Commentary on the Dream of Scipio

is called subiecta the subject/lying underneath. From this time, it is called 'first light' (prima fax), then 'time for bed' (concubia), then 'dead of night' (intempesta), which is not a suitable time for conducting business. This is the division of the civil day observed by the Romans. Therefore, when the night to come begins to be half over, it will be the omen 16 of the Saturnalia, on which day the custom is to begin the morrow.'

When all had praised Albinus’s memory as if it were a storehouse of antiquity, Praetextatus, seeing Avienus whispering to Furius, said, 'What is this, my dear Avienus, that you wish to be revealed to Albinus alone, hidden from the rest?' Then he replied, 'I am indeed moved by the authority 2 of Caecina, and I am not unaware that error does not befall such great learning; yet the novelty of these words struck my ears, since he preferred to say noctu futura original: "noctu futura" (future at night) and die crastini original: "die crastini" (on the day of the morrow) rather than futura nocte original: "futura nocte" and die crastino original: "die crastino", as the rules require. For noctu original: "noctu" is not a noun, but an adverb. 3 Furthermore, futura original: "futura", which is a noun, cannot agree with an adverb. There is no doubt that the relationship between noctu and nocte original: "nocte" is the same as that between diu original: "diu" and die original: "die". And again, die and crastini original: "crastini" are not in the same case, and nothing but the same case joins nouns in this kind of phrasing. Furthermore, I wish to discern why we prefer to say Saturnaliorum original: "Saturnaliorum" rather than Saturnalium original: "Saturnalium".' To these remarks, when Caecina smiled and remained silent, and Servius had been asked by Symmachus what he thought of these matters, he said, 'Although in this gathering, which is to be revered no less for its learning than for its nobility, I should be learning rather than teaching, I will nevertheless comply with the wish of the one commanding, and I will explain first about the Saturnalia, and afterwards about the others, from where this—not a novelty, but an antiquity of speaking—arises.

He who says Saturnalium relies on a rule: nouns 5