304:205,000[' ]| 304:205,000[' ]| 304:205,000[' ]| 304:205,001[A ]| Search every land, from Cadiz to$4$ the dawn-streaked shores 304:205,002[A ]| Of Ganges, and you will$1$ find few men who$6#1$ can distinguish 304:205,003[A ]| A false from a worthwhile objective, or slash their way through 304:205,004[A ]| The fogs of deception. Since when were our fears or desires 304:205,005[A ]| Ever dictated by$4$ reason? What project goes so$5#1$ smoothly 304:205,006[A ]| That$3$ you never regret the idea, let alone its realization? 304:205,007[A ]| What you ask for$4$, you get. The Gods are not fussy, they are willing 304:205,008[A ]| To$9$ blast you, root and branch, on$4$ request. It is universal, 304:205,009[A ]| This self-destructive urge, in$4$ civilian and soldier 304:205,010[A ]| Alike. The gift of the gab, a torrential facility, <10> 304:205,011[A ]| Has proved fatal to$4$ so$5#1$ many; so$3$ has excessive reliance 304:205,012[A ]| On$4$ muscle and physical beef. But more are strangulated 304:205,013[A ]| By$4$ the capital they amass with such expense of spirit, 304:205,014[A ]| Those bloated fortunes that$6#1$ dwarf any normal inheritance 304:205,015[A ]| Till they look like$4$ some puny dolphin beside a British whale. 304:205,016[A ]| So$3$ during the Reign of Terror, at Nero's command, 304:205,017[A ]| Longinus was banished, Seneca ~~ grown too wealthy ~~ 304:205,018[A ]| Lost his magnificent gardens, storm-troopers besieged 304:205,019[A ]| Lateranus' ancestral mansion. Garrets are very seldom 304:205,020[A ]| The object of military raids. When you go on$4$ a night journey, <20> 304:205,021[A ]| Though you may have only a few small treasures with you 304:205,022[A ]| You will$1$ take every stirring shadow, each moonlit reed 304:205,023[A ]| For$4$ a sword or a cudgel. But the empty-handed 304:205,024[A ]| Traveller whistles his way past any highwayman. 304:205,025[A ]| The most popular, urgent prayer, well-known in$4$ every temple, 304:205,026[A ]| Is for$4$ wealth. Increase my holdings. Please make my deposit account 304:205,027[A ]| The largest in$4$ town! But you will$1$ never find yourself drinking 304:205,028[A ]| Belladonna from pottery cups. The time you should worry is when 304:206,029[A ]| You are clutching a jewelled goblet, when your bubbly gleams with gold. 304:206,030[A ]| They had a point ~~ do not you agree? ~~ those two old philosophers: <30> 304:206,031[A ]| One of them helpless with laughter whenever he set foot 304:206,032[A ]| Outside his house, the other a weeping fountain. 304:206,033[A ]| The cutting, dismissive sneer comes easily to$4$ us all ~~ 304:206,034[A ]| But wherever did Heraclitus tap such an eye-brimming 304:206,035[A ]| Reservoir of tears? Democritus' sides shook non-stop, 304:206,036[A ]| Though the cities he knew had none of our modern trappings ~~ 304:206,037[A ]| Togas bordered or striped with purple, sedans, the tribunal, 304:206,038[A ]| The rods and axes. Suppose he had seen the praetor 304:206,039[A ]| Borne in$4$ his lofty carriage through the midst of the dusty 304:206,040[A ]| Circus, and wearing full ceremonial dress ~~ <40> 304:206,041[A ]| The tunic with palm-leaves, the heavy Tyrian toga 304:206,042[A ]| Draped in$4$ great folds round his shoulders; a crown so$5#1$ enormous 304:206,043[A ]| That$3$ no$2$ neck can bear its weight, and instead it is carried 304:206,044[A ]| By$4$ a sweating public slave, who$6#1$, to$9$ stop the Consul 304:206,045[A ]| Getting above himself, rides in$4$ the carriage beside him. 304:206,046[A ]| Then there is the ivory staff, crowned with an eagle, 304:206,047[A ]| A posse of trumpeters, the imposing procession 304:206,048[A ]| Of white-robed citizens marching so$5#1$ dutifully beside 304:206,049[A ]| His bridle-rein, retainers whose friendship was bought 304:206,050[A ]| With the meal-ticket stashed in$4$ their wallets. Democritus long ago <50> 304:206,051[A ]| Found occasion for$4$ laughter in$4$ all human intercourse, 304:206,052[A ]| And his wisdom reveals that$3$ the greatest men, those destined 304:206,053[A ]| To$9$ set the highest examples, may still be born 304:206,054[A ]| In$4$ a land with a sluggish climate, a country of muttonheads. 