Badham's (1814). Johnson's imitations of Satires iii. and x.
are well known. For the numerous articles and contributions to the
criticism and elucidation of the _Satires_, reference should be made
to Teuffel's _Geschichte der romischen Litteratur_ (Eng. trans. by
Warre), S 331, and Schanz, ditto (1901, ii. S 2, S 420a).
(W. Y. S.; J. P. P.)
FOOTNOTES:
[1] This is especially noticeable in the seventh satire, but it
applies also to the mention of Crispinus, Latinus, the class of
_delatores_, &c., in the first, to the notice of Veiento in the
third, of Rubellius Blandus in the eighth, of Gallicus in the
thirteenth, &c.
[2] Cf. Tacitus, _Annals_, xiii. 25.
[3] Pliny's remarks on the vulgarity as well as the ostentation of
his host imply that he regarded such behaviour as exceptional, at
least in the circle in which he himself lived (_Ep._ ii. 6).
[4] x. 56-107.
[5]
... "Meliusne hic rusticus infans
Cum matre et casulis et conlusore catello," &c.--ix. 60.
[6] xi. 152, 153.
JUVENCUS, GAIUS VETTIUS AQUILINUS, Christian poet, flourished during the
reign of Constantine the Great. Nothing is known of him except that he
was a Spanish presbyter of distinguished family. About 330 he published
his _Libri evangeliorum IV._, each book containing about 800 hexameters.
The division into books is possibly a reminiscence of the number of the
Gospels. The work itself, written with the idea of ousting the
absurdities of Pagan mythology and replacing them by the truths of
Christianity, may be called the first Christian epic. In the _Praefatio_
the author expresses the hope that the sacredness of his subject may
procure him safety at the final conflagration of the world and admission
into heaven. The whole is, in the main, a poetical version of the Gospel
of Matthew, the other evangelists only being used for supplementary
details. It is founded upon a pre-vulgate Latin translation, although
there is evidence that Juvencus also consulted the Greek. In spite of
metrical irregularities, the language and style are simple and show good
taste, being free from the artificiality of other Christian poets and
prose writers, and the author has made excellent use of Virgil (his
chief model) and other classical writers. Juvencus set the fashion of
verse translations of the Bible, and the large number of MSS. of his
poem mentioned in lists and still extant are sufficient evidence of its
great popularity. According to Jerome, he was also the author of some
poems on the sacraments, but no trace of these has survived. The Latin
_Heptateuch_, a hexameter version of the first seven books of the Old
Testament, has been attributed to Juvencus amongst others; but it is now
generally supposed to be the work of a certain Cyprianus, a Gaul who
lived in the 6th century, possibly a bishop of Toulon, author of the
_Life of Caesarius_, bishop of Arelate (Arles).
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