AMERICAN BOOK 
 COMPANY - NEW YORK 
 CINCINNATI CHICAGO
 
 UCSB LIBRARY
 
 STORIES FROM ACLCS GELLIUS 
 
 EDITED FOR SIGHT READING 
 
 BY 
 CHARLES KNAPP, PH.D. 
 
 INSTRUCTOR IN LATIN, BARNARD COLLEGE, NEW YORK 
 
 NEW YORK : CINCINNATI : CHICAGO 
 
 AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
 
 COPTRiGHT, 1895, BY 
 
 AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 
 
 AXIL. GBLL. 
 A. I. 
 
 *
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THE statement of the title-page that these selections from 
 Aulus Gellius have been "edited for sight reading" calls 
 for a few words of explanation. The term " sight reading " 
 may denote either of two distinct operations. On the one 
 hand it may apply to the pupil's act in reading, under a 
 teacher's guidance, Latin hitherto unseen. On the other 
 hand it may denote the student's act in reading similar 
 Latin by himself without the aid of a teacher. In the one 
 case the pupil's ultimate reliance is upon his instructor, in 
 the other upon himself. Of these two senses of the term 
 the latter is the one which has been kept especially in mind 
 in the preparation of this little volume, though there is 
 nothing to hinder its use according to the former method. 
 The book is intended for students who, while still in a very 
 early stage of their Latin studies, yet possess a fair working 
 vocabulary and a reasonable knowledge of the fundamental 
 principles of Latin syntax. I have aimed to give in the 
 commentary sufficient assistance to enable such students to 
 read the selections as rapidly and intelligently as possible, 
 and without the need of any helps beyond those furnished 
 by the book itself. Such being my purpose, I have no fears 
 that the vohime of commentary will be found excessive.
 
 4 PREFACE 
 
 The text, in point of language and spelling, is in the 
 main that of Hertz, as given in his critical edition. The 
 chief changes will be found on page 39, lines 6 to 10, page 
 68, line 17, and page 79, lines 7 and 8. The motive of these 
 changes has been to supply a text easily readable and to 
 obviate the necessity of a long and intricate note. Through- 
 out the book all vowels known to be long have been carefully 
 marked. In syllables containing vowels long by position I 
 have followed the views of Anton Marx, as explained in his 
 Hulfsbiichlein fur die Anssprache der lateinischen Vokale 
 in positionslangen Silben (second edition, Berlin, 1889). 
 
 I am under especial obligations to my former pupil, Miss 
 Alice E. Chapman, who has read the book in manuscript 
 and while passing through the press, and has made many 
 useful suggestions. CHARLES KNAPP. 
 
 BARNARD COLLEGE, June 1, 1895.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 I. AULUS GELLIUS : His LIFE AXD STUDIES 
 
 1. Sources. Of the life of Aulus Gellius but little is 
 known; and that little is to be obtained only by a careful 
 study of his one work, the Nodes Atticae. He is not named 
 by any of his contemporaries nor, indeed, by any author 
 earlier than the historian Flavius Vopiscus, who wrote in 
 the opening years of the fourth century of our era. He is 
 mentioned several times by the grammarian Servius Hono- 
 ratus, who, toward the close of the same century, wrote an 
 elaborate commentary on Vergil. In the fourteenth chapter 
 of the ninth book of his De Civitate Dei (published between 
 413 and 426), St. Augustine speaks of Gellius as vir elegan- 
 tissimi eloquii (style) et multae et facundae scientiae. Pris- 
 cianus Caesariensis, a grammarian of the fifth century, 
 expressly cites him more than once. None of these refer- 
 ences, however, conveys any information concerning our 
 author's life. Hence we are reduced to piecing together, 
 as best we can, the isolated passages in which he speaks, 
 himself, of his life and work. These passages are, in gen- 
 eral, of the nature of incidental reminiscences, rather than 
 of intentional transmission of personal information. 
 
 2. Birth : Time and Place. Of the place of his birth, 
 nothing whatever is known. It has indeed been inferred, 
 from an examination of his language and style, that he was 
 
 5
 
 G INTRODUCTION 
 
 born in Africa, but this view can hardly be said to have 
 been fully demonstrated. From the fact that he assumed 
 the toga virilis at Home (a ceremony which took place usually 
 before the close of the sixteenth year of a boy's life), it 
 is clear that, if born elsewhere, he was brought to Koine at 
 an early age. 
 
 The date of his birth can be determined only approxi- 
 mately. We know that he spent some time at Athens. In 
 all his references to this period, he characterizes himself 
 and his associates as iuvenes. Now if we could define this 
 term precisely, and if we could tell exactly when he was 
 in Athens, the determination of the year of his birth would 
 be a mere matter of arithmetic. But, unfortunately, neither 
 of these things can, "be done with absolute certainty. While 
 the term iuvenis might be applied with propriety to any one 
 between the ages of seventeen and forty-five, there is never- 
 theless some proof that it was generally applied, when used 
 at all strictly, to the latter part of this period. For example, 
 a remark of Varro (see page 26, note 2) is cited to the effect 
 that, with the thirtieth year, adulescentia 1 ends, and iuventus 
 begins. That Gellius himself understood the term in this 
 stricter sense, may be inferred from the following considera- 
 tions : While at Athens he devoted himself to philosophy, 
 which in those days was the third and last step in a liberal 
 education, the two preceding stages consisting of grammar 
 (which included literature) and rhetoric. In all the passages 
 in which Gellius speaks of his grammatical studies at Koine, 
 he describes himself as adulescens or adulescentulus. By 
 thus consistently calling liimself adulescens while studying 
 grammar at Koine, but iuvenis while reading in philosophy 
 at Athens, he makes it evident, I think, that some consider- 
 able interval elapsed between the two periods of his life. If 
 
 1 Adulescentia began with the assumption of the toga virilis.
 
 AULUS GELLIUS: HIS LIFE AND STUDIES 7 
 
 we assume that, at the time of his residence at Athens, he 
 was about thirty years of age, we shall not greatly err. 
 
 It remains to determine, if possible, the date of his sojourn 
 in Greece. In this connection we have but a single hint upon 
 which any reliance can be placed. Gellius informs us that, 
 while at Athens, he saw a good deal of the philosopher Pere- 
 grinus Proteus. Since Peregrinus died in 166 A.D., it is evi- 
 dent that Gellius' residence in Attica precedes that date. 
 If our assumption is correct, that at this time he was about 
 thirty years old, it follows that he was born not later than 
 136 A.D. It is, of course, possible that his birth preceded 
 that date by some years, but upon this point we have no 
 definite data. 
 
 3. Family ; Early Training. Though neither the time 
 nor the place of his birth can be determined with certainty, 
 it may reasonably be inferred that he came of a good 
 family a family, too, possessed of considerable wealth. 
 This is shown by the fact that he was able to study under 
 the best teachers of the day ; by his stay in Athens, and 
 his journeys to other parts of Greece; and by the further 
 fact that he held judicial office at Rome a distinction 
 not often attainable by those who had no claim to be con- 
 sidered wealthy. He studied grammar under Sulpicius 
 Apollinaris, a Carthaginian scholar of great learning and 
 distinction, whom he esteemed so highly that, even in the 
 years of his later life, he appealed to his authority. It was 
 doubtless from Apollinaris that he received the abiding 
 stimulus which led him to devote so large a portion of his 
 life, even in the midst of engrossing occupations, to gram- 
 matical and literary studies. 
 
 4. Studies in Rhetoric. From grammar, Gellius turned 
 his attention to rhetoric, especially under Titus Castricius, 
 the foremost rhetorician of the time, who had, in an especial 
 degree, enjoyed the esteem of the emperor Hadrian. Gellius
 
 8 INTRODUCTION 
 
 was on intimate terms, also, with Antonius lulianus, a Span- 
 iard of distinction, resident in Rome as a professional teacher 
 of rhetoric. Whether he ever was, technically speaking, a 
 pupil of Antonius, cannot be certainly determined. In several 
 passages, Gellius speaks of visiting the famous rhetorician, 
 M. Cornelius Fronto, who occupied the leading position in the 
 literary circles of Rome during the reign of Antoninus Pius. 
 Indeed, his contemporaries regarded him as a rival of Cicero. 
 
 From the accession of Hadrian (117 A.D.), the literary 
 history of the second century is the history of the develop- 
 ment of antiquarianism. The creative faculty was extinct ; 
 and "the literary class at Rome had reached the point at 
 which it is easier to make books about books than to make 
 books about life, and of course, for such a purpose, the oldest 
 books are the best." This tendency, which, though it cul- 
 minated in this century, began long before that time, in 
 fact, as early as the days of Cicero and Horace, was 
 advanced by the influence of Hadrian and by the teachings 
 and example of Apollinaris and Fronto. We are told, by an 
 ancient author, that Hadrian preferred Cato to Cicero, Ennius 
 to Vergil, and Caelius Antipater to Sallust. Apollinaris de- 
 voted especial attention to Terence, and perhaps, also, to 
 Plautus. Fronto's favorite authors, to the study of whom 
 he was always urging his pupils, were Cato, Plautus. Ennius, 
 Lucretius, and Sallust. Of these, the first four belong to the 
 archaic period of Latin literature, while Sallust's style is 
 marked by frequent imitation of the older writers. 
 
 In view of these facts, it is not strange that Gellius 
 exhibits an especial fondness for all that is archaic in litera- 
 ture. No doubt he received his first impulse in this direc- 
 tion from Apollinaris. This impulse was strengthened, we 
 may be sure, by his intercourse with Fronto ; for he tells us 
 (xix. 8. 1) that, as often as he heard Fronto converse, he 
 came away cultior doctiorque. (See also 12.)
 
 AULUS GELLIUS: HIS LIFE AND STUDIES 9 
 
 5. Studies in Philosophy ; Favorinus. To these studies 
 in grammar and rhetoric he devoted several years, at the 
 close of which he was chosen as judge in private (i.e- 
 civil) cases an office to which, in general, no one was 
 eligible unless he had attained the age of twenty-five years. 
 By this time he had become acquainted with Favorinus, the 
 distinguished skeptical philosopher. Born at Arelas (now 
 Aries) in Gaul, Favorinus wrote extensively, in Greek, on 
 rhetorical and philosophical subjects. Gellius repeatedly 
 mentions him, and in one passage (xvi. 3. 1) he says : Cum 
 Favorino Romae dies plerumque totos eramus tenebatque ani- 
 mos nostros homo ille fandi dulcissimus atque eum, quoquo 
 iret, quasi ex lingua prorsum ems apti prosequebamur. A. 
 good illustration of the esteem in which Gellius held Favo- 
 rinus is afforded by the fact that, when he was appointed 
 judge, he consulted him as to a matter which had come 
 before him for decision. I am inclined to think that such 
 study as our author made of philosophy, as well as his visit 
 to Athens, was due to the influence of Favorinus. 
 
 6. Visit to Athens. While at Athens (see 2), he stud- 
 ied under Calvisius Taurus, who was especially distin- 
 guished for his knowledge of Plato's writings, and had 
 published Commentaries on the Gorgias of Plato, besides 
 a treatise setting forth the difference between the doctrines 
 of Plato and those of Aristotle. He frequently listened, 
 also, to the discourses of Peregrinus Proteus ( 2) and of 
 Tiberius Claudius Herodes Atticus. The latter was famous 
 alike for his extraordinary powers as an orator and the 
 liberality with which he erected public buildings for the 
 convenience of his fellow-citizens at Athens. It is not neces- 
 sary to suppose that Gellius spent more than a single year 
 in Greece. To this period he makes several interesting 
 references. These include mention of a boating trip from 
 Athens to Aegina (ii. 21. 1), of the monthly gatherings of
 
 10 INTRODUCTION 
 
 students (xv. 2. 3), and of the celebration of the Saturnalia, 
 the great festival of Saturn, which fell in December (xviii. 2 ; 
 xviii. 13). He visited Delphi (xii. 5. 1), Eleusis (viii. 10), 
 and Patrae, a town in the Peloponnesus, which at this time 
 seems to have possessed a library of some importance (xviii. 
 9. 5). It was during his stay in Attica, also, that he began 
 to collect, or at any rate to arrange, the excerpts which he 
 subsequently incorporated into his published work ( 8). 
 
 7. Later Life. Of his career at Eome, after his return 
 from Athens, we know but little. Several passages (e.g. 
 xi. 3. 1) suffice to show that he was engaged in active life, 
 probably as a lawyer. We have absolutely no data by which 
 to fix the date of his death. There can be no doubt, how- 
 ever, that his studies continued to his last years, and that he 
 numbered among his friends a large circle of cultured men. 
 
 II. THE NOCTES ATTICAE 
 
 8. Title and Purpose. The sole work by which Gellius 
 is known is entitled Nodes Atticae. This title was chosen 
 because the composition of the work was begun during his 
 stay at Athens (cf. page 16, line 5), as a means of whiling 
 away the long winter evenings. Gellius rather prides him- 
 self on the simplicity of this title ; for says he, " I have in 
 nowise imitated the fancy titles which many writers, both 
 Greek and Koman, have given to works of this class." As 
 specimens of such high-flown designations, he cites M"*<i<', 
 Silvae, Minerva's Robe, The Horn of Amalthea or Cornu 
 Copiae, Honey-Combs, Meadows, Flowerets, Lights, and 
 Crazy Quilts. He tells us, also (page 15, line 1), that one 
 object, at least, which he kept before him in the compilation 
 of the work, was to afford recreation to his children. So 
 Cicero wrote his De Officiis for the benefit of his son Marcus, 
 and Macrobius compiled his Saturnalia (written about 400
 
 THE XOCTES ATTICAE 11 
 
 A.D., and largely borrowed from Gellius) as a contribution to 
 the education of his son Eustathius. A further purpose 
 was to stimulate men to a desire for a liberal education, and, 
 at the same time, to furnish a sort of short-cut by which 
 those whose attention was in large measure claimed by other 
 pursuits might attain to a knowledge of those things " with 
 which every self-respecting man ought to be familiar." 
 Compare his Praefatio, 12 ; also ix. 4. 5. 
 
 9. Method of Preparation. It was our author's custom 
 (cf. page 15, line 6), as he read a book, whether Greek or 
 Latin, to make extracts therefrom and to set these aside for 
 future use. Similarly, he was wont to record whatever he 
 heard that seemed to possess especial value or interest. 
 These notes he subsequently published, without making any 
 attempt to secure a systematic arrangement of materials. 
 In effect, therefore, the Noctes Atticae is simply a note- 
 book into which Gellius concentrated the results of years 
 of reading and study. His aim was to produce a work 
 which should be popular in character, and so he deems it 
 necessary to apologize for the presence of some few speci- 
 mens of recondite learning (cf. his Praefatio, 13). In the 
 concluding sections of the preface (cf. page 16, line 11), he 
 states that he has already completed twenty books of these 
 notes, and promises that such leisure as he may be able to 
 command in the future will be devoted to further compila- 
 tions of the same sort. So far as we know this promise was 
 never fulfilled, and it has been conjectured that he died not 
 long after the publication of the extant books. 
 
 10. Contents. Of the twenty books mentioned in the pre- 
 ceding section, nineteen, containing in all three hundred and 
 eighty-three chapters, have come down practically entire. 
 Of the remaining book, the eighth, nothing is preserved 
 save the table of contents of the fifteen chapters. There is 
 also a general preface to the whole work. So various are
 
 12 INTRODUCTION 
 
 the contents that no complete classification of them is possi- 
 ble. Still the greater part of the work may be roughly 
 distributed into certain great divisions. Matters of lexicog- 
 raphy claim over one hundred chapters, while questions of 
 etymology and grammar absorb ten and thirty respectively. 
 Fully sixty chapters are devoted to philosophy in its several 
 departments of metaphysics, ethics (theoretical and applied), 
 and logic. Literary criticism absorbs twenty-eight chapters, 
 textual criticism twelve, antiquities (social, political, relig- 
 ious) twenty-seven, history and biography thirty-six, rhetoric 
 nine. Thus by far the larger portion of the Nodes Atticae 
 is concerned with grammar, literature, rhetoric, history, and 
 philosophy. This is precisely what we should expect in 
 view of the method ( 9) according to which the work was 
 compiled, since these subjects were the main elements of a 
 liberal education in Gellius' day, and since, as we have seen 
 above ( 3-6), they were the subjects which had especially 
 engaged his attention. 
 
 11. Sources of the Noctes Atticae. The sources of this 
 great mass of miscellaneous information are various, and 
 in many cases are not determinable with any degree of 
 exactness. Fully two hundred and seventy-five authors are 
 mentioned or directly quoted, while the number of indi- 
 vidual works cited is twice or thrice as large. The name of 
 nearly every one of his contemporaries appears at least once. 
 It is not to be supposed, however, that Gellius had himself 
 read every one of the works which he mentions. It is 
 extremely probable that he took many things from them at 
 second hand. For information relative to scientific matters, 
 i.e. questions of grammar, criticism, and lexicography, he 
 relies chiefly upon M. Terentius Varro l (116-28 B.C.), " the 
 most learned of the Romans," P. Nigidius Figulus (98-46 
 
 1 For information concerning the authors mentioned here, see the 
 Index to this volume.
 
 VALUE OF THE NOCTES ATTICAE 13 
 
 B.C.), Gavins Bassus, C. lulius Hyginus (64 B.c.-lT A.D.), 
 Verrius Flaccus, Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.), and Sulpicius 
 Apollinaris ( 3). In purely literary matters' the sources 
 most frequently employed are T. Maccius Plautus (254-184 
 B.C.), Q. Ennius (239-169 B.C.), M. Porcius Cato (234-149 
 B.C.), Claudius Quadrigarius (about 100 B.C.), and Vergil (70- 
 19 B.C.). Of the Greek writers whom Gellius quotes most 
 frequently, we may mention Aeschines, Aeschylus, Aristotle, 
 Aristophanes, Euripides, Herodotus, Homer, Plato, Plutarch, 
 and Sophocles. It is worthy of remark that for the most 
 part the Latin writers mentioned above belong to a period 
 long prior to Gellius' own time. His more immediate 
 literary predecessors he seems to have neglected, for he 
 never mentions Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, Livy, luvenal, 
 Quintilian, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Martial, or Statius, 
 and there is but a single reference to Horace in all the 
 twenty books. 
 
 III. VALUE OF THE NOCTES ATTICAE 
 
 12. The Noctes Atticae is a Representative Work, since it 
 not only reflects perfectly the nature of the subjects ( 10) 
 which engaged the attention of the literary men of the second 
 century A.D., but also forcibly depicts the spirit in which their 
 labors were prosecuted. Attention has been called above 
 ( 4) to their fondness for the writers of the archaic period 
 of Latin literature. In this regard our author shows him- 
 self a thorough-going child of his time. In all matters relat- 
 ing to grammar, lexicography, or literary criticism, Gellius 
 constantly appeals to the antiquiores, maiores, and veteres, by 
 which terms he means the writers chiefly of the ante-classical 
 
 1 Under this head I include the chapters dealing with history and 
 biography, together with the numerous anecdotes scattered throughout 
 the work and the many passages cited from Greek and Latin authors, as 
 illustrative of some point of grammar or criticism.
 
 14 INTRODUCTION 
 
 period. Of these writers, those who stand highest in his 
 estimation are Plautus and Ennius among poets, Cato Censor 
 among orators. In the Nodes Atticae vi. 17. 4 Plautus is 
 characterized as homo linguae atque elegantiae in verbis 
 Latinae princeps; in xix. 8. 6 he is called the linguae 
 Latinae decus. Gellius cites him in at least thirty-five 
 places, and the quotations cover nearly the whole range of 
 the extant plays. Ennius is cited as an authority in more 
 than forty passages, and is repeatedly mentioned in terms 
 of the highest approbation. To Cato's authority Gellius 
 makes appeal in over sixty places, a single passage often 
 containing two or more quotations from his works. In x. 3. 
 15, 16 Gellius says that any one who reads Cato aright 
 cannot fail to perceive that Cato contentus eloquentia aetatis 
 suae non fuit et id iam turn facere voluit, quod Cicero postea 
 perfecit. 
 
 13. Quotations from Early Latin Authors. Of especial 
 interest and value are the numerous quotations from early 
 writers whose works are no longer extant. For such por- 
 tions as yet remain of the oldest Latin literature, e.g. the 
 works of Livius Andronicus, Quintus Ennius, Cn. Naevius, 
 and the early historians, we are almost wholly indebted to 
 quotations by various grammarians. In this connection the 
 obligations of Latin scholarship to Gellius are far from 
 small. In giving these quotations from the older writers, 
 he often adds information concerning their careers, or their 
 works, and in this way his contributions to our knowledge 
 of the history of Latin literature are of very great impor- 
 tance. For example, practically all that is known of the 
 life of Plautus, the greatest comic poet of Rome, is derived 
 from the third chapter of the third book of the Nodes 
 Atticae. Again, Gellius is an important, in some instances 
 the sole, source of information concerning those of his con- 
 temporaries who devoted themselves to literary pursuits.
 
 A. GELLII NOCTJUM ATTICARUM 
 PRAEFATIO 
 
 *** iucundiora 1 alia reperiri queunt, 2 ad hoc ut 3 llbe- 
 ris quoque rneis partae 4 istiusmodi 5 remissiones 6 essent, 
 quando 7 animus eorum interstitione 8 aliqua negotiorum 
 data laxarl indulgerlque potuisset. Usi autem sumus 
 ordine rerum fortulto, quern antea in excerpendo fecera- 5 
 mus. Nam proinde ut 9 librum quern que in mantis cepe- 
 ram seu Graecum seu Latmum vel quid memoratu dignum 
 audieram, ita quae libitum erat, 10 cuius 11 generis cumque 11 
 erant, indlstincte atque promisee 12 annotabam eaque mihi 
 ad subsidium memoriae 13 quasi quoddam 14 lltterarum 10 
 penus recondebam, ut, quando 7 usus venisset aut rel aut 
 verbi, cuius me repens forte oblivio tenuisset, et libri, ex 
 quibus ea sumpseram, non adessent, facile inde nobis 
 inventu atque depromptu foret. 15 
 
 1 From p. 16, 1. 5 (see notes) it is 
 evident that some words, perhaps 
 sentences, have been lost before 
 iucundiora. 2 queo = possum is 
 common in Gellius. 8 ad hoc ut = 
 ' to the end that.' 4 from pario, 
 parere. 6 ' of the soft you have 
 before you.' Gellius often uses 
 huiusmodi, huiuscemodi, eiusmodi, 
 eiuscemodi, istiusmodi as genitives 
 of quality. 6 ' recreation.' Cf. reniis- 
 sus, and the opposites intentio, in- 
 tentus. The metaphor is from the 
 stringing or unstringing of a bow. 
 Cf. Cicero, De Senectute 37 : inten- 
 
 tum animum tamquam arcnm habe- 
 bat. 7 ' whenever.' 8 ' respite, vaca- 
 tion.' 9 proinde ut = ' according as.' 
 10 Sc. annotare. ll tmesis. 12 in- 
 distincte atque promisee : ' without 
 any attempt at orderly arrange- 
 ment, and in fact (atque) quite at 
 random.' 13 ad subsidium memo- 
 riae = ut subsidio memoriae essent. 
 14 quasi and quidam are often used, 
 either separately or combined, to 
 soften a metaphor. The word so 
 qualified here is penus = ' a store of 
 provisions,' ' storehouse.' 15 = esset, 
 as often in Gellius. 
 
 15
 
 16 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 Facta igitur est in his quoque commentarils l eadem 
 rerum disparilitas, 2 quae fuit in illls annotationibus prl- 
 stinis, quas breviter et indigeste et incondite 3 ex 4 erudi- 
 tionibus 5 lectionibusque variis feceramus. Sed quoniam 
 
 5 longinquis per hiemem 6 noctibus in agro, sicuti dixl, 7 
 terrae Atticae commentationes * hasce ludere ac f acere 8 
 exorsi sumus, idcirco eas inscrlpsimus Noctium esse 
 Atticarum, 9 nihil imitati festivitates 10 mscriptionuin, 
 quas plerique alii utiiusque u linguae scriptores in id 
 
 10 genus librls fecerunt. 
 
 Volumina commentarioruin ad hunc diem viginti 12 
 iam facta stint. Quantum autem vitae mihi deinceps 13 
 deum voluntate erit quantum que a tuenda re familiar! 
 procurandoque cultu u liberorum meorum dabitur otium, 
 
 15 ea omnia subsiciva et subsecundaria 15 tempora ad colli- 
 gendas huiuscemodi memoriarum delectatiunculas 16 con- 
 feram. Progredietur ergo numerus librorum diis bene 
 iuvantibus I7 cum ipslus vitae quantuli qulque fuerint 
 
 1 ' papers, essays.' Cf. 1. 11, and 
 Caesar's Commentarii De Bello Gal- 
 lico and De Bello Civili. 2 ' variety.' 
 8 indigeste et incondite = indis- 
 tincte atque promisee p. 15. 1. 9. Gel- 
 lius is extremely fond of such pairs of 
 synonymous words. 4 ' as a result 
 of.' e ' courses of training.' The use 
 of abstract nouns in the plural is a 
 marked feature of Gellius' style. 
 6 per hiemem is practically an adjec- 
 tive wit li noctibus. 7 There is nothing 
 in the Xoctes Atticae to correspond 
 to these words. Cf. p. 15, n. 1. 
 8 ludere 5,c facere = ' to compose by 
 way of diversion.' 9 eas . . . Atti- 
 carum = eas Noctium Atticarum 
 (Co in) naitationes) esse inscripsi- 
 mus. The construction is needlessly 
 complicated by the introduction of 
 esse, which depends loosely on in- 
 
 scripsimus. ln Cf . Introduction, 8. 
 11 ' both tongues,' i.e. Greek and 
 Latin. 12 See Introduction, 9. 
 is = posthac. 14 ' education.' 15 For 
 the synonyms, cf. n. 3. subsici- 
 vus is a technical term of sur- 
 veying, applied to a patch of 
 ground left over, when lands are 
 distributed to colonists. Subsiciva 
 tempora = ' odd times, spare hours.' 
 subsecundaria tempora = ' times of 
 second-rate importance,' i.e. one's 
 leisure hours, as being of less im- 
 portance than those devoted to the 
 main business of life. 16 memori- 
 arum delectatiunculas = memorias 
 delectabilis. Cf. festivitates in- 
 scriptionum, 1. 8. 17 = si di bene 
 iuverint, a pious formula, used 
 here to soften the assertion in pro- 
 gredietur.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, I. G 17 
 
 progressibus 1 neque longiora mihi dari spatia Vivendi 
 volo quam dum ero ad hanc quoque facultatem scribendl 
 commentandlque 2 idoueus. 
 
 I. 6 
 
 Verba ex oratione Metelll NumidicI, 3 quam dixit in censura ad 4 po- 
 pulura, cum eum ad uxores ducendas adhortaretur ; eaque oratio 5 
 quam ob causam reprehensa et quo contra modo defensa sit. 5 
 
 Multis et eruditls viris audientibus legebatur oratio 
 Metelli Xumidici, gravis ac diserti viri, quam in censura 
 dixit ad populum de ducendls uxoribus, cum eum ad 
 matrimonia capessenda 6 hortaretur. In ea oratione ita 10 
 scriptum fuit : " Si sine uxore vivere possemus, Quirltes, 7 
 omni ea molestia careremus; set quoniam ita natura 
 tradidit, ut nee cum illis satis commode, 8 nee sine illis 
 tillo modo vivl possit, saluti perpetuae potius quam brevi 
 voluptatl consulendum est." 15 
 
 Videbatur quibusdam, Q. Metellum censorem, cui con- 
 silium 9 esset ad uxores ducendas populum hortari, non 
 oportuisse de molestia incommodisque perpetuls rei 
 uxoriae 10 confiteri, neque id 11 hortari magis esse quam 
 
 1 cum . . . vitae . . . progressi- 
 bus: 'with my advancing years.' 
 2 'studying.' Cf. p. 16, n. 3. 
 
 3 Q. Caecilius Metellus, surnamed 
 Numidicus because of the energy 
 with which he prosecuted the war 
 against Jugurtha till superseded by 
 Marias in 107 B.C. He was censor 
 in 102. 4 Cf . aput, p. 18, 1. 18. 5 The 
 subjunctive often stands in the titles 
 of the various chapters, and is to 
 be explained by the fact that there 
 is an ellipsis of some word like 
 quaeritur or exponitur. 6 ' under- 
 
 in an address to the Roman people 
 when assembled as citizens. Sueto- 
 nius relates that Julius Caesar once 
 quelled a mutiny of his soldiers by 
 addressing them as Quirites instead 
 of milites. 8 ' in peace and com- 
 fort.' 9 cui . . . esset: ' since it was 
 his design.' 10 rei uxoriae = mati-i- 
 monii. Cf. the common res mili- 
 taris, res familiaris. Gellius uses 
 also res iudiciaria, and res cibaria. 
 11 id refers back to confiteri. Trans- 
 late ' and that such a course was 
 more likely to dissuade them than 
 
 taking, essaying.' 7 The term used to persuade.' 
 
