BOOKTEXT4

Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolae,

mendici, mimae, balatrones, hoc genus omne

maestum ac sollicitum est cantoris morte Tigelli:

quippe benignus erat. contra hic, ne prodigus esse

dicatur metuens, inopi dare nolit amico,

frigus quo duramque famem propellere possit.

hunc si perconteris, avi cur atque parentis

praeclaram ingrata stringat malus ingluvie rem,

omnia conductis coemens obsonia nummis:

sordidus atque animi quod parvi nolit haberi,

respondet. laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis.

Fufidius vappae famam timet ac nebulonis,

dives agris, dives positis in faenore nummis:

quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecat, atque

quanto perditior quisque est, tanto acrius urget;

nomina sectatur modo sumpta veste virili

sub patribus duris tironum. "maxime" quis non

"Iuppiter!" exclamat, simul atque audivit? "at in se

pro quaestu sumptum facit hic." vix credere possis

quam sibi non sit amicus, ita ut pater ille, Terenti

fabula quem miserum gnato vixisse fugato

inducit, non se peius cruciaverit atque hic.

Si quis nunc quaerat "quo res haec pertinet?" illuc:

dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt.

Maltinus tunicis demissis ambulat; est qui

inguen ad obscenum subductis usque facetus.

pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum.

nil medium est. sunt qui nolint tetigisse nisi illas

quarum subsuta talos tegat instita veste:

contra alius nullam nisi olenti in fornice stantem.

quidam notus homo cum exiret fornice "macte

virtute esto" inquit sententia dia Catonis:

"nam simul ac venas inflavit taetra libido,

huc iuvenes aequum est descendere, non alienas

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SEXUAL GRATIFICATION

The circle of flute players, purveyors of quack medicines,

beggars, transvestites, jesters, and all that type of person

was cast down and disturbed at the death of the poet Tigellius:

to be sure he was prodigal. Against this, being afraid he might be

considered too prodigal, he would be unwilling to give to a friend,

what could be able to drive forth malnutrition and harsh cold.

If you may have enquired why he wickedly strips off the illustrious

possessions of grandfather, and also parents, with gluttony

collecting all the money together and buying foods to eat with bread:

he answers, because he does not wish to be thought paltry and of

petty inclination. He is commended by some, condemned by others.

Fufidius, the worthless wretch, rich in lands, rich in money from

interest bearing capital and good for nothing, fears public opinion.

This fellow takes away five times the interest from the capital

And also how little each is from ruin so much harder he presses;

He pursues the collateral of young men, with stern fathers, having

only just put on the toga of manhood. Who would not exclaim "Great

Jupiter!" and at the same time that he has heard it? But from the

profit does he take a proportion for himself? You scarcely believe

how he is no friend to himself, like that father, introduced in the

story by Terence, who by banishing the son, to have lived in abject

misery, never crucified himself more cruelly than this one.

If anyone should now ask "how is this matter pertinent?" thither:

As they seek to escape a fault fools hasten towards its opposite

Maltinus promenades with tunic lowered to the ground; it is fashionable

to pull the hem of it up to the private parts which is disgusting.

Rufillus emits a smell of aromatic lozenges, Gargonius of armpits.

It is not a middle course. Those who would be unwilling to touch unless covered in garments of such a kind which are fringed at the bottom:

Against this another, nobody unless standing in an odorous brothel.

A certain acquaintance to a man coming out of a brothel, "hail to thee,

be with strength" he said in the well–established sentiments of Cato,

"for at the same time uncontainable lust inflames young men's veins

it is better to come down here, to such a place, not to grind through

permolere uxores." "Nolim laudarier," inquit

"sic me," mirator cunni Cupiennius albi.

Audire est operae pretium, procedere recte

qui moechis non voltis, ut omni parte laborent,

utque illis multo corrupta dolore voluptas

atque haec rara cadat dura inter saepe pericla.

hic se praecipitem tecto dedit; ille flagellis

ad mortem caesus; fugiens hic decidit acrem

praedonum in turbam, dedit hic pro corpore nummos,

hunc perminxerunt calones; quin etiam illud

accidit ut quidam testis caudamque salacem

demeteret ferro. "iure" omnes: Galba negabat.

Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda,

libertinarum dico, Sallustius in quas

non minus insanit quam qui moechatur. at hic si,

qua res, qua ratio suaderet, quaque modeste

munifico esse licet, vellet bonus atque benignus

esse, daret quantum satis esset, nec sibi damno

dedecorique foret. verum hoc se amplectitur uno,

hoc amat et laudat: "matronam nullam ego tango."

ut quondam Marsaeus, amator Originis ille,

qui patrium mimae donat fundumque laremque,

"nil fuerit mi" inquit "cum uxoribus umquam alienis."

verum est cum mimis, est cum meretricibus, unde

fama malum gravius quam res trahit. an tibi abunde

personam satis est, non illud quicquid ubique

officit evitare? bonam deperdere famam

rem patris oblimare, malum est ubicumque. quid inter–

est in matrona, ancilla peccesne togata?

