﻿24 THE AGE OF I'ETRONIUS ARBITER. 



ut, quod in aliis ferinius, quia necesse est, in hoc uno damnemus, qui illis apertior for- 

 tassis est, at non inhonestior. Recte tu, qui huic Arbitro aequissimus arbiter fuisti, et 

 sententia tua vitam illi salutemque reddidisti." In addressing another person, he says : 

 " Te consulo, A. Oisele, quern Arbitri studiosum opinor, vel quia mundissimi in ser- 

 mone nitoris est, vel quia ab amicissimo tibi honiine [P. Pithoeo] in luceni et cognitio- 

 nem eruditoruni retractus." 



Justus Lipsius, in Antiq. Lect., Lib. I. cap. 8, says : " Petronii Arbitri fragmenta 

 pauca habemus, scriptoris tersi et venusti, et nisi quod in re ilia voluptatimi nimis 

 Latine interdum loquatur, cetera laudati." He expresses himself still more strongly in 

 another place, Epistol. Quaestion., Lib. III. Epist. 2 : " Ut in vita, sic in studiis juvat 

 severitati adspersa comitas. Ea causa frequenter soleo a gravioribus libris animum 

 quasi in ludum mittere ad scriptores amoeniores. Quo in numero Petronium repono ; 

 quidquid dicant isti frontis severae. Et tua fide, P. Pithoee, vidistin' quidnam venu- 

 stius, argutius post natas Musas 'i Non ego ; abesset tantum nuda ilia ncquitia ; qua 

 tamcn nihil oft'endor ; joci me delectant, urbanitas capit ; cetera nee in animo nee in 

 moribus meis magis labem relinquunt quam olim in fiumine vestigium cymba. Ut vina 

 apposita vinosum movent, invinium, ut antiqui loquebantur, non movent, sic ista ani- 

 mum jam ante improbum fortasse incitent ; casto et castigate non adhaerent. Et sunt 

 tamen inter Musaeos homines, qui hunc scriptorem fugisse velint ; a quibus nos certe, 

 mi Pithoee, dissentimus." 



Conradus Ritterhusius says : " Eadem causa Petronii Arbitri elegantissimum Satyri- 

 con ita nobis laceravit ac detruncavit, ut vix Orpheum mulieres Thraciae vel Pentheum 

 Bacchae discerpserint miserabilius." 



Franciscus Raphelengius, Jr., in the preface to his edition, says : " Nos commoditati 

 tuae consulendum rati persuaderi nos passi sunius, ac proinde tantum non justum 

 commentarium in amoenissimae eruditionis et cruditissimae festivitatis auctoreni tibi 

 damns." 



Michael Piccartus says : " Vere arbiter elegantiarum est Petronius, quidquid Catones 

 contradicant, et bonorum manibus terendus." 



Erycius Puteanus says : " In Pctronio quoque cum fructu publico eris ; emacula, 

 et florem ilium Latini oris purum putumque repraesenta." 



It will be seen that all these scholars, while they express themselves with more or 

 less severity concerning the licentious character of the work, are unanimous in their 

 praise of its literary excellency. They do not, however, enter more fully into the dis- 

 cussion of the subject. They are satisfied with a passing, as it were incidental, remark. 

 But there are others who take a more comprehensive vie^v of the work and its author. 



