Persius was an apt scholar, and when he was
bidden to be obscure in some places where his life and safety were
in question, took the same counsel for all his book, and never
afterwards wrote ten lines together clearly. Casaubon, being upon
this chapter, has not failed, we may be sure, of making a compliment
to his own dear comment. "If Persius," says he, "be in himself
obscure, yet my interpretation has made him intelligible." There is
no question but he deserves that praise which he has given to
himself; but the nature of the thing, as Lucretius says, will not
admit of a perfect explanation. Besides many examples which I could
urge, the very last verse of his last satire (upon which he
particularly values himself in his preface) is not yet sufficiently
explicated. It is true, Holyday has endeavoured to justify his
construction; but Stelluti is against it: and, for my part, I can
have but a very dark notion of it. As for the chastity of his
thoughts, Casaubon denies not but that one particular passage in the
fourth satire (At, si unctus cesses, &c.
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