Cum ripâ simul avolsos ferat Aufidus acer: At qui tantuli eget, quanto est opus, is neque limo Turbatam haurit aquam, neque vitam amittit in undis. At bona pars hominum decepta cupidine falso, 61 "Nil satis est," inquit; 66 quia tanti, quantum habeas, sis.' Quid facies illi? jubeas miserum esse, libenter drawing what nature requires from a large heap; but that the person who is content if he have what he requires, neither descends to meanness, nor endangers himself by avarice. 57. Plenior ut si, &c. The order is, ut, si copia plenior justo delectet quos. Quis is frequently used for aliquis. 58. Aufidus acer. The poet specifies the Aufidus, because it is a particularly impetuous stream, but he does not mean any river in particular, but merely "the impetuous current." The Aufidus (now Ofanto) is a river of Apulia, running through the plains of Cannæ, where Hannibal so signally defeated the Romans. 59. Tantuli, "So little," "as little." The diminutive from tantus. Ib. Eget, expresses his desires-opus, his wants or necessities. Ib. Bona pars. Bonus is sometimes used in the sense "large,' ""considerable, as here. We have a similar phrase in that imitator of Horace, Persius, At bona pars procerum. Sat. II. 5. Thus Cicer. De Orat. II. 3, says, bonam partem sermonis in hunc diem esse dilatam. We have the word in a similar sense in Carm. IV. 2, 46. Epist. I. 18, 109. Epist. ad Pison. 297. 62. Quia tanti, quantum habeas sis. Because you are always esteemed according to your riches; i. e. a man's estimation depends on his wealth. 63. Quid facias illi? Quid facias, "what can you do ?" illi, with (lit. to or for) a man of such an opinion (as the bona pars hominum), or if you prefer, illi parti hominum. The poet means that persons who have such opinions are hopeless, for they take a pleasure in making themselves wretched. Ib. Jubeas. The use of this word is very happy here, for it was frequently used in the expression of wishes, and salutations. Thus Cicero says, Valde jubeo gaudere te. Dionysium jube salvere; and Terent. Andr. Jubeo Chremetem. Horace uses it thus, Ep. I. 10, 1, Jubemus salvere Fuscum, and Ep. I. 7, 66, et salvere jubet prior. Compare Sat. I. 10. 91. The force of it here, then, is as if we were to say, "commend him to his misery," or "wish him joy of being wretched." Ib. Miserum esse. Bentley reads miseram, as he refers illi to parti hominum. But it appears to me more Horatian to consider illi as an individual, either one of the bona pars, or rather the bona pars considered as one. Jubeas in this way gains additional point. But in fact, it is a matter of as little moment, as if a person were to contend that we should read justa and not justo, in 1. 57, because justa will agree with copid understood, whereas justo is indefinite. Ib. Quatenus. "Since, inasmuch as." Thus Carm. III. 24, 30, and Sat. I. 3, 76. Tb. Quidam. Those who wish to find some real character for every quidam in Horace, refer this to Timon of Athens, the misanthropist, Heindorf sup 65 Quatenus id facit; ut quidam memoratur Athenis 70 poses that the poet means some person at Rome, notorious for his avarice, but that to avoid offence, he describes him as residing at Athens. 65. Voces. Either [expressed in the theatres and public places], or simply their opinions, which casually reached his ears. 66. Sic. In this way, namely populus me sibilat, &c. Sic has sometimes a peculiar force, more than that of mere comparison. We have an instance in Virg. Georg. III. 391, Munere sic niveo lance. This means, that the wool was rendered white in "this" manner, namely, as he said in II. 385, 390. 67. Nummos. Nummus is often specifically applied to the sestertius. 68-72. The miser inflicts the same punishment on himself that Tantalus suffered in Orcus; for his avarice will not allow him to make use of the plenty that is around him. So Tantalus could not taste the water that was near him, nor the fruit that hung before him. 68. Tantalus. He was a king of Lydia, who suffered perpetual hunger and thirst, although standing up to the chin in water, and almost within reach of a bough bending with fruit. Some ascribe this punishment to his cruelty in serving up his son Pelops, at an entertainment which he gave to the gods, that he might try their divinity and power. Others assign different causes. Ib. Fugientia. When he attempted to drink, the water flowed away. In a similar sense Virgil says, Italiam sequimur fugientem. Æn. v. 629. Ib. Captat. This is the frequentative of capio; it means here that Tantalus made frequent ineffectual attemps to taste the water. 