'Tis venial trespass; let them have their will: But let the child, entrusted to the care Struts in the buskins of the tragic stage, Would it were all a fable that you read; But Drymon's wife 47 pleads guilty to the deed. "I," she confesses, "in the fact was caught, Two sons dispatching at one deadly draught.' "What two! two sons, thou viper, in one day!" Yes, sev'n," she cries, "if sev'n were in my way." Medea's 48 legend is no more a lie; But here's the difference; Agamemnon's wife Was a gross butcher with a bloody knife; But murther, now, is to perfection grown, And subtle poisons are employ'd alone; Unless some antidote prevents their arts, 860 And lines with balsam all the noble parts: In such a case, reserv'd for such a need, Rather than fail, the dagger does the deed. EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE SIXTH SATIRE 1 In the Golden Age, when Saturn reign'd. 2 Fat with acorns. Acorns were the bread of mankind, before corn was found. 3 Under Jove. When Jove had driven his father into banishment, the Silver Age began, according to the poets. 4 Uneasy Justice, &c. The poet makes Jus tice and Chastity sisters; and says that they fled to heaven together, and left earth for ever. 5 Ceres' feast. When the Roman women were forbidden to bed with their husbands. 6 Jove and Mars, of whom more fornicating stories are told than any of the other gods. 7 Wond'ring Pharos. She fled to Egypt, which wonder'd at the enormity of her crime. 8 He tells the famous story of Messalina, wife to the Emperor Claudius. 9 Wealth has the privilege, &c. His meaning is, that a wife who brings a large dowry may do what she pleases, and has all the privileges of a widow. 10 Berenice's ring. A ring of great price, which Herod Agrippa gave to his sister Berenice. He was King of the Jews, but tributary to the Romans. 11 Cornelia, mother to the Gracchi, of the family of the Cornelii, from whence Scipio the African was descended, who triumph'd over Hannibal. 12 0 Paan, &c. He alludes to the known fable of Niobe, in Ovid. Amphion was her husband. Paan is Apollo, who with his arrows kill'd her children, because she boasted that she was more fruitful than Latona, Apollo's mother. 13 The thirty pigs, &c. He alludes to the white sow in Virgil, who farrow'd thirty pigs. 14 The Grecian cant. Women then learnt Greek, as ours speak French. 15 All the Romans, even the most inferior and most infamous sort of them, had the power of making their wills. 16"Go drag that slave, &c. words of the wife. These are the 17 "Your reason, why, &c. The answer of the husband. 18 Call'st thou that slave a man?" The wife again. 19 Hannibal, a famous Carthaginian captain, who was upon the point of conquering the Ro mans. 20 The Good Goddess, at whose feasts no men were to be present. 21 Nestor, who liv'd three hundred years. 22 What singer, &c. He alludes to the story of P. Clodius, who, disguis'd in the habit of a singing woman, went into the house of Cæsar, where the feast of the Good Goddess was celebrated, to find an opportunity with Cæsar's wife, Pompeia. 23 He taxes women with their loving eunuchs, who can get no children; but adds that they only love such eunuchs as are gelded when they are already at the age of manhood. 24 Priapus, the God of Lust. 26 That such an actor whom they love might obtain the prize. 27 Th' Arusper. He who inspects the entrails of the sacrifice, and from thence foretells the suc cessor. 28. Vulcan, the god of smiths. 29 Tabors and trumpets, &c. The ancients thought that with such sounds they could bring the Moon out of her eclipse. 30 A mood and figure bride. A woman who has learn'd logic. 31 A woman-grammarian, who corrects her husband for speaking false Latin, which is call'd breaking Priscian's head. 32 A train of these. That is, of she-asses. 33 Sicilian tyrants are grown to a proverb, in Latin, for their cruelty. 34 This dressing up the head so high, which we call a tow'r, was an ancient way amongst the Romans. 35 Bellona's priests were a sort of fortune tellers, and the high priest an eunuch. 36 And add beside, &c. A garment was given to the priest, which he threw into the river; and that, they thought, bore all the sins of the people, which were drown'd with it. 37 Chaldeans are thought to have been the first astrologers. 