Armenius cecidit; jus imperiumque Phraates monarch kneeling (genibus minor), and doing homage to the emperor.-29. As to the horn of plenty, see Carm. Saec., 60. www EPISTOLA XIII. AD VINIUM ASELLAM. THE poet gives injunctions to his servant, C. Vinius Fronto Asella, to whom he has intrusted some of his poems to be taken to the emperor of Rome. Ur proficiscentem docui te saepe diuque, 5 10 2. Signata obsignata. Vinius is not to open them by the way, nor show them to any one. 4. Studio nostri, from love to me.' Do not be too zealous in your services (sedulus minister), lest your hurry to give Augustus the poems should prejudice him against them. 6. Uret. A heavy load inflames the shoulder on which it rests. The joke which follows is founded on Asina, the nickname of Vinius's father. The figure is taken from an ass, which, when it reaches its destination, madly eager to get rid of its packsaddle, pushes against a wall, and thus breaks it off. - 9. Fabula fias; that is, become the subject of a story among the wits at court, about the boorish fashion in which my poems were brought to the emperor. 11. Victor propositi, when thou hast fulfilled thy resolution' to carry the poems to the emperor.-12. The messenger is not to carry in the packet under his arm, but elegantly in his right hand, and thus to hand it to the emperor. 14. Pyrrhia, the name of a slave in a play by a certain Titinnius. She stole a bundle of wool, - Ut cum pileolo soleas conviva tribulis. Nec vulgo narres te sudavisse ferendo Vade, vale; cave, ne titubes mandataque frangas. 15 and carried it so that it was seen, and she was caught.-15. Tribulis, properly, 'a member of a tribe,' which every Roman was; but in the time of Augustus the tribes had become associations for charitable purposes, and hence tribulis comes to mean a poor Roman-one who received assistance from his tribe. Still, as he has a right to vote in the comitia, he is invited to dinner by men of rank, and, having no slave, he carries with him into the banquet-room his slippers (see Satires, ii. 8, 77), and his bad little hat (pileolus) under his arm.-18. Oratus multa prece; though thou shouldst be besought most earnestly to show what thou art carrying, do not turn aside, but hurry on (nitere porro) to Augustus. EPISTOLA XVI. AD QUINCTIUM. THIS epistle is addressed to one Quinctius, probably the T. Quinctius Crispinus who was consul in the year 9 B. C. We see from the epistle that he was rich, respected, and a favourite of the people, so that he had already held various offices of state. The object of the epistle is to show that external advantages cannot make a man happy, but that the virtuous man alone is truly free and happy. The poet commences with a description of his Sabine farm, and his contented life upon it. NE perconteris, fundus meus, optime Quincti, 5 2. That is, whether I cultivate it as an arable farm or an orchard, a sheep farm or a vineyard. Horace does not answer these ques tions, but merely describes its pleasant situation. 3. Amicta vitibus ulmo. See Epode 2, 10.-5. Continui montes, scil. sunt. Ni =praeterquam quod.-6. For a description of the position of the villa, see the Introduction.-7. Curru fugiente. Compare Carm. Saec. 9, and Carm. iii. 6, 44.-8. Laudes, potential subjunctive. Corna vepres et pruna ferunt? si quercus et ilex = 'one might praise.'-11. Join adductum propius. The trees on my farm are as beautiful as those about Tarentum. See Sat. ii. 4, 34, and Carm. ii. 6, 11.-12. Rivo dare nomen idoneus. The water wells up so abundantly that this single fountain could supply a rivulet. 14. The spring was good for bathing the head in or drinking from.- 16. Septembribus horis, in autumn,' the most unhealthy season in Italy. Compare Sat. ii. 6, 19.-- 17. Quod audis, what is said of thee;' namely, that thou art beatus, as stated in the next line. 20. Alium sapiente bonoque alium ac sapientem bonumque. See Zumpt, 470.- 22. The meaning of the figurative expression is: do not, at the time when thou canst throw off vices, pretend that thou hast them not, putting off the thought of free ing thyself from them till it is too late. 23. Manus unctae are 'hands soiled with eating greasy food.'