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from the beginning the people and simply the whole state went on campaign, with even the priests themselves going out against the enemies; and all supported themselves. It was necessary, therefore, for the Romans to appoint those called by them censors, who registered the property of the citizens for the purposes of war; for the public treasury did not yet, as now, supply expenses for the soldiers, since they had no tributaries at that time. Whence the Greeks, by way of translation, called the censors *timetai*. 40 At that time Titinius the Roman comic writer produced a play in Rome. The play is divided into two, into tragedy and comedy; of which tragedy itself is also divided into two, into *crepidata* 62 and *praetextata*; of these the *crepidata* has Greek plots, and the *praetextata* Roman ones. Comedy, however, is divided into seven: into *palliata*, *togata*, *Atellana*, *tabernaria*, *Rhinthonica*, *planipedaria*, and *mimica*; and *palliata* is the comedy having a Greek plot, but *togata* a Roman one, an ancient one; *Atellana* is that of the so-called *exodiarii*; *tabernaria* is the stage or theatrical comedy; *Rhinthonica* the exotic; *planipedaria* the *catastolaria*; *mimica* the one supposedly alone preserved now, having nothing of art, but only leading the crowd to irrational laughter. 41 But since I think it necessary to linger on the subject, I will add this also. We know that Rhinthon and Sciras and Blaesus and the others of the Pythagoreans became teachers of no small doctrines in Magna Graecia, and especially Rhinthon, who was the first to write comedy in hexameters; from whom Lucilius the Roman first took his starting points and wrote comedy in heroic verses. After him, also those after him, whom the Romans call satirists, the younger ones, emulating the character of Cratinus and Eupolis, using the meters of Rhinthon on the one hand, and the invectives of the aforementioned on the other, established satirical comedy. Horace, not straying outside of the art, but Persius, wishing to imitate the poet Sophron, surpassed the obscurity of Lycophron. But Turnus and Juvenal and Petronius, resorting directly to insults, transgressed the law of satire. 42 And these things are about ancient comedy and tragedy. But with Fortune raising the affairs of the Romans to a height, stumbles naturally followed, and especially profligacy, so that 64 after the Twelve Tables and the law concerning profligacy, long ago established by the Corinthians, the Romans wrote one; and the title, or rather inscription, of the law was De Nepotibus, as if Concerning Profligates. But since the meaning of this name is double among the Romans—for they call both grandchildren and profligates *nepotes* homonymously—it pleased me to state the difference in brief. *Nepos*, the young child from Greek etymology, is said to be the grandchild, and Philoxenus spoke