Quid accidit? Cur dira barbarae minus Quibus superbam fugit ulta pellicem, Cum palla, tabo munus imbutum, novam Atqui nec herba nec latens in asperis Radix fefellit me locis. Indormit unctis omnium cubilibus Oblivione pellicum. Ah ah solutus ambulat veneficae Non usitatis, Vare, potionibus, O multa fleturum caput, Sub haec puer jam non, ut ante, mollibus Sed dubius, unde rumperet silentium, 85 Misit Thyesteas preces : 'Venena magnum fas nefasque non valent = disreputable street in Rome.-61. Canidia, after a pause, finds that her magic has failed to produce its expected effect. Astonished at this, she asks herself why her horrible compound has been less efficacious than that of Medea. Others explain the clause thus: why has my philtre, made up according to the prescription of Medea, not strength enough?' But this interpretation, venena Medeae, quae mea sunt, has something unnatural in it, and does not give minus its proper force. -66. Abstulit consumpsit. Creusa or Glauce was burned to death when she put on the poison-steeped garment which Medea had sent her. -76. The Marsi were considered in Italy to be skilled in the properties of herbs. Voces are incantations, formulae of conjuration, at the pronouncing of which particular herbs were made use of.-82. Atris ignibus; bitumen burns with a dark flame and a strong odour.-86. Thyesteas preces; that is, curses such as Thyestes imprecated on the head of his cruel brother Atreus, who had killed his two sons.--87. Charms cannot alter the eternal rules of right and wrong, as if they Convertere humanam vicem. Diris agam vos: dira detestatio Quin, ubi perire jussus expiravero, Nocturnus occurram furor, Petamque vultus umbra curvis unguibus, Et inquietis assidens praecordiis Pavore somnos auferam. Vos turba vicatim hinc et hinc saxis petens Contundet obscoenas anus. Post insepulta membra different lupi Et Esquilinae alites ; Neque hoc parentes, heu mihi superstites ! were human institutions. As to vicem, see Zumpt, § 453.-97. The sense is: men will drive you from place to place as abominable old hags.-100. Esquilinae, because at this time there was a burying-place on the Esquiline Hill for poor people and criminals, whose bodies were not buried deep. See Satires, i. 8, 10.-Superstites. According to the order of nature, parents should not survive their children. CARMEN VI. IN INIMICUM. A THREATENING poem, addressed to a man who had maliciously assailed some friends of the poet. Horace challenges him rather to attack himself, and he will give him 'more than a mere return.' QUID immerentes hospites vexas canis, Ignavus adversum lupos ? Quin huc inanes, si potes, vertis minas Et me remorsurum petis? Nam qualis aut Molossus aut fulvus Lacon, Amica vis pastoribus, Agam per altas aure sublata nives, Quaecunque praecedet fera. 6 5 1. Hospites, strangers,' at whom even cowardly dogs bark.—3. Quin -vertis, why dost thou not turn?' that is, a challenge, = verte potius. Tu cum timenda voce complesti nemus, Cave, cave namque in malos asperrimus Qualis Lycambae spretus infido gener, An si quis atro dente me petiverit, = 10 15 -10. Projectum cibum, cibum tibi objectum : understand, and as soon as this happens, thy barking ceases.'-12. Cornua, a second trope: first the poet compares himself to a fine Molossian dog, a mastiff, now he calls himself a bull.-13. Gener spretus Lycambae; namely, the poet Archilochus (about 700 B. C.), the inventor of satiric iambic poetry, by the pungency of which he is said to have driven Lycambes and his daughter Neobule to commit suicide.-14. Bupalus was a statuary, and his acer hostis was the iambic poet Hipponax (about 540 B. C.), who, irritated by a caricature of himself, turned the whole force of his satirical powers against Bupalus. CARMEN VII. AD ROMANOS. A BITTER lament on the renewed outbreak of civil war, which had been terminated by the victory of Octavianus at Actium, 31 B.C. Horace, in his patriotic sorrow, bewails the old sin of Romulus as the cause of the never-ending dissensions in the republic. Quo, quo scelesti ruitis? aut cur dexteris Parumne campis atque Neptuno super Non ut superbas invidae Carthaginis Romanus arces ureret, Intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet Sacra catenatus via, Sed ut, secundum vota Parthorum, sua 5 7. Intactus Britannus. The poet thinks that if the war had for its object to lead in triumph the Britons, who had not yet submitted to the Roman yoke, he would not lament. The triumphal processions at Rome went round the foot of the Palatine Hill, through the Circus Maximus, and down on the other side, by the Via Sacra, into the Forum, then up to the Capitol.