About the Latin
Persius's satires are compressed to the point of riddle: quick shifts of speaker, unusual images, and word order that makes the reader work for every clause. His obscurity has long been noted.
It is not a starting point. It is a useful marker of how far reading Latin can go.
How hard is it?
Difficulty 10.3, advanced.
Every reading in the library has a difficulty score, on a scale that runs from about 1 to 11. Beginner texts sit below 3.5 and Advanced texts above 6.8.
Most demanding here: Vocabulary variety, Rare vocabulary, Very rare vocabulary, Unseen vocabulary, Nonfinite constructions. Lighter than most of the library: Proper names.
What you can read
The reading, each with help on every word.
Librorum Capsula currently offers Satire 4, a short poem on self-knowledge and hypocrisy.
Self Knowledge & Hypocrisy
Persius satirizes his contemporaries' lack of the self-knowledge and hypocrisy and argues for mastering oneself before meddling in the world.
Where to start
Self Knowledge & Hypocrisy
It is the only Persius in the catalog so far. Open it and the reader gives you the Latin with a definition for every word, so you can read at the pace that suits you and look up only what you need.
Start reading