Martial's epigrams on the dead slave-child Erotion, especially the first and third , have generally given rise to sentimental comments about the poet's love for young children or the humane concern which he displays for his slaves. Scholars show less unanimity in their interpretation of the second piece , where the poet's laudatio of his lost puella is made the occasion of a joke against Paetus, who has managed to survive the loss of his noble and wealthy wife. The poem (...) in question runs as follows. (shrink)

Martial's epigrams on the dead slave-child Erotion, especially the first and third, have generally given rise to sentimental comments about the poet's love for young children or the humane concern which he displays for his slaves. Scholars show less unanimity in their interpretation of the second piece, where the poet's laudatio of his lost puella is made the occasion of a joke against Paetus, who has managed to survive the loss of his noble and wealthy wife. The poem in question (...) runs as follows. (shrink)

Most of the above text is straightforward. Horace is explaining that wrath – the reader may think at this stage either of Horace's own wrath expressed in the scurrilous iambi mentioned in 2–3 or that of the woman he addresses – resembles various other things. Thus in 5a wrath's effect is compared to that of the Magna Mater on her priests, the Galli, and in 5b–6 to that of Apollo on the Pythia. In 7a Dionysus’ effect on his maenads provides (...) the analogy. These are good comparisons to the ruinous effects of anger. (shrink)

The high moral tone of Horace's Reguhls ode makes it unsurprising that the poet should employ the traditional imagery of philosophers, both in the speech of Regulus and in the final simile. I should like here to point out some instances which seem to have escaped the notice of commentators.This passage is intended to illustrate the lost ‘virtus’ of the prisoners in Carthage, who, Regulus claims, will be of no greater use to the Romans if ransomed since they were cowardly (...) enough to surrender in the first place. For the first image of dyeing wool Kiessling–Heinze refer the reader to Lucretius 6.1074–7:purpureusque colos conchyli iungitur unacorpore cum lanae, dirimi qui non queat usquam,non si Neptuni fluctu renovare operam des,non mare si totum velit eluere omnibus undis.This gives the first hint that the image belongs to the philosophical tradition, though it does not seem to occur in the extant remains of Epicurus. This is confirmed by a passage of Plato, who at Rep. 429d ff. has an elaborate image taken from the dyer's art. The Guardians of the ideal city are to be carefully selected and prepared like wool for the dyeing process of education; then, as good wool keeps its colour after dyeing, so the Guardians will keep right opinions when they are taught them. The image is summarized by Socrates at 430a ff. (shrink)