CATULLUS 68 - Scuola Normale Superiore

manufesti moechi) and Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8.7.2 Seruius Ocella nemini persuasisset se moechum esse nisi
triduo bis deprehensus esset. The word and its derivatives are found from the archaic period onwards, almost
always in less elevated genres such as comedy, satire and private letters (12x Pl., 4x Ter., 1x each Lucil.,
Laber., Var. Menipp., Cael. epist., Aug. epist.; 10x Cat., Hor. 6x Sat. and 1x Od., Phaedr. 4x, Juv. 14x and
Mart. 30x). Higher genres prefer adulter, which is less shocking (cfr. Verg. Aen. 10.92 me duce Dardanius
Spartam expugnauit adulter – the present passage re-phrased in more palatable terms?). Vulgar terms of
abuse are not noted for their precision, and moechus and its kin could also be used in general for men with
unwholesome sexual habits: thus Pl. Truc. 610 moechum malacum, cincinnatum, Lucil. 1058 Marx
moechocinaedi and Cat. 37.16 omnes pusilli et semitarii moechi; see further TLL 8.1324.82-1325.17.
In Greek the feminine of μοιξ〉! is normally μοιξ !; only Aristophanes of Byzantium (ap. Eust. in Od.
14.350 = p. 1761.24 ed. Rom.) claims that there exists a form μοιξ→. In Latin moechas is found only once
(Var. Men. 205 Astbury), but moechus has given rise to the native formation moecha (see Kroll on Cat.
42.3). This can be used either specifically to mean ‘an adulteress’, as here, or as a general term of abuse, ‘a
slut’ (thus moecha turpis, putida moecha etc. in Cat. 42). Even in the former sense moecha will have been
highly offensive, the right word to brand the irresponsible adulteress Helen, whose infidelity caused the
death of so many good men.
Being one of Lesbia’s lovers, Catullus was playing with fire.
104 pacato Not ‘pacified’, as often, but ‘at peace’ (TLL 10.1.22.71f.).
in thalamo In Greek ψ λαμο! is used of a variety of inner rooms and spaces, especially of the women’s
chambers, the most intimate part of a house (LSJ s.v., I; from the Iliad onwards). In Latin the word first
occurs in the Iliad of one Naevius, of uncertain date but possibly Sullan (cfr. FPL 3 p. 119; frg. 2 FPL 3
penetrat penitus thalamoque potitur), and in Catullus (also at 61.185 and at 66.17). In the Augustan period it
is already frequent (1x in Carmen de Bello Actiaco, 5x in Prop., 23x in Virg., 1x in Hor., 77x in Ov., etc.); it
does not occur in prose before Petronius (2x).
105 quo … casu ‘Through which event’ (for this sense of casus compare Cic. Fam. 10.23.4, of someone
trying to commit suicide: in quo casu tamen interpellatus adhuc uiuit et dicitur uicturus) and not ‘through
what fortune’, ‘by which chance event’ (which is the more common meaning of the word: see line 1n. casu).
There was nothing casual about Protesilaus’ death.
pulcerrima Did Catullus write pulcer or pulcher? Catullus’ archetype may only have contained unaspirated
forms: for most of the text these are found in all principal MSS (23.5, 23.8, 57.1, 57.10, 61.84, 64.28), while
from poem 79 onwards X appears to have chosen to write aspirated forms (79.1 and 3, 86.5). But the MSS
are of dubious value when it comes to reconstructing spelling: see the Introduction, pp. 80f.
Cicero describes how he used to omit the aspiration in imitation of earlier Romans and said pulcer, Cetegus,
triumpus and Kartago, only to change track later when he noticed that this seemed too unnatural, as people
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