304:206,055[A ]| The cares of the crowd he derided no$2$ less than their pleasures, 304:206,056[A ]| Their griefs too, on$4$ occasion: if Fortune was threatening, 304:206,057@w | "Up$4$ you," 304:206,057[A ]| he would say, and give her the vulgar finger. So$3$ 304:206,058[A ]| If our current petitions are pointless ~~ destructive, even ~~ 304:206,059[A ]| What should we ask for$4$, what message leave on$4$ the knees of the Gods? 304:207,060[A ]| Some men are overthrown by$4$ the envy their great power <60> 304:207,061[A ]| Arouses; it is that$6#2$ long and illustrious list of honours 304:207,062[A ]| That$6#1$ sinks them. The ropes are heaved, down come the statues, 304:207,063[A ]| Axes demolish their chariot-wheels, the unoffending 304:207,064[A ]| Legs of their horses are broken. And now the fire 304:207,065[A ]| Roars up$5$ in$4$ the furnace, now flames hiss under the bellows: 304:207,066[A ]| The head of the people's darling glows red-hot, great Sejanus 304:207,067[A ]| Crackles and melts. That$6#2$ face only yesterday ranked 304:207,068[A ]| Second in$4$ all the world. Now it is so$5#1$ much scrap-metal, 304:207,069[A ]| To$9$ be turned into jugs and basins, frying-pans, chamber-pots. 304:207,070[A ]| Hang wreaths on$4$ your doors, lead a big white sacrificial <70> 304:207,071[A ]| Bull to$4$ the Capitol! They are dragging Sejanus along 304:207,072[A ]| By$4$ a hook, in$4$ public. Everyone cheers. 304:207,072@x | "Just look at that$6#2$ 304:207,073@x | Ugly stuck-up face," 304:207,073[A ]| they say. 304:207,073@x | "Believe me, I never 304:207,074@x | Cared for$4$ the fellow." 304:207,074@y | "But what was his crime? Who$6#2$ brought 304:207,075@y | The charges, who$6#2$ gave evidence? How did they prove him guilty?" 304:207,076@x | "Nothing like$4$ that$6#2$: a long and wordy letter arrived 304:207,077@x | From Capri." 304:207,077@y | "Fair enough: you need say no$2$ more." 304:207,077[A ]| And what 304:207,078[A ]| Of the commons? They follow fortune as always, and detest 304:207,079[A ]| The victims, the failures. If a little Etruscan luck 304:207,080[A ]| Had rubbed off on$4$ Sejanus, if the doddering Emperor <80> 304:207,081[A ]| Had been struck down out of the blue, this identical rabble 304:207,082[A ]| Would now be proclaiming that$6#2$ carcase an equal successor 304:207,083[A ]| To$4$ Augustus. But nowadays, with no$2$ vote to$9$ sell, their motto 304:207,084[A ]| Is "Could not care less". Time was when their plebiscite elected 304:207,085[A ]| Generals, Heads of State, commanders of legions: but now 304:207,086[A ]| They have pulled in$4$ their horns, there is only two things that$6#1$ concern them: 304:207,087[A ]| Bread and the Games. 304:207,087@x | "I hear that$3$ many are to$9$ be purged." 304:207,088@y | "That$6#2$ is right, they are turning the heat on$5$, and no$2$ mistake." 