Note 45 — A. PERSIUS FLACCUS
Reading edition
ut mavis: Ironical. Hor., Sat., 1, 4, 21.—da verba: Comp. 3, 19.—decipe nervos: ‘cheat your muscle,’ ‘cheat yourself into the belief that you are sound;’ and certainly self-deception seems to be required by the context. Otherwise decipe nervos might be considered as equivalent to mentire robur, pro sano te iacta, sanum te finge.