-9. Parthorum. Since the defeat of Crassus in 53 B. C., the Parthians had been considered as the heredi tary enemies of the Roman name.-20. Sacer nepotibus, a curse upon the latest posterity, or to be atoned for by them.' CARMEN IX. AD MAECENATEM. AN expression of joy at the first news of the victory at Actium (September 2, 31 B. C.) Particular details regarding this victory and the flight of Antony to Egypt had not yet reached Rome. It was only known that the routed fleet had steered in the direction of Crete. QUANDO repostum Caecubum ad festas dapes Victore laetus Caesare Tecum sub alta, sic Jovi gratum, domo, Beate Maecenas, bibam, Sonante mixtum tibiis carmen lyra, Hac Dorium, illis barbarum? Ut nuper, actus cum freto Neptunius 5 1. Quando Caecubum bibam; that is, 'when wilt thou hold a banquet in honour of this happy event?' The Caecuban was a good wine, but excelled by the Campanian, the Falernian, and the Massic. Greek wines much drunk at Rome were the Chian, Lesbian, and Coan. — 5. The lyre, a genuine Greek instrument, was used at first to accompany the singing of hymns composed in the Doric dialect. The flute, originally Phrygian, was considered as foreign, especially the double flute, dextra et sinistra, bass and treble, which a player blew at the same time.-7. That is, as we once celebrated a feast when Sextus Pompeius, who had called himself in his pride a son of Neptune, was defeated in the Sicilian Straits, and fled. The affair referred to occurred Dux fugit ustis navibus, Minatus urbi vincla, quae detraxerat Servis amicus perfidis. Romanus, eheu, posteri negabitis, Emancipatus feminae Fert vallum et arma miles et spadonibus Servire rugosis potest, Interque signa turpe militaria Ad hoc frementes verterunt bis mille equos Sol adspicit conopium. Galli canentes Caesarem, Puppes, sinistrorsum citae. Hostiliumque navium portu latent Io Triumphe, tu moraris aureos Currus et intactas boves? Io Triumphe, nec Jugurthino parem Neque Africanum, cui super Carthaginem Terra marique victus hostis Punico Lugubre mutavit sagum. Aut ille centum nobilem Cretam urbibus 6 in the year 36 B. C.; so that nuper is not limited to a very recent period. Pompeius had strengthened the crews of his vessels by taking in runaway slaves.-11. Antony degraded the Roman soldiers still more, by making them serve Cleopatra. This reproach on Antony is founded on the fact that he married Cleopatra, and wished her to be acknowledged and honoured by his Roman friends and soldiers as his lawful wife.-16. Conopium, a fly-net,' a bed-curtain made of close network, to keep off the troublesome flies and mosquitoes from Cleopatra and the now effeminate Antony.-17. Ad hoc, at this sight.' We have adopted Bentley's correction of the common reading adhuc, which gives no suitable sense. -18. By Galli are meant Gallo - Graeci or Galatae, who served with Antony as auxiliaries, but who deserted to Octavianus before the decisive battle.-20. Sinistrorsum citae, quick to the left; that is, ready to flee quickly away towards the left. The left here is the direction of Peloponnesus and Asia.-21. Io triumphe, etc., a question of amazement, why delayest thou?' The triumph is personified, and the sense without the figure is: why is the triumph not immediately celebrated ?-23. Parem. Neither Marius nor Scipio Africanus is equal to Caesar Octavianus, whose triumph is approaching.-30. Non suis ventis, with unfavourable winds.' The mention of Crete's hundred cities is an allusion to the Homeric description. In reality, however, the island had sunk very much in importance.— |