304:207,088@x | "My friend 304:208,089@x | Bruttidius looked somewhat pale when I met him in$4$ town just now ~~ 304:208,090@x | Our slighted Ajax, I fear, is out for$4$ blood: disloyal <90> 304:208,091@x | Heads will$1$ roll." 304:208,091@y | "Come on$5$, then, quickly, down to$4$ the river ~~ 304:208,092@y | Boot Caesar's foe in$4$ the ribs while his corpse is still on$4$ show." 304:208,093@x | "Yes, and make our slaves watch us ~~ eye-witnesses can not deny it, 304:208,094@x | Can not drag their wretched masters into court at a rope's end." 304:208,095[A ]| That$6#2$ is how they talked of Sejanus, such was the private gossip 304:208,096[A ]| After his death. Would you really choose to$9$ be courted as 304:208,097[A ]| He was? To$9$ own his wealth? To$9$ hand out official appointments ~~ 304:208,098[A ]| Consulships, army commands? To$9$ be known as the "protector" 304:208,099[A ]| Of an Imperial recluse squatting on$4$ Capri's narrow 304:208,100[A ]| Rocks with his fortune-tellers? You would certainly enjoy <100> 304:208,101[A ]| Having the Guards Brigade and the Household Cavalry 304:208,102[A ]| At your beck and call, and a barracks with you as Commandant. 304:208,103[A ]| Why not? Even those who$6#1$ lack the murderer's instinct 304:208,104[A ]| Would like$1$ to$9$ be licensed to$9$ kill. Yet what fame or prosperity 304:208,105[A ]| Are worth having if they bring you no$2$ less disaster than joy? 304:208,106[A ]| Would you rather assume the mantle of the wretch who$6#1$ is being dragged 304:208,107[A ]| Through the streets today, or lord it over some sleepy 304:208,108[A ]| Rural backwater, an out-at-elbows official 304:208,109[A ]| Inspecting weights, giving orders for$4$ the destruction 304:208,110[A ]| Of short-measure pint-pots? Admit, then, that$3$ Sejanus <110> 304:208,111[A ]| Had no$2$ idea what to$9$ pray for$4$. His interminable pursuit 304:208,112[A ]| Of excessive wealth and honours built up$5$ a towering 304:208,113[A ]| Edifice, storey by$4$ storey, so$3$ that$3$ his final downfall 304:208,114[A ]| Was that$6#2$ degree greater, the crash more catastrophic. 304:208,115[A ]| Take men like$4$ Pompey or Crassus ~~ and that$6#2$ other tyrant 304:208,116[A ]| Who$6#1$ cowed Rome's citizens, brought them under the lash: 304:208,117[A ]| What proved their downfall? Lust for$4$ ultimate power 304:209,118[A ]| Pursued without scruple ~~ and the malice of Heaven 304:209,119[A ]| That$6#1$ granted ambition's prayer. Battle and slaughter 304:209,120[A ]| See most kings off; few tyrants die in$4$ their beds. <120> 304:209,121[A ]| Eloquence, that$6#2$ is what they are after, all of them: even the schoolboy 304:209,122[A ]| ~~ With one small houseslave to$9$ carry his satchel behind him, 304:209,123[A ]| And only a penny to$9$ spare for$4$ an offering to$4$ Minerva ~~ 304:209,124[A ]| Spends all his holidays praying that$3$ one day he will$1$ become 304:209,125[A ]| As good ~~ and successful ~~ as Cicero, or Demosthenes. And yet 304:209,126[A ]| Both of these perished because of their eloquence, both 304:209,127[A ]| Were destroyed by$4$ their own overflowing and copious talent. 304:209,128[A ]| That$6#2$ talent alone cost Cicero his severed head and hand: 304:209,129[A ]| What third-rate advocate's blood ever stained the rostra? 304:209,130@z | O fortunate Roman state, born in$4$ my great Consulate ~~ <130> 304:209,131[A ]| Had he always spoken thus, he could have laughed Antony's 304:209,132[A ]| Swords to$4$ scorn. I prefer such ridiculous verses 304:209,133[A ]| To$4$ you, supreme and immortal Second Philippic. And then 304:209,134[A ]| Violent, too, was the end of Demosthenes, who$6#1$ held 304:209,135[A ]| All Athens spellbound with his torrential oratory 304:209,136[A ]| In$4$ the crowded theatre. Under an evil-fated star 304:209,137[A ]| He was born, and the Gods were against him, that$6#2$ ardent boy 304:209,138[A ]| Whom his father ~~ swart and bleary with working red-hot ore ~~ 304:209,139[A ]| Sent away from the coals ands the pincers, the grime of the smithy, 304:209,140[A ]| The sword-forging anvil, to$9$ learn the rhetorician's trade. <140> 304:209,141[A ]| Consider the spoils of war, those trophies hung on$4$ tree-trunks ~~ 304:209,142[A ]| A breastplate, a shattered helmet, one cheekpiece dangling, 304:209,143[A ]| A yoke shorn of its pole, a defeated trireme's 304:209,144[A ]| Flagstaff or figurehead, the miserable frieze of prisoners 304:209,145[A ]| On$4$ a triumphal arch ~~ such things are coveted 304:209,146[A ]| As the zenith of human achievement. These are the prizes 304:209,147[A ]| For$4$ which$6#1$ every commander, Greek, barbarian, Roman, 304:209,148[A ]| Has always striven; for$4$ them he will$1$ endure toil 304:210,149[A ]| And danger. The thirst for$4$ glory by$4$ far outstrips the 304:210,150[A ]| Pursuit of virtue. Who$6#2$ would embrace poor Virtue naked <150> 304:210,151[A ]| Without the rewards she bestows? Yet countries have come to$4$ ruin 304:210,152[A ]| Not once, but many times, through the vainglory of a few 304:210,153[A ]| Who$6#1$ lusted for$4$ power, who$6#1$ wanted a title that$6#1$ would cling 304:210,154[A ]| To$4$ the stones set over their ashes ~~ though a barren 304:210,155[A ]| Fig-tree's rude strength will$1$ suffice to$9$ crack the stone asunder. 304:210,156[A ]| Seeing that$3$ sepulchres, too, have their allotted fate. 304:210,157[A ]| Put Hannibal in$4$ the scales: how many pounds will$1$ that$6#2$ peerless 304:210,158[A ]| General mark up$5$ today? This is the man for$4$ whom Africa 304:210,159[A ]| Was too small a continent, though it stretched from the surf-beaten 304:210,160[A ]| Ocean shores of Morocco east to$4$ the steamy Nile, <160> 304:210,161[A ]| To$4$ Ethiopian tribesmen ~~ and new elephants' habitats. 304:210,162[A ]| Now Spain swells his empire, now he surmounts 304:210,163[A ]| The Pyrenees. Nature throws in$4$ his path 304:210,164[A ]| High Alpine passes, blizzards of snow: but he splits 304:210,165[A ]| The very rocks asunder, moves mountains ~~ with vinegar. 304:210,166[A ]| Now Italy is his, yet still he forces on$5$: 304:210,167@w | "We have accomplished nothing," 304:210,167[A ]| he cries, 304:210,167@w | "till we have stormed 304:210,168@w | The gates of Rome, till our Carthaginian standard 304:210,169@w | Is set in$4$ the City's heart." 304:210,169[A ]| A fine sight it must have been, 304:210,170[A ]| Fit subject for$4$ caricature, the one-eyed commander <170> 304:210,171[A ]| Perched on$4$ his monstrous beast! Alas, alas for$4$ glory, 304:210,172[A ]| What an end was here: the defeat, the ignominious 304:210,173[A ]| Flight into exile, everyone crowding to$9$ see 304:210,174[A ]| The once-mighty Hannibal turned humble hanger-on, 304:210,175[A ]| Sitting outside the door of a petty Eastern despot 304:210,176[A ]| Till His Majesty deign to$9$ awake. No$2$ sword, no$2$ spear, 304:210,177[A ]| No$2$ battle-flung stone was to$9$ snuff the fiery spirit 304:210,178[A ]| That$6#1$ once had wrecked a world: those crushing defeats, 304:210,179[A ]| Those rivers of spilt blood were all wiped out by$4$ a 304:211,180[A ]| Ring, a poisoned ring. On$5$, on$5$, you madman, drive <180> 304:211,181[A ]| Over your savage Alps, to$9$ thrill young schoolboys 304:211,182[A ]| And supply a theme for$4$ speech-day recitations! 304:211,183[A ]| One globe seemed all too small for$4$ youthful Alexander: 304:211,184[A ]| Miserably he chafed at this world's narrow confines 304:211,185[A ]| As though pent on$4$ some rocky islet. Yet when he entered 304:211,186[A ]| Brick-walled Babylon, a coffin was measure enough 304:211,187[A ]| To$9$ contain him. Death alone reveals the puny dimensions 304:211,188[A ]| Of our human frame. A fleet, we are told, once sailed 304:211,189[A ]| Through Athos (the lies those old Greek historians 304:211,190[A ]| Got away with!), the sea was spanned with a bridge of boats <190> 304:211,191[A ]| And chariots drove across it: deep