-24. Stultorum is emphatic: 'they are fools, whose.' Incurata is, without healing them.'-25. Tibi for a te.-27. Tene, etc., are lines composed by the poet Varius (Sat. i. 10, 44) in reference to Augustus. The sense of lines 25-31 is this: if one were to call you a great military hero, you would answer that such praise was not appropriate to you, but to Augustus; but if another were to call you a wise man, would you not reply: Yes, that praise is justly given to me?' So much is man disposed to attribute to himself inward excellence.-30. Pateris, construed here with the simple infinitive, instead of the accusative 35 40 'Pone, meum est,' inquit. Pono tristisque recedo: Quem nisi mendosum et medicandum? Vir bonus est Qui consulta patrum, qui leges juraque servat, Non hominem occidi.' 'Non pasces in cruce corvos.' 'Sum bonus et frugi. Renuit negitatque Sabellus. Tu nihil admittes in te formidine poenae. Sit spes fallendi, miscebis sacra profanis. Nam de mille fabae modiis quum surripis unum, 55 Damnum est, non facinus mihi pacto lenius isto. Vir bonus, omne forum quem spectat et omne tribunal, 60 = -- = with the infinitive.-36. Si belongs to clamet, neget, and contendat, -37. Laqueo collum pressisse paternum jugulasse patrem. 40. Medicandum, one who, according to the Stoic notion, is insanus, and consequently needs to be cured. Vir bonus est quis? namely, according to the opinion of the multitude.-41. Consulta patrum. The written law at Rome consisted of the twelve tables, the bills passed by the people, and the decrees of the senate.-42. Secantur deciduntur, decernuntur.--43. Tenentur obtinentur (law-pleas) are won.'-45. Compare Sat. ii. 1, 64.-48. Only slaves were crucified at Rome, not freemen, and, above all things, not Roman citizens. 49. Sabellus. This race, living among the Apennines, had the reputation of being rough and uncultivated, but brave and honourable. - 53. Nihil admittes in te, thou wilt commit no offence.' 54. Miscere sacra profanis is said of a thorough scoundrel, who minds neither human nor divine law. 56. Damnum lenius est, non facinus. When one steals a trifle, the loss to the person robbed is of course lighter, but the crime is just as great as if it were a theft of valuable property. 57. Vir bonus, in the opinion of the multitude. · 59. He invokes the gods with a loud voice, either Father Janus' or 'Apollo,' but he secretly prays that he may be protected in his crimes.- 60. Laverna, the goddess of - Da mihi fallere, da justo sanctoque videri, rem, Nempe pecus Lectos, argentum? tollas licet.' 'In manicis et 'Ipse deus, simul atque volam, me solvet.' Opinor, thieves, had a temple on the via Salaria. Thieves used to pray to her before they attempted any theft.-63. Qui quomodo.-64. As fixus in triviis is an as lying in the public street among the mud, which no one but a miser would lift.--67. Perdidit arma, locum deseruit. The figure is taken from a soldier, for whom it is the highest disgrace to have lost his arms, especially his shield, in battle (see Carm. ii. 7, 10), or to have left the post assigned to him. Hence the sense of the passage is: he who gives himself up to a passion is a conquered mana captive. The poet (lines 69–72) gives us the thoughts of the passion represented as a person. She resolves not to kill the captive, as, according to the laws of war, she might, but to make him serve her as long as he lives.-73. Pentheu, etc. This is in imitation of a passage in the Bacchae of Euripides (line 492 and following.) Pentheus, king of Thebes, had taken Bacchus prisoner, and the captive replied to all his threats, that divine power would release him whenever he wished it.-78. Opinor, etc. Horace borrows this opinion in regard to suicide from the Stoics, who considered it as not merely lawful, but in certain circumstances laudable and necessary.-79. Ultima linea. The figure is taken from the circus, where a white stroke was drawn as the boundary of the chariot course. |