13.
What says Horatius Flaccus, when he wishes to describe a scoundrel, one who is notorious for his extreme luxury?
He says: “Buccillus smells of perfume.” Show me a Buccillus in these days; his smell would be the veritable goat-smell—he would take the place of the Gargonius with whom Horace in the same passage contrasted him.
It is nowadays not enough to use ointment, unless you put on a fresh coat two or three times a day, to keep it from evaporating on the body.
But why should a man boast of this perfume as if it were his own?
Book: Moral Letters Vol II
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On Scipio's villa
Location: Chapter 86, Section 13
Content:
13.
What says Horatius Flaccus, when he wishes to describe a scoundrel, one who is notorious for his extreme luxury?
He says: “Buccillus smells of perfume.” Show me a Buccillus in these days; his smell would be the veritable goat-smell—he would take the place of the Gargonius with whom Horace in the same passage contrasted him.
It is nowadays not enough to use ointment, unless you put on a fresh coat two or three times a day, to keep it from evaporating on the body.
But why should a man boast of this perfume as if it were his own?