Sanitation Without Water

In omnibus Vacerra quod conclavibus consumit horas et die toto sedet, cenaturit Vacerra, non cataturit. Why does Vacerra, in all the bathrooms, Waste his hours and sit the whole day. Vacerra wants to dine, he doesn’t want to poop. Ogni dì a tutte l’ore Vacerra suole sui vasi di tutti i bagni ponzare; eppure Vacerra vuol cenare, non cacare.

Martial, Epigrams, Book 11, LXXVII
English translation by Jason Talley
Italian translation by Holden Caulfield

A graffiti by an unknown artist (“Loretta”) depicting a female diver plunging headfirst into an open toilet during the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo credit: Tim Callaghan.