The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-18
RECENT FICTION.

vividly and ingenously that famous,
unread classic, "Cena Trimalchonis,"
and in commenting upon it in so sug-
gestive and interesting a manner He
has certainly succeeded in humanizing
not only this literary fragment, but
also Roman life, and there is no longer
excuse for the boys and girls who
emerge from four years of Latin with
only a faint impression that some time,
somewhere, a people lived who wrote
Latin and conquered all Gaul."
Petronius has not been considered
edifying reading for the young, even
did the linguistic difficulties presented
by its mixture of pure and debased
Latin permit of such an acquaintance,
but there is no more indecency in '"Tri-
malchios Dinner as presented by
Prof. Peck than in the Orations
against Catalina, although there is
more vulgarity.
Prof. Peck preGaces mis- translation
with really excellent essay on the fic-
ton Of the ancients, in which he
sketches the rise of the novel among
the Greeks beWails the Indifference of
the classical writers to their own ma
ture myths. gives an illustration of
the classical short story and traces
the blending of classic material with
medieval imagination in the "Gesta
Romanorumi and the mOnllish stories
of the middle ages.
He does not hesitate to identify the
author of the "Satira' and "Cena Tri
malchionis" with the roue of Nero's
reign-"an earlier Beau Brummell TO an
earlier George the Fourth as Prof.
Peck calls him. This was the position
taken by the author Of "QuO NadiS, it
will be recalled.
On the basis of a passage in Sidonius
Apollinaris and Servius. which associ-
ated PetrOnius with Marseilles. Prof.
Peck is led to speak of the author of
the greatest novel of antiquity as
'the literary precursor of those prefer
naturally clever writer's of modern
France whose spirit at least is that
which breathes in every page of the
"Satira." The Gauls above every other
people except the Jews, have retained
their early racial traits. In Petronius
there is the same stylistiC touch. the
same cynicism and versatility and un-
erring strokes of the great literary ar
fist. the same pervdsive sexual instinct,
as in GustaVe Flaubert and Guy de
Maupassant. If Petr0nius was a Ro-
man as Cicero and Ia,itus WriC 49,
man. it is strange. comments Prof.
Peck that he had no predecessors and
no true successor bur that tC seek a
fitting parallel for his strangely brill
liant fiction we must pass over the in
el,s rii' IN 'ii tba Gttls w
art Of modern France"
In his attempts to express the es-
sence Of "Trimalchio's Dinner. Prof.
Peck has put on his colors pretty thick,
but without the text at hand it is i'm
possible for the writer to say just
how thick His equivalents OF modern
slang are, at any rate, most amusing
and ingenious Among them may be
noted such expressions as done up
talking Biilingsgate money to burn
chumps, not to be sneezed at, that sort
Of hairpln, stir drinks, loaded Tor
bear, sWlsSed tody OF booze, chucked
1t, unlimited cheek, d emp on ms
shoulder, Waited INTO not STUN SOIL
snap SUNK, red cent, Paul PrY, say
Jack Robinson, let up on, MIND your
eye, half seas over, get blowing up
bully for you, not go nome III morn
ing. etc, etc
The bcld translator reaches the helght
of his audaclty when ne makes ms flrst
/ century Romans dance the coochee-
/ coocne, do a song-ahd dance play
Button, button, VINO got the button
and quote Dante Gabriel tossettl.
Richmond & Son have published I'M
AZ. ~ +i+ta .arbo ChiId Of plaaeura,,
the novel OF TapfleIe AillluiizIo'
which in 1889 appeared as II Piacere, -
and which is the first in that series of
.,.t,;o,, ~ ,,,+1,o,. hoe, .ri,.a,,
movers 10 "Al0H me ""'iOi ii'7 si'0 '
the name of the romances of the rose
Written when he was but twenty-five
t,,a ers+ in +ba grol,, of which ",rbe
,,,
Ir!uIhpn OF beath - me Iasl. III
Chlld OF Pleas9re yet slIlNes WILn nc
uncertain memo the KEYNOTE OIL the iatei
ie illlio III er lesi1 him Se M
and away into the mysticism of relig-
ious ecstacy. it drops him to groveii il
s+;@5itl, u s7iiilsii"'sS' uecep'ioi'
His Devotion TO sensation forbids hin
to conceive of either an upright man OF
a good woman. But whereas IN 'Th(
asi. llI'f 70 intarest binoself in The ein,
and sorrows of but two figures il
The Child of Pleasure he must follow
the immorahties OF three, for the nero
a young roman nople, sets hlmSeH tC
overcome the virtue OF women as olnel
men set tneM heafJs upon bulldlng ram
ROADS or salnnS shlpS or upon poItlca
preIerment.
There IS not ~ the whole OF these 81
pages one chaste, slngIe-mlnded, earn
est character FROM beginning TO enc
tnere is nOInlng put corruption, lies
lnhdeIltles, halsons' ana the Womef
are as pau as the men, ana all are sc
PAD that lhey nave Forgotten now Il
1eel ashamed
Arthur Synonds mas translated the