69. Quid rides? The miser, thinking that Horace is commencing an irrelevant story (as Simo, in the Andrian, when he interrupts Crito with the words fabulam inceptat), laughs at the introduction of it. The poet asks why he should do so, and to show that he had no grounds for ridiculing it as irrelevant, he proceeds to prove the similarity of the two characters. 70. Saccis, Sacks of money, as afterwards, Sat. II. 3, 141: mensam poni jubet atque Effundi saccos nummorum. Saccis may be governed by indormis or by inhians. 71. Indormis. This verb originally means, "to sleep on any thing." From this it is applied to that state of mind in which a person is, when we say that he sleeps over any business. It here expresses the stupor into which the miser gets, whilst contemplating his riches. It should not be referred to actual sleep, for that is inconsistent with vigilare metu, 1. 76. In short, indormis inhians almost exactly expresses what we mean when we say "stupid with vacant admiration." ," "gaping." Ib. Inhians. This word properly means "with the mouth open,' Hence it is used, as here, to express great and undivided attention to any thing. 75 Cogeris, aut pictis tamquam gaudere tabellis. 80 Thus Doering correctly explains it. Lambinus thinks that it alludes to the miser's covetousness, aud paraphrases it by semper cupiens, a sense in which Seneca appears to have used it in Herc. Fur. : Hic nullo fine beatus componit opes, gazis inhians: Ib. Et tamquam. The order is, et cogeris parcere illis tamquam sacri Ib. Sacris. Offerings in the temples, or any thing dedicated to the gods. 72. Cogeris. By your miserly disposition, which will not allow you to make use of them. quæ nullum alium nisi visus sensum dilectant." ORELL. Tabellis, 73-75. Do you keep your riches without spending them, because you are not aware what the value of money is, or what comforts it can purchase? 73. Quo valeat, "what is the value." 74. Sextarius. This contained about a pint and a half. Compare note 1. 54. 75. Queis. Ea quibus. He means those things, without which there could not be comfort. 76-79. Or do you keep your riches without spending them, because you take pleasure in the constant alarm which disturbs you about their safety? 78. Compilent. According to Torrentius, this word (derived from pilus, a hair), signifies to pillage in such a way as not to leave a hair. Dacier derives it from pilo, from λ, "to make close or compact," because (he says) robbers generally make their plunder as compact as possible, that they may the more easily escape with it. Although there are few who will approve of Dacier's reason for the derivation, there is a dificulty about deriving it from pilus, "a hair," namely, that the i in pilus, and the verb pilare derived from it, is short, whereas that in pilare, "to pillage," and compilare is long. *Fugientes, "duplex igitur damnum, et quod quæ possunt secum auferunt, et quod aufugiunt ipse." ORELL. 80-87. If the miser should be sick, notwithstanding his riches, he is wretched, for his penurious and selfish disposition has lost him the affections of his relatives and acquaintances. 80. At si. Lambinus and Torrentius give a full point at propinquis, and consider this as ironically said by Horace; Desprez and Francis think that it is said by the miser, which the commencement at si countenances. Then the sentence means, that money can purchase all these things, and the miser wishes to show the advantage of accumulating it, because you can in the time of sickness have all these comforts. But this appears to me inconsistent with the character of the miser (Sat. II. 3, 157), who does not wish to expend his money under any circumstances. I have therefore given it as a question pro◄ Aut alius casus lecto te adfixit, habes qui 85 posed by Horace. Doering would prefer reading An, sic, as in 1. 76. If any alteration take place, I would read An si. Condoluit, from condolesco, not condoleo. Ib. Tentatum. "Attacked." As afterwards Sat. II. 3, 163: 82. Assideas. Quòd latus aut renes morbo tentatur acuto. "Sit beside your bed." Ib. Fomenta. Derived from fovere. Ib. Carisque propinquis. Thus Pers. Sat. III. 70: patriæ carisque propinquis. 86. Argento post omnia ponas, i. e. postponas omnia argento. The post is separated by tmesis, as quem dierum cunque, for quemcunque dierum. Horace means that the miser has no reason for being surprised that he is not loved or esteemed, because he considers money as preferable to every thing else, or, to express it as the poet, because he considers every thing after money, in importance or reasons for esteem. 