Page:Monsieur Bossu's Treatise of the epick poem - Le Bossu (1695).djvu/312

 Satyr is a kind of Poetry only known amongst the Romans, having no Relation to the Satyrical Poesie of the Greeks, though some Learned Men have pretended to the contrary. Quinctilian leaves no room to doubt upon this Point, when he writes in Chap. 10. Satyra quidem tota nostra est. The same Reason makes Horace call it, in the last Satyr of Book 1. Græcis intactum Carmen. The natural and true Etymology is this: The Latins called it SATƲR, quasi plenum, to which there was nothing wanting for its Perfection. Thus Satur color, when the Wool has taken a good Dye, and nothing can be added to the Perfection of it. From Satur they have made Satura, which they wrote sometimes with an i, Satira: They used in other Words, the same Variation of the Letter u into i, as in Maxumus, Maximus; optumus, optimus. Satura is an Adjective, which has reference to a Substantive understood; for the ancient Romans said Saturam, understanding Lancem: And Satura Lanx was properly a Bason fill'd with all sorts of Fruit, which they offer'd every Year to Ceres and Bacchus, as the first fruits of all they had gathered. These Offerings of different Things mix'd together, were not unknown to the Greeks, who call'd 'em, a Sacrifice of all sorts of Fruit, and , an Offering of all sorts of Grain, when they offer'd Pot-herbs. The Grammarian Diomedes has perfectly describ'd both the Custom of the Romans, and the Word Satura, in this Passage, Lanx referta variis multisque primitiis, sacris Cereris inferebatur, & à copia & Saturitate rei, Satura vocabatur: cujus generis lancium & Virgilius in Georgicis meminit, cum hoc modo dicit,

From thence the Word Satura was apply'd to many other Mixtures, as in Festus: Satyra cibi genus, ex variis rebus conditum. From hence it pass'd to the Works of the Mind; for they call'd some Laws Leges Saturas, which contain'd many Heads or Titles; as the Julian, Papian, and Popean Laws, which were called Miscellas, which is of the same Signification with Satura. From hence arose this Phrase, Per Saturam legem ferre, when the Senate made a Law, without gathering, and counting the Votes, in haste, and confusedly all together, which was properly call'd, Per Saturam sententias exquirere, as Salust has it after Lelius. But they rested not here, but gave this Name to certain Books, as Pescennius Festus, whose Histories were call'd Saturas, or per Saturam. From all these Examples, 'tis not hard to suppose, that these Works of Horace took from hence their Name, and that they were call'd, Saturæ quia multis & variis rebus hoc