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31. Nïl : i. e. we might as well say that 'there is nothing hard within an olive, or on the outside of a nut.'

35. Scin ... annus: 'I desire to know what number of years may establish a value to writings.'

38. Excludat...finis: let the established number of years (to constitute antiquity) remove all doubt.' This is the answer to Horace's question, and the beginning of a dialogue full of pleasantry.

45. Utor permisso: 'I avail myself of your concession.' 48. Qui...fastos: who has recourse to the calendar.'

52. Leviter... Pythagorea: seems to care but little what may become of his promises and his Pythagorean dreams.' Ennius pretended that the soul of Homer, whom he zealously imitated, had, by transmigration through a peacock, passed into himself. But now that posterity had accorded to Ennius the fame that he desired, Horace says, he cares little about his Pythagorean fables. Thus, beginning with Ennius, our author proceeds in the nine following lines to give the common estimation in which other poets were held by his cotemporaries.

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56. Actius alti: Actius has the reputation of a sublime poet.' 67. Ignave multa fatetur: if it (the multitude) acknowledges that they (the ancients) have written many things in a slovenly

manner.

69. Livi: i. e. of Livius Andronicus.

71. Orbilium: Horace once attended the school of Orbilius, whom he calls plagosus, for his severity.

72. Et exactis...distantia: 'and little removed from perfec

tion.'

79. Rectè ... dubitem: 'were I to doubt whether Atta's drama moves with propriety through the saffron and flowers on the stage or not.'

81. Quum; since;' inasmuch.'

86. Saliare Numa carmen: Numa's hymn for the Salii.' When Numa instituted the order of Salii, he composed a form of prayer or praise for them.

102. Hoc... secundi: 'this effect, benign peace and favoring breezes of national prosperity produced.'

103. Reclusa manè... nummos: 'to be up early in the morning with open doors, to explain the laws to clients, and to loan money carefully secured by good names.'

115. Didicit: sc. medicina artem.

123. Pane secundo: 'brown bread,' of a secondary quality. 125. Si das hoc: if you allow this.'

132. Puella: referring to the virgins, who sung the Carmen Sæculare with a choir of boys.

145. Fescennina: from Fescinnia, a town in Etruria, a kind of pantomime exhibitions was introduced into Rome. These at first consisted in gesticulations; but afterwards extemporaneous verses of a satirical character were superadded, which were de

nominated Fescinnine verses.

At first these verses were amus

ing and innocent; but they finally became so defamatory and abusive that a law was passed making it a criminal offence to abuse any one in this way. The punishment was, to be beaten to death with clubs.

154. Formidine fustis: 'through fear of the club.'

160. Serus enim: sc. Romanus.

164. Tentavit... posset: he made an experiment, too, whether he could translate their pieces as they deserved to be.'

171. Partes tutetur: 'he represents the character.'

173. Quantus... parasitis: how excessive Dossennus is in his characters of ravenous parasites ;' and how careless and negligent he is in his style!

178. Exanimat lentus spectator: 'a listless spectator depresses.'

180. Valeat res ludicra: 'farewell to dramatic writing.'

185. Si discordet eques: if the knights disagree with them;" i. e. if they oppose their freaks at the theatre.

187. Equiti: i. e. this depravity of taste has spread to the better classes; they want show rather than sentiment.

189. Quatuor... horas: 'the curtain is kept down for four hours or more.' At the commencement of the play the Romans let fall the curtain to expose the stage, instead of raising it up, as we do. The play was interrupted in the present case, and the stage kept open to view for the exhibition of some show, for several hours. Horace complains of this abuse.

193. Ebur: i. e. cut out in figures of ivory.

195. Panthera camelo: the reference is to the camelopard, or giraff, as being of a mixed race.

199. Scriptores... surdo: 'he would think the writers of the comedy employed in telling a story to a deaf ass.'

205. Concurrit dextra lava: i. e. they clap hands; they applaud.

209. Laudare malignè : 'condemn by faint praise.'

210. Me... poeta: 'that poet appears to me able to walk upon a tight rope;' i. e. able to do any thing.

223. Quum loca... irrevocati: 'when unsolicited we repeat. passages already recited.' Irrevocati is an expression borrowed from the stage, where a performer is called back, revocatus, when desired by his audience to repeat again any part of his perform

ance.

226. Ut, simul atque . . . cogas: 'that as soon as you shall learn that we write poetry, you will, of your own accord, graciously send for us, place us beyond the reach of want, and constrain us to write.'

230. Edituos: 'heralds,' to proclaim or record.

234. Philippos: these were golden coins with Philip's head on them, given by Alexander to Chœrilus. See Class. Dict. 236. Carmine fado: 'by verses unworthy of their subject.

242. Judicium subtile: sc. Alexandri.

244 Natum: sc. eum esse.

264. Nil... gravat: 'I love not that respect which annoys

me.'

267. Ne rubeam: 'lest I should blush.'

268. Cum scriptore meo: with my panegyrist.'

269. In vicum vendentem: 'into the street where they sell.' 270. Et quidquid... ineptis: 'and whatever is wrapped up in worthless paper'

EPISTLE II.

Julius Florus, to whom this epistle is addressed, was, at the time it was written, absent with Tiberius Nero. Horace gives his reasons for not having complied with the request of Florus that he would send him some lyric poems. He tells him that he wished to devote himself to the study of philosophy. And throughout the epistle he intersperses many excellent precepts for the regulation of the conduct, and for securing a good and happy life. He commences with a lively and amusing account of a slave-dealer, as an example of the verbosity and knavery of that class of men.