Villius in Fausta Syllae gener, hoc miser uno

nomine deceptus, poenas dedit usque superque

quam satis est, pugnis caesus ferroque petitus,

exclusus fore, cum Longarenus foret intus.

huic si mutonis verbis mala tanta videnti

diceret haec animus: "quid vis tibi? numquid ego a te

other men's wives." " I am unwilling to be praised" said

Cupiennius, admirer of pudenda in white, "for such a quality."

It is worth attention to hear, you who wish retribution to

advance on adulterers, that on all sides they may be punished,

and that for them the enjoyment is corrupted by much agony

and such rare enjoyment may fall often between cruel punishments.

This one gave up, throwing himself from a roof; that one cut to

death with whips; this one fleeing away fell in with a gang of

violent predators; this one surrendered wealth to save body,

another was buggered by stable boys; but also indeed that it

has happened that the salacious penis and testicles have been

hacked off with cold steel. "Justly so" from all: Galba denies.

But how much safer it is with second class merchandise,

with freedwomen I say, Sallustius who is more than a little

mad on the subject, more so than any adulterer. but if he

wished to be good and generous, by any means and by whatever

reckoning, he might be persuaded, by whatsover liberal moderation

to give an amount, not enough as might be about to bring ruin and

disgrace upon himself. In actual fact, he at once embraces,

loves and sanctifies himself: "I, myself, touch no matrons

as that Marsaeus, a founder of the race and such a lover, who gave his

inheritance, estate and household gods to an actress "it will

never be for me" he said, " ever with other men's wives."

But the harm to public esteem it attracts is heavier with

actresses than it is with prostitutes. Or, to hinder the

extravagant role, is it not enough for you to avoid it wherever

and whatever the circumstances? To lose good public esteem, to

squander a patronage is terrible at any time. What concern is

it, whether you sin with a matron or with a slave girl in a toga?

Villius, by Fausta, once son–in–law to Sulla, miserable wretch,

deceived by the lady's name, suffered continuous punishment, enough

and more than enough, having been beaten by the fist, assailed by steel

and shut out in the forum while Longarenus penetrated within.

If this one, facing so much evil, might deliver silent words to

the soul of the inner man: "what would you? Did I, from you, ever

magno prognatum deposco consule cunnum

velatumque stola, mea cum conferbuit ira?"

quid responderet? "magno patre nata puella est."

at quanto meliora monet pugnantiaque istis

dives opis natura suae, tu si modo recte

dispensare velis ac non fugienda petendis

immiscere. Tuo vitio rerumne labores,

nil referre putas? Quare, ne paeniteat te,

desine matronas sectarier, unde laboris

plus haurire mali est quam ex re decerpere fructus.

nec magis huic inter niveos viridisque lapillos

(sit licet hoc, Cerinthe, tuum) tenerum est femur aut crus

rectius, atque etiam melius persaepe togata est.

adde huc quod mercem sine fucis gestat, aperte

quod venale habet ostendit, nec, si quid honesti est,

iactat habetque palam, quaerit quo turpia celet.

regibus hic mos est, ubi equos mercantur: opertos

inspiciunt, ne, si facies, ut saepe, decora

molli fulta pede est, emptorem inducat hiantem,

quod pulchrae clunes, breve quod caput, ardua cervix.

hoc illi recte: ne corporis optima Lyncei

contemplere oculis, Hypsaea caecior illa

quae mala sunt spectes. "O crus, O bracchia!" verum

depugis, nasuta, brevi latere ac pede longo est.

matronae praeter faciem nil cernere possis,

cetera, ni Catia est, demissa veste tegentis.

si interdicta petes, vallo circumdata (nam te

hoc facit insanum), multae tibi tum officient res,

custodes, lectica, cicniflones, parasitae,

ad talos stola demissa et circumdata palla,

plurima quae invideant pure apparere tibi rem.

Altera, nil obstat; Cois tibi paene videre est

ut nudam, ne crure malo, ne sit pede turpi;

metiri possis oculo latus. An tibi mavis

insidias fieri pretiumque avellier ante

quam mercem ostendi? "leporem venator ut alta

demand from the Consul, when my passion began to boil,

a high;y born prostitute who had been clothed in a stola?"

What might he reply? "The girl is a noble father's daughter."

