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A great virtue of Petronius, it seems to me, is his ability to say everything simply, which makes his language appear healthy and in touch with the living, spoken language. TheSatyriconis marked by casual simplicity or off-hand stylishness which we envy because it appears to have cost nothing to achieve. Though this simplicity is, I believe, the end product both oflabor limaeandingenium, it is imbued with such confidence and maturity that it embraces the reader as naturally and perfectly as erotic rapture or coming to terms with one's mortality. Whatever Petroniusintendsfor theSatyricon(if anything) ormeansfor his reader to see (if anything), he is in complete control of its language: the coercive strength of his rhetoric encourages the adventurous reader to carry through to the end, even if some of the subject material is disturbing.

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