219. aconita.

Nero made frequent use of the infamous poisoner Locusta. Conf. Sat. i. 71.

220. in scena numquam cantavit. Conf. supra, "citharoedo principe." Notice the intentional anti-climax, and conf. Sat. iii. 9. Nero sang and played in public both at Naples and in Greece. Suet. Ner. 21.

221. Troica non scripsit. Nero wrote an epic poem on the taking of Troy, part of which Suetonius says that he recited as he watched the great fire at Rome from his palace. The poetry was probably bad, although Tacitus says, Ann. xiii. 3, “aliquando carminibus pangendis inesse sibi elementa doctrinae ostendebat." See also Suet. Ner. 10, and Dio Cass. 62, 29.

Verginius. L. Verginius Rufus was governor of Upper Germany under Nero. When Vindex induced the Gallic provinces to rebel, and offered to make Galba-who was at that time governor of Hispania Tarraconensis-emperor, Verginius marched against him, and in the battle which followed Vindex was killed. Dio Cassius represents Verginius as having come to some understanding with Vindex, but neither Tacitus nor Plutarch, in Galba's Life, give any authority to the version that Verginius and Vindex were acting together. Verginius refused the empire when offered to him by his troops, and, though somewhat reluctantly, recognised the senate's election of Galba, who replaced him in the province by Hordeonius Flaccus. He died in 97 A.D. His epitaph is given by Pliny, Ep. vi. 10, 4, "Hic situs est Rufus, pulso qui Vindice quondam imperium adseruit, non sibi sed patriae.

222. Vindice. C. Julius Vindex was legatus of Gallia Lugdunensis. He raised the standard of revolt against Nero in Gaul, and was joined by the Sequani, Aedui, and Arverni. In order to obtain influential support, he offered to secure the empire for Ser. Sulpicius Galba, legatus of Hispania Tarraconensis, who, after some hesitation, accepted his offer. Dio Cassius represents him as laying special stress on Nero's conduct in singing, etc., in public (63, 22).

Galba was proclaimed emperor by his one legion in Spain, where he had been legate for eight years. The senate at Rome confirmed his election, and the praetorian guard was won over by the promise made by Nymphidius Sabinus, in Galba's name, of a huge donative. See Plut. Galb. 3.

223. quod Nero tam saeva. The MSS. have quid beginning a fresh question; in which case "more deserving of punishment" would be understood. I have followed Prof. Mayor after Madvig in reading quod.

225. peregrina ad pulpita, especially in Achaia, where Nero went the round of the provincial stages, receiving every

where crowns and flattery from the citizens. and Suet. Ner. 22.

Tac. Ann. xv. 33,

226. apium. Victors in the Nemean and Isthmian games were crowned with wreaths of parsley. Conf. Hor. Od. iv. 11, 3, 'est in horto, Phylli, nectendis apium coronis."

227. insignia vocis, "the decorations which your voice has won. Nero is told to hang these crowns round the images of his ancestors. He did actually display them in public on his return to Rome, Suet. Ner. 25. His voice was spoken of as vox caelestis"; it was in reality hoarse and somewhat shrill, ib. 21.

228. Domiti. Nero's father was Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, who was the first husband of Agrippina, and died in 40 A.D. An ancestor was the Domitius Ahenobarbus who was killed in the Pompeian army at Pharsalia.

23.

Thyestae syrma. Nero appeared on the stage in the character of Thyestes, the brother of Atreus. See Dio Cass. 63, The syrma (oupw, to drag) was the flowing train in which tragic characters appeared. Conf. Hor. Ars Poet. 215, que vagus per pulpita vestem."

"traxit

229. personam Menalippes, "the mask of Menalippe." Menalippes is the Greek genitive. This was another of Nero's characters. Menalippe was a daughter of Aeolus. Euripides wrote a play called by her name. persona first means a mask, then the character represented by it, and, lastly, was used as a technical term in Roman law, as a person in whom legal rights could reside: hence its modern signification.

