Creditur, ex medio quia res arcessit, habere Sudoris minimum, sed habet comoedia tanto Plus oneris, quanto veniae minus. Adspice, Plautus 170 Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut insidiosi ; Quantus sit Dossennus edacibus in parasitis; Quam non adstricto percurrat pulpita socco. Gestit enim nummum in loculos demittere, post hoc 175 Securus, cadat an recto stet fabula talo. Quem tulit ad scenam ventoso gloria curru, Exanimat lentus spectator, sedulus inflat: Sic leve, sic parvum est, animum quod laudis avarum 180 Subruit aut reficit. Valeat res ludicra, si me Si discordet eques, media inter carmina poscunt 185 190 not polish their poems. - 168. Arcessit res ex medio, 'it takes its subject from common life.' The nominative is comoedia. — 172. Attenti, 'frugal.'-173. Dossennus, an otherwise unknown poet, probably a writer of fabulae togatae. 174. Soccus was the comedian's shoe, cothurnus the tragedian's. Hence he who goes non adstricto (that is, laxo) socco, is one who writes no good comedies.— 175. Plautus, Dossennus, and other poets, sold their plays to the aediles, to be exhibited at the games, and lived on the proceeds.176. Stare and cadere are the proper expressions for a play which pleases' or which does not please.' -177. The man who writes for fame is contrasted with those who write for money merely.180. Valeat, I shall say "good-bye" to.' 186. Ursum, a bearbaiting.' In the time of Augustus baitings and pugilistic exhi bitions took place generally in the theatres, supplying the place of our farces; afterwards the amphitheatres were built for them.-188. That is to great pomp and glitter on the stage.-189. In the ancient theatres the curtain lay on the ground (premuntur) during the play, and was drawn up at the end. Hence the sense is: four hours or more are devoted to the passages in plays that are intended merely to gratify the eye. The poet goes on to mention such scenes.-191. Regum fortuna reges infelices.-193. Pictures representing great exploits are exhibited; as, for instance the taking of Corinth.-194. Diversum confusa genus panthera camelo 195 200 Quum stetit in scena, concurrit dextera laevae. 205 Dixit adhuc aliquid? Nil sane. Quid placet ergo? Ac ne forte putes me, quae facere ipse recusem, Quum recte tractent alii, laudare maligne; Ille per extentum funem mihi posse videtur 210 Ire poëta, meum qui pectus inaniter angit, Irritat, mulcet, falsis terroribus implet, Ut magus, et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. Verum age et his, qui se lectori credere malunt Quam spectatoris fastidia ferre superbi, 215 Curam redde brevem, si munus Apolline dignum 220 Democritus. See i. 12, 12.-195. Diversum genus, 'a kind of animal quite different from the common,' is the subject. Then follows in apposition panthera confusa camelo; that is, a cameleopard or giraffe, which was first brought to Rome and exhibited by Julius Caesar.-196. White elephants are rare. — - 197. Ludis ipsis=quam ludos ipsos.-202. Garganum. See Carm. ii. 9, 7.-203. Artes, scil. peregrinae; the works of art, statues, silver and golden vessels, with which the stage was adorned.-204. Divitiae, rich dresses and ornaments, such as that mentioned in line 207.-205. Concurrit dextera laevae; that is, there is a clapping of hands. -208. Quae ; namely, plays. -210. A proverbial expression, to walk along a tight rope,' for 'to do a very difficult thing.'-211. Inaniter, without reason. 214. Qui-malunt; that is, who writes lyrics and epics. -216. Munus Apolline dignum. See i. 3, 17, note. Multa quidem. Sed tamen in line 229 introduces the antithesis. Horace excuses the emperor for not having encouraged poets sufficiently: it has been their own fault. -220. To cut the trees in one's own vineyard' is a proverb for 'to hurt one's self.'-221. Laedimur, 'we 219. Quum oca jam recitata revolvimus irrevocati; Quum lamentamur, non apparere labores Nostros et tenui deducta poëmata filo; Quum speramus eo rem venturam, ut, simul atque Carmina rescieris nos fingere, commodus ultro Arcessas et egere vetes et scribere cogas. 225 Sed tamen est operae pretium cognoscere, quales 230 235 240 245 feel offended.'-223. Irrevocati, 'without being encored.'-224. Apparere intelligi. · 225. Tenui deducta filo, spun fine;' that is, elegant.'-227. Commodus = = liberalis. 