38 Otho succeeded Galba in the empire, which was foretold him by an astrologer. 39 Mars and Saturn are the two unfortunate planets; Jupiter and Venus the two fortunate. 40 Ptolemy, a famous astrologer; an Egyptian. 41 The Brachmans are Indian philosophers, who remain to this day, and hold, after Pythagoras, the translation of souls from one body to another. 42 To an Ethiop's son. His meaning is, help her to any kind of slops which may cause her to miscarry, for fear she may be brought to bed of a blackmoor, which thou, being her husband, art bound to father; and that bastard may, by law, inherit thy estate. 43 His omen, &c. The Romans thought it ominous to see a blackmoor in the morning, if he were the first man they met. 44 Casonia, wife to Caius Caligula, the great tyrant. 'Tis said she gave him a love potion, which, flying up into his head, distracted him, and was the occasion of his committing so many acts of cruelty. 45 The Thunderer, &c. The story is in Homer, where Juno borrow'd the girdle of Venus, call'd cestos, to make Jupiter in love with her, while the Grecians and Trojans were fighting, that he might not help the latter. 46 Agrippina was the mother of the tyrant Nero, who poison'd her husband Claudius, that Nero might succeed, who was her son, and not Britannicus, who was the son of Claudius by a former wife. 47 The widow of Drymon poison'd her sons, that she might succeed to their estate. This was done either in the poet's time, or just before it. 48 Medea, out of revenge to Jason, who had forsaken her, kill'd the children which she had by him. 49 The Belides, who were fifty sisters, married to fifty young men, their cousin-germans, and kill'd them all on their wedding night, excepting Hypermnestra, who sav'd her husband Linus. 50 Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, who, in favor to her adulterer, Ægisthus, was consenting to his murther. THE TENTH SATIRE OF JUVENAL THE ARGUMENT The poet's design, in this divine satire, is to represent the various wishes and desires of mankind, and to set out the folly of 'em. He runs thro' all the several heads of riches, honors, eloquence, fame for martial achievements, long life, and beauty; and gives instances, in each, how frequently they have prov'd the ruin of those that own'd them. He concludes, therefore, that since we generally choose so ill for ourselves, we should do better to leave it to the gods to make the choice for us. All we can safely ask of Heaven lies within a very small compass. 'Tis but health of body and mind. And if we have these, 't is not much matter what we want besides, for we have already enough to make us happy. LOOK round the habitable world: how few Know their own good; or knowing it, pur sue. How void of reason are our hopes and fears! But, when we have our wish, we wish undone ? Whole houses, of their whole desires possess❜d, Are often ruin'd, at their own request. His sides and shoulders till he felt 'em ache; What had he done, had he beheld, on high, Our prætor seated, in mock majesty ? He moves in the dull ceremonial track, With Jove's embroider'd coat upon his back: A suit of hangings had not more oppress'd His shoulders, than that long, laborious vest: A heavy gewgaw, (call'd a crown,) that spread 61 About his temples, drown'd his narrow 100 Adorn your doors with laurels; and a bull, Milk-white, and large, lead to the Capitol; Sejanus with a rope is dragg'd along, The sport and laughter of the giddy throng! "Good Lord," they cry, "what Ethiop lips he has, How foul a snout, and what a hanging face! By Heav'n, I never could endure his sight; But say, how came his monstrous crimes to light? What is the charge, and who the evidence (The savior of the nation and the prince) ? " Nothing of this; but our old Cæsar sent 66 139 But let our slaves be present there, lest they Accuse their masters, and for gain betray.' Such were the whispers of those jealous times About Sejanus' punishment and crimes. Now, tell me truly, wouldst thou change thy fate To be, like him, first minister of state? obey? 151 While he, intent on secret lusts alone, Lives to himself, abandoning the throne; Coop'd in a narrow isle, observing dreams With flatt'ring wizards, and erecting schemes ! main, And wearies fruitful Nilus, to convey And with corroding juices, as he went, |