Laudator Temporis Acti

Susanna Morton Braund, ed., Juvenal, Satires, Book I (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p. 130 (on Juvenal 2.38-39):

Laronia says 'morals' when she means 'lack of morals' or 'corrupt morality'; cf. Cic. Cael. 6 quod obiectum est de pudicitia, 'as to the reproaches cast on his [un]chastity'; Planc. 62 artes in iis reprehenduntur, 'the [absence of] skill is criticised in them'; Luc. 1.429 pollutus foedere, 'polluted by the [broken] treaty'; Friedländer has many more examples.

To be pedantic, it's not Friedländer (1824-1909) himself, but a long note provided to Friedländer by Müller, i.e. Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Müller (1830-1903). See Ludwig Friedlaender, ed., D. Junii Juvenalis Saturarum Libri V. Mit Erklärenden Anmerkungen (Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 1895), vol. I, p. 168:

moribus 'dem jetzigen Sittenverfall' 'gehört zu dem grossen Capitel von 'res pro rei defectu'. So habe ich Cic. Planc. 25, 62 artes in iis reprehenduntur (adn. p. 227, 11) vertheidigt gegen die Aenderung requiruntur. Sil. XI 541 alimenta fatigant. Corte Lucan. I 429 pollutus foedere. CIL. IX 1524 de cuius castitate nunquam questus est. Val. Fl. I 244 non mihi pietas culpanda, und so ganz besonders häufig bei 'beschuldigen, anklagen, sich beklagen'. Plaut. Cist. II 1, 19 ne iusiurandum nostrum quisquam culpitet. Cic. Cael. 7, 15 maledicta pudicitiae. 3, 6 quod objectum est de pudicitia ib. 5, 11 extr. Att. I 5, 3 De litterarum missione accusor (nicht intermissione). Lucan. VIII 529 vires fateri seine Schwäche bekennen, nachgeahmt von Dracont. 2, 29 (Duhn) Pallas fugiet viresque fatetur (von Bücheler mit Unrecht in fatiscet geändert, wie man bei Silius alimenta fatiscunt schreiben wollte). Auch Caes. В. G. V 28, 5 re frumentaria premi lässt sich hierher rechnen. Hist. Aug. Opil. Macr. 12, 11 delatores si non probarent capite affecit, was an crimen maiestatis, reus maiestatis etc. erinnert. Plaut. Cas. 313 Quid tu me cara libertate territas? Cic. Att. IV 3, 3 de cuius constantia — litterae. Plaut. Curc. 215 vapulando et somno pereo (ὕπνῳ καὶ καμάτῳ). Apulei. Met. I 26 extr. somno non cibo gravatus. Liv. XXVII 47, 9 somno fessus u. a., was angeblich Schlafsucht heisst. Vgl. Stallbaum Plat. Leg. 805 a. Hertlein Xenoph. Cyrop. VIII 1,43.' Müller.

This phenomenon (res pro rei defectu = a thing for the lack of a thing) is a variety of auto-antonym (a word that can mean the opposite of itself), other examples of which can be found in the following posts:

• Hrl: An Auto-Antonym
  
• Valetudo: An Auto-Antonym
  
• Avocation: An Auto-Antonym?
  
• Latin Auto-Antonyms: Compounds of In
  
• Some Latin Auto-Antonyms
  
• Identity of Opposites
  
• Snob and Hoi Polloi
  
• Auto-Antonym: Wan
  
• Auto-Antonyms (Latin sacer, English wold)
  
• Auto-Antonym (Urdu lāg)
  
• An Auto-Antonym? (ἀφυπνόω)
  
• Snob
  
• Two Greek Auto-Antonyms (γενέτης and γενέτειρα)
  
• Auto-Antonym: Agony

Labels: auto-antonyms