230. de marmoreo ... ... colosso. Pliny says, "moles excogitatas videmus statuarum quas colossos vocant." Nero had a colossal statue of himself, 120 feet high, in front of the Golden House, but this was of bronze. Suetonius (Ner. 12) says, "citharam a iudicibus ad se delatam adoravit, ferrique ad Augusti statuam iussit." Perhaps this is the incident alluded to.

231. tuis natalibus, "than your descent"; abl. of comparison after sublimius.

Catilina belonged to the noble Sergian gens, Cethegus to the Cornelian. Conf. Sat. ii. 27, "Clodius accuset moechos, Catilina Cethegum," and x. 288.

234. ut Braccatorum pueri, "like sons of the Gauls," who in 390 B.C. burnt Rome to the ground, as Catiline and Cethegus had conspired to do. Gallia Narbonensis was originally called "Gallia braccata," from the braccae or breeches which, in common with most barbarians, the inhabitants wore.

Senonum minores, descendants of the Senones, who were a

Gallic tribe north of the Aedui. They are particularly mentioned by Livy as present at the burning of Rome. Liv. v. 34.

235. tunica ... molesta, referred to in Sat. i. 156. It was a tunic made of papyrus and tow, and steeped in pitch, resin, and other combustible materials. It was then set on fire, and the wretched victim was burnt alive. Martial, iv. 86, jokingly calls the greasy paper in which fish were fried tunicas molestas."

236. consul-Cicero, who would have intensely relished this appreciation of his services. See Cic. in Cat. i. 8.

237. Hic novus Arpinas. Cicero was a novus homo, i.e. born of a family which before him had held no curule offices. It would therefore be ignobilis, and have no imagines. Cicero made it nobilis. He was born at Arpinum, a municipium, in 106 B.C.

238. municipalis eques. See Cic. Phil. iii. 15, "videte quam despiciamur omnes qui sumus e municipiis." Cicero was always a patron and defender of the equestrian order, both at Rome and in the provinces.

239. attonitis, the panic-stricken citizens.

in omni monte is probably right, i.e. in every part of the city, on each of the seven hills: gente is the reading of

most MSS.

240. intra muros, the scene of his activity in putting down the conspiracy.

toga, the garb of peace.

Juvenal means that Cicero won as a civilian the same title which was given to Augustus after the battles of Actium and Philippi. Cicero says himself, speaking of the supplicatio decreed in his honour, that he was the first civilian (togatus) who had received one. Conf. also de Off. i. 77. 241. nominis et tituli, after tantum. This refers to the title "pater patriae" given him by his friends.

Leucade. Leucas was a peninsula not far from the scene of the battle of Actium, off the coast of Epirus.

242. Thessaliae campis. This refers to Philippi, which, however, was actually fought in Thrace; Pharsalia was in Thessaly.

Octavius, after the death of Iulius Caesar, became C. Iulius Caesar Octavianus. Augustus was an honorary title conferred on him subsequently by the senate.

244. patrem patriae. Pliny, H. N. vii. 117, says of Cicero, "salve primus omnium patriae parens appellate." It was, however, also applied to Camillus, Liv. v. 49. Cicero says, in Pis. 3, "Me Q. Catulus princeps huius ordinis frequentissimo

senatu patrem patriae nominavit. Under the Empire the title became a regular one, always accorded to the new emperor, though sometimes refused, as by Tiberius, Tac. Ann. i. 72.

libera; this is emphatic. In later times the title was granted as a mere piece of flattery and servility.

245. Arpinas alius. C. Marius was also born at Arpinum,

156 B.C.

Volscorum.

Arpinum was a Volscian town.

246. poscere mercedes, etc., i.e. to work for hire on another man's fields.

247. frangebat vertice vitem, "had the vine switch broken on his head," i.e. served as a common soldier, and was punished in the ordinary way by the centurion when he deserved it. Conf. Liv. Epit. lvii., "Scipio quem militem extra ordinem deprehendit, si Romanus esset, vitibus caedebat, si extraneus fustibus." Marius was in Scipio's army before Numantia, 133 B.C. Conf. Sat. vi. 479, "hic frangit ferulas, rubet ille flagello."

