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Think gold-digging is a relatively new practice? Think again. The following lines were penned by Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis, c. 40 CE - c. 103 CE), a Roman epigrammatist. They are written here in a style copied from graffiti on the walls at Pompeii (destroyed 79 CE); if Martial had been prone to scribbling on walls, his writing might have looked like this:
Goodness, how handwriting has changed in 2,000 years! Here is the same text, written in a Zanerian script from the 19th century:
And here is an English translation:
Gemellus is courting, and seeking to wed Maronilla.
He wants her, pursues her, and begs her, and plies her with gifts.
She must be quite lovely, then? Hardly! There's no one who's uglier.
Then why does he want her? What's pleasing? She has a bad cough.
Translation © 1999 Richard F. Binder
Maronilla was an old and very rich widow, and Gemellus was hoping that her cough might make him a rich widower. But don’t his mercenary tendencies look much prettier in a nice flowery script?
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