streams and rivers 304:211,192[A ]| Were drunk dry by$4$ the Persians at breakfast-time. (The rest 304:211,193[A ]| You can hear when some tame poet, sweating under the armpits, 304:211,194[A ]| Gives his wine-flown recital.) Here was a barbarian 304:211,195[A ]| Monarch who$6#1$ flogged the winds with a rigour they had never known 304:211,196[A ]| In$4$ Aeolus' prison-house, who$6#1$ clapped chains on$4$ Poseidon 304:211,197[A ]| And thought it an act of mercy, no$2$ doubt, to$9$ spare the God 304:211,198[A ]| A branding as well: what God would serve this master? 304:211,199[A ]| But mark his return from Salamis ~~ the single unescorted 304:211,200[A ]| Vessel, the blood-red sea, the prow slow-thrusting <200> 304:211,201[A ]| Through shoals of corpses. Such was the price he paid 304:211,202[A ]| For$4$ that$6#2$ long-cherished dream of glory and conquest. 304:211,203@x | "Grant us a long life, Jupiter, O grant us many years!" 304:211,204[A ]| In$4$ the bloom of youth it is this which$6#1$, pale with anxiety, 304:211,205[A ]| You pray for$4$, and this alone. Yet how grisly, how unrelenting 304:211,206[A ]| Are longevity's ills! Look first at your face, you will$1$ see an ugly 304:211,207[A ]| And shapeless caricature of its former self: your skin 304:211,208[A ]| Has become a scaly hide, you are all chapfallen, the wrinkles 304:211,209[A ]| Scored down your cheeks now make you resemble nothing so$5#1$ much 304:211,210[A ]| As some elderly female baboon in$4$ darkest Africa. <210> 304:211,211[A ]| Young men are all individuals: A will$1$ have better looks 304:211,212[A ]| Or brains than B, while B will$1$ beat A on$4$ muscle; 304:212,213[A ]| But old men all look alike, all share the same bald pate, 304:212,214[A ]| Their noses all drip like$4$ an infant's, their voices tremble 304:212,215[A ]| As much as their limbs, they mumble their bread with toothless 304:212,216[A ]| Gums. It is a wretched life for$4$ them, they become a burden 304:212,217[A ]| To$4$ their wives, their children, themselves; the nobles and best of them 304:212,218[A ]| Become so$5#1$ loathsome a sight that$3$ even legacy-hunters 304:212,219[A ]| Turn queasy. Their taste-buds are ruined, they get scant pleasure 304:212,220[A ]| From food or wine, sex lies in$4$ long oblivion ~~ <220> 304:212,221[A ]| Or if they try, it is hopeless: though they labour all night long 304:212,222[A ]| At that$6#2$ limp and shrivelled object, limp it remains. 304:212,223[A ]| What can the future hold for$4$ these impotent dodderers? 304:212,224[A ]| Nothing very exciting. Sex is a pretty dead loss ~~ 304:212,225[A ]| The old tag is true ~~ when desire outruns performance. 304:212,226[A ]| Other senses deteriorate: take hearing, for$4$ instance. 304:212,227[A ]| How can the deaf appreciate music? The standard 304:212,228[A ]| Of the performance eludes them: a top-line soloist, 304:212,229[A ]| Massed choirs in$4$ their golden robes, all mean less than nothing. 304:212,230[A ]| What does it matter to$4$ them where they sit in$4$ the concert-hall <230> 304:212,231[A ]| When a brass band blowing is guts out is barely audible? 304:212,232[A ]| The slave who$6#1$ announces the time, or a visitor, must bawl 304:212,233[A ]| At the top of his lungs before they take in$4$ the message. 