BOOK XIII.

ARGUMENT.

The Fragments of this book, as well as of the twelfth, are too few

to admit of any opinion being satisfactorily arrived at with

respect to its subject. Schoenbeck supposes it was directed

against sumptuous extravagance and luxurious banquets. Petermann

adopts the same view. Gerlach, though he considers the Fragments

so vague that they might support any hypothesis, allows that this

conjecture is tenable, as the third, fifth, ninth, tenth, and

eleventh appear to "savor of the kitchen."

1 Or to conquer in war altogether by chance and fortune; if it is

entirely by chance and at random, that any one arrives at the

highest distinction.[1759]

2 ... to whom fortune has assigned an equal position, and chance

their destiny.

3 The same thing occurs at supper. You will give oysters bought

for a thousand sesterces.

4 ... sets them to engage with one another in fierce

conflict.[1760]

5 In the first place, let all banquetings and company be done

away with.[1761]

6 Add shoes from Syracuse, a bag of leather....[1762]

7 ... one only, out of many, who has intellect....

8 ... as he is styled skilless in whom there is no skill.[1763]

9 and not so poor as ... a chipped dish of Samian pottery.[1764]

10 ... for as soon as we recline at a table munificently heaped up

at great expense....

11 ... the same food at the feast, as the banquet of almighty

Jove....[1765]

FOOTNOTES:

[1759] Nonius draws this distinction between Fors and Fortuna: _fors_

simply expresses "the accidents of temporal affairs, as opposed to

providence or design." _Fortuna_ is "the personification of these in

the form of the goddess." In the text Gerlach's conjecture is followed

instead of the reading of the MSS., which is quite unintelligible: "Si

forte ac temerè omnino quis summum ad honorem perveniat." Cf. Pacuv. in

Hermiona, "Quo impulerit fors eò cadere Fortunam autumant."

[1760] _Cernit_, i. e., "disponit." Nonius. Cf. v., Fr. 29, "Postquam

præsidium castris educere crevit."

[1761] _Dominia._ As dominus is put for the "master of the feast,"

so dominium is used for the banquet itself (lib. vi., Fr. 7; Sall.,

Hist., iii., "In imo medius inter Tarquinium et _dominum_ Perpenna;"

Cic., Vatin., xiii., "Epuli dominus Q. Arrius"), or for the office of

the giver of the banquet. Cicero uses Magisteria in the same sense.

Senect., c. 14. It is also put for "the _place_ where a banquet is

held." Cic., Ver., II., iii., 4. _Sodalitium_ is properly a banquet

celebrated by "Sodales," i. e., persons associated in the same

religious cultus.

[1762] _Pasceolum_, "a leathern bag or purse," marsupium, from

φάσκωλον. Suid. Plaut, Rud., V., ii., 27, "prætereà centum Denaria

Philippea in pasceolo seorsum." _Aluta._ Vid. ad Juv., xiv., 282.

[1763] _Iners._ Cf. Cic., de Fin., "Lustremus animo has maximas

_artes_, quibus qui carebant _inertes_ à majoribus nominabantur."

[1764] Cf. ad lib. vii., Fr. 1.

[1765] _Epulum_ (i. e., edipulum) and _epulæ_ seem to be interchanged;

but epulum is probably the older form of the word.