Ille nec argentum dubitabat mittere; lances Tunc, adversis urgentibus, illuc Recidit, ut malum ferro summitteret, ac se I nunc, et ventis animam committe, dolato 43. Dishes.] Lanx signifies a great broad plate, or deep dish, to serve up meat in, which the Romans had carved and embossed at a great expense. 44. Parthenius.] Some curious artist, whose works were in high estimation. An urn.] A measure of liquids containing four gallons. 45. Pholus.] A drunken Centaur, who, when he entertained Hercules, produced a tun of wine at once. Wife of Fuscus.] Fuscus was a judge, noted by Martial for drunkenness, as his wife is here, in the good company of Pholus the drunken Centaur. 46. Baskets.] The bascauda were a kind of baskets which the Romans had from the ancient Britons. Vox Britannica. AINSW. Barbara de pictis veni bascauda Britannis. MART. xiv. 99. A thousand dishes.] Escaria, from esca, seems to denote vessels of all shapes and sizes, in which meat was served up to table; also plates on which it was eaten. 47. Wrought-work.] Cælati, from cælo, to chase, emboss, or engrave. This wrought work here mentioned is thought, from what follows, to have been the large wrought, i. e. chased or embossed, gold cup, that Philip, king of Macedon, used to drink out of, and to put under his pillow every night when he went to sleep. This must have been a very great, as well as valuable curiosity. But as it is said multum cælati, one should rather think, that the poet means a great quantity of wrought plate, which had once been the property of Philip; a set of plate, as we should say. Philip was killed by Pausanias three hundred and thirty-six years before Christ. -Juvenal flourished about the latter end of the first century: so that this plate was very old. Buyer of Olynthus.] This cup, and other pieces of valuable plate, he gave to Lasthenes, governor of Olynthus, a city of Thrace, to betray it into his hands. It was, from this, said of Philip, that 1 Nor did he hesitate to throw away his plate; dishes And worthy Pholus thirsting, or the wife of Fuscus, 45 Of wrought-work, in which the cunning buyer of Olynthus had drunk. But who now is the other, in what part of the world, who dares Prefer his life to his plate, his safety to his goods? Some do not make fortunes on account of life, But, blind with vice, live for the sake of fortunes. 50 The greatest part of useful goods is thrown over, but Neither do the losses lighten. Then, the contrary (winds) urging, It came to that pass, that he should lower the mast with an axe, When we apply helps to make the ship less. Go now and commit your life to the winds, trusting to 55 what he could not conquer by iron (i. e. his arms) he gained by gold. 48. But who now, &c.] This implied commendation of Catullus seems here to be introduced by the poet, in order to lash the prevailing vice of covetousness, which was so great, as to make men love money beyond even life itself. It is said of Aristippus the philosopher, that, being on board a ship with pirates, he threw all his money overboard secretly, lest, finding it, they should throw him into the sea, in order to possess what he had. 50. On account of life, &c.] i. e. That they may spend them in the necessaries and comforts of life. 51. Blind, &c.] With the vice of avarice. Live for the sake, &c.] Thy do not get money that they may live, (see note, l. 50.) but only live for the sake of money. 52. Useful goods, &c.] Not only articles of superfluity, such as fine embossed plate, and the like, but even useful necessaries, such as clothes, provisions, and, perhaps, a great part of the tackling of the ship, were thrown overboard on this occasion. 53. Losses lighten.] Alleviate their danger; or, what they had lost by throwing overboard did not seem to lighten the ship, as she kept filling with water. See 1. 30. 54. It came to that pass.] Illuc recidit.-Some read decidit, which has the same meaning here. Il en vint lá. Fr. He.] Catullus, who was probably the owner of the ship. Should lower, &c.] i. e. Should cut away the mast, as we term it. Augustum, 1. 55, has the sense of angustatum. 56. Apply helps, &c.] It is a sign of the utmost distress, when we are obliged to use helps to make the ship lighter, and less exposed to the wind, as by cutting away her masts, which is supposed to be the meaning of minorem in this place. Afferimus præsidia seems to have the same sense as Bonus exgarro, Acts xxvii. 17. 57. Go now, &c.] In this apostrophe the poet severely reproves those, who, for the sake of gain, are continually risking such dan Confisus ligno, digitis a morte remotus Quatuor, aut septem, si sit latissima teda. Mox cum reticulis, et pane, et ventre lagenæ, 1 60 Aspice sumendas in tempestate secures. Sed postquam jacuit planum mare, tempora postquam Et pelago; postquam Parcæ meliora benignâ 65 70 gers as have been described. Comp. Hor. lib. i. ode iii. l. 9-24. 57. Trusting, &c.] The timber, of which the sides of the ships were made, was hewn in a rough manner into planks of four or seven fingers breadth in thickness; so that the passengers, having no more between them and the water, might be said to be no further removed from death. Alluding to a saying of Anacharsis the philosopher, who, on hearing one say that a ship was three fingers thick, answered, "then just so far from death are those who sail in her." 59. If the pine.] Teda signifies the middle or heart of the pinetree. AINSW. Of this, it seems, they made the sides of their ships, after cutting or hewing it into planks. See note on l. 57. These were, at the thickest, seven fingers breadth, or thickness, measuring from one edge to the other on the same side. Teda here means the plank, by synec. 