 AUL. GEL. 2
 
 18 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 dissuadere absterrereque ; set contra in id potius ora- 
 tionem debuisse suml 1 dicebant, ut et nullas plerumque 
 esse in matrimoniis molestias adseveraret et, si quae 
 tamen accidere nonnumquam viderentur, parvas et leves 
 
 5 facilesque esse toleratu diceret maioribusque eas emolu- 
 mentis 2 et voluptatibus oblitterari 3 easdemque ipsas 
 neque omnibus neque naturae vitio, set quoruiidam 4 inaii- 
 torum culpa et iniustitia evenire. Titus autem Cas- 
 tricius 5 recte atque condigne Metellum esse lociitum 
 
 10 exlstimabat. " A liter " inquit " censor loqui debet, aliter 
 rhetor. Rhetorl concessum est sententiis uti falsls, auda- 
 cibus, versutis, 6 subdolis, 7 captiosls, 8 si veri modo similes 9 
 sint et possint movendos 10 hominum animos qualicumque 
 astu u inrepere." 12 Praeterea turpe esse ait rhetori, si 
 
 15 quid in mala causa destitutum atque iinpropugnatum 13 
 relinquat. " Sed enim Metellum," inquit " sanctum virum, 
 ilia gravitate et fide praeditum cum tanta honorum 14 
 atque vitae dignitate aput populum Romanum loquen- 
 tem, nihil decuit aliud dlcere quam quod verum esse sibi 
 
 20 atque omnibus videbatur, praesertim cum super u ea re 
 diceret, quae cotidiana intellegentia et communi pervolga- 
 toque vitae usfi 16 comprenderetur. De molestia igitur 
 cunctis hominibus notissima confessus eaque confessione 
 fidem sedulitatis veritatisque commeritus, 17 turn denique 
 
 1 sumere in = ' to expend,' i.e. 
 to devote, direct. 2 'advantages.' 
 3 ' offset, balanced.' 4 quorundam is 
 antithetical to omnibus, culpa et 
 
 the synonyms, see p. 16, n. 3. 
 14 'official positions.' So Juvenal 
 calls the consul snmmus honor. 
 Compare also the English " Your 
 
 iniustitia to vitio. The ablatives Honor." 15 super = de (cf. espe- 
 are causal. 5 Introduction 4. cially the title of i. 19) is found 
 6 ' subtle.' " 'cunningly devised. 1 8 'so- 1 over one hundred times in Gellius. 
 phistical, fallacious.' 9 veri similes 10 vitae usu = ' experience.' 17 fidem 
 
 = ' plausible.' 10 movendos ex- 
 presses purpose and = ut eos move- 
 ant. " astu = ' craft ' (cf. astutia) 
 is a favorite word with Gellius. 
 i- 'steal int/-.' 13 ' undefended.' P'or 
 
 . . . commeritus: 'having gained 
 the credit of being a sincere and 
 truthful man.' A sednlus homo is 
 one who acts with honest motives 
 and with business-like energy.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, I. 10 
 
 19 
 
 facile et procliviter, 1 quod 2 f uit rerum omnium validissi- 
 inum atque verissimum, persuasit civitatem salvain esse 
 sine matrimoniormn frequentia 3 non posse." 
 
 I. 10 
 
 Quibus verbls compellaverit * Favorinus 5 philosophus adulesceutem 
 
 casce nimis et prisce 6 loquentem. 5 
 
 Favorinus philosophus adulescent! veterum verborum 
 cupidissimo et plerasque voces nimis prlscas et Ignotas 
 in cotidianis communibusque sermonibus expromentl 
 " Curius " 7 inquit " et Fabricius 8 et Coruncanius, 9 anti- 
 quissimi viri, et his antiquiores Horatil 10 ill! trigeminl 10 
 plane ac dilucide u cum suis fabulatl sunt neque Aurunco- 
 rum aut Sicanorurn aut Pelasgorum, qui priml coluisse 
 Italiam dicuntur, sed aetatis suae verbls locuti sunt ; tu 
 autem, proinde quasi cum matre Euandri K nunc loquare, 
 sermone abhinc multls annis iam desito 13 uteris, quod 15 
 scire atque intellegere neminem vis quae dicas. Nonne, 14 
 
 1 proclivis is properly used of a 
 road that is ' sloping, downhill,' and 
 so 'easy.' Hence it comes to = 
 ' easy ' in general. 2 The antecedent 
 of quod is the clause persuasit . . . 
 non posse. 3 = multitiidine. 
 
 4 = culpaverit. 5 See Introduc- 
 tion 5. e casce . . . prisce : ' in 
 language too old-fashioned and 
 archaic.' " M'. Curius Dentatus 
 brought the Third Sainnite War to 
 a close in 290 B.C., and defeated 
 Fyrrhus at Beneveiitum in 275. 8 C. 
 Fabricius Luscinus, consul in 282 
 r..c., 278 (when he held command 
 against Pyrrhus),and in 273. See 
 below, pages 22-24. 9 Ti. Corunca- 
 nius, who crushed an insurrection of 
 the Etruscans in 280 B.C., and in 252 
 became the first plebeian Pontifex 
 
 Maximus. These three men are 
 often mentioned together by Cicero 
 as typical Romans of the good old 
 days. 10 The three brothers who, in 
 the reign of Tullus Hostilius fought 
 against the Curiatii, three brothers 
 from Alba Longa, to determine 
 whether Rome or Alba should be 
 supreme. n ' intelligibly.' In the 
 same sense Gellius elsewhere em- 
 ploys lucitlente ,' so lux is used of 
 style, p. 29, 1. 17. 12 Tradition says 
 that Evander came from Arcadia in 
 Greece, and founded a city, called 
 Pallanteum, on the site afterwards 
 occupied by Rome. His mother's 
 name was said to be Carmentis or 
 Carmenta. ^ 'obsolete.' 14 Nonne 
 . . . taces ? ' Why not keep si- 
 lent ? '
 
 20 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 homo inepte, ut quod vis abunde consequaris, taces ? Sed 
 antiquitatem tibi placere ais, quod honesta et bona et 
 sobria et modesta sit. Vive ergo moribus l praeteritis, 
 loquere verbis praesentibus atque id, quod a C. Caesare, 
 5 excellentis ingenii ac prudentiae viro, in primo De Anar 
 logia 2 libro scriptum est, habe semper in memoria atque 
 in pectore, ut tamquam scopulum, sic fugias inauditum 
 atque Insolens verbum." 
 
 XI. 7 
 
 VerbTs antlquissimis relietisque iam et desitis minime iitendum. 8 
 
 10 Verbis uti aut nimis obsoletis exculcatisque 4 aut inso- 
 lentibus 5 novitatisque durae 6 et inlepidae 7 par esse delic- 
 tum 8 videtur. 9 Sed molestius equidem culpatiusque esse 
 arbitror verba nova, incognita, inaudita dicere quam in- 
 volgata 10 et sordentia. 11 Nova autem videri dico etiam ea, 
 
 15 quae sunt inusitata et desita, etsi sunt vetusta. Est adeo 
 id vitium plerumque 12 serae eruditionis, quam Grace! 
 " o\l/Lp.a.Biav " appellant, ut quod numquam didiceris, diu 
 ignoraveris, cum id sclre aliquando coeperis, magni fa- 
 
 1 moribus is an ablative of man- 
 ner, while verbis is an instrumental 
 ablative. ' Live according to the 
 manners of the past, talk in the lan- 
 guage of to-day.' (There is a triple 
 contrast, vive being opposed to 
 
 8 Sc. esss. The infinitive de- 
 pends on some phrase to be supplied, 
 e.g. in hoc capitulo demonstratur. 
 Cf. p. 17, n. 5. 4 'kicked out,' i.e. 
 words whose life has been trodden 
 out, obsolete. Compare ' trite,' 
 
 loquere. moribus to verbis, and f rom Latin tritus. 5< unusual.' G no- 
 praeteritis to praesentibus.) 2 A vitatis durae, as a genitive of 
 grammatical treatise in two books, quality, has adjectival value, and so 
 written by Caesar while crossing the can be joined by que to insolent l- 
 Alps from Gaul into Italy. Compare bnx. ~ 'uncouth.' Contrast lepidi 
 Gellius xix. 8. 3 C. Caesar, vir ser- [ atque festivi mendacii, p. 30, 1. 13. 
 m<>n!s praeter altos suae aetatis 8 ' failing.' 9 Sc. omnibus: ' is gen- 
 rnxHxxiiHi, in libris quos ad M. C'ice- \ erally accounted.' 10 'common-place.' 
 roiifiin De Analoyiti conscripsit (i.e. ll 'vulgar, plebeian.' 12 'in gen- 
 they were dedicated to Cicero). , eral.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XI. 7 
 
 21 
 
 cias 1 quo 2 in loco cumque 2 et quacumque in re 3 dicere. 
 Veluti 4 Romae, nobis praesentibus, vetus celebratusque 
 homo in causis, 5 sed repentina 6 et quasi tumultuaria 7 
 doctrina praeditus, cum apud praefectum urbi 8 verba face- 
 ret et dicere vellet, inopi quendam miseroque victu 9 5 
 vlvere et furf ureum 10 panem esitare, 11 vmumque eructum u 
 et f etidum potare, " Hie " inquit " eques Homanus aplu- 
 dam 13 edit et fleeces w bibit." Aspexerunt omnes, qui 
 aderant, alius alium, primo tristiores turbato et requi- 
 rente voltu, quidnam " illud utriusque verb! f oret ; post 10 
 deinde, quasi nescio quid Tusce aut Gallice dixisset, 
 universi riserunt. Legerat autem ille apliidam veteres 
 rfisticos u f rumenti furfurein dlxisse idque a Plauto in 
 comoedia, si ea Plauti est, 16 quae Astraba l7 mscrlpta est, 
 positum esse. Item fiocces audierat prlsca voce slgnifi- 15 
 care vlni faecem 18 e vmacels 19 expressam, sicutl fraces ^ 
 oleis, idque aput 21 Caecilium in Poliimems 22 legerat, eaque 
 sibi duo verba ad orationum ornamenta 23 servaverat. 
 
 1 magm facias : ' you make it a 
 gre'it point.' 2 tmesis. 8< occasion.' 
 4 Veluti (= 'so for example') often 
 introduces a specific illustration of a 
 general statement. 5 celebratus 
 . . . causis : ' a distinguished law- 
 yer.' 6 ' gained in haste.' ' ' hap-haz- 
 ard.' For quasi cf. p. 15, n. 14. 
 
 8 L'rbis also occurs in this sense with 
 praefectus, which is then a noun. 
 When urbi is written, praefectus 
 retains its participial value, and the 
 dative is due to the prefix prae. 
 
 9 victus properly = the food neces- 
 sary to one's support ; then, as here, 
 the ' style ' in which one lives. 10 fur- 
 fureum panem : coarse bread made 
 of furfur,' bran.' u frequentative 
 of edere. 12 ' villainous' ; properly 
 participle of erugo, ' to belch up.' 
 13 These words are explained 11. 12, 15. 
 
 14 quidnam . . . foret = ' what the 
 two words meant.' Since Quid illud 
 verbi est = ' what does that (one) 
 word mean ? ' it is natural to join 
 vterque to verbi when one comes to 
 ask about two words. 15 ' farmers.' 
 16 si ... est: 'if it really is by P.' 
 In iii. 3 Gellius tells us that of one 
 hundred and thirty plays ascribed 
 to P. only twenty-one were regarded 
 by Varro as genuine. 1? ' Wooden 
 Saddle.' 18 ' dregs.' 19 ' grape-skins.' 
 20 ' dregs of olive oil.' oleis here = ex 
 oleis expressas. 21 ' in the works 
 of.' Statins Caecilius, the comic 
 poet, flourished about 180 B.C. Of 
 his plays only three hundred lines 
 have survived. ^ From a nomina- 
 tive Polumeni, a title of uncertain 
 meaning. ^ ad ... ornamenta = ut 
 orationes ornuret. Cf. p. 15, n. 13.
 
 22 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 I. 14 
 
 Quid dixerit feceritque C. Fabricius, 1 magna vir gl6ria magmsque 
 rebus 2 gestis, sed familiae 8 pecuniaeqne inops, cum el Sanmites 
 tamquam 4 indigent! grave aurum 5 donarent. 
 
 lulius Hyginus 6 in libro De Vita Rebusque Inliistrixm 
 5 Virorum r sexto legates dicit a Samnltibus ad C. Fabri- 
 cium, imperatorem populi Roman!, venisse et memoratis 
 multls magnlsque rebus, quae bene ac benivole post red- 
 . ditani pacem Sammtibus f ecisset, obtulisse dono grandem 
 pecuniam orasseque, uti acciperet utereturque, atque id 
 10 facere Saranltes dlxisse, quod viderent raulta ad splendo- 
 rem domus atque victus defierl 8 neque pro amplitudine 
 dignitateque lautum 9 paratum 10 esse. Turn Fabricium 
 planas 11 manus ab auribus ad oculos et infra deinceps ad 
 nares et ad 6s et ad gulam atque inde porro ad ventrem 
 15 imum deduxisse et legatis ita respondisse: dum illls 
 omnibus membris, quae attigisset, obsistere atque impe- 
 rare posset, numquam quicquam def uturum ; propterea I2 
 se pecuniam, qua 18 nihil sibi esset usus, ab his, quibus 
 earn sciret usui esse, non aceipere. 
 
 i See p. 19, n. 8. 2 'exploits.' 
 s familiae is mor-e comprehensive 
 than pecuniae and = property in 
 general. 4 tamquam is used here, 
 as often in post-classical Latin, to 
 mark a conception as entertained, 
 not by the author himself, but by 
 some one else whose words or actions 
 he is reporting. Translate 'think- 
 insf him to be in need.' 5 grave 
 aurum seems to = 'a large present 
 of gold.' 6 C. lulius Hyginus ((57 
 B.C.-14 A.D.), a Spaniard by birth, 
 was a freedman of Augustus, and 
 by him appointed curator of the 
 library which he had built in con- 
 nection with the temple of Apollo 
 
 on the Palatine. Hyginus' Com- 
 mentaries on Vergil are often men- 
 tioned by Gellius. He wrote also 
 on agriculture, astronomy, and bee- 
 culture. 7 This work probably re- 
 sembled the De ViriR Inluxtrilinx of 
 Cornelius Nepos. 8 ad ... defter! : 
 compare Caesar De Bello Galileo 
 iv. 26 Hoc unum ad pristinam 
 fortunam Caesari defuit. 9 par- 
 ticiple of lavere, ' to wash ' ; then 
 = ' fine, splendid.' Phrases like 
 lauta supellex, lautissima cena are 
 common. 10 = apparatum, ' estab- 
 lishment.' n 'his palms.' l ' 2 = quam 
 ob rem. 1S Join with usus, which = 
 ' need.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, III. '8 23 
 
 III. 8 
 
 Litterae eximiae consu/um C. Fabricil et Q. Aemilii * ad regem Pyr- 
 rum 2 a Q. Claudio 3 scriptore historiarum in memoriam datae. 4 
 
 Cum Pyrrus rex in terra Italia esset et unam atque 
 alteram pugnas 5 prospere pugnasset satisque agerent 6 
 Roman! et pleraque Italia 7 ad regem desdvisset, turn 5 
 Ambraciensis 8 quispiam Tlmochares, regis Pyrri amicus, 
 ad C. Fabricium consulem furtim venit ac praemium 
 petivit et, si de praeniio conveniret, 9 promisit regem 
 venems necare, idque facile esse factu dlxit, quoniam 
 filius suus pocula in convlvio regi ministraret. Earn 10 
 rem Fabricius ad senatum scrlpsit. Senatus ad regem 
 legates misit mandavitque, ut de Timochare nihil pro- 
 derent, sed monerent, uti rex circumspectius ageret atque 
 a proximorum msidiis salutem tutaretur. Hoc ita, uti 
 diximus, in Valeri Antiatis 10 historia scrlptum est. Qua- 15 
 drigarius autem in libro tertio non Timocharem, sed 
 Niciam adisse ad consulem scrlpsit, neque 11 legates a 
 senatu missos, sed a consulibus, et Pyrrum populo 
 Romano laudes 12 atque gratias scripsisse captivosque 
 omnes, quos turn habuit, vestlvisse et reddidisse. 20 
 
 1 Q. Aemilius Papus, consul with j greater part of Italy.' So p. 25, 1. 16 
 Fabrk-ius in '278 B.C. 2 Pyrrhus, king | in pleraque historia = ' in most kis- 
 of Epirus, allied himself with the torical narratives.' 8 A man from 
 Tarentines and fought against Rome Ambracia, a town in Epirus. 9 BI 
 280-274 B.C. 3 Q. Claudius Quadriga- . . . conveniret = ' if a bargain were 
 rius wrote, in the first century B.C., j struck.' 10 An historian of the first 
 a work called Annales. This work i century B.C., notorious for his exag- 
 traced the history of Rome after the ! gerations. n neque here, as often, 
 sack of the city by the Gauls in 388 = et HO??. This non is to be joined to 
 B.C. 4 = memoriae traditae. 5 The senatu: 'sent, not by the senate, 
 battles of Heraclea 280, and Ascu- | but by the consuls.' 12 laudes . . . 
 lum ^79. 6 satis agerent = ' were scripsisse is a phrase formed on the 
 doing enough,' because they had analogy of gratias aaere. Translate 
 enough to do. Translate ' had their : ' wrote a letter in which he praised 
 hands full.' ' pleraque Italia =' the ! and thanked the Romans.'
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 Consules turn fuerunt C. Fabricius et Q. Aemilius. 
 Lltteras, quas ad regem Pyrruni super ea causa miserunt, 
 Claudius Quadrigarius scrlpsit f uisse hoc exemplo : l 
 " Consules Roman! salutem 2 dlcunt Pyrro regl. 
 
 5 Nos pro tins iniuriis coiitinuis animo 3 tenus commoti 
 inimiciter tecum bellare studemus. Sed communis exempli 
 et fidei ergo 4 visum, 5 ut te salvum velimus, ut esset, 
 quern armis vincere possemus. Ad nos venit Nicias 
 fainiliaris tuns, qui sibi praemium a nobls peteret, si te 
 
 10 clam interfecisset. 6 Id nos negavimus velle, neve ob earn 
 rem quicquam commodi exspectaret, 7 et simul visum est, 
 ut te certiorem faceremus, ne quid eiusmodi, si accidisset, 
 nostro consilio clvitates putarent factum, et quod nobls 
 non placet pretio aut praemid aut dolls pugnare. Tu, 
 
 15 nisi caves, iacebis. 8 " 
 
 Quid C. Fabricius de Cornells Rufino 9 homine avaro dixerit, quern, 
 cum odisset inimlcusque esset, desiguandum 10 tanien coiisulcm 
 curavit. 
 
 Fabricius Luscinus magna gloria vir magnisque rebus 
 20 gestls 11 fuit. P. Cornelius Rufinus manii 12 quidem 13 stre- 
 
 1 'purport.' 2 sjlutem dlcunt: 
 ' extend greetings.' 3 animo tenus 
 commoti: 'stirred to the very 
 depths of our hearts.' The preposi- 
 tion tenus regularly follows its 
 noun. 4 = causa. 5 Cf. visum est 
 below, 1. 11. 6 The mood of in- 
 terfecisset is due to the oratio 
 obliqua. The tense is due to a prin- 
 ciple which, for lack of a better 
 name, we may call ' tense-accuracy,' 
 and which may be formulated as 
 follows: Of two past actions, the 
 prior is expressed by the pluperfect 
 tense ; of two future actions, the 
 prior is expressed by the future per- 
 
 fect tense. This principle is of wide 
 application in Latin. How does it 
 apply here ? 7 The subjunctive is 
 to be explained as in oratio obliqua. 
 The consuls said : Ne exspecta, or 
 noli exspectare. 8 literally ' will lie 
 prostrate,' i.e. you will be a dead 
 man. 
 
 9 P. Cornelius Rufinus was con- 
 sul in 290 and 277 B.C. and dictator 
 in 280. 1 ' elected.' " Cf. p. 22, 
 1. 1. 12 'in personal prowess.' 
 13 Correlative to Bed, p. 2f>, ,1. 2. 
 Since quidem marks a concession, 
 q ii idem . . . sed = quamquain . . . 
 tamen.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, IV. 8 
 
 25 
 
 nuns et bellator bonus militarisque disciplmae peritus 
 admodum 1 fuit, sed furax 2 homo et avaritia acrl erat. 
 Hunc Fabricius non probabat neque amico utebatur osus- 
 que 3 eum morum causa fuit. Sed cuin in temporibus rei 4 
 difficillimis consules creandi forent et is Rufinus peteret 5 
 consulatum competltoresque eius essent inbelles quldam 
 et futtiles, 5 summa 6 ope adnixus est Fabricius, uti Rufino 
 consulatus deferretur. Earn rem plerisque adnilrantibus, 
 quod hominem avarum, cm esset inimlcissimus, creari 
 consulem peteret, " Malo " inquit " civis me compilet, 7 10 
 quam hostis vendat." 
 
 Hunc Rufinum postea bis consulatu et dictatura filnc- 
 tum censor Fabricius senatu movit 8 ob luxuriae notam, 9 
 quod decem pondo 10 libras argent! 11 fact! haberet. Id 
 autein, quod supra scrlpsl, Fabricium de Cornelio Rufino is 
 ita, uti in pleraque historia 12 scrlptum est, dixisse, M. 
 Cicero non aliis a Fabricio, sed ipsi Ruiino, gratias agenti, 
 quod ope eius deslgnatus esset, dictum esse refert in libro 
 secundo De Oratore. 
 
 1 By derivation admodum = ' up 
 to the limit, 'i.e. 'wholly.' It is often 
 weakened, however, to 'very, ex- 
 ceedingly.' In this sense it is com- 
 mon in Gellius. 2 ' thievish.' 3 osus 
 fuit = odit is a rare and archaic 
 form. For archaism in Gellius, see 
 Introduction, 4, 12. Note also 
 that que here, as often after a nega- 
 tive, is equivalent to the English 
 but rather than and. 4 = rei pub- 
 licae. 5 ' worthless.' 6 summa ope : 
 ' with all his might and main.' 
 " ' rob.' Note that our word ' com- 
 pile ' is derived from this verb. 
 
 8 The censors, as supervisors of 
 the public morals, could for cause 
 remove men from the senate. 9 nota 
 is often used to denote a mark 
 branded on a bad slave. Here it 
 
 signifies the condemnatory mark 
 affixed by the censors to a man's 
 name, as it stood in the lists of citi- 
 zens or of senators. The extent of 
 the power wielded by the censors is 
 illustrated by the stories given by 
 Gellius in iv. 20, iv. 12, vi. 22, and 
 x. 6. ob luxuriae notam seems to 
 express purpose : ' to brand his ex- 
 travagance.' 10 pondo, 'by actual 
 weight,' is an old ablative to pondust 
 
 11 argent! facti = ' wrought silver,' 
 i.e. silver plate. Argentum by itself 
 often has this meaning. In Gellius 
 xvii. 21. 39 this same incident is re- 
 ferred to, and we are told that the 
 censors degraded Rufinus quod eum 
 comperissent argenti facti cenae 
 gratia decem pondo libras habere. 
 
 12 Cf. p. 23, n. 7. 13 in 268.
 
 26 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 I. 17 
 
 Quanta cum animl aequitate toleraverit Socrates uxoris ingenium in- 
 tractabile; atque 1 inibi, quid M. Varro 2 in quadam satura 3 de 
 officio mariti scripserit. 
 
 Xanthippe, Socratis philosophi uxor, morosa admodum 
 
 5 fuisse fertur et iurgiosa, irarumque et molestiarum mulie- 
 
 brium per diem perque noctem scatebat. 4 Has eius in- 
 
 temperies 5 in marltum Alcibiades demlratus interrogavit 
 
 Socraten, quaenam ratio esset, cur mulierem tarn acerbam 
 
 domo non exigeret. "Quoniam" inquit Socrates "cum 
 
 10 illam doml talem perpetior, Insuesco et exerceor, 6 ut 
 
 ceterorum quoque forls petulantiam et iniuriam facilius 
 
 feram." 
 
 Secundum 7 hanc sententiam quoque Varro in satura 
 
 Menippea, 3 quam de officio mariti scripsit "Vitium," 
 
 15 inquit, "uxoris aut tollendum 8 aut ferendum est. Qui 
 
 tollit vitiuin, uxorem commodiorem 9 praestat, 10 qui fert, 
 
 sese meliorem facit." Haec verba Varronis tollere et 
 
 1 Atque inibi = ' and in that 
 (this) connection,' i.e. ' further- 
 more,' is found some twenty times 
 in Gellius in the titles of various 
 chapters. 2 M. Terentius Varro, 
 
 . born 11*5 B.C. in the Sabiue town of 
 Reate, devoted himself to the study 
 of Roman antiquities. He wrote 
 seventy-four works, with a total of 
 almost six hundred and twenty 
 books. Of his prose writings the 
 chief are: (1) Antiquitates Rerum 
 Humanarum et Divinarum, an ac- 
 count of the political and religious 
 life of Rome. Of this work only a 
 
 -few fragments remain. (2) De Lin- 
 rfita Latino, a grammatical treatise 
 in twenty-five books, of which books 
 v.-x. are in the main extant. (3) De 
 
 Re RiiRtica, a dialogue on agricul- 
 ture, in three books, which we pos- 
 sess almost in its entirety. 8 The 
 reference is to Varro's Satirae or 
 Miscellanies, in one hundred and 
 fifty books, partly in prose, partly 
 in verse, written in imitation of the 
 Cynic philosopher, Menippus, of 
 Gadara (2">0 B.C.). 4 scatere = 'to 
 gush forth ' is properly used of a 
 fountain. Here it = ' to be full of,' 
 'to boil over.' 5 properly 'lack of 
 restraint,' 'strange conduct.' 6 = ex- 
 erceo me. T = ex, 'in accordance 
 with.' So often in Gellius. 8 Trans- 
 late ' cured or endured.' 9 ' easier to 
 get on with.' Cf. commode, p. 17. 
 1.13. 1 = facit, reddit. Cf. melio- 
 rem facit below.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, II. 1 
 
 27 
 
 ferre lepide 1 quidem coraposita 2 sunt, sed tollere apparet 
 dictum pro corrigere. Id 3 etiam apparet, eiusmodl vitium 
 uxoris, si corrigi non possit, ferendum esse Varronem 
 censuisse, quod f err! scilicet a viro honeste potest ; vitia 4 
 eniin flagitils leviora sunt. 5 
 
 II. 1 
 
 Quo genere solitus sit philosophus Socrates exercere 5 patientiain 6 cor- 
 poris ; deque eiusdem viri temperantia. 
 
 Inter labores voluntaries et exercitia corporis 7 ad 
 fortultas patientiae vices firmandi id quoque accepimus 
 Socraten facere Insuevisse : stare solitus Socrates dicitur 10 
 pertinaci statu perdius 8 atque pernox 8 a summo lucis 
 ortu ad solem alterum orientem inconlvens, 9 inimobilis, 
 Isdem in vestigiis et ore atque oculls eundem in locum 
 dlrectis cogitabundus, 10 tamquani quodam secessu mentis 
 atque animl facto a corpore. is 
 
 Temperantia quoque fuisse eum tanta traditum est, ut 
 omnia fere vitae suae tempora valetudine inoffensa u vixe- 
 rit. In illius etiam pestilentiae vastitate, 12 quae in belli 
 PeloponnensiacI principls 13 Atheniensium civitatem inter- 
 necivo 14 genere niorbl depopulata est, is parcendi 15 mode- 20 
 
 1 ' cleverly.' 2 ' put side by side,' 
 matched, as it were. 3 Id is ex- 
 plained by the clause ferendum . . . 
 potest. 4 Flagitium = ' a burning 
 shame' is much stronger than viti- 
 um (from viere, ' to twist ') which 
 = any departure, however slight, 
 from the right. 5 'develop.' 6 ' en- 
 durance.' ' corporis . . . firmandi: 
 the gerundive here seems to express 
 purpose. Translate : ' exercises for 
 the purpose of strengthening his 
 body to meet unexpected calls upon 
 its endurance.' Ad here = ' against.' 
 8 Adjectives with the value of ad- 
 
 verbs. They equal per diem and per 
 noctem respectively. Cf. p. 26, 1. 6. 
 9 ' without closing his eyes.' Coni- 
 vere = to wink. 10 ' lost in thought.' 
 11 ' unassailed,' i.e. unimpaired. 
 12 ' havoc.' The reference is to the 
 great plague at Athens in 430 B.C., 
 one of whose victims was the famous 
 statesman, Pericles. 13 = principiis. 
 14 = internecino. ^ sc. sibi. Par- 
 cere sibi = ' to take good care of 
 one's self; ' cf. Horace Sat. i. 4. 126 
 Avidos (gluttons) vicinum funus . . . 
 aegros exanimat mortisque metu 
 sibi parcere cogit.
 
 28 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 randique rationibus 1 dicitur et a 2 voluptatum labe cavisse 
 et salubritates corporis retinuisse, ut nequaquam fuerit 
 communl omnium cladi obnoxius. 3 
 
 I. 19 
 Historia super libris Sibyllinis 4 ac de Tarquinio Superbo rege. 
 
 6 In antlquis annalibus 5 memoria super libris Sibyllmls 
 haec prodita est : Anus 6 hospita atque incognita ad Tar- 
 quinium Superbum regem adiit, novem libros ferens, qiios 
 esse dlcebat divma oracula ; eos velle venundare. 7 Tar- 
 quinius pretium percontatus est. Mulier nimium atque 
 
 10 inmensum poposcit ; rex, quasi 8 anus aetate desiperet, 
 derlsit. Turn ilia foculum 9 coram cum TgnT apponit, trls 
 libros ex novem deiirit et, ecquid reliquos sex eodem 
 pretio emere vellet, regem interrogavit. Sed enim 10 Tar- 
 
 1 ' methods.' 2 5 . . . cavisse: ' to 
 have guarded against the insidious 
 effect (lit. ' wasting ') of sensual 
 pleasures.' 3 ' susceptible to.' 
 
 4 The Sibyllas were inspired 
 maidens devoted to the worship of 
 Apollo. Of the twelve known to us, 
 the most famous was the Cumaean 
 (cf. Vergil, Aeneid, vi.). When Tar- 
 quin received the books from her he 
 placed them in a vault beneath the 
 temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. When 
 this temple was burned in 83 B.C., 
 the senate sent envoys to Greece to 
 make a new collection of oracular 
 sayings. The new books were also 
 deposited in the temple of Jupiter 
 Capitolinus after its restoration. 
 Thence Augustus removed them and 
 caused them to be placed in two 
 golden chests concealed within the 
 pedestal of the statue of Apollo, 
 which adorned the temple built by 
 
 him on the Palatine in honor of that 
 god. The last mention of the Sibyl- 
 line books belongs to the year 3(53 
 A.D. 
 