248. muniret castra dolabra. On the details of the Roman camp, and the care and exactness with which it was always measured out and defended by the vallum and fossa, see Dict. of Antiq. The dolabra carried by every private soldier was half hatchet, for cutting the stakes for entrenchment-half pickaxe, for digging out the fossa.

249. Cimbros. The Cimbrians and Teutons had for some years before their defeat by Marius been threatening the Roman frontiers. It was in 102 B. C. that Marius defeated the Teutons at Aquae Sextiae, and next year joined his colleague Q. Lutatius Catulus, and in the battle of Vercellae completely crushed the Cimbrians, who were invading Italy from the north-east.

pericula rerum, "danger to the empire." Conf. Sat. viii. 90, ossa vides rerum.'

250. excipit, by zeugma with Cimbros = "cut off"; with summa pericula" took on his shoulders.'

251. Cimbros stragemque; by hendiadys "the carnage of the Cimbrians."

252. qui numquam attigerant maiora cadavera, a reference to the gigantic stature of the Cimbri.

253. nobilis

patrician family.

lauro

collega - Catulus, who belonged to a

secunda. The soldiers wished that Catulus should share in the triumph, and Marius, with a good grace, consented to this. Conf. Plut. vit. Mar. 27.

254. Deciorum. Two members of the plebeian family of

the Decii devoted themselves, in the midst of a battle, with solemn ceremonial, to the nether gods, and by their deaths won the victory for their countrymen. P. Decius Mus was the first to do this in the battle at Vesuvius against the Latin league, 340 B.C., Liv. viii. 9. His son, of the same name, copied his father's example at the battle of Sentinum against the Samnites, 295 B.C., Liv. y. 28. Conf. Sat. xiv. 239.

255. pro totis legionibus, etc.

These words are a reminis

cence of the formula of devotion cited by Livy, viii. 9, "pro republica Quiritium, exercitu, legionibus, auxiliis populi Romani Quiritium," etc.

256. auxiliis atque pube Latina.

These words are equiva

lent to the common phrase "socii et Latini."

258. pluris enim Decii, "for to them (the nether gods) the Decii are worth more than," etc.

259. Ancilla natus-Servius Tullius.

See Sat. vii. 199.

trabeam. The trabea was a state toga bordered with purple, and also striped across the breast with the same colour. It was worn by the Roman kings, by augurs, by other magistrates on especially solemn occasions, and by the equites; see Tac. Ann. iii. 2. Conf. Verg. Aen. vii. 612, " Quirinali trabea"; and Sat. x. 35. Quirini-Romulus. In Sat. iii. 67 a Roman is described as

a rustic of Quirinus."

261. laxabant, "tried to open."

tyrannis-to the Tarquins.

262. iuvenes ipsius consulis. Titus and Tiberius, the sons of Iunius Brutus, the Liberator, made a conspiracy to restore the exiled royal family. Conf. Liv. ii. 5.

263. deceret. decuisset might have been expected, but the whole description is a sort of permanent historical picture, in which the characters still live.

264. Coclite-Horatius Cocles, who kept the bridge against Lars Porsenna. Liv. ii. 10. Conf. Verg. Aen. viii. 650.

Mucius. Mucius Scaevola was taken prisoner in attempting to assassinate Porsenna, and, to show how little he cared for pain, allowed his left hand to be burnt off.

265. imperii fines Tiberinum, because on the northern side of the Tiber was Etruria, still independent of Rome.

virgo. The maiden was Cloelia, one of the hostages delivered to Porsenna; she escaped and swam back across the Tiber. Conf. Liv. ii. 13; Verg. Aen. viii. 651.

266. occulta . . . crimina, i.e. against the two sons of Brutus. See Livy's account in Book ii. 4.