304:212,234[A ]| The blood runs thin with age, too: now nothing but fever 304:212,235[A ]| Can warm that$6#2$ frigid hulk, while diseases of every type 304:212,236[A ]| Assault it by$4$ battalions. (If you asked me their names 304:212,237[A ]| I would find it less trouble to$9$ list all Oppia's lovers, 304:212,238[A ]| The number of patients Doc*Themison kills each autumn, 304:212,239[A ]| The partners that$6#1$ X, the wards that$6#1$ Y has defrauded, 304:212,240[A ]| The times tall Maura goes down in$4$ a day, the pupils <240> 304:212,241[A ]| Hamillus has off; I could sooner list all the country-houses 304:212,242[A ]| Owned by$4$ the barber who$6#1$ shaved me when I was a lad.) 304:212,243[A ]| One has an arthritic hip, another sciatica, 304:212,244[A ]| Lumbago plagues a third, while the totally sightless 304:212,245[A ]| Envy the one-eyed. Here is a fellow whose jaws would open 304:212,246[A ]| Wide, once long ago, at the prospect of dinner ~~ but now 304:213,247[A ]| Those leaden lips must mumble the tit-bits another hand 304:213,248[A ]| Feeds to$4$ him; when he gapes today, he is like$4$ a baby 304:213,249[A ]| Swallow that$6#1$ sees its mother approaching, her beak 304:213,250[A ]| Well-crammed with grubs. But worse than all bodily ills <250> 304:213,251[A ]| Is the senescent mind. Men forget what their own servants 304:213,252[A ]| Are called, they can not recognize yesterday's host at dinner, 304:213,253[A ]| Or, finally, the children they begot and brought up$5$. A heartless 304:213,254[A ]| Codicil to$4$ the will$0$ disinherits their flesh and blood, 304:213,255[A ]| And the whole estate is entailed to$4$ some whore, whose expert mouth 304:213,256[A ]| ~~ After years in$4$ that$6#2$ narrow archway ~~ earns her a rich reward. 304:213,257[A ]| If he keeps his wits intact, though, a further ordeal awaits 304:213,258[A ]| The old man: he will$1$ have to$9$ bury his sons, he will$1$ witness 304:213,259[A ]| His dear wife's end, and his brother's, he will$1$ see the urns 304:213,260[A ]| Filled with his sisters' ashes. Such are the penalties <260> 304:213,261[A ]| If you live to$4$ a ripe old age ~~ perpetual grief, 304:213,262[A ]| Black mourning, a world of sorrow, ever-recurrent 304:213,263[A ]| Family bereavements to$9$ haunt your declining years. 304:213,264[A ]| Nestor, the King of Pylos, if we can trust great Homer, 304:213,265[A ]| Lived longer than any creature except the proverbial crow ~~ 304:213,266[A ]| Happy, no$2$ doubt, to$9$ have postponed his death for$4$ so$5#1$ many 304:213,267[A ]| Generations of men, to$9$ have sampled the new-made wine 304:213,268[A ]| So$5#1$ many times, to$9$ have passed beyond his hundredth year. 304:213,269[A ]| But wait a moment ~~ just look at the way he went on$5$ 304:213,270[A ]| About Fate's decrees, and his too-long thread of life, while <270> 304:213,271[A ]| The funeral flames were licking up$5$ round his son, 304:213,272[A ]| His Antilochus: look how he asked all his fellow-mourners the reason 304:213,273[A ]| He had survived till now, what crime he had ever committed 304:213,274[A ]| To$9$ deserve such longevity. So$3$ Peleus, mourning the dead 304:213,275[A ]| Achilles; and so$3$ his father at Odysseus the seafarer's passing. 304:213,276[A ]| If Priam had died at a different time, before 304:213,277[A ]| The building of those ships for$4$ Paris's reckless venture, 304:213,278[A ]| He might have gone down to$4$ the shades while Troy still stood, with 304:214,279[A ]| Magnificent obsequies ~~ his coffin shouldered 304:214,280[A ]| By$4$ Hector and Hector's brothers, while Ilion's womanhood <280> 304:214,281[A ]| Wept, and Cassandra keened, and Polyxena rent her garments. 304:214,282[A ]| So$3$ what did length of days bring him? He saw his world 304:214,283[A ]| In$4$ ruins, saw its destruction by$4$ fire and the sword; 304:214,284[A ]| Then put off his crown, took arms, and ~~ a dotard, but a soldier ~~ 304:214,285[A ]| Fell before Jove's high altar, like$4$ some ancient ox 304:214,286[A ]| Turned off from the plough, whose stringy neck is severed 304:214,287[A ]| By$4$ his master's knife. This at least was a manly death: 304:214,288[A ]| But Hecuba lived on$5$, stark crazy, grining and barking 304:214,289[A ]| Like$4$ a mad dog. I will$1$ pass over Mithridates 304:214,290[A ]| And Croesus (warned by$4$ the wise and eloquent Solon <290> 304:214,291[A ]| To$9$ beware of his final years): let our own countrymen 304:214,292[A ]| Provide an example. What else brought great Marius 304:214,293[A ]| To$4$ exile and prison, to$4$ an outlaw's life in$4$ the marshes, 304:214,294[A ]| To$4$ begging his bread through the streets of conquered Carthage? 