mihi lucus Hic elegos impune diem consumpserit ingens 10 First: The Togata-which exhibited the actions of the lower sort; and was a species of what we call low comedy. Secondly: The Prætextata-so called from the prætexta, a white robe ornamented with purple, and worn by magistrates and nobles. Hence the comedies, which treated of the actions of such, were called prætextatæ. In our time, we should say, genteel comedy. Thirdly: The Palliata-from pallium, a sort of upper garment worn by the Greeks, and in which the actors were habited, when the manners and actions of the Greeks were represented. This was also a species of the higher sort of comedy. It is most probable that Terence's plays, which he took from Menander, were reckoned among the palliatæ, and represented in the pallium, or Grecian dress: more especially too, as the scene of every play lies at Athens. 4. Elegies.] These were little poems on mournful subjects, and consisted of hexameter and pentameter verses alternately. We must despair of knowing the first elegiac poet, since Horace says-Art. Poet. 1. 77, 8. Quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit auctor, By whom invented critics yet contend, And of their vain disputing find no end. FRANCIS. Elegies were at first mournful, yet, afterwards, they were composed on cheerful subjects. HOR. ib. 1. 75, 6. Versibus impariter junctis querimonia primum, Unequal measures first were tun'd to flow, FRANCIS. -Bulky Telephus.] Some prolix and tedious play, written on the subject of Telephus, king of Mysia, who was mortally wounded by the spear of Achilles but afterwards healed by the rust of the same spear. OVID. Trist. v. 2. 15. Waste a day.] In hearing it read over, which took up a whole day. 5. Or Orestes.] Another play on the story of Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. He slew his own mother, and Ægysthus, her adulterer, who had murdered his father. This too, Another his elegies? shall bulky Telephus waste a day ready full, And written on the back too, nor as yet finished? No man's house is better known to him, than to me 5. The grove of Mars, and the den of Vulcan near .10 by the description of it in this line, and the next, must have been a very long and tedious performance. It was usual to leave a margin, but this was all filled from top to bottom-it was unusual to write on the outside, or back, of the parchment; but this author had filled the whole outside, as well as the inside. 5. Of the whole book.] Or-of the whole of the book.-Liber primarily signifies the inward bark or rind of a tree; hence a book or work written, at first made of barks of trees, afterwards of paper and parchment. Summus is derived from supremus, hence summum-i, the top, the whole, the sum. 08. The grove of Mars.] The history of Romulus and Remus, whom Ilia, otherwise called Rhea Sylvia, brought forth in a grove sacred to Mars at Alba: hence Romulus was called Sylvius-also, the son of Mars. This, and the other subjects mentioned, were so dinned perpetually into his ears, that the places described were as familiar to him as his own house. -The den of Vulcan.] The history of the Cyclops and Vulcan, the scene of which was laid in Vulcan's den. See VIRG. En. viii. l. 416-22. 9. The Eolian rocks.] On the north of Sicily are seven rocky islands, which were called Æolian, or Vulcanian; one of which was called Hiera, or sacred, as dedicated to Vulcan. From the frequent breaking forth of fire and sulphur out of the earth of these islands, particularly in Hiera, Vulcan was supposed to keep his shop and forge there. Here also Æolus was supposed to confine, and preside over the winds. Hence these islands are called Æolian. See VIRG. Æn. i. 1. 55-67. -What the winds can do.] This probably alludes to some tedious poetical treatises, on the nature and operations of the winds. Or, perhaps, to some play, or poem, on the amours of Boreas and Qrithya, the daughter of Erectheus, king of Athens. 3:10. Eacus may be tormenting.] Eacus was one of the fabled judges of hell, who with his two assessors, Minos and Rhadamanthus, were supposed to torture the ghosts into a confession of their crimes. See VIRG. Æn. vi. 1. 566-69. From whence another, &c.] Alluding to the story of Jason, who stole the golden fleece from Colchis. Pelliculæ quantas jaculetur Monychus ornos; Et nos ergo manum ferulæ subduximus: et nos 15 20 which had 11. Monychus.] This alludes to some play, or poem, been written on the battle of the Centaurs and Lapitha. The word Monychus is derived from the Greek μovoç, solus, and ovu, ungula, and is expressive of an horse's hoof, which is whole and entire, not cleft or divided. The Centaurs were fabled to be half men, and half horses; so that by Monychus we are to understand one of the Centaurs, of such prodigious strength, as to make use of large trees for weapons, which he threw, or darted at his enemies. 12. The plane-trees of Fronto.] Julius Fronto, a noble and learned man, at whose house the poets recited their works, before they were read, or performed in public. His house was planted round with plane-trees, for the sake of their shade. -The convuls'd marbles.] This may refer to the marble statues which were in Fronto's hall, and were almost shaken off their pedestals by the din and noise that were made-or to the marble with which the walls were built, or inlaid; or to the marble pavement; all which appeared, as if likely to be shaken out of their places, by the incessant noise of these bawling reciters of their works. 