LIBER SECUNDUS. SATIRA I. A JOCULAR defence of the Satires, which had drawn much odium SUNT, quibus in satira videor nimis acer et ultra Trebati, Quid faciam praescribe.' 'Quiescas.' 'Ne faciam, inquis, 5 Praemia laturus.' 'Cupidum, pater optime, vires 10 1. Videor and videar have almost equal manuscript authority. The indicative, in a case like this, is generally preferred by Horace. See Gram. § 360, 4. Ultra legem. No doubt the twelve tables are meant, for in them a punishment was decreed against the author of mala carmina; that is, lampoons. -4. Deduci, spun out' like thread. Compare i. 10, 60.-6. Peream male, a form of strong assertion, may I be hanged, if that were not the best thing; that is, undoubtedly it would be the best. But erat implies that he cannot do it.-7. Connect ter with transnanto. Swimming across the Tiber was a common practice with the young men who frequented the Campus Martius.-9. Irriguum mero; namely, which they had drunk at night. 12. Laturus, the reason, because thou wilt receive.' 6 Deficiunt: neque enim quivis horrentia pilis 'Quid faciam? saltat Milonius, ut semel icto Ille velut fidis arcana sodalibus olim Votiva pateat veluti descripta tabella Vita senis. Sequor hunc, Lucanus an Appulus anceps: · 15 20 20 14. Fracta cuspide. The chief weapon of the Romans was the pilum, a spear about six feet long, with a strong barbed iron head: the wooden shaft broke off, but the head remained in the wound, thus causing death.-16. Justum et fortem, scil. Caesarem, the justice and constancy of Augustus.-17. Scipiada, properly Scipionides, refers to the younger Scipio Africanus, the destroyer of Carthage and Numantia. He was praised in the poems of Lucilius, Horace's predecessor in satire.-20. Undique tutus. The figure is taken from a pair of horses, which, when any danger approaches, put their heads together, and keep off all foes by their heels.-22. Pantolabus, name of a spendthrift, from the Greek Távra λaby, 'one who takes all from all,' having nothing himself. Nomentanus, also a spendthrift.-24. Icto; namely, by wine; that is, drunk. 25. Numerus accessit lucernis, a man when drunk seeing double. 26. Ovo prognatus eodem, his twin brother Pollux. — 27. Pugnis, from pugnus. 30. The sense is: Lucilius intrusted all his secrets to his books, his bad fortune as well as his good; so that his life can be seen from his writings, just as from a picture which people who have escaped from any imminent danger hang up in the temple of the god whom they believe to have given them assistance; for this is tabula votiva.-34. Senis, improperly applied, for Lucilius is said to have died in his forty-sixth year. Lucanus an Appulus anceps; is, who am but a common man, not being able even to name definitely the province of my birth. Lucilius, on the other hand, was a Roman that Nam Venusinus arat finem sub utrumque colonus, Ut neque calce lupus quemquam, neque dente petit bos?) Sed mala tollet anum vitiato melle cicuta. Ne longum faciam: seu me tranquilla senectus 35 40 45 50 55 eques.-35. Finem, used poetically for the plural, fines, territory.' Venusia became a Roman colony in 291 B. C.-37. Quo ne = ne quo, 'that in no direction.'-39. Stilus, as we say, my pen; that is, my satire.-42. Tutus contains the condition, if I am safe.'-43. Ut = utinam, and positum: depositum.-46. Insignis, here notorious,' one to be pointed at with the finger of scorn. Cantabitur, said with reference to the verses which Horace will make on his enemies.-47. Cervius, a well-known accuser at Rome; urna, the urn into which the tablets with the sentence of the judges were thrown.-48. As to Canidia, see Epode 5. Albutius, also a poisoner. It is probable that to Albuti, according to a common Latin idiom, uxor is to be supplied. However, there is an ambiguity in the line, for the genitive may be taken as governed by venenum.-49. Turius, a venal judge, who, in any lawsuit in which one of the parties was his private foe, used, simply for that reason, to give sentence against him.