60 Provision-baskets.] Reticulis-twig baskets made like a net to "carry provisions in; or bags made of network, used for that purpose by sailors, soldiers, and travellers, something like our knapsacks as to their purpose. Belly of a flagon.] Lagena-a flagon, or bottle with a large belly, to keep wine in-q. d. a great-bellied flagon. 61. Axes to be used, &c.] To cut away the masts upon occasion. See 1. 54. These may happen to be as necessary as your other seastores; therefore, in the next place (mox,) provide axes. Aspicevide et memento. MARSHALL. To be used, sumendas-lit, to be taken. 62. But after, &c.] The narrative of Catullus's adventure is here resumed. Lay smooth.] Became calm, on the storm ceasing. Circumstances, c.] When the happy fortune of my friend prevailed, (See AINSW. Tempus, No. 2.) and things put on a more prosperous appearance. 62--3. The mariner.] Vector signifies a bearer, or carrier; also a passenger in a ship; likewise a mariner. See AINSW. A hewn plank, removed from death four Fingers, or seven, if the pine be very large. Immediately with your provision-baskets, and bread, and belly of a flagon, Remember axes to be used in a storm. But after the sea lay smooth, after the circumstances of the 60 Mariner were favourable, and his fate more powerful than the east wind, And the sea; after the cheerful destinies draw better Tasks with a benign hand, and of a white thread Are spinsters, nor much stronger than a moderate air Is there a wind, the miserable prow ran with a poor device, 65 The hope of life return'd with the sun : then, acceptable to Iülus, 70 63. Fate more powerful, &c.] The Romans believed every thing to be governed by fate, even the gods themselves. 64. The cheerful destinies, &c.] The parcæ, or fates. See sat. X. 252, note. Pensa-tasks enjoined to people that spin; also thread, &c. spun. Ducere pensa, to spin. AINSW. See HOR. lib. iii. ode xxvii. 1. 63. 65. White thread.] It was the opinion of the ancients, that when the destinies intended long life to a person, they spun white thread; when death, black thread. The phrase of ducere pensa, to spin, taken notice of in the last note, alludes to the action of the spinster, who draws the wool, or flax, from the distaff as she spins it; this she continues, till the task (pensum) assigned her, is finished. 66. Spinsters.] And are now become spinsters, &c. 67. The miserable, &c.] The shattered vessel left in a miserable plight. Prora (by synec.) may mean the vessel itself: but it literally signifies the forepart, the foredeck or forecastle of a ship; and so it is probably to be understood here, as the velo suo implies the sail proper to this part of the ship-the foresprit sail, as we call it. This was the only remaining sail. Poor device.] She made a sad shift to make her way through the water, by the poor contrivance of the seaman's clothes spread out-vestibus extensis--to help her on. 68. Was left. i. e. Had surmounted the violence of the storm. Superaverat, quasi supererat--remained; as in VIRG. En. v. 519. Amissâ solus palmâ superabat Acestas. 69. The south winds, &c.] Which were very dangerous on the coasts of Italy. See HoR. sat. i. 1. 6; and lib. iii. ode iii. Ì. 4, 5. ode iii. lib. i. 1. 14--16. These now began to abate. 70. Return'd with the sun.] With the day-light. Acceptable to Iulus, &c.] The Alban mount, on which Iulus Ascanius, the son of Æneas, built Alba longa. This is the sublime top, mentioned 1. 72. Atque novercali sedes prælata Lavino, Tuti stagna sinûs: gaudent ibi vertice raso Ite igitur, pueri, linguis animisque faventes, 75 80 The poet calls it gratus Iulo, because he left Lavinum, built by Eneas, to live at Alba. 71. Lavinum of his step-mother, &c.] When Iulus came to live at Alba, he left Lavinum to his mother-in-law Lavinia, the second wife of Æneas, (who had named the city Lavinum after his wife Lavinia.) Hence Juvenal says, novercali Lavino. 72--3. A white sow, &c.] From which the city was called Alba --white. See sat. vi. 1. 176, note. 73. A wonderful udder, &c.] Sumen--the belly, paps, or udder of a sow. AINSW.--Here, by synec. it is to be understood to signify the sow. This was a sight much admired by the joyful Trojans, who, after all their dangers and toils, discovered, by this, their promised resting-place. Hic locus urbis erit, requies ea certa laborum. Æn. lib. viii. 1. 46. Troy was the capital of Phrygia, a country of Lesser Asia, and sometimes taken for the whole country of Phrygia: hence the Trojans were called Phrygians. 74. Thirty dugs.] With each a pig sucking at it. Æn. viii. l. 45. --A sight never seen before. 75. She enters.] i. e. The ship enters. Placed moles.] The moles, or piers, which had been placed, or built, to keep off the violence of the sea, and to form a safe and quiet harbour. Included waters.] The waters included between and within the moles. 76. Tyrrhene Pharos.] In this haven of Ostia, on the shore of the Tyrrhene sea, Claudius built a Pharos, or light-house, in imitation of that at Alexandria in Ægypt. And again.] We once more return to the spot from whence we sat out. Stretched-out arm, &c.] The two sides of the piers, or artificial mounts, like two arms, stretched so far into the Tyrrhene sea, that they seemed to enclose it as far as the middle way, and, as it were, to leave the coast of Italy behind. 78. You will not, &c.] This port, formed in this manner by art, |