But how much better nature herself advises fighting these

costly desires, if only you may wish to arrange correctly

and not mix together what to flee from with what ought

to be sought. Do you think the things you suffer from not

your problem to solve? Cease to pursue matrons, thereby

you need not repent whence the effort to reach down more

evil is to take away what enjoyment there is from the thing.

No more straighter thigh or leg has been visible between

precious emeralds or pearls ( this may not be so of yours,

Cerinthus), and also that the prostitute is very often better.

Also what merchandise she carries is uncovered, without pretence.

What she has for sale she exposes to view, if she is lovely,

she displays what she has openly, she does conceal the unsightly.

This is the caprice of princes, when they buy horses: they examine

them covered, it directs the buyer to the mouth so that when the

external form is beautiful with fabulous haunches, small head and

stately neck it is not being propped up with tender hooves.

This is the right way. Not to consider the best of the body

with the eyes of Lynx while you carefully consider the faults

with the blindness of Hypsaea. "O legs, O arms!" True but she

is thin buttocked with a large nose, short flanks and a long foot.

As regards matrons, you cannot distinguish more than the face,

unless she is Catia; a garment, worn to the floor, covers the rest.

If you will seek forbidden fruit surrounded by a rampart (for this

is what is making you insane), then many things will impede you,

Guardians, a litter, heaters of curling irons, social parasites,

the stola worn down to the ankles and surrounded by an outer robe,

countless obstacles which prevent things becoming visible to you.

With the other, no problem: when in Coan silk, she is almost naked

for you to see, no ill–shaped legs, she may not have unsightly feet;

you can measure the figure with the eye. Or, before the merchandise

is shown to you and before you take possession, would you prefer to

become parted from the money? "A huntsman, that in deep snow pursues

in nive sectetur, positum sic tangere nolit,"

cantata et apponit "meus est amor huic similis; nam

transvolat in medio posita et fugientia captat."

Hiscine versiculis speras tibi possit dolores

atque aestus curasque gravis e pectore pelli?

Nonne, cupidinibus statuat natura modum quem,

quid latura sibi, quid sit dolitura negatum,

quaerere plus prodest et inane abscidere soldo?

num, tibi cum fauces urit sitis, aurea quaeris

pocula? Num esuriens fastidis omnia praeter

pavonem rhombumque? Tument tibi cum inguina, num, si

ancilla aut verna est praesto puer, impetus in quem

continuo fiat, malis tentigine rumpi?

non ego: namque parabilem amo Venerem facilemque.

illam "post paulo," "sed pluris," "si exierit vir."

Gallis, hanc Philodemus ait sibi, quae neque magno

stet pretio neque cunctetur cum est iussa venire.

candida rectaque sit; munda hactenus, ut neque longa

nec magis alba velit quam dat natura videri.

haec ubi supposuit dextro corpus mihi laevum,

Ilia et Egeria est; do nomen quodlibet illi

nec vereor ne, dum futuo, vir rure recurrat,

ianua frangatur, latret canis, undique magno

pulsa domus strepitu resonet, vepallida lecto

desiliat mulier, miseram se conscia clamet,

cruribus haec metuat, doti deprensa, egomet mi.

discincta tunica fugiendum est et pede nudo,

ne nummi pereant aut puga aut denique fama.

deprendi miserum est: Fabio vel iudice vincam.

the hare, may be unwilling to touch one that lies to hand,"

he sings and adds "this is similar to my love; for

she ignores what is already laid out and seeks the fugitive."

You hope with these present little verses to be able to drive

out anguish, passion and also care's burden out of the breast?

Is it not better to ask what standard nature establishes for

desire, what she is able to bear herself, what, denied, she may

be about to suffer; to seek further and divide solid from void?

Or, when thirst dries up the mouth for you, you ask for a goblet

of gold? Or, being very hungry, you disdain everything except

peacock and turbot. Or, when the genitals are swelling for you, if

a maidservant or boy house slave is at hand, and the impulse may be

gratified immediately, would you prefer to burst with lust?

Not I: for the pleasure I love is easily procured and easily done.

"After a while," But more," "If my husband has gone away," she is

for the Galli, that Philodemus himself asserted, she must not

cost much money nor hesitate when she is commanded to come.

She must be fair and straight up to a point, but no taller nor

more white than what nature may wish and which it gives to be seen.

She is an Ilia or an Egeria when she places, for me, the left side

under the right side, I give to this one whatever name you please.

While I sow my seed, I fear not lest the husband returns from the farm,

the front door battered, the dog bark, the house reverberate all over

with the noise of knocking, the woman, pale, leaps down from the marriage

bed, her miserable maidservant cries aloud for her legs, herself,

having been caught out, afraid for the dowry, I, myself, for me.