13. The columns broken.] The marble pillars too were in the same situation of danger, from the incessant noise of these people. The poet means to express the wearisomeness of the continual repetition of the same things over and over again, and to censure the manner, as well as the matter, of these irksome repetitions; which were attended with such loud and vehement vociferation, that even the trees about Fronto's house, as well as the marble within it, had reason to apprehend demolition. This hyperbole is humourous, and well applied to the subject. 14. You may expect the same things, &c.] i. e. The same subjects, treated by the worst poets, as by the best. Here he satirizes the impudence and presumption of these scribblers, who, without genius or abilities, had ventured to write, and expose their verses to the public ear; and this, on subjects which had been treated by men of a superior cast. 15. Therefore.] i. e. In order to qualify myself as a writer and Of the stolen fleece: how great wild-ash trees Monychus could throw: The plane-trees of Fronto, and the convuls'd marbles complain Always, and the columns broken with the continual reader: You may expect the same things from the highest and from the least poet. [15 And I therefore have withdrawn my hand from the ferule; and L Have given counsel to Sylla, that, a private man, soundly He should sleep. It is a foolish clemency, when every where so many Poets you may meet, to spare paper, that will perish. But why it should please me rather to run along in the very field, Through which the great pupil of Aurunca drave his horses, 20 I will tell you, if you have leisure, and kindly hearken to my reason. When a delicate eunuch can marry a wife: Mævia can stick declaimer. His meaning seems to be, that as all, whether good or bad, wrote poems, why should not he, who had had an education in learning, write as well as they? 15. Have withdrawn my hand, &c.] The ferule was an instrument of punishment, as at this day, with which schoolmasters corrected their scholars, by striking them with it over the palm of the hand: the boy watched the stroke, and, if possible, withdrew his hand from it. Juvenal means to say, that he had been at school, to learn the arts of poetry and oratory, and had made declamations, of one of which the subject was: "Whether Sylla should take the dictatorship, or "live in ease and quiet as a private man?" He maintained the latter proposition. 18. Paper that will perish.] i. e. That will be destroyed by others, who will write upon it if I do not; therefore there is no reason why I should forbear to make use of it. 19. In the very field.] A metaphor, taken from the chariot-races in the Campus Martius. 20. The great pupil of Aurunca, &c.] Lucilius, the first and most famous Roman satirist, born at Aurunca, an ancient city of Latium, in Italy. He means-Perhaps you will ask, "how it is that I can think of "taking the same ground as that great satirist Lucilius-and why I should rather choose this way of writing, when he so excelled in "it, as to be before all others, not only in point of time, but of "ability in that kind of writing?" 21. Hearken to my reason.] Literally, the verb admitto signifies to admit: but it is sometimes used with auribus understood, and then it denotes attending, or hearkening, to something: this I sup1 pose to be the sense of it in this place, as it follows the si vacat. 22. Mævia.] The name of some woman, who had the impudence to fight in the Circus with a Tuscan boar. The Tuscan boars were reckoned the fiercest. Figat aprum, et nudâ teneat venabula mammâ : 23. With a naked breast.] In imitation of an Amazon. Under the name of Mævia, the poet probably means to reprove all the la dies at Rome, who exposed themselves in the pursuit of masculine exercises, which were so shamefully contrary to all female delicacy. 24. The patricians.] The nobles of Rome. They were the descendants of such as were created senators in the time of Romulus. Of these there were, originally, only one hundred-afterwards, more were added to them. 25. Who clipping, &c.] The person here meant, is supposed to be Licinius the freedman and barber of Augustus, or perhaps CinnaSee sat. x. 1. 225, 6. mus. -Sounded.] Alluding to the sound of clipping the beard with scissars. Q. D. who with his scissars clipped my beard, when I was a young man, and first came under the barber's hands. 26. Part of the commonalty of the Nile.] One of the lowest of the Egyptians who had come as slaves to Rome. -Canopus.] A city of Egypt, addicted to all manner of effeminacy and debauchery-famous for a temple of Serapis, a god of the Egyptians. This city was built by Menelaus, in memory of his pilot, Canopus, who died there, and was afterwards canonized. See sat. xv. 1. 46. 27. Crispinus.] He, from a slave, had been made master of the horse to Nero. -His shoulder recalling.] Revocante-The Romans used to fasten their cloaks round the neck with a loop, but in hot weather, perhaps, usually went with them loose. As Juvenal is now speaking of the summer season, (as appears by the next line,) he describes the shoulder as recalling, or endeavouring to hoist up, and replace the cloak, which, from not being fastened by a loop to the neck, was often slipping away, and sliding downwards from the shoul ders. -Tyrian cloaks.] . e. Dyed with Tyrian purple, which was very expensive. By this he marks the extravagance and luxury of these upstarts. 28. Ventilate the summer-gold, &c.] The Romans were arrived at such an height of luxury, that they had rings for the winter, and |