"Fonum habet in cornu, longe fuge; dummodo risum 35 Et pueros et anus." -Agedum, pauca accipe contra. 45 33. Fænum habet in cornu. A mischievous bull had hay placed on its horns, to warn those that passed near it of the danger. The application here is, when any of these persons (scil. one of omnes hi) sees a poet, he cries out fanum habet in cornu, to warn these that would approach him of their danger. *Comp. Plut. Cr. : Σικίννιος πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, τί δὴ μόνον οὐ σπαράττει τὸν Κράσ σον, χόρτον ἔχειν φησὶν ἐπὶ τοῦ κέρατος. Ib. Dummodo risum. The only object of a poet (says this person) is to amuse himself, and with this object he'll not spare even his friends. Ib. Sibi, "For himself," 1. e. for his own gratification. Terent. Phorm. V. 8. 12. Tibi naret? Heaut. V. 1. 79: Qui sibi me pro ridiculo ac delectamento putat. 36. Gestiet a furno. He'll take care to let every one know it. Ib. Lacu. Whence they were drawing water. In Rome there were several sheets of water (called lacus), formed by drains from the Tibur, or aqueducts, for the convenience of the citizens. *Marcus Agrippa formed 500 reservoirs of water in the different regions of the city. 38-62. Horace vindicates himself, for first of all, if their objection to him be that he is a poet, he declares that he has no claim to that title. That is an honour to which not even the author of comedies can justly aspire. 38. Dederim quibus esse poëtis. Compare Sat. I. 1. 19. *It is evident from this sentiment that Horace had as yet written no compositions to boast of. He speaks far differently in the last Ode of his third Book. 39. Concludere versum. To make a line with the regular number of feet. 42. Ingenium cui sit. Illi viro, cui ingenium sit. Ib. Mens divinior, "Comparatively divine," as it were inspired. Compare Cic. pro Arch. c. 8. Divinior-than men commonly have, or that should be termed divina, rather than humana. Ib. Atque os, &c., i. e. and such language, as we might suppose could express sublime conceptions. 43. Sonaturum. The more usual form of this participle is soniturus. 46. Pede certo, "By having fixed feet," i. e. in prose we may dispose the words in any order, but in comedy we are confined by the laws of the metre. Differt sermoni, sermo merus.- "At pater ardens Ebrius et, magnum quod dedecus, ambulet ante 50 56 Tempora certa, modosque, et quod prius ordine verbum est, Posterius facias, præponens ultima primis: Non, ut si solvas, "Postquam discordia tetra 47. Sermo merus. It is nothing more than the language of common life. Ib. At pater ardens This is an objection to the assertion, that acer spiritus ac vis nec verbis nec rebus inest, i. e. you can't say that there is no acer spiritus or vis in the indignation of an angry father at the misconduct of his son, such as Chremes, Terent. Heaut. V. 2. 48. Nepos, “Profigate.” ἄσωτος, ἀσελγής. 50. Magnum quod dedecus. His exceeding others so far as, even before it was night, to bear torches through the streets 51. Numquid Pomponius. Horace asks, in reply, would not Pomponius (a dissolute young man of his time) be reproved in the same manner, were his father alive? i. e. is this indignation anything more than what we witness every day? 53. Puris-verbis, "Mere words," without elegance or ornament. 54. Quem si dissolvas. Quem versum si dissolvas, i. e. which line, if you alter from the metrical arrangement. Ib. Quivis stomachetur eadem. The words are those which any father would use in his anger, and are not peculiar to pater personatus. Ib. Eodem pacto, "in the same words." The persona 55. Personatus. Trans. "in the play," lit. with the mask on. was used for the purpose of giving greater power to the voice. Another reason for its use may be derived from the ancients having men to perform female parts. It was introduced by Eschylus. Comp. Epist. ad Pison. 278. 57. Tempora certa. Feet limited to a certain arrangement of longs and shorts. A short syllable is called a time or tempus; a long is equivalent to two shorts, or two times. Ib. Modosque. The arrrangement of these feet composed of tempora certa. Ib. Et quod prius ordine, i. e. if you transpose the words forming the verse, so as to disturb the metrical arrangement. 59. Non, ut si solvas. Non join to invenias, 61. Ut, ut invenias. Ib. Postquam discordia The verses of Ennius, imitated by Virg. Æn. VII. 622, Belli ferratos rupit Saturnia postes. SATIRE, LIB. I. 4. Belli ferratos postes portasque refregit:" Hactenus haec : alias, justum sit necne poema; Nunc illud tantum quæram, meritone tibi sit Suspectum genus hoc scribendi. Sulcius acer Ambulat et Caprius, rauci male, cumque libellis,65 Magnus uterque timor latronibus: at bene si quis Et vivat puris manibus, contemnat utrumque. Ut sis tu similis Colî Birrîque, latronum, Non ego sum Caprî neque Sulcî: cur metuas me? Nulla taberna meos habeat neque pila libellos, Queis manus insudet vulgi Hermogenisque Tigelli, 61. Disjecti. When the words are disturbed from their order. 70 62. Hactenus hæc. Horace here dismisses the subject of what constitutes poema, and turns to satire. Ib. Alias, justum sit, necne poema. In my judgment commentators have generally misunderstood this passage. It has no reference to "comedy". that subject has been dismissed; alias and nunc are opposed, and both refer to the same, genus hoc scribendi. Horace says, " at another time I'll examine whether this kind of composition (satire) be a regular poem or not-but now my only iniquiry is, whether you have any reason for looking with suspicion on it." 63-79 Whether his satires deserve the name of poetry or not, there are no just reasons for looking with suspicion on them. Their object is to unmask vice-the virtuous therefore need not fear him. He does not even read them in public, as some foolish authors do, to the annoyance of their unwilling audience; and as to the charge, that they originate in malice, and a desire to wound the feelings, he refers to those who know him for a contradiction of that being a trait in his character. 