CHAPTER II.
[1] Cal. 34.
[2] Suet. Claud. 41.
[3] Id.
[4] See p. 11.
[5] Sen. de. Tr. 14, 4.
[6] Nero had asked Cornutus's advice on a projected poem on Roman history in 400 books. Cornutus replied, "No one, Sire, would read so long a work." Nero reminded him that Chrysippus had written as many. "True!" said Cornutus, "but his books are useful to mankind."
[7] v. Suetonius's Vita Persii.
[8] Pers. v. 21.
[9] Ib. i. 12.
[10] "Sed sum petulanti splene cachinno," Pers. i. 10.
[11] Himself a lyric poet (Quint. X. i. 96) of some rank. He also wrote a didactic poem, De Metris, of a similar character to that of Terentianus Maurus. Persius died 62 A.D.
[12] Vit. Pers.: this was before he had written the Pharsalia.
[13] Quint. X. i. 94.
[14] Mart. IV. xxix. 7.
[15] Pers. i. 96.
[16] E.g. i. 87, 103. Cf. v. 72.
[17] Pers. iii. 77.
[18] Ib. iv. 23.
[19] Ib. i. 116. The examples are from Nisard.
[20] Ep. ii. 1, 80.
[21] Pers. v. 103. Compare Lucan's use of frons, nec frons erit ulla senatus, where it seems to mean boldness. In Persius it = shame.
[22] A. P. 102.
[23] Pers. i. 91. Compare ii. 10; i. 65. with Hor. S. II. vi. 10; II. vii. 87.
[24] Ib. i. 124.
[25] Ib. i. 59.
[26] Ib. v. 119.
[27] Ib. vi. 25.
[28] The accuracy of this story has been doubted, perhaps not without reason. Nero's contests were held every five years. Lucan had gained the prize in one for a laudation of Nero, 59 A.D.(?), and the one alluded to in the text may have been 64 A.D. when Nero recited his Troica. Dio. lxii. 29.
[29] Perhaps Phars. iii. 635. The incident is mentioned by Tac., Ann. xv. 70.
[30] Phars. i. 33.
[31] Ib. vii. 432.
[32] I.e. beyond the bounds of the Roman empire.
[33] Martial alludes to Quintilian's judgment when he makes the Pharsalia say, me criticus negat esse poema: Sed qui me vendit bibliopola putat.
[34] Phars. v. 59.
[35] Si libertatis Superis tam cura placent Quam vindicta placet, Phars. iv. 806.
[36] Superum pudor, Phars. viii. 597.
[37] Ib. 605.
[38] Ib. 665.
[39] Ib. 800.
[40] Ib. 869, Tam mendax Magni tumulo quam Creta Tonantis.
[41] Ib. ix. 143.
[42] Ib. i. 128.
[43] Phars. vii. 454.
[44] Est ergo flamen ut Iovi … sic Divo Iulio M. Antonius. Cic. Phil. ii.
[45] Nos te, Nos facimus Fortuna deam caeloque locamus, Juv. x. ult.
[46] Phars. v. 110, sqq.
[47] Ib. vi. 420-830.
[48] Ib. ii. 1-15.
[49] Ib. v. 199.
[50] Ib. ii. 380.
[51] Ib. ix. 566-586. This speech contains several difficulties. In v. 567 the reading is uncertain. The MS. reads An sit vita nihil, sed longam differat aetas? which has been changed to et longa? an differat actas? but the original reading might be thus translated, "Or whether life itself is nothing, but the years we spend here do but put off a long (i.e. an eternal) life?" This would refer to the Druidical theory, which seems to have taken great hold on him, that life in reality begins after death. See i. 457, longae vitae Mors media est, which exactly corresponds with the sentiment in this passage, and exemplifies the same use of longus.
[52] Capit impia plebes Cespite patricio somnos, Phars. vii. 760.
[53] Vivant Galataeque, Syrique, Cappadoces, Gallique, extremique orbis Iberi, Armenii, Cilices, nam post civilia bella Hic populus Romanus erit, Ib. vii. 335. Compare Juv. iii. 60; vii. 15.
[54] Phars. i. 56.
[55] Ib. vii. 174.
[56] See the long list, ii. 525, and the admirable criticism of M. Nisard.
[57] Phars. iii. 538, sqq.
[58] Ib. ix. 735.
[59] Of the seps Lucan says, Cyniphias inter pestes tibi palma nocendi est; Eripiunt onmes animam, tu sola cadaver (Phars. ix. 788).
[60] In allusion to the swelling caused by the prester, Non ausi tradere busto, Nondum stante modo, crescens fugere cadaver! Of the iaculus, a species which launched itself like an arrow at its victim, Deprensum est, quae funda rotat, quam lenta volarent, quam segnis Scythicae strideret arundinis aer.
[61] Phars. ix. 211.
[62] Ib. iv. 520.
[63] Silv. ii. 7, 54.
[64] Phars. v. 540.
[65] Ib. vi. 195.
[66] Phars. vii. 825.
[67] Ib. iv. 823.
[68] Ib iv. 185.
[69] The two passages are, Eumenidum veluti demens videt agmina Pentheus Et solem geminum et duplices se ostendere Thebas; Aut Agamemdnonius scaenis agitatus Orestes Armatum facibus matrem et squalentibus hydris cum fugit, ultricesque sedent in limiue Dirae (Aen. iv. 469). Lucan's (Phars. vii. 777), runs, Haud alios nondum Scythica purgatus in ara Emmenidum vidit vultus Pelopeius Orestes: Nec magis attonitos animi sensere tumultus, Cum fueret, Pentheus, aut cum desisset, Agave.
[70] Particularly that after the third foot, which is a feature in his style (Phars. vii. 464), Facturi qui monstra ferunt. This mode of closing a period occurs ten times more frequently than any other.
[71] I have collected a few instances where he imitates former poets:— Lucretius (i. 72-80), Ovid (i. 67 and 288), Horace (v. 403), by a characteristic epigram; Virgil in several places, the chief being i. 100, though the phrase belli mora is not Virgil's; ii. 32, 290, 408, 696; iii. 234, 391, 440, 605; iv. 392; v. 313, 610; vi. 217, 454; vii. 467, 105, 512, 194; viii. 864; x. 873.
[72] Phars. i. 363.
[73] Ib. viii. 3.
[74] Ib. i. 529.
[75] Phars. v. 479.
[76] Ib. v. 364.
[77] Metuentia astra, 51; Sirius irdex, 247. Cf. Man. i. 399 sqq.
[78] The rare form Ditis = Dis occurs in these two writers.
[79] Ep. 34, 2.
[80] Ep. 79, 1, 5, 7.
[81] See v. 208, 216, 304, 315, 334.
[82] Tac. A. xiv. 52, carmina orebrius factitare points to tragedy, since that was Nero's favourite study. Mart. i. 61, 7, makes no distinction between Seneca the philosopher and Seneca the tragedian, nor does Quint. ix. 2, 8, Medea apud Senecam, seem to refer to any but the well-known name. M. Nisard hazards the conjecture that they are a joint production of the family; the rhetorician, his two sons Seneca and Mela, and his grandson Lucan having each worked at them!
[83] Aen. iv. 11, Con.
[84] Hippol. 1124 and Oed. 979, are the finest examples.