Nunc et latentis proditor intimo edly, often.'-21-24. Description of a merry game of 'hide-and-seek.' The sentence consists of two parts, corresponding to the two parts of the game, and connected by et-que. The girl hides, but betrays herself by laughing. When the seeker discovers her, he takes from her a forfeit or pledge, either a bracelet (pignus dereptum lacertis), or a ring (pignus dereptum digito), which she teasingly refuses to give (hence digito male pertinaci.) Construe thus: nunc et gratus risus, proditor ab intimo angulo puellae latentis; that is, qui prodit puellam latentem. To risus pignusque, supply from line 20 repetantur, or some verb of similar meaning. CARMEN x. AD MERCURIUM. A HYMN to Mercury. This, like the preceding ode, is in imitation of a Greek poem by Alcaeus. MERCURI, facunde nepos Atlantis, More palaestrae, Te canam magni Jovis et deorum 5 1. Nepos Atlantis. Maia, the mother of Mercury by Jupiter, was a daughter of Atlas.-2. Mercury's first merit. He has given man language and eloquence. Feros cultus, wild way of life: the plural is poetic. Recentum, 'newly created.-3. Catus, an old Sabine word, seldom used in later times, equivalent to prudens, sapiens.— 4. More palaestrae. Mercury presided over wrestling-schools, and over physical training generally. The palaestra is called decora, because it gives man a graceful carriage. The young Romans exercised themselves in the palaestra with the same view as young people now practise dancing; namely, to give ease and elegance to their motions. 5-6. Mercury is described as the messenger of the gods, and the inventor of the lyre. Et deorum; that is, et ceterorum deorum, a mode of speaking pretty common both in Greek and Latin. Curvae lyrae: Mercury, as the tradition ran, formed the lyre out of the crooked shell of a tortoise, by fitting strings to it.-7. Mercury was the god also of gain made by craft and cunning. Callidum condere, a Greek construction for Te, boves olim nisi reddidisses Quin et Atridas duce te superbos Tu pias laetis animas reponis · - callidum condendi. Placuit is to be taken in its proper sense, whatever has pleased him, taken his fancy' quidquid adamavit. 9. Two instances of Mercury's cunning are cited. The tradition in reference to the former of these is, that on the very day on which he was born he stole fifty oxen from Apollo; and, at the moment when the god was uttering dire threats against him, contrived to take away his quiver from his shoulder. Upon discovering this second theft, Apollo was forced to laugh at the dexterity of the little fellow. The construction is as follows:- Olim Apollo, dum te puerum terret minaci voce, nisi reddidisses boves per dolum amotas, risit viduus (=spoliatus, or cum privatus esset) pharetra.-13. The second instance of Mercury's craft. By the command of Jupiter he conducted Priam, king of Troy, who wished to redeem from Achilles the body of his son Hector, safely through the midst of the Grecian camp, unobserved by the two Atridae Agamemnon and Menelaus.-15. Thessalos ignes, 'the watch-fires of the Thessalians;' to which nation belonged especially the Myrmidones, the companions of Achilles. Iniqua Trojae inimica Trojanis.-17. Mercury's last duty. With his golden rod- —a present from Apollo he guides the souls of the dead to the lower world. Laetis sedibus, the place of the blessed,' Elysium.-18. Levem; that is, bodiless-the shades.-20. Imis inferis; namely, Pluto and Proserpine. = = -- 4* CARMEN XI. AD LEUCONOEN. THIS poem is addressed to a female, whom Horace calls by the fictitious name of Leuconoë. She was addicted to the study of astrology, by means of which she endeavoured to ascertain the duration of her own life, and of the lives of her friends and enemies. The author in this poem attempts to dissuade her from the practice of the art; an art which in his time was in great repute, but was afterwards prohibited under severe penalties. Tu ne quaesieris (scire nefas), quem mihi, quem tibi 1. Ne quaesieris, = noli quaerere, a negative command. Gram. $369. Scire nefas, scil. est, to know it is a crime against heaven ;' the gods having thought it right to keep the knowledge from man. This is implied in nefas.-2. Babylonios· numeros, the calculations of the Babylonians; that is, of the Chaldeans, who came from Babylon, and practised astrology.-3. Ut melius, quanto melius est.-4. Ultimam, supply hanc.-5. Pumicibus, the cliffs on which the waves beat, and which they are said debilitare. The word properly means the same as its English derivative, 'pumicestone;' and the name is here applied to rocks cracked and crumbling from the action of the water, and thus resembling pumice.