Persius
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| - | [[Image:Poggio.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Poggio]], collector of ''[[Facetiae]]'']] | ||
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| - | '''Latin literature''', the body of [[literature|written works]] in the [[Latin language]], remains an enduring legacy of the [[culture of ancient Rome|culture]] of [[ancient Rome]]. The Romans produced many works of poetry, comedy, tragedy, satire, history, and rhetoric, drawing heavily on the traditions of other cultures and particularly on the more matured [[Greek literature|literary tradition of Greece]]. Long after the Western Roman Empire had fallen, the Latin language continued to play a central role in western European civilization. | ||
| - | For most of the [[Medieval]] era, Latin was the dominant [[written language]] in use in [[western Europe]]. After the Roman Empire split into its Western and Eastern halves, Greek, which had been widely used all over the Empire, faded from use in the West, all the more so as the political and religious distance steadily grew between the Catholic West and the Orthodox, Greek East. The vernacular languages in the West, the languages of modern-day western Europe, developed for centuries as spoken languages only: most people did not write, and it seems that it very seldom occurred to those who wrote to write in any language other than Latin, even when they spoke French or Italian or English or another vernacular in their daily life. Very gradually, in the late [[Middle Ages]] and the early [[Renaissance]], it became more and more common to write in the Western vernaculars. | + | '''Persius''', in full '''Aules Persius Flaccus''' ([[Volterra]], 34-62), was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[poet]] and [[satirist]] of [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] origin. In his works, poems and [[satire]]s, he shows a [[Stoicism|stoic]] wisdom and a strong criticism for the abuses of his contemporaries. His works, which became very popular in the [[Middle Ages]], were published after his death by his friend and mentor the stoic philosopher [[Lucius Annaeus Cornutus]]. |
| + | ==Work== | ||
| + | The chief interest of Persius's work lies in its relation to [[Roman satire]], in its interpretation of Roman Stoicism, and in its use of the Latin tongue. The influence of Horace on Persius can, in spite of the silence of the Life, hardly have been less than that of Lucilius. Not only characters, as noted above, but whole phrases, thoughts and situations come direct from him. The resemblance only emphasizes the difference between the caricaturist of Stoicism and its preacher. Persius strikes the highest note that Roman satire reached; in earnestness and moral purpose he rises far superior to the political rancour or good natured persiflage of his predecessors and the rhetorical indignation of [[Juvenal]]. From him we learn how that philosophy could work on minds that still preserved the depth and purity of the old Roman gravitas. Some of the parallel passages in the works of Persius and Seneca are very close, and cannot be explained by assuming the use of a common source. Like Seneca, Persius censures the style of the day, and imitates it. Indeed in some of its worst failings, straining of expression, excess of detail, exaggeration, he outbids Seneca, whilst the obscurity, which makes his little book of not seven hundred lines so difficult to read and is in no way due to great depth of thought, compares poorly with the terse clearness of the ''Epistolae morales''. A curious contrast to this tendency is presented by his free use of "popular" words. As of [[Plato]], so of Persius we hear that he emulated [[Sophron]]; the authority is a late one ([[Lydus]], ''De mag.'' I.41), but we can at least recognize in the scene that opens Sat. 3. kinship with such work as [[Theocritus]]' ''Adoniazusae'' and the ''Mimes'' of [[Herodas]]. | ||
