by Martial
5.47. Philo’s boast that he never dines at home suggests that he is much in demand as a dinner guest, but Martial implies that it actually means he can’t afford to feed himself.
5.52. The boasting of Postumus about his own generosity is bad form, as was Fabulla’s boasting about her youth, beauty, and wealth in 1.64.
5.53. Martial often puts down those who write on melodramatic mythological subjects. Here he suggests that Bassus has no understanding of Medea (who killed her own children and her husband’s new bride as revenge for his abandonment of her), Thyestes (who was tricked into eating his own children by his brother Atreus), Niobe (who turned to stone from grief after all of her fourteen children were slaughtered by Apollo and Diana), or Andromache (whose husband was killed by Achilles and her baby son by the Greek army at Troy). Instead, Martial suggests more fitting subjects: Deucalion (one of the two survivors of a flood that killed the rest of humanity) or Phaethon (killed by a lightning bolt after nearly burning up the world while driving the chariot of the sun). Martial is slyly suggesting that flood and fire are appropriate subjects because the writing deserved to be washed out or burned (Shackleton Bailey 1:402n).
5.57. Shackleton Bailey notes that boy slaves who were favorites of their master might be called “my lord” by him as a sign of their power over his heart (1:405n).
5.58. Parthia and Armenia, both traditional enemies of Rome, were very far off, as well. Priam, the king of Troy, and Nestor, the king of Pylos, in The Iliad were both exemplars of men who had reached advanced age; the tomorrow in which Postumus will live has been postponed so long that it is now as old as they are.
5.59. Martial suggests that his modest gift of earthenware is meant to remove any obligation from Stella to give expensive gifts in return. Lucius Arruntius Stella, himself a poet, was a friend and patron of Martial (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 142).
5.64. Howell notes that Falernian was an excellent and expensive wine, and cooling it with snow in summer would also be an expensive luxury. Romans typically perfumed their hair with scented oils and wore floral garlands on their heads at drinking parties. Slaves named Callistus and Alcimus appear also in 8.67 and 1.88 as Martial’s own slaves, though in 1.88 Alcimus is said to have died. The Mausolea most likely included the tombs of Augustus and Julius Caesar (both deified after their deaths), which Martial could probably have seen from his apartment on the Quirinal hill (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 147–48).
5.66. “Farewell forever” was the typical salutation to the dead (Shackleton Bailey 1:413n). By never greeting Martial first, Pontilianus would be treating him as a social inferior (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 150).
5.68. Shackleton Bailey guesses that this is not a compliment to Lesbia, but a satirical suggestion that she bleaches her hair too much (1:413n). To have lighter hair than the true blondes would look phony. Lesbia was the name Catullus gave to the woman he loved; Martial tends to use the name in epigrams of a sexual nature (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 151).
5.73. Martial uses the name Theodorus, meaning “God’s gift” (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 155), for a bad poet in 11.93, and writes a similar excuse for not sending free copies of his books to another poet, Pontilianus, in 7.3.
5.74. Howell notes that Pompey the Great’s older son was killed in Asia Minor, his younger son in Spain, and himself in Egypt (Libya is here used to suggest Africa). His family was thus spread among the three known continents, though there is some question about whether Pompey himself was buried at all (Martial: Epigrams V 155–56).
5.75. The Lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis, a law originated by Augustus to discourage adultery, was revived by Domitian in 85 CE (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 156).
5.76. Howell notes that Mithridates VI of Pontus fought the Romans in three wars in the first century BCE. Pliny recounts that Mithridates took poison in small doses to build up an immunity to it, since eastern rulers often had to fear poison from rivals or members of their own families (cited in Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 156). Martial is probably making fun of Cinna not for being poor, but for being miserly (156).
5.79. Zoilus is using sweating as an excuse to show off his extensive wardrobe of fancy dinner suits. A synthesis is a matching tunic and loose, sleeveless cloak, usually worn at dinner parties (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 161). Martial jokes that he himself doesn’t sweat at the party of Zoilus because he doesn’t have a second suit to change into.
5.81. The idea that “the rich get richer” would have special relevance in Rome, where people regularly gave lavish gifts to the wealthy in hope of legacies or other benefits from them.
