Qualis artifex

Meet the Roman Emperor with Mary Beard. broadcast earlier this week referred to the words attributed to the Emperor Nero just before his suicide:

Qualis  artifex pereo

'What an artist dies [in me]'

 – or, as it is more often quoted (rather fancifully. I think, here, for example) 'What an artist the world is losing'. 

<autobiographical-note>
I may have some across this at school, but in 1978 (as I was working at the time on the 3rd edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations) it was at the forefront of my mind as I checked all the Latin entries.
<autobiographical-note>

And Mary Beard's reference reminded me of a bon mot of mine, one of which I am inordinately (unreasonably? at any rate, typically) proud; arguably it was my meilleur mot. I've cast a fair few pearls before a fair few swine in my time, but in this case I could be sure of my audience, Richard Brain (RIP), an erudite classicist and friend; also,  at the time, my boss.

<autobiographical-note>
After my time in London, working as an assistant on ODQ, I moved to Oxford in 1979 to work as Editorial Assistant to Richard. I was writing a report on an unsolicited proposal (not yet a full manuscript) dealing with the Emperor Nero, written by a man named Perowne.

<tangent>
I imagine the risk of a libel action is minute, but as his name is crucial I think it's worth taking anyway.
</tangent>

Some of the ideas in it were interesting, but I had my doubts about his prose style. In the last line of my report I said we must ask ourselves the question  Qualis artifex Perowne?  (LITTLE THINGS...)

<tangent type="more OUP larks">
one of my better efforts, I think, rivalling the rhyme '...eponymous hero/...anonymous Pierrot' (especially apt as it was sung by Peter Pan, and Pierrot is a diminutive of Pierre).
</tangent>

</autobiographical-note>

The first programme in the Mary Beard series started with a description of  a dinner laid on by   Domitian in a room whose walls were painted black. This was presented as part of a ghoulish joke. I'm sure the Professor was right, although it's an interesting coincidence that the new find unearthed (unashed?) at Pompeii features a banqueting hall with black walls.

The black room is the latest treasure to emerge from the excavation, which started 12 months ago - an investigation that will feature in a documentary series from the BBC and Lion TV to be broadcast later in April.

Source

(And on the subject of Pompeii, anyone who's so inclined is welcome to do some background reading in this old post of mine.)

Gotta go, Grass needs cutting before a jaunt to North Yorkshire.

b

<rantette type="ps">
I wonder what genius at Wokingham Borough Council, or  the recycling contractor, or  maybe a committee involving both, came up with the scheme that requires  a wheelie bin not to be emptied  unless it is displaying an easily-removable sticker (costing £86.00). They might as well insist on  an unsealed envelope sellotaped to the bin containing the money, marked

PLEASE TAKE ONE
WDC welcomes careful sneak thieves

To give them their due, they were quick to replace the missing sticker, but what's to stop the same thing happening again? (And I'm sure I can whistle for a rebate to cover the collection not made.)
</rantette>