-6. Vina liques. The Romans, before drinking wine, used to filter it through a linen cloth, and thus free it from impurities. The poet's meaning here is simply, that Leuconoë should give herself up to pleasure and wine. Spatio brevi spem longam reseces, Cut off (take away) the long hope from the short space of life.' Spatio brevi is, therefore, the dative.-7. Dum loquimur, whilst we are talking," whilst I am giving you this admonition. Invida aetas; time is called envious, because it curtails our pleasures.-8. Carpe diem. Carpere here expresses activity in enjoying, 'seize, grasp, make the most of this day;' enjoy thyself so long as life and opportunity permit. CARMEN XII. AD AUGUSTUM. A SUBLIME eulogium on Augustus, written about the year 24 B. C., when Augustus was in undisputed possession of the government, and had just added another prop to his power by uniting in marriage his daughter Julia to his nephew M. Marcellus. The poet flatters him after a truly sublime fashion; mentioning first the gods, then the heroes of Roman history, concluding with a prayer to Jupiter for prosperity and a happy reign to the emperor. QUEM virum aut heroa lyra vel acri Aut in umbrosis Heliconis oris, Arte materna rapidos morantem Quid prius dicam solitis parentis 5 10 1. Acri tibia, the shrill-sounding flute,' a standing epithet for this instrument.-2. Sumis celebrare, Clio, a poetical mode of expression, taken from the Greek. In prose it would be sumis celebrandum, 'dost thou take up or choose to celebrate.' Clio was the muse of history, and is purposely named here. The poet intends to write a panegyric on a historical personage.-3. Jocoso-imago; namely, the echo, for which the Romans had no particular name, and which they therefore frequently called imago vocis. It is called jocosa, because it mocks the traveller, and plays with him. -5, 6. These three mountains, Helicon in Boeotia, Pindus in Thessaly, and Haemus in Thrace, were the chief seats of the muses. Thrace was also the native country of the most ancient Greek poets, particularly, Orpheus; hence, in line 7, unde, &c.-7. Vocalem, used in a participial sense,=canentem. Temere, involuntarily, without knowing why.' To insecutae supply sunt.-9. Materna, of his mother;' namely, the muse Calliope.-11. Blandum-ducere, able by coaxing and delighting to draw after him.' Auritas, said properly of one who has long or large ears, here simply 'attentive, listening.' -13. Solitis parentis laudibus; that is, quam solitas laudes parentis deorum et hominum; namely, Jupiter, with whose praises the ancient Laudibus, qui res hominum ac deorum, Unde nil majus generatur ipso, Nec viget quidquam simile aut secundum: Pallas honores, Proeliis audax. Neque te silebo, Dicam et Alciden puerosque Ledae, Defluit saxis agitatus humor, Romulum post hos prius an quietum poets used to begin their productions.-15. Variis-horis. Hora is here, in accordance with its original signification in Greek, a season: mundum is therefore coelum.-17. Unde; that is, ex quo; namely, Jove. This god, according to the ideas of the ancients, was the creator of all, and was himself optimus maximus, the greatest and best being in the universe; none of his creatures equalling or resembling him.-18. Secundum. The Latins have a well-marked distinction between secundus and proximus. Secundus is one who stands next to another, and but little below him; whereas proximus is one who is next indeed, but, it may be, at a very great distance, longo intervallo.-21. Proeliis audax.-A descriptive epithet of Pallas or Minerva, the goddess of war.-22. Virgo; namely, Diana, the goddess of the chase.-23. Certa-sagitta, 'for thy sure (surely-aimed) arrow.' Apollo invented and used the bow.-25. Alciden, Hercules, grandson of Alcaeus. Pueros Ledae, Castor and Pollux, the former of whom was distinguished as a horseman, both for the management of his steed and the style in which he fought, and the latter as a pugilist. Pugnis, therefore, in line 26, is from pugnus not pugna. -26. Superare-nobilem, a poetical construction, illustrious because he conquers,' or 'from his victories.' -27. Simul=simul atque, or ac. Alba, partly from its colour, bright,' partly because its appearance is a sign that the violence of the tempest is past. See i. 7, 15: albus Notus. As to the constellation of the Dioscuri, compare i. 3, 2.-29. Defluit-humor, 'the storm-driven water flows down from the rocks;' that is, the water which, in spray, has been thrown far up the cliffs, flows down again into the sea.- 31. Quod sic voluere, because they (the sons of Leda) have so willed;' the waves obey their behest. Ponto, the dative, poetically, for in pontum.— 33. The poet comes now to the heroes of Roman history, among |