5.82. The Greek name Gaurus means “pompous,” which is relevant in this epigram (Howell, Martial: Epigrams V 163). He boasts of the large sums he will give Martial, but then gives nothing at all.
5.83. Howell notes that the name Dindymus comes from a mountain associated with the goddess Cybele, known for having eunuchs as her priests. Martial uses it of boys in erotic contexts (Martial: Epigrams V 164). Because the name is Greek, it would likely be the name of a slave. Martial frequently returns to the theme of the erotic stimulus provided by reluctance in a lover.
Book Six
6.6. Martial implies that Paula, the wife or mistress of Lupercus, loves not only all three actors, but a fourth in a nonspeaking role. The Greek term means “walker-on” (Shackleton Bailey 2:5n).
6.12. As in 2.20, Martial’s joke here is based on the idea that once you buy something, it is considered to be yours.
6.14. Martial implies that such a person does not exist (Shackleton Bailey 2:11n).
6.15. Phaethontea refers to the sisters of Phaethon, who were transformed into poplar trees that wept the sap that became amber. Amber that contained trapped insects was more valuable than clear amber. I wish to thank an anonymous reviewer of this manuscript for pointing out that the amber drop symbolizes an epigram itself, which makes common objects precious by means of a rich setting.
6.16. The god Priapus, guardian of gardens, was portrayed with a huge penis and a sickle, and was supposed to keep thieves away with the threat of castration (for men) or rape: oral rape for men, vaginal for women, or anal for boys (Richlin, Garden of Priapus 121). Martial tells the statue of Priapus that guards his small orchard to keep away the adult thieves, but allow in boys and long-haired girls, presumably not to be kind, but to enable Martial to rape or sodomize them himself.
6.17. Shackleton Bailey points out that the Greek freedman Cinnamus wishes to change his name to a Roman name, Cinna, to hide his slave origins. Martial calls the idea barbarous (punning on the Greek word meaning “foreigner”) and suggests that if Cinnamus had originally had the name Furius, it ought to be shortened to Fur, Latin for “thief ” (Shackleton Bailey 2:13n).
6.18. This poem seems to be intended to comfort Terentius Priscus, a Spanish friend and patron of Martial’s (Shackleton Bailey 3:385), for the death of his relative Saloninus (3:380–81).
6.20. Martial frequently portrays himself as asking for loans from reluctant patrons. Here he implies that the loan isn’t worth the wait that Phoebus puts him through.
6.22. The lex Iulia was a recently revived law to punish adultery.
6.23. Lesbia, the pseudonym used by Catullus for his mistress, is a name Martial often uses for women of loose morals. Here he implies that her imperious commands are off-putting in themselves and are further contradicted by her ugly face.
6.24. Men usually wore togas only on formal occasions, not on holidays such as the Saturnalia.
6.30. The sum Martial asked to borrow would be a small one to a rich man, though it was about five times the annual salary of a Roman legionary (a fact for which I am indebted to an anonymous reviewer). Clearly, Martial needed it urgently. Given when it is no longer needed, it creates no gratitude toward the giver.
6.33. Presumably Sabellus has had to marry to make up for his financial losses.
6.34. Martial alludes to poems 5 and 7 of Catullus, in which Catullus proposes to add up the t
housands of kisses he begs from Lesbia. Catullus, however, also proposed to muddle the total, a fact that Martial ignores (as an anonymous reviewer pointed out).
6.36. Martial often makes fun of people who have exaggerated physical characteristics.
6.40. Lycoris and Glycera are both names that Martial often uses for prostitutes.
6.41. The unnamed poet in question has a sore throat and yet tries to recite anyway.
6.45. This epigram alludes to the lex Iulia, meant to punish adultery. Laetoria (who was an adulteress while she was single) will behave even worse when she herself is married and therefore safe from having her adultery exposed by becoming pregnant.
6.46. Shackleton Bailey mentions that “to do a great thing” could mean “to make a lot of money,” but he dismisses that possibility as being irrelevant, preferring Birt’s suggestion that the horses are defecating (Shackleton Bailey 2:36n). The driver, however, could be making a lot of money by losing deliberately, if he were paid to throw the race. The lashing of the horses could be for show, if the charioteer did other things to make it hard for the horses to run.