229. Horace passes over here very elegantly to his reason for not celebrating the deeds of Augustus. The emperor's merit (virtus spectata belli domique) is conceived, as it were, as a goddess, who has a temple; and the poets who sing her praise are the keepers of the temple.-233. Choerilus of Iasos, a town of Caria, a bad poet, who accompanied Alexander. Connect Philippos rettulit acceptos (= debuit) versibus, was indebted to his verses for Philippi;' that is, received Philippi from Alexander for them. Philippi, properly Philippei, gold coins struck by King Philip, and bearing his likeness.235. Tractata, when laid hold of.'. 237. Linunt maculant.239. Apelles of Cos, the most celebrated painter, and Lysippus of Sicyon, the most celebrated statuary of the time.-240. Ducere aera is the technical expression for founding in brass. -241. Simulantia 242. Subtile videndis artibus (= judicandis artibus., The artes are opposed to the libri, poems. —244. Boeotum for Boeotorum. The Boeotians were considered as stupid, and the Greeks attributed this to the thick atmosphere of their country. -246. Multa dantis cum laude, to the great credit of the donor.' Both Virgil and Varius were by this time dead.--248. Poets can honour = imitantia. Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum 250 255 260 Si, quantum cuperem, possem quoque: sed neque parvum Nil moror officium, quod me gravat, ac neque ficto = 265 270 great men as much as painters and statuaries, who can represent but the outward form.-258. Recipit admittit.-260. Sedulitas for sedulus. The sense is: any one who is foolishly officious and eager in his attentions to a great man, is burdensome (urget), especially when he shows his attention by writing poems on him; for he injures his patron's fame, and makes the people laugh at him, men generally keeping better in memory that which may be laughed at than that which deserves respect.-264. I, at least, continues the poet, care nothing for an officiousness which annoys me, and have no desire either to have a bad portrait taken of me, or to be cele brated in bad verses.· 265. Proponi cereus. This shows that in Horace's time the portraits of distinguished men were publicly exhibited and sold.—267. Pingui munere, a stupid present;' namely, the bad poem. Horace goes on to tell, that the poem, like other unsaleable works, will be used as waste paper for wrapping up groceries. The poem, or as Horace wittily says, the writer along with the unfortunate victim of his praise, is carried into a shop, not rolled up like other books, but stretched out like a corpse in an open chest, just as the bodies of the poor were carried to burial in an open coffin. EPISTOLA II. AD JULIUM FLORUM. AN epistle of great importance, as relating to Horace's own poetical labours. It is addressed to the Julius Florus to whom i. 3 also is addressed. The poet begins by excusing himself for not writing more: this is owing to his altered circumstances. He describes what first led him to write poetry, and shows that he has now many business engagements, which prevent his making progress in his art. He perceives, too, that philosophy is the great study for an educated man who wishes to be truly happy; and this gives him an opportunity of concluding with some excellent rules of conduct. FLORE, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, 10 Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere merces. Res urget me nulla, meo sum pauper in aere. Nemo hoc mangonum faceret tibi; non temere a me = 15 2. Si. The apodosis comes in line 16. Puerum, 'a slave,' a verna. Mango is the Latin term for a slave-merchant. -4. Slaves were exposed naked in the market.-7. Litterulis. He knows something of Greek literature.-8. Argilla uda is an ablative absolute. The boy is compared to clay, such as that of which a statuary makes figures. We use the same metaphor.-9. Indoctum, without being an artist,' but yet so that his singing shall please thee while drinking. 10. Levant minuunt. If I say more you will not believe me.12. Meo sum pauper in aere, opposed to in aere alieno. Hence: I am poor, it is true, but have no debts, so that I am not forced to sell this boy.-13. No other dealer would sell you the boy so cheap, and I should not give him so cheap to every purchaser.-14. The seller of a slave was bound by law to state to the purchaser, before the bargain was concluded, whether the slave had certain faults. If he did not do this, the bargain was void. The chief fault that had to be mentioned was a disposition to run away. Here the mango |