Naribus horum hominum, rideri possit eo, quod 30 Rusticiùs tonso toga defluit, et malè laxus In pede calcæus hæret; at est bonus, ut melior vir Non alius quisquam, at tibi amicus, at ingenium ingens Inculto latet hoc sub corpore; denique te ipsum this to Virgil: Bentley has been at the trouble of showing that it probably is a sketch of Horace himself; perhaps, however, [it is nearest to the truth to consider it but as an ideal character.] Ib. Acutis naribus, "the raillery." Acutis naribus is the opposite to naribus obesis, which was applied to a heavy, stupid person. Bentley, remarking that nares acuta belong only to the dead or dying, reads aduncis. 30, Horum hominum. Viz. illi of 1. 28. Ib. Rideri possit, &c., i. e. his appearance may excite ridicule, from his being badly shaved, his toga not hanging gracefully, or his wearing shoes that are too large for him. The construction is quòd toga defluit illi rusticius tonso. 31. Male laxus. If we join male and laxus, it appears strange how a shoe that is too loose can be said hærere. To avoid this, join male in translation with hæret. 32. Bonus ut melior vir. Ut, "so that," as likewise Sat. I. 5, 33. 35. Concute, "examine," lit. "shake, "excite." Compare Virg. Æn. VII. 338. Ib. Qua tibi vitiorum. Scil. qua vitiorum tibi. 36. Namque neglectis, &c. Namque should be referred to consuetudo mala, and accounts for the growth of vice in this way. The meaning of the whole passage is this, "examine yourself, whether you have any vices arising from nature, or even from bad habit (for even though they may not arise from nature, they may from habit), as land, when neglected, produces noxious and useless weeds.-Sch. 38-55. Even defects in some cases please. Would that this mistake were common amongst friends, or at least that a feeling similar to that of a parent towards his child influenced us in the treatment of our friends. The father extenuates the natural deformities of his son by soft endearing names; if we wish either to make or keep friends, we should act similarly. 38. Illuc. For huc. Ib. Illuc prævertamur. Prævertere, signifies "to prefer," "to do anything before, or in preference to another, to outstrip." The poet, considering that to desire mankind to examine their own hearts, is to engage them in a long and thorny road, wishes them "to take the shorter way" (as this is implied by prævertamur), of marking the conduct of others, and deriving instruction to themselves from their example.-S. Sed, missis aliis, (hoc inest verbo composito præverti) redeamus (illuc) ad id locorum, quod, &c.—D. It appears to me that there are two meanings, derivable from the primary signification of the word, either "let us rather turn to this subject," i. e. neglecting the 40 Turpia decipiunt cæcum vitia, aut etiam ipsa hæc Sisyphus; hunc Varum distortis cruribus; illum consideration of the folly of mankind, in exaggerating the vices of their neighbours, let us prefer contemplating those who act in an opposite way; thus Plin. Epist. V. 15, Prævertor ad ea, quæ me agentem hic nuncius deprehendit: or-[sooner let us turn to this,] i. e. sooner let us imitate the conduct of lovers; for, of the two errors, it is preferable to consider vices as virtues, than virtues as vices. 40. Veluti Balbinum polypus Hagna. The poet alludes to characters then well known, but with whose history we are not acquainted. Polypus has the o long, as if it were written pollypus; thus religio, with e long, as if relligio. This reduplication of letters has been deemed deserving of a place amongst figures, and in consequence has been styled diplasiasmus, reduplication. *Hagnæ, not Agna, which is a female name, Gr. yn, as is proved by Gruter's inscriptions. BENT. 41. Et isti, &c. [Either that the good feeling of mankind had given some honorable name to such error,] or that mankind by calling this error "virtue" had thus dignified it. 42. Posuisset, like Tilívaι ovóμara. Thus Cic. Tusc. III. 5, 10; eos, qui hæc rebus nomina posuerunt. 43. At, "Nay even," or "in truth." The construction here is, ut pater non fastidit vitium gnati, si quod sit, sic nos, &c. 44-48. The meaning of these lines is evidently, that if a father have a child with any defect, instead of ridiculing it, he endeavours to find some softer expression for it. The expressions here are Pætus, Pullus, Varus, and Scaurus, which either mean defects inferior to the real, or [are the names of noble families, which the fond father applies to his children, slurring over their deformities.] According to the first interpretation, pœtus means one who has leering eyes. This was a softer term than strabo; nay, it was even considered rather a beauty than a defect. Venus's eyes were commonly painted so. Pullus properly means the young of any creature. It was a term of affection equivalent to our expression little pet. Varus means a person who has legs bent inwards; scaurus, one who has large and swollen ankles. Instead of giving a translation to these words, it appears to me better merely to use the nominative case; thus e. g. appellat pætum, trans. calls him pœtus. 44. * Fastidire strabonem, e is short before st, as in Sat. I. 2, 20. 45. Male parvus, "Very diminutive." Our use of wretchedly is not unlike that of male. 47. Sisyphus. The dwarf of M. Antony, scarcely two feet high, but of such VOL. II. C Balbutit Scaurum, pravis fultum male talis. 50 55 mental acuteness that he received the name Sisyphus, after Sisyphus of Corinth, who was celebrated for dexterity and cunning. 48. Balbutit. This may be translated "he softly terms." It denotes the imitation of children's prattle. 49. Parcius hic vivit. Horace now applies this habit of parents to the intercourse of friends. Ib. Ineptus. This is one of those words which are peculiar to languages, so as scarcely to admit of any one word in another as a translation. Inaptus (non aptus) means "unsuitable to the circumstances:" hence used here for a person, who through a desire to make himself agreeable, oversteps the bounds of etiquette or decorum. It often admits the translation "foolish," "silly," * impertinent." 