Now 7 Silius wants thy counfel, gives advice; Till loud reports thro' all the town have past, But looks more kindly thro' a lady's eyes. What then remains? Are we depriv'd of will, } 7 Meffalina, wife to the emperor Claudius, infamous for her lewdnefs. She fet her eyes upon C. Silius, a fine youth; forced him to quit his own wife, and marry her with all the formalities of a wedding, whilft Claudius Cæfar was facrificing at Hoftia. Upon his return, he put both Silius and her to death, Then Then wish for heirs: but to the Gods alone Our future offspring, and our wives, are known; The path to peace is virtue: what I show, } THE The poet in this fatire, proves, that the condition of a foldier is much better than that of a country-man : first, because a country-man, however affronted, provoked, and ftruck himfelf, dares not frike a foldier; who is only to be judged by a court-martial: and by the law of Camillus, which obliges him not to quarrel without the trenches, he is also affured to have afpeedy bearing, and quick dispatch: whereas the townsman or peafant is delayed in his fuit by frivolous pretences, and not fure of justice when he is heard in the court. The foldier is alfo privileged to make a will, and to give away bis eftate, which he got in war, to whom he pleases, without confideration of parentage or relations; which is denied to all other Romans. This fatire was written by Juvenal, when he was a commander in Ægypt: it is certainly his, though I think it not finished. And if it be well obferved, you will find be intended an invective against a ftanding army. W HAT vaft prerogatives, my Gallus, are For, if into a lucky camp I light, Tho' raw in arms, and yet afraid to fight, } Juno was mother to Mars the god of war: Venus was his mistress. See See what our common privileges are: As, first, no faucy citizen fhall dare To ftrike a foldier, nor when struck, refent The wrong, for fear of farther punishment: Not tho' his teeth are beaten out, his eyes Hang by a string, in bumps his forehead rise, Shall he prefume to mention his difgrace, Or beg amends for his demolish'd face. A booted judge fhall fit to try his caufe, Not by the ftatute, but by martial laws; Which old 2 Camillus order'd, to confine The brawls of foldiers to the trench and line: A wife provision; and from thence 'tis clear, That officers a foldier's caufe fhould hear: And taking cognizance of wrongs receiv'd, An honest man may hope to be reliev'd. So far 'tis well: but with a gen❜ral cry, The regiment will rife in mutiny, The freedom of their fellow-rogue demand, And, if refus'd, will threaten to disband. Withdraw thy action, and depart in peace; The remedy is worse than the disease: This cause is worthy 3 him, who in the hall Would for his fee, and for his client, bawl: But would't thou, friend, who haft two legs alone, (Which, heav'n be prais'd, thou yet mayft call thy own) Wouldst thou to run the gantlet these expose To a whole company of 4 hob-nail'd shoes ? 2 Camillus (who being first banished, by his ungrateful countrymen the Romans, afterwards returned, and freed them from the Gauls,) made a law which prohibited the foldiers from quarrelling without the camp, left upon that pretence they might happen to be abfent, when they ought to be on duty. 3 This caufe is worthy him, &c. The poet names a Modenefe lawyer whom he calls Vagellius: who was fo impudent that he would plead any caufe, right or wrong, without fhame or fear. 4 Hob-nail'd fhoes. The Roman foldiers wore plates of iron under their fhoes, or ftuck them with nails; as countrymen do now. Sure Sure the good-breeding of wife citizens } Should teach 'em more good-nature to their fhins. A witness may be brought to fwear a lye, Or take the facred land-mark from my bounds, 5 Land-marks were used by the Romans almost in the fame manner as now: And as we go once a year in proceffion, about the bounds of parishes, and renew them, fo they offered cakes upon the ftone, or land-mark. Perhaps |