[Footnote 16: 'The Fescennine raillery in this way, arose and poured forth its rustic banter in responsive strains; the spirit of freedom, made welcome, as the season came round, first played a kindly part; but soon the jests grew cruel, then changed into sheer fury, and began, with impunity, to threaten and assail honourable households. Men smarted under the sharp edge of its cruel tooth: even those who were unassailed felt concern for the common weal. A law was passed, and a penalty enforced, forbidding any one to be branded in libellous verses. Thus they changed their style, and were brought back to a kindly and pleasant tone, under fear of a beating.'--Epist. ii. 1. 144-55.] [Footnote 17: Sei quis ocentasit, casmenue condisit, quod infamiam faxsit flacitiomque alterei, fuste feritor.] [Footnote 18: Teuffel quotes from Festus: Fescennini versus qui canebantur in nuptiis, ex urbe Fescennina dicuntur allati, sive ideo dicti quia fascinum putabantur arcere. It seems more natural to connect the name of these verses, which were especially characteristic of the Latian peasantry, with fascinum (the phallic symbol) than with any particular town of Etruria, though the name of that town may probably have the same origin.] [Footnote 19: Mommsen's explanation, 'the masque of the full men' ('saturi'), does not seem to meet with general acceptance.] [Footnote 20: Cf. Teuffel, vi. 2.] [Footnote 21: vii. 2.] [Footnote 22: Cf. Teuffel, Wagner's Translation, p. 102.] [Footnote 23: Tusc. Disp. iv. 2; Brutus, 19.] [Footnote 24: Noct. Att. xi. 2. A similar character at one time attached to minstrels in Scotland.] [Footnote 25: Some of these tales may have been originally aetiological, but the human interest even in these was probably drawn originally from actual incidents and personages of the Early Republic. Some of the aetiological myths, such as that of Attus Navius the augur, have no human interest, though they have an historical interest in connexion with early Roman religion or institutions.] [Footnote 26: Cf. Schwegler, Röm. Gesch. i. 1. 24.] CHAPTER III. THE BEGINNING OF ROMAN LITERATURE--LIVIUS ANDRONICUS--CN. NAEVIUS, B.C. 240-202.