well; but *nepos* also the profligate, which is itself also tropical. And in theory perhaps one must concede to the Greeks that the Romans in their native tongue call the scorpion *nepa*, as if *without feet* by privation—for the Romans take the syllable 'ne' in a privative manner, just as the Greeks *nelipos*, *nechytos*, *negretos*, *nedymos*—from what happens to the creature according to its nature. For like a lizard in winter, the scorpion itself also lies torpid in the earth, as do the other reptiles, eating nothing else besides it. Therefore, when it has consumed for itself all the edible earth around it, it takes hold of its own appendages and consumes them all imperceptibly. But when spring calls it forth with the others into the light by the law of nature, it is re-footed and, coming to the calamint plant, by the mere touch of the herb it recovers its sting and is sealed, just as a snake with fennel; whence the Romans also call calamint *nepeta*. In this way they call profligates *nepotes*, as destroyers of their own limbs. 43 Having digressed from my purpose, I might say some such things about this. But the censors were harsh and shameless, unyielding and firm 66 in character toward the profligates, with neither fortune nor rank being excepted

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δῆμος ἀνέκαθεν καὶ σύμπαν ἁπλῶς τὸ πολίτευμα ἐστρατεύετο, καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἱερέων τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπεξιόντων· καὶ πάντες ἀπέτρεφον ἑαυτούς. ἐδέησε τοίνυν Ῥωμαίοις προβαλέσθαι τοὺς λεγομένους παρ' αὐτοῖς κήνσωρας, οἳ τὰς τῶν πολιτῶν οὐσίας ἀπεγράφοντο διὰ τὰς ἐν πολέμῳ· οὔπω γάρ, ὡς νῦν, τὸ δημόσιον ἐχορήγει δαπάνας τοῖς στρατιώταις, οἷα οὐκ ὄντων αὐτοῖς τέως ὑποτελῶν. ὅθεν τοὺς κήνσωρας Ἕλληνες τιμητὰς καθ' ἑρμηνείαν ἐκάλεσαν. 40 Τότε Τιτίνιος ὁ Ῥωμαῖος κωμικὸς μῦθον ἐπεδείξατο ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ. ὁ δὲ μῦθος τέμνεται εἰς δύο, εἰς τραγῳδίαν καὶ κωμῳδίαν· ὧν ἡ τραγῳδία καὶ αὐτὴ τέμνεται εἰς δύο, εἰς κρηπι 62 δᾶταν καὶ πραιτεξτᾶταν· ὧν ἡ μὲν κρηπιδᾶτα Ἑλληνικὰς ἔχει ὑποθέσεις, ἡ δὲ πραιτεξτᾶτα Ῥωμαϊκάς. ἡ μέντοι κωμῳδία τέμνεται εἰς ἑπτά· εἰς παλλιᾶταν, τογᾶταν, Ἀτελλάνην, ταβερναρίαν, Ῥινθωνικήν, πλανιπεδαρίαν καὶ μιμικήν· καὶ παλλιᾶτα μέν ἐστιν ἡ Ἑλληνικὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἔχουσα κωμῳδία, τογᾶτα δὲ ἡ Ῥωμαϊκήν, ἀρχαίαν· Ἀτελλάνη δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν λεγομένων ἐξοδιαρίων· ταβερναρία δὲ ἡ σκηνωτὴ ἢ θεατρικὴ κωμῳδία· Ῥινθωνικὴ ἡ ἐξωτική· πλανιπεδαρία ἡ καταστολαρία· μιμικὴ ἡ νῦν δῆθεν μόνη σῳζομένη, τεχνικὸν μὲν ἔχουσα οὐδέν, ἀλόγῳ μόνον τὸ πλῆθος ἐπάγουσα γέλωτι. 