Captus, ut aiebat coenae pater; acria circum 'Summus ego, et prope me Viscus Thurinus, et infra, Si memini, Varius, cum Servilio Balatrone 10 15 20 25 25 might know it was fresh. See ii. 2, 41.-7. Coenae pater. Compare ii. 6, 88. Acria, etc. As to the precept here observed, compare ii. 4, 73. -13. Attica virgo, the singular collectively, since the zanggo are meant, the Attic maidens who in procession carried on their heads baskets with offerings.-14. The slave Hydaspes, as his name indicates, was an Indian: hence his colour, fuscus, tawny.'-15. Chium. Compare ii. 4, 29. This wine, however, was maris expers, free from sea-water.-17. Appositis; that is, quam ea quae apposita sunt.-18. Horace interrupts the speaker. The fact of Nasidienus telling the company that he had other wines, instead of quietly putting before the guests specimens of all, strikes the poet as a mark of wretched avarice: hence the exclamation Divitias miseras! Then he asks about the guests.-19. Pulchre fuerit. Compare line 4, fuerit melius.-20. The summus on the couches is he who has no one on his left, the imus who has no one on his right. Maecenas occupies the place of highest honour, the so-called locus consularis. The arrangement of the company is unusual, in so far as Nasidienus himself does not lie next the most distinguished guest. Nomentanus occupies his place, for the reason mentioned in line 25; namely, that he might point out to Maecenas all the excellences of the feast. The persons themselves are unknown; it is not even certain whether this Varius is the poet often mentioned by Horace.-22. Umbrae are men whom the distinguished guests bring with them (without their being specially invited), to laugh at his jokes and confirm all his boasts. The term is very appropriate.-24. Ridiculus absorbere. The infinitive, according to a Greek usage, indicates Nos, inquam, coenamus aves, conchylia, pisces, Vibidius Balatroque, secutis omnibus; imi Affertur squillas inter murena natantes 30 35 40 In patina porrecta. Sub hoc herus, “Haec gravida,” inquit, 66 Capta est, deterior post partum carne futura. His mixtum jus est: oleo, quod prima Venafri 45 Dum coquitur; cocto Chium sic convenit, ut non Hoc magis ullum aliud, pipere albo non sine aceto, 50 Monstravi incoquere; illutos Curtillus echinos, the reason why.-27. The sense is: we, the other guests, ate straight on, without paying attention to the peculiarities of each dish, though our taste told us that they were very different from the ordinary.30. Ingustata; that is, such as I had never tasted before.-31. Minorem ad lunam delecta, gathered at the wane of the moon.'-34. Damnose = vehementer; properly, in such a way ut damnum hospiti inferamus. Moriemur inulti is an expression of epic poetry, here jocularly used in reference to drinking.-38. Strong wine dulls the taste. Men of fine taste in wine drink comparatively little. Hence the guests on the imus lectus are sparing. See line 40.-39. Allifani were a kind of large cups, so called from Allifae, a town of the Samnites, where they were much used.-45. His, scil. rebus. The constituents of the sauce are these: oil from Venafrum (Carm. ii. 6, 15), that which flowed first from the olives, before they were much pressed (prima cella); and caviare from the fish scomber, which was caught near New Carthage in Spain. With this, in the operation of cooking, Italian wine five years old was mixed. After the cooking, Chian wine is added, white pepper, and some vinegar made from Lesbian wine; for Methymnaeus, in line 50, Ut melius muria, quod testa marina remittit.” Nasidienus ad haec: "Tibi di, quaecunque preceris, 55 60 65 70 75 is from Methymna,' a town of Lesbos.-54. Aulaea, curtains.' These were stretched in the form of a tent round the table, to keep off the dust of the roof. Now, when they fall, they are full of black dust.59. Esset, used in the lively narrative for fuisset.-63. Mappa, napkin.' -64. Suspendens omnia naso. See i. 6, 5. Balatro's words of consolation are full of irony.-66. Responsura-par fama labori; that is, your fame, or honour, does not correspond to, come up to, your exertions to make a good feast.-67. Tene-torquerier, how you were tortured with anxiety lest,' &c. All this is ironical, and is intended to intimate that Nasidienus had neglected many of those small matters which go to constitute comfort: the bread was burnt, the sauce was badly made, the slaves ill attired, and, what was more, Nasidienus, from want of slaves, had had to make the 'groom' (agaso) wait at table, and he had broken a plate (line 72.)-77. Et soleas poscit. Nasidienus has taken Balatro's irony as earnest, and goes out to make some new arrangements. Hence he asks for his slippers, which were laid aside by a person when he lay down at table. Scarcely has he gone out when, on every couch (quoque, from quisque), the groups begin to make to each other deroga 'Nullos his mallem ludos spectasse; sed illa tory remarks on the entertainment.-79. Horace interrupts his friend. 81. De pueris = a pueris.-83. Ridetur fictis rerum, Balatrone secundo. They laugh in reality at the host and his entertainment, but they pretend to be laughing at other jokes. Balatro helps Vibidius in this pretence, and states a cause for each laugh. Balatro was, as it were, the second actor in the comedy, in which Vibidius played the first part. As to fictis rerum fictis rebus, see ii. 2, 25.-84. Mutatae frontis; that is, he now looks cheerful, as if by his skill he was about to repair the damage sustained by accident.-87. Gruis sparsi. See Zumpt, § 42.-89. Compare the precept laid down in ii. 4, 44.-93. Sic ulti. We revenged ourselves on him by eating nothing, as if Canidia (the poisoner so often attacked by Horace) had breathed upon the viands. EPISTOLARUM LIBER PRIMUS. EPISTOLA II. AD LOLLIUM. EXCELLENT remarks on the moral lessons which may be drawn from Homer's poems. They are addressed to M. Lollius, the eldest son (hence in line 1, maxime) of M. Lollius, to whom the 9th ode of the 4th book is addressed. The youth was studying oratory at Rome. Horace was spending the summer at Praeneste (now Palestrina.) TROJANI belli scriptorem, maxime Lolli, Qui quid sit pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non, Stultorum regum et populorum continet aestus. Hunc amor, ira quidem communiter urit utrumque. 5 10 4. Chrysippus, a Stoic philosopher; Crantor, an Academic, a follower of Plato.-7. Barbariae. The Trojans, not being Greeks, were barbari. 8. Aestus cupiditates.-9. Antenor. See Iliad, vii. 348. Antenor and Aeneas had always recommended peace. For praecidere we should have in prose praecidi. Horace, by poetic licence, omits the subject, perhaps Priamum.-11. Nestor. See Iliad, i. 254. — 13. Hunc; namely, Atriden. Agamemnon was irritated at the loss of Chryseis.-14. The Greeks had to pay for their leader's quarrel; for |