 5 'year-books.' Technically, the 
 word refers to the brief records of 
 contemporary events kept by the 
 Pontifex Maximus, and exposed to 
 view on a white-washed plank set 
 up at his official residence. A >/iin!i'tt 
 is a frequent title of Latin historical 
 works, and the early historians are 
 often called Annalists from their 
 habit of giving the events of each 
 year by themselves without trying 
 to trace the sequence of cause ;in 1 
 effect. 6 'an old woman.' " 'sell.' 
 8 quasi is used here as tamqitam is 
 on p. 22, 1. 3. See note there. 9 ' bra- 
 zier.' 10 In this combination, which 
 is very common in Gellius, eitiui is 
 not causal, but asseverative, and 
 = profecto.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, I. 23 29 
 
 quinius id multo risit magis dixitque, anum iam procul l 
 dubio delirare. 2 Mulier ibidem statim trls alios libros 
 exussit atque id ipsum denuo placide rogat, ut trls reli- 
 quos eodem illo pretio emat. Tarquinius ore iam serio 
 atque attentiore animo fit, earn constantiam confiden- 5 
 tiamqiie non 3 insuper habendam intellegit, libros trls 
 reliquos mercatur nihilo minore pretio quam quod erat 
 petitum pro omnibus. Sed earn mulierem tune a Tar- 
 quinio digressam postea nusquam loci visam constitit. 4 
 Libri tres, in sacrarium conditi, Sibyllmi appellati; ad 10 
 eos quasi ad oraculum Qumdecimviri adeunt, cuin dl 
 immortales publice consulendi sunt. 
 
 I. 23 
 
 Quis f uerit Papirius Praetextatus ; quae istius causa cognomenti sit ; 
 historiaque ista omnis super eodem Papirio cognitu 5 iucunda. 
 
 Historia de Papirio Praetextato dicta scriptaque est 15 
 a. M. Catone 6 in oratione, qua usus est ad milites contra 
 Galbam, 7 cum multa quidem venustate 8 atque luce 9 atque 
 munditia 10 verborum. Ea Catonis verba huic prorsus 
 commentario indidissem, si u libri copia fuisset id tempo- 
 ris, cum haec dictavl. Quod si non virtutes dignitatesque 20 
 
 i = sin". - = insanire, s non 
 Insuper habendam = non contem- 
 iiend'.im. In this phrase insuper 
 virtually equals a predicate ad- 
 jective, meaning 'superfluous.' Con- 
 trast .tat is hab?re = ' to be content,' 
 4 .. inter omnes scriptores, i.e. 'all 
 authorities are agreed.' 8 Gellius 
 often uses the latter supine with 
 adjectives: cf. memoratu digmim, 
 also/or/''' iifcittu atque depromptu, 
 p. 15, 11. 7 and 14. 6 M. Porcius Cato 
 
 work in seven books, of which only 
 fragments remain ; (2) a treatise 
 De Re Rustica, which is extant, 
 though in a somewhat altered 
 form ; (3) Orations, of which over 
 one hundred and fifty were known 
 to Cicero. " Serv. Sulpicius Galba, 
 notorious for extortion while gov- 
 ernor of Lusitania (Portugal) in 
 151. 8 'grace.' 9 'lucidity.' Cf. 
 note on dilucide, p. 19, 1. 11. 10 ' ele- 
 gance.' n si ... fuisset: 'if I 
 
 ('2:51-149 B.C.), father of Latin prose, had had a chance to consult the 
 Rewrote: (1) Origines, a historical book.'
 
 30 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 verborum, sed rem 1 ipsam scire quaeris, res ferme ad 
 hunc modum est : Mos antea senatoribus Komae f uit, in 
 curiam cuui praetextatis 2 fllils introire. Turn, cum in 
 senatu res maior quaepiam consultata eaque in diem 
 
 5 posterum prolata est placuitque, ut earn rem, super 3 qua 
 tractavissent, ne quis enuntiaret priusquam decreta esset, 
 mater Papirii pueri, qul cum parente suo in curia fuerat, 
 percontata est filium, quidnam in senatu patres egissent. 
 Puer respondit tacendum esse neque id dlcl licere. 
 
 10 Mulier fit audiendi cupidior; secretum rel et silentium 
 pueri animum eius ad inqulrendum everberat 4 : quaerit 
 igitur compressius 5 violentiusque. Turn puer matre 
 urgente lepidl 6 atque festivi mendacii consilium capit. 
 Actum in senatu dixit, utrum videretur utilius exque 
 
 15 republics 7 esse, unusne ut duas uxores haberet, an ut 
 una apud 8 duos nupta esset. Hoc ilia ubi audlvit, ani- 
 mus compavescit, 9 domo trepidans 10 egreditur, ad ceteras 
 matronas perfert. Pervenit ad senatum postrldie matrum 
 familias caterva. 11 Lacrimantes atque obsecrantes orant, 
 
 20 iina potius ut duobus nupta fieret quam ut unl duae. 
 Senatores ingredientes in curiam, quae ilia mulierum 
 intemperies 12 et quid sibi 13 postulatio istaec vellet, mira- 
 bantur. Puer Papirius in 14 medium curiae progressus, 
 quid 15 mater audire mstitisset, quid ipse matii dixisset, 
 
 1 the ' gist ' of the story, as op- 
 posed to vii'tntes . . . verborum, the 
 ' elegances ' of style. 2 i.e. lads still 
 wearing the toya praetexta, or white 
 toga with purple border. The tor/a 
 virilis was pure white. 8 = cle. 
 Tractare is usually construed with 
 the accusative. 4 = incitat. 5 ' more 
 earnestly.' 6 A colloquial word, like 
 our ' jolly.' " ' to the interest of the 
 state.' Since this phrase is coupled 
 with a comparative (utilius), we 
 must supply mag Is with it. 8 apud 
 
 . . . esset : niibere usually takes the 
 dative, as helow twice, 1. 20. 9 = ' is 
 thoroughly frightened.' 10 'All in a 
 flutter.' Cf. tremibundi, trepidttli, 
 p. 35, 1. 9, used of frightened birds. 
 11 'host.' 12 cf. p. 26, n. 5. sibi 
 . . . vellet: 'meant.' 14 in medium 
 curiae: post-classical for in m<'.<li<un 
 curiam. J5 Grammatically, the quid- 
 clauses depend on denarrat as sub- 
 junctives of dependent question ; 
 logically, they are in apposition to 
 rem.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, I. 24 
 
 31 
 
 rem, slcut fuerat, denarrat. Senatus fideni atque inge- 
 nium pueri exosculatur, 1 consultum facit, uti 2 posthac 
 pueri cum patribus in curiam ne 2 introeant, praeter 3 
 ille unus Papirius, atque puero postea cognomentum 
 honoris gratia 4 inditum Praetextatus ob tacendl loquendl- 5 
 que in aetate praetextae prudentiam. 
 
 I. 24 
 
 Tria epigrammata 5 trium veterum poetarum, Naevii, 6 Plauti," Pacu- 
 vii, 8 quae facta ab ipsis sepulcrls eorum incisa sunt. 
 
 Trium poetarum inlustrium epigrammata, Cn. Naevii, 
 Plauti, M. Pacuvii, quae ipsi fecerunt et incidenda sepul- 10 
 cro suo reliquerunt, nobilitatis eorum gratia 9 et venustatis 
 scrlbenda in his commentarils esse duxi. 
 
 Epigramnia Naevi plenum superbiae Campanae, 10 quod 
 testimonium esse iustum potuisset, nisi ab ipso dictum 
 esset : 15 
 
 Inmortales mortales si foret fas flere, 
 Flerent divae Camenae n Naevium poetam. 
 Itaque postquam est Orchi 12 traditus thesauro, 
 Oblitl sunt Romae loquier 13 lingua Latma. 
 
 1 lit. ' kisses eagerly ' ; here = 
 conlaudat. - uti . . . ne = ne occurs 
 several times iu Gellius. The usage 
 is not uncommon in Cicero. 3 prae- 
 ter is here an adverb, as occasion- 
 ally in post-classical prose, even in 
 Livy. * = causa. Both ccmsa and 
 gratia occur in Gellius, the latter, 
 however, much the more frequently. 
 
 5 Epitaphs. 6 Cn. Naevius (200- 
 200 B.C.) wrote comedies and trage- 
 dies. He composed the first Latin 
 epic, the Helium Punicum, an 
 account of the first Punic war, 
 from which Vergil borrowed freely. 
 7 T. Maccius Plautus, the greatest 
 Roman comic poet, lived 251-184 B.C. 
 
 Twenty of his plays are extant. 
 8 M. Pacuvius, a distinguished tragic 
 poet, lived about 220-130 B.C. See 
 the story told of him by Gellius in 
 xiii. 2. 
 
 9 Here and in four other pas- 
 sages in Gellius gratia seems to = 
 'on account of.' 10 Naevius was a 
 Campanian by birth. A charge 
 more frequently made against the 
 Campanians is that of Effeminacy, 
 as the result of luxurious habits. 
 11 Properly, the Camenae were three 
 Italian goddesses of prophecy, but 
 the Roman poets identified them with 
 the Greek Muses. 12 = Plutonis. 
 13 an archaic form, = loqui.
 
 32 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 10 
 
 Epigramma Plauti, quod dubitassemus an 1 PlautI 
 foret, nisi a M. Varrone positum esset in libro De Poetls 
 primo : 
 
 Postquam est mortem aptus 2 Plautus, Comoedia luget, 
 Scaena 3 est deserta, dein Blsus, Ludus locusque 
 Et Numeri * innumerl simul ouines conlacrimarunt. 
 
 Epigramma Pacuvil verecundissimum 5 et purissimum 
 dignumque eius elegantissima gravitate : 
 
 Adulescens, tametsi properas, te" hoc saxum rogat, 
 Vt sese aspicias, deinde quod scrlptum est legas. 
 Hie sunt poetae Pacuvi Marcl sita 
 Ossa. Hoc 6 volebam nescius ne esses. Vale. 
 
 I. 26 
 
 Quern in moclum mihi Taurus " philosophus responderit percontanti, an 
 sapiens irasceretur. 
 
 15 Interrogavi in diatriba 8 Taurum, an sapiens Irasce- 
 retur. Dabat enim saepe post cotidianas lectiones quae- 
 rendl quod quis vellet potestatem. Is cum graviter, 9 
 copiose de morbo 10 affectuve irae disseruisset, quae et in 
 veterum libris et in ipsius commentarils J exposita sunt, 
 
 l an = ' whether ' is repeatedly 
 used by Gellius in single dependent 
 questions. 2 aptus est is from 
 apiscor, which properly = ' to gain by 
 effort.' Here, however, est mortem 
 aptus merely = mortuus est. Cf. Gell. 
 xiii. 1.5 Elissa (i.e. Dido) quae mor- 
 tem p"r vim potita est. s ' the stage ' ; 
 properly, the permanent wall of 
 masonry which bounded the stage 
 at the back, and in front of which 
 the scenery was arranged. 4 ' Melo- 
 dies (numeri) without number,' an 
 allusion to the number and variety 
 of the meters employed by Plau- 
 
 tus. Numeri is strongly personified. 
 8 ' neatest.' The word implies purity 
 of style and freedom from offensive 
 arrogance. 6 Hoc is governed by 
 nescius esses, which together = nc- 
 scires. This construction belongs to 
 early Latin. So Plautus writes: 
 gnaruris (' knowing ') vos volo esse 
 haitc rein inecum. 
 
 1 See Introduction, 6. The 
 scene of this discussion, therefore, 
 is laid in Athens. 8 ' school.' 9 ' ear- 
 nestly.' 10 morbus is a term of 
 medicine, affectus (' affection ' ) of 
 philosophy.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, I. 26 33 
 
 convertit ad me, qui interrogaveram, et "Haec ego" 
 inquit " super Irascendo sentio ; sed, quid et Plutarchus l 
 noster, vir doctissimus ac prudentissimus, senserit, non 2 
 ab re est, ut id quoque audias. Plutarchus" inquit 
 "servo suo, nequam 3 homim 4 et contumaci, sed libris 5 
 disputationibusque philosophiae aures inbutas habentl, 
 tuiiicam detrahi ob nescio quod delictum caedique eum 
 loro 5 iussit. Coeperat verberari et obloquebatur non 
 meruisse, ut vapulet, 6 nihil mall, nihil sceleris admisisse. 
 Postremo vociferari inter vapiilandum incipit, neque iam 10 
 querimonias aut gemitus eiulatusque facere, sed verba 
 seria et obiurgatoria : non ita esse Plutarchum, ut philo- 
 sophum deceret; Irasci turpe esse; saepe 7 eum de rnalo 
 Irae dissertavisse, librum quoque -n-f.pl dopy^o-tas 8 pul- 
 cherrimum conscripsisse ; his omnibus, quae in eo libro 15 
 scripta sint, nequaquam con venire, 9 quod provolutus 10 
 effususque in Irani plurimis se plagls multaret. 11 Turn 
 Plutarchus lente et leniter ' Quid autem ' inquit ' ver- 
 bero, ^ nunc ego tibi Irasci videor ? ex vultune meo an 
 ex voce an ex colore an etiam ex verbis correptum esse 20 
 me" Ira intellegis ? mihi quidem neque oculi, opmor, 
 truces sunt neque 6s turbidum neque inmaniter clamo 
 neque in spumam ruboremve effervesce neque pudenda 
 dico aut paenitenda neque oninino trepido Ira et gestio. 
 
 1 ' my friend and teacher P.' So 
 in i. 9. 8 Gellius calls his teacher Tau- 
 rus, Taurus noster. Cf. also p. 77, n. 2. 
 - non . . . est : ' it is not foreign to the 
 point,' i.e. it is fitting. 3 An indeclin- 
 able adjective = ' worthless.' 4 Join 
 with detrahi. 5< a leather thong.' 
 
 word denoting repetition, as by 
 saepe here. Cf. also such expres- 
 sions as ventitare solitum iii. 13. 1; 
 solitavisse ventitare vi. 1. 6. 8 ' How 
 to keep cool.' 9 'harmonize.' The 
 subject is the clause quod . . . mul- 
 
 6 vapulare 'to be beaten.' ~ saepe taret. 10 provolutus . . . iniram: 
 . . . dissertavisse: if properly used, i 'in such ungovernable anger.' 
 
 frequentative verbs denote the fre- 
 quent repetition of an act, but in 
 Gellius they often lose this force so 
 completely that he feels called upon 
 
 AUL. GEL. 3 
 
 11 multare (cf. multa, a fine)= 'to 
 fine,' i.e. to punish. ^ (cf. verber, 
 a blow) ' a man deserving of blows," 
 'a rascal.'
 
 34 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 Haec enim omnia, si ignoras, signa esse irarum. solent.' 
 Et simul ad eum, qul caedebat, con versus, ( Interim ' 
 inquit ' dum ego atque hie disputamus, tu hoc 1 age.' " 
 
 II. 29 
 Apologus 2 Aesopi 8 Phrygis memoratu non inutilis. 
 
 5 Aesopus ille e Phrygia 4 tabulator haat inmerito sa- 
 piens exlstimatus est, cum, 5 quae utilia B monitu suasuque 
 erant, non severe neque imperiose praecepit et censuit, 7 
 ut philosophls mos est, sed festivos delectabilesque apo- 
 logos commentus, 8 res salubriter ac prospicienter ani- 
 
 10 madversas in mentes animosque homiiium cum audiendi 
 quadam inlecebra 9 induit. 10 Velut 11 haec eius fabula de 
 aviculae nidulo lepide atque iucunde promonet spem 
 fiduciamque rerum, quas efficere quis possit, haut um- 
 quam in alio, sed in semetipso habendam. " Avicula " 
 
 15 inquit "est parva, nomen est cassita. 1 ^ Habitat nidula- 
 turque in segetibus, id ferine temporis, ut appetat 18 
 messis 14 pullis iam iam plumantibus. 15 Ea cassita in 
 sementes 1(S forte congesserat tempestiviores ; propterea 
 frumentls flavescentibus 17 pulli etiam tune involucres 18 
 
 20 erant. Dum igitur ipsa iret cibuni pullis quaesltum, 
 
 1 hoc age : originally a sacrificial 
 formula, then a colloquial phrase, 
 which = ' Give all your attention to 
 the matter in hand ' ; here = ' Go on 
 with the whipping.' 
 
 2 = fabula. 3 Aesop flourished 
 about 570 B.C. The fables commonly 
 ascribed to him are not from his hand, 
 at least in their present form. 4 e 
 Phrygia = an adjective : cf . Phrygis 
 in the title, and e Lesbo Theophrastus 
 xiii. 5. 11; quispiam dives ex Asia 
 xix. 1. 7, but divitem ilium Asiaticum 
 xix. 1. 11. 6 cum = ' since,' yet is 
 coupled with the indicatives praece- 
 
 pit, censuit, and induit. This con- 
 struction Gellius borrowed from the 
 archaic Latin writers. utilia . . . 
 suasu : ' useful warnings and advice.' 
 Cf. p. 29, n. 5. 7 = docuit. 8 from 
 coinminiscor 'to compose.' 9 'al- 
 lurement, charm.' cum . . . inlecehra 
 = ' in a way that enticed them to 
 listen.' 10 ' instilled.' n Cf.p.21,n.4. 
 12 ' the crested lark.' 13 = uppropin- 
 quet. 14 ' the harvest.' 15 ' feather- 
 ing.' 16 sementes tempestiviores == 
 ' corn that ripened earlier than usual.' 
 With congesserat sc. nidum. l7 Cf. 
 flavus. 18 ' unfledged.'
 
 XOCTES ATTICAE, II. 29 
 
 35 
 
 nionet eos, ut, si quid ibi rei novae fieret dicereturve, 
 aniinadverterent idque utl sibi, ubi redisset, nuntiarent. 
 Dominus postea segetum illarum filium adulescentem 
 vocat et 'Videsne' inquit 'haec ematuruisse 1 et manus 
 iara postulate ? idcirco die crastini, 2 ubi prlmum dllu- 5 
 culabit, 3 fac amlcos 4 eas et roges veniant operamque 5 
 mutuam dent et messim 6 hanc nobls adiuvent.' Haec 
 ubi ille dlxit, et 7 discessit. Atque ubi redit casslta, pulli 
 tremibundl, trepiduli circumstrepere 8 orareque 8 matrem, 
 ut iam statim properet inque alium locum sese asportet : 10 
 'nam dominus' inquiunt 'misit, qul amicos roget utl 
 luce oriente veniant et metant.' Mater iubet eos otioso 
 animo esse : ' Si enim dominus ' inquit ' messim ad ami- 
 cos reicit, crastino seges non metetur neque necessum 9 
 est, hodie utl vos auferam.' "Die" inquit lu "postero mater 15 
 in pabulum volat. Dominus, quos rogaverat, opperltur. 
 Sol fervit, 11 et fit nihil ; it dies, et amid null! eunt. Turn 
 
 1 Cf. maturus. E and ex in 
 composition denote thoroughness, 
 success. 2 An archaic form = cra- 
 stino. For other archaisms in this 
 chapter see p. 34, n. 5, and notes 
 7, 9, 11 below, and see the Introduc- 
 tion, 4 and 12. 3 ' it dawns.' Cf . 
 luce oriente, 1. 12. 4 The omission 
 of ad before amlcos is striking, 
 since in general Gellius displays a 
 tendency to use prepositions to ex- 
 cess. Ex is, however, omitted in 
 xvi. 6. 1, rerfeunles Graecia. 5 ope- 
 ram . . . dent: 'lend us their aid.' 
 So Cato, speaking of the duties of 
 the farm overseer, says : cibaria, . . . 
 vinum, oleum mutuum dederit ne- 
 >nini. 6 messim . . . adiuvent: 'aid 
 this crop for us,' i.e. help us with, 
 this crop. There is personification 
 here as above, lines 4 and 5, Videsne 
 haec . . . manus postulare? With 
 this view nobls is a dative of ad- 
 
 vantage. It would be possible, how- 
 ever, to regard nobls as dative after 
 adiuvent, a construction extremely 
 rare, but illustrated by the fact that 
 in colloquial Latin adiutare is con- 
 structed with the dative. If this 
 view be accepted, we must regard 
 messim as a Greek accusative of 
 respect. 7 Good usage would omit 
 this et. Similarly careless sentences 
 are iii. 1. 5 Vix ego haec dixeram 
 atque inibi quispiam inquit; xvii. 
 20. 4 Haec verba ubi lecta sunt at- 
 que ibi Taurus mihi inquit. These 
 expressions are colloquial, and, per- 
 haps, archaic. 8 Historical infini- 
 tives. Notice that the subject pulli 
 is in the nominative case. y An 
 archaic form of necesse, frequent in 
 Gellius. 10 sc. Aesopus. In quoted 
 narratives like this, Gellius is fond 
 of inserting this wholly superfluous 
 inquit. u Archaic ior/ervet.
 
 36 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 ille rursum ad l f ilium ' Amici 1st! magnam 2 partem ' 
 inquit ' cessatores 3 snnt. Qum 4 potius Imus et cognatos 5 
 adfmesque nostros oramus, ut assint eras tempoii 6 ad 
 metendum ? ' Itidem hoc pulli pavefacti matrl nuntiant. 
 
 5 Mater hortatur, ut turn 7 quoque sine metu ac sine cura 
 sint, cognatos adflnesque nullos ferme tarn esse obsequi- 
 biles 8 ait, ut ad laborem capessendum 9 nihil cunctentur 
 et statim dicto oboediant : ' Vos modo ' inquit ' advertite, 
 si modo quid denuo 10 dlcetur.' Alia luce orta avis in pas- 
 
 10 turn profecta est. Cognati et adfmes operam, quam dare 
 rogati sunt, supersSderunt. 11 Ad postremum igitur domi- 
 nus filio 12 'Valeant' 13 inquit 'amici cum propinquis. 5 
 Afferes u prlmo M luci falces duas ; unam egomet mihi et tu 
 tibi capies alteram et frumentum nosmetipsi manibus 
 
 15 nostris eras metemus.' Id ubi ex pullis dlxisse dominum 
 mater audlvit, ' Tempus ' inquit ' est cedendi et abeundi ; 
 f let nunc dubio procul quod futurum dixit. In ipso enim 
 iam vertitur cuia 16 res est, non in alio, unde petitur.' 
 Atque ita cassita nldum migravit, 17 seges a domino de- 
 
 20 messa est." 
 
 1 ad filium . . . inquit = Jilio 
 inquit. With this construction, bor- 
 rowed by Gellius from the plebeian 
 speech, compare dicere ad, dictitare 
 ad, and loqui ad, all of which occur 
 in the Noctes Atticae. 2 Adverbial 
 accusative of degree. 8 ' loiterers.' 
 4 Quin Imus : literally, ' Why don't 
 wo go ?' but = a command, eamus. 
 3 Cognati are kinsmen by blood, 
 adfines relatives by marriage, pro- 
 pinqui relatives in general, whether 
 by blood or marriage. 6 ' be- 
 times.' 7 turn quoque : ' this time 
 too.' 8 'obliging.' Cf. p. 17, n. 6. 
 10 ' anew, afresh.' Thus si ... dl- 
 cetur = si quid rei novae diceretur, 
 p. 35, 1. 1. u = omiserunt. l ' 2 fflio 
 
 . . . inquit: contrast the construc- 
 tion here with that in 1. 1, ad jilium 
 inquit, and see the note there. 
 13 valeant amid : ' farewell to onr 
 friends.' Vale, ' goodby,' is a com- 
 mon expression at the close of Latin 
 letters. 14 The future indicative, 
 here as often (especially in Latin of 
 a colloquial coloring), = an impera- 
 tive. 15 prlmo luci: an archaic 
 phrase, for which in the best period 
 prima luc.e, or luce orient e is writ- 
 ten. 16 From cuiits, a, uni = ' whose.' 
 Translate : ' For the matter is de- 
 pendent now on (literally ' is turning 
 on,' as a door on a pivot) him alone 
 whom it really concerns.' 17 're- 
 moved,' a rare sense.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, III. 7 
 
 37 
 
 III. 7 
 
 Historia ex Annalibus 1 sumpta de Q. Caedicio tribuno militum ; verba- 
 que ex Orlginibus 2 M. Catonis apposita, quibus Caedici virtutem 
 cum Spartaiio 3 Leonida aequiperat. 
 
 Pulcrum, dil bonl, 4 facinus 5 Graecarumque facundi- 
 arum magniloquentia 6 condlgnum M. Cato libris Origi- 5 
 num de Q. Caedicio tribune militum scriptum reliquit. 
 
 Id profecto est ad hanc ferme sententiam : Imperator 
 Poenus in terra Sicilia, bello Carthaginiensi primo, ob- 
 viam Romano exercitu 7 progreditur, colles locosque ido- 
 neos prior occupat. Mllites Romani, uti 8 res nata est, 10 
 in locum msinuant fraudl et perniciel obnoxium. Tribu- 
 nus ad consulem venit, ostendit exitium de 9 loci importu- 
 nitate et hostium circumstantia maturum. " Censeo " 
 inquit " si rem 10 servare vis, f aciundum, ut quadringentos 
 aliquos milites ad verrucam 11 illam," sic enim Cato 15 
 locum editum asperumque appellat, "ire iubeas, eam- 
 que uti occupent imperes horterisque ; hostes profecto 
 ubi id vlderint, fortissimus 12 quisque et promptissinius 
 ad 13 occursandum pugnandumque in eos praevertentur 
 
 i Cf. p. 28, n. 5. 2 Cf. p. 29, n. 6. 
 In his biography of Cato, ch. 3, Cor- 
 nelius Xepos saj-s of the Origines: 
 Primus (liber) continet res gestas 
 populi Romuni, secundus et tertius 
 unde quaeque civitas orta sit Italica, 
 ob quain rem omnes Origines vide- 
 tur appellasse. 3 cum Spartano 
 Leonida = cum Spartani Leonidae 
 virtute. Such short-cut forms of 
 comparison are normal in Latin. 
 4 ' great heavens ' ; a bit of slang. 
 6 ' deed ' (cf . facio) ; here of a good 
 deed, though generally = 'misdeed.' 
 6 Here a term of commendation, like 
 our ' best efforts.' " an old dative, to 
 be taken with obviani . s uti . . . est : 
 literally 'as circumstances arose,' 
 
 i.e. 'as it happened.' The clause 
 practically = a simple forte. Soj>ro 
 or e rz nata = 'as matters stand.' 
 9 de . . . circumstantia : ' in conse- 
 quence of the unfavorable nature 
 of the ground and the fact that the 
 enemy surrounded them.' 10 servare 
 rem = ' to preserve what one has at 
 stake.' u literally 'a wart,' 'pimple.' 
 12 ' all the bravest and readiest.' In 
 this common idiom quisque regularly 
 follows the adjective. 13 Take with 
 praevertentur, which = 'to give one's 
 self up to one thing in preference to 
 all others.' Praevertentur and alll- 
 gabunt are plural, because the sub- 
 ject fortissimus quisque, though sin- 
 gular in form, is plural in meaning.
 
 38 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 unoque illo negotio sese alligabunt atque ill! omnes 
 quadringenti procul dubio obtruncabuntur. Tune interea 
 occupatls in ea caede hostibus tempus exercitus ex hoc 
 loco educendl habebis. Alia nisi haec salutis via niilla 
 
 5 est." Consul tribuno respondit consilium quidem l istud 
 aeque providens sibi viderier ; 2 " Sed 1 istos " inquit 
 " milites quadringentos ad eum locum in hostium cuneos 
 quisnam erit qui ducat ? " " Si alium " inquit tribunus 
 " neminem repperis, 3 me licet ad hoc perlculum utare ; 
 
 10 ego hanc tibi et relpublicae animam do." Consul tribuno 
 gratias laudesque agit. Tribunus et quadringenti ad 
 moriendum proficlscuntur. Hostes eorum audaciam de- 
 mlrantur, quorsum Ire pergant in 4 exspectando sunt. 
 Sed ubi apparuit ad earn verrueam occupandam iter 
 
 15 intendere, mittit adversum illos imperator Carthagini- 
 ensis peditatum equitatiimque, quos in exereitu viros 
 habuit strenuissimos. Roman! milites circumveniuntur, 
 circumventl repugnant ; fit proelium diu anceps. Tan- 
 dem superat multitudo. Quadringenti omnes 5 cum uno 
 
 20 perfossl gladils aut missllibus opertl cadunt. Consul in- 
 terim, dum ibi pugnatur, se in locos tutos atque editos 
 subd licit. 
 
 Sed quod illl tribuno, duel militum quadringentorum, 
 divmitus 6 in eo proelio usu 7 venit, non iam nostrls, sed 
 
 25 ipslus Catonis verbls subiecimus : " Dil inmortales tri- 
 biino militum fortunam ex virtiite eius dedere. !S"am ita 
 evenit : cum saucius multifariam 8 ibi factus esset, tarn en 
 vulnus capitl 9 nullum evenit, eumque inter mortuos, defe- 
 
 i Cf. p. 24, n.13. *=i:ideri. Cf. | derandoque sunt; xi. 16. 6 cum 
 p. 31, n. 13. 3 repperis may be re- 
 garded either (1) as a variant spell- 
 ing for repcris (present), or (2) as = 
 reppereris (future perfect). 4 in ex- 
 spectando sunt = exspectant. Cf. 
 
 diutule tacitus in cogitando 
 
 5 omnes cum uno: 'all to a man.' 
 Omnes ad unum is the usual phrase. 
 
 6 an adverb, = ' through the grace 
 of the gods.' " usu venit = ' liai>- 
 
 xi. 5. 3 in quaerendo semper consi- \ pened.' 8 'repeatedly.' '* 'life.
 
 NOCTES ATTIC AE, III. 15 39 
 
 tigatum 1 vulneribus atque quod sanguen 2 eius defluxe- 
 rat, cognovere. Eum sustulere, isque convaluit, saepeque 
 post ilia 3 operam relpublicae fortem atque strenuam 
 praeliibuit 4 illoque facto, quod illos mllites subduxit, 
 exercitum ceterum servavit. Sed idem benefactum quo 5 
 in loco ponas, nimium interest. Leouidae Laconi, qul 
 simile apud Thermopylas fecit, propter eius virtutes 
 omnis Graecia gloriam atque gratiam praecipuam reddidit ; 
 eum claritudinis inclitissimae decoravere 5 monumen- 
 tis; signls, 6 statuls, elogils, 7 historils aliisque rebus gra- 10 
 tissimum 8 id eius factum habuere; at tribuno mllitum 
 parva laus pro factis relicta, qul idem fecerat atque rem 
 servaverat." 
 
 III. 15 
 
 Exstare in litteris 9 perque 10 hominum memorias traditum, quod 11 re- 
 pente multis mortem attulit gauditim ingens Insperatum, interclusa 15 
 anima 12 et vim magni novique motus non sustinente. 
 