12. Meo... are: I am short for money, but owe nobody.'

14. Semel hic cessavit: 'he was once in fault; and hid himself behind the stairs for fear of the whip, as was natural enough.' Doering prefers this construction to pendentis in scalis, the usual one. The seller uses the word cessavit for aufugit; to soften the crime of running away, which was considered so important a defect in the character of a slave, that the sale was made void by law, if this was not mentioned to the purchaser.

17. Ile: i. e. the slave-dealer who sells the slave.-Pœnæ securus: 'fearless of any punishment,' for the fraud he committed; as the law could not reach him, after he had mentioned the fact that the slave had run away.

23. Quid... attentas: what then have I gained by my concession, if, nevertheless, you impeach the laws protecting me?'—Mecum facientia: i. e. me adjuvantia. Jaeck.

28. Vehemens lupus: sc. ut: 'like a raging wolf.’'

43. Bona Athena: 'kind Athens.'

48. Non responsura lacertis: unable to cope with the arms,' or forces of Augustus Cæsar.

52. Sed quod... versus : i. e. but now possessing every thing that I wish, what doses of hellebore could cure my madness if I did not think it better to sleep quietly than to attempt writing poetry again?

60. Bioneis sermonibus: i. e. with such keen satire as Bion of Borysthenes is said to have written.

65. Præter cætera: 'above all.'

67. Hic... scripta: this one desires me to stand bail for him, and another to hear him read his writings.'

81. Ingenium: ‘a man of genius.'

87. Frater... ille: the poet passes suddenly to another topic; that of the mutual commendation and praise of certain poets. He says; there were at Rome two friends, the one a rhetorician, and the other a lawyer, who agreed to extol each other. The lawyer made the rhetorician a second Gracchus; and he in turn called him another Mucius.' Mucius was a celebrated writer upon the civil law. Frater seems to be used for friend.

92. Calatumque... opus: 'and a work polished by the hands of the nine Muses.'

98. Lento... duello: 'like gladiators in a slow, harmless contest till evening twilight.' Samnites is the name of a class of gladiators.

99. Puncto illius: according to his vote;' referring to the manner of marking, as they counted the votes at elections.

119. Adsciscet... usus: 'he will introduce such words as use, the father of language, has produced.'

128. Quam sapere, et ringi: than to be wise, and always on the rack."

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134. Et signo lagenæ and did not fly into a passion at finding the bottle unsealed.'

151. Audieras ... stultitiam: 'you have heard that to whomsoever the gods gave riches, from him also depraved folly departed.' But when you find this is false doctrine, do you still put confidence in the same teachers?

166. Quid refert... olim for where is the difference, whether you live on money recently spent, or spent some time ago?' 192. Quòd... invenerit: because he shall find nothing more than was originally given to me ;' i. e. because I have not increased my estate.

204. Extremi... priores: 'if behind the first, yet before the last.'

205. Non es...fugêre: 'go then, I acquit you of the charge of avarice. What! have all the other vices fled with that of avarice?"

THE ART OF POETRY.

THESE remarks upon the art of poetry were probably designed as the third epistle of the second book, and addressed to Lucius Piso and his two sons. Horace did not pretend to give a complete treatise upon the art of poetry; but to throw out such hints upon the leading topics of the subject, as the nature of an epistle

would allow. He has therefore observed no particular method or order in discussing the subject; nor been at the trouble of making any preamble. He begins at once with the most essential and important precept, which is unity and simplicity of design.

1. Humano... membris: 'should a painter undertake to join a horse's neck to a human head, and uniting limbs from various animals, to cover the whole with party-colored feathers.'

4. Mulier formosa supernè: referring to humano capiti in the first verse. Many critics believe the poet to have supposed two pictures here, and read, aut turpiter: but Quintilian understood it as here explained.

5. Spectatum: 'to view it;' a supine.

9. Pictoribus ... potestas: this remark is supposed to be made by another person, to whom our author replies by admitting the truth of the proposition, and defining what is meant by poetic license.

15. Purpureus pannus: 'here and there a purple patch is sewed on, which makes a great show.'

18. Flumen Rhenum: the poets often decline substantives as if they were adjectives; as Rhenus,-a,-um; so Ovid has Caput Augustum, Quirinam urbem; and Horace Metaurum flumen, Romulam gentem.

19. Sed...locus: 'but here was not the place for these; though they may be beauties.

20. Quid hoc... pingitur: i. e. how will this satisfy the man who hires you to paint him shipwrecked, and floating hopeless on the broken planks of the vessel ?

21. Amphora... exit: i. e. a bad poet opens his poem with something great and magnificent, but amuses himself with trifles; as a bad potter begins a large and beautiful vase, but produces only a worthless pitcher. San.

32. Æmilium... imus: 'the meanest artist in the Emilian square.' This place was called after Æmilius Lepidus, who formerly had a school for gladiators there. In later times Polyclėtus, the statuary, had his rooms there.

34. Infelix... nesciet: but he will be unsuccessful in completing the statue, because he cannot give just proportions to the whole.'

35. Hunc ego... capillo; if I were about to attempt a work of art, I should no more wish to imitate such a one than to appear in public, remarkable for fine black hair and eyes, but disfigured by a defective nose.'

40. Lecta: selected.'-Potenter: 'adapted to his powers.' 42. Venus: 'beauty.'

45. In verbis... auctor: these two verses have very properly exchanged places, of late years. According to the judgment of Dr. Bentley, they should stand as they do here. The construction is, Auctor promissi carminis, etiam in serendis verbis tenuis

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