6.48. Pomponius is presumably an orator or advocate whose fine dinners ensure a devoted crowd of clients to shout his praise.
6.50. Martial implies that Telesinus is earning money through his sexual services to effeminate men.
6.51. Martial jokes that he will snub Lupercus for not inviting him to dinner, implying that even if Lupercus begs and pleads . . . Martial will come.
6.52. Like 5.34, this poem seems to be about one of Martial’s own slaves, who died as a child. His epitaphs for dead child slaves show Martial at his most tender.
6.53. Faustinus was a patron and friend of Martial’s and is mentioned in many other epigrams of his (Shackleton Bailey 3:355). The tendency of doctors to kill rather than cure is one of Martial’s standard jokes, here exaggerated for effect so that even a dream of the doctor can be deadly.
6.55. Martial is implying both that Coracinus is effeminate for his over-use of perfume and that he is covering up other odors with it, such as those from performing oral sex. The mythical phoenix, a bird that was the only one of its kind, would be reborn from the ashes after burning itself on a nest of spices.
6.56. Martial hints that the gossip accuses Charidemus of something even more shameful than being sodomized, presumably performing oral sex.
6.57. Though wigs were available to cover baldness, Phoebus resorts to painting curls on his head with ointment.
6.59. Martial frequently attacks those who like to show off their extensive wardrobes unnecessarily, contrasting their abundance with his own more limited wardrobe.
6.60. Martial implies that he is as happy to arouse a negative reaction as a positive one with his poems. If the poems annoy some, the satire must be working.
6.62. This poem satirizes fortune hunters who ingratiate themselves with the rich and childless in the hope of inheriting their fortunes. Here Martial makes the practice even more repellent by portraying the fortune hunter as a vulture feeding on the fresh corpse of the son.
6.66. Martial implies that auctioneers had such a poor reputation that even a common whore is reluctant to kiss one. When the auctioneer kisses the whore to prove that she is clean, he lowers her value more.
6.79. When Lupus remains depressed despite his good fortune, Martial suggests, he is insulting the goddess who gave him good luck.
6.82. Batavians were a barbarian tribe living in what is now Holland (Shackleton Bailey 3:343). Martial suggests that, as foreigners, they wouldn’t get Martial’s jokes. This epigram illustrates both Martial’s selfdeprecatory humor and his skill at gracefully asking for favors from patrons.
6.84. This poem puns on two meanings of sanus. Though Philippus is sound of body, Martial implies that he is not sound of mind to insist on being carried on a litter (Shackleton Bailey 2:67n).
6.86. Setine wine was of high quality. Martial implies that his doctors are telling him not to drink for the sake of his health. Midas is symbolic both of great wealth and of foolishness, since once he got his wish to be able to turn all he touched to gold, he was unable to eat or drink. The poem lists harvests from Libya (one of the breadbaskets of the Roman Empire) and the Tagus and Hermus, gold-bearing rivers in Hispania (Shackleton Bailey 3:384) and Lydia (3:358) respectively, as symbols of the wealth that Martial would not trade for the pleasures of wine.
6.90. Gellia’s moderation in adultery is offset by the fact that she is a bigamist.
6.91. Martial says elsewhere that Zoilus is a fellator (Shackleton Bailey 2:71n). Martial’s congratulations are ironic, because the poem implies that Zoilus performs even more shameful acts than adultery.
Book Seven
7.3. This epigram is addressed to Pontilianus. Martial refers to the common practice of exchanging books with other writers in 5.73 as well.
7.4. Scholars and poets were noted for their paleness, but in 1.77 Martial alludes to the idea that pallor can be caused by performing cunnilingus. Oppianus claims to be a poet in order to avoid the imputation that he performs cunnilingus (Shackleton Bailey 2:76–77n.). Castricus was a poet friend of Martial’s (3:347).
7.9. Cascellius has the intelligence and talent to be a lawyer, but lacks the public speaking skills (Shackleton Bailey 2:81n).