 Cognito repente msperato gaudio exsplrasse 13 animam 
 refert 14 Aristoteles philosophus Polycritam, nobilem femi- 
 nam Naxo Insula. 15 Philippides 16 quoque, comoediarum 
 poeta haut Ignobilis, aetate 17 iam edita, cum in certamine 20 
 
 1 This word is qualified by the 
 causal ablative vulneribus and the 
 clause quod . . . defluxerat. 2 ar- 
 chaic for sanguis. 3 archaic for 
 postea. 4 archaic =praebuit. 5 For 
 the plural cf. p. 37, n.13. 6 'paintings.' 
 " 'complimentary inscriptions ' on 
 the statuae. 8 grStum habere = 'to 
 hold in grateful remembrance.' 
 
 9 litteris = ' written records ' ; 
 hominum memorias = ' oral tradi- 
 
 by Gellius after verbs and expres- 
 sions of saying, where the best 
 writers would use the infinitive with 
 subject accusative. *- anima = 
 'air,' then 'breath,' i.e. the animal 
 principle of life. Translate: 'since 
 their life (principle) was stifled, and 
 was unable to endure. ' 
 
 is exsplrasse is here transitive, 
 governing animam (see n. 12). Else- 
 where exspirare alone = ' to die.' 
 
 tion.' 10 Gellius often uses per with [ 14 = narrat. 15 In more careful 
 tue accusative as equivalent to an ' Latin, ex would be written with in- 
 ablative of means. n quod ' that,' suHl; cf. e Phrygia, p. 34, 1.5. 16 P. 
 generally with the indicative, some- ' flourished at Athens about 325 B.C. 
 times with the subjunctive, is used , 1: aetate edita = in senectute.
 
 40 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 poetarum praeter spem vicisset et laetissime" gauderet, 
 inter illud gaudium repente mortuus est. I)e Rodio 
 etiam Diagora celebrata historia est. Is Diagoras tris 
 filios adulescentes habuit, unum pugilein, 1 alterum pan- 
 
 5 cratiasten, 2 tertium luctatorem. 3 Eos omnis vidit vin- 
 cere coronarique Olympiae 4 eodem die et, cum ibi emu 
 tres adulescentes amplexi coronis suis in caput patris 
 positis saviarentur, 5 cum populus gratulabundus 6 flores 
 undique in eum iaceret, ibidem in stadio 7 inspectante 
 
 10 populo in osculis 8 atque in manibus f Iliormu animam 9 
 efflavit. 10 
 
 Praeterea in nostris " Annalibus scriptum legimus, qua 
 tempestate 12 apud Cannas 13 exercitus populi Roman! cae- 
 sus est, anum 14 matrem, nuntio de morte filii adlato, 
 
 is luctu 15 atque maerore affectam esse; set is nuntius non 
 verus fuit atque is adulescens non diu post ex ea pugna 
 in urbem redit. Anus, repente filio vlso, copia "atque 
 turba 16 et quasi rulna 17 incidentis inopinatl 18 gaudil op- 
 pressa exanimataque est. 
 
 11 boxer." 2 a victor in the pan- \ enim in caelum ascensurus es." 
 cratiinn, a contest which included ! n = Romanis. The preceding story, 
 wrestling and boxing. Translate : | of course, had come from some 
 'an all-round athlete.' 8 'a wrestler.' j Greek source. 12 = tempore, as of ten 
 
 4 Olympia was the name of the dis- 
 trict in Elis (a province of the Pelo- 
 ponnesus), in which every four years 
 games were held in honor of Ju- 
 piter. 5 ' were kissing ' ; a colloquial 
 word. 6 Gellius is rather fond of 
 adjectives ending in bundus. They 
 have the value of present participles 
 active. ' ' the race-course.' 8 ' kiss- 
 es.' 9 cf . exspirasse animam above, 
 p. 39, 1. 17. 10 Cicero, in his Tuscu- 
 lanae Disputationes I, 111, gives 
 this story somewhat differently, stat- 
 ing that a certain Spartan said to 
 Diagoras: " Morere, Diagora, non 
 
 in Gellius. 13 A city in Apulia, 
 where, in 216 B.C., in the course of 
 the Second Punic War, the Romans 
 sustained a terrible defeat at the 
 hands of Hannibal. 14 anum (cf. p. 
 28, n. (!) is here virtually an adjective. 
 15 luctus is the feeling of grief, 
 maeror is grief as revealed by out- 
 ward signs. 1G 'bewildering influ- 
 ence.' 17 rulna is far the strongest 
 of the three nouns, the metaphor it 
 contains being derived from the 
 falling of a building. Render by 
 'torrent, avalanche.' For quasi cf. 
 p. 15, n. 14. 18 = insperati.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, IV. 18 41 
 
 IV. 13 
 
 Quod incentiones 1 quaedam tibiarum certo mods factae ischiacls 2 
 mederl 3 possint. 
 
 Creditum hoc a plerisque esse et memoriae mandatuni, 
 ischia cum maxinie doleant, turn, si modulis lenibus tibi- 
 cen incinat, minul dolores ego nuperrime in libro Theo- 
 phrastl 4 scriptum invenl. Viperarum morsibus tibici- 
 niiun 5 scite inodulateque adhibitum 6 mederi ref ert etiam 
 Democritl liber, qul Inscrlbitur irtpl A.ot/Auiv, 7 in quo docet 
 plurimis hominum 8 morbidis medicmae 9 fuisse incenti- 
 ones tibiarum. Tanta prosus 10 adfmitas est corporibus 10 
 hominum nientibusque et propterea vitiis quoque aut 
 medellis anirnorum et corporum. 
 
 IV. 18 
 
 De P. Africans superiore n sumpta quaedam ex Annalibus memoratu 
 dignissima. 
 
 Scipio Africanus antlquior quanta virtutum gloria 15 
 praestiterit et quam f uerit altus animl 12 atque magnificus 
 et qua sui conscientia subnlxus, 13 plurimis rebus, quae 
 dixit quaeque fecit, declaratum est. Ex quibus sunt 
 haec duo exempla eius flduciae 14 atque exsuperantiae 15 
 ingentis : 20 
 
 1 Incentiones tibiarum : ' per- 5 = incentio tibiarum. 6 ' employed.' 
 formances on the pipes.' The tibia ' irepi \oifj.uv De Morbis. 8 parti- 
 resembled the flute. Two were gen- tive genitive with morbidis. 9 dative 
 erally used at once by the player; with fuisse. 10 = prorsiis, 'verily.' 
 hence the plural. 2 = 'persons' u Cf. antiqidor, 1.15. Therefer- 
 suffering from ischia ' (1. 4), i.e. gout ence is to P. Scipio Africanus Maior, 
 of the hips. The word is dative with who defeated Hannibal at Zama, in 
 mederl. 3 'cure.' Cf. medellis cures Africa, 202 B.C. u genitive of re- 
 1. 11'. and medicina, ' the healing art.' spect with altus. Cf . magnanimus. 
 
 4 A Greek philosopher (371-287 13 subniti with the ablative (con- 
 B.C.), who made investigations in scientia) = 'to rely on.' 14 'self- 
 natural science, especially botany, reliance.' 15 'preeminence.'
 
 42 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 Cum M. Naevius tribunus plebis accusaret eum ad 
 populum diceretque accepisse a rege Antiocho 1 pecii- 
 niam, ut condicionibus gratiosis et mollibus pax cum eo 
 popull Roman! nomine fieret et quaedam item alia 2 cri- 
 
 5 mini daret indlgna tali viro, turn Scipio pauca praefatus, 
 quae dignitas vitae suae atque gloria postulabat, "Memo- 
 ria " 3 inquit " Quirites, repeto, diem esse hodiernum, 4 
 quo Hannibalem Poenum imperio vestro inimlcissimum 
 magno proelio vlcl in terra Africa pacemque et victoriam 
 
 10 vobls peperi spectabilem. Non 5 igitur simus adversum 
 deos ingrati et, censeo, relinquamus nebulonem 6 hunc, 
 eamus hinc protinus 7 lovi Optimo Maximo gratulatum." 
 Id cum dlxisset, avertit et Ire ad Capitolium coepit. Turn 
 contio 8 tini versa, quae ad senteiitiam 9 de Sclpione feren- 
 
 15 dam convenerat, relicto tribuno Sclpionem in Capitolium 
 comitata atque inde ad aedes eius cum laetitia et gratu- 
 latione sollemnl prosecuta 10 est. Fertur n etiam oratio, 
 quae videtur habita eo die a Sclpione, et qui dicunt earn 
 non veram, non eunt mfitias, 12 quln haec quidem verba 
 
 20 fuerint, quae dlxi, Sclpionis. 
 
 Item aliud est factum eius praeclarum. Petllii qul- 
 dam tribflni plebis a. M., ut aiunt, Catone, inimico Selpi- 
 onis, comparatl 13 in eum atque inmissl, deslderabant in 
 senatu Instantissime, 14 ut pectiniae Antiochlnae praedae- 
 
 1 King of Syria, with whom the 
 Romans waged war 15)2-189 B.C. Cf. 
 below. 1. 23 f. 2 alia . . . daret=' was 
 making other charges.' Crimiul is 
 dative of purpose with daret; cf. 
 fib'.nl/ste dono, p. 22, 1. 8. 3 memo- 
 ria repeto : ' it keeps running 
 through my head.' For the refer- 
 ence, cf. p. 41, n. 11. 4 sc. diem = 
 ' to-day.' 6 Here and in three other 
 passages Gellius uses non with the 
 subjunctive of exhortation. More 
 
 careful authors write n. 6 ' vaga- 
 bond, wretch.' ~> = statim. 8 'as- 
 sembly.' 9 sententiam ferre = ' to 
 vote, pass judgment.' 10 'escorted.' 
 11 = exstat. 12 infitias ire = ' to 
 deny ' occurs six or seven times in 
 Gellius. It is always coupled with a 
 negative, and is generally followed 
 by quin with the subjunctive. 13 com- 
 parati . . . inmissi : ' having been set 
 upon him and instigated.' 14 ' most 
 urgently.'
 
 XOCTES ATTICAE, VI. 1 43 
 
 que in eo bello captae rationem l redderet : fuerat enim 
 L. Scipioni Asiatico, fratrl suo, iruperatori in ea provincia 
 legatus. Ibi Scipio exsurgit et, prolate e sinu 2 togae 
 libro, rationes in eo scriptas esse dixit omnis pecuniae 
 omiiisque praedae; illatum, ut palam recitaretur et ad 5 
 aerarium 3 deferretur. "Sed enim id iam non faciam" 
 inquit "nee me ipse adficiam 4 contumelia," eumque librum 
 statim coram discidit suls manibus et concerpsit, 5 aegre 
 passus, quod cul 6 salus imperil ac relpublicae accepta 
 ferri deberet rationem pecuniae praedatae posceretur. 10 
 
 VI. 1 
 
 Id etiam dicere haut piget/ quod idem ill!, 8 quos supra 
 nominavl, lltteris mandaverint, Scipionem hunc Africa- 
 nuin solitavisse noctis 9 extreme, priusquam dilucularet, 10 
 in Capitolium ventitare u ac iubere aperlri cellam B lovis 
 atque ibi solum diu demorari, quasi consultantem de repu- 15 
 blica cum love, aeditumosque K eius tempi! saepe esse 
 dem!ratos, quod solum id temporis in Capitolium ingre- 
 dientem u canes semper in alios saevientes neque latrarent 
 eum neque incurrerent. 
 
 Has volg! de Scipione opiniones conflrmare atque ap- 20 
 
 1 rationem reddere is a mercan- 1 7 Sc. me. The whole phrase = 
 tile phrase, ' to render an account.' ' I am not unvrilling to.' 8 The ref- 
 - sinu togae = the loose folds of erence is to certain biographers of 
 the toga, which sometimes, as here, the elder Africanus. 9 noctis ex- 
 served as a pocket. 3 ' treasury.' tremo : in this sense extrema nocte 
 
 4 contumelia adficere = ' to insult.' is the regular formula in classical 
 So honore adficere = ' to honor.' Latin. Cf. p. 30, n. 14. 10 Cf. p. 35, 
 
 5 from concerpere = 'to tear.' 6 cul n. 3. " Cf. p. 33, n. 7. K The 
 . . . deberet : ' who ought to he apartment in which the statue of 
 
 credited with having saved the state.' 
 rein fen-e aliciti acceptam is a mer- 
 cantile phrase, which = ' to set a 
 thing down to one's credit.' 
 
 Jupiter stood. 13 ' keepers.' 14 Join 
 with eum, which is itself accusative 
 after latrarent. A rare construction, 
 confined to poetry and late prose.
 
 44 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 probare videbantur dicta factaque eius pleraque admi- 
 randa. Ex quibus est unum huiuscemodi. Assidebat 
 oppugnabatque oppidum in Hispania situ, moenibus, de- 
 fensoribus validum et munitum, re etiam cibaria copio- 
 
 5 sum, nullaque eius potiundi spes erat, et quodam die itis 
 in castrls sedens dlcebat atque ex eo loco id oppidum 
 procul visebatur. Turn e 1 militibus, qui in iure 2 apud 
 eum stabant, interrogavit quispiam ex more, in quern 
 diem locumque vadimonium 3 promitti iuberet : et Scipio 
 
 10 manum ad ipsam oppidl, quod obsidebatur, arcem pro- 
 tendens, " Perendie " 4 inquit " sese 5 sistant illo in loco." 
 Atque ita f actum : die tertio, in quern vadarl 6 iusserat, 
 oppidum captum est eodemque eo die in arce eius oppidl 
 ius dlxit. 
 
 IV. 20 
 
 15 Notati ' a censoribus, qui audientibus iis dlxerant ioca quaedam intem- 
 pestiviter; 8 ac de eius quoque nota deliberatum, qui steterat forte 
 apud eos Qscitabundus. 9 
 
 Inter censorum 10 severitates tria haec exempla in lltte- 
 
 ris sunt castigatissimae " disciplmae. Unum est huiusce- 
 
 20 modi. Censor agebat 12 de uxoribus sollemne msiurandum. 
 
 Verba 13 erant ita concepta : Vt tu ex 14 animl tul sententid 
 
 1 Join with quispiam. 2< court.' 
 s vadimonium promittere = to fur- 
 
 Sc. sunt: 'were branded.' Cf. 
 nota, 1. 16, and p. 25, n. 9. 8 ' unsea- 
 
 nish bail as security for one's appear- sonabl y.' 9 ' yawning.' Cf. p. 40, n. 6. 
 ance in court to stand trial. Hence! 10 censorum severitates: 'pun- 
 
 the question in ... iuberet = ' when 
 and where he bade (the accused) ap- 
 pear for trial.' 4 ' day after to-mor- 
 row.' 5 sese sistant = ' appear.' In 
 legal language sistere is often used 
 
 ishments inflicted by the censors.' 
 11 ' strictest.' 12 = exifjebat : ' was 
 administering.' 13 verba concepta : 
 ' the formula.' 14 ex animi tul 
 (mei) sententia = ' on your (my) 
 
 of producing some one in court, conscience ' is a frequent formula in 
 6 vadarl is used of the judge or oaths. Further ut . . . habes is col- 
 accuser, who causes another to be loquial and archaic for the simple 
 
 put under bail. Supply as its sub- 
 ject here cos, representing the court 
 officers. 
 
 habes. Hence the whole question 
 means : ' Tell me, on your con- 
 science, have you a wife? '
 
 XOCTES ATTIC AE, IV. 20 
 
 45 
 
 nxorem habes ? Qui iurabat, cavillator l quidani et cani- 
 cula 2 et niinis rldicularius fuit. Is locum esse sibi iocl 
 dlcundi ratus, cum ita, uti mos erat, censor dixisset " Ut 
 tii ex animi tui sententia nxorem habes ? " " Habeo equi- 
 dem" inquit "uxorem, sed non hercle ex 3 animi mei 5 
 sententia." Turn censor emn, quod intern pestive lasci- 
 visset, in aerarios 4 rettulit, causarnque hanc iocl scurrilis 
 apud se diet! subscripsit. 
 
 Altera severitas eiusdem sectae dlsciplmaeque est. 
 Deliberatum est de nota eius, qul ad censores ab amico 10 
 advocatus est et in iure 3 stans clare nimis et sonore 
 oscitavit, atque 6 inibi ut plecteretur fuit, tamquam illud 
 indicium esset vagi animi et alucinantis 7 et fluxae 8 
 atque apertae 9 securitatis. Sed cum ille deiurasset iu- 
 vltissimum sese ac repugnantem oscitatione victum tene- 15 
 rlque eo vitio, quod oscedo appellatur, turn notae iam 
 destinatae exemptus est. Publius Sclpio Af ricanus, 10 Paull 
 fllius, utramque historiam posuit in oratione, quam dixit 
 in censura, cum ad maiorurn mores populum hortaretur. 
 
 Item aliud ref ert Sabinus Masurius " in septimo Memo- 20 
 riali } - severe factum : " Censores " inquit " Publius Sclpio 
 is aslca et Marcus Popilius cum equitum censum 13 agerent, 
 
 1 ' jester.' 2 A term of abuse. Cf . 
 Shakspere's ' false hound.' 3 ex ... 
 sententia here = ' to my heart's con- 
 tent.' 4 citizens of the lowest class, 
 who paid a poll-tax (aes) , but had 
 no right to vote. 5 Cf. p. 44, n. 2. 
 atque . . . plecteretur: 'was on 
 the point of being beaten.' How 
 literally? For another use of atque 
 inibi, cf . p. 26, n. 1. ~ = aberrantis. 
 Cf. ' hallucination.' 8 ' lax ; ' strictly. 
 ' unstable as water.' 9 apertae se- 
 curitatis : ' bare-faced recklessness.' 
 10 The younger Africanus is here 
 meant. He was by birth the son of 
 
 L. Aemilius Pa til us, who defeated 
 Perses, king of Macedonia, at Pydna 
 in 168 B.C. He was adopted by 
 the elder son of Scipio Africanus 
 Maior. n A distinguished Eoman 
 lawyer, who lived in the first century 
 A.D. 12 sc. libro. This work, which 
 seems to have been a sort of history, 
 is elsewhere cited by the title Me- 
 morialia, ' Memoirs.' 13 ' were taking 
 the census.' On such occasions the 
 Knights, each leading his own 
 horse, passed in review before the 
 tribunal of the censors in the 
 forum.
 
 46 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 equum nimis strigosum l et male 2 habitum, sed equitem 
 eius uberrimum 3 et habitissimum 4 vlderunt et i Cur ' in- 
 quiunt ' ita est, ut tu sis quam equus curatior ? ' ' Quo- 
 niam,' inquit, 'ego me euro, equum Statins nihili 5 servos.' 
 
 5 Vlsum est parum esse reverens responsum relatusque in 
 aerarios, ut mos est." 
 
 Statius autem servile nomen f uit. Plerlque apud vete- 
 re"s servl eo nomine fuerunt. Caecilius 6 quoque ille 7 
 comoediarum poeta inclutus 7 servus fuit et propterea 
 
 10 nomen habuit Statius. Sed postea versum est quasi in 
 cognomentum, appellatusque est Caecilius Statius. 
 
 IV. 12 
 
 Notae et animadversiones 8 censoriae in veteribus monumentis 9 reper- 
 tae memoria dignae. 
 
 Si quis agrum suum passus f uerat sordescere 10 eumque 
 
 15 indlligenter curabat ac neque araverat neque purgaverat, 
 
 slve quis arborem suam vlneamque habuerat u derelictui, 
 
 non id sine poena fuit, sed erat opus 12 censorium censo- 
 
 resque aerarium faciebant. Item, quis eques Komanus 
 
 equum habere gracilentum 13 aut parum n 4 tidum visus 
 
 20 erat, inpolUiae u notabatur ; id verbum slgnificat, quasi tu 
 
 dlcas incur iae. Cuius rel utrmsque auctoritates sunt et 
 
 M. Cato id saepeuumero adtestatus est. 
 
 1 'thin.' - male habitum: 'ill j famous.' This meaning of ille is 
 kept,' i.e. lean, skinny. For the common in Gellius. 
 synonyms here, as below in uberri- 8 ' Punishments.' 9 sc. littera- 
 mum et habitissimum, see p. 16, rum. 10 'to run wild.' 1] derelictui 
 n. 3. 3 ' very fat.' 4 ' extremely habere = neyleyere. This phrase is 
 
 well conditioned.' Plautus describes 
 a certain individual as corpulen- 
 tior atque habitior. 5 'worthless.' 
 Strictly, nihili is the genitive of 
 nihihim = nihil, but it is used prac- 
 tically as an indeclinable adjective. 
 
 the opposite of cordi haberc = ' to 
 esteem.' 1-2 erat opus censorium: 
 ' the censors took cognizance of it.' 
 
 13 'thin.' Cf. strigosum above, 1. 1. 
 
 14 ' lack of neatness ' (ct.polire). The 
 genitive is the one regularly found 
 
 6 Cf . p. 21, n. 21. " ille and inclutus with verbs of charging, condemning, 
 strengthen each other, as both = ' the ! and acquitting.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, X. 6 47 
 
 VI. 22 
 
 Quod censores equum adimere soliti sunt equitibus corpulentis et prae- 
 pinguibus ; quaesitumque, utruin ea res cum Iguomiiiia an incolumi 1 
 dignitate equitum facta sit. 
 
 Nirnis pingui hominl et corpulento censores equum 
 adimere solitos scilicet, 2 minus idoneum ratos 3 esse cum 5 
 tantl corporis pondere ad faciendum equitis munus. Non 
 enim poena id fuit, ut quldam existimant, sed munus 
 sine Ignominia remittebatur. Tamen Cato in oratione, 
 quam De 4 Sacrificid Commisso scripsit, obicit 5 hanc rem 
 criminosius, 6 uti niagis videri possit cum Ignominia fuisse. 10 
 Quod si ita accipias, id profecto existimandum est, non 
 omnlno inculpatum 7 neque indesidem 8 vlsuni 9 esse, cuius 
 corpus in tam inmodicum rnodum luxuriasset exuberas- 
 setque. 
 
 X. 6 
 
 Multam 10 dictam esse ab aedilibus plebei Appi Caecl n filiae, mulieri 15 
 uobili, quod locuta esset petulantius. 
 
 Non in facta modo, sed in 12 voces etiam petulantiores 
 pilblice vindicatum est; ita enini debere esse visa est 
 Eomanae dlsciplmae dlgnitas inviolabilis. Appi nam- 
 que illlus Caecl fllia, a ludls quos spectaverat exiens, 20 
 turba undique confluentis fluctuantisque popull iactata 13 
 
 1 'intact.' Translate: ' whether | the sacrifice.' 5 obi cere often = 
 the doing of this involved disgrace j 'to cast in one's teeth.' 6 'taunt- 
 to the knights or left their dignity j ingly.' 7 ' undeserving of blame.' 
 unimpaired.' For the occasion which j 8 ' inactive.' 9 Sc. eum or ilium as 
 Gellius has in mind, cf. p. 45, n. ' subject of vlsum esse. 
 13. 2 scilicet has here its fullest I 10 Cf. p. 33, n. 11. Multam 
 force, that is, it = scire licet, ' be it dicere = ' to pronounce a fine.' u Ap- 
 known unto you,' and the infinitive pius Claudius Caecus, censor in 312 
 solitos (esse) depends upon it. This B.C., and builder in the same year 
 construction is archaic. 3 = cum \ of the famous Appian Way. 12 vin- 
 (' since ') ratieasent. * De Sacrificio dicare in =' to punish.' 18 'jostled, 
 Cominisso: ' On the performance of knocked about.'
 
 48 
 
 AL'LUS GELLIUS 
 
 est. Atque hide egressa, cum se male habitam 1 diceret, 
 " Quid 2 me mine f actuin esset " inquit " quantoque artius 
 pressiusque confllctata essem, si P. Claudius, frater meus, 
 navall 3 proelio classem navium cum ingenti civium nu- 
 
 5 mero non perdidisset ? Certe quidem maiore nunc copia 
 popull oppressa intercidissem. 4 Sed utinam " inquit 
 " revivlscat frater aliamque classem in Sicilian! ducat 
 atque istam multitudinem perditum 5 eat, quae me nunc 
 male miseram convexavit! 6 " Ob haec mulieris verba 
 
 10 tam inproba ac tain incivllia C. Ftmdanius et Tiberius 
 Sempronius, aedlles plebel, 7 inultam dixerunt el aeris 8 
 gravis viginti qulnque in Ilia. Id factum esse dlcit Capito 
 Ateius 9 in commentario De 10 liicliciis Piiblicls bello Poe- 
 nico primo, Fabio Licino et Otacilio Crasso consulibus. 
 
 V. 2 
 
 15 Super equo Alexandr! regis, qui Bucephalus n appellatus est. 
 
 Equus Alexandii regis et capite 12 et nomine 12 Buce- 
 phalas f uit. Emptum Chares 13 scrlpsit talentis u trede- 
 
 1 'ill treated.' 2 Quid . . . esset: 
 ' what would have become of me ? ' 
 In such phrases the ablative (me) is 
 generally regarded as instrumental ; 
 it may, however, be viewed as one 
 of specification. 3 Off Drepanum, 
 in Sicily, in 249 B.C. He lost ninety- 
 three out of one hundred and twenty- 
 three ships. 4 = mortuus essem. 
 6 Supine of perdere. Join with eat. 
 6 = violenter iactavit. ' In 245 B.C., 
 when the defeat at Drepanum was 
 still fresh in the public mind. s aeris 
 gravis is ' money of the oldest stand- 
 ard,' according to which the as was a 
 full pound of copper. Again, Gel- 
 Hus often uses aeris (from aes), 
 where one would expect assiui (gen. 
 plur. of as). Hence the whole means 
 that Claudia was fined twenty-five 
 
 thousand asses, old standard. In 
 its latest form the as contained only 
 one twenty-fourth of a pound of 
 copper. 9 A celebrated j urist, teacher 
 of Masurius Sabinus (p. 45, n. 11). 
 10 ' On state trials.' Under the 
 term publica indicia were included 
 all trials involving matters that 
 affected the welfare of the state. 
 
 11 ' Ox-head ; ' from 0oOs, ' ox,' 
 and Ke^aXij, ' head.' This famous 
 horse of Alexander the Great is often 
 mentioned by Greek and Latin 
 writers. 12 Ablatives of specifica- 
 tion with fuit. Render: 'in fact as 
 in name.' w A native of Mitylene, 
 and court-marshal of Alexander. 
 His history of Alexander treated 
 with fulness and accuracy of the 
 king's domestic life. H The talen~
 
 XOCTES ATTICA E, V. 3 
 
 49 
 
 cim et regi Philippe l donatum ; hoc autem aeris nostrl 
 summa est sestertia 2 trecenta duodecim. Super hoc equo 
 dignum memoria visum, quod, ubi ornatus erat armatus- 
 que ad proelimn, haud umquain inscendi sese ab alio, 
 nisi ab re"ge, passus sit. Id etiam de isto equo memora- 5 
 turn est, quod, cum insidens in eo Alexander bello Indico 
 et facinora faciens fortia, in hostium cuneum 3 non satis 
 sibi providens inmlsisset, coniectlsque undique in Alexan- 
 drum tells vulneribus altis in cervice atque in latere 
 equus perfossus 4 esset, moribundus 5 tamen ac prope iam 10 
 exsanguis e medils hostibus regem vivacissimo 6 cursu 
 retulit atque, ubi eum extra tela extulerat, ilico concidit 7 
 et, dominl 8 iam superstitis securus, quasi cum sensus 
 humani solacio animam 9 exspiravit. Turn rex Alex- 
 ander, parta eius belli victoria, oppidum in Isdem locis 15 
 condidit idque ob 10 equl honores Bucephalon appellavit. 
 
 V. 3 
 
 Quae causa quodque initium fuisse dieatur Protagorae u ad philoso- 
 phiae 12 litteras adeundi. 
 
 Protagoram, virum in studils 13 doctrinarum egregium, 
 cuius nomen Plato 14 libro 15 suo ill! incluto Inscripsit, adule- 20 
 
 trim was not a coin, but a certain 
 weight of silver (less often of gold). 
 It was a Greek measure. The value 
 of the silver talent, which is meant 
 here, was about $1000. 
 
 1 King of Macedon 359-336 B.C., 
 and father of Alexander. - sestertia 
 is from the nominative sestertium, 
 wh\ch = mi(le sestertii. The sestertius 
 was a Roman silver coin, worth 
 about four cents. 3 ' wedge,' ' column.' 
 4 ' pierced ; ' from perfodio. 5 ' dy- 
 ing.' 6 = velocissimo. " ' fell dead 
 on the spot (flico).' 8 dominl . . . 
 securus : ' assured of his master's 
 AI:L. GEL. 4 
 
 safety.' The genitive with securus 
 belongs to poetry and post-Augustan 
 prose. 9 Cf. p. 39, n. 13. 10 ob equi 
 honores = ut equum honoraret. 
 
 " P. lived about 480-410 B.C. 
 12 philosophiae . . . adeundi : ' of 
 entering on the scientific study of 
 philosophy.' 13 studiis doctrinarum 
 = ' learned studies.' 14 Plato, the 
 celebrated Athenian philosopher 
 (427-347 B.C.), wrote a dialogue en- 
 titled Protagoras, whose central 
 theme is, 7s virtiie teachable? 
 15 The dative is due to the prefix of 
 Inscrlpsit.
 
 50 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 scentem aiunt vlctus quaerendi gratia in mercedem l mis- 
 sum vecturasque 2 onerum corpora suo factitavisse, quod 
 genus 3 Grace! dx^o^dpous vocant, Latlne buiulds* appella- 
 mus. Is de proximo rure Abdera 5 in oppidum, cuius 
 
 5 popularis fuit, caudices 6 llgni plurimos funiculo 7 brevi 
 circumdatos portabat. Turn forte Democritus, 8 clvitatis 
 eiusdem clvis, homo ante alios virtiltis et philosophiae 
 gratia venerandus, cum egrederetur extra urbem, videt 
 eum cum illo genere oneris tarn impedlto ac tain incohi- 
 
 10 bill 9 facile atque expedite incedentem et prope accedit 
 et iuncturam posituramque llgni sclte perlteque factam 
 considerat petitque, ut paululum adquiescat. 10 Quod ubi 
 Protagoras, ut erat petition, fecit atque itidem Demo- 
 critus acervum ilium et quasi orbem caudicum brevi 
 
 15 vinculo comprehensum ratione quadam quasi geometrica 
 librarl 11 contineiique animadvertit, interrogavit quis id 
 lignum ita composuisset, et, cum ille a se compositum 
 dlxisset, deslderavit utl solveret ac denuo in modum 
 eundem collocaret. At postquam ille solvdt ac similiter 
 
 20 composuit, turn Democritus, auiiui aciem 12 sollertiam- 
 que 13 homiiiis non 14 doctl demiratus, U 3H adulescens," 
 inquit " cum ingenium bene faciendi habeas, sunt maiora 
 melioraque quae facere mecum possis," abduxitque eum 
 statim secumque habuit et sumptum 15 ministravit et phi- 
 
 25 losophias docuit et esse eum fecit, quantus 16 postea fuit. 
 