It is to be made to flee with dishevelled tunic and barefoot

lest money, public esteem or the fleshy parts of my body suffer harm.

To be caught out is wretched: or with Fabius as judge, I may be the victor.

 

ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

One must express disagreement with Fraenkel in regard to many of his points about this Satire; about the content and the structure for instance, and particularly about the important opening role that lines 1 to 22 play.

It seems a reasonable supposition, from an observation of both structure and content, that Horace intended the first twenty–two lines of this Satire to form two identically structured and opposing arguments of eleven lines each, exquisitely balanced and set in a classical mode of contrasts. In effect,'On the one hand Tigellius ...', is contrasted with 'on the other hand Fufidius ...'. Therefore, the pivotal phrase contra hic, in the first argument does not have the function of jettisoning Tigellius by introducing a new character, as is generally suggested by commentators including Fraenkel; it changes gear, as it were, and introduces another facet of Tigellius's own character, one that gives us some idea of the circumstances of his early demise. It serves to connect, and contrast, quippe benignus erat with ne prodigus esse dicatur metuens, thus. 'To be sure he was generous. Against this, being afraid he might be said to be too prodigal, ...'. This allows us to see that although Tigellius was prepared to spend his money on his low life companions and did not care what people said, he was not prepared to support a friend in dire poverty with the very staple of existence, inopi dare nolit amico, frigus quo duramque famem propellere possit. Which makes into doubly effective satire, hunc si perconteris ... cur ... stringat ... ingluvie rem, ... coemens obsonia nummis: ... sordidus ... nolit haberi respondet; in effect, ' If you ask him why he squanders his inheritance buying food that is eaten with bread, he replies so as not to appear mean and paltry'. Laudatur ab his, culpatur illis completes the irony. ' He is commended by some, condemned by others.' What we have, therefore, in these opening eleven lines, resembles Hogarth's Rake's Progress in miniature. Tigellius inherits wealth and spends it on riotous living, ignoring a needy friend as well as good good counsellors. Bearing in mind the early date of this work we should be prepared to consider that the needy friend in question could have been Horace himself, during those early, penniless days in Rome. It would explain Horace's subsequent coolness towards Tigellius in terms other than professional jealousy. Tigellius is therefore surrounded by people out for a good time, who fawn on him and rapidly help to spend all the money. When he finally dies of excess they mourn the passing of a source of wealth rather than a friend. Returning to the catalogue of occupations that open this Satire, Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolae, mendici, mimae, balatrones, hoc genus omne, which could be regarded as a list of professions such as, Flute Players, Pharmacists, Mendicants, Actresses and Clowns, in another context and in the light of what follows, one could be forgiven for taking another view. Tigellius, lately deceased, seems to have suffered the sort of fate that overtook the Hogarthian Tom Rakewell and the people he appears to have mixed with would have likewise undoubtedly helped him on the road to ruin and an early demise. Yet, however odd the assortment of trades, one does not naturally associate them with such activity and the question is prompted whether Horace was using the names as euphemisms. Thus Ambubaiarum, ... pharmacopolae, mendici, mimae balatrones, might, in such a context, have hidden meanings. Ambubaiarum 'Flute Players' used, euphemistically, to describe exponents of fellatio, pharmacopolae to mean 'pushers' – of drugs, poisons and aphrodisiacs, mendici to mean 'confidence tricksters', mimae to mean 'transvestites' and balatrones to mean 'sycophants', Collegia ... hoc genus omne, 'The circle of ... and all that type of person', then collectively describes a parasitical growth which exists on the fringe of society and scavenges off it, rather than a group of people that serve it. Alas, considering the transitory and fashionable nature of euphemisms, even in our own day, it is impossible to attach any weight to such a theory.

Fraenkel is rather dismissive of this opening clause, accepting the generally held opinion that it is not all of one theme or about one particular person. Far from it. It is a brilliant opening on the theme of excess, of proceeding without sense of ultimate direction and of seeking the short–term gratification of uncertain appetites and easy solutions to problems not properly thought out.

Tigellius serves as one extreme example; in the next eleven lines, Fufidius as the opposite extreme. Horace sums up Fufidius in a magnificent and devastating couplet, Fufidius vappae famam timet ac nebulonis, dives agris, dives positis in faenore nummis. 'Fufidius, the worthless wretch, rich in lands, rich from interest–bearing capital and good for nothing, fears public opinion', must be one of the most damning introduction of any character in literature. At once we are poles apart from the nature of Tigellius; here is a man, conscious of his position in society, who uses money and does not waste it but is apparently just as little use to that society. Once again Horace opens his example on a downbeat, negative note in order to bring out and highlight further details of the character.

Quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecat, 'This one extracts five times the interest from capital' echoes the pivotal phrases of the first section and contrasts facets of the two men. Atque quanto perditior quisque est, tanto acrius urget 'and also the nearer his creditors are to ruin, the harder he presses'is the equivalent corollary. Nomina sectatur ... veste virili ... sub patribus duris ..., 'he pursues the collateral of young men new to manhood and with stern fathers' expands on Fufidius's methods while "maxime ... Iuppiter" exclamat ... 'Who would not exclaim "Great Jupiter" when he hears this', the reaction of society in general. "At in se pro quaestu sumptum facit hic?", "but surely he spends a like proportion on himself?", introduces the paradox of Fufidius to contrast with the paradox of Tigellius. Vix credere ... non sit amicus 'You would scarcely believe how little a friend he is to himself.' Ita ut pater, ille Terenti ... non se peius cruciaverit atque hic 'like that father, the one in Terence who, by banishing his son lived in misery, never crucified himself as much as this one', completes the paradox. Fufidius hoards his money, gaining no pleasure from it and, like Tigellius, will come to a miserable end.

So, in this way, Horace prepares us for the main point of the Satire. The pursuit of love, or rather, its gratification is similar to the pursuit of money. One should enjoy it without strain, neither placing too much emphasis on the pleasure it brings nor dismissing its capacity to give pleasure in the first instance. Love is an art, not a commodity; creative rather than manipulative.

Lines twenty–three to thirty–six are therefore to be seen as a preamble to this main aim and serve to link the parables of Tigellius and Fufidius in their attitude to money with the attitude of society in general to extreme behaviour. First Horace poses the question, Si quis nunc quaerat "quo res haec pertinet?" 'If anyone should now ask "how is this pertinent?", then answers illuc: dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt 'thus: as they seek to escape a fault, fools run to its opposite.' Then examples are given. Maltinus tunicis demissis ambulat; est qui inguen ad obscenum subductis usque facetus. in effect, 'Maltinus goes decently covered but it is considered fashionable to pull up the hem and expose the genitals.' Or, Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum 'Rufillius smells of scented cachous, Gargonius of armpits.' Horace comments, nil medium est 'it is never a compromise.' and steers the argument to the pursuit of love. Sunt qui nolint tetigisse ... tegat instita veste. In essence, 'there are those who pursue only married women' is contrasted with, contra alius nullam nisi olenti in fornice stantem., in summary, 'against another unable to perform unless in a foul brothel', Horace closes this preamble with another parable. Quidam notus homo cum exiret fornice, "macte virtute esto" inquit sententia dia Catonis: "nam simul ac venas inflavit taetra libido, huc iuvenes aequam est descendere, non alienas permolere uxores." , 'A certain aquaintance said to a man coming out of a brothel, echoing the sentiments of Cato, "Hail to you, be with strength. When lust inflames young men's veins, it is better to come down here, not to grind through other men's wives."' With a final twist, Horace turns the parable around. "Nolim laudarier " inquit "sic me," mirator cunni Cupennius albi' "I am unwilling to be praised for such a virtue" said Cupennius, an admirer of pudenda concealed by matronly white robes.' We are left with the question as to whether Cupennius was the user of the brothel or so well known as a an adulterer as to be the censure of all in Rome. However, since Horace, in lines thirty–seven to forty–six, begins to develop his main theme with a catalogue of the terrible punishments visited on such adulterers, we can assume the latter case.

Audire est operae pretium, ... qui moechis non voltis, ... utque illis multo corrupta dolore voluptas ... inter saepe pericla, saying in effect, 'For everyone who wishes retribution to fall on adulterers, it is worth paying attention as to just how there are punished and that their brief pleasure is accompanied by much pain.' Horace then lists their misfortunes. Hic se praecipitem tecto dedit 'this one consigned himself to jumping off a roof.' Ille flagellis ad mortem caesus 'that one cut to death with whips.' Fugiens hic decidit acrem praedonum in turbam 'this one, fleeing, fell in with a gang of cutthroats.' Dedit hic pro corpore nummos 'this one surrendered money for his life.' Hunc perminxerunt calones 'another was buggered by stable boys.' Finally, having titillated his readers, Horace gives them what they have been waiting for, quin etiam illud accidit, ut quidam testis caudamque salacem demeteret ferro'... it has happened that the salacious penis and testicles concerned have been hacked off with cold steel.' Horace sums up popular feeling, "Iure" omnes '"Justly so" from all. Then a wry twist, Galba negabat 'Galba disagreeing'; Galba, being both a juris consultus, and, apparently, a well known adulterer.