50. Concinnus, " Agreeable." 51. Truculentior, "Too rude," "rough.", 52. Simplex, "Unaffected," "frank." 53. Acres, "spirited." Acres inter, hyperbaton, as 1. 68. 55. At nos virtutes ipsas, &c., i. e. so far are we from giving a soft expression to the failings of our friends, that we represent even their virtues as vices. 56. Sincerum cupimus vas incrustare. Sincerum properly means "pure," "unalloyed." Perhaps it was originally applied to honey, which is then purest, when sine cerâ. It is used also for "sound," "whole," i. e. without a flaw or break. Thus Ovid. Met. XII. 99: sine vulnere corpus, Sincerumque fuit. Incrustare means "to cover with plaster, varnish, or any such thing." Hence the meaning of this passage is, we wish to varnish a sound vessel, i. e. to what is whole, we give the appearance of being broken, or (metaphorically) we represent even virtues as defects. *The explanation of Orellius is different, "Adeo perversi sumus, ut et purum vas corrupto aliquo liquore ejusque fæcibus obducere cupiamus." Ib. Probus quis, &c. I have adopted Bentley's view of this passage. Probus and demissus both express good traits of character; tardo and pingui are the terms which the world applies to them. *The probus corresponds with irizos, demissus with rgãos. Bentley proposes to read demissus homo ille; Tardo ac cognomen, &c. Orellius prefers the old interpretation, "Probus quis nobiscum vivit, multum demissus homo; illi Tardo cognomen pingui damus." He takes demissus to mean, "a man of narrow thoughts," one who has μικροὺς τὰς γνώμας καί ταπεινούς. Luc. The Tardus as the phlegmatic, qui non acutissime moveatur." 60 Nobiscum vivit, multúm est demissus homo; illi 57. Demissus. As our phrase "retireing in manner," "unassuming. 58. Tardo-pingui. Agreeing with illi, as we have in Virgil cui nunc cognomen Iulo. Ib. Hic fugit omnes. Another person is now introduced, whose characteristics are prudence and caution. 59. Nullique malo latus. This expression is derived from the fights of gladiators, who always presented latus tectum to the thrusts of their antagonists. Ib. Obdit apertum. The meaning of obdere is literally to "put against ;" hence Ter. Heaut. II. 3, 37, Anus foribus obdit pessulum. From this it means "to close," "shut." The construction here is obdit latus apertum nulli malo, i. e. "covers his side, which thus is apertum nulli malo. 60. Cùm genus hoc inter vitæ. This renders his conduct the more praiseworthy. Translate cùm, "although." Versetur, "Tertia hæc persona recte causam significat, cur illo tantopere caveat, ne invidia et criminibus opprimatur." ORELL. 61. Crimina, "Accusations." Compare for this sense Carm. III. 7. 14. Epist. I. 18. 80. II. 3. 262. Ib. Bene sano, "Very prudent," "properly cautious." 63. * Et talis, qualem, &c. Sæpe, "Ex hoc verbo verum non esse patet, quod quidam contendunt, Horatiam eo tempore, quo hæc scripserat, semel tantum convenisse Mæcænatem et commode quidem admissum, sed nondum receptum fuisse in ejus convictum et familiaritatem." ORELL. 65. Impellat. Trans. "Interrupt," "disturb," "intrude on." Lit. "push forward," "urge on." *Bentley, remarking that impellere means "to strike violently," reads impediat, as Diomedes and Charisius quote the passage. 66. Communi sensu, "The etiquette of society." Thus Juven. Sat. VIII. 71. 66-75. This habit of censuring others brings its own punishment with it, for how can we expect others to extend to us the indulgence which we refuse to them? 70. Cum mea compenset. When he compares my vices and my virtues, *Cum is the preposition, and the construction is cum vitiis (meis) mea bona compenset. VOL. II. c 2 75 (Si modò plura mihi bona sunt,) inclinet. Amari 70. Pluribus hisce. Viz. bonis. 72. Hac lege, "On these conditions," viz. that he, bonis inclinet. If my friend wish to gain my affections by inclination to my virtues, then he shall receive the same indulgence from me. 75. Ignoscet. Thus Bentley for ignoscat, for "futuris quam imperativis præcipere magis Horatianum." 76-95. Finally, as faults there must be (so even the Stoics allow, when they call all men but themselves stulti), is it not rational that we should at least mark gradations, as we do in the acts of misconduct of which our slaves might be guilty? All the faults of our friends are not equally criminal, (notwithstanding the Stoic assertion omnia peccata esse paria), and it is worse than madness to treat all with equal harshness. 76. Quatenus, "Since." 77. Stultis. The Stoics called all those who had not embraced their tenets stulti or insani. Ib. Cur non. Why does not reason mark gradations in offences, and then punish according to this standard? 78. Res ut quæque est. According to the degree of criminality 80. Comp. Luc. Prometh. c. 4. Ib. Tollere, sc. from the table. 82. Labeone. M. Antistius Labeo was a celebrated lawyer, particularly remarkable for his attachment to liberty. As he is said to have offended Cæsar by the freedom of his language, the scholiast supposes that Horace, to flatter Augustus, introduces him here as mad. It accords but ill, however, with the character of either Horace or Augustus to suppose that the poet would attempt, or his patron countenance, such shameless adulation. Let us rather refer it to some person, with whose history we are not acquainted, or adopt Bentley's conjectural reading, Labieno; *Who is mentioned by Seneca as violent and rabid in his harangues, for Rabieno from Rabies. 83. Quanto hoc furiosius. "Quanto gravius hoc leviore peccato servi, qui semesos pisces et tepidum jus ligurierit."-D. Not so; it is not the fault of the slave that is compared, out that of the master, who would crucify him |