﻿14G THE AGE OF PETRONIUS ARBITER. 



9. 31: "Ut enira benefici liberalesque sumus, non ut exigamus gratiam (neque enim 

 beneficium feneramur ; sed natura propensi ad liberalitatem sumus), sic amicitiam non 

 spe mercedis adducti, sed quod omuis ejus fructus in ipso amore inest, expetendam 

 putamus." 



C. 77.4: "porticus marmoratas." Cf. Varr. de R. R. 1. 59. 2: " Ideoque in iis 

 camaras mannorato et parietes pavimentaque faciunt, quo frigidius sit."* Ibid. 3 : "In 

 oiiorothece mala manere putant satis commode alii in tabulis, ut in opere marmorato, alii 

 substrata palea vel etiam floccis." Gruter. Inscr. 39. 4 : " M. Aurelius. Pacorus M. 

 Cocceius. Stratocles Aeditui. Veneris. Hortorum Sallustianorum. Basem. cum Pavi- 

 mento. Marmorato Deanae. D. ^ D." — " Sessorium." Cf. Gael. Aurelianus I Acut. 1. 

 11 : " At si hoc fieri non potuerit, in vicina porticu gestatio adhibenda, ita ut sella baju. 

 latoria vel quolibet sessorio leniter atque mediociiter moveantur." The authority of this 

 passage, the only one besides that of Petronius in which the word occurs, is, for two 

 reasons, of little Aveight : firstly, because the age of Aurelianus is not certainly known ; 

 and secondly, Aurelianus uses the word in the sense of " chair," while Petronius seems 

 to use it in that of " sitting-room." 



G. 78. 2 : " ut totus mihi populus bene imprecetur." " Imprecari," in a favorable 

 sense, does not occur in writers of the best age. Gf Apul. Metam. 9. 25. 641 : " solito 

 sermone salutem ei fuerat imprecatus." 



G. 57. 2 : " berbex," for " vervex." The near relationship of b and v is well known. J 

 The instances on ancient monuments in which these letters are used one for the other 

 are innumerable, proving that the pronunciation of the vulgar was inaccu.rate; for 

 example, " vene," " acervus," " vasis," for " bene," " acerbus," " basis," and, vice versa, 

 "bendidit," "bixit," " serbus," for " vendidit," "vixit, "servus"; nay, we find " vibus," 

 and even "bibus," for "vivus." The last-mentioned instance is quite analogous to 

 " berbex " ; for in this case, too, we find an intermediate form, " verbex," which occurs 

 repeatedly in an inscription of Fratres Arvales, Gruter. Inscrip. 121. 1. G£ Vopisc. 

 Aiirel. 50 : " vehementissime autem delectatus est Phagone, qui usque eo multum come- 

 dit, ut uno die ante mensam ejus aprum integrum, centum panes, berbicem§ et porcel- 

 lum comederet." 



* Although the text is apparently imperfect, the e.xistence and use of the word "marmoratus" is suf- 

 ficiently proved by this and the following passage. 



t His age is uncertain : some place him in the time of Galenus (b. 130, d. 200), others as late as the fifth 

 century. 



J See K. L. Schneider's Grammatik, Vol. I. p. 226. 



§ This is the reading of one of the best manuscripts. 