Lines forty–seven to sixty–three explore the theory that love affairs with freedwomen are much safer and equally satisfying, unless, that is, one takes it to extremes! Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda, libertinarum dico, thus Horace would seem to be quoting Sallust, 'But how much safer it is with second–class merchandise, with freedwomen I say.' But then qualifies it by explaining, Sallustius in quas non minus insanit quam qui moechatur, 'but then, Sallust is more than a little mad upon the subject, more so than any adulterer.' Horace then returns to Cato's theme, on the use of brothels, at hic si, qua res, qua ratio ... quaque modeste ... vellet ... daret quantum satis esset, nec sibi damno ... foret, saying, in fact, 'but if he (Sallust) wished he could easily afford to patronise a paying establishment and not risk shame and ruin by unwise affairs.' Horace then comments, ironically, verum ... amplectitur ... hoc amat et laudat: "matronem nullam ego tango", 'but instead he embraces, loves and santifies himself thus: "Myself, I touch no matrons."' Horace then points out the awful consequence that can happen. Ut quondam Marsaeus, amator Originis ille 'as at some time Marsaeus, that founder of the race and such a lover'. (It seems more in keeping with the general context of the argument, bearing in mind Sallust's social status, that a comparison would be thus rather than assume a construction containing an hypothetical lover named 'Origo'.) Qui patrium mimae donat ... "nil fuerit mi ... cum uxoribus ... alienis", saying, in effect, 'who gave his inheritance to an actress and claimed that he never interfered with other men's wives'. Horace then issues a warning. Verum est cum mimis, est cum meretricibus ... fama malum gravius ... trahit 'but in truth the harm it attracts to public esteem is a more serious matter with actresses than it is with prostitutes.' Horace then poses a question upon a question; an tibi abunde personam ... quicquid ubique officit evitare? in effect, 'is it sufficient for you to avoid playing the part of a adulterer but not to avoid that which is pursued, whatever and wherever it injures?' Bonam deperdere faman, rem patris oblimare, malum est ubicumque 'to lose a good reputation, to squander a patrimony, is terrible at any time.' Quid interest in matrona, ancilla peccesne togata? 'You may sin; what matters it whether with matron or slave girl in a tunic?

In the following lines, sixty–four to seventy–two,Horace uses, as an example, a famous scandal from the Republican past, that of Fausta, meaning 'Joy', the married daughter of Sulla, and two of her lovers, Villius and Longarenus. Villius in Fausta Syllae gener ... nomine deceptus, Horace repeats the ribald comment of the time, 'Villius, de facto son–in–law of Sulla, having been deceived by the name, Fausta,' hoc miser uno ... poenas dedit usque superque quam satis est 'this miserable one suffered continuous punishment enough and more than enough.' Horace goes on with the story gleefully, pugnis caesus ferroque petitus, exclusus fore, cum Longarenus foret intus 'having been beaten with the fist and assailed with cold steel, having been shut out in the forum when Longarenus penetrated inside'. It is difficult not to regard the use of an intentional pun here; Longarenus penetrating not only the walls of the Lady Fausta's house, for which the verb penetro would have served, but the lady herself for which the verb foro provides a double entendre. Certainly the use of the former would cause a metrical imbalance, unless the line was adjusted, but one so easily accomplished that it would seem that the use of the latter was deliberate. Horace then reflects on the feelings that might have been aroused in Villius. Huic si mutonis verbis mala tanta videnti diceret haec animus: "quid vis tibi? Numquid ego a te magno prognatum deposco consule cunnum velatumque stola, mea cum conferbuit ira?" The passage is quoted in full because it has a raw, passionate edge to it, much as though Horace speaks with personal experience of such treatment and it occurs to one that the writing of this Satire might date from the.period of the Epodes, particularly 8 and 12, In effect it says, 'if such a one, facing so much evil, might utter to his libido, "What would you? Reflect, I never demand from you, even when my passion has begun to boil, a highly born prostitute clothed in a stola." The answer given is obviously not sufficient, Quid responderet? "magno patre nata puella est." 'What might it reply? "The girl is a noble father's daughter."' It is difficult to read this passage without feeling that Horace, rather than playing the cynic, has had some experience of the physical and mental degradation of such a situation. Indeed, we might see echoes of Epode 8 and particularly Epode 12, where Horace is placed very much in the same situation of Villius. (See section 15)