304:214,295[A ]| But suppose he had expired at the climax of his triumphal 304:214,296[A ]| Procession, after parading those hordes of captured Teutons, 304:214,297[A ]| Just as he stepped from the chariot ~~ what more fortunate 304:214,298[A ]| Paragon, men would say, had Rome, or the world, to$9$ show? 304:214,299[A ]| Pompey's Campanian fever came as a providential 304:214,300[A ]| Blessing in$4$ disguise; but the public prayers of so$5#1$ many <300> 304:214,301[A ]| Cities prevailed: Rome's destiny, and his own, 304:214,302[A ]| Kept him alive for$4$ defeat and decapitation ~~ a fate 304:214,303[A ]| Such as not even Catiline or his fellow-conspirators 304:214,304[A ]| Suffered: at least they died whole, without mutilation. 304:214,305[A ]| When a doting mother passes the shrine of Venus, she will$1$ whisper 304:214,306[A ]| One prayer for$4$ her sons, and another ~~ louder, more fanciful ~~ 304:214,307[A ]| For$4$ her daughter to$9$ have good looks. 304:214,307@v | "And what is wrong with that$6#2$ ?" 304:214,308[A ]| She will$1$ ask you. 304:214,308@v | "Did not Latona rejoice in$4$ Diana's beauty?" 304:215,309[A ]| Perhaps; but the fate of Lucretia should warn us against our urge 304:215,310[A ]| To$9$ pray for$4$ a face like$4$ hers; Virginia would be happy <310> 304:215,311[A ]| To$9$ take on$4$ poor Rutila's hump, to$9$ give Rutila best. A handsome 304:215,312[A ]| Son keeps his wretched parents in$4$ constant anxiety: 304:215,313[A ]| Good looks and decent behaviour too seldom are found 304:215,314[A ]| In$4$ the same person. However old-fashioned his background, 304:215,315[A ]| However strict the morality on$4$ which$6#1$ he was brought up$5$ ~~ 304:215,316[A ]| And even if Nature, with generous, kindly hand has 304:215,317[A ]| Turned him out a pure-minded, modestly blushing 304:215,318[A ]| Youth (and what greater gift, being more powerful 304:215,319[A ]| Than any solicitous guardian, could she bestow?) 304:215,320[A ]| Manliness is still denied him. A seducer will$1$ not scruple <320> 304:215,321[A ]| To$9$ lay out bribes, corrupt the boy's very parents: 304:215,322[A ]| Cash always wins in$4$ the end. But no$2$ misshapen 304:215,323[A ]| Stripling was ever unsexed by$4$ a tyrant in$4$ his castle, 304:215,324[A ]| No$2$ Nero would ever rape a club-footed adolescent ~~ 304:215,325[A ]| Much less one with a hump, pot-belly, or scrofula. 304:215,326[A ]| So$3$ you are proud of your handsome son? Fair enough ~~ but do not ever forget 304:215,327[A ]| The extra hazards that$6#1$ face him. He will$1$ become a notorious 304:215,328[A ]| Layer of other men's wives, always scared that$3$ some husband is 304:215,329[A ]| Hot on$4$ his tail for$4$ revenge. He will$1$ have no$2$ better luck 304:215,330[A ]| Than Mars did, he can not expect to$9$ stay clear of the toils forever ~~ <330> 304:215,331[A ]| And sometimes an outraged cuckold will$1$ go far beyond 304:215,332[A ]| All legal sanctions, will$1$ horsewhip his rival to$4$ ribbons, 304:215,333[A ]| Stick a knife in$4$ his heart, or a mullet up$4$ his backside. 