﻿68 THE AGE OF PETRONIUS ARBITER, 



which, can in such cases be used, namely, inteiTial endence. This naturally divides 

 itself, in this instance, into t^yo classes, -which for the sake of convenience and brevity 

 I shall call historical and linguistic evidence. By the fonner I mean any mention of, 

 or allusion to, persons, events, literary and artistic productions, customs and manners, 

 and laves and institutions, which may throw light upon the question concerning the 

 period in which the book was written. By the second I mean phenomena of language, 

 whether they consist in the choice and use of certain words, or the use of certain 

 grammatical forms and inflections, or the form of the striicture of sentences, which, 

 when compared with the usage of standard writers whose age is known, may aid us 

 in giving a satisfactory answer to the question. A careful examination of all the 

 evidence of both classes, if it does not enable us to fix precisely the time of the com- 

 position of the work, may circumscribe within somewhat narrower limits the period 

 in which we have to look for the author and his work. The preceding brief sketch 

 of the more important opinions on this subject shows a difference extending over 

 three centuries. Much would be gained if a careful and unbiased sifting of every 

 circumstance that can influence our opinion should contract that space to one century. 

 or even a part of one. 



Historical Evidence. 



1. In c. 1. 2, the expression "cum in forum venerint" is used. The author of 

 De Oratoribus Dialogus (c. 39) speaks of the injurious influence which the transfer 

 of the judicial proceedings from the forum to halls had upon eloquence : " Parvum et 

 ridiculum fortasse videbitur, quod dicturus sum; dicam tamen vel ideo, ut rideatur. 

 Quantum humilitatis putamus eloquentiae adtulisse paenulas istas, quibus astricti et 

 velut inclusi emu judicibus fabulamur; quantum virium detraxisse orationi auditoria 

 et tabularia crcdimus, in quibus jam fere pliu-imae causae explicantur I Nam quo- 

 modo nobiles equos cursus et spatia probant, sic est aliquis oratorum campus, per quem 

 nisi liberi et soluti ferantur, debilitatur ac fi-angitur eloquentia." * Perizonius, in his 

 work De Praetorio (p. 203), treats of this passage, and argues that it does not conflict 

 with his opinion that in the first century of the empire lawsuits were managed in the 

 forum, and not in halls. This appears to be more than can be granted to Perizonius ; 



* The same change is mentioned in the preceding chapter (38), in which Maternus points out the differ- 

 ence of the judicial proceedings in the times of the republic and of the empire, and observes, that although 

 Pompeius in his third consulship introduced some restraints, all judicial affairs were transacted in the forum : 

 " Primus haec tertio consulatu Gnaeus Pompeius astrinxit, imposuitque veluti frenos eloquentiae, ita tamen 

 ut omnia in foro, omnia legibus, omnia apud praetores gererentur." 



