﻿THE AGE OF PETRONIUS AKBITER. 45 



Nero's debaucheries. What Petronius sent to Nero was, or took the place of, " codi- 

 cnii." 



Wliatever we may think of this hypothesis, that the consular Petronius mentioned 

 by Tacitus is our author, a very serious injury, one in its origin but manifold in its 

 effects, has resulted from it, and this is the desire of discovering the allusions to Nero 

 and his debaucheries, which our work must contain if that hypothesis be true. A 

 degree of ingenuity has been employed in discovering these allusions, which, from its 

 very refinement, was changed into absurdity. The most unnatural, violent, and absurd 

 interpretations have been put upon passages in themselves perfectly plain and simple ; 

 hidden allusions were discovered, where the language was as open and transparent as 

 the light of day. Circumstances which might apply to any one, customs common to 

 entire classes of persons, instances of extravagance which in an age running riot in all 

 kinds of luxury were ordinary every-day occurrences, were referred to Nero. In this 

 manner, not only single passages were misinterpreted, but the scope of the whole work 

 was misapprehended. 



Opinions of various Scholars concerning the Age of Petrojiius. 



It is not my intention to enumerate all the opinions that have been expressed con- 

 cerning the age of Petronius, but I shall confine myself to those which, from the 

 character and standing of the scholars entertaining them, or from the reasons adduced 

 in their support, deserve notice. 



Janus Dousa (Jan van der Does was born in Noordwyck, near Leyden, 1545, and 

 died 1604), in his "Pro Satyrico Petronii Arbitri viri consularis Praecidanea," con- 

 siders, as the very title indicates, the cons-ular Petronius of Tacitus the author of our 

 work. He finds a strikmg resemblance, in opinion as well as language, between the 

 Emperor Augustus and Petronius. In support of this view he quotes a passage from 

 a letter of Octavianus to M, Antonius : " Tuque dubitas, Cimberne Annius an Verrius 

 Flaccus imitandi sint tibi, ita ut verbis, quae C. SaUustius excerpsit ex Originibus 

 Catonis, utaris; an potius Asiaticorum oratorum inanibus sententiis verborum volu- 

 bUitas in nostrum sermonen transferenda ] " and compares it Avith one of Petronius 

 (c. 2. 7) : " Nuper ventosa isthaec et enormis loquacitas Athenas ex Asia comraigravit, 

 animosque juvcnmn ad magna surgentes veluti pestilenti quodam sidere afflavit." It is 

 apparent that Dousa, although he Avas chiefly influenced by the passage of Tacitus in 

 formuig his opinion as to the age of Petronius, recognized other indications of lan- 

 guage and style as bearing upon the subject. He finds a confirmation of his view in 

 a passage of Hieronymus, who, in Epist. ad Demedriad. de Virginitate servanda, says : 



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