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in scaenam missos cum magno pondere versus
aut operae celeris nimium curaque carentis
aut ignoratae premit artis crimine turpi.
Non quivis videt, immodulata poemata iudex,
videtise
et data Romanis venia est indigna poetis.
Idcircone vager (scribamque licenter) an omnes

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with intheccata putem mea, tutus et intr

veniae cautusVitavi denique culpam, non laudem merui. Vos exemplaria Graeca nocturna versate manu, versate diurna.

At vestri proavi Plautinos et numeros et laudavere sales, nimium patienter utrumque, ne dicam stulte, mirati, si modo ego et vos scimus inurbanum lepido seponere dicto, legitimumque sonum digitis callemus et aure. Ignotum tragicae genus invenisse Camenae dicitur et plaustris vexisse poemata Thespis, Before Theapis

ful lines are marred by carelessness
or want of knowledge of art.

260. cum magno pondere: cf.
sine pondere, II. 2. 112.

260

265

270

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Sigression history of drama born at 75-984. Icaria (Altica). "Aitty rambs" were sung "honor of Sonpur aim at something higher than merely hespiad. escaping censure. to tehn this 270. at vestri, etc.: a loose chap- ints, diama ter in which the poet, being reby introducin minded by the mention of careless metre of the faults of Plautus in that regard, criticises the taste of the ancients on account of their admiration of the careless writing of Plautus. This admiration extended both to the verse and the wit of Plautus, and on both these points Horace finds him unworthy as a model. Giving a brief account of the rise of the drama, Horace comes to his ever-present idea that careful composition is the one indispensable virtue.

262. premit: i.e. the iambus, from its omission.

263. non quivis, etc.: i.e. but the Romans are not good judges of rhythm, and so the metrical faults of these early poets are pardoned.

264. indigna, undeserved, that ought not to have been granted.

265. idcircone: i.e. because others have been pardoned. vager, take liberties. - an, or rather, the second alternative being preferred

as usual.

267. vitavi, etc.: i.e. if I do exercise this care, I have after all deserved no credit, but only avoided blame, implying that it would be a disgrace to him not to do so.

268. vos, etc.: i.e. I recommend you to study the true models, and

271. patienter, with indulgence. 273. inurbanum: i.e. coarse, unpolished, the characteristic of Plautus.

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και ταξει Αισχύλος δε ού μόνον τζευγι ευπρέπειαν, και σευνότητα Еврофайтак как бабой хой

294

Marchada Albamedia.

Wednes

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την ξηλώσάντες μφιένν νυνται,

HORATI EPISTVLAE.

quae canerent agerentque peruncti faecibus ora.

[LIB. II

Post hunc, personae pallaeque repertor honestae, Before mock

Aeschylus et modicis instravit pulpita tignis
et docuit magnumque loqui nitique cothurno.
Successit vetus his comoedia, non sine multa
laude, sed in vitium libertas excidit et vim
dignam lege regi: lex est accepta chorusque
turpiter obticuit sublato iure nocendi.
Nil intentatum nostri liquere poetae ;

nec minimum meruere decus vestigia Graeca Jausi deserere et celebrare domestica facta,

Tragedy

fect

face disguine w. wine loves.

28c

style &

us Romane, пока up every Aramatic wn vented by 95.0

a. Roman &

w. Po vel qui praetextas vel qui docuere togatas. only ect opposed to The

Comedy

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Nec virtute foret clarisve potentius armis "palliata
quam lingua Latium, si non offenderet unum-Comedy u. ak. subject.

277. peruncti, etc. : doubtless for
the
same purpose as the later
masks, to prevent the recognition
of the identity of the actor from de-
stroying the illusion.

278. personae, etc.: Eschylus
was supposed to be the inventor of
the mask and other theatrical para-
phernalia. The earlier perform-

ance was doubtless a mere merry-
making, without special costume.
Cf. Καὶ Αἰσχύλος δὲ οὐ μόνον ἔξευρε
τὴν τῆς στολῆς εὐπρέπειαν, καὶ σεμ
νότητα, ἣν ζηλώσαντες (ζηλώσας
ἦν) ἱεροφάνται καὶ δᾳδοῦχοι ἀμφιέν-
νυνται. Athenæus I. 21.

279. modicis: as in a small the-
atre. -pulpita: i.e. the raised stage,
as opposed to the earlier Ouμéλn, or
table of the single reciter. -tignis:
i.e. the first stage was a temporary
structure of wood.' Cf. Müller,
Bühnenalterthümer, p. 128 seq.

280. magnum, etc.: i.e. he in-
troduced the dignity and solemnity
of Tragedy.

281. vetus cf. Sat. I. 4. I.
282. libertas: cf. Sat. I. 4. 5;
notę.

