The Satires, by Juvenal

Rudd, Niall. Juvenile: The Satires, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.

 "I get an itch to run off beyond the Samartians and the frozen sea, 

every time those men who pretend to be old time paragons of virtue and live an orgy, 

dare to spout something about morals."

  Satire II: Hypocrites are Intolerable

-Juvenal

This Oxford World Classic introduces the reader to the Satirical works of one of the Roman Empire's most witty and politically observant citizens, Juvenal. Juvenal wrote between 110-130 C.E.  and the modern phrase "political satire", or any other type of satire can be traced directly to him and his life's work.

Juvenal and Perseus

Containing in this collection of five books sixteen satirical poems, students of Juvenal may notice that each of the poems in all five books appear not to follow any precise order and can therefore be confusing since the works are generally ordered in the same fashion. Don't be confused:  there is no particular order. Each of Juvenal's works are precisely ingenious due to the wide variety of topics he commentated upon.

Although containing a core central thread of moral-maxims (and despite the seriousness of such) Juvenal's writings can be quite humorous, however, his message is timeless and students may find themselves comparing some of Juvenal's characters to the modern day social but especially political arena of Statesmanship. This collection of satires is a must read in the historical development of social commentary, politics and history in the western hemisphere.