Barbara famoso non cedit turba Canopo. Adde quod et facilis victoria de madidis, et Blæsis, atque mero titubantibus. Inde virorum Saltatus nigro tibicine, qualiacunque Unguenta, et flores, multæque in fronte coronæ : Ossa genis, plenos oculorum sanguine pugnos. 47. Add too.] q. d. It is moreover to be observed. 50 55 60 Victory, &c.] It is a very easy matter to get the better of people, when they are so drunk as hardly to be able to speak, or stand upon their legs, and, of course, very unable to defend themselves. See 1 Sam. xxx. 16, 17. 1 Kings xvi. 9. 48. There.] i. e. On the part of the Ombites. 49. Of the men, &c.] The men diverted themselves with dancing. A black piper.] A blac Æthiopian playing on his pipe, as the music to their dances. Ointments, such, &c.] It was customary at feasts to anoint the head with sweet-smelling ointments; but these vulgar Egyptians were not very nice in this matter, but made use of any grease that came to hand. 50. And flowers.] It was also usual to make chaplets of flowers, which they put on their heads. See sat. xi. 121, 2, and notes. On the forehead.] The crowns, or chaplets of flowers, surrounded the heads of those that wore them, on these occasions, but were most conspicuous about the forehead and temples. 51. Here. i. e. Among the other party, the Tentyrites.-The hinc in this line, answers to the inde, 1. 48. Fasting hatred.] The Tentyrites, on the contrary, were fasting, and their hatred, like their hunger, was fierce and insatiable. Their hatred was like an hungry appetite, which longs after something to satisfy it. Jejunum is here metaphorical, and taken from the idea of an hungry person who longs for food; so did their hatred hunger after the destruction of their adversaries the Ombites. First brawlings, &c.] The Tentyrites began to fray with bitter reproaches and abuse. 52. To sound.] To utter forth as loud as they could. Metaph. from the sounding a trumpet for battle. The barbarous rabble does not yield to infamous Canopus. Add too, that the victory is easy over the drunken and stammering, And reeling with wine: There a dancing Of the men, with a black piper; ointments such As they were, and flowers, and many chaplets on the forehead; 50 Nevertheless they believed themselves to play, and to exercise And indeed, for what purpose are so many thousands of a fighting · 55 60 52. Minds burning.] i. e. Their minds on fire, as it were, with anger, malice, and revenge, against the Ombites. These.] The reproaches and abuse which they uttered. The trumpet, &c.] Alluding to the custom of giving the signal for battle by the sound of a trumpet, when two armies met. This was supplied by the foul and provoking abuse which the Tentyrites gave the Ombites. See sat. xiv. 1. 199. 53. With equal clamour.] This roused the Ombites, and both sides were equally clamorous and noisy in their abuse of each other-this brought them to blows. Instead of a weapon, &c.] Having no darts, swords, or other weapons, they went to fighting with their fists. 56. All the bands.] Agmen, properly, signifies an army, a company of soldiers, chiefly infantry. The poet here humourously applies the word agmina to these fist-warriors. 56-7. Half countenances.] Some having an eye beat out, others their teeth, and the like. 57. Other faces.] So mauled, as to be disfigured in such a manner, that they could hardly be known to be the same persons. Bones gaping, &c.] Their jaw-bones fractured, and appear. ing through the wounds in their cheeks. 58. Blood of their eyes.] Which had been torn, or knocked out of their heads. 59. Nevertheless, &c.] Notwithstanding all this mischief, nobody had been killed, they therefore had not the satisfaction of treading any of their enemies' dead bodies under their feet; therefore they reckoned all that had hitherto happened no more than mere sportno better than children's play, as we say. 61. What purpose, &c.] What signifies, say they, such a number of fighting people, if no lives be lost? Si vivunt omnes ? ergo acrior impetus, et jam Tela; nec hos lapides, quales et Turnus, et Ajax, A diverticulo repetatur fabula: postquam Præcipitans, capiturque; ast illum in plurima sectum 65 70 75 62. The attack is sharper.] This whets their appetite for mischief, and they fall to with still more acrimony than before. 63. Stones, &c.] They picked up the stones, wherever they could find them, on the ground where they fought. Arms reclined.] They stooped, directing their arms downwards to the ground, to gather stones, which they began to throw. 64. Domestic weapons, &c.] Domestica tela-the commonly usual, familiar weapons, in such quarrels as these, among a rabble, who fall together by the ears. Seditio means a mutinous rising-also quarrel, strife-among people of the same neighbourhood. 