ambigitur quid enim? Castor sciat an Dolichos1 plus; Brundisium Minuci melius via ducat an Appi. 20 25 30 Quem damnosa Venus, quem praeceps alea nudat, gloria quem supra vires et vestit et unguit, quem tenet argenti sitis importuna famesque, quem paupertatis pudor et fuga, dives amicus, saepe decem vitiis instructior, odit et horret, aut, si non odit, regit ac veluti pia mater plus quam se sapere et virtutibus esse priorem volt et ait prope vera : meae (contendere noli) stultitiam patiuntur opes; tibi parvola res est. arta decet sanum comitem toga; desine mecum certare." Eutrapelus, cuicumque nocere volebat, vestimenta dabat pretiosa: beatus enim iam cum pulchris tunicis sumet2 nova consilia et spes, dormiet in lucem, scorto postponet honestum officium, nummos alienos pascet, ad imum Thraex erit aut holitoris aget3 mercede caballum." Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis illius1 umquam, commissumque teges et vino tortus et ira. nec tua laudabis studia aut aliena reprendes,5 nec, cum venari volet ille, poemata panges. gratia sic fratrum geminorum, Amphionis atque Zethi, dissiluit, donec suspecta severo conticuit lyra. fraternis cessisse putatur moribus Amphion: tu cede potentis amici 35 40 a These were actors or gladiators. The story of how the brothers Zethus and Amphion quarrelled about the rival merits of music and hunting was set forth by Euripides in his Antiope, and was reproduced in a play of the same name by Pacuvius. price. Why, what's the question in dispute? Whether Castor or Dolichosa has more skill; which is the better road to Brundisium, that of Minucius or that of Appius ! 21 The man whom ruinous passion or desperate gambling strips bare, whom vanity dresses up and perfumes beyond his means, who is possessed by an insatiate hunger and thirst for money, by the shame and dread of poverty, his rich friend, though often ten times as well equipped with vices, hates and abhors; or if he does not hate him schools him and like a fond mother would have him wiser and more virtuous than himself. He says to him what is pretty nearly true : My wealth-don't try to rival me— allows of folly your means are but trifling. 66 A narrow toga befits a client of sense; cease to vie with me." Eutrapelus, if he wished to injure someone, would give him costly clothes: "for now," said he, the happy fellow will, together with his fine tunics, put on new plans and hopes, will sleep till dawn, will postpone honest business for a wanton, will swell his debts, and at last will become a gladiator, or the hired driver of a greengrocer's nag.' 37 You will never pry into your patron's secrets, and if one is entrusted to you, you will keep it, though wine or anger puts you on the rack. Again, you will neither praise your own tastes, nor find fault with those of others, nor when your friend would go a-hunting, will you be penning poems. 'Twas so that the brotherly bond between the twins Amphion and Zethus parted asunder, till the lyre, on which the stern one looked askance, was hushed." Amphion, 'tis thought, yielded to his brother's mood: do you yield to your great friend's gentle biddings; lenibus imperiis, quotiensque educet1 in agros Aetolis2 onerata plagis iumenta canesque, surge et inhumanae senium depone Camenae, cenes ut pariter pulmenta laboribus empta : Romanis sollemne viris opus, utile famae 45 55 vitaeque et membris; praesertim cum valeas et 50 vel cursu superare canem vel viribus aprum possis. adde virilia quod speciosius arma non est qui tractet; scis, quo clamore coronae proelia sustineas campestria; denique saevam militiam puer et Cantabrica bella tulisti sub duce qui templis Parthorum signa refigit nunc et, si quid abest, Italis3 adiudicat armis.4 Ac ne te retrahas et inexcusabilis absis, quamvis nil extra numerum fecisse modumque curas, interdum nugaris rure paterno : partitur lintres exercitus, Actia pugna te duce per pueros hostili more5 refertur ; adversarius est frater, lacus Hadria, donec alterutrum velox Victoria fronde coronet. consentire suis studiis qui crediderit te, fautor utroque tuum laudabit pollice ludum. 1 educit M: ducit or ducet, II. a 2 Aeoliis van Vliet. 4 arvis Bentley. 3 abest aliis π. ǎ mole E. 60 60 65 Probably a literary epithet, reminding the reader of the mythical boar-hunt of Meleager in Calydon. The conjectural Aeoliis is explained as equivalent to Cumanis, because flax, which made strong nets (Pliny, N.H. xix. 1. 10), grew near Cumae, a colony from Cyme in Aeolia. c Cf. "tu pulmentaria quaere sudando," Sat. ii. 2. 20. militia. di.e. the sports of the Campus Martius. In 20 B.C. Augustus recovered from the Parthians by a and when he takes out into the country his mules laden with Aetolian " nets, and his dogs, up with you and cast aside the glumness of your unsocial Muse, that you may share his supper with a relish, whereof toil has been the price 'tis the wonted pastime of the heroes of Rome, is good for fame as well as for life and limb-especially when you are in health, and can outdo either the hound in speed or the boar in strength. Add that there is none who more gracefully handles manly weapons: you know how loudly the ring cheers when you uphold the combats of the Campus. In fine, while a mere youth, you served in a hard campaign, and in the Cantabrian wars, under a captain who even now is taking down our standards from the Parthian temples and, if aught is still beyond our sway, is assigning it to the arms of Italy. e 58 Further, that you may not draw back and stand aloof without excuse, bear in mind that, however much you take care to do nothing out of time and tune, you do sometimes amuse yourself at your father's country-seat: your troops divide the skiffs; with you as captain, the Actian fight is presented by your slaves in true foemen's style; opposing you is your brother, the lake is the Adriatic; till winged Victory crowns with leafage one or the other chieftain. He who believes that you fall in with his pursuits will with both thumbs eagerly commend your sport. treaty the standards they had taken from Crassus; cf. Epist. i. 12. 28. ƒ In a sham fight on their father's estate, Lollius and his brother have represented the famous battle of Actium. A reference to the way in which the audience in the amphitheatre expressed approval. The precise form of the gesture referred to is doubtful. Protinus ut moneam (si quid monitoris eges tu) quid de quoque viro et cui dicas, saepe videto. percontatorem fugito: nam garrulus idem est, nec retinent patulae commissa fideliter aures, et semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum. non ancilla tuum iecur ulceret ulla puerve intra marmoreum venerandi limen amici, ne dominus pueri1 pulchri caraeve puellae munere te parvo beet aut incommodus angat. 70 75 qualem commendes, etiam atque etiam aspice, ne mox incutiant aliena tibi peccata pudorem. fallimur et quondam non dignum tradimus: ergo Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici : 1 pueri dominus E, lemma in Porph. 2 fidens est pλl: fidenter. 4 metuit a M: metuet E, II. 3 et quid A'ER. 80 85 30 90 5 Line 91 does not occur in any good мs. unless inserted by a late hand. Meineke deleted bibuli oderunt and retained potores. a Proverbial for calumny, though the origin of the expression is unknown. |