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290

283. lex, etc. i.e. the law was passed and obeyed.

285. nil, etc.: a brief statement, of the adoption of the Greek drama by the Romans, and its attempted development.

287. domestica facta: i.e. the choice of Roman subjects.

288. praetextas: i.e. plays answering to Tragedy, as representing the acts of consuls and the like, clothed in the toga praetexta. Titles preserved are Romulus (Nævius), Sabinae (Ennius), Aeneadae (Accius), and others. -docuere: the regular word for producing a play. togatas: plays on themes from common life (of persons clad in the ordinary toga). They correspond to the Greek Comedy as represented in the palliatae of Plautus and Terence, but there are traces of a chorus, or at least of a number of persons speaking in concert. Titles are Augur, Libertus, Psaltria, Simulans, Brundisinae.

290. si non offenderet, etc.: this brings Horace to the kernel of the whole, the want of care in writing

- to 40 4 de gospotami), Aristophanes!. Kively no chemas to 338 (Battle of Charronin). Plato, Euripides gets roasted new - after 338. [Scene from life] nothing topical or personal.

file

quemque poetarum limae labor et mora.

Vos, o

Pompilius sanguis, carmen reprehendite, quod non multa dies et multa litura coercuit atque

295

301. we aim to

perfectum decies non castigavit ad unguem. Perfect.
Ingenium misera quia fortunatius arte
credit et excludit sanos Helicone poetas
Democritus, bona pars non unguis ponere curat,
non barbam; secreta petit loca, balnea vitat.
Nanciscetur enim pretium nomenque poetae,

thirk

Geneus does not need to take paing Inspiration "artistic temper.

no po

si tribus Anticyris caput insanabile nunquam good for arrange

tonsori Licino commiserit. O ego laevus qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam! Non alius faceret meliora poemata. Verum poemata) oil tanti est: ergo fungar vice cotis, acutum reddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi : munus et officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo, Alth's I write

which has prevented the Romans from excelling in art.

291. limae: cf. limatior, Sat. I. 10. 65.

293. coercuit, castigavit: the figure is from pruning.

A

294. ad unguem: cf. Sat. I. 5. 32. perfectum: cf. v. 346. reading praesectum has some authority, but seems to be ingeniously made out of unguem.

295. ingenium misera, etc.: a humorous development of v. 290.ingenium, genius, as inborn and not cultivable by art. - fortunatius, more successful, as succeeding in literature better than study can.

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296. excludit, etc.: cf. ds d'av ἄνευ μανίας Μουσῶν ἐπὶ ποιητικὰς θύρας ἀφίκηται ἀτελὴς αὐτὸς,

κτλ. Plato, Phædr. p. 245, and saepe enim audivi poetam bonum neminem, id quod a Democrito et Platone in scriptis relictum esse dicunt, sine inflammatione animorum existere posse et sine quodam adflatu quasi furoris. Cic. de Or. 46. The minem

where get plant 36ellebore for mentally 331-30g desarranged Inspires genius teon desqualifies

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me but I kun
secret of
tell you
385 good poetry

194; de Div. I. 37. Also Sat. I. 4. 34.

297. bona pars, etc.: i.e. poets put on the outward signs of madness, such as the neglect of their personal appearance, and the avoidance of society.

299. nanciscetur, etc.: as the poets think. pretium: i.e. the honor.

300. Anticyris: cf. Sat. II. 3. 83. 301. O ego, etc.: the poet jocosely shows the folly of the idea in words which give an easy transition to his proposed theme, the requirements of poetry.

302. bilem: see Gr. § 240 c, note; cf. II. 2. 137.- verni: cf. Cels. II. 13.

303. faceret: i.e. if I omitted to take the anti-bilious treatment. verum, etc. : i.e. but there is nothing I think so much of as guarding against insanity.

304. ergo fungar, etc.: i.e. being obliged by this prejudice to forego being a poet, I will content myself with showing others how to write.

306. munus, function, what is

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our characters for stays. Patriatism. Pilial love.. "Boon't be

tos bookish wither.

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unde parentur opes, quid alat formetque poetam,
quid deceat, quid non, quo virtus, quo ferat error.
Scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons.
Rem tibi Socraticae poterunt ostendere/charte
readily

[LIB. II.

