The Satyricon

Among the Romans, however, he had not only the Menippean Varro as an example, but also those who had excelled in the other genre of satire, nor, if we look at the plan proposed to both writers, is there no similarity between Trimalchio’s dinner and the dinner of Nasidienus narrated by Horace. The dexterity of his wit and his truly unique skill is most easily perceived in the fact that, in sketching the appearance of rustic speech, he employed no less moderation than accuracy. Since many signs of this speech appear clearly, I will bring forward one here, as it is not known to everyone. Echion the rag-dealer calls the lawyer Phileron on page 53, 14 (he is the same one who says he ate a dog’s tongue on page 47, 10), and Trimalchio calls his fellow freedman Nicerotem on page 74, 17. Editors who kept Phileron removed Nicerotem, confessing they did not know what it was about. For Petronius, in both places, expressed the faulty habit of the common people, who declined it not as Eros Erotis but as Eros Eronis. Anyone who seeks this from some writer or grammarian will seek in vain; however, it has been revealed by Latin inscriptions. Just look at the body of Gruter, page 201, 3: C. Marci C. l. Phileronis; page 580, 12: Fausti Eronis; page 621, 4: C. Vari C. Ɔ. l. Anteronis; in the collection of Reinesius, page 887, 24: M. Mannei Eronis l. Suavis; and page 754, 116: L. Terentii Anteronis; on a tile published by Fabretti, page 501, 54: M. Ati Eronis; in the treasury of Muratori, page 1488, 9: M. Petilio Phileroni; page 1591, 3: C. Calventio Eronis lib. Primo; page 1606, 10: emit de Cn. Octavio Ɔ. l. Anterone; page 1746, 11: L. Signius Eronis l. Eros; in the Etruscan title of Gori, III, page 176, 218: A. Octavio Eroni; in the Maffei museum of Verona, page 169: T. Vibi Eronis, and page 290, 2: arbitratu C. Fausti Eronis; in the Neapolitan inscriptions of Mommsen, 3739, 3929, 4789, 6310 (126): Eronis; 1503, 1554, 6949: Eroni; 4481: Anteronis; 921: Anteroni; 6310 (204): Phileronis; 1639: Syneronis. Therefore, Phileron and Niceron are suitable for rustics, yet it is consistent for Encolpius, who speaks in an urban manner, to call him Nicerotem on page 72, 11.

There is no trace of the Histories of Paterculus found before the fifth century, if I remember correctly: no one testified about the satires of Petronius before Terentianus Maurus. Sidonius Apollinaris, in poem XXIII, line 155, after Cicero, Livy, Virgil, Terence, Plautus, Varro, Sallust, Tacitus, and before Ovid, the Senecas, Martial,