14 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



Another phase of interest attaching to Martial is his constant reappear- 

 ance in unforeseen places. In Herrick or Ben Jonson or countless 

 kindred spirits we should naturally look for many traces of Martial, and 

 should find them in even greater abundance than we had looked for ; but 

 Martial is not bounded by the expected. For instance, from the tongues 

 of all of us there runs Ughtly off : 



I do not love you, Dr. Fell; 

 The reason why I cannot tell. 

 But this I'm sure I know full well, 

 I do not love you. Dr. Fell. 



We do not remember, however, that the original is Martial's, "I do 

 not love you, Sabidius, nor can I say why ; I can only say this, I do not 

 love you." Indeed, the story goes that the immortal Dr. Fell, bishop of 

 Oxford in the latter half of the seventeenth century, was interviewing one 

 Tom Brown about a threatened rustication and was seeking any possible 

 excuse for being merciful. Finally the bishop said to the young scape- 

 grace that if he could even translate this epigram of Martial's the author- 

 ities would have some grounds for not rusticating him, whereupon the 

 youth, imperiled but undismayed, produced the rendering that will flit 

 forever on the lips of men. Most of us recall Leigh Hunt's "Wise and 

 Wiser," although we are culpably neglecting the author of "An Angel 

 in the House" and "Jenny Kissed Me." 



Abel fain would marry Mabel, 

 Well it's very wise of Abel. 

 But Mabel won't at all have Abel; 

 Well it's wiser still of Mabel. 



To a few of us there comes back the superscription: "From the 

 French of Tabourot;" but Tabourot was only one of scores who have 

 drawn from our unfailing spring. " Paula, you wish to marry Priscus; I 

 do not wonder; you are wise. Priscus does not wish to marry you; 

 Priscus too is wise." If Martial presents himself so persistently in 

 printed pages, he is also stumbled upon in less likely places. When 

 visiting Ravenna, that "living dream of a cit}^ dead," some years ago I 

 found excellent wine included gratis with an excellent dinner, but I was 

 charged extra for water which had to be brought over the hills from 

 Faenza. The circumstance kept haunting me until from the inner cells 

 of my memory I drew forth Martial's experience in the city where wine 