| - | It was probably only after the [[Movable type|invention of printing]], which made books and pamphlets cheap enough that a mass public could afford them, and which made possible modern phenomena such as the newspaper, that a large number of people in the West could read and write who were not fluent in Latin. Still, many people continued to write in Latin, although they were mostly from the upper classes and/or professional academics. As late as the 17th century, there was still a large audience for Latin poetry and drama; no-one found it strange, for example, that, besides his works in English, [[John Milton|Milton]] wrote many poems in Latin, or that [[Francis Bacon]] or [[Baruch Spinoza]] wrote mostly in Latin. The use of Latin as a lingua franca continued in smaller European lands until the 19th century. | + | Persius's satires are composed in [[hexameter]]s, except for the scazons of the short prologue above referred to, in which he half ironically asserts that he writes to earn his bread, not because he is inspired. The first satire censures the literary tastes of the day as a reflection of the decadence of the national morals. The theme of Seneca's 114th letter is similar. The description of the recitator and the literary twaddlers after dinner is vividly natural, but an interesting passage which cites specimens of smooth versification and the languishing style is greatly spoiled by the difficulty of appreciating the points involved and indeed of distributing the dialogue (a not uncommon crux in Persius). The remaining satires handle in order (2) the question as to what we may justly ask of the gods (cf. Plato's second [[Alcibiades]]), (3) the importance of having a definite aim in life, (4) the necessity of self-knowledge for public men (cf. Plato's first Alcibiades), (5) the Stoic doctrine of liberty (introduced by generous allusions to Cornutus' teaching), and (6) the proper use of money. |
| - | ===Satire=== | + | |
| - | :'''[[Juvenal]]''' - [[Satires of Juvenal|Saturae]] | + | |
| - | :[[Martial]] | + | |
| - | :[[Persius]] | + | |
| - | ==Poetry== | + | The ''Life'' tells us that the ''Satires'' were not left complete; some lines were taken (presumably by Cornutus or Bassus) from the end of the work so that it might be quasi finitus. This perhaps means that a sentence in which Persius had left a line imperfect, or a paragraph which he had not completed, had to be omitted. The same authority says that Cornutus definitely blacked out an offensive allusion to the emperor's literary taste, and that we owe to him the reading of the manuscripts in Sat. i.121,--"''auriculas asini ''quis non'' (for ''Mida rex'' ) habet!''" Traces of lack of revision are, however, still visible; cf. e.g. v.176 (sudden transition from ambition to superstition) and vi.37 (where criticism of Greek ''doctores'' has nothing to do with the context). The parallels to passages of Horace and Seneca are recorded in the commentaries: in view of what the Life says about [[Marcus Annaeus Lucanus|Lucan]], the verbal resemblance of Sat. iii.3 to ''[[Pharsalia|Phars.]]'' x.163 is interesting. Examples of bold language or metaphor: i.25, rupto iecore exierit caprificus, 60, linguae quantum sitiat canis; iii.42, intus palleat, 81, silentia rodunt; v.92, ueteres auiae de pulmone reuello. Passages like iii.87, 100 sqq. show elaboration carried beyond the rules of good taste. "Popular" words: ''baro'', ''cerdo'', ''ebullire'', ''glutto'', ''lallare'', ''mamma'', ''muttire'', ''obba'', ''palpo'', ''scloppus''. Fine lines, etc., in i.116 sqq., ii.6 sqq., 61 sqq., 73 sqq., iii.39 sqq. |
| - | *[[Catullus]] -- Roman erotic poet | + | ===Authorities=== |
| - | *[[Sextus Propertius]] -- Roman poet | + | The manuscripts of Persius fall into two groups, one represented by two of the best of them, the other by that of [[Petrus Pithoeus]], so important for the text of [[Satires of Juvenal|Juvenal]]. Since the publication of [[J. Bieger]]'s ''de Persii cod. pith. recte aestimando'' (Berlin, 1890) the tendency has been to prefer the tradition of the latter. |
| + | |||
| + | The first important editions were: (1) with explanatory notes: [[Isaac Casaubon]] (Paris, 1605, enlarged edition by [[Johann Friedrich Dübner]], Leipzig, 1833); [[Otto Jahn]] (with the ''[[scholia]]'' and valuable prolegomena, Leipzig, 1843); [[John Conington]] (with translation; 3rd ed., Oxford, 1893), etc; but there are several modern editions. | ||
| - | == See also == | ||
| - | *[[Latin profanity]] | ||
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Persius, in full Aules Persius Flaccus (Volterra, 34-62), was a Roman poet and satirist of Etruscan origin. In his works, poems and satires, he shows a stoic wisdom and a strong criticism for the abuses of his contemporaries. His works, which became very popular in the Middle Ages, were published after his death by his friend and mentor the stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Cornutus.