 1 i.e. 'was hired out.' A hired 
 workman was called a mercenna- 
 riits. 2 vecturS.8 . . . factitavisse = 
 onera corpore suo vexisse, 8 so. 
 hominum. 4 ' porters.' 5 A town on 
 the southern coast of Thrace, whose 
 inhabitants were proverbially stupid. 
 Yet three distinguished philosophers 
 were born there, Democritus, Pro- 
 tagoras, and Anaxarchus. 6 ' sticks.' 
 7 ' rope.' 8 Democritus (about 4(iO- 
 360 B.C. ) is famous as the author 
 
 of the Atomic Theory, or the doc- 
 trine that the universe is formed of 
 atoms. 9 ' unwieldy.' 10 ' rest.' n ' bal- 
 anced.' 12 'acuteness.' 13 'skill.' 
 H non docti=(?N i on doctus erat, i.e. 
 who had never any ' schooling.' 15 i.e. 
 'supplied him with money.' 16 P. 
 taught for many years at Athens, 
 until expelled for certain atheistical 
 opinions expressed by him in a 
 work entitled Ilepi Qewv (= De 
 Dis).
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, V. 10 51 
 
 V. 10 
 
 I)e arguments, quae Graece ivrur-rpf^ovra. l appellantur, a nobls reci- 
 proca l did possunt. 
 
 Inter vitia 2 argumentorum longe maximum esse vitium 
 videtur, quae 3 avTio-Tpe^oi/ra Graeci dicunt. Ea quldam 
 e nostris non hercle nimis absurde recfproca appellave- 5 
 runt. Id autem vitium accidit hoc modo, cum argumen- 
 tum proposition referri contra convertique in eum potest, 
 a quo dictum est, et utrimque pariter valet; quale est 
 pervolgatum 4 illud, quo Protagoram, Sophistarum 5 acer- 
 rimum, usum esse ferunt adversus Euathlum, discipuluin 10 
 suum. 
 
 Lis 6 namque inter eos et controversia super pacta 7 
 mercede haec fuit. Euathlus, adulescens dives, eloquen- 
 tiae discendae causarumque 8 orandi cupiens fuit. Is in 
 dlsciplmam Protagorae a sese dedit daturumque promisit 15 
 mercedem grandem pecuniam, quantam Protagoras peti- 
 verat, diniidiumque eius dedit iam tune statim pritis- 
 quani dlsceret, pepigitque ut reliquum dimidium daret, 
 quo prlmo die causam apud iudices orasset et vicisset. 
 Postea cum diutule 10 auditor adsectatorque u Protagorae 20 
 fuisset et in studio quidem facundiae abunde promovis- 
 set, causas tamen nou reciperet tempusque iam longum 
 
 1 Arguments that ' turn back,' ] Cf. pepigit, 1. 18. 8 By an arcbaic 
 
 i.e. recoil upon bim who advances construction the gen. causarum is 
 
 them. Eeciproca argumenta are dei^endent on the genitive of the 
 
 arguments that can be urged with gerund orandi. which is treated as 
 
 equal effect on both sides of a given fully substantival. Causarum . . . 
 
 case. Cf.ll.t!-8. 2 ' fallacies.' 3 sc. fuit = causa.* orare cupiit. 9 If 
 
 eorum as antecedent of quae. Protagorae be taken with dedit, 
 
 4 ' well-known.' 5 A class of phi- in disciplinam must be regarded as 
 
 losophers who traveled from place expressing purpose : ' to be trained 
 
 to place in Greece and Sicily. They by him.' It is possible also to con- 
 were the first to exact a fee for ' strue in disciplinam directly with 
 
 imparting knowledge, and incurred dedit, in which case Protagorae is 
 
 great odium by so doing. 6 ' law- genitive. lft diminutive of diu = ' a 
 
 suit.' " from pan gere : 'stipulated.' while.' n 'pupil.' .
 
 52 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 transcurreret et facere id videretur, ne relicum 1 merce- 
 dis daret, capit consilium Protagoras, ut turn existimabat, 
 astutum: petere mstitit ex pacto niercedem, litem cum 
 Euathlo contestatur. 
 
 5 Et cum ad indices coniciendae 2 consistendaeque 3 
 causae gratia venissent, turn Protagoras sic exorsus est : 
 " Disce," inquit " stultissime adulescens, utroque id 4 
 modo fore, uti reddas quod peto, sive contra te pronun- 
 tiatum erit sive pro te. Nam, si contra te lis data erit, 
 
 10 merces mihi ex senteiitia debebitur, quia ego vicero, sin 
 vero secundum 5 te iudicatum erit, merces mihi ex pacto 
 debebitur, quia tu viceris." 
 
 Ad ea respondit Euathlus : " Potui " inquit " hulc 
 tuae tarn ancipit! 6 caption! 7 isse 8 obviam, si 9 verba non 
 
 15 ipse facerem atque alio patrono uterer. Sed mains mihi 
 in ista victoria prolubium 10 est, cum te non in causa tan- 
 turn, sed in arguments quoque isto vinco. Dlsce igitur 
 tu quoque, magister sapientissime, utroque modo fore, 
 utl non reddam quod petis, sive contra me pronuntiatum 
 
 20 fuerit sive pro me. Nam, si iudices pro causa mea sense- 
 rint, nihil tibi ex sententia debebitur, quia ego vicero; 
 sin contra me pronuntiaverint, nihil tibi ex pacto debebo, 
 quia non vicero." 
 
 Turn iudices dubiosum hoc inexplicabileque esse, quod 
 
 25 utrimque dlcebatur, rati, ne sententia sua utramcumque in 
 partem dic-ta esset ipsa sese rescinderet, 11 rein iniudica- 
 
 1 = reliquam mrcedcm. Cf. p. 
 30, n. 14, and p. 43, n. 9. 2 'state, 
 argue.' This meaning is rare and 
 confined to legal formulas. 8 'de- 
 cide.' 4 id fore = ' this will be the 
 result.' Id is explained by utl . . . 
 peto, while utroque modo is ex- 
 plained by the sive . . . sive clauses. 
 6 = pro : 'in your favor.' Cf. note 
 on secundum hanc senteiitiuin, p. 
 
 20, 1. 13. 6 'subtle.' 7 'quibble.' 
 8 isse obviam = 'to meet,' i.e. 
 defeat. 9 si ... iiterer : ' without 
 saying a word myself and by 
 (merely) engaging some one else as 
 my counsel.' in = gaudium. n re- 
 scindere is especially used of 
 repealing or annulling laws and 
 decisions. Translate: 'be self-con- 
 tradictory.'
 
 XOCTES ATTICAE, V. 9 
 
 53 
 
 tarn reliquerunt causamque in diem longissimam distule- 
 runt. 1 Sic ab adulescente discipulo magister eloquentiae 
 inelutus suo 2 sibi arguments confutatus est et captionis 
 versute 3 excogitatae f rustratus 4 f uit. 
 
 V. 9 
 
 Historia de Croesi 5 filio muto ex Herodoti 6 libris. 5 
 
 Filius Croesi regis, cum iam far! per aetatem. 7 posset, 
 Infans 8 erat et, cum iain uiultum adolevisset, item nihil 
 far! quibat. Mutus adeo et elinguis 8 diu habitus est. 
 Cum in patrem eius, bello magno victum et urbe 9 in qua 
 erat capta, hostis gladio deducto, regem esse ignorans, 10 
 invaderet, diduxit 10 adulescens 6s, clamare mtens, eoque 
 nisu atque impetu spiritus vitimn nodumque linguae 
 rupit planeque et articulate elocutus est, clamans in hos- 
 tem, ne rex Croesus occideretur. Turn et hostis gladium 
 reduxit et rex vita donatus est et adulescens loqui pror- 15 
 sum 11 deinceps incepit. Herodotus in Historiis huius 
 memoriae scriptor est eiusque verba sunt, quae prlma 
 dixisse fllium Croesi refert : "Av^wrre, ^ KTCIVC Kpolaov. 12 
 
 Sed et quispiam Samius athleta, nomen illi fuit 
 
 1 ' postponed.' 2 suus sibi, a 
 strengthened form of suns, is fre- 
 quent in early and in late Latin, 
 and is found occasionally in Cicero. 
 3 'subtly.' 4 from frustrare, which 
 is less common than the deponent 
 form frustrari. The genitive capti- 
 onis with frustratus is noteworthy. 
 This story is told also of Korax, a 
 Syracusan rhetorician, and his pupil 
 Tisias. On this occasion the judges 
 dismissed the case with the com- 
 ment, " Bad crow, bad eggs." (The 
 Greek word K6pa% = ' crow.') 
 
 5 King of Lydia from 560 B.C. 
 till conquered by Cyrus the Great 
 
 of Persia in 54fi. 6 Herodotus of 
 Halicarnassus, a Greek city in Caria, 
 the "Father of History," lived 
 about 480-425 B.C. 7 per aetatem: 
 'so far as his age was concerned." 
 Per is here partly instrumental (cf . 
 p. 3!), n. 10), partly causal in mean- 
 ing. Cf. xii. 7. 7, per leges non 
 licuit. 8 ' tongue-tied.' How liter- 
 ally ? 9 Sardis, the capital of Lydia. 
 10 'stretched open." n prorsum 
 deinceps : ' straight on from that 
 time.' Cf. p. 54, 1. 7, per omne inde 
 vilae tempus. 12 The Greek words 
 = Croesum, homo, ne occideris. Cf. 
 ne . . . occideretur, 1. 14.
 
 54 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 s, cum antea non loquSns 1 fuisset, ob similem 
 dicitur causam loqui coepisse. Nam cum in sacro certa- 
 mine sortitio inter ipsos 2 et adversaries non bona fide" 
 fieret et sortem 3 nominis falsam subici 4 animadvertis- 
 5 set, repente in eum, qui id faciebat, videre sese, quid 
 faceret, magnum inclamavit. Atque is oris vinclo solu- 
 tus per 5 omne inde vltae tempus non turbide neque 
 adhaese 6 locutus est. 
 
 V. 14 
 
 Quod Apion, 7 doctus homo, qui Plistonices 8 appellatus est, vidisse se 
 10 Romae scripsit recognitionem inter sese mutuam ex 9 vetere notitia 
 
 IK in i i 11 is et leonis. 
 
 Apion, qui Plistonices appellatus est, litteris 10 homo 
 multis praeditus rerumque Graecarum plurima atque 
 varia scientia 11 fuit. Eius librl non incelebres 12 fernn- 
 15 tur, 13 quibus omnium ferine, quae mirifica in Aegypto 
 visuntur audiunturque, historia comprehenditur. Sed in 
 his, quae vel audlsse vel legisse sese dicit, fortassean 14 
 vitio 15 studioque ostentationis sit loqxiacior est enim 
 sane 16 quam in praedicandis doctrinls sui 17 venditator, 
 
 1 loquens fuisset = locutus esset. 
 2 = Samios. 3 The sors, ' lot,' was 
 a bit of wood or other material on 
 which the names of the contestants 
 were written. 4 ' substituted." The 
 meaning is that a name which had 
 not been drawn was substituted for 
 one which had been drawn. 5 per 
 . . . tempus = prorsum deinceps, 
 p.5'>, 11.15, 16. 6 'stammeringly.' Con- 
 trast plane et articulate, p. 53, 1. 13. 
 
 7 A Greek born in Egypt, who 
 gained distinction at Rome as a 
 teacher of grammar and rhetoric 
 during the reigns of Tiberius and 
 Claudius. 8 (from Tr\e?(TTos, ' very 
 many,' and vlxri, ' victory ') ' man of 
 
 many victories.' The title is a 
 tribute to Apion's ability. 9 causal 
 = 'in consequence of.' 10 litteris 
 . . . praeditus =' a man who pos- 
 sessed a wide acquaintance with 
 literature.' ll ablative of charac- 
 teristic with fuit. 12 ' unknown.' 
 13 'are current.' The books which 
 Gellius has in mind were called 
 Aegyptiaca. H fortassean = for- 
 tasse ; an archaic word. 15 vitio . . . 
 ostentationis : ' through his love of 
 display, which amounts to a weak- 
 ness.' How literally ? 16 sane quam: 
 ' most assuredly.' l " ' a seller (ped- 
 dler) of himself,' i.e. he was fond of 
 ' blowing his own trumpet.' In allu-
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, V. 14 55 
 
 hoc autem, quod in libr<3 Aegyptiacorum qumto scripsit, 
 neque audisse neque legisse, sed ipsum sese rn urbe 
 Roma vidisse oculis suis confirmat. 
 
 " In Circo l Maximo " inquit " venationis 2 amplissimae 
 pugna populo dabatur. Eius rel, Eomae cum forte 5 
 essem, spectator" inquit "fui. Multae ibi saevientes 
 ferae, magnitudines 3 bestiarum excellentes omniumque 
 invisitata aut forma erat aut ferocia. Sed praeter 4 alia 
 oninia leonum" inquit "immanitas 5 admiration! 6 fuit 
 praeterque 4 omnis ceteros unus. Is unus leo corporis 10 
 impetu et vastitudine terrificoque fremitu et sonoro, 
 toris 7 comisque cervicum fluctuantibus, animos oculosque 
 omnium in sese converterat. Introductus erat inter com- 
 pluris ceteros ad pugnam bestiarum datus servus viri 
 consularis ; el servo Androclus nomen fuit. Hunc ille 15 
 leo ubi vlclit procul, repente" inquit "quasi admirans 
 stetit ac deinde sensim atque placide, tamquam noscita- 
 bundus, 8 ad hominem accedit. Turn caudam more atque 
 ritu adulantium canum clementer et blande movet homi- 
 nisque se 9 corpori adiungit cruraque eius et mantis, prope 20 
 iam exanimati metu, lingua leniter demulcet.' Homo 
 Androclus inter ilia tarn atrocis ferae blandimenta amis- 
 sum animum recuperat, paulatim oculos ad contuendum 
 
 sion to Apion's conceit, the emperor ! 3 magnitudines . . . excellentes: 
 
 Tiberius, used to call him cymbalum 
 
 1 For a good description of a Ro- 
 man circus, see Lew Wallace's Ben 
 Hur, Book V, chapter XII. 2 vena- 
 t'o is a technical term of the arena, 
 denoting the contests of beasts with 
 
 ' beasts of preeminent size.' Cf. p. 56, 
 1. 12, camporum et arenarum soli- 
 tudines ; also p. 16, n. 16. 4 praeter 
 here = 'beyond,' and serves to ex- 
 press a comparison. 5 ' size,' espe- 
 cially size which inspires terror. 
 6 a predicate dative = a predicate 
 
 one another or with human beings, j adjective, admirabilis. ' 'brawn.' 
 As a commentary on amplissimae Properly, torus = a bunch of any 
 
 we may recall the story told by 
 Suetonius that at the formal open- 
 
 sort, as a knot on a rope, a tree, or 
 vine ; here it is used of the swelling 
 
 ing of the Coliseum five thousand ' muscles. 8 ' recognizing.' 9 se ad- 
 beasts were slain in a single day. iungit: ' rubs against.' 10 'licks.'
 
 56 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 leonem refert. Turn quasi mutua recognitione facta 
 laetos " inquit " et gratulabundos videres l hominem et 
 leonem." 
 
 Ea re prorsus tarn admirabili maximos populi clamo- 
 
 5 res excitatos dicit, 2 accersltumque 3 a C. Caesare Andro- 
 clum quaesltamque causam, cur ill! atrocissiinus leo tin! 
 parsisset. 4 Ibi Androclus rem mirificam narrat atque 
 admirandam. " Cum provinciam " inquit " Africam pro- 
 consular! imperio meus dominus obtineret, ego ibi ini- 
 
 10 quis eius et cotldianls verberibus 5 ad f ugam sum coactus 
 et, ut mihi a domino, terrae illlus praeside, tiitiores late- 
 brae 6 f orent, in camporum 7 et arenarum solitudines con- 
 cessl ac, si defuisset cibus, consilium fuit mortem aliquo 
 pacto quaerere. Turn sole 8 medio" inquit "rabido et 
 
 15 flagrant! specum 9 quandam nanctus 10 remotam latebro- 
 samque, 11 in earn me 12 penetro et recondo. Neque multo 
 post ad eandem specum venit h!c leo, debili uno et 
 cruento pede, gemitus edens et murmura, dolorem crucia- 
 tumque vulneris commiserantia. 13 " Atque illlc prime 
 
 20 quidem conspectu adveuientis leonis territum sibi et 
 pavefactum animum dlxit. " Sed postquam introgres- 
 sus " inquit " leo, ut! 14 re ipsa apparuit, in habitaculum 
 illud suum, videt me procul delitescentem, 15 mitis et 
 mansues 18 accessit et sublatum pedem ostendere mihi et 
 
 25 porgere I7 quasi opis petendae gratia visus est. Ibi " 
 inquit " ego stirpem ingentem, vestigio 18 pedis eius hae- 
 
 1 ' one might have seen.' 2 Sc. 
 Apion. 3< summoned.' In Caesare 
 the reference is to the reigning 
 emperor, probably Claudius. 4 from 
 parco. 5 ' beatings.' 6 ' hiding-place. ' 
 " Cf. p. 55, n. 3. s In sole . . . 
 flagrant! there is a mixture of 
 ideas. With media, sole = die; with 
 rabido et flugranti, it has its proper 
 
 nanciscor) ' having happened upon.' 
 11 ' screened from observation.' Cf. 
 latebrae, 1. 12. 12 me penetro = 
 penetro, an archaic construction. 
 !3 ' evincing '; literally, 'pitying.' 
 Gellius is fond of strong metaphor?. 
 
 14 Join with habitaculum suum. 
 
 15 'seeking to hide.' 16 archaic for 
 mansuetus, ' tame.' 17 = porriya-c, 
 
 sense of ' sun.' 9 ' cave.' 10 (from i 'stretch out.' i8< so i e .'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, V. 14 57 
 
 rentem, revelll conceptamque 1 saniem volnere intimo 
 express! accuratiusque sine magna iam formidine siccavi 
 penitus atque deters! cruorem. Ilia tune mea opera et 
 medella levatus, pede in manibus meis posito, recubuit 
 et quievit atque ex eo die triennium totum ego et leo in 5 
 eadem specu eodemque et 2 victu viximus. Nam, quas 
 veuabatur feras, membra oplmiora ad 3 specurn mihi sub- 
 gerebat, quae ego, ignis copiam non habens, rnerldiano 
 sole torrens edebam. Sed ubi me 4 " inquit "vltae illius 
 fermae iam pertaesum est, leoue in venatum profecto, 10 
 reliqui specum et viam ferme tridui permensus a militi- 
 bus visus adprehensusque sum et ad dominum ex Africa 
 Romam deductus. Is me statim rel capitalis 5 damnan- 
 dum dandumque ad bestias euravit. Intellego autem " 
 inquit " hunc quoque leonem, me tune separate capturn, 15 
 gratiani 6 mihi nunc beneficii 7 et medicmae 7 ref erre." 
 
 Haec Apion dixisse Androclum tradit, eaque omnia 
 scrlpta circumlataque tabula populo declarata, atque ideo 
 cunctis petentibus dimissnm Androclum et poena solutum 
 leonemque el suffragiis 8 populi donatum. " Postea " inquit 20 
 " videbamus Androclum et leonem, loro 9 tenui revinctum, 
 urbe tota circum tabernas 10 ire, donari aere Androclum, 
 floribus spargi leonem. omnes ubique n obvios dicere : Hie 
 est led hospes hominis, hie est homo medicus leonis." 
 
 1 'clotted.' CVwor = 'running 6 gratiam referre = 'to thank.' 
 blood ' ; sanies = ' blood clotted in " The genitives qualify gratiam. 
 the wound.' Hence conceptam is 'Render: 'thanks for the kindness 
 really unnecessary. 2 ' even.' 3 ad I had done him by curing his 
 . . . subgerebat: 'brought to the wound.' 8 ' votes.' 9 Cf. p. 33, 
 cave and heaped up.' 4 me . . . per- n. 5. 10 'shops.' Here perhaps the 
 taesum est : ' I became heartily sick reference is especially to wine- 
 of this wild life.' 5 A res capituiis is shops, which were common fea- 
 a matter or charge which affects the tures of Roman streets, if we may 
 caput, i.e. the civil status, or, as j judge from the ruins of Pompeii, 
 here, the life of an individual. For j ll ubique obvios = qui tibiqiie 
 the genitive cf. inpolitiae notaba- eis ubrii t-en^runt. u = ami- 
 tur, p. 46, 1. 20, and the note there. CM.S.
 
 58 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 VI. 5 
 
 Historia de Polo histrione * memoratu digna. 
 
 Histrio in terra Graecia fuit fama celebri, qui ge- 
 stus 2 et vocis claritiidine et venustate ceteris antistabat 
 nomen fuisse aiunt Polum tragoedias poetarum nobilium 
 
 5 sclte atque asseverate 3 actitavit. Is Polus unice ama- 
 tum filium morte amisit. Eum luctum quoniam satis 
 visus est eluxisse, rediit ad quaestum artis. 
 
 In eo tempore Athenis Electram Sophoclis 4 acturus 
 gestare urnam quasi 5 cum Oresti ossibus debebat. Ita 
 
 10 compositum fabulae argumentuin 6 est, ut veluti fratris 
 reliquias ferens Electra comploret commisereaturque in- 
 teritum 7 eius existimatum. Igitur Polus, lugubri habitu 
 Electrae indutus, 8 ossa atque urnam e sepulcro tulit filii 
 et, quasi Oresti amplexus, opplevit 9 omnia non simula- 
 
 15 cris 10 neque imitamentls, sed luctu atque lamentls veris u 
 
 et splrantibus. 12 
 actus est. 
 
 Itaque cum agi fabula videretur, dolor 
 
 1 ' actor.' 2 gestus is to be taken 
 with venustate, vocis with clari- 
 tudine. Translate : ' in grace of 
 gesture and distinctness of enuncia- 
 tion.' In the theaters of Greece and 
 Rome the play of the features, on 
 which modern actors rely so largely, 
 was entirely precluded by the huge 
 masks worn by the actors. Every- 
 thing therefore depended on the 
 a, 'tor's voice and gestures. The size 
 of the theaters (which often accom- 
 modate 1 from 15,000 to 30,000 per- 
 sons) rendered a loud, sonorous 
 utterance necessary. Much of the 
 play was sung or delivered in reci- 
 tative, and the actor was often re- 
 quired to take both male and female 
 parts in the same play. Hence mu- 
 sical training was essential, and 
 
 ancient authors, in speaking of 
 actors, lay especial emphasis upon 
 the quality of their voices, often 
 using language " which at the pres- 
 ent day would seem more appro- 
 priate to a notice of an operatic, 
 singer." 8 ' earnestly.' 4 The great 
 Athenian tragic poet (4!'5-40,5 B.C.). 
 6 quasi . . . ossibus: 'supposed to 
 contain the bones.' So in 1. IQvehtti 
 ferens = ' thinking that she was car- 
 rying.' Cf. alsol. 14, quasi amplexus, 
 and the use of tamquain, p. 22, n. 4. 
 6 'plot.' " = mortem. 8 'clad in.' 
 9 ' made the whole theater ring.' 10 sc. 
 luctus (genitive). n veris is to be 
 taken also with luctu. 12 = ' living,' 
 i.e. ' genuine.' ia dolor, ' real grief,' 
 is contrasted with fabula. which = 
 (1) 'a play,' and ('-) ' fiction.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE,- VII. 4 59 
 
 VII. 3 
 
 Historia surapta ex libris Tuberonis l de serpente invlsitatae 
 longitudinis. 
 
 Tubero in Histories scriptum reliquit bello prim 6 
 Poenico Atilium 2 Regulum consulem in Africa, castris 
 apud 3 Bagradam 4 flumen positis, proelium grande atque 5 
 acre fecisse adversus unum 5 serpentem in illls locis sta- 
 bulantem 6 invlsitatae inmanitatis, eumque magna totius 
 exercitus confllctione balistis 7 atque catapultis diu oppu- 
 gnatum, eiusque interf ecti corium 8 longum pedes centum 
 et viginti Komam mlsisse. 10 
 
 VII. 4 
 
 Quid idem Tubero novae 9 historiae de Atilio Kegnlo a Carthaginiensi- 
 bus capto litteris mandaverit ; quid etiam Tuditanus 10 super eodem 
 Regulo scripserit. 
 
 Quod satis celebre u est de Atilio Regiilo, id nuperrime 
 legimus scriptum in Tuditani libris : Regulum 12 captum 15 
 ad ea, quae in senatu Romae dixit suadens, ne captivi 
 cum Carthaginiensibus permutarentur, id quoque addi- 
 disse, venenum sibi Carthaginienses dedisse, non prae- 
 sentarium, 13 sed eiusmodi quod mortem in u diem prof erret, 
 
 1 Q. Aelius Tubero, a jurist and 
 historian of the first century B.C. 
 2 M. Atilius Regulus Serranus, who 
 was defeated and taken prisoner 
 by the Carthaginians in Africa in 
 255 B.C. 3 'near.' 4 a river not 
 
 catapitltae for shooting arrows. 
 8 ' skin.' 
 
 9 ' strange.' 10 C. Sempronius 
 Tuditanus, consul 129 B.C., wrote 
 Histories in annalistic fashion (p. 28, 
 n.5). n ' well-known.' 12 Tradition 
 
 far from Carthage. 5 unum is here i says that Regulus was sent to Rome 
 practically an indefinite article. So j in 251 B.C. to negotiate an exchange of 
 
 quidam is often used. Cf. German 
 tin ' one, a,' and French and Italian 
 un. 6 'living.' So stabulum origi- 
 nally denoted a dwelling, whether 
 for man or beast. " The ballistae 
 
 were used for throwing stones, the I for a time.' 
 
 prisoners. Before leaving Carthage 
 he bound himself by an oath to re- 
 turn unless the exchange was 
 effected. 13 'immediate in effect.' 
 14 in diem prcferret: 'postponed
 
 60 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 eo consilio, ut viveret quidem tantisper quoad fieret perinu- 
 
 tatio, post autem grassante * sensim veneno contabesceret. 2 
 
 Eundem Rggulum Tubero in Historiis redisse Cartha- 
 
 ginem novisque exemploruin 3 modis excruciatum a Poems 
 
 5 dlcit. " In atras," inquit, " et profundas tenebras eum 
 claudebant ac diu post, ubi erat visus sol ardentissimus, 
 repente educebant et adversus ictus soils opposition con- 
 tinebant atque intendere in caelum oculos cogebant. Pal- 
 pebras 4 quoque eius, ne conivere 5 posset, sursum ac 
 
 10 deorsum dlductas 6 insuebant." Tuditanus autem somno 
 diu prohibitum atque ita vita privatmn refert, idque ubi 
 Romae cognitum est, nobilissimos Poenorum captivos 
 liberis Reguli a senatu deditos et ab his in armario 7 
 muricibus 8 praeflxo destitutos 9 eademque Insomnia cru- 
 
 15 ciatos interlsse. 
 
 VII. 10 
 
 Historia super Euclida 10 Socratico, cuius exemplo Taurus 11 philoso- 
 phus hortari adulescentes suos solitus ad philosophiam iiaviter 12 
 sectandam. 
 
 Philosophus Taurus, vir memoria nostra in dlsciplma 13 
 
 20 Platonica celebratus, cum aliis bonis multis salubribus- 
 
 que exemplis hortabatur ad philosophiam capessendam, 14 
 
 turn vel maxime ista re iuvenum animos expergebat, 15 
 
 Euclldem quam dicebat Socraticum factitavisse. " De- 
 
 1 grassari = ' to move,' ' proceed ' ; 
 here to 'permeate the system.' 
 2 'waste away.' 8 'punishments,' 
 especially such as were meant to be 
 'examples,' i.e. warnings, to others. 
 ' eyelids.' s Cf. p. 27, n. 9. dl- 
 ductas insuebant = diducebant et 
 itisuebaiit ('sewed fast'), "'box.' 
 8 Properly, murex denotes the shell- 
 fish from which purple dye was ob- 
 tained. Here muricibus = jagged 
 
 bits of stons, or perhaps iron spikes. 
 9 'placed,' i.e. 'confined,' a rare 
 meaning. 
 
 10 A distinguished philosopher 
 (about B.C. 400) not to be confounded 
 with Euclid, the famous mathemati- 
 cian, who taught at Alexandria about 
 a century later. u Introduction, 
 (i. w 'energetically.' 18 ' study.' 
 14 'pursuing.' Cf. sectandam in the 
 title. 15 ' strove to awaken.'
 
 XOCTES ATTICAE, IX. 3 61 
 
 creto " inquit " suo Athenienses caverant, \\t qui Megaris J 
 civis esset, si intulisse 2 Athenas pedem prensus esset, 
 ut ea res el homini capitalis esset ; tanto Athenienses " 
 inquit "odio flagrabant flnitimorum honiinum Mega- 
 rensium. Tuni Euclldes, qui indidem Megaris erat qul- 5 
 que ante id decretum et esse Athems et audire Socratem 
 consueverat, postquam id decretum sanxerunt, sub noc- 
 tem, cum advesperasceret, tunica longa muliebri indutus 3 
 et pallio 4 versicolore 5 aniictus s et caput rica 6 velatus, e 
 domo sua Megarls Athenas ad Socratem eommeabat, ut 10 
 vel noctis aliquo tempore consiliorum sermonumque eius 
 fieret particeps, rursusque sub lucem milia passuum paulo 
 amplius viginti eadem veste ilia tectus redibat. At 
 nunc," inquit " videre est 7 philosophos ultro currere, 
 ut doceant, ad fores iuvenum divitum eosque ibi sedere 15 
 at que opperlr! 8 prope ad meridiem, donee discipull noc- 
 turnum omiie vinuin edormiant." 9 
 
 IX. 3 
 
 Epistula Philippi 10 regis ad Aristotelem 1J philosophum super Alexandro 
 recens 1-2 nuto. 
 
