Marcus Cornelius Fronto

“ On a regular day they come together for a feast with all their children and sisters and mothers, persons of both sexes and of every age. Then after much feasting, when the banquet has waxed hot and the passion of impure lust and drunkenness has been kindled in the company, a dog which has been tied to the standing lamp is incited to jump and bound up by a little cake thrown to it beyond its tether. ”

“ And then, when there, at Fronto's house, many learned men being present, a discussion took place about colours and their designations, since there were many varieties of colours, but their denominations few and ambiguous, Favorinus remarked that "more varieties of colour are distinguished by the sense of sight than differentiated by words and terms of speech. For, to omit their other nice blendings, the simple colours red and green have indeed separate names but include many different varieties and the dearth of terms for these I find to be greater in Latin than in Greek. ”

“ The tell-tale light being by this means cast down and extinguished, the guests under cover of the shameless darkness embrace one another in their unspeakable concupiscence, as chance brings them together, and, if not in fact yet in guilt, all are alike incestuous, since whatever can result by the act of individuals is potentially desired by the wish of all. ”

“ For he who does what he has planned makes it
No labour; heart and mind delight therein:
In idle ease the heart knows not its wish.
So we: at home we are not nor abroad;
This way we go, then that; no sooner come,
We wish to go elsewhere; we vacillate,
And live but there or thereabout our life.
5. When this passage had been read, Fronto turning to the grammarian, who was now feeling uncomfortable, said:
"Do you hear, excellent master, that your friend Ennius has used praeter propter, and in a sentiment as dignified as the severest scolding by philosophers could be? ”

“ And do you suppose that a man so discreet and master of so pure and current a style had no motive for preferring 'mortals' to 'men'? And do you believe that it would have given the same convincing picture of a multitude of men if he had substituted multis hominibus for multis mortalibus? ”

“ Fulvus, however, seems to be a blend of red and green, in which sometimes the one colour, sometimes the other, predominates: as a poet, the most careful in his choice of words, calls an eagle fulvus, and jasper and wolfskin caps and gold, and sand and the lion all fulvus ”

“ After reading these words Fronto said to the poet:
"Are you satisfied that C. Caesar has decided against you clearly and firmly enough as to the status of the word?"
Then the poet, impressed by the authoritative nature of the book, said: "If there were the right of appeal from Caesar, I would now appeal from this book of Caesar's. But since he has himself omitted to give any reason for his verdict, I ask you now to tell us what fault you think there is in saying either quadriga or arenae." ”

“ But Fronto at this point shewing more earnestness in his tone and looks said:
"And so this word appears to you, master, improper and faulty, which M. Cato and M. Varro and many generations of our predecessors used as indispensable and good Latin?"
4. Here Julius Celsinus reminded us that the very word which we were enquiring about occurred also in the tragedy of Ennius called Iphigenia, and that the meaning was as a rule rather tangled than unravelled by the grammarians. So he desired the Iphigenia of Q. Ennius to be brought forthwith ”