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Suetonius, in his Vita Horati, reports that the emperor Augustus jokingly referred to Horace as a purissimus penis:

Praeterea saepe eum inter alios iocos purissimum penem et homuncionem lepidissimum appellat, unaque et altera liberalitate locupletavit.

What is this intended to mean? Purus can mean "pure, clean", and also "chaste"; but a meaning "most chaste penis", if that's what's intended, must be ironic, since a little later Suetonius reports that Horace was so lustful that he had a room lined with mirrors in which to watch himself disporting with prostitutes. Is that the joke -- an ironic reference to Horace's lasciviousness?

The Loeb translation gives "a most immaculate libertine", but I'm not sure (a) what that means at all, and (b) whether it represents Suetonius's meaning.

TKR
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  • Interesting! The linked translation has a footnote citing some other source. Can you (or someone else) find what is said there? – Joonas Ilmavirta Aug 07 '16 at 19:33
  • @JoonasIlmavirta I found it on p. 166 of this German book (warning, large PDF): https://ia902606.us.archive.org/13/items/kritikundhermene00birtuoft/kritikundhermene00birtuoft.pdf. It seems to be supporting the "lascivious" reading but I don't find it terribly helpful (though I may be missing some nuances of the German). – TKR Aug 07 '16 at 19:49
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    Can't purus also mean "unmixed" or "unadulterated"? In which case maybe it's "he's a total penis" or "he's all penis [and nothing else]"? – Joel Derfner Aug 08 '16 at 01:20
  • @JoelDerfner Oh, I like that interpretation! It hadn't occurred to me. – TKR Aug 08 '16 at 01:31

1 Answers1

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Yes, Horace, the man who is the purest penis. The word penis when applied to a person indicated someone given to wanton impulses, especially of a sexual nature. For example, from the Satire of Persius:

Viso si palles, inprobe, nummo, si facis in penem quidquid tibi venit... (You reprobate, if you faint at the sight of a coin, and come to do whatever your prick suggests...)

Suetonius wrote a biography of Horace in which he noted the poet as being lascivious and given to erotica. So, the court epithet undoubtedly refers to him having a effete and haughty facade, but a prurient inclination.

Tyler Durden
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  • What exactly does "in" mean in "in penem"? To fit the translation it would have to be something like "from": "...if you do whatever comes to you from/ through your penis? These aren't usually listed meanings for "in" + accusative. – tony Oct 22 '22 at 08:03