 Philippus, Amyntae filius. terrae Macedoniae rex, 20 
 emus virtute industriaque Macetae K locupletissimo impe- 
 rio aucti gentium 14 nationuinque IS multarum potiri coepe- 
 
 1 Ablative of Megara, Mega.ro- 5 'parti-colored.' 6 'veil.' 7 'it is 
 rum, the capital of Megaris, a small possible.' & = manere. 9< sleep off.' 
 district of Greece lying between I 10 Cf. p. 49, n. 1. u The distin- 
 Attica and Corinth. 2 Join with ' guished Athenian philosopher (384- 
 prensus esset. Gellius is fond of 322B.C.), apupil of Plato and author 
 odd uses of the infinitive. Note of many valuable works. A good 
 also the tense of intulisse. We story is told of him by Gellius xiii. 5 
 would say: 'if any one were caught (p. 73). 12 adverb = nuper. Alex- 
 setting foot.' Another evidence of ander was born in 35<i B.C. i3 a rare 
 exactness is to be seen in the case of form, mainly poetic = Macedones. 
 Athenas. 3 Cf. p. 58, n.8. 4 'cloak.' 14 'nations.' 1S 'tribes.'
 
 62 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 rant et cuius vim atque arma toti Graeciae cavenda 1 
 metuendaque inclitae illae Demosthenis orationes 2 con- 
 tionesque 3 vocificant, 4 is Philippus, 3 cum in omni fere 
 tempore negotiis belli victoriisque adfectus exercitusque 
 
 5 esset, a liberal! tamen Musa et a studiis humanitatis num- 
 quam 6 afuit, qum 7 lepide comiterque pleraque et f aceret 
 et dlceret. Feruntur adeo 8 libii epistularum eius, mundi- 
 tiae 9 et venustatis et prudentiae plenarum, velut siuit 
 illae litterae, 10 quibus Aristotell philosopho natum esse 
 
 10 sibi Alexandrum nuntiavit. 
 
 Ea epistula, quoniam curae u dlligentiaeque in 12 libero- 
 rum disciplines hortamentum est, exscrlbenda visa est ad 
 commonendos parentum animos. Exponenda w est igitur 
 ad hanc ferme sententiam : 
 
 15 " Philippus Aristotell salutem u dicit. 
 
 " Filium mihi genitum scito. Quod w equidem dis 
 habeo gratiam, non proinde quia natus est, quam pro eo, 
 quod nasci contigit temporibus vitae tuae. Spero enim 
 fore, tit eductus eruditusque a te dignus 16 exsistat et 
 
 20 nobis et rerum istaruni susceptione." 
 
 1 Sc. esse. Cavenda and metu- 
 enda are plural, as agreeing with 
 the two subjects, vim and arma, 
 both of which denote things. 2 The 
 famous Philippic and Olynthiac ora- 
 tions, by which Demosthenes (384- 
 322 B.C.), the greatest orator of the 
 ancient world, sought to open the 
 eyes of his countrymen to the de- 
 signs of Philip, and to induce them to 
 take measures for their own safety. 
 3 'speeches.' For another meaning 
 see p. 42, n. 8. 4 = declarant. 5 is 
 Philippus ' this Philip,' resumes the 
 J'/iil/itpus of p. 61, 1. 20, after the 
 break made by the two relative 
 clauses cuiits . . . coeperant and cuius 
 vocificant. 6 numquam afuit : ' was 
 
 never a stranger to.' 7 qum . . . 
 diceret = lit non dlceret. The sub- 
 junctive denotes result. 8 'in fact." 
 9 Cf. p. 29, n. 10. 10 Here, as often, 
 of a single letter. Cf. epistula, 1. 11, 
 and in the title. n Objective geni- 
 tive with hortamentum = 'incentive 
 to.' 12 in ... dlsciplinSs : ' in the 
 direction of, towards the training of 
 children.' For the plural (liscipli- 
 nas, see p. l(i, n. 5. 13 'translated.' 
 The original letter was, of course, 
 in Greek. " Cf. p. 24, n. 2. 15 ad- 
 verbial accusative == de quo, or 
 propter quod. 16 dignus . . . suscep- 
 tione : ' prove himself a worthy 
 son, and worthy to wield that power 
 (which will one day be his).'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, IX. 11 63 
 
 IX. 11 
 
 De Valeric Corvmo; et unde Corvmus. 1 . 
 
 De Maximo Valeric, 2 qui Corvlnus appellatus est ob 3 
 auxilium propugnationemque corvi alitis, haut quisquam 
 est nobilium scriptorum, qul secus 4 dixerit. Ea res pror- 
 sus miranda sic profecto est in libris Annalibus memo- 5 
 rata: Adulescens tali 5 genere editus, L. Furio, Claudio 
 Appio consulibus fit tribtlnus militaris. Atque in eo 
 tempore copiae Gallorum ingentes agrum Pomptmum 6 
 msederant mstruebanturque acies a consulibus de 7 vi ac 
 multitudine hostium satis 8 agentibus. Dux interea Gal- 10 
 lorum, vasta et ardua proceritate 9 armlsque auro praeful- 
 geiitibus, grandia 10 ingrediens et manu telum reciprocans u 
 incedebat perque 12 contemptum et superbiam circumspi- 
 ciens despiciensque omnia, venire iubet et congredl, si 
 quis pugnare secum ex omni Romano exercitu auderet. 15 
 Turn Valerius tribunus, ceteris inter metum pudoremque 
 ambiguls, 13 impetrato 14 prius a consulibus, ut in Gallum 
 tarn inaniter adrogantem pugnare sese permitterent, pro- 
 greditur intrepide modesteque obviam ; et congrediuntur 
 et consistunt et conserebantur iam inanus. Atque ibi 20 
 
 1 Sc. appellatus sit in hoc capi- 
 tulo demonstratur. 2 M. Valerius 
 
 marshy district in Latium, south of 
 Rome. 7 causal. Cf. ex, p. 54, n. 9. 
 
 Maximus Corvinus was six times j 8 Cf. p. 23, n.fi. 9< height.' 10 gran- 
 consul, twice dictator. The inci- dia ingrediens : ' stalking ahout 
 dent of this chapter occurred in j with giant strides.' Note the allit- 
 349 B.C. (cf. p. 64, 1. 9). 3 ob . . . ; eration and the cognate accusative, 
 alitis = quod corrus eum auxiliatus ' It must be apparent even to the most 
 erat et propuynarnt. For the pleo- casual reader of Gellius that he is ex- 
 nasm in corvi alitis cf. iii. 6. 2 : traordinarily fond of alliteration and 
 palmae arboris. * aliter. The | assonance. n ' brandishing.' 12 per 
 meaning is that all writers agree in with the accusative often = an adverb 
 their versions of the incident. 5 tali of manner. 13 ' wavering.' 14< con- 
 gener e editus : ' sprung from such a sent having been secured ' ; an imper- 
 family.' Cf. the colloquial, "I was sonal ablative absolute, a construc- 
 that angry I couldn't speak." 6 A tion common in post-classical Latin.
 
 64 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 vis quaedam divlna fit : corvus repente inprovlsus advolat 
 et super galeam tribuni Insistit atque inde in adversarl 
 os atque oculos pugnare incipit; Insilibat, 1 obturbabat 
 et unguibus manum laniabat 2 et prospectum alls arcebat 
 
 5 atque, ubi satis saevierat, revolabat in galeam tribuni. 
 Sic tribunus, spectante utroque exercitu, et sua virtute 
 mxus et opera alitis propugnatus, ducem hostium ferocis- 
 simum vlcit interfecitque atque ob hanc causam cognomen 
 habuit Corvmus. Id factum est annls quadringentls 
 
 10 qulnque post Romam conditam. 
 
 Statuam Corvlno istl Dlvus 8 Augustus in foro suo 
 statuendam curavit. In eius statuae capite corvl simula- 
 crum est, rel pugnaeque, quam diximus, monimentum. 
 
 IX. 13 
 
 Verba ex Historld Claudi 4 Quadrigari, quibus Manli 5 TorquatI, nobilis 
 15 adulescentis, et hostis Galli provocantis pugnam depinxit. 
 
 Titus Manlius summo loco natus adprlmeque 6 nobilis 
 fuit. El Manlio cognomentum factum est Torquatus. 
 Causam cognomenti fuisse accepimus torquis 7 ex auro 
 induvies, quam ex hoste, quern occlderat, detractam induit. 
 20 Sed quis hostis et quid genus, quam formldandae vastita- 
 tis et quantum 8 Insolens provocator et culmodl 9 fuerit 
 pugna decertatum, Q. Claudius prlmo Anndlium puris- 
 sime 10 atque inlustrissime n simpliclque et incompta 12 ora- 
 
 1 archaic for insiliebat. 2 ' tore.' 
 3 Divus is the regular epithet at- 
 tached to the names of the dead 
 emperors. Imitating the example 
 set by Julius Caesar, Augustus built 
 a forum, containing a splendid tem- 
 ple dedicated to Mars Ultor, part of 
 which yet remains. 
 
 4 Of. p. 23, n. 3. 6 T. Manlius Tor- 
 quatus was twice dictator and thrice 
 consul. The fight referred to by 
 Gellius was fought in 361 B.C. 8 ' ex- 
 
 ceedingly.' 7 'necklace'; genitive 
 with induvies, which = 'ornament.' 
 Note also that induvies is ace. plur., 
 and that the word occurs nowhere 
 else in Latin. 8 Adverbial accusative 
 with insolena. '> = quali. Cf. p. 
 l. r >, n. 5. 10 ' with the greatest ele- 
 gance.' Cf. the noun munditia (p. 29, 
 n. 10), which = (1) 'neatness,' then 
 (2) 'elegance.' u 'with the great- 
 est clearness.' Cf. luce, p. 29, 1. 17. 
 12 ' unadorned,' i.e. artless, natural.
 
 XOCTES ATTICAE, IX. 13 65 
 
 tionis antlquae suavitate descrlpsit. Quern locum ex eo 
 libro philosophus Favormus l cum legeret, non minoribus 
 quatl adficique aninium suum motibus 2 pulsibusque dlce"- 
 bat, quam si ipse coram depugnantes eos spectaret. 
 
 Verba Q. Claudi, quibus pugna ista depicta est, ad- 5 
 scrlpsl: Cum 3 interim Gallus quidam nudus 4 praeter 
 scutum et gladios duos torque atque armillis 5 decoratus 
 processit, qui et viribus et magnitudine et adulescentia 
 simulque virtute ceteris antistabat. Is maxime proelio 
 conmoto atque utrisque summo studio piignantibus, manu 10 
 significare 6 coepit utrisque quiescerent. Pugnae facta 
 pausa est. Extemplo silentio facto cum voce maxima 
 conclamat, si quis secum depugnare vellet, uti prodiret. 
 Xemo audebat propter magnitudinem atque inmanitatem 
 facies. 7 Deinde Gallus inrldere coepit atque linguam 15 
 exsertare. Id 8 subito perdolitum est culdam Tito Man- 
 lio, summo genere gnato, tan turn flagitium 9 civitat! adci- 
 dere, e tanto exercitu neniinem prodire. Is, ut dico, 
 processit neque passus est virtutem Romanam ab Gallo 
 turpiter spoliarl. Scuto pedestrl 10 et gladio u Hispanico 20 
 cinctus 12 contra Gallum constitit. Metu 13 magno ea con- 
 gressio in ipso ponti, 14 utroque exercitu mspectante, facta 
 est. Ita, ut ante dixl, constiterunt : Gallus sua disci- 
 
 With the praise accorded here to 
 Quadrigarius, compare the Introduc- 
 tion, 4. 
 
 1 Introduction, 5. 2 motibus 
 
 and two and one half wide. n gladio 
 Hispanico : Quadrigarius has appar- 
 ently committed a blunder here. In 
 3(51 B.C., when this fight took place, 
 
 pulsibusque : ' violent emotions.' the Romans had little, if any, knowl- 
 :i Before cum supply some phrase like edge of Spain. He is thinking, proha- 
 Galli contra Romanos pugnabant. bly, of the straight, two-edged, and 
 
 4 i.e. without defensive armor, j dagger-like weapon which the Ro- 
 
 5 'armlets.' 6 = hortari, imperare, ; mans adopted from the Spaniards 
 and hence followed by (ut). quiesce- about the time of Hannibal. 12 = ar- 
 
 rent. " an old genitive =faciei. 8 Id 
 Manlio: ' this cut a certain M. to 
 
 matus. 13 Metu magno : 'amid great 
 anxiety ' ; an ablative of attendant 
 
 the heart.' 9 Cf. p. 27, n. 4. 10 The i circumstance. 14 This bridge crossed 
 infantry shield was of wood, covered j the river Anio, a tributary of the 
 with raw hide. It was four feet long ; Tiber, about four miles from Rome. 
 AUL. GEL. 5
 
 66 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 plma * scuto proiecto cunctftbundus ; 2 Manilas, animo 
 magis quam arte confisus, scuto scutum percussit atque 
 statum 3 Galli conturbavit. Dum se Gallus iterum eodem 
 pacto constituere studet, Manlius iterum scuto scutum 
 
 5 percutit atque de loco hominem iterum deiecit ; eo pacto 
 el 4 sub Gallicum gladium successit atque Hispanico pec- 
 tus hausit ; 5 delude continue umerum dextrum eodem 
 concessu 6 incidit neque recessit usquam, donee subvertit, 
 ne Gallus impetum in Ictu haberet. Ubi eum evertit, 
 
 10 caput praecidit, torquem detraxit eamque sanguinulen- 
 tam sibi in collum inponit. Quo ex facto ipse posteriqiie 
 eius Torquati sunt cognominati. 
 
 X. 10 
 
 Quae eius rei causa sit, quod et Graeci veteres et Roinam auulum 7 hoc 
 digito gestaverint, qui est in manu sinistra minium proximus. 
 
 15 Veteres Graecos aiiulum habviisse in digito accepimus 8 
 sinistrae manus, qui mininio est proximus. Romanos 
 quoque homines aiunt sic plerumque anulis usitatos. 
 Causam esse hiiius rei Apion 9 in libris Aegyptiacis hanc 
 dicit, quod Tnsectis apertisqiie huinaiiis corporibus, ut 
 
 20 mos in Aegypto fuit, quas 10 Graeci dvaro/Aas ll appellant, 
 repertum est, nervum quendam tenuissimum ab eo fmo 
 
 1 'custom.' 2 literally, 'hesitat- 
 ing,' i.e. acting on the defensive. 
 8 ' position ' ; a term of the arena. 
 4 el . . . successit : ' he succeeded in 
 getting under.' Successit is imper- 
 sonal. The Gallic sword was long and 
 so useless at close quarters. 5 = vul- 
 neravit. The idea suggested by this 
 word is that of draining the life-blood 
 of one's foe. 6 ' permission,' i.e. op- 
 portunity. The meaning is that the 
 Gaul, by suffering M. to dislodge him, 
 gave him an opportunity to pierce 
 his breast, and then his shoulder. 
 
 7 ' ring.' 8 Sc. auribus, and ren- 
 der 'heard.' Cf. p. 54, 11. 12-16. 
 10 'which (operations)', i.e. the cut- 
 ting and opening. The relative is 
 feminine, because attracted into the 
 gender of the predicate noun avaro- 
 /udj, which is accus. plur. feminine. 
 Such attraction is normal in Latin. 
 Cf. above, 1. 18, where hanc is 
 feminine to agree with citusam, 
 though in theory it should be neu- 
 ter, because explained by the 
 clause quod . . . pervenire. u ' dis- 
 sections.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, X. 27 67 
 
 digito, de quo diximus, ad cor hominis pergere ac perve- 
 nire ; propterea non Inscitum l visum esse, eum potis- 
 simum digitum tall honore decorandum, qui continens 
 et quasi conexus esse cuin prmcipatu cordis videretur. 
 
 X. 27 
 
 Historia de populo Romano deque populo PoenicS, quod pari propemo- 5 
 iliiiu vigore fuerint aemuli. 
 
 In litterls * veteribus memoria exstat, quod par quon- 
 dam fuit vigor et acritudo amplitudoque populi Roman! 
 atque Poem. Neque inmerito aestlmatum. 3 Cum aliis 
 quidem populis de 4 unmscuiusque republica, cum Poenls 10 
 autem de omnium terrarum imperio decertatum. 3 
 
 Eius rei specimen est in illo 5 utrmsque popul! verbo 
 factoque : Q. Fabius, imperator Romanus, dedit 6 ad Car- 
 thaginienses epistulam. Ibi 7 scrlptum fuit, populum 
 Eomanum mlsisse ad eos hastam et caduceum, 8 signa duo 15 
 belli aut pacis, ex quis 9 utrum vellent eligerent; quod 
 elegissent, id unum ut esse missum exlstimarent. Cartha- 
 ginienses responderunt, neutrum sese eligere, sed posse, 
 qui adtulissent, utrum mallent relinquere; quod 10 reli- 
 quissent, id sibi pro u electo f uturum. 20 
 
 ]\I. autem Yarro non hastam ipsam neque ipsum cadu- 
 ceum missa dicit, sed duas tesserulas, 12 in quarum altera 
 caduceum, in altera hastae simulacra fuerint incisa. 
 
 1 = absurdum. I herald's staff, consisting of a stick 
 
 2 Cf. p. 39, n. 9; also monu- \ of olive wood, ornamented with gar- 
 mntis iu the title of iv. 12 (p. 40). lands, or ribbons. 9 = quibus, a 
 8 Sc. est. 4 decertare de is an idio- usage confined to archaic and collo- 
 matic way of saying, 'The stake quial Latin. in quod . . . futurum : 
 involved in the contest was.' 5 'the in the direct discourse this would 
 following,' a meaning which the word read : quod reliqueritis, id nobis pro 
 often bears. 6 ' despatched '; it is con- electo erit. u 'in the place of (i.e. 
 strued here with ad and the accusa- ; equivalent to) our own choice.' 
 live because of the idea of motion 12 ' tokens ' ; properly, little tickets 
 implied. 7 = in ea epistula. 8 a or slabs of wood or metal.
 
 68 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 XL 8 
 
 Quid senserit dixeritque M. Cato de Albino, 1 qul homo 2 Rom an us 
 Graeca oratione res Roinanas, venia 3 sibi ante eius imperitiae 4 
 petita, composuit. 
 
 luste venusteque admodum reprehendisse dicitur Au- 
 
 5 lum Albmum M. Cato. Alblmis, qul cum L. Lucullo 
 consul fuit, res Romanas oratione Graeca scriptitavit. 
 In eius historiae principio scrlptum est ad hanc senten- 
 tiam : neminem suscensere sibi convenire, 5 si quid in his 
 libris parum composite 6 aut minus eleganter scrlptum 
 
 10 foret ; " Nam sum " inquit " homo Romanus natus in 
 Latio, Graeca oratio a nobis alienissima est," ideoque 
 veniam gratiamque 7 malae existimationis, si quid esset 
 erratum, postulavit. Ea cum legisset M. Cato: "Ne 8 
 tu," inquit " Aule, nimium nugator 9 es, cum 10 maluisti cul- 
 
 15 pam deprecari quam culpa vacare. Nam petere veniam 
 solemus, aut cum inprudentes erravimus aut cum com- 
 pulsl peccavimus. Te " inquit " oro te, quis perpulit, 
 ut id committeres, quod, 11 priusquam faceres, peteres, ut 
 ignosceretur ? " Scrlptum hoc est in libro u Cornell 
 
 20 Nepotis De Inlustribns Vtris XIII. 
 
 1 A. Postumius Albinus, consul 
 151 B.C. "Albinus was a zealous 
 advocate of the Hellenizing move- 
 ment." Long before his time Fa- 
 bius Pictor, the earliest of the 
 Annalists, had written in Greek. 
 2 'though a Roman.' 8 'pardon.' 
 4 ' unskillful ness.' eius = ' therein ' 
 (i.e. Graeca oratio) is objective geni- 
 tive with imperitiae. 5 =oportere. 
 ti ' skillfully.' 7 gratiam . . . existi- 
 mationis : ' exemption from adverse 
 criticism.' 8 An affirmative particle 
 = ' verily,' 'assuredly.' It is used 
 especially with personal pronouns, 
 
 and must be carefully distinguished 
 from the interrogative ne and the 
 negative ne. 9 A frequent term of 
 abuse: 'a good for naught.' 10 Cf. 
 p. 34, n.u. n quod here has a double 
 function. In part it serves to intro- 
 duce the consecutive subjunctive 
 peteres ; in part it supplies the ob- 
 ject to faceres. as well as the sub- 
 ject to ignosceretur. The whole = 
 vt id (i.e. tal) committeres ut id 
 priuxqnam faceres peteres ut iynos- 
 ceretui: n This work is commonly 
 called "The Lives of Cornelius 
 Nepos."
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XI. 9 69 
 
 XI. 9 
 
 Historia de legatis Milcsis l ac Demosthene rhetore in libris Critolai 2 
 
 reperta. 
 
 Critolaus sciipsit legates MTleto publicae 3 rei causa 
 venisse Athenas (fortasse 4 an dixerit auxilii petendi 
 gratia). Turn qui pro sese verba facerent, 5 quos visum 6 ~> 
 erat, advocavisse; advocates, uti erat mandatum, verba 
 pro Milesils ad populuin fecisse, Demosthenen Milesiorum 
 postulatis acriter respondisse, neque Mllesios auxilio di- 
 gnos neque ex republica 7 id 8 esse contendisse : rem in 
 posterum diem prolatam. 9 Legates ad Demosthenen 10 
 venisse magiioque opere orasse, uti 10 contra ne 10 diceret ; 
 eum pecuniam petlvisse et quantam petiverat abstulisse. 
 Postrldie, cum res agi denuo 11 coepta esset, Demosthe- 
 nen, lana ^ multa collum cervicesque circumvolutum, ad 
 populum prodisse et dlxisse, se synanchen I3 pati, eo con- lo 
 tra Mllesios loqul non quire. Turn e populo unum excla- 
 masse, non synanchen, quod 14 Demosthenes pateretur, sed 
 argyranchen 15 esse. 
 
 Ipse etiam Demosthenes, ut Idem Critolaus refert, non 
 id postea concelavit ; qum 16 gloriae 17 quoque hoc sibi 17 20 
 
 1 = Milesiis, 1. 7. Cf. principis, i 9 'postponed.' 10 Cf. p. 31, n. 2. 
 p. 27, 1. 19. Miletus was a Greek u 'anew.' 12 lana . . . circumvo- 
 city in Asia, near the mouth of the lutum : ' with his neck and throat 
 
 river Maeander. 2 A famous Peripa- 
 tetic philosopher of the second cen- 
 tury B.C., born at Phaselis in Lycia. 
 3 publicae rei causa: ' on some pub- 
 lic business.' 4 fortasse an dixerit : 
 ' he may perhaps have said.' Cf. p. 
 54, n. 14. 5 subjunctive as express- 
 ing the purpose of advocavisse. 
 6 With visum erat sc. eis advocare ; 
 as the subject of advocavisse sc. 
 Mileslos. advocates = eos qui d 
 Milesiis advocati essent. " Cf . p. 30, 
 n. 7. 8 = Milesiis auxilium dare. 
 
 enveloped in many folds of woolen 
 cloth.' How literally? collum and 
 cervices, modifying circumvolu- 
 tum, are examples of the so-called 
 Greek accusative of specification. 
 This construction is most frequent 
 in poetry and post-classical prose. 
 13 'quinsy,' 'sore throat.' 14 quod 
 . . .pateretur = 'his complaint,' and 
 is subject of esse. 15 argyranche = 
 ' silver quinsy,' is formed after the 
 analogy of synanche. 16 = immo 
 vero, ' nay.' ir dative.
 
 70 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 adsignavit. Nam cum interrogasset Aristodemum, acto- 
 rem fabularum, quantum mercedis ut! ageret accepisset, 
 et Aristodemus " Talentum " * respondisset, " At ego plus " 
 inquit " accepi, ut tacerem." 
 
 XII. 8 
 
 5 Reditiones in gratiam 2 nobilium virorum memoratu dignae. 
 
 P. Af ricanus superior 3 et Tiberius Gracchus, 4 Tiberii 5 
 et C. 5 Gracehorum 6 pater, rerum gestarum magnitudine 
 et honorum 7 atque vitae dignitate inlustres virT, dissen- 
 serunt saepenuniero de d republica et ea slve qua alia re 9 
 
 10 non amlcl fuerunt. Ea simultas 10 cum diu mansisset et 
 sollemni die epulum " lovl llbaretur 12 atque ob id sacrifi- 
 cium senatus in Capitolio epularetur, fors fuit, ut aput 
 eandem mensam duo illi 13 iunctim locarentur. Turn, 
 quasi M diis inmortalibus arbitrls in convivio lovis Optimi 
 
 15 Maximi dexteras eorum conducentibus, repente amicis- 
 simi facti. Neque solum amicitia incepta, sed adflnitas 
 simul Instituta; nam P. Scipio filiam virginem habens 
 iam viro maturam, ibi K tune eodem in loco despondit earn 
 Tiberio Graccho, quern probaverat elegeratque exploratis- 
 
 20 simo 16 iudicii tempore, dum inimicus esset. 
 
 1 Cf. p. 48, n. 14. cause. 10 'quarrel.' n genitive pln- 
 
 2 ' Friendship ' ; reditiones in ral with die : ' on a solemn feast day.' 
 gratiam = ' reconciliations.' 3 Cf. | ^ ' libations were being offered ' ; 
 p. 41, n. 11. * Ti. Sempronius Grac- j an impersonal passive. 13 illi iunc- 
 
 chus, who won a triumph by his 
 exploits in Spain, 178 B.C. 6 The 
 celebrated Tribunes, who held office 
 in 133 and 123 B.C. respectively. 
 6 The plural is regular in cases like 
 this, where two men of the same 
 family are mentioned and their 
 names connected bv c-t. '' ' official 
 
 tim locarentur: 'places were as- 
 signed them close together.' 14 quasi 
 . . . conducentibus : ' from the fee-l- 
 ing that (quasi) the gods as wit- 
 nesses (arbitris), etc.' For this use 
 of quasi see p. 58, n. 5. 15 ibi ... 
 loco: colloquial fulness of expres- 
 sion. We might render by ' right 
 
 positions.' 8 de republic?,: 'on there on the spot.' 16 'most reli- 
 political questions.' 9 ablative of ! able.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XII. 12 
 
 71 
 
 Aemilius quoque Lepidus et Fulvius Flaccus, 1 nobili 
 genere amplissimisque honoribus ac summo loco in civi- 
 tate praediti, odio inter sese gravi et simultate diutina 
 conflictati sunt. Postea populus eos simul censores facit. 
 Atque illi, ubi voce praeconis 2 reniintiati 3 sunt, ibidem 
 in Campo 4 statim, nondum dimissa contione, ultro 
 uterque et parl voluntate coniuncti complexique sunt, 
 exque eo die et in ipsa censura et postea- iug! 5 concordia 
 fidissime amicissiraeque vixerunt. 
 
 XII. 12 
 
 Faceta respoiisio M. Ciceronis amolientis 6 a se crimen 7 manifest! 10 
 mendacil. 
 
 Haec 8 quoque discipllna 9 rhetorica est, callide et cum 
 astu 10 res crlminosas citra n perlculum confiteri, ut 12 si 
 obiectum 13 sit turpe aliquid, quod negaii non queat, re- 
 sponsione ioculari eludas 12 et rem facias 12 risu magis di- 15 
 guam quam crimine, sicut f ecisse u Ciceronem scriptum est, 
 cum id, quod Infitiari 15 non poterat, urbano facetoque 
 dicto diluit. 16 Nam ciun emere vellet in Palatio l7 domum 
 
 1 Gellius seems to be in error 
 here, as Livy xl. 4~>, tells the story of 
 M. Aemilius Lepidus and M. Fulvius 
 Nobilior, who defeated the Aetolians 
 in 189 B.C. They were censors to- 
 gether in 179. 2 ' herald.' 3 ' were 
 declared elected.' 4 Sc. Martio, the 
 field lying between the Capitoline 
 Hill and the Tiber, where elections 
 were held. 5 ' never-failing.' This 
 adjective is properly applied to 
 springs of never-failing water. 
 
 6 = avertentis : 'seeking to re- 
 pel.' " crimen . . . mendacil: 'the 
 criticism occasioned by a bare-faced 
 lie.' mendacii is a subjective geni- 
 tive. 8 Haec is explained by the 
 clause callide . . . crimine, and so 
 
 theoretically should be in the neuter 
 gender, but in accordance with the 
 regular Latin usage it is attracted 
 into the gender of the predicate 
 noun disciplina. Cf. p. 60, n. 10. 
 9 ' artifice.' 10 Cf. p. 18, n. 11. cum 
 astu is an adverbial phrase, and so 
 can be coupled with callide. u = 
 sine, a post-classical use. u ut . . . 
 eludas et . . . facias: subjunctives 
 of result. 13 Sc. tibl : ' cast in your 
 (i.e. one's) teeth.' 14 Facere, like do 
 in English, may replace any preced- 
 ing verbal phrase. Here fecisse 
 sums up the ideas expressed by the 
 clause res . . . crimine. 15 = negare. 
 16 'weakened (the force of),' 'nul- 
 lified.' 17 = monte Palatino.
 
 72 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 et pecuniam in 1 praesens non haberet, a P. Sulla, 2 qui 
 turn reus 3 erat, mutua 4 sestertium viciens tacita accepit. 
 Ea res tamen, priusquam emeret, prodita est et in vulgus 
 exivit, obiectumque el est quod pecuniam domus emendae 
 
 5 causa a reo accepisset. 5 Turn Cicero iiioplnata obprobra- 
 tione 6 permotus accepisse se negavit ac domum quoque 
 se empturum negavit atque "Adeo" inquit "verum sit 
 accepisse me pecuniam, si domum emero." Sed cum 
 postea emisset et hoc mendacium in senatu el ab amicis 
 
 10 obiceretur, rlsit satis 7 atque inter ridendum "'A/coivoj/o- 
 771-01 " 8 inquit " homines estis, cum ignoratis, 9 prudentis 10 
 et cauti patrisfamilias esse, quod emere velit, empturum 
 sese negare propter conipetltores emptionis." 
 
