The Satyricon

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On a bright summer afternoon overlooking Saint Andrew's, the distant Inchcape Rock initially appears as nothing more than a fleeting speck of whiteness, reflecting sunlight against the indistinct tower. However, if we return after dinner, the view changes. In the clarity of daylight, reminiscent of the Victorian Age, the ruined tower of Petronius remains unobserved. It is only under the dark night of what is termed civilization that his light can shine through. Such a night characterized the Imperial Age in Rome when this work was penned, as well as the Renaissance in Italy, during which the surviving manuscript was copied. This period also encompassed the Age of Louis XIV in France, the Restoration, and the cynical Revolution in England, all of which played a role in the manuscript's discovery in Trau, Dalmatia, and its subsequent editing and printing in various cities like Padua, Paris, Upsala, Leipzig, and Amsterdam between 1650 and 1700. Notably, the nineteenth century saw little engagement with Petronius in England, with the only notable translation being that of Mr. Kelly for the Bohn Library, aimed at completeness. This starkly contrasts with the present age we inhabit.