310-318 4 diamatic poet must his some phlog

verbaque provisam rem non invia sequentur.
Qui didicit, patriae quid debeat et quid amicis,
quo sit amore parens, quo frater amandus et hospes
quod sit conscripti, quod iudicis officium, quae
partes in bellum missi ducis, ille profecto
fitting past
Freddere personae scit convenientia cuique.
Respicere exemplar vitae morumque iubebo
doctum imitatorem et vivas hinc ducere voces.
doctum imitatorell only
and only ataque recte
w.good moral

Interdum speciosa

fabula nullius veneris, sine pondere et arte,
Valdius oblectat populum meliusque moratur
quam versus inopes rerum nugaeque canorae.
Graiis ingenium, Graiis dedit ore rotundo

necessary to give satisfaction to the
hearer. — officium, profession, what
the work itself demands, emphasiz-
ing the responsibility of the author.
These ideas are not different, but, as
often, the two phases of the same
idea.

307. unde parentur, etc. : cf.
vv. 309-322.-quid alat, etc.: cf.
vv. 323-332.

308. quid deceat, etc. cf. vv. 333-365.-quo virtus, etc.: cf. vv. 366-452.- quo error: cf. vv. 453-476.

309. sapere: with reference to v. 296.

310. rem: material, such as is described in v. 312 seq. — Socraticae i.e. philosophic, but chiefly with reference to Ethics (cf. v. 312 seq.); see Od. I. 29. 14; III. 21. 9. 311. verba: etc.: cf. Cato's rem tene, verba sequentur.

315. partes: cf. I. 18. 14.

316. reddere, assign. The ref

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reality.

315

320 332 Julking of Sound, le Rolls makes to much 9 moral science Too little

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beauty erence here, as for the most part, throughout the epistle, is to dramatic Capt of poetry, in which characterization is, of course the most important thing. beautyf 317. exemplar, etc.: in addition bea to philosophy the poet should studypte

real life.

delineator;

result

318. imitatorem : i.e. imitator of real life. utilitaria 319. speciosa locis: i.e. with duen noble and pleasing sentiments (communes loci). morata recte: i.e. with sound moral precepts suited to each character.

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320. sine pondere, without pow er; i.e. to move the feelings, tame in the action, dull.

321. moratur, holds.

322. rerum: i.e. sententiarum, the same as the loci above, thoughts, sentiments, moral truths. — nugae: i.e. in so far as they have no moral purpose.

323. Graiis, etc.: the mention of sententiae leads Horace to account

Musa loqui, praeter laudem nullius avaris. Romani pueri longis rationibus assem whole discunt in partes centum diducere. 'Dicat filius Albini: Si de quincunce remota est

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330

uncia, quid superat? Poteras dixisse.' 'Triens.' 'Eu!
rem poteris servare tuam! Redit uncia, quid fit?'
'Semis.' At haec animos aerugo et cura peculi
cum semel imbuerit,, speramus carmina fingi
cidar vil
posse linenda cedro et levi servanda cupresso?
pleasure
Aut prodesse volunt, aut delectare poetae,
aut simul et iucunda et idonea dicere vitae..
Quicquid praecipies, esto brevis, ut cito dicta

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moral instruction & pleasing, pe seent for dictation

percipiant animi dociles teneantque fideles for entertainme

for the superiority of the Greeks in genius. For it is their devotion to liberal arts, more especially philosophy, as opposed to the more commercial education of the Romans, that has caused this difference.

324. avaris: an anticipation of what Horace has in his mind from the first, that is, the sordid character he is going to assign to the Romans in the next verse. Of this the Greeks had nothing, except in regard to fame.

325. longis, etc.: i.e. what we call Vulgar Fractions, which would be learned at a very early age; hence the simplicity of the example.

326. dicat, etc.: an example of the principal teaching at Rome.

327. Albini: as the name is not a common one, it is probably that of a usurer, as Acron says. — quincunce: the calculation is in the complicated duodecimal system of of the Romans.

328. poteras dixisse, come; you can tell. The teacher encourages the pupil who hesitates for a moment. This hesitation accounts for the use of the imperfect poteras,

similitude

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palty is that which you could tell (if you chose, or the happily like). Cf. tempus erat, Od. I. 37. 4. dixisse: the perfect only for metrical reasons. - triens: third, i.e. four-twelfths.- eu! rem, etc, the approval of the teacher, induced by the correct answer of the pupil. But there is also a moral approval; for if the boy understands fully that taking away a twelfth actually reduces the sum to a third, he is likely to look sharply after his fractional currency.

329. redit: is added, a kind of passive of reddo. Cf. for red, also redigo, used of moneys.

330. aerugo, gangrene, properly rust; cf. Sat. I. 4. 101.

- cu

332. linenda cedro: i.e. to be
preserved. The oil of cedar was
used to keep off moths.
presso: the elegant bookcase sug-
gests the value of the work.

333. aut prodesse, etc.: the be-
ginning of the topic quid deceat
(v. 308). This Horace treats under
two heads, as to instruction and as
to amusement.

335 quicquid, etc. : in reference to the prodesse and idonea.

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