 XIII. 2 
 
 Super poetarum Pacuvii u et Accii 12 conloquio familiarl in oppido 
 15 Tarentmo. 
 
 Quibus 13 otium et studium fuit vitas M atque aetates 
 doctorum hominuin quaerere ac memoriae tradere, de M. 
 
 1 in praesens = ' at the moment.' 
 2 P. Cornelius Sulla, a nephew of 
 Sulla the Dictator, tried in 02 B.C. 
 on the charge of complicity in the 
 Catilinarian conspiracy. The speech 
 which Cicero delivered in his behalf 
 has been preserved. 3 reus is the 
 technical term applied to any one 
 awaiting trial. 4 mutua . . . accepit 
 = mutua viciens (centena milia) 
 sestertium tacita mutua, i.e. he 
 secretly borrowed two million ses- 
 terces. Cf. p. 49, n. 2. 5 The sub- 
 junctive is due to the indirect 
 quotation. Lawyers at Rome were 
 forbidden to receive pay. Cicero's 
 critics insinuated that he got the 
 money not as a loan, but as a fee, 
 and so had violated the law. G ' crit- 
 icism.' 7 'immoderately.' 8 From 
 
 a negative, Koiv6s, 'common,' and 
 vow, 'to think' (cf. j/oOs, 'mind, 
 sense ') : ' lacking in common sense.' 
 9 For the indicative after cum, 
 ' since,' see p. 34, n. 5. 10 The 
 thought is that a far-seeing man 
 ought to conceal his intended pur- 
 chases that he may have no com- 
 petitors to outbid him, or to force up 
 the price. 
 
 11 Cf. p. 31, n. 8. 12 L. Accius 
 (170-90 B.C.), the greatest of the 
 Roman tragic poets. Of his plays 
 about fifty titles have been pre- 
 served, together with fragments 
 amounting to seven hundred verses. 
 
 13 Quibus . . . fuit : ' those who 
 have had the time and inclination.' 
 
 14 vitas atque aetates : 'lives.' For 
 the synonyms, see p. 16, n. 3.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XIII. 5 73 
 
 Pacuvio et L. Accio tragicls poetls historiam scripserunt 
 huiuscemodi l : " Cum Pacuvius " inquiunt " grand! 2 iam 
 aetate et morbo corporis diutino adfectus, Tarentum ex 
 urbe Koma concessisset, Accius tune, haut parvo iunior, 
 proficiscens in Asiam, cum in oppidum venisset, devertit 3 5 
 ad Pacuvium comiterque 4 invitatus 5 plusculisque 6 ab eo 
 diebus retentus, tragoediam suani, cm Atreus nomen est, 
 desiderant! 7 legit." Turn Pacuvium dixisse aiunt sonora 
 quidem 8 esse, quae scripsisset, et grandia, 9 sed 8 videri 
 tanien ea sibi duriora paulum et acerbiora. 10 " Ita est " 10 
 inquit Accius "uti dlcis; neque id me sane paenitet: 
 meliora eiiim fore spero, qxiae deinceps n scribam. Kam 
 quod 12 in pomis, itidem " inquit u esse aiunt in ingeniis ; 
 quae 13 dura et acerba nascuntur, post flunt mitia et 
 iucunda, sed quae gignuiitur statim vieta 14 et mollia 15 
 atque in principle sunt uvida, non matura mox flunt, sed 
 putria. Eelinquendum igitur visuni est in ingenio, quod 
 dies u atque aetas mltificet." 
 
 XIII. 5 
 
 De Aristotele 16 et Theophrasto l ~ et Eudemo pbilosophis ; deque elegant! 
 
 verecandia Aristotelis successorem diatribae 18 suae eligentis. 20 
 
 Aristoteles philosophus, annos iam fere natus duo et 
 sexaginta, corpore 19 aegro adfectoque ac spe 19 vitae tenui 
 
 l talem. Cf. p. 15, n.5. 2 grand! ... mollia, where glgnuntur = na- 
 . . . aetate = senectute. 3 devertit scuntur. 14 ' shriveled.' 1S dies at- 
 ad : ' turned aside to visit.' 4 ' courte- j que aetas : ' time.' A modern critic 
 
 ously.' 5 ' entertained.' 6 ' several.' 
 7 Sc. ei : ' at his urgent request.' 
 See p. 24, n. 13. ' lofty.' i ' harsh' ; 
 literally 'bitter.' u 'hereafter.' 
 w quod . . . ingenilg : ' for what they 
 say is true (esse) in the case of the 
 
 has said: "The young man whose 
 essay shows nothing turgid, no un- 
 graceful ornament or flashy rhetoric, 
 will never do much as a writer." 
 
 i6Cf.p.61,n.ll. i" See p. 41, n. 4. 
 !8 Cf . p. 32, n. 8. Aristotle was at the 
 
 fruits, is true also in regard to intel- 1 head of the Peripatetic school of phi- 
 lectual gifts.' ^ quae . . . nSscuntur : j losophy. Further, diatribae is in the 
 'the fruits that are hard and sour | genitive : cf. loci et mayisterii, p. 
 while growing.' So, too, below, quae I 74, 1. 2. 19 ablatives of characteristic.
 
 74 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 fuit. Tune omnis eius sectatorum l cohors ad eum acce- 
 dit, orantes 2 obsecrantesque, ut ipse deligeret loci sul et 
 magisterii successorem, quo 3 post summum eius diem 
 proinde ut ipso uterentur ad studia doctrlnarum cou- 
 
 5 plenda 4 excolendaque, quibus ab eo inbutl fuissent. 
 Erant tune in eius ludo 5 bom multl, sed praecipul duo, 
 Theophrastus et Eudemus. Ingenio hi atque doctrmis 
 ceteros praestabant ; alter ex Insula Lesbo fuit, Eudemus 
 autem Rhodo. Aristoteles respondit facturum esse quod 
 
 10 vellent, cum 6 id sibi foret tempestivum. 
 
 Postea brevl tempore cum Idem illl, qul de magistro 
 destinando 7 petierant, praesentes essent, vinum ait, 
 quod turn biberet, non esse id ex 8 valetudine sua, sed 
 insalubre esse atque asperum 9 ac propterea quaeri debere 
 
 15 exoticum, 10 vel Rhodium aliquod vel Lesbium. Id sibi 
 utrumque ut curarent n petivit, usiiruinque eo dlxit, quod 
 sese magis iuvisset. Eunt, quaeruut, inveniunt, adfe- 
 runt. Turn Aristoteles Rhodium petit, degustat: "Fir- 
 mum" 12 inquit "hercle vinum et iucundum." Petit 
 
 mox Lesbium. Quo item degustato : " Utrumque " inquit 
 " oppido 13 bonum, sed ^SiW " 6 AeV/3io;." Id ubi dlxit, 
 nemini fuit dubium, quln lepide simul et verecunde suc- 
 cessorem ilia voce sibi, non vinum delegisset. Is erat e 
 Lesbo Theophrastus, suavitate homo inslgnl linguae 
 
 1 'followers,' 'pupils.' 2 plural, 
 as agreeing with the collective noun 
 cohors. 3 quo . . . uterentur ex- 
 presses purpose. Render ' whose 
 guidance they might follow after his 
 death (summum diem) even as they 
 (had followed) him himself.' 4 There 
 is a contrast between conplenda ex- 
 colendaque (' to complete and pursue 
 to the end ') and inbuti. For the 
 force of ex. in composition, see p. 35, 
 n. 1. Imbuere is often used of in- 
 itiating the student iuto a given 
 
 branch of learning. 5 = rliatriba, p. 
 73, 1. 20. s cum . . . tempestivum: 
 ' when the proper time came.' How 
 literally? ~> = eliyenclo. 8 ex bears 
 the same meaning here as in the 
 common phrase ex re pnblica: see 
 p. 30, n. 7. 9 ' tart.' in (sc. vinum) 
 'foreign.' u ' provide,' 'furnish.' 
 12 ' strong.' So we say that certain 
 wines have 'a good body.' 13 'ex- 
 tremely.' The word belongs mainly 
 to colloquial Latin. 14 i]8iwv 6 \t- 
 <7j3ioi : ' the Lesbian is the pleasanter.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XV. 1 
 
 75 
 
 pariter 1 atque vitae. Itaque non diu post Aristotele 2 
 vita defuncto, ad Theophrastum omnes concesserunt. 
 
 XV. 1. 
 
 Quod in Quiuti Claudii 3 Anndlibus scrlptum est, lignum alumine obli- 
 tum 4 nou ardere. 
 
 Declamaverat Antonius lulianus 5 rhetor praeterquam 6 5 
 semper alias, turn vero nimium 7 quantum delectabiliter 
 et fellciter. 8 . . . Nos ergo familiares eius circumfusl 
 undique eum prosequebamur domum, cum inde subeuntes 
 montem Cispium 9 conspicimus insulam 10 quandam occupa- 
 tam igni multls arduisque tabulatis n editam 12 et propinqua 10 
 iam omnia flagrare vasto incendio. Turn quispiam ibi 
 ex comitibus luliani " Magni " inquit " redittis 13 urba- 
 norum praediorum, 14 sed peiicula sunt longe maxima. 
 Si quid autem posset remedii fore, ut ne tarn adsidue 
 domus Romae arderent, venum 15 hercle dedissem res 16 15 
 rusticas et urbicas emissern." Atque ill! lulianus laeta, 
 ut mos eius f uit, inter 17 f abulandum veiiustate " Si anna- 
 lem " inquit " undevicensimuin Q. Claudi legisses, optum! 
 
 1 'equally.' Note the position, 
 which gives to the whole an effect 
 like ' not merely of tongue, but of 
 life as well.' 2 Aristotele vita de- 
 fiincto = cum Aristoteles vita de- 
 functus esset. 
 
 3 Cf. p. 23, n. 3. * From oblinere, 
 'to smear, coat.' 5 See the Intro- 
 duction, 4. c praeterquam . . . 
 vero: literally 'besides always at 
 other times, on that occasion indeed 
 (which I have in mind).' The whole 
 sentence means that, though Anto- 
 nius' declamations were always 
 charming and happy, his effort was 
 especially fine on a certain occasion. 
 " nimium quantum = ; exceedingly.' 
 and qualities the adverbs delecta- 
 
 biliter and feliciter. Cf. xvi. 6. 9 
 
 ille nihil cunctatus (est) , sed nimium 
 quantum audacter . . . inquit. s ' hap- 
 pily.' So we speak of a ' happy re- 
 mark.' 9 One of the spurs of the 
 Esquiline Hill, to the east of the 
 Forum. 10 An apartment house or 
 tenement, containing many suites of 
 rooms, which were let out to differ- 
 ent families. The name is derived 
 from the fact that such buildings 
 were often surrounded on all sides 
 by streets. n 'stories.' 12 'tower- 
 ing up.' 13 'income.' 14 'estates.' 
 
 15 venum dedissem = vendidissem. 
 
 16 ' my out-of-town property.' 17 in- 
 ter f abulandum : ' in the course of 
 
 : the conversation.'
 
 76 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 et sincerissimi scrlptoris, docuisset te profecto Archelaus, 
 regis Mithridati 1 praefectus, qua medella 2 quaque sol- 
 lertia 3 ignem defenderes, ut ne ulla tua aedificatio e 
 llgno 4 correpta 5 atque Insinuata flammis arderet." 
 
 5 Percontatus ego sum, quid esset illud mirum Quadii- 
 garii. Repetit : " In eo igitur libro scriptmn inveui, cum 
 obpugnaret L. Sulla 6 in terra Attica Plraeum 7 et contra 
 Archelaus regis Mithridati 8 praefectus ex eo oppido pro- 
 pugnaret, turrim llgneain defendendi gratia structam, cum 
 
 10 ex omni latere circumplexa 9 ignl f oret, ardere non quisse, 
 quod alumine ab Archelao oblita fuisset." 
 
 Verba Quadrigari! ex eo libro haec suut : " Cum Sulla 
 conatus esset tempore 10 magno, eduxit copias, ut Archelal 
 turrim unam, quam ille interposuit, llgneain incenderet. 
 
 is Venit, accessit, llgna subdidit, submovit H Graecos, Ignem 
 admovit ; satis I2 sunt difi conati, numquain quiverunt 
 incendere, ita Archelaus omnem matei-iam obleverat alu- 
 mine, quod 13 Sulla atque milites mirabantur, et postquani 
 non succendit, rediixit copias." 
 
 1 = Mithridati K. This genitive 
 in I from names ending in es is com- 
 mon in Gellius, as in Cicero. Cf. 
 also n. 8 below. 2 Cf . rernedii, p. 75, 
 1. 14, and p. 41, n. 3. ' skillful de- 
 vice.' 4 e llgno = an adjective, 
 'wooden.' Ct.Hgneam^H. 5 cor- 
 repta . . . arderet = corriperetur at- 
 que insinuata flammis arderet. With 
 correpta . . . flammis of. occupatam 
 if/id, p. 75, 1. 9 ; with Insinuata flam- 
 mis cf. our phrase, ' wrapped in 
 flames.' 6 L. Cornelius Sulla (1^-78 
 B.C.), the leader of the aristocratic 
 party and enemy of Mari us, the cham- 
 pion of the democracy. He was dic- 
 tator 80-78. 7 The harbor of Athens. 
 8 The celebrated king of Pontus, who 
 thrice waged war against the Ro- 
 mans, and was finally defeated by 
 
 1 Poinpey. (See also Gellius xvii. 16, 
 ! p. 89, and xvii. 17, p. !)0.) The inci- 
 dent referred to by Gellius occurred 
 in 86 B.C. Mithridates, after over- 
 running all the western part of Asia, 
 had even invaded Greece and cap- 
 tured Athens, but the city was re- 
 taken by Sulla. 9 circumplexa foret 
 (= esset): 'had been surrounded,' 
 i.e. the verb here is drcwnptecto, not 
 circumplector. Gellius treats several 
 other verbs in the same way, substi- 
 tuting active for deponent forms. 
 1(1 tempore magno : ' fora long time,' 
 an unusual sense of mat/nits. n i.e. 
 he drove the defenders from the wall. 
 12 Join with diu, and cf. the English 
 ' quite.' 13 ' whereat ' : quod is relai i ve, 
 its antecedent being the whole idea 
 expressed by the preceding clauses.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XV. 16 
 
 77 
 
 XV. 10. 
 
 De fbluntario et admirando interitu virginum Milesiarum. 1 
 
 Plutarchus 2 in librorum, quos Hepl 3 ^v^s mscripsit, 
 primo, cum de rnorbls dissereret in animos hominum inci- 
 dentibus, virginum 4 dlxit Milesi! nominis 5 fere quot turn 6 
 in ea clvitate erant repente sine ulla evident! causa 5 
 voluntatem cepisse obeundae mortis ac deinde plurimas 
 vitam suspendio 7 amisisse. Id cum accideret in dies 
 crebrius 8 neque animis earum morl perseverantium medi- 
 cina adhiberi 9 qulret, decrevisse Milesios, ut virgines, 
 quae corporibus suspensis demortuae forent, ut hae omnes 10 
 nudae cum eodem laqueo, 10 qui " essent praevinctae, effer- 
 rentur. Post id decretum virgines voluntariam mortem 
 non petlsse, pudore solo deterritas tarn inhonestl fiineris. 
 
 XV. 16 
 
 De novo 12 genere interitus Crotonieusis 13 Milonis. 
 
 Milo Crotouiensis, athleta inlustris, quern in Chronias 14 15 
 scriptum est Olympiads 15 qumquagesima primum corona- 
 
 i Cf. p. 69, n. 1. 2 A distin- 
 guished Greek author (50-120 A.D.), 
 born at Chaeronea in Boeotia. He 
 spent some time in Rome, and con- 
 ducted the education of the emperor 
 Trajan. His best known work is 
 entitled ' Parallel Lives,' and con- 
 sists of a series of forty-six biogra- 
 phies of famous Greeks and Romans. 
 He wrote also numerous philosophic 
 and scientific works. 8 Oepi 'I'l/x^s 
 = De Aniino, ' On the Soul.' 4 vir- 
 ginum depends on quot . . . erant. 
 The wh;>le = omnes virgines quae 
 turn in ea civitate erant. 5 This use 
 of nomen, corresponding to our ' na- 
 tionality,' is common. 6 Indefinite 
 here, as on p. 75, 1.6. J 'hanging.' 
 
 8 = saepius. 9 A medical term, like 
 our ' apply.' 10 ' noose.' n = quo. 
 Following the practice of early Latin, 
 Gellius several times uses qui as the 
 ablative singular of the relative in 
 all genders. 
 
 12 'strange.' 13 Crotoniensis = 
 'of Crotona,' a town in southern 
 Italy. 14 Sc. libris : 'chronicles.' 
 The exact nature of the works which 
 Gellius has in mind cannot be de- 
 termined. 15 An Olympiad was the 
 period of four years that elapsed be- 
 tween two successive celebrations 
 of the Olympian games. Since the 
 first Olympiad began in 776 B.C., 
 the fiftieth would correspond to the 
 years 580-576 B.C.
 
 78 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 turn esse, exitum habuit e vita miserandum et mlrandum. 
 Cum iam natu grandis artem athleticam deslsset, 1 iterque 
 faceret forte solus in locis Italiae silvestribus, quercum 
 vldit proxime viam patulis 2 in parte media rlmis hiantem. 
 
 5 Turn experlrl, credo, etiam tune volens, an ullae sibi reli- 
 quae vires adessent, inmissls 3 in cavernas arboris digitis, 
 dlducere et rescindere quercum conatus est. Ac mediam 
 quidem partem dlscidit dlvellitque ; quercus autem in 
 duas diducta partis, cum ille, quasi 4 perfects 5 quod erat 
 
 10 conixus, manus laxasset, cessante 6 vl rediit in naturam 
 manibusque eius retentls incluslsque stricta 7 denuo et 
 cohaesa dllacerandum hominem ferls praebuit. 
 
 XV. 17. 
 
 Quam ob causarn nobiles puerl Atheniensium tibiis 8 canere desierint, 
 cum patrium 9 istum morem canendi haberent. 
 
 is Alcibiades 10 Atheniensis, cum apud avunculum " Peri- 
 elfin 12 puer artibus ac disciplinis llberalibus erudlretur et 
 arcessi Pericles Antigenldam tlbicinem iussisset, ut eum 
 
 i = reliquisset. Desinere is tran- 
 sitive also p. 19, 1. 15; p. 20, 1. 9; 
 p. 79, 1. 5. 2 patulis . . . hiantem: 
 ' gaping open with wide cracks.' Ac- 
 cording to another version of the 
 story, woodcutters had partly split 
 the tree by means of wedges. When 
 Milo widened the opening, the wedges 
 fell out, and the tree closed upon 
 his fingers. 3 inmissis digitis : ' in- 
 serting his fingers.' 4 Cf. p. 58, 
 n. 5. 5 perfects agrees with the 
 clause quod erat comxus, the 
 whole forming an ablative absolute. 
 Translate quasi . . . conixus by 
 'thinking that he had accomplished 
 what he set out to do.' c cessante 
 . . .naturam: i.e. as soon as the 
 strain was removed the oak returned 
 to its natural position. ' stricta . . . 
 
 cohaesa : ' clinging tightly together.' 
 Both words here seem to = ' com- 
 pressed,' and hence are opposed to 
 diducta above, 1. 9. 
 
 8 tibiis canere : ' to play the 
 pipes.' Cf. p. 41, n. 1. tibiis is an 
 instrumental ablative. 9 predicate 
 adjective to morem . . . haberent, 
 and = 'as one derived from their 
 fathers.' 10 Alcibiades (450-404 B.C.) 
 was a pupil of Socrates. He played a 
 prominent part in the Peloponnesian 
 War (431-404), fighting first for the 
 Athenians, then for the Spartans, 
 and again for the Athenians. u ' un- 
 cle.' 12 The famous statesman, 
 leader of the democracy 4!!9-42;> 
 B.C. He was thus the central figure 
 of the most splendid period of 
 Athenian history.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XV. 18 79 
 
 canere tlbiis, quod honestissimum turn videbatur, doceret, 
 traditas l sibi tibias, cum ad 6s adhibuisset mflassetque, 
 pudef actus oris def ormitate 2 abiecit Inf regitque. Ea res 
 cum percrebuisset, 3 omnium turn Atheniensium consensu 
 discipllna tlbiis canendl desita est. 5 
 
 XV. 18. 
 
 Quod pugna 4 belli civllis victoriaque Gal Caesaris, quam vicit in Phar- 
 salils campis, nuntiata praedictaque est per cuiuspiam Cornell 
 sacerdotis vaticinium 5 eodem ipso die in Italia Patavi. 6 
 
 Quo C. Caesar et Cn. Pompeius die per 7 civile bellum 
 signis conlatis in Thessalia conflixerunt, res accidit Pa- 10 
 tavi in transpadana Italia memorari digna. Cornelius 
 quidam sacerdos, et loco nobilis et sacerdotii 8 religionibus 
 venerandus et castitate vitae sanctus, repente 9 mota mente 
 conspicere se procul dixit pugnam acerrimam pugnari, ac 
 deinde alios cedere, alios urgere, caedem, fugam, tela 15 
 volantia, mstaurationem 10 pugnae, inpressionem, 11 gemitus, 
 vulnera, proinde ut si ipse in proelio versaretur, coram 
 videre sese vociferatus est ac postea subito exclamavit 
 Caesarem vicisse. 
 
 Ea Cornelii sacerdotis ariolatio 5 levis 12 turn quidem 20 
 visa est et vecors. 13 Magnae u mox admirationi fuit, quo- 
 niam 11611 modo pugnae dies, quae in Thessalia pugnata 
 est, neque proelii exitus, qui erat praedictus, idem fuit, 
 
 i = quae traditae erant. 2 Alci- | of.' 8 sacerdotii religionibus : ' the 
 biades objected to having his beauty scrupulousness of his priesthood,' i.e. 
 (for which he was famous) spoiled the care with which he performed 
 by the pipes. 3 ' became generally its duties. 9 repente . . . dixit : 
 
 ' suddenly became inspired and said,' 
 
 known.' 4 The battle of Pharsalus 
 in Thessaly, fought in 48 B.C. Pom- 
 pey was defeated and fled to Egypt, 
 
 etc. With mota mente sc. a dels. 
 10 'renewal.' n = impetum, 'a 
 
 where he was murdered. 5 ' pro- | charge.' 12 ' trivial.' ia ' senseless.' 
 phecy.' 6 ' at Patavium,' the modern 14 Magnae . . . fuit: ' presently there 
 Padua, near Venice. " ' in the course was great astonishment.'
 
 80 
 
 AULUS GKLLIUS 
 
 sed omnes quoque pugnandi reciprocae l vices et ipsa 
 exercituum duorum conflictatio vaticinantis 2 motu atque 
 verbls repraesentata est. 
 
 XV. 22 
 
 Historia de Sertorio, 3 egregio duce, deque astu eius commenticiisque 4 
 5 simulamentls, quibus ad barbaros milites continendos conciliandos- 
 
 que sibi utebatur. 
 
 Sertorius, vir acer egregiusque dux, et utendi regencli- 
 que exercitus peritus 5 i'uit. Is in temporibus difficillimis 
 et mentiebatur ad milites, si meiidacium. prodesset, et llt- 
 
 10 teras compositas 6 pro veris legebat et somnium simulabat 
 et falsas 7 religiones conferebat, si quid istae res eum 
 apud 8 mllitum animos adiuvabaut. Illud adeo Sertori 
 nobile 9 est. Cerva 10 alba eximiae pulchritudinis et viva- 
 cissimae celeritatis a Lusitano el quodam douo data est. 
 
 ir> Hanc sibi oblatam dlvmitus et Instinctam n Dianae numine 
 conloqul secum monereque et docere quae iitilia factu 
 essent, persuadere omnibus mstitit 12 ac, si quid durius 
 videbatur, quod imperandum militibus foret, a cerva sese 
 monitum praedicabat. Id cum dlxerat, universi, tam- 
 
 20 quam 13 si deo, libentes parebant. Ea cerva quodain die, 
 cum incursio esset hostium nuntiata, f estinatione u ac 
 tumultu consternata in f ugam se prorupit atque in palude 15 
 
 1 reciprocae vices : ' vicissi- 
 tudes,' 'alternating fortunes.' 2 = 
 vatis, ' seer.' 
 
 8 Q. Sertorius, an officer in the 
 army of Marius, who went to Sp;iiii 
 in 82 B.C. as propraetor, and main- 
 tained himself there at the head of 
 the Lusitanians (Portuguese) in op- 
 position to the government at Rome 
 till he was murdered in Tl. 4 com- 
 menticiis simulamentis : literally, 
 ' by his feigned (forged) deceptions,' 
 
 i.e. schemes carefully wrought out 
 to deceive. 5 ' skilled in.' e ' forged.' 
 > falsas . . . conferebat : ' brought 
 forward (i.e. expressed) scruples 
 which he did not feel at all.' 
 s apud mllitum animos : ' in the 
 affections of the soldiers.' 9 Here 
 = notifsimum. 10 ' A doe.' n ' in- 
 spired.' I2 ' he proceeded.' 13 tam- 
 quam si deo = tamquam (parcant) 
 si d>o (parntut). l 4 ' hurry,' 'bus- 
 tle.' 15 ' marsh.'
 
 NOCTES ATTIC AE, XVI. 11 81 
 
 proxima delituit l et postea reqmsita perisse credita est. 
 Xeque multis diebus post inventam esse cervam Sertorio 
 nuntiatur. Turn, qui nuntiaverat, iussit tacere ac, ne 
 GUI palam dlceret, interminatus 2 est praecepitque, ut earn 
 postero die repente in eum locum, in quo ipse cum ami- 5 
 cis esset, inmitteret. Admissis deinde amicls postridie, 
 vlsum sibi esse ait in quiete 3 cervam quae perisset ad 
 se revertl et, ut prius consuerat, quod opus esset facto 
 praedicere ; turn 4 servo quod imperaverat significat, cerva 
 emissa in cubiculuni Sertoril introrupit, clamor factus et 10 
 orta admiratio est. 
 
 Eaque homiiium barbarorum credulitas Sertorio in 
 magnis rebus magno usui f uit. Memoria prodita est ex his 
 nationibus, quae cum 5 Sertorio f aciebant, cum multis proe- 
 lils superatus esset, neminem umquam ab eo desclvisse, 6 is 
 quamquam id genus hominum esset mobilissimum. 7 
 
 XVI. 11 
 
 Historia ex Herodoti libris sumpta de Psyllorum iuteritu, qui iu Syrti- 
 bus 8 Airieams colebaut. 9 
 
 Gens in Italia Marsorum orta fertur a Circae 10 filio. 
 Propterea ]\Iarsis hominibus, quorum u dumtaxat familiae 20 
 cum externis cognationibus nondurn etiam permixtae cor- 
 
 i 'hid.' Cf. p. 53, n. 15. 2 lit- 
 erally 'threatened,' but here 'for- 
 bade with threats.' Hence it may 
 be construed with the clause ne . . 
 
 to the bays in which they stood, and 
 which are known iu modern times as 
 the Gulfs of Sidra and Cabes. Here, 
 by a further extension of mean- 
 
 diceret. 3 ' sleep.' 4 turn ... si- in;,', Syrtibus = the coast adjoining 
 gnificat : i.e. ' then he gave the ap- i these gulfs. 9 = incolebant, ' dwelt.' 
 pointed signal.' 5 cum Sertorio 10 Circe was a famous sorceress, 
 
 faciebant: 'supported Sertorius.' 
 6 'revolted.' ~ ' most fickle.' 
 
 8 The name Syrtes properly de- 
 noted two sandbanks, called Maior 
 and Minor, on the north coast of 
 Africa. The name was applied also 
 
 AUL. GEL. 6 
 
 dwelling, as Homer says, on an 
 island which the Romans identified 
 with the promontory of Circeii, on 
 the coast of Latium. n quorum 
 dumtaxat : ' those of them at least 
 whose .'amilies,' etc.
 
 82 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 ruptaeque sunt, vi 1 quadam genital! datum, ut et ser- 
 pentium virulentorum domitores sint et incentionibus 2 
 herbarumque sucis 3 faciant niedellarum 2 miracula. 
 
 Hac eadem vi praeditos esse quosdam videmus, qui 
 
 5 Psylll vocantur. Quorum super nomine et genere cum in 
 veteribus litteris quaeslssem, in quarto denique Herodoti 
 libro fabulara de Psyllis hanc invenimus : Psyllos quon- 
 dam fuisse in terra Africa contermiiios Nasamonibus 
 Austrumque 4 in fmibus eorum quodam in tempore per- 
 
 10 quam 5 validum ac diutinum flavisse ; eo flatu aquam 
 omnem in locis, in quibus colebant, exaruisse 6 ; Psyllos, 
 re 7 aquaria defectos, earn 8 iniuriam graviter Austro 
 suscensuisse decretumque fecisse, uti armis sumptls ad 9 
 Austrum, proinde quasi ad 9 hostem, iure belli res 10 petltum 
 
 15 proficlscerentur. Atque ita profectis n ventum Austrum 
 magno 12 spiritus agmine venisse obviam eosque iiniversos 
 cum omnibus copils armisque cumulis 13 montibusque 
 arenarum supervectis operuisse. Eo facto Psyllos ad 
 unum omnls interisse, itaque eorum fines a Nasamonibus 
 
 20 occupatos. 
 