Work
The chief interest of Persius's work lies in its relation to Roman satire, in its interpretation of Roman Stoicism, and in its use of the Latin tongue. The influence of Horace on Persius can, in spite of the silence of the Life, hardly have been less than that of Lucilius. Not only characters, as noted above, but whole phrases, thoughts and situations come direct from him. The resemblance only emphasizes the difference between the caricaturist of Stoicism and its preacher. Persius strikes the highest note that Roman satire reached; in earnestness and moral purpose he rises far superior to the political rancour or good natured persiflage of his predecessors and the rhetorical indignation of Juvenal. From him we learn how that philosophy could work on minds that still preserved the depth and purity of the old Roman gravitas. Some of the parallel passages in the works of Persius and Seneca are very close, and cannot be explained by assuming the use of a common source. Like Seneca, Persius censures the style of the day, and imitates it. Indeed in some of its worst failings, straining of expression, excess of detail, exaggeration, he outbids Seneca, whilst the obscurity, which makes his little book of not seven hundred lines so difficult to read and is in no way due to great depth of thought, compares poorly with the terse clearness of the Epistolae morales. A curious contrast to this tendency is presented by his free use of "popular" words. As of Plato, so of Persius we hear that he emulated Sophron; the authority is a late one (Lydus, De mag. I.41), but we can at least recognize in the scene that opens Sat. 3. kinship with such work as Theocritus' Adoniazusae and the Mimes of Herodas.
Persius's satires are composed in hexameters, except for the scazons of the short prologue above referred to, in which he half ironically asserts that he writes to earn his bread, not because he is inspired. The first satire censures the literary tastes of the day as a reflection of the decadence of the national morals. The theme of Seneca's 114th letter is similar. The description of the recitator and the literary twaddlers after dinner is vividly natural, but an interesting passage which cites specimens of smooth versification and the languishing style is greatly spoiled by the difficulty of appreciating the points involved and indeed of distributing the dialogue (a not uncommon crux in Persius). The remaining satires handle in order (2) the question as to what we may justly ask of the gods (cf. Plato's second Alcibiades), (3) the importance of having a definite aim in life, (4) the necessity of self-knowledge for public men (cf. Plato's first Alcibiades), (5) the Stoic doctrine of liberty (introduced by generous allusions to Cornutus' teaching), and (6) the proper use of money.
The Life tells us that the Satires were not left complete; some lines were taken (presumably by Cornutus or Bassus) from the end of the work so that it might be quasi finitus. This perhaps means that a sentence in which Persius had left a line imperfect, or a paragraph which he had not completed, had to be omitted. The same authority says that Cornutus definitely blacked out an offensive allusion to the emperor's literary taste, and that we owe to him the reading of the manuscripts in Sat. i.121,--"auriculas asini quis non (for Mida rex ) habet!" Traces of lack of revision are, however, still visible; cf. e.g. v.176 (sudden transition from ambition to superstition) and vi.37 (where criticism of Greek doctores has nothing to do with the context). The parallels to passages of Horace and Seneca are recorded in the commentaries: in view of what the Life says about Lucan, the verbal resemblance of Sat. iii.3 to Phars. x.163 is interesting. Examples of bold language or metaphor: i.25, rupto iecore exierit caprificus, 60, linguae quantum sitiat canis; iii.42, intus palleat, 81, silentia rodunt; v.92, ueteres auiae de pulmone reuello. Passages like iii.87, 100 sqq. show elaboration carried beyond the rules of good taste. "Popular" words: baro, cerdo, ebullire, glutto, lallare, mamma, muttire, obba, palpo, scloppus. Fine lines, etc., in i.116 sqq., ii.6 sqq., 61 sqq., 73 sqq., iii.39 sqq.
Authorities
The manuscripts of Persius fall into two groups, one represented by two of the best of them, the other by that of Petrus Pithoeus, so important for the text of Juvenal. Since the publication of J. Bieger's de Persii cod. pith. recte aestimando (Berlin, 1890) the tendency has been to prefer the tradition of the latter.
The first important editions were: (1) with explanatory notes: Isaac Casaubon (Paris, 1605, enlarged edition by Johann Friedrich Dübner, Leipzig, 1833); Otto Jahn (with the scholia and valuable prolegomena, Leipzig, 1843); John Conington (with translation; 3rd ed., Oxford, 1893), etc; but there are several modern editions.
