(That vice too which headlong wantonness branded on the men of Nola), and this _capitalis luxus_[122] of the men of Nola, as the general sense of the whole passage clearly shows, is nothing else but _fellation_. But the town of Nola was in Campania, and the inhabitants of Campania again consisted for the most part of Oscans; so whatever is true of the latter, must needs also apply to the Campanians. The Nolans and Oscans or Opicans being _fellators_ and _cunnilingues_, the Campanians must be so too; and as a matter of fact _Plautus_ (Trinum. II. 4. 144.) tells us: _Campas genus multo Syrorum antidit patientia_, (The Campanian race far outdoes that of the Syrians in _passivity_). Now Messius being represented as an Oscan, and this by way of mockery, as all expounders admit, the point of the jest must evidently refer to this _luxus capitalis_, and Messius accordingly be regarded as a _fellator_. Now let us look if this view finds any confirmation in what follows[123]. First of all Sarmentus says Messius is _equi feri similis_ (like an unbroken horse). Wherein precisely the satire of this consists is indeed somewhat doubtful, the commentators maintaining an obstinate silence on the point; but there _must_ be some allusion of some sort intended. We can scarcely suppose this to be to the _Hectoreus equus_ (the Hectorean stallion) of Ovid[124] or the _equus supinus_ (the stallion lying supine) of Horace,—Sat. II. 7. 50.[125]. The unbroken horse is noticeable as galloping with head down between the fore-feet, a position taken, as we have already pointed out, by the _cunnilingue_, but which in accordance with the passage of Lucian quoted above can equally well be that of the _fellator_[126]. Messius must have understood the allusion, for he says, “_Accipio_”,—_caput et movet_, (“I accept”,—and moves his head). Sarmentus takes the movement as a threat, for he in his turn understands the _equus ferus_ (wild horse) in yet another sense as _aries_ (a ram)[127], and adds: If only your horn had not been amputated! What should make you threaten to butt, _mutilus_ (mutilated)[128] as you are?