Aut pofitis nemorofa inter juga Volfiniis, aut Vivendum eft illic, ubi nulla incendia, nulli 195 Tu nefcis; nam fi gradibus trepidatur ab imis, 200 191. Volfinium.] A town in Tuscany, the fituation of which was pleasant and retired. 192. Simple Gabii.] A town of the Volfcians, about ten miles from Rome; it was called Simple, because deceived into a furrender to Tarquin the Proud, when he could not take it by force; or perhaps from the fimple and unornamented appearance of the houses. The tower of prone Tibur.] A pleasant city of Italy, fituate about fixteen miles from Rome, on the river Anio: it tood on a precipice, and had the appearance of hanging over it. Arx fignifies the top, fummit, peak, or ridge of any thing, as of a rock, hill, &c. alfo a tower, or the like, built upon it. 193. We.] Who live at Rome. --Propped, &c.] In many parts of it very ruinous, many of the houses only kept from falling, by fhores or props fet against them, to prevent their tumbling down. 194. The fteward.] Villicus-here feems to mean fome officer, like a fteward or bailiff, whofe bufinefs it was to overlook these matters; a fort of city-furveyor (fee Sat. iv. 77.) who, instead of a thorough repair, only propped the houses, and plaftered up the cracks in their walls, which had been opened by their giving way-fo that, though they might, to appearance, be repaired and ftrong, yet were still in the utmost danger of falling. Villicus may, perhaps, mean, the fteward, or bailiff, of the great man who was landlord of these houfes it was the fleward's duty to fee that repairs were timely and properly done. : 196. He bids us to fleep, &c.] If we exprefs any apprehenfion of danger, or appear uneafy at our fituation, he bids us difmifs our fears, and tells us, that we may fleep in fafety, though at the fame time the houses are almoft tumbling about our ears. Umbritius Or at Volfinium placed among fhady hills, or at In a great part of itself; for thus the fteward hinders What is falling, and has covered the gaping of an old chink : He bids us to fleep secure, ruin impending. 195 There one fhould live, where there are no burnings, no fears In the night.-Already Ucalegon asks for water, already Removes his lumber already thy third floors smoke : Thou know'ft it not: for if they are alarmed from the lowest steps, 200 Umbritius urges the multitude of ruinous houfes, which threaten the lives of the poor inhabitants, as another reason why he thinks it safest and best to retire from Rome. 197. There one fhould live, &c.] As a fresh motive for the removal of Umbritius from Rome, he mentions the continual danger of fire, especially to the poor, who being obliged to ledge in the uppermoft parts of the houses in which they are inmates, run the rifque of being burnt in their beds-for which reafon he thought it beft to live where there was no danger of houfe-burning, and nightly alarms arifing from fuch a calamity. 198. Already Ucalegon.] He feems here to allude to Virg. En. ii. 310-12. where he is giving a description of the burning of the city of Troy -Jam Deiphobi dedit ampla ruinam, Some unhappy Ucalegon, fays Umbritius, who fees the ruin of his neighbour's houfe, and his own on fire, is calling out for water, is removing his wretched furniture (frivola-trifling, frivolous, of little value) to fave it from the flames. 199. The third floors.] Tabulatum-from tabula, a plank, fignifies any thing on which planks are laid-fo the floors of an houfe. 200. Thou knoweft it not.] You a poor inmate, lodged up in the garret, art, perhaps, faft afleep, and know nothing of the matter; but you are not in the lefs danger, for if the fire be K 2 gins Ultimus ardebit, quem tegula sola tuetur A pluviâ; molles ubi reddunt ova columbæ. Ornamentum abaci; necnòn & parvulus infra gins below, it will certainly reach upwards to the top of the house. 200. If they are alarmed.] Trepidatur-imperf. (like concurritur, Hor. Sat. i. 1. 7.) if they tremble-are in an uproar(AINSW.)-from the alarm of fire. From the lowest steps.] Gradus is a step or stair of an houfe-imis gradibus, then, muft denote the bottom of the ftairs, and fignify what we call the ground-floor. 201. The highest.] Ultimus, i. e. gradus, the last stair from the ground, which ends at the garret, or cock-loft (as we call it)-the wretched abode of the poor. This will be reached by the afcending flames, when the lower part of the house is confumed. -The roof.] Tegula, lit. fignifies a tile-a tego, quòd tegat ædes-hence it stands for the roof of an house. 202. Where the foft pigeons.] The plumage of doves and pigeons is remarkably foft. Perhaps molles, here, has the fenfe of gentle, tame; for this fort love to lay their eggs and breed in the roofs of buildings. 203. Codrus had a bed, &c.] Umbritius ftill continues to fet forth the calamities of the poor, and fhews, that, under such a calamity as is above mentioned, they have none to relieve or pity them. Codrus, fome poor poet-perhaps he that is mentioned, Sat. i. 1. 