The Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter - Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions

The first volume of The Satyricon, by Petronius, featuring the narrator Encolpius and Giton.

More of This Feature • Satyricon Introduction • The Satyricon of Petronius - The Dinner of Trimalcho • The Satyricon of Petronius - Further Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions • The Satyricon of Petronius - Encolpius, Giton and Eumolpus Escape By Sea • The Satyricon of Petronius - Affairs at Crotona • The Satyricon of Petronius - Editor's Notes

Related Resources • Menippean Satire and Petronius Satyricon

Elsewhere on the Web • Steve Nimis on Menippean Satire

The Satyricon

Complete and unexpurgated translation of the Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter, by W. C. Firebaugh, in which are incorporated the forgeries of Nodot and Marchena, and the readings introduced into the text by De Salas.

Volume 1. -- Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions

Chapter the Twenty-Second.

Worn out by all his troubles, Ascyltos commenced to nod, and the maid, whom he had slighted, and of course insulted, smeared lampblack all over his face, and painted his lips and shoulders with vermillion, while he drowsed. Completely exhausted by so many untoward adventures, I, too, was enjoying the shortest of naps, the whole household, within and without, was doing the same, some were lying here and there asleep at our feet, others leaned against the walls, and some even slept head to head upon the threshold itself; the lamps, failing because of a lack of oil, shed a feeble and flickering light, when two Syrians, bent upon stealing an amphora of wine, entered the dining-room. While they were greedily pawing among the silver, they pulled the amphora in two, upsetting the table with all the silver plate, and a cup, which had flown pretty high, cut the head of the maid, who was drowsing upon a couch. She screamed at that, thereby betraying the thieves and wakening some of the drunkards. The Syrians, who had come for plunder, seeing that they were about to be detected, were so quick to throw themselves down besides a couch and commence to snore as if they had been asleep for a long time, that you would have thought they belonged there. The butler had gotten up and poured oil in the flickering lamps by this time, and the boys, having rubbed their eyes open, had returned to their duty, when in came a female cymbal player and the crashing brass awoke everybody.

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The Satyricon by Petronius