Une de Capillatis…Egnati

111 UNE DE CAPlllATIS ... EGNATI In poem 37 Catullus casts lesbia as a prostitute establ ished in a brothel and enjoyed by gallants from every walk of life, even by Egnatius (14-20): hanc boni beatique omnes amatis, et quidem, quod indignum est, omnes pusilli et semitarii moechi; tu praeter omnes, une de capillatis, cuniculosae Celtiberiae fili, Egnati, opaca quem bonum facit barba et dens Hibera defricatus urina. The capillati have been identified as unkempt philosophers, smart young men and shaggy Spaniards. The first interpretation is attractive if Egnatius is presumed to be an Epicurean poet; 1 for the jibe that a rugged exterior conceals a rotten core is levelled commonly against philosophers, 2 and Epicureans are particularly liable to allegations of pleasure-seeking. 3 Yet there is no independent proof that Egnatius was indeed a philosopher. l See the commentary of E. Baehrens (leipzig 1893) 219. 2Cf. e.g. Juvenal 2.4-15; Martial 9.47; note too his reminder at 7.58.9 (d. 1.24; 6.56; 12.42): sed habet tristis quoque turba cinaedos. See also M. L. Clarke, Higher Education In the Ancient world (London 1971) 96-99. 3Cf. Diog. laert.l0.6-7; P. Delacy, "Cicero's Invective against Piso," TAPA 72 (1941) 49-58. 112 ALAN D. BOOTH Ciceronian invective attests that members of the smart set sported styled hair and smooth complexions or beardlets; 4 so it might be more readily allowed that the capillati are this group.5 Opaca barba, which scarcely evokes a groomed barbula, would then signal a conservative beard, one which clashes with Egnatius' hair-style; the provincial will have imitated gauchely the smartness of the capital. 6 But bonum should then mean something like 'conservative', which is difficult; for the word surely draws its colour from boni beatique: they represent all of the upper-classes, as the moechi do the lower; thus the whole of society constitutes Lesbia's clientele. So, to accord bonum the required sense would then entail an unwarranted limitation of the scope of boni b~atique, for that phrase should have to designate only the conservative faction. The vituperation of Egnatius' origins may seem to commend i'dentification of the capillati as long-haired provincials. 7 Catullus' point would presumably be that Lesbia, having exhausted the supply of Roman lovers, now even welcomes a barbarian; Horace's promiscuous matron who entertains the navis Hispanae magister (Odes 3.6.31) springs to mind. To accommodate this interpretation, bonum must be allowed to mean 'handsome'; thus Lesbia will have been attracted both by Egnatius ' outlandishly long hair and foreign beard. Yet, as has been seen, bonum here should mean 'respectable'; Egnatius ' beard, therefore, should meet approved Roman standards. 4Cf. Att.1.14.5; Pis.25; Frsg.Clod. 22 (ed. Mueller); Red.sen.13-~ sest.18, 2b':d. also ervlus on Aen.12.100. 5see the commentaries of Riese, Merrill and Quinn. It may be noted, however, that Cicero pillories grooming (pexi capilli), but not necessarily length. Capillatus signals shoulder-length hair; d. Horace Odes 4.10.3; Martial 1.31.4-6; 4.42.7-8. 6Cf. Quinn ad loc.; B. Arkins, Sexuality in Catullus (Zurich 1982) 98. - - - - - ' 7Ct. the commentaries of Ellis and Kroll; and C. L. Neudling, ~ Prosopography to Catullus (Oxford 1955) 58. UN E DEC A PI LLATIS ... EGNAT I 113 Either his hair is unkempt and his beard groomed - in which opaca is an odd epithet, for it scarcely emphasizes tidiness - or a capillat~~ should not possess any noticeable beard. Since Celtiberians were scarcely typified by beardlessness, the capillati cannot easily be so identified. 8 I f none of the standard identifications is entirely satisfactory, there is another which seems preferable: the capi lIati may be recognized as pueri pathici who work the alleys. Petronius and Martial apply capillatus almost as a technical term to groomed slave pages who might serve as catamites. 9 Horace refers thus to one such boy (Odes 1.29.7-10);10 puer quis ex aula capillis ad cyathum statuetur unctis, doctus sagittas tendere Sericas arcu paterno? And is not such a figure in Cicero's mind where he writes (~. ~. 2.59) : volitat enim ante oculos...