Divitias miseras! sed quis cenantibus una, Fundani, pulchre fuerit tibi, nosse laboro. Summus ego et prope1 me Viscus Thurinus et si memini, Varius; cum Servilio Balatrone "Tum Vibidius Balatroni : nos nisi damnose bibimus, moriemur inulti,' et calices poscit maiores. vertere pallor tum parochi faciem nil sic metuentis ut acris potores, vel quod maledicunt liberius vel fervida quod subtile exsurdant vina palatum. invertunt Allifanis vinaria tota Vibidius Balatroque, secutis omnibus; imi1 convivae lecti nihilum nocuere lagoenis. 1 pro V. 2 20 25 25 30 quas Goth. 3 simul E. 4 imis C, II. a The umbrae were uninvited guests who came with a man of high station. The cetera turba are the uninitiated guests as contrasted with the knowing Nomentanus. The subject of porrexerat is not the host, as commonly supposed, but Nomentanus, who is doing the work assigned him. Palmer takes ingustata to mean untasted," implying that the odour was enough HOR. O the misery of wealth! But who, Fundanius, were those at dinner, with whom you had so fine a time? I am eager to know. FUN. Myself at the top, then next to me Viscus of Thurii, and below, if I remember, Varius. Then Vibidius and Servilius Balatro, the "shades a that Maecenas had brought with him. Above our host was Nomentanus; below him, Porcius, who made us laugh by swallowing whole cheese-cakes at a mouthful. Nomentanus was there to see that if anything perchance escaped our notice, he might point it out with his forefinger; for the rest of the folk we, I mean-eat fowl, oysters, and fish, which had a flavour far different from any we knew, as, for instance, was made clear at once, after he had handed me the livers of a plaice and a turbot, a dish I had never tasted before. After this he informed me that the honey-apples were red because picked in the light of a waning moon. What difference that makes you would learn better from himself. b 23 Then said Vibidius to Balatro: "Unless we drink him bankrupt, we shall die unavenged," and he calls for larger cups. Then did paleness overspread the face of the host, who dreaded nothing so much as hard drinkers, either because they chaff one too freely or because fiery wines dull the delicate palate. Vibidius and Balatro tilt whole decanters of wine into Allifan goblets. All followed suit, save the guests on the lowest couch, who did no harm to the flagons. d to betray the nature of the food, but the point lies, not in the badness, but in the novelty, of the dishes. ci.e. large cups made at Allifae in Samnium. a Porcius and Nomentanus would, of course, do nothing to offend their host. They therefore "spared the bottle." "Adfertur squillas inter murena natantis in patina porrecta. sub hoc erus, haec gravida,' inquit, '3 45 50 55 capta est, deterior post partum carne futura. his mixtum ius est: oleo, quod prima Venafri pressit cella; garo de sucis piscis Hiberi ; vino quinquenni, verum citra mare nato, dum coquitur (cocto Chium sic convenit, ut non hoc magis ullum aliud); pipere albo, non sine aceto, quod Methymnaeam vitio mutaverit1 uvam. erucas viridis, inulas ego primus amaras monstravi incoquere; illutos Curtillus echinos, ut melius muria quod2 testa marina remittat.' "Interea suspensa gravis aulaea ruinas in patinam fecere, trahentia pulveris atri quantum non Aquilo Campanis excitat agris. nos maius veriti, postquam nihil esse pericli sensimus, erigimur. Rufus posito capite, ut si filius immaturus obisset, flere. quis esset finis, ni sapiens sic Nomentanus amicum tolleret : ́heu, Fortuna, quis est crudelior in nos te deus ? ut semper gaudes illudere rebus humanis!' Varius mappa compescere risum vix poterat. Balatro, suspendens omnia naso, 'haec est condicio vivendi,' aiebat, ' eoque responsura tuo numquam est par fama labori. tene, ut ego accipiar laute, torquerier omni sollicitudine districtum, ne panis adustus, ne male conditum ius apponatur, ut omnes 1 motaverit, I. 60 65 2 quod Mss.: quo V: quam Bentley. 3 remittas E: remittit C. a i.e. Italian, not Greek. 66 42 Then is brought in a lamprey, outstretched on a platter, with shrimps swimming all round it. Upon this the master: This," said he, was caught before spawning; if taken later, its flesh would have been poorer. The ingredients of the sauce are these oil from Venafrum of the first pressing, roe from the juices of the Spanish mackerel, wine five years old, but produced this side of the sea," poured in while it is on the boil-after boiling, Chian suits better than anything else-white pepper, and vinegar made from the fermenting of Lesbian vintage. I was the first to point out that one should boil in the sauce green rockets and bitter elecampane; Curtillus would' use sea-urchins, unwashed, inasmuch as the yield of the sea-shellfish itself is better than a briny pickle." 54 Meantime the canopy spread above came down in mighty ruin upon the platter, trailing more black dust than the North-wind raises on Campanian plains. We feared a worse disaster, but finding there was no danger recover ourselves. Rufus drooped his head and wept as if his son had fallen by an untimely fate. What would have been the end, had not Nomentanus, the philosopher, thus rallied his friend : 66 b Ah, Fortune, what god is more cruel toward us than thou! How thou dost ever delight to make sport of the life of man!" Varius could scarce smother a laugh with his napkin. Balatro, who sneers at everything, said: These are the terms of life, and therefore the meed of fame will never equal your labour. To think that, in order that I may have lavish entertainment, you are to be racked and tortured with every anxiety, lest the bread be burned, lest sauce be served ill-seasoned, that all The aulaea were hangings used to decorate the walls. praecincti recte pueri1 comptique ministrent! Nasidienus ad haec tibi di quaecumque preceris2 75 commoda dent! ita vir bonus es convivaque comis;' et soleas poscit. tum in lecto quoque videres stridere secreta divisos aure susurros." Nullos his mallem ludos spectasse; sed illa redde, age, quae deinceps risisti. "Vibidius dum 80 85 quaerit de pueris num sit quoque fracta lagoena, quod sibi poscenti non dentur3 pocula, dumque ridetur fictis rerum Balatrone secundo, Nasidiene, redis mutatae frontis, ut arte emendaturus fortunam. deinde secuti mazonomo pueri magno discerpta ferentes membra gruis sparsi sale multo non sine farre, pinguibus et ficis pastum iecur anseris albae,4 et leporum avolsos, ut multo suavius, armos, quam si cum lumbis quis edit.5 tum pectore adusto 90 vidimus et merulas poni et sine clune palumbes, suavis res, si non causas narraret earum et naturas dominus: quem nos sic fugimus ulti, ut nihil omnino gustaremus, velut illis Canidia adflasset peior serpentibus Afris.”” 1 pueri recte C Goth. 2 precaris E Goth. 7 Afris E Goth.: atris C, II, Bentley. 6 cum, I. 95 a Their light slippers were removed when the guests took their places; to call for them was to indicate a wish to leave the dining-room. |