7.11. Aulus Pudens was a friend of Martial’s and is mentioned in many of his epigrams (Shackleton Bailey 3:378). The poem implies that Pudens wants Martial to emend the books in his own hand to increase their value (2:82n).
7.13. Shackleton Bailey notes that sulfurous fumes from the springs at Tibur were reported to have the ability to bleach ivory (2:84n). Galán Vioque points out that Tibur could be called “the hills of Hercules” because of the temple to Hercules found there (116). Lycoris would not be literally black, but her skin would be darker than it was before she left, presumably because exposing her skin to the air also exposed it to the sun.
7.14. The Aulus of this poem is the same Aulus Pudens mentioned in 7.11 (Shackleton Bailey 3:378). Martial alludes to poem 3 of Catullus, mourning the death of his mistress Lesbia’s pet sparrow, as well as to a poem written by Martial’s patron Stella in imitation of that poem, about the death of the pet black dove of his mistress Ianthis. Whereas Catullus had used erotic language to describe Lesbia’s relation to her pet bird, Martial makes the sexual relationship with the “pet” literal. The overblown language of the lament is deliberately undercut by the discovery that the pet the girlfriend has lost is a young male slave with an oversized penis. Galán Vioque points out that the manuscript reads denos, not senos, which would make the boy’s age twenty instead of twelve (127). One can assume either that “boy” is used ironically of one who is still developing physically at twenty or that the twelve-year-old is out-rageously precocious in his development. I have chosen to go with the assumption of precocity, but either assumption is funny in its absurdity.
7.16. Marcus Aquilius Regulus was a famous advocate and patron of Martial, who addressed several epigrams to him (Shackleton Bailey 3:379). Patrons usually gave their clients gifts, loans, or dinner invitations rather than cash payments, affording the appearance of friendship to what was often a dependent relationship. Martial humorously offers to sell the gifts of Regulus back to their donor to make some ready cash.
7.18. Symmachus is a name Martial also uses in 5.9 for a doctor. The belief that a fart could kill a person if not released was common. It is mentioned, for instance, in a Greek epigram by Nicarchus in The Greek Anthology (11:395).
7.19. The fragment of wood described in this epigram supposedly once formed part of the keel of the Argo, the first ship to sail the sea, which was therefore “unknown” before (Galán Vioque 153). Jason and his crew, in order to retrieve the Golden Fleece, had to sail between the Cyanean Rocks, which clashed together to crush anything that came between them, and into the Black Sea (here called the Scythian Sea because the land of Scythia bordered it on the northeast). This scrap of keel may have been owned by one of
Martial’s wealthy patrons and praise of it would therefore be intended as indirect praise of the patron.
7.21. Argentaria Polla, the widow of the poet Lucan (Shackleton Bailey 3:377), was one of Martial’s early patrons (1:1). Lucan had been forced to commit suicide by Emperor Nero (3:364).
7.25. Martial here argues in favor of caustic wit in epigrams, attacking an unnamed rival whose epigrams lack that quality. Galán Vioque notes that Romans used white lead carbonate powder to lighten their complexions (186), and that the Chian fig “has a special taste, like a mixture of wine and salt” (190).
7.30. This satirical attack is both xenophobic and misogynistic in targeting a Roman woman who sleeps with foreigners of any race, but not with her own kind. The fact that she is a Roman citizen is withheld until the penultimate line for added impact. Galán Vioque points out that Parthians, Germans, and Dacians were noted enemies of Rome; that all of the nationalities mentioned were from very distant parts of the empire; that Memphis and the Pharos lighthouse were in Egypt; and that circumcision was looked down on by Romans. The fact that the Scythian is mounted suggests sex in which the woman is “riding” the man (216–19).
7.39. Martial often refers to the tediousness of paying morning calls on patrons. Here Caelius has found a plausible excuse for avoiding the visits by faking gout, but he fakes it so well that soon he has the disease for real.
7.43. As in 6.20, Martial complains about a patron who will neither grant a request nor refuse it, keeping Martial in suspense.
7.46. Thalia is the Muse of comedy, so Priscus is presumably trying to compete with Martial in writing witty epigrams. But Martial points out that poor men like himself would rather have the present than the poem.
