incipe, Calliope. licet et considere: non est cantandum; res vera agitur. narrate, puellae Pierides. prosit mihi vos dixisse puellas. Cum iam semianimum laceraret Flavius orbem ultimus et calvo serviret Roma Neroni, incidit Adriaci spatium admirabile rhombi 35 ante domum Veneris, quam Dorica sustinet Ancon, 40 implevitque sinus; nec enim minor haeserat illis. quos operit glacies Maeotica ruptaque tandem solibus effundit torrentis ad ostia Ponti desidia tardos et longo frigore pingues. destinat hoc monstrum cumbae linique magister pontifici summo. quis enim proponere talem 37-154. A fisherman of Ancona, having caught a huge turbot, presents it to Domitian. The emperor, having no dish large enough to hold it, hastily summons his council to advise him what to do. The difficulty is solved by that expert glutton, Montanus, who proposes that a special dish be manufactured for the occasion, and the council is dissolved. 37. semianimum, half strangled; here a quadrisyllable; Intr. 88. laceraret, was mangling, like a wild beast. Flavius ultimus: Domitian. 38. calvo Neroni : Domitian, a Nero in character; cf. Suet. Dom. 18 calvitio ita offendebatur ut in 45 40. Dorica: because settled by refugees from Sicily. — sustinet, bears aloft. The temple of Venus at Ancona (cf. Cat. 36. 13) stood probably on the lofty site which is now occupied by the cathedral. Ancon: so named from the bend (ȧyкúv = elbow) in the Adriatic coast. 41. sinus the object of implevit, joined loosely also with incidit, which generally takes in with the accusative. 42. Maeotica: of the Palus Maeotis, Sea of Azov. 43. solibus: plural because the effect is produced by the sun during many days. 46. pontifici summo: Domitian. The emperors from Augustus on held the office of pontifex maximus.proponere, to offer for sale. 47. et litora, even the seashore. - multo delatore: 1. 33n; Intr. 61 b. On the ablative, see Intr. 35. |