64. Sulcius et Caprius. Two lawyers, who were noted informers. 65. Rauci male. [Extremely hoarse (from pleading)], or hoarse from malignity, i. e. from the violence with which they conducted prosecutions; or painfully hoarse. Ib. Cumque libellis. Libelli were the papers containing the names of the persons on whom they informed, and the charges which they brought against them. 67. Puris manibus. Free from the pollution of crime; as, scelerisque puCarm. I. 22. 1. rus. 68. Ut sis tu. The meaning is, "although you are as great an offender as Cœlius or Birrhius, I'm not an informer, as Sulcius and Caprius. Why then fear me? 69. *For Capri read Căprii, for thus it occurs, Căprius, four lines above. BENT. 70. Pila. There were small collections of books offered for sale beside the pillars of public buildings. We call them "standings." The Latins termed them stationes, whence our word "stationers." 75 Nec recitem cuiquam, nisi amicis, iaque coactus, 71. Hermogenisque Tigelli. At the time this satire was written Tigellius was dead, for in the second Satire he speaks of his death, and 1. 25 of that Sat. compared with 1. 91 of this, shows that this was written after that. Hence Zeunius thinks that the poet means here a different Tigellius. But there is no necessity. Horace merely says, that neither the mob, nor such as Tigellius was, can have an opportunity of reading his compositions. 72. Recitem quidquam. We have adopted recitem, with Bentley, that all the verbs may be in the same tense. The common reading is non recito cuiquam. Idque coactus, "And even this only when forced," i. e. he does not read his writings even to friends, unless when they compel him to do so. The construction is, et id quod recito amicis recito coactus. 73. Non ubivis, "Not in every place." Ib. In medio qui. Horace supposes a person to object, that yet there are many who read their writings even in the forum or the public baths, to which he replies inanes hoc juvat, &c. 76. Hoc. This charge, scil. lædere gaudes. 78. Et hoc studio pravus facis. For the usual expression, et hoc facis pravo studio. Hoc facis refers to lædere gaudes. "You delight in hurting the feelings, and devote yourself to this with malicious eagerness." Some, refer this to his not reciting publicly, as if it meant-"You delight in hurting the feelings, and in your malignity you designedly act in this way," - i. e. consulto, quo tutius lædas, dum lates. Ib. Unde petitum. Lit. "whence sought, i. e. whence obtained." Ib. Jacis. As if it were a missile. Est auctor quis. Equivalent to "estne auctor aliquis eorum, &c." not quis est auctor? 80-84. A description of the character which should really be the object of detestation: 80. Absentem qui rodít amicum. The connexion is [Don't say this of me, for these rather are my sentiments; absentem qui rodit amicum, &c."], or it refers to the question "est auctor quis denique eorum, &c.," as if he said, "Do not trust to my backbiters," for absentem qui rodit amicum, &c. 82. Captat. Compare Sat. I. 1, 68. Sæpe tribus lectis videas cœnare quaternos, 85 E quibus unus amet quavis adspergere cunctos, Præter eum, qui præbet aquam: post, hunc quoque potus, Condita quum verax aperit præcordia Liber; Te coram fuerit, defendas, ut tuus est mos:- 90 95 84. Niger. A man of bad character-a dangerous person. Virgil says, nigri cum lacte veneni; thence niger is the same as malus, venenatus; or [in reference to the custom alluded to in Sat. II. 3, 245, cretá an carbone notandi.] Compare likewise Pers. Sat. II. 1. 85-102. The jests of a friend at a convivial party are received with approbation, why then blame me, whose censures, like his, are but sportive? Yet an ill-natured remark, pointed with malice, is inexcusable; and our poet pledges himself that such shall never appear in his writings. 85. Tribus lectis, &c. Among a party of twelve; for the poet, says quaternos, i. e. four on each couch. Some might consider this as meaning "at a crowded party," since there were generally but three. Compare Sat. II. 8. The couches were so arranged at the table, that the guests occupied three sides, whilst the fourth was left open that the slaves might remove the dishes, &c. 86. Quávis, scil. ratione. *Amet, that is, "is wont;" Avet would simply denote "his wish," not "his habit." Aspergere, metaph. "to jest upon," or "ridicule." 87. Qui præbet aquam. The host who provided the entertainment. (Vid. Append.) Ib. Hunc, scil. eum, qui præbet aquam. 88. Liber. Bacchus, i. e. metonym, wine. Veraz. Thus Theocr. XXIX. 1 : Οἶνος, ὦ φίλε παῖ, λέγεται καὶ ἀλάθια. 90. Infesto. As you effect to be. Ib. Nigris, i. e. persons of characters similar to that of him, to whom he applied the terms hic niger est. 91. Compare Sat. I. 2. 25. 92. Mentio si qua. Horace supposes that he is speaking to a friend of Petillius. 93. Capitolini. Petillius obtained this name either from his being governor of the capitol, or rather from his having stolen the crown of Jupiter Capitolinus. His acquaintance with Augustus was the reason of his being acquitted, when prosecuted for the offence. 95. Amicoque. In scansion, join the que with the beginning of the next line; thus qu'a puero. |