In lines seventy to eighty–five Horace initially generalises on natural impulses as against contrived appetites that inevitably lead to excess. At quanto meliora ... dives opis natura suae 'But how much better nature herself advises in contending this costly physical power.' Tu si modo recte dispensare ... immiscere 'if you would only seek to arrange things correctly and not seek to be carried away.' Tuo vitio rerumne labores, nil referre putas? 'You think the things you suffer from not your problem to solve?' Quare, ne paeniteat te, desine matronas sectarier, ... decerpere fructus. In effect, 'cease to pursue married women; whereby you need not repent when the effort to draw down more evil pleasure is to take away enjoyment of the thing itself.' Horace then gives specific examples, Nec magis huic inter niveos viridesque lapillos (sit licet hoc, Cerinthe, tuum) tenerum est femur aut crus rectius, atque etiam melius persaepe togatae est. 'Also, very often a prostitute is better and as to this, no thigh or leg is softer or straighter between emeralds and pearls, (this may not be so of yours, Cerinthus.)' We must suppose here than Cerinthus was an exception to the general rule, in one particular or another. Adde huc quod mercem sine fucis gestat, ... si quid honesti est, ... quaerit quo turpia celet. 'Add to this, she carries about the merchandise without pretences; what she has for sale she exposes to view, nor, if she has beauty, seeks to emphasise it openly while she may conceal what is unsightly.'

The section covered by lines eighty–six to one hundred and five begins with a parable comparing the selection of a partner for the act of love with the selection of horse for purchase, a passage in which psychologists may well detect Freudian symbolism. Regibus hic mos est, ubi equos mercantur 'this is the caprice of princes, when they buy horses.' Opertos inspiciunt, ... emptorem inducat hiantem. 'They examine them covered ... it directs the buyer to the mouth.' Quod pulchrae clunes, breve quod caput, ardua cervix. Hoc ille recte: ne corporis optima ... oculis ... Hypsaea caecior illa ... mala ... spectes. In effect, 'ignore the beautiful haunches, small head and stately neck; seeing good points with a keen eye but being blind to the faults'. Then Horace directs attention to a man's attitude towards women, "O crus, O bracchia!" Verum depugis ... pede longo est. '"O leg, O arms" True, but she is narrow buttocked, with a large nose, short waist and is big of foot.' In other words, in the need to possess a man should not be blind to imperfection and the same rule applies to married women. Matronae praeter faciem nil cernere possis, ... demissa veste tegentis. In effect, 'One can only see a matron's face ... her long robe covers all else.' If, however, it is the very fact that she is another man's wife that urges you on, be prepared for difficulties, Si interdicta petes, vallo circumdata (nam te hoc facit insanum) multae tibi tum officient res, ... plurima quae invideant pure apparere tibi rem. A summary of which is, 'If you seek forbidden fruit that is surrounded by everyday obstacles ... countless things prevent a clear view of your desire.' Horace offers the alternative solution, Altera, nil obstat; Cois tibi paene videre ut nudam, ... metiri possis oculo latus. 'With the other option, no problem; in her transparent Coan silk she is almost naked for you to see, ... you can measure the figure with the eye.' Horace then, returning to the original parable, poses the question, an tibi mavis insidias fieri pretiumque avellier ante quam mercem ostendi? 'Or, before the merchandise is shown to you and before you take possession, would you prefer to become parted from the money?'

In lines one hundred and five to one hundred and ten, Horace makes use of a well known epigram of Callimachus, which compares the lover to a hunter. While it helps him to make his point he decides it offers no solace to the lover. "Leporem venator ut alta in nive sectetur, positum sic tangere nolit," cantat et apponit "meus est amor huic similis; nam transvolat in medio posita et fugienda captat." '"A hunter, that in deep snow pursues hare, may decline to touch one that lies to hand," is celebrataed in song and goes on, "this is similar to my desire, it ignores what is already available and seeks to win that taking flight.' The apt comparison to his argument is quite clear, but then comes the corollary, Hiscine versiculis speras tibi posse ... e pectore pelli? 'Do you hope that your breast will to be able to be opened by such verses and the anguish, passion and the burden of care to be lifted out?' Horace seems to be making the point that, although everyone speaks of love, it is passion that rules and that writing about it is no substitute to the satisfaction of that appetite.

From line one hundred and eleven to line one hundred and thirty four, the end of the Satire, Horace draws together his argument. On the one hand appetites exist to be satisfied, sexual or otherwise; on the other hand mankind is never satisfied with what is provided by the gods, it must elaborate and proceed to excess. First he poses a series of questions, Nonne, cupidinibus statuat natura modum quem, ... et inane abscindere soldo? 'Is it not better to ask what standard nature establishes for desire, ... and so divide the solid from the void?' Num, tibi cum fauces urit sitis, aurea quaeris pocula? Num esuriens fastidis omnia praeter pavonem rhombumque? 'When you are thirsty do you ask for a goblet of gold? When you are hungry do you disdain everything but peacock and turbot?' So much for two of the appetites; Horace questions the third. Tument tibi cum inguina, num, si ancilla aut verna est praesto puer, impetus in quem continuo fiat, malis tentigine rumpi? In essence, 'When your genitals become engorged and a serving maid or a house boy is at hand so that your erotic impulse can be satisfied instantly, would you rather burst with passion?'