41 Ὅτι δὲ ἀναγκαῖον οἶμαι ἐμβραδῦναι τῷ λόγῳ, προσθήσω καὶ τοῦτο. Ῥίνθωνα καὶ Σκίραν καὶ Βλαῖσον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τῶν Πυθαγόρων ἴσμεν οὐ μικρῶν διδαγμάτων ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης Ἑλλάδος γενέσθαι καθηγητάς, καὶ διαφερόντως τὸν Ῥίνθωνα, ὃς ἑξαμέτροις ἔγραψε πρῶτος κωμῳδίαν· ἐξ οὗ πρῶτος λαβὼν τὰς ἀφορμὰς Λουκίλιος ὁ Ῥωμαῖος ἡρωϊκοῖς ἔπεσιν ἐκωμῴδησεν. μεθ' ὃν καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτόν, οὓς καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι σατυρικούς, οἱ νεώτεροι τὸν Κρατίνου καὶ Εὐπόλιδος χαρακτῆρα ζηλώσαντες τοῖς μὲν Ῥίνθωνος μέτροις, τοῖς δὲ τῶν μνημονευθέντων διασυρμοῖς χρησάμενοι, τὴν σατυρικὴν ἐκράτυναν κωμῳδίαν. Ὁράτιος μὲν οὐκ ἔξω τῆς τέχνης χωρῶν, Πέρσιος δὲ τὸν ποιητὴν Σώφρονα μιμήσασθαι θέλων τὸ Λυκόφρονος παρῆλθεν ἀμαυρόν. Τοῦρνος δὲ καὶ Ἰουβενάλιος καὶ Πετρώνιος, αὐτόθεν ταῖς λοιδορίαις ἐπεξελθόντες, τὸν σατυρικὸν νόμον παρέτρωσαν. 42 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας κωμῳδίας τε καὶ τραγῳδίας. τῆς δὲ Τύχης τὰ Ῥωμαίων εἰς ὕψος ἀναφερούσης, ἠκολούθησεν εἰκότως καὶ πταίσματα, καὶ διαφερόντως ἀσωτία, ὥστε 64 μετὰ τὸν δυοδεκάδελτον καὶ τὸν περὶ ἀσωτίας νόμον, παρὰ Κορινθίων πάλαι τεθέντα, γράψαι Ῥωμαίους· τίτλος δέ, ἤ τοι προγραφή, τῷ νόμῳ De Nepotibus, οἷον εἰ Περὶ Ἀσώτων. ἐπεὶ δὲ διπλῆ ἡ σημασία τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου ἐστὶ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις νέπωτας γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐγγόνους καὶ τοὺς ἀσώτους ὁμωνύμως καλοῦσιν, ἤρεσεν ἐμοὶ διὰ βραχέων τὴν διαφορὰν εἰπεῖν. νέπως, ὁ νέος παῖς ἐξ Ἑλληνικῆς ἐτυμολογίας, ὁ ἔγγονος λέγεται καὶ καλῶς ὁ Φιλόξενος εἶπεν· nepos δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄσωτος, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ τροπικῶς. καὶ κατὰ θεωρίαν τάχα τοῖς Ἕλλησι παραχωρητέον ὅτι τὸν σκορπίον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πατρίως νέπαν καλοῦσιν, οἷον εἰ ἄποδα κατὰ στέρησιν τὴν γὰρ «νε» συλλαβὴν στερητικῷ τρόπῳ λαμβάνουσι Ῥωμαῖοι, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες νήλιπος, νήχυτος, νήγρετος, νήδυμος ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν συμβαίνοντος τῷ θηρίῳ. ὡς σαύρα γὰρ χειμῶνος καὶ αὐτὸς εἰκότως ὁ σκορπίος τῇ γῇ, καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τῶν ἑρπετῶν, ὑπονεκρωθεὶς κεῖται, μηδὲν ἕτερον παρ' αὐτὴν ἐσθίων. ἡνίκα οὖν πᾶσαν τὴν περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐδώδιμον γῆν ἑαυτῷ δαπανήσῃ, τῶν ἰδίων καθάπτεται πλεκτανῶν καὶ πάσας αὐτὰς ἀνεπαισθήτως καταναλίσκει. ἦρος δὲ ἀνακαλοῦντος αὐτὸν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰς φῶς νόμῳ τῆς φύσεως, ἀναποδοῦται καὶ πρὸς καλαμίνθην τὸ φυτὸν ἐρχόμενος μόνῃ τῇ ἀφῇ τῆς βοτάνης ἀναλαμβάνει τὸ δριμὺ καὶ στεγανοῦται, καθάπερ ὄφις τῇ μαράθῳ· ὅθεν καὶ νέπεταν τὴν καλαμίνθην Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσιν. ταύτῃ σκορπιστὰς νέπωτας ἀποκαλοῦσιν αὐτοί, οἷα τῶν ἰδίων μελῶν διαφθορεῖς. 43 Τοιαῦτα μέν τινα παρατραπεὶς τοῦ σκοποῦ εἴποιμ' ἂν περὶ τούτου. βαρεῖς δέ τινες καὶ ἀναιδεῖς ἀστεμφεῖς τε καὶ στι 66 βαροὶ τὸν τρόπον οἱ κήνσωρες τοῖς ἀσώτοις ἐτύγχανον, μὴ τύχης, μὴ ἀξιώματος ἐξαιρουμένου