2. which fee, and the note. The furniture of his house confifted of a wretched bed, which was lefs, or fhorter, than his wife Procula, who is fuppofed to have been a very little woman. Minor fignifies less in any kind, whether in length, breadth, or height. Six little pitchers.] Urceoli (dim. of urceus) little water-pitchers made of clay, and formed on the potter's wheel. -Amphora cæpit Inftitui, currente rotâ cur urceus exit? 10 HOR. ad Pif. 1. 21-2. 204-5. A The highest will burn, which the roof alone defends Codrus had a bed lefs than Procula: fix little pitchers The ornament of his cupboard; also, underneath, a small Jug, and a Chiron reclining under the fame marble. 205 And now an old chest preserved his Greek books, And barbarous mice were gnawing divine verses. Nothing had Codrus-who forfooth denies it? and yet that fame Whole nothing unhappy he loft. But the utmost 204-5. Afmall jug.] Cantharus-a fort of drinking veffel, with an handle to it-Attritâ pendebat cantharus anfâ.➡ Virg. Ecl. vi. 17. 205. A Chiron reclining, &c.] A figure of Chiron the centaur in a reclining posture under the fame marble, i. e. under the marble flab, of which the cupboard was formed, perhaps by way of support to it. Some fuppofe Umbritius to mean, by fub eodem marmore, that this was a fhabby figure of Chiron made of the same materials with the cantharus-viz. of clay-which he jeeringly expreffes by marmore, for of this images were ufually made. 206. An old cheft, &c.] This is another inftance of the poverty of Codrus-he had no book-cafe, or library, but only a few Greek books in an old worm-eaten wooden cheft. 207. Barbarous mice, &c.] Opicus is a word taken from the Opici, an antient, rude, and barbarous people of Italy. Hence the adjective opicus fignifies barbarous, rude, unlearned. The poet, therefore, humourously calls the mice opici, as having fo little refpect for learning, that they gnawed the divine poems, perhaps even of Homer himself, which might have been treasured up, with others, in the cheft of poor Codrus. See opicus used in the above fenfe, Sat. vi. 454. Some fuppofe opici to be applied to mice, from Gr. in, a cavern-alluding to the holes in which they hide themselves. 208. Who denies it ?] By this, it should appear, that the Codrus mentioned here, and in Sat. i. 1. 2. are the fame person, whose poverty was fo great, and fo well known, as to be proverbial. See note, Sat. i. 1. 2. 209-10. The utmost addition, &c.] Ultimus cumulus-the utmoft height-the top-of his unhappiness as the French fay-Le comble de fon malheur.-The French word comble evidently comes from Lat. cumulus, which fignifies, in this connection, that which is over and above measure-the heaping Ærumnæ cumulus, quòd nudum, & frufta rogantem 210 Si magna Afturii cecidit domus : horrida mater, 215 of any measure-when the measure is full to the brim, and then more put on, till it ftands on an heap above, at last it comes to a point, and will hold no more. BOYER explains comble to mean-Ce qui peut tenir par deffus une mefure déja pleine. We fpeak of accumulated affliction, the height of forrow, the completion of misfortune, the finishing stroke, and the like, but are not poffeffed of any English phrafe, which literally expreffes the Latin ultimus cumulus, or the French comble da malheur. 210. Naked.] Having loft the few clothes he had by the fire. Scraps.] Frufta-broken victuals, as we say.—In this fenfe the word is ufed, Sat. xiv. 128. 211. With entertainment.] So hofpitium feems to mean here, and is to be understood, in the sense of hospitality, friendly or charitable reception and entertainment :-fome render it lodging-but this is implied by the next word. And an houfe.] Nobody would take him into their houfe, that he might find a place where to lay his head, fecure from the inclemency of the weather. Having fhewn the miferable estate of the poor, if burnt out of houfe and home, as we fay, Umbritius proceeds to exhibit a trong contraft, by ftating the condition of a rich man under fuch a calamity-by this he carries on his main defign of fetting forth the abominable partiality for the rich, and the wicked contempt and neglect of the poor. 212. Afturius.] Perhaps this may mean the fame perfon as is fpoken of, 1. 29. by the name of Artureus. However, this name may ftand for any rich man, who, like Afturius, was mired and courted for his riches. down. ad Hath fallen.] A prey to the flames-hath been burnt The mother is ghaftly.] Mater may here mean the city itfelf-All Rome is in a flate of diforder and lamentation, and puts on a ghaftly appearance, as in fome public calamity-Or, the matrons of Rome, with torne garments and difheveiled hair, appear in all the horrid figns of woe. See Virg. Æn. ii. 1. 489. 6 213. The |