88-100. It is dangerous in the miser to pay no attention to the friendly feelings of his relatives, and to esteem all exertions to secure their affections as labour lost, for unless he puts some end to his desires, and begins to spend the riches which he has acquired, he may meet the same fate that Ummidius did, and perish by the hand of one of his nearest relations. 88. An, si cognatos. The meaning of this question is, "Do you suppose that exertions to retain the friendship of your relatives, are as useless and unprofitable as if a person were to try to train an ass to obey the reins ?" The general reading is at si, and without a question (?) at frænis. Doering prefers an sic, with the question (?) at amicos. The great difficulty about the passage is to decide to what nullo labore refers. If to Natura, then nullo labore means that Nature, cognatos dat, without the least difficulty to herself, which to me appears ridiculous. If to retinere (as Dacier wishes) the arrangement of the sentence is very much confused, for then nullo labore, &c. means if you wish without any exertion on your part to retain, &c. Nor can this construction be at all received, unless we suppose nullo labore repeated, i. e. the construction to be si velis nullo labore (tuo) retinere servareque amicos, cognatos, quos natura nullo labore (tuo) dat tibi, &c. as aravit is repeated in Sat. II. 6, 11: qui mercenarius agrum Illum ipsum mercatus aravit; Where the construction is, qui mercatus aravit illum ipsum agrum, quem mercenarius aravit. But Bentley objects to this interpretation (the interpretation referring nullo labore to retinere), independently of the confusion in the arrangement of the sentence. Quos tibi dat, retinere velis, servareque amicos, Infelix operam perdas ? ut si quis asellum In campo doceat parentem currere frenis. Denique sit finis quærendi, quòque habeas plus, Pauperiem metuas minùs, et finire laborem Incipias, parto quod avebas, ne facias quod Ummidius, qui, tam (non longa est fabula) dives, Ut metiretur nummos; ita sordidus, ut se Non unquam servo meliùs vestiret; ad usque Supremum tempus, ne se penuria victûs Opprimeret, metuebat. At hunc liberta securi 90 96 91. Parentem. "Obedient," from parere. The a in pārens, the participle of parere, is long ; in părens, a “parent," short. 92. Sit finis quærendi. Either stop this incessant accumulation of wealth, or, [put some limit to your pursuit of riches, i. e. let there be a certain sum with which you will be content, when you have acquired it. Similarly our author says, 1. 106, sunt certi denique fines; Epist. I. 2, 56, certum voto pete finem; Epist. II. 1. 38, Excludat jurgia finis]. 93. Laborem. In acquiring riches. 94. Parto quod. Parto eo quod, i. e. having obtained the sum, &c. Ib. Avebas. From avere, "to desire, long for," whence avidus. Ib. Ne facias. "That you may not do." Ib. Quod Ummidius. Quod Ummidius fecit. There is nothing known about his history excepting what Horace mentions here. *Bentley supposes we should read Nummidius, a coined name from Nummus. 95. Qui tam. I have received (with Doëring) Bentley's reading for quidam. The qui is the nominative (as Grammarians say) to metuebat, 1. 99. The construction tam dives ut, is the same as that we had 1. 22, tam facilem ut. 96. Ut metiretur. Ummidius possessed so much money, that instead of counting it, he measured it. The phrase in Greek is similar, μedíμrç'àgyúgiov amoμergen, "to measure money with a bushel." 97. Non unquam. Vid. note 1. 37. Ib. Ad usque supremum tempus, i. e. usque ad supremum tempus, "to his very last day." 98. Victus. Genitive of victus. 99. Opprimeret. Opprimere, sometimes, means "to suddenly, or, unexpectedly destroy." Part of this idea is found in oppresserit, in Sat. II. 4, 17, Si vespertinus subito te oppresserit hospes; where it means "surprised you with a visit," i. e. came without your expecting it. Ib. Liberta. A female slave who had been made free. Slaves receive freedom in three ways, censu, vindictâ, and testamento: 1. censu, when the name was placed on the censor's roll; 2. vindicta, when the master brought the slave to the prætor or consul, and he placed a rod (vindictam) on his head and pronounced that he was free; 3. testamento, when liberty was conferred by a will. The freedom of a slave's wife was not consequent on his own manumission, as we lean from Ter. Adel. v. 3, 16. We may suppose that this liberta Ummidii either was married to him, or lived with him as if she were his wife. |