-50. Suspectos infestos, hostes. -52. Intus a natura sua.-53. Scaeva, as the scholiasts tell us, was a rich spendthrift, who, considering that his mother was living too long, removed her by poison.-54. Dextera; as we say, 'he_will not lay hands on her, kill her by open violence, but by poison." To mirum supply est.-58. Circumvolut; supply even now,' whilst I am still = Dives, inops, Romae, seu fors ita luserit exul, Quin ubi se a vulgo et scena in secreta remorant Nugari cum illo et discincti ludere, donec Decoqueretur olus, soliti. Quidquid sum ego, quamvis Dissentis.' Equidem nihil hinc diffingere possum ; 75 80 young.-59. Seu fors, etc. exul, = vel, si fors, etc. exul.-61. Majorum nobilium virorum. 62. Frigus is coldness,' somewhat milder than odium, opposed to calor, studium.-64. Connect nitidus with per oru, ' outwardly beautiful.' We see this from the antithesis introrsum turpis. -66. The Scipiada mentioned in line 17.-67. Q. Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, consul in 143 B. C., and L. Cornelius Lentulus Lupus, consul in 156 B. C., political opponents of the younger Scipio and Laelius, and therefore attacked by Lucilius.-69. Arripuit, he laid hold of,' a lively expression for vituperavit. Tributim. Lucilius attacked whole tribes of the people, for neglect or mal-performance of their military or other duties.-71. Remorant, contracted form of removerant. Gram. § 141, 1.-73. Discincti; that is, when they had laid aside the toga, in order to amuse themselves more at ease. The comedian Terence was also one of the intimates of Scipio and Laelius.-75. Infra censum, inferior in fortune,' for Lucilius was rich, and an eques by birth, which was a much more important thing in his time than in the reign of Augustus.-78. Offendet solido: the dative used poetically for ad solidum.-79. Hinc diffingere; that is, to make a transformation in your nature, which you have now been describing to me: I can make no alteration in you, but take care.-82. Mala carmina. See note on line 1. Horace has chosen the word mala intentionally, as it may 6 Judiciumque.' 'Esto, si quis mala; sed bona si quis 85 mean either 'immoral,' or, as applied to poems, 'stupid, witless.'85. Latraverit. The figure is taken from a dog. The construction with the accusative is poetical.-86. Tabulae here are the wooden benches on which the judges sit. The judges burst into such a hearty fit of laughter that the joints of the benches are loosened. SATIRA II. THE poet exhorts his countrymen to live temperately, representing the absurdity and perniciousness of debauchery. He exemplifies one called Ofellus, probably a real person. This man had, during the civil wars, lost his property, which had been given to a soldier of the triumvirs: he was therefore now a tenant on the estate which had once been his own, but was quite as contented and happy as formerly. QUAE virtus et quanta, boni, sit vivere parvo, (Nec meus hic sermo est, sed quem praecepit Ofellus Verum hic impransi mecum disquirite. 'Cur hoc?' 6 5 10 3. Crassa Minerva or pingui Minerva, said proverbially of one who is uncultivated and cannot comprehend fine philosophical reasoning. Abnormis sapiens, a philosopher who has no norma or system,' hence a practical philosopher.-5. Acies, scil. oculorum.-6. Acclinis, a rare word, here in the sense of pronus, disposed,' and to be connected with falsis.-7. Impransi, not without having eaten,' but 'when not eating.' Thus we give a proper antithesis to the preceding words.-8. Male -judex; that is, a person who has just eaten, or is engaged in eating a good dinner, cannot be an impartial judge in regard to the propriety of temperance.-10. Si Romana, etc. Horace has just mentioned the true Roman exercises preparatory to service in the army-hunting and riding. To these he adds other bodily exercises, practised by those who lived more effeminately, after the Greek fashion, such as ball-playing, in |