 1 vi quadam genitall datum bly to be explained as an accusative 
 (est) : ' through a sort of innate I of respect (cf. lana multa collum 
 
 force the power was given.' For 
 quadam as helping to soften a meta- 
 phor see p. 15, n. 14. 2 Cf. p. 41, 
 nn. 1 and 3. 3 'juices,' 'extracts.' 
 4 The south wind, often hot and op- 
 pressive, and so described by Horace 
 
 cervicesqite circumvolutum, p. (59, 
 1. 14) ; 06 earn rem would be more 
 natural. 9 ' against.' 10 res petl- 
 tum : ' to seek satisfaction ' ; liter- 
 ally ' to seek the things (which had 
 been carried off).' The phrase goes 
 
 as plumbeus, 'leaden.' 5 'exceed- back to a time when wealth con- 
 ingly.' 6 from exmvsfo = ' to dry sisted not of money, but of cattle, 
 
 up.' 7 re aquaria defectos : liter- 
 ally ' weakened in respect of their 
 water supply.' For res aquaria = 
 
 sheep, and other kinds of movable 
 property. n dative with venisse 
 obviam, which = ' met.' 12 magno 
 
 aqua, cf. p. 17, n. 10. 8 earn . . . BUS- j spiritus agmine: ' with a mighty 
 censuisse: 'became very angry at blast.' 13 cumulis . . . operuisse: 
 Auster because of this injury.' The ' ' he covered them by overturning 
 accusative (earn iniuriam) with (supervectis) upon them heaps and 
 suscensere is unusual, and is proba- mountains of sand.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XVI. 19 83 
 
 XVI. 19 
 Sumpta historia ex Herodoti libro super fidicine 1 Arione. 
 
 Celeri 2 admodum et cohibili oratione vocumque filo 3 
 tereti 4 et candido 5 fabulam scripsit Herodotus super fidi- 
 cine illo 6 Arione. " Vetus " iiiquit " et nobilis Arion 
 cantator fidibus f uit. Is loco 7 et oppido Methymnaeus, 8 5 
 terra atque insula omni Lesbius fuit. Euin Arlonem 
 rex Corinth! Periander 9 amlcum amatumque habuit artis 
 gratia. 10 Is hide a rege proficiscitur terras hiclutas Sici- 
 liam atque Italiam vlsere. Ybi eo venit auresque omnium 
 mentesque in utriusque terrae urbibus demulsit, 11 in 12 10 
 quaestibus istlc et voluptatibus amoribusque hominum 
 fuit. Is turn postea grandl pecuuia et re bona multa 
 copiosus Corinthiun instituit redlre, navem igitur et navi- 
 tas, ut notiores amicioresque sibi, Corinthios delegit." 
 Sed 13 eos Corinthios, homine accepto navique in altum 15 
 provecta, praedae pecuniaeque cupidos cepisse consilium 
 de necando Arione. Turn ilium ibi, pernicie 14 intellecta, 
 pecuniam ceteraque sua, ut haberent, dedisse, vitam modo 
 sibi ut parcerent oravisse. Navitas precum eius harum 
 commiseritum esse illactenus, 15 ut el necem adferre per 20 
 vim suls manibus temperarent, 16 sed imperavisse, ut iam 
 
 1 From fidicen, a player on the : was ruler of Corinth from G25 to 585 
 Jides, ' lyre.' Cf. cantator fidibus, \ B.C. 10 Cf. p. 31, n. 9. n 'charmed.' 
 1. 5. 2 Celeri . . . oratione: 'in an i 12 in quaestibus . . . fuit: i.e. he 
 extremely rapid and concise style.' I made a great deal of money, bc- 
 3 from filum, a 'thread' of anything : sides thoroughly enjoying himself 
 woven, then a 'fiber' in general, then | and winning general favor. 13 Note 
 metaphorically 'texture' or 'quality.' | that throughout the chapter Gellius 
 4 'well-turned, "tasteful.' 5 ' straight- | alternates between the direct and 
 forward,' i.e. simple, unaffected. \ the indirect discourse. 14 pernicie 
 6 'the famous.' 7 The ablatives in intellecta: 'seeing that his hour 
 this sentence are ablatives of speci- i had come.' How literally? ^ 'so 
 fication. 8 A citizen of Methymna, j far (at least).' 16 ' refrained from ' ; 
 on the island of Lesbos, which lay ! construed here with the infinitive 
 off the coast of Mysia. 9 Periander (adferre), a rare usage.
 
 84 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 statim coram desiliret praeceps in mare. "Homo" in- 
 quit " ibi territus, spe omni vltae perclita, id unum postea 
 oravit, ut, priusquam mortem obpeteret, induere permit- 
 terent sua 1 sibi omnia indumenta 2 et fides capere et 
 
 5 canere carmen casus illlus sui consolabile. Feros et 
 inmanes navitas prolubium 3 tamen audiendi subit ; quod 
 oraverat, impetrat. Atque ibi mox de more cinctus, amic- 
 tus, ornatus stansque in summae puppis foro, 4 carmen, 
 quod Orthium 5 dicitur, voce sublatissima 6 cantavit. Ad 
 
 10 postrema 7 cantus cum fidibus ornatuque omni, sicut sta- 
 bat canebatque, iecit sese procul in profundum. Navitae, 
 hautquaquam dubitantes, qum perlsset, cursum, quern 
 facere coeperant, tenuerunt. Sed novum et mlrum et 
 pium 8 facinus contigit." Delphlnum repente inter undas 
 
 15 adnavisse fluitantique sese homini subdidisse et dorso 
 super fluctus edito vectavisse incolumique eum corpore 
 et ornatu Taenarum 9 in terrain Laconicam devexisse. 
 Turn Arlonem prorsus ex eo loco Corinthum petlvisse 
 talemque Periandro regi, qualis delphmo vectus fuerat. 
 
 20 inopinanti sese optulisse eique rein, sicuti acciderat, nar- 
 ravisse. Regem istaec parum 10 credidisse, Arlonem, quasi 
 falleret, custodm iussisse, navitas inqulsltos, ablegato 11 
 Arione, dissimulanter interrogasse, ecquid audlssent in 
 his locis, unde venissent, super Arione. Eos dixisse homi- 
 
 25 nem, cum inde irent, in terra Italia fuisse eumque 12 illic 
 bene agitare et studils delectationibusque urbium florere 
 atque in gratia pecuniaque magna opulentum fortuna- 
 
 1 sua Biti : cf . p. 53, n . 2. 2 ' vest- 
 ments,' i.e. the dress which he wore 
 at his public performances. 3 ' de- 
 sire.' 4 from fonts, ' a gangway.' 
 c The C'cmnen Orthium was an ex- 
 tremely familiar tune among the 
 Greeks. Its distinguishing charac- 
 teristic was that it was pitched in so 
 
 high a key that few voices could 
 reach it. 6 'extremely shrill.' 7 here 
 a noun, 'conclusion.' 8 'gracious.' 
 9 A promontory at the southern end 
 of Laconia, in Greece. 10 parum 
 credidisse: 'was loath to hHiovo 
 this story.' n 'removed.' i- eum 
 . . . esse : cf . p. 83, n. 12.
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XVII. 9 85 
 
 tumque esse. Turn inter haec eorum verba Arioneni cum 
 fidibus et indumentis, cum quibus se in salum 1 eiacula- 
 verat, 2 exstitisse, navitas stupefactos convictosque ire 3 
 mfitias non quisse. Earn fabulain dicere Lesbios et Co- 
 rinthios atque esse fabulae argumentum, quod simulacra 5 
 duo aenea ad Taenaruni vlserentur, delphlnus vehens et 
 homo insidens. 
 
 XVII. 9 
 
 De notis 4 litterarum, quae in C. Caesaris epistulis reperiuntur; deque 
 aliis clandestinis 5 litteris ex vetere historia petitis ; et quid <r/cvTaAr)6 
 sit Laconica. 10 
 
 Libri sunt epistularum C. Caesaris ad C. Oppium et 
 Balbum Cornelium, qui rebus 7 eius absentis curabant. 
 In his epistulis quibusdam in locis inveniuntur litterae 
 singulariae 8 sine coagmentis syllabarum, quas tu putes 
 positas incondite 9 ; nam verba ex his litteris confici nulla 15 
 possunt. Erat autem conventum 10 inter eos clandestmum 
 de commutando situ 11 litterarum, ut in scrlpto quidem 
 alia aliae locum et nomen ^ teneret, sed in legendo locus 
 culque suus et potestas ^ restitueretur ; quaenam vero lit- 
 tera pro qua scrlberetur ante is, 13 sicuti dixl, conplace- 20 
 bat, qui hanc scribendl latebram parabant. Est adeo 
 ProbI M grammatici commentarius satis curiose factus de 
 
 1 = mare. 2 ' had flung.' 8 Cf . j which means that the adjacent let- 
 p. 42, n. 12. 4 Notae litterarum is ! ters could not be united into sylla- 
 the regular expression for 'writ- bles. 9 Cf. p. 10, 1. 3. 10 ' agreement.' 
 ten characters.' Here, however, the n 'position,' 'order.' 12 ' value.' 13 Is 
 reference is to shorthand or steno- 1 (eis) . . . conplacebat : ' was agreetl 
 graphic signs. 5 clandestinis lit- upon by those.' How literally ? 14 M. 
 teris: 'cipher systems.' 6 For the Valerius Probus, a distinguished 
 meaning of this word see p. 8(5, 1. 3 f. I grammarian of the first century A.D., 
 " dative with curabant, an archaic who busied himself chiefly with the 
 construction ; the accusative is the I critical revision and elucidation of 
 regular construction. 8 singulariae, j the texts of various Latin authors, 
 which = ' one by one,' is immediately especially Lucretius, Vergil, Horace, 
 explained by sine .. syllabarum, audPersius. He wrote a work also on
 
 86 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 occulta litterarum significatione in epistularum C. Cae- 
 saris scriptura. 
 
 Lacedaemonii autem veteres, cum dissimulare et occul- 
 tare litteras publice ad imperatores suos missas volebant, 
 
 5 ne, si ab hostibu,s eae captae forent, consilia sua nosceren- 
 tur, epistulas id 1 genus factas mittebant. Surculi 2 duo 
 erant teretes, 3 oblongull, 4 par! crassamento 5 eiusdemque 
 longitudinis, derasi 6 atque ornatl consimiliter ; unus im- 
 peratorl in bellum proficlscenti dabatur, alterum doml 
 
 10 magistrates habebant. Quando usus venerat litterarum 
 secretiorum, circum eum surculum loruin 7 modicae tenui- 
 tatis, longum autem quantum rei satis erat, conplicabant, 
 volumine 8 rotundo et simplici, ita uti 9 orae adiunctae 
 undique et cohaerentes lori, quod plicabatur, colrent. 
 
 15 Litteras 10 deinde in eo loro per transversas n iunctura- 
 rum oras versibus a summo ad imum proficiscentibus 
 mscribebant ; id lorum litterls ita perscrlptis revolutum 1>2 
 ex surculo imperatorl comment! 13 istlus conscio mitte- 
 bant ; resoliitio 14 autem lori litteras truncas atque muti- 
 
 20 las reddebat 15 membraque 1(i earum et apices in " partis 
 
 the shorthand systems in use among 
 the Romans, which has survived in 
 an abridged form. Such systems are 
 often referred to by Latin writers. 
 Suetonius, in his life of Julius Caesar, 
 ch. 5(i, refers to Caesar's use of a ci- 
 pher in private letters, and says that 
 he wrote A for D, B for E, and so on. 
 1 id genus : 'as follows.' 2 'sticks'; 
 properly small branches cut from a 
 living tree. 3 ' round.' 4 ' rather 
 long.' It is said that the staff was 
 about three feet in length. 5 'thick- 
 ness.' ' smoothed,' i.e. they lopped 
 off any twigs that might be growing 
 on the branch. " Cf. p. 33, n. 5. 
 8 volumine . . . simplici : ' in a single 
 (ximplici) fold (running) round (and 
 
 round).' fl uti . . . colrent: i.e. so 
 that the edges (orae) always met 
 closely. 10 Litteras . . . inscribe- 
 bant: the lines ran (proficiscenti- 
 bus) the whole length of the stick, 
 straight across all the lapping edges. 
 11 Latin often uses an adjective where 
 the English uses some adverbial ex- 
 pression. Cf. adverso fit mine = ' up 
 stream,' transversa charta= 'across 
 the page.' 12 revolutum . . . mitte- 
 bant = revolvebaitt et mittebant. 
 13 'device.' 14 'unrolling.' 15 fa- 
 cifbat. Cf. praestabant, p. 87, 1. 8. 
 1(5 membra et apices : ' parts and 
 outlines ' ; apices strictly = 'points.' 
 17 in partis . . . spargebat : ' scat- 
 tered pellmell.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XVII. 9 
 
 87 
 
 diversissimas spargebat : propterea, si id lorum in mantis 
 hostium inciderat, nihil quicquam coniectari ex eo scripto 
 quibat; sed ubi ille, ad quern erat missum, acceperat, 
 surculo 1 conpari, quern habebat, a oapite ad finem, 
 proinde ut debere fieri sciebat, circumplicabat, atque ita 5 
 lltterae per 2 eundem am bi turn stirculi coalescentes rursum 
 coibant integramque et incorruptam epistulam et faci- 
 lem leg! praestabant. Hoc genus epistulae Lacedaemonii 
 o-KuroAi/v appellant. 
 
 Legebamus id quoque in vetere historia rerum Poeni- 10 
 carum, 3 virum indidem 4 quempiam inlustrem sive ille 5 
 Hasdrubal 6 sive quis alius est non retineo 7 epistulam 
 scriptam super rebus arcanls 8 hoc modo abscondisse: 
 pugillaria 9 nova, nondum etiam cera 10 inlita, accepisse, 
 litteras in lignum incidisse, postea tabulas, uti solitum 15 
 est, cera conlevisse easque tabulas, tamquam non scriptas, 
 cul n f acturum id praedixerat misisse ; eum deinde ceram 
 derasisse litterasqvie incolumes ligno incisas legisse. 
 
 Est et alia in monumentis rerum Graecarum profunda 
 quaedam et inopmabilis 12 latebra, barbarico astu excogi- 20 
 tata. Histiaeus 13 nomine fuit, loco natus in terra Asia 
 non Ignobill. Asiam tune tenebat imperio rex Darius. 
 Is Histiaeus, cum in Persis apud 14 Darium esset, Arista- 
 
 1 dative with circumplicabat. 
 2 per . . . surculi : ' through the 
 same encircling (ambitum) of the 
 stick (by the thong),' i.e. by rolling 
 the thong round the stick in the same 
 way. Ambitus has here its literal 
 physical meaning (cf. its etymology: 
 ainbi 'round,' and ire). 8 'Cartha- 
 ginian.' 4 ' (hailing) from that same 
 place,' i.e. from Carthage. .loin 
 with virum. 5 'the famous.' Out 
 of this meaning of ille is developed 
 the French article le, In, and the 
 Italian lo, la. 6 A famous general, 
 
 commander of the Carthaginian 
 forces in Spain about 227-220 B.C. 
 r Sc. memorid. 8 ' secret.' 9 ' writ- 
 ing-tablets ' of small size. Cf.pngil- 
 lus, 'a handful.' 10 'wax.' n = el 
 cui ; in other words, the antecedent 
 is omitted, as often in Gellius. 
 12 inopinabilis latebra: 'a subter- 
 fuge wholly unexpected,' one that 
 you would never ' dream of . ' i3 Once 
 tyrant of Miletus, but afterwards in 
 the service of Darius, king of Per- 
 sia. The incident of the text oc- 
 curred about 500 B.<\ 14 'at the
 
 88 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 gorae 1 cuipiam res quasdam occultas nuntiare furtivo 
 scripto volebat. Comminiscitur 2 opertum hoc litterarum 
 admirandum. Servo suo diu oculos aegros habenti capil- 
 lum ex capite omni tamquam medendi gratia deradit 
 
 5 caputque 3 eius leve in litterarum .formas conpungit. His 
 litteris, quae voluerat, perscripsit, hominem postea, quoad 
 capillus adolesceret, domo continuit. Ubi id factum est, 
 ire ad Aristagoran iubet et " Cum ad eum " inquit " vene- 
 ris, mandasse me dicito, ut caput tuum, sicut nuper 
 
 10 egomet fed, deradat." Servus, ut imperatum erat, ad 
 Aristagoran venit mandatumque domini adfert. Atque 
 ille, id 4 non esse frustra ratus, quod erat rnandatum fecit. 
 Ita litterae perlatae 5 sunt. 
 
 XVII. 10 
 
 Quid de versibus Vergilii 6 Favorinus" existumarit. 
 
 15 Favormum philosophum, cum in hospitis sui Antia- 
 tem 8 villam aestu 9 anni concessisset nosque ad eum 
 videndum Koma venissemus, memini super poeta Ver- 
 gilio in hunc feruie modum disserere: "Amici" inquit 
 " familiaresque P. Vergilii in 10 his, quae de ingenio 
 
 20 moribusque eius memoriae tradiderunt, dicere eum soli- 
 turn ferunt, parere u se versus more atque ritu ursino. 
 
 court of.' Darius, suspecting him ! adjectival value, when coupled with 
 of treachery, had summoned him to 
 the court and would not permit him 
 to depart. 
 
 1 Aristagoras was brother-in-law 
 of Histiaeus. 2 ' He devises this way 
 of secretly writing (his message).' 
 opertum is here a noun, ' secrecy.' 
 3 caput . . . conpungit: i.e. he tat- 
 toos the message on his head. 4 id ... 
 ratus : ' thinking that this (proceed- 
 ing) was not without significance.' 
 In colloquial Latin frustra often has 
 
 esse. 5 ' was carried to its destina- 
 tion.' Note the force of the prefix. 
 6 P. Vergilius Maro, the great Roman 
 poet (70-19 B.C.), best known by his 
 great epic poem entitled Aeneis 
 (Aeneid). J See Introduction, 5. 
 8 Antiatem villam : a villa at An- 
 tium, a town of Latium, famous for 
 its temple of Fortuna. 9 aestu anni 
 = aestate ; cf. our phrase, ' the heated 
 term.' 10 in his quae: 'among those 
 things which.' u 'produced.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XVII. 16 89 
 
 Namque ut l ilia bestia f etum ederet 2 ineffi giatum 8 mf 6r- 
 memque lambendoque 4 id postea, quod ita edidisset, 
 conf ormaret 2 et fingeret, 2 proinde 1 ingenii quoque sui 
 partus recentes rudi esse facie et inperfecta, sed deinceps 
 tractando colendoque reddere iis se oris et vultiis llnia- 5 
 menta. Hoc virum iudicii subtilissimi ingenue atque 
 vere dlxisse res" inquit "indicium facit. Nam quae 
 reliquit perfecta expolitaque quibusque inposuit census 5 
 atque dilectus sui supremam manum omni poeticae venu- 
 statis laude florent; sed quae procrastinata sunt ab eo, 10 
 ut post receiiserentur, 6 et absolvl, 7 quoniam mors prae- 
 verterat, iiequlverunt, nequaquam poetarum elegantissiml 
 nomine atque iudicio dlgna sunt. Itaque cum morbo 
 obpressus adventare mortem viderat, petlvit oravitque a 
 suis amicissimis inpense, 8 ut Aeneida, quam nondum 15 
 satis ellmavisset/ adolerent. 10 " 
 
 XVII. 16 
 
 Anates u Poiiticas vim habere venenis 12 dlgerendis potentem ; atqne w 
 iuibi de Mithridati regis in 14 id genus 15 medieameiitum sollertia. 
 
 Anates Ponticas dlcitur edundis vulgo venenis victi- 
 tare. Scriptum etiam a Lenaeo, 10 Cn. Pompei 17 liberto, 20 
 
 1 'as ... so.' 2 The subjunctive is 
 due to the indirect discourse, which 
 
 lius as = vehementer, valde. 9 ' had 
 filed smooth,' i.e. perfected. Cf. the 
 
 contains Vergil's statement as re- j metaphor in expolita, 1. 8. 10 'de- 
 ported by his friends. 3 ' shapeless.' | stroy.' u ' Ducks.' 12 venenis dige- 
 Fpr the synonyms here, as in 1. 3, ; rendis : a dative of purpose with 
 conformaret^et fingeret, and inge- vim . . . potentem = ' had the power 
 nue atque vere, 1. (i, see p. 1C, u. 3. to digest (eat safely) poisons.' Cf. 
 4 -hy lickiiii,' them.' 5 census ... ma- p. 00, 1. 3. 13 Cf. p. 2fi, n. 1. u Join 
 num: literally 'the finishing touches in medicamentum with sollertia, 
 (ntanitm) of his critical judgment a very unusual construction. The 
 
 (census) and his discrimination (di- 
 lectus),' i.e. the touches suggested by 
 his own discriminating judgment. 
 
 genitive is the common idiom; cf. 
 the genitive with sollers, p. 90, 1. 1. 
 15 'of that sort,' an accusative of 
 
 6 ' revised.' = perfici. literally j respect, w A writer on medical sub- 
 ' expensively,' but often used by Gel- jects. 17 Pompey the Great.
 
 90 AVLUS GELLIUS 
 
 Mithridatem ilium Ponti regem medicinae l rel et remedio- 
 rum id genus sollertem fuisse solituraque earum sangui- 
 nem miscere medicamentis, quae digerendis venenls 
 valent, eumque sanguinem vel potentissimum esse in ea 
 
 5 conf ectione 2 ; ipsura autem regem adsiduo talium medel- 
 larum usu a 3 clandestmis epularum Insidils cavisse; 
 qum 4 et scientem quoque ultro et ostentandl gratia 
 venenum 5 rapidum et velox saepenuinero hausisse, atque 
 id tamen sine noxa fuisse. Quamobrem postea, cum 
 
 10 proelio victus in ultima regni refugisset et mori decre- 
 visset, venena violentissima festmandae necis causa fru- 
 stra expertus, suo se ipse gladio transegit. 
 
 XVII. 17 
 
 Mithridatem, Ponti regem, duarum et viginti gentium linguis locutum ; 
 Qumtumque Ennium 6 tria corda " habere sese dixisse, quod tris 
 15 linguas percalluisset, 8 Graecam, Oscam, 9 Latinam. 
 
 Qumtus Ennius tria corda habere sese dicebat, quod 
 loqui Graece et Osce et Latme sciret. Mithridates autem, 
 Ponti atque Bithyiiiae rex inclutus, qui a Cn. Pompeio 
 bello superatus est, duarum et viginti gentium, quas sub 
 20 dicione habuit, linguas percalluit earumque omnium gen- 
 tium viris haut umquam per interpretem conlocutus est, 
 sed ut 10 quemque ab eo appellarl " usus f uit, proinde 10 
 
 1 medicinae is here an adjective, ' twenty are known to us through frag- 
 an archaic use. For medicinae rel | ments ; and (2) an historical poem in 
 as = a simple medicinae, cf. p. 17, n. j eighteen books, entitled Annales, in 
 10. 2 ' mixture,' 'antidote.' 3 a . . . ; which he traced the history of Rome 
 cavisse: 'guarded against.' 4 quin from the earliest times to his own 
 et = ' nay more,' introduces a more day. " 'intelligences.' Cor, espe- 
 striking point. 6 venenum rapi- cially in early Latin, oft en = ' the seat 
 dum : the opposite of venenum ... of the intellect '; cf.cordatus, ' saga- 
 non praesentarium, p. 59, 1. 18. 6 A cious,' vecors, 'senseless.' 8 ' had 
 
 distinguished Roman poet (239-169 
 B.C.), often called the 'Father of 
 Roman literature.' His chief works 
 
 become skilled in,' i.e. had mastered. 
 9 The Osci belonged to the Samnite 
 branch of the Italian race. 10 Cf. 
 
 were (1) Tragedies, of which some p. 89, n. 1. n 'addressed.'
 
 NOCTES ATTICAE, XIX. 5 91 
 
 lingua et oratione ipsius non minus scite quani si gentl- 
 lis l ems esset, locutus est. 
 
 XIX. 3 
 
 Quod turpius est frigide 2 laudari quam acerjnus vituperari. 
 
 Turpius esse dicebat Favormus philosophus exigue 3 
 atque frigide laudari quam insectanter 4 et graviter vitu- 5 
 perari : " Quoniam " inquit " qul maledicit et vituperat, 
 quanto id acerbius facit, tarn 5 maximo ille pro inimico et 
 iniquo ducitur et plerumque propterea fidem non capit. 
 Sed qui mf ecunde 6 atque ieiune 6 laudat, destitui a causa 
 videtur et amicus quidem 7 creditur eius, quern laudare 10 
 vult, sed 7 nihil posse reperire, quod iure laudet." 
 
 XIX. 5 
 
 Ex Aristotelis libris sumptum, quod nivis aqua potui 8 pessima sit. 
 
 In Tiburte 9 rus concesseramus hominis amici divitis 
 aestate ann! flagrantissima ego et quidam alii aequales 10 
 et familiares mei, eloquentiae aut philosophiae secta- 15 
 tores. 11 Erat noblscum vir bonus ex Peripatetica ^ dlsci- 
 pllna, bene doctus et Aristotelis unice studiosissimus. 
 Is nos aquam multam ex diluta 13 nive bibentes coercebat 
 
 1 =p'.>puli'tri. 'fellow country- pro inimico . . . ducitur. 6 Both 
 man.' [words = 'meagerly,' 'sparingly.' 
 
 2 frigide laudari : ' to be damned ' Cf.'p. 24, n. 13. 8 ' for drinking ' ; 
 with faint praise.' 3 ' feebly.' 4 ' bit- j dative oipotus. 9 Tiburte rus : ' an 
 terly.' The word is derived ulti- estate at Tibur,' a town sixteen miles 
 mately from insequor, and the idea southeast of Rome. 10 Sc. nntu. 
 suggested by it is that of one person u ' students.' 12 i.e. the school founded 
 pursuing or ' hounding ' another, by Aristotle and called Peripatetic 
 5 tam maximo: join maximo with in- \ (cf. TreptTrar^riKOj, 'given to walk- 
 imico. tarn is correlative to quanta, ing about'), from Aristotle's habit 
 The more usual formula would be ' of walking to and fro with his pupils 
 quanto id acerbiits facit, tanto mugis during lessons. 13 'melted.'
 
 92 
 
 AULUS GELLIUS 
 
 severiusque increpabat. 1 Adhibebat 2 nobis auctoritates 
 nobilium medicorum et cum 3 prim Is Aristotelis philo- 
 sophl, rel omnis humanae perltissiml, qui aquam nivalem 
 frugibus sane et arboribus fecundam dlceret, sed homini- 
 
 5 bus potu 4 niinio Insalfibrem esse tabemque 5 et morbos 
 sensim c atque in- diem longam vlsceribus mseminare. 
 
 Haec quidem ille ad 7 nos prudenter et benivole et adsi- 
 due 8 dictitabat. Sed cum bibendae nivis pausa fieret 
 nulla, promit e bibliotheca Tlburtl, quae tune in Herculis 
 
 10 templo satis commode instructa libiis erat, Aristotelis 
 librum eumque ad nos adfert et " Huius saltern " 9 inquit 
 " sapientissiml viii verbls credite ac desinite valitudinem 
 vestram profligare." 
 
 In eo libro scrlptnm fuit deterrimam esse potu aquam 
 
 15 e nive. Hoc ubi legimus, placuit honorem doctissimo 
 viro haberi Aristoteli. Atque ita postea ego 10 bellum u 
 ^et odimn nivl indlxl, alii indutias 12 cum ea varie factita- 
 bant. 
 
 1 ' rebuked.' 2 ' produced,' ' cited.' 
 3 cum prlmis = -in primis, ' espe- 
 cially.' 4 potu niinio: causal abla- 
 tive = ' by excessive drinking,' i.e. 
 if drunk to excess. 5 tabem et 
 morbos : ' wasting and disease,' i.e. 
 ' wasting illness.' 6 sensim . . . 
 diem: ' gradually and against a dis- 
 
 tant day.' We may render by ad- 
 jectives: 'slow and protracted.' 
 " ad nos . . . dictitabat : cf . p. 36, 
 n. 1. 8 adsidue dictitabat : cf . p. 33, 
 n.7. 9< at least.' 10 contrasted with 
 alii, which here = ceteri. n bel- 
 lum et odium: 'war to the knife.' 
 12 ' truce.'
 
 INDEX AUCTORUM. 
 
 This index of the authors mentioned by Gellius in these selections 
 has been prepared as a supplement to the commentary. For example, 
 Varro is mentioned in several passages, yet in only one place in the 
 notes is information given concerning him. At the same time, since 
 the index gives a conspectus of all the authors mentioned or directly 
 quoted by Gellius in this portion of his work, it may help to illustrate 
 the statements made in 11 of the introduction, especially if we bear 
 in mind that less than one tenth of the text of the Nodes Atticae is 
 included in the present volume. The references are to the places in 
 the introduction or the notes where information is given concerning 
 the author or his works. 
 
 Accius, L. : p. 72, n. 12. 
 Aesopus : p. 34, n. 3. 
 Albinus, A. Postumius : p. 68, n. 1. 
 Antonius lulianus : Introduction, 
 
 4. 
 
 Apion : p. 54, nn. 7, 8, and 17. 
 Aristoteles : p. 61, n. 11 ; p. 73, 
 
 n. 18; p. 91, n. 12. 
 Ateius Capito : p. 48, n. 9. 
 Caecilius Statius : p. 21, n. 21. 
 Calvisius Taurus : see Taurus. 
 Castricius, T. : Introduction, 4. 
 Cato, M. Porcius : p. 29, n. 6. 
 Chares : p. 48, n. 13. 
 Claudius Quadrigarius, Q. : p. 23, 
 
 n. 3. 
 
 Critolaus : p. 69, n. 2. 
 Democritus : p. 50, n. 8. 
 Demosthenes : p. 62, n. 2. 
 Ennius, Q. : p. 90, n. 6. 
 Euclides (the philosopher) : p. 60, 
 
 n. 10. 
 
 Favorinus : Introduction, 5. 
 
 Herodotus : p. 53, n. 6. 
 
 lulius Hyginus, C. : p. 22, n. 6. 
 
 Lenaeus : p. 89, n. 16. 
 
 Masurius Sabinus : p. 45, nn. 11 
 
 and 12. 
 
 Naevius, Cn. : p. 31, nn. 6 and 10. 
 Pacuvius, M. : p. 31, n. 8. 
 Plato : p. 49, n. 14. 
 Plautus, T. Maccius : p. 31, n. 7. 
 Plutarchus : p. 77, n. 2. 
 Probus, M. Valerius : p. 85, n. 14. 
 Protagoras : p. 49, n. 11, and p. 
 
 50, n. 16. 
 
 Taurus : Introduction, 6. 
 Theophrastus : p. 41, n. 4. 
 Tubero, Q. Aelius : p. 59, n. 1. 
 Tuditanus, C. Sempronius : p. 59, 
 
 n. 10. 
 
 Valerius Antias : p. 23, n. 10. 
 Varro, M. Terentius : p. 26, n. 2. 
 Vergilius Maro, P. : p. 88, n. 6. 
 
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