Pes citus, unde etiam trimetris accrescere jussit 255 260 Idcircone vager scribamque licenter? An omnes 265 270 Ne dicam stulte mirati, si modo ego et vos = 275 to have had no father. Quibus est res (familiaris) = divites.-251. From this line to line 308, Horace speaks of versification, and censures the Latin poets for their carelessness in this respect.-252. The sense is: as the iambus was a quick foot, two were thrown into one metrum. Accrescere jussit additum est.- -253. Quum, although.'-258. Socialiter, "like a socius,' an άzağ λɛyóμevov. Hic, the iambus in the second and fourth foot.-261. Construe thus: premit turpi crimine aut operae, etc.-aut artis ignoratae. The fact that the iambus is but seldom found in the second and fourth foot of Ennius's trimeters, shews that he was either too hurried and careless in his writing, or not thoroughly acquainted with his art. 267. Denique, at best, in this case.'-270. Compare Epist. ii. 1, 170.-274. Digitis; that is, by the beat with the finger.-276. Thespis. Compare Epist. ii. 1, 163. Plaustris vexisse poëmata, to have exhibited his plays upon a wagon,' and thus, as it were, to have carried Et docuit magnumque loqui nitique cothurno. Democritus, bona pars non ungues ponere curat, $280 285 290 295 300 them about the country.-281. Vetus comoedia, of which we still have Aristophanes as a representative. It satirised individuals by name, whereas the middle and new comedy confined themselves to classes of characters.-283. Lex est accepta, towards the end of the Peloponnesian war.-287. Domestica, of national, Roman heroes.'-288. Praetextae, properly praetextatae, scil. fabulae, are plays which had praetextati, great men, heroes, as their personae; that is, tragedies with a Roman subject. Togatae are those in which ordinary Romans, men dressed in the common toga, figured.-292. Pompilius sanguis, the nominative for the vocative. Gram. § 311, note. The persons addressed are the Pisones, who belonged to the gens Calpurnia, which traced its origin to Calpus, son of King Numa Pompilius.-293. Multa dies longum tempus. Litura. Compare Epist. ii. 1, 167.-294. Construe thus: decies ad unguem castigavit perfectum. The phrase ad ungues is taken from a statuary, who, after joining several pieces of marble, draws his nail along to feel whether the joining is as nearly as possible undiscoverable. Castigare here = expolire. Perfectum ita ut perfectum sit.297. Democritus. See Epist. i. 12, 12.-300. Tribus Anticyris, by all the hellebore of three Anticyras.' Anticyra, an island abounding in hellebore, which was considered as a remedy for insanity. Connect caput insanabile tribus Anticyris.-301. Licinus, the scholiasts inform us, was a well-known barber at Rome, who so distinguished himself by his hostility to Pompey, that Cæsar made him a senator. O ego laevus, etc. The sense is: I'm a stupid man, for instead of Qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam. 305 310 Partes in bellum missi ducis, ille profecto Reddere personae scit convenientia cuique. Respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo 315 Doctum imitatorem et vivas hinc ducere voces. Uncia, quid superet. Poteras dixisse.' 'Triens.' 'Eu! = 320 325 acting like those great geniuses, I physic myself with hellebore every spring. Spring was the season recommended by physicians for taking hellebore.-304. Nil non. Hence nil tanti est, I care not.'307. Opes facultas scribendi.-309. From this line to line 332 Horace illustrates his first precept; namely, that poets must know the world well, and must train their minds to high and noble currents of thought. -310. Socraticae chartae, the writings of philosophers of the Socratic school-Plato, Xenophon, and others.-314. Conscripti = senatoris.317. Vitae morumque, a hendiadys, of the manner in which men live.' -319. Speciosa locis, scil. communibus, glittering with commonplaces.' Morata recte, in which the delineation of character is good.'-320. Veneris, genitive of quality.-323. Rotundo here erudito.--324. Nul = lius for nullius rei. The use of the neuter alone is very remarkable.— 326. We have here a specimen of the style of teaching and examination in the Roman schools. From dicat to dixisse are the master's words.-327. Quincunx is 5, uncia, triens or, and semis 1. See Zumpt, § 871.-328. Poterus dixisse, 'thou couldst say it some time Rem poteris servare tuam. Rédit uncía, quid fit ?' 330 335 Neu pransae Lamiae vivum puerum extrahat alvo. 340 Hic meret aera liber Sosiis, hic et mare transit, 345 Nam neque chorda sonum reddit, quem vult manus et Poscentique gravem persaepe remittit acutum, 350 ago,' and therefore try now. Eu! 'very good, bravo!'-329. Rem, scil. familiarem. Redit uncia; that is, if an uncia be added to the quincunx, instead of being taken away.-330. Peculium, properly a slave's savings, here savings generally.-332. That is, which shall go down to posterity. Books thought worthy of preservation were rubbed over with oil of cedar, and laid up in boxes of cypress-wood, to keep them from moths. -333. From this line to line 346 we have the second precept-namely, that in a good poem the useful must be combined with the agreeable. -334. Idonea vitae = utilia.-340. Lamia was a woman with the feet of an ass a kind of monster created by the imaginations of the Romans. She was believed to feed on living children, by sucking their blood; hence to be a sort of vampire.-341. Horace compares the applause and dissatisfaction of the spectators in a theatre to the voting in the comitia. In each class the centuries of the seniors and juniors were separated. Hence centuriae seniorum, 'the older men.' Agitant, as in prose exagitant, censure.' Expertia frugis are poems merely dulcia, not utilia.-342. The knights were in ancient times divided into the three tribes of Ramnes, Titienses, and Luceres; hence Ramnes here equites Romani, or the younger men.'-343. As to omne tulit punctum, see Epist. ii. 2, 99.-345. Meret aera Sosis, makes money for the Sosii.' See Epist. i. 20, 2.-347. From this line to line 384 Horace illustrates the truth that small faults may be excused, but that a poem mediocre throughout cannot be tolerated. - 349. Gravem, 'bass.' Verum ubi plura nitent in carmine, non ego paucis 355 360 365 370 Messallae, nec scit, quantum Cascellius Aulus, = Et crassum unguentum et Sardo cum melle papaver 375 352. Fudit keeps to the figure of the blots, caused, as it were, by some liquid poured out.-354. Scriptor librarius, a slave whose business was copying books. The booksellers kept great numbers. Idem, neuter, = in eadem re.-357. Cessat, neglects his duty, makes blunders.' Compare Epist. ii. 2, 14. Choerilus: see Epist. ii. 1, 232, and following. 358. Bis terve, in two or three passages.'-359. Quandoque quandocunque. 361. Comparison of poetry with painting. -362. Abstare is an ἅπαξ λεγόμενον. 366. Major juvenum, the elder of the Pisones, who, as it appears, attempted poetry.-368. Tolle = suscipe, take it up, and keep it in remembrance.'-371. Aulus Cascellius, a lawyer of great learning, somewhat older than Horace.-373. Columnae, the pillars before the bookshops, on which the new works used to be hung up.-374. The wealthy Romans kept bands, which performed during dinner.-375. The honey of Sardinia and Corsica was considered the worst. At the dessert white pepper roasted used to be |