Horace answers all of these in the first person, Non ego: namque parabilem amo Venerem facilemque. 'Not I: I love the pleasure that is easily procured and easily accomplished.' Distinguishing his dislikes and preferences; Illam "post paulo," "sed pluris," "si exierit vir," Gallis 'she, who says, "After a while," "but more," "if my husband has gone away," is for those priests that emasculate themselves.' Hanc Philodemus ait sibi, ... est iussa venire. 'Philodemus asserted himself that she must not cost too much and not too slow to come when she is commanded.' Having drawn a literary allusion, Horace concentrates on his own wishes. Candida rectaque sit; munda hactenus ut neque ... dat natura videri. Generally, 'she must be fair and straight, up to a point, but not more than nature intended.' Haec ubi supposuit dextro corpus mihi laevum, Ilia et Egeria est; do nomen quodlibet illi, 'When she places her right hip under my left, she is Illia or Egeria; I give her whatever name she pleases.'

Horace finishes the Satire with a burst of breathless and hilarious verse that catches so exactly the predicament of a lover, caught by the husband in the act, that one may be forgiven for believing it a firsthand account. Nec verior ne, dum futuo, vir rure recurrat, ianua frangatur, latret canis, undique magno pulsa domus strepitu resonet, vepallida lecto desiliat mulier, miseram se conscia clamet, cruribus haec metuat, doti deprensa, egomet mi. 'I fear not, as I sow my seed, that a husband will return from the country, the front door be broken down, the dog bark, the house reverberate with noise, the woman pale, herself having been caught out,

leaps from the marriage bed, afraid for her dowry, the wretched maid crying aloud for the safety of her legs and I, myself, for me.' Followed by the ignominious consequences, discincta tunica fugiendum est et pede nudo, ne nummi pereant aut puga aut denique fama. 'It is fleeing with dishevelled tunic and bare of foot lest financial ruin overtakes or public esteem or the fleshy parts of my body suffer harm.' Deprendi miserum est: Fabio vel iudice vincam. 'To be caught out is wretched: or with Fabius the judge, I might win.' Thus, with a final barb at Fabius, a Stoic and an adulterer, Horace concludes.

One cannot agree with the dismissive attitude of Fraenkel on this Satire. When we disentangle what Fraenkel has to say from the masses of literary comparisons and sources he attributes to this work, it amounts to him saying that the poetry is good but the content poor. 'What Horace has to say is in neither case of great value, but the manner in which he says it is masterly.' (Fraenkel – Horace, p. 80.) This is condescension on a grand scale; damning with faint praise is certainly too ineffective a form of condemnation to describe its inclusion. There are at last, in these more enlightened times, signs that we may be freeing ourselves from the intellectual tyranny that, in the past, we have allowed Greece over Rome. This commentary and analysis has tried to concentrate on what Horace himself is saying, not what it is assumed the literary heritage of Greece might have dictated to him. Fraenkel suggests invention to explain the content and thereby ignores the need for commentary on whole passages, passages that cannot be treated thus if we are to understand what Horace is saying: presumambly because they cannot be identified to classic Greek sources. Satire I, 2 is surely a social commentary on Roman ethics and morals and attitudes to women in general. Consider the elements of this work and what we can learn from them; they are surely vignettes of a real society, not an imagined one. Tigellius and Fufidius are real people in real situations. Their likenesses have been observed throughout literary history, not only latterly by Dickens and Hogarth, but, preceding Horace, by Aristophanes, Menander, Terence and Plautus. They have never been stock characters from fiction but keenly observed contemporaries. The observation, or contempt, for social mores and fashions, such as displayed by Maltinus, Rufillius and Gargonius, the dichotomy of attitudes to those who frequent brothels and the open defiance of Cupennius are all exact reflections of a society that can be mirrored in those that have existed since Horace. The punishment of adulterers is still an open issue in contemporary society, from the strict rules of Islam to the relaxed attitudes of the Western World. That Roman society displayed the same mixed feelings should not surprise us nor should the ill–concealed joy in the narration of the sort of retribution that overtakes the transgressor. The attitudes taken by Galba and Sallust merely serve to confirm this ambivalent attitude. In choosing to illustrate his text by mentioning a scandal from the time of Sulla, Horace is pinning his view of his own contemporary Roman society with that of Republican Rome and finding little difference. This fact in itself would seriously suggest that Horace was not relying on invention but emphasising that mankind does not change in its attidues to fundamental issues. In the context of Horace and his love affairs, this work shows the social background against which they took place and the attitude of the younger Horace to their pursuit. His love poetry from thereon charts his maturer realisations.