Page images
PDF
EPUB

Quis humana sibi doleat natura negatis.
An vigilare metu exanimem, noctesque diesque
Formidare malos fures, incendia, servos,
Ne te compilent fugientes, hoc juvat? Horum
Semper ego optarim pauperrimus esse bonorum.
At si condoluit tentatum frigore corpus
Aut alius casus lecto te affixit, habes qui
Assideat, fomenta paret, medicum roget, ut te
Suscitet ac natis reddat carisque propinquis?
Non uxor salvum te vult, non filius; omnes
Vicini oderunt, noti, pueri atque puellæ.
Miraris, cum tu argento post omnia ponas,
Si nemo præstet quem non merearis amorem ?
At si cognatos nullo natura labore

Quos tibi dat retinere velis servareque amicos,
Infelix operam perdas, ut si quis asellum
In Campo doceat parentem currere frenis.
Denique sit finis quærendi, cumque habeas plus,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

75

80

85

90

èáv te ind πatpòs éáv te vnd ådeλpoû éáv te ún3 äλλov tivòs Boúλnται τιμᾶσθαι, μὴ, τῷ οἰκεῖος εἶναι πιστεύων, ἀμελῇ, ἀλλὰ πειρᾶται, ὑφ ̓ ὧν ἂν βούληται τιμᾶσθαι, τούτοις ὠφέλιμος εἶναι.

There is good authority for the reading adopted by Gesner: An si... ‘Would you be losing your labour if you endeavoured to retain (by meriting it) the love of your kindred? Is that a hopeless task?' 92. Denique sit finis.... 'In

fine, let a definite limit be set to your pursuit of wealth.' Observe how this verse connects itself with vv. 106-7.: 'Such a limit is a principle in nature, and the neglect of it is inconsistent with rectitude.' quærendi, amassing, making money;' as in Epist. I. vii. 57. cumque. Al. quoque, against the MSS.

Pauperiem metuas minus et finire laborem
Incipias, parto quod avebas, ne facias quod
Ummidius quidam, non longa est fabula, dives
Ut metiretur nummos, ita sordidus, ut se
Non unquam servo melius vestiret, ad usque
Supremum tempus ne se penuria victus
Opprimeret metuebat. At hunc liberta securi
Divisit medium, fortissima Tyndaridarum.

Quid mi igitur suades? Ut vivam Mænius? aut sic,
Ut Nomentanus? Pergis pugnantia secum
Frontibus adversis componere: non ego, avarum
Cum veto te fieri, vappam jubeo ac nebulonem.
Est inter Tanain quiddam socerumque Viselli.
Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines,
Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum.
Illuc unde abii redeo, nemo ut avarus
Se probet ac potius laudet diversa sequentes,
Quodque aliena capella gerat distentius uber
Tabescat, neque se majori pauperiorum

Turbæ comparet, hunc atque hunc superare laboret.

[ocr errors]

cumque habeas plus, since you have more than before;' as parto quod avebas, 'having obtained your original desire,' i. e. a competency. 95. dives. sc. ita dives. 100. fortissima Tyndaridarum. i.e. like a Clytemnestra.'

[blocks in formation]

105. This is said by the Scholiast to be a Greek proverb.

108. I come back to my first point, viz., that men in their covetousness are never contented.'

66

nemo ut, i.e. ut nemo: pro accus. cum infinitivo, ut Sat. 1. iii. 115.”— Orelli. The construction is appa

101. Mænius. Epist. 1. xv. 26. Nævius is the reading of more MSS.rently repeated from his first sentence Of him, see Sat. 11. ii. 68. (v. 1.): fit, ut nemo contentus vivat. nemon' ut...? is the reading of

102. L. Cassius Nomentanus, proverbial with Horace for his extrava-many MSS. and Edd., but has all gance. Sat. 1. viii. 11., 11. j. 22.

104. vappam ac nebulonem. The same terms are used Sat. 1. ii. 12., as the opposite of avarus. vappa was properly wine, or rather vinegar, which had lost all its acid and taste. nebulo is from nebula, mist, cloud. They describe, therefore, a wasteful worthless character.