances at the incontinence which was charged on Socrates himself. See FARNABY, n. on this line; and LELAND on Christian Rev. vol. ii. p. 133, 4; and HOLYDAY, note c. 12. 1 would here, once for all, advertise the reader, that in this, and in all other passages which, like this, must appear filthy and offensive in a literal translation, I shall only give a general sense. were, 10 15 20 25 rities, and, in this, acted more ingenuously, and more according to truth, than these pretended philosophers did. 16. Impute him.] Ascribe all his vile actions. -To the fates.] To his destiny, so that he can't help being what he is. The ancients had high notions of judicial astrology, and held that persous were influenced all their lives by the stars which presided at their birth, so as to guide and fix their destiny ever after. 17. His disease.] His besetting sin, (Comp. sat. ix. 1. 49. n.) or rather, perhaps, a certain disease which was the consequence of his impurities, and which affected his countenance and his gait, so as to proclaim his shame to every body he met. What this disease was, may appear from lines 12, 13. of this Satire, as it stands in the original. Perhaps Rom. i. 27. the latter part, may allude to something of this sort. 15. And hair shorter than the eye-brow.] i. e. Cut so short as not to reach so low as the eye-brow. This was done to avoid the suspicion of being what they for wearing long hair was looked upon as a shrewd sign of effeminacy. 18. The simplicity of these.] The unIt was a proverb among the Greeks, that disguised and open manner of such "none who wore long hair were free people, who thus proclaim their vice, is "from the unnatural vices of the Ci- rather pitiable, as it may be reckoned "nædi." May not St. Paul allude to a misfortune, rather than any thing else, this, 1 Cor. xi. 14. where Quois may to be born with such a propensity. See mean an infused habit or custom. See notes on 1. 16. WETSTEIN in loc. and PARKHURST, Gr. and Eng. Lexicon, quis, No. iii. 16. Peribonius.] Some horrid character, who made no secret of his impu – These madness itself, &c.] Their ungovernable madness in the service of their vices, their inordinate passion, stands as some excuse for their practices, |