304:215,334[A ]| Maybe the first time your dream-boy goes with a married 304:215,335[A ]| Woman he will$1$ really love her. But when she gets in$4$ the habit 304:215,336[A ]| Of giving him little presents, it will$1$ not be long before 304:215,337[A ]| He is become the perfect gigolo, taking them all for$4$ their eyeteeth ~~ 304:215,338[A ]| And remember, there is nothing these women will$1$ not do to$9$ satisfy 304:216,339[A ]| Their ever-moist groins: they have just one obsession ~~ sex. 304:216,340[A ]| "But what is wrong with good looks if you are chaste?" Try out that$6#2$ question 304:216,341[A ]| On$4$ Hippolytus or Bellerophon: did stern self-restraint 304:216,342[A ]| Benefit them ? The women whose love they had spurned, 304:216,343[A ]| Phaedra and Sthenoboea, both hot with shame, flared up$5$ 304:216,344[A ]| And lashed themselves into a fury. Pure feminine ruthlessness 304:216,345[A ]| Thrives best on$4$ hatred and guilt. What advice, do you suppose 304:216,346[A ]| Should one give the young man whom Caesar's wife is determined 304:216,347[A ]| To$9$ marry? This blue-blooded sprig of the higher nobility ~~ 304:216,348[A ]| Wonderfully handsome, too ~~ is raped and doomed by$4$ one glance 304:216,349[A ]| From Messalina's eyes. She sits there, waiting for$4$ him, 304:216,350[A ]| Veiled as a bride, while their marriage-bed is prepared <350> 304:216,351[A ]| In$4$ the public gardens. A big traditional dowry 304:216,352[A ]| Will$1$ be handed over, the ceremony witnessed in$4$ due form, 304:216,353[A ]| The omens taken. Did you think these were secret doings 304:216,354[A ]| Known only to$4$ intimate friends? But the lady is determined 304:216,355[A ]| On$4$ a proper, official wedding. So$3$ what is your decision? If 304:216,356[A ]| You refuse her commands, you will$1$ die before lighting-up time; 304:216,357[A ]| If you do the deed, you will$1$ get a brief respite, until 304:216,358[A ]| Your liaison is so$5#1$ well known that$3$ it reaches the Emperor's ears: 304:216,359[A ]| He will$1$ be the last to$9$ learn of this family scandal. Till then 304:216,360[A ]| Better do what you are told, if a few more days' existence <360> 304:216,361[A ]| Matter that$6#2$ much. But whichever you reckon the quicker 304:216,362[A ]| And easier way, your lily neck still gets the chop. 304:216,363[A ]| Is there nothing worth praying for$5$, then? If you want my advice, 304:216,364[A ]| Let the Gods themselves determine what is most appropriate 304:216,365[A ]| For$4$ mankind, and what best suits our various circumstances. 304:216,366[A ]| They will$1$ give us the things we need, not those we want: a man 304:216,367[A ]| Is dearer to$4$ them than he is to$4$ himself. Led helpless 304:217,368[A ]| By$4$ irrational impulse and powerful blind desires 304:217,369[A ]| We ask for$4$ marriage and children. But the Gods alone know 304:217,370[A ]| What they will$1$ be like$4$, our future wives and offspring! <370> 304:217,371[A ]| Still, if you must have something to$9$ pray for$5$, if you 304:217,372[A ]| Insist on$4$ offering up$5$ the entrails and consecrated 304:217,373[A ]| Sausages from a white pigling in$4$ every shrine, then ask 304:217,374[A ]| For$4$ a sound mind in$4$ a sound body, a valiant heart 304:217,375[A ]| Without fear of death, that$6#1$ reckons longevity 304:217,376[A ]| The least among Nature's gifts, that$6#1$ is strong to$9$ endure 304:217,377[A ]| All kinds of toil, that$6#1$ is untainted by$4$ lust and anger, 304:217,378[A ]| That$6#1$ prefers the sorrows and labours of Hercules to$4$ all 304:217,379[A ]| Sardanapulus' downy cushions and women and junketings. 304:217,380[A ]| What I have shown you, you can find by$4$ yourself: there is one <380> 304:217,381[A ]| Path, and one only, to$4$ a life of peace ~~ through virtue. 304:217,382[A ]| Fortune has no$2$ divinity, could we but see it: it is we, 304:217,383[A ]| We ourselves, who$6#1$ make her a goddess, and set her in$4$ the heavens.