J EPIST. III. Ad JULIUM FLORUM. ULI Flore, quibus terrarum militet oris Claudius, Augufti privignus, fcire laboro. Thracane vos, Hebrusque nivali compede vinctus, An freta vicinas inter currentia turres, An pingues Afiæ campi collefque morantur ? 5 Quid ftudiofa cohors operum ftruit? Hoc quoque curo, Bella quis & paces longum diffundit in ævum ? Ut valet? ut meminit noftri? fidibufne Latinis 10 An This Florus attended Tiberius in his Dalmatian Expedition. Prince continued fome Years vifiting and regulating the Eastern Provinces, until he had Orders to lead his Troops into Armenia, while Auguftus propofed to march against the Parthians through Syria. Our Poet here marks the Route of Tiberius through Thrace, the Hellefpont and Afia Minor, and thus makes his Epiftle a kind of public, hiftorical Monument. To confider this Piece in its epiftolary Character, it prefents, in one fhort View, whatever is pleafing, natural, critical and moral. Florus had reproached our Poet for never writing to Him, and Horace, in a pleasant kind of Revenge, reckons a large Number of Particulars of public and private News, which he expects in Answer to his Letter. We may fix the Date of this Epiftle in the year 733. SAN. Verfe 4. Vicinas inter currentia turres.] Mufæus names two Cities, Seftos and Abydos, on the oppofite Shores of Europe and Afia, but because he does not mention the Tower of Abydos, our later Editors read terras. The Word appears in fome valuable Manufcripts, but feems to be too loofe and indetermined, to mark the particular Place, which the Poet had in his View. F EPIST. III. To JULIUS FLORUS. LORUS, I long to know where Claudius leads The diftant Rage of War: Whether he spreads His conquering Banners o'er the Thracian Plains, Or freezing Hebrus bound in fnowy Chains. Or does the Hellefpont's high-tower'd Sea, Or Afia's fertile Soil his Course delay ? What Works of Genius do the Youth prepare, Who guard his facred Person? Who shall dare To fing the Glories of Auguftus' Name, And give his peaceful Honours down to Fame ? How fares my Titius? Say, when he intends T6 publish? Does he not forget his Friends? He, who difdains the Springs of common Fame, And dauntless quaffs the deep Pindaric Stream, Does he defign, while all the Muse inspires, To tune to Theban Sounds the Roman Lyres? Or 6. Quid ftudiofa cobors.] The young Gentlemen, who attended Tiberius in this Expedition, at once to form his Court and to guard his Perfon, were Men of Letters and Genius, from whence they are called ftudiofa cobors. 9. Quid Titius ?] We cannot fay, with Certainty, who this Titius was, who propofed in a fhort Time to publish his Works, Re mana brevi venturus in ora. 10. Pindarici fontis qui non expalluit bauftus.] This Expreffion is of a Pindaric Boldnefs, beyond what the Tranilator dare attempt, or perhaps, our Language can bear. Other Authors are compared to Lakes and Rivulets, whofe Waters are open to the World; but Pindar is an impetuous River, and a Man must be bold indeed, who does not turn pale, when he ventures to quench his Thirst in a Current of B 4 fuck An tragicâ defævit & ampullatur in arte? Quid mihi Celfus agit? monitus multúmque monendus, L§ Quæ circumvolitas agilis thyma? Non tibi parvum 20 25 Frigida curarum fomenta relinquere poffes; Quò te cœleftis fapientia duceret, ires. Hoc opus, hoc ftudium parvi properemus & ampli, Si fuch Rapidity. Thus our Poet defcribes the River Aufidus in the first Satire With its torn Banks the Torrent bears away Th' intemperate Wretch 14. Defævit & ampullatur.] The firft of thefe Words marks the Paffions, which animate Tragedy; the fecond that Majefty of Style, which is proper to express them. 16. Privatas ut quærat opes.] This Advice is of Importance, and if it were better followed, we fhould not have fo many of those literary Thefts, with which Horace reproaches Albinovanus. We cannot too often read the Authors, who are universally esteemed; we cannot ftudy them with too much Attention. We may form our Tafte, and improve our Understanding, by their Genius and Manner; by the Juftness of their Sentiments; their Art of Compofition; the Beauty of their Style, and the Purity of their Elocution. But our Productions ought to be at our own Expence, and from our own proper Funds we ought to draw whatever we present to the Public. SAN 17. Palatinus quæcunque recepit Apollo.] We have already mentioned, in the Notes on the thirty-firft Ode of the first Book, the Temple Or, with the Transports of Theatric Rage, Let Celfus be admonish'd, o'er and o'er, Soon fhould You rife where Wisdom points the Way; Temple and Library, which Auguftus dedicated to Apollo upon 26. Frigida curarum fomenta.] The Commentators think, that Ambition, Riches, Power, were those cold Remedies that Horace means, which only footh, not allay the Distemper. But fince he has not mentioned what they were, we can only fay, that Florus could not mistake them, and confequently must have felt the Meral,› which the Poet draws from them, Si patriæ volumus, fi nobis vivere cari. Debes hoc etiam refcribere; fi tibi curæ eft, 30 35 30. Si tibi cura eft.] Mifunderstandings are inevitable among the best Friends, but how fhameful is it to lofe a Man, whom we have long loved and efteemed, for a ridiculous Point of Honour, a careless Expreffion which hath escaped in the Gayety of his Heart, an idle Story, or perhaps fomething yet more worthlefs? What was the Caufe of Quarrel between Florus and Plancus, we know not; but it feems to have been pursued by both of them with too much Warmth. They were reconciled by their common Friends, but fuch forced Reconciliations are generally as little durable, as they are fincere. SAN. 33. Seu rerum infcitia vexat.] Rerum bumanarum & communis vita infcitia. We have in Terence, Adolefcentulos imperitos rerum and in Cicero, Homo & humanitatis expers, & vitæ communis ignarus. 35. Fraternum rumpere foedus.] This does not fay, as it is generally understood, that they were really Brothers, but that they lived in an Union, fuch as ought to be preserved between Brothers. There was not at this Time any Perfon at Rome, who bore the Name of Julius, except Auguftus, whofe Family was greatly diftinguished from that of Munatius; nor does it appear, that Munatius ever took the Surname of Florus. Mr. Dacier imagines with Reason, that Florus was of fome provincial Family, whom Julius Cæfar permitted to take his Name, when he made them Citizens of Rome. Tacitus fpeaks of three Julii in Gallia Belgica in the Time of Tiberius, one of whom was called Florus. From whence it is not improbable, that the Perfon, to whom this Letter is written, was of that Nation, RODELLIUS. SAN. |