65. Turnus.] Who took up a stone, and threw it at Æneas. This stone is said to have been so large, as hardly to be lifted by twice six men of moderate strength and stature. See Æn. xii. 1. 896–901. Ajax.] See II. n. 1. 264-70. where Hector and Ajax are throwing stones at each other; when Ajax takes up a mill-stone, and throws it at Hector, which broke his shield. 66. Tydides.] Diomede, the son of Tydeus, who threw a stone, as big as two men could lift, at Æneas, and wounded him on the hip. II. . 1. 303, 4. The poet applies these silly stories, one should suppose, rather to laugh at them, than any thing else. 67. But those, &c.] The stones with which the Ombites and Tentyrites attacked each other, were not such as were wielded and thrown by Turnus, &c. but such as could be managed by the hands of the present race of men, who are greatly inferior, in size and strength, to those Homerican heroes. 69. For this race, &c.] This race had degenerated even in the days of Homer; for speaking of the stone which Diomede threw at Æneas, Homer says Multitude, if all live? therefore the attack is sharper, and now Of sedition; nor these stones such as both Turnus and Ajax, 65 Of Æneas: but those that right hands unlike to them For this race was decreasing, Homer being yet alive. 70 Therefore whatever god hath beheld them, he laughs and hates. Let the story be fetched back from the digression. After they Here one slips down, hastening his course with too much - μεγα έργον, ὁ δ δυο γ' ανδρε φεροιεν Οἷοι νυν βροτοι εισιν. 75 A vast weight, which two men, such as there are now, could not carry. Il. . 1. 303, 4. So Virgil, speaking of the stone which Turnus threw at Æneas, En. xii. 899, 900 Vix illud lecti bis sex cervice subirent, Qualia nunc hominum producit corpora tellus. 70. The earth now brings forth, &.] The present race of men are bad as to their morals, and small as to their size, if compared with those of old time-thus has the human race degenerated 71. Whatever god, &c.] No superior being can behold them, without laughing at the ridiculous contentions of such diminutive creatures, and hating the abominable principles which produce them. 72. Let the story, &c.] q. d. But to return to the story, from my digression about Ajax, &c. 73. Increased with succours, E.] Were augmented by some auxiliaries. One party.] The Tentyrites. Comp. sat. xii. 115, note. Dares to draw, c.] Ventures to draw the swords with which their auxiliaries had furnished them. Comp. l. 53, 4. 75. Urge their enemies.] i. e. The Ombites, who had turned their backs, and were running away as fast as they could. 76. Who inhabit Tentyra, &c.] Tentyra-orum, an island and city of Egypt, near which there was a mountain covered with palm-trees. q. d. The Tentyrites urged--pressed upon-the flying Ombites. This line should stand in construction before 1. 75. 77. Here. Just at this juncture. One, &c.] One of the flying Ombites, in his over fear and haste, fell down, and was taken prisoner by the Tentyrites. Frustra ac particulas, ut multis mortuus unus Sufficeret, totum corrosis ossibus edit Victrix turba: nec ardenti decoxit aheno, Aut verubus: longum usque adeo, tardumque putavit Hinc gaudere libet, quod non violaverit ignem, Quem summâ cœli raptum de parte Prometheus 80 85 90 79. One dead man, &c.] They cut this poor creature into as many pieces as they could, that every one might have a bit of him, sufficient for a taste. 80. The victorious rabble, &c.] Or multitude of the Tentyrites, entirely devoured him. 80—1. Bones being gnawed.] They gnawed and picked his bones. 81. Nor did they boil him.] Decoxit is singular, but agrees with turba (1.81.), which being a noun of multitude, the singular verb is best translated here in the plural number. So putavit in the next line. 82. Or with spits.] Or roast the pieces of him on spits. - So very long, &c.] Their impatience was too great for them to wait the kindling and burning of fire, and the tedious process of boiling or roasting. 83. Content with the raw carcase.] They were perfectly contented with eating his dead body quite raw. Contenta here relates to the victrix turba. 84. Hence we may rejoice, &c.] The poet addresses his friend Volusius; and, I do suppose, with an intent here, as elsewhere, when he can find occasion, to sneer at the superstitious notions of his countrymen, relative to their mythology, particularly with regard to the fable of Prometheus. See sat. iv. 1. 133, note. We Inay on this occasion, says he, be glad that these Tentyrites offered no pollution to the sacred element of fire, by dressing human fleshwith it. 85. Which Prometheus, &c.] See sat. iv. 1. 133, note. From the highest part of heaven.] From Jupiter himself, and brought it down to earth. 86. I congratulate the element.] I wish it joy of its escape from pollution. And thee, &c.] As for thee, Volusius, I think thou must |