Nil unquam invitâ donabis conjuge: vendes "Pone crucem servo:" "meruit quo crimine servus "Supplicium? quis testis adest? quis detulit? audi, "Nulla unquam de morte hominis cunctatio longa est." "O demens, ita servus homo est? nil fecerit, esto: "Hoc volo, sic jubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas." Imperat ergo viro: sed mox hæc regna relinquit, Permutatque domos, et flammea conterit: inde Avolat, et spreti repetit vestigia lecti. Ornatas paulo ante fores, pendentia linquit Vela domûs, et adhuc virides in limine ramos. Sic crescit numerus; sic fiunt octo mariti Quinque per autumnos: titulo res digna sepulchri. 215 220 225 213. She.] Hæc-this wife of yours. -Will give affections.] Direct your affections, dictate to you in what manner you shall respect, or ill-treat, your friends; whom you are to like, and whom to dislike. 214. Whose beard your gate hath seen.] An old friend, who used always to be welcome to your house, ever since the time he had first a beard on his chin. 215. To make a will, &c.] q. d. Panders, prize-fighters, and gladiators, have liberty to make their wills as they please; but your wife will dictate yours, and name not a few of her paramours, your rivals, to enjoy your estate. N. B. All the Romans, even the most inferior and most infamous sort of them, had the power of making wills. DRYD. 216. The amphitheatre.] Arena-metonym. the gladiators belonging to it. 218. "Set up, &c."] Crucifixion was the usual way of putting slaves to death, and of this the masters had the power: here the wife bids her husband do it, only out of caprice. -"For what crime, &c."] The words of the husband remonstrating against this piece of wanton barbarity. 219. "Hear."] Attend; mark what I say. 220."No delay, &c."] Surely where the death of a fellow-creature is depending, the matter should be well considered, and not hastily transacted; no delay, for deliberation, should be thought long. 221. "O madman, &c."] The words of the imperious wife, who insists upon her own humour to be the sole reason of her actions. She even styles her husband a fool, or madman, for calling a slave a man. She seems to deny the poor slave human nature and human feelings, such is her pride and savage cruelty. 223. She governs, &c.] Therefore, in this instance, as in all others, it is plain that she exercises a tyranny over her husband. Leaves these realms.] i. e. Her husband's territories, over which she ruled, in order to seek new conquests, and new dominion over other men. 224. Changes houses.] She elopes from her husband to others, and so from house to house, as often as she chose to change from man to man. -Wears out her bridal veils.] The flameum was a bridal veil, with which the bride's face was covered, during the marriage ceremony: it was of a yellow, or flame colour, whence its name. You will never bestow any thing against your wife's will: you will sell Nothing if she opposes: nothing, if she be unwilling, will be bought: 216 She will give affections: that friend will be shut out, Now grown old, whose beard your gate hath seen. When there is liberty to pimps and fencers to make a will, And the same right happens to the amphitheatre, Not one rival only will be dictated as your heir. "Set up a cross for slave:"your "slave deserved "Punishment? what witness is there? who accused? —hear"No delay is ever long concerning the death of a man." 220 "O madman!-so, a slave is a man! be it so he has done "nothing; "_" for what crime has the "This I will-thus I command-let my will stand as a reason." Therefore she governs her husband: but presently leaves these realms, And changes houses, and wears out her bridal veils: from thence She flies away, and seeks again the footsteps of her despised bed. The doors, a little before adorned, the pendent veils 226 Of the house she leaves, and the boughs yet green at the threshold. Thus the number increases, thus eight husbands are made She divorced herself so often, and was so often married, that she even wore out, as it were, her veil, with the frequent use of it. 225. She flies away, &c.] The inconstancy and lewdness of this woman was such, that, after running all the lengths which the law allowed, by being divorced eight times, she leaves her paramours, and even comes back again to the man whom she first left. -And seeks again.] Traces back the footsteps which once led her from his bed. 226. The doors-adorned, &c.] See before, 1. 52. and note-i. e. She lives but a very short time with each of her husbands, quitting them, as it were, while the marriage garlands, veils, &c. were hanging about the doors. 228. Eight husbands-in five autumns.] The Roman law allowed eight divorces; beyond that was reckoned adultery. Of these divorces Seneca says, De Beneficiis, c. xvi. "Does any body Desperanda tibi salvâ concordia socru": Nulla fere causa est, in quâ non fœmina litem 230 235 240 245 230. Mother-in-law.] The poet seems willing to set forth the female sex as bad in every point of view. Here he introduces one as a mother-in-law, disturbing the peace of the family, carrying on her daughter's infidelity to her husband, and playing tricks for this purpose. ter. 231. She teaches.] Instructs her daugh -To plunder, &c.] Till the poor husband is stripped of all he has. 232. A corrupter.] A gallant who writes billets-doux, in order to corrupt her daughter's chastity. 233. Nothing ill bred or simple.] To send no answers that can discourage the man from his purpose, either in point of courtesy or contrivance. 233, 4. She deceives keepers, &c.] She helps on the amour with her daughter, by either deceiving, or bribing, any spies which the husband might set to watch her. 235. Archigenes.] The name of a physician. The old woman shams sick, and, to carry on the trick, pretends to send for a physician, whom the gallant is to personate. -Throws away the heavy clothes.] Pre tending to be in a violent fever, and not able to bear the weight and heat of so many bed-clothes. 236. Meanwhile, &c.] The old woman takes this opportunity to secrete the adulterer in her apartment, that, when the daughter comes, under a pretence of visiting her sick mother, he may accomplish his design. 238. A mother should infuse, &c.] It is not very likely that such a mother should bring up her daughter in any better principles than her own. 239. It is profitable, &c.] Since, by having a daughter as base as herself, she has opportunities of getting gain and profit, by assisting in her prostitution, being well fee'd by her gallants. He next attacks the litigiousness of women. 241. Almost no cause.] No action at law, which a woman has not fomented. If she be not defendant, she will be plaintiff, 1. 242. 242. Manilia, &c.] An harlot, whom Hostilius Mancinus, the Curule Edile. prosecuted for hitting him with a stone. 243. Compose, and form libels.] The libelli in the courts of law at Rome seem to answer to those pleadings among us, You must despair of concord while a mother-in-law lives: She teaches to rejoice in the plunder of the stripped husband: She teaches, to letters sent by a corrupter, To write back nothing ill-bred or simple: she deceives Keepers, or quiets them with money. Then, while in health, She sends for Archigenes, and throws away the heavy clothes. Meanwhile the sent-for adulterer lies hidden, 236 Is silent, impatient of delay, and prepares for the attempt. For a base old woman to bring up a base daughter. 240 There is almost no cause in which a woman has not stirr'd up The suit. Manilia accuses, if she be not the accused. They by themselves compose, and form libels, Prepared to dictate to Celsus, the beginning, and the places. The Tyrian rugs, and the female ceroma, 245 Who knows not? or who does not see the wounds of the stake, Which she hollows with continual wooden-swords, and provokes with the shield? And fills up all her parts; altogether a matron most worthy The Floralian trumpet; unless she may agitate something more which are drawn up in writing by skilful lawyers on the part of the complainant. In our civil law-courts the term libellus is still in use, and answers to a declaration at common law, which contains the complaint. 244. Celsus, &c.] He was a noble orator and eminent lawyer: he left behind him seven books of institutes, all written by himself. The women had the impudence to think that they could direct him in the management of a cause ; viz. -The beginning.] i. e. How to open it-the exordium. -The places.] The sedes argumenti, or parts of the libel from which the arguments were taken, and on which they were grounded, were called loci-so that they not only dictated to Celsus how to open a cause, but how to argue and manage it. 245. The Tyrian rugs, &c.] Women had the impudence to practise fencing, and to anoint themselves with the ceroma, or wrestlers' oil; like them they put on the endromidæ, or rugs, after their exercise, to keep them from catching YOL. I. cold; but, to shew their pride, they were dyed in Tyrian purple. 246. The wounds of the stake.] This was the exercise of the palaria, used by the soldiers at their camp, but now practised by impudent women. The palus was a stake fixed in the ground, about six feet high, at which they went through all the fencer's art, as with an enemy, by way of preparation to a real fight. 247. She hollows, &c.] By fencing at this post they wore hollow places in it, by the continual thrusts of their weapons against it, which were swords made of wood, with which the soldiers and prize-fighters practised the art of fencing, (as we do now with foils,)-these were used by these masculine ladies. -And provokes with the shield.] Presenting their shields to the post as to a real enemy, and as if provoking an attack, 248. Fills up all her parts.] Omnes implet numeros. This phrase may be understood, "goes through all the mo"tions incident to the exercise." 249. The Floralian trumpet.] The Floral games, which are celebrated in honour of the goddess Flora, were exhibited 2 B Pectore plus agitet, veræque paratur arenæ. by harlots with naked impudence, who danced through the streets to the sound of a trumpet. 250. In that breast of hers.] Unless she carry her impudence into another channel, and, by these preparations, mean seriously to engage upon the theatre; otherwise one should think that she was preparing to enter the lists with the naked harlots in the feasts of Flora. 251. An helmeted woman.] Who can so far depart from the decency and modesty of her sex as to wear an hel met. 252. Feats of strength.] Masculine exercises. 253. How little is our pleasure.] In intrigues, comparatively with that of the women; therefore, though such women desert their sex, yet they would not change it. 254. What a fine shew of things, &c.] Decus rerum, how creditable, what an honour to her husband and family, to have a sale for the wife's military accoutrements, and the whole inventory to consist of nothing but warlike attire! 255. Her belt.] Balteus signifies the sword-belt worn by soldiers and prizefighters. -Her gauntlets.] A sort of armed glove to defend the hand. -Crests.] The crests which were worn on the helmets, made of tufts of horsehair, or plumes of feathers. -The half covering, &c.] The buskin, with which the lower part of the left 250 255 260 leg was covered, as most exposed; as in those days the combatants put forth the left leg when they engaged an enemy, and therefore armed it half-way with a stout buskin to ward off the blows to which it was liable; the upper part was covered by the shield. So Farnaby, and Jo. Britannicus. But this seems contrary to what VIRGIL says, Æn. vii. 1. 689, 90, of the Hernicians: -Vestigia nuda sinistri Instituêre pedis; crudus tegit altera pero. 256. If she will stir up, &c.] If, instead of the exercises above described, she chooses other kinds of engagements, as those of the Retiarii or Mirmillones, who wore a sort of boots on their legs, it would, in such a case, make you very happy to see your wife's boots set to sale. 257. These are the women, &c.] He here satirizes the women, as complaining under the pressure of their light women's attire, and yet, when loaded with military arms, were very contented. short, when they were doing wrong, nothing was too hard for them; but when they were doing right, every thing was a burden. See before 1. 94-102. In 259. Burns.] Juvenal, in the preced. ing line, says that they sweat in the thin mantle, cyclade (made perhaps of light linen); but here, that they complain they are quite on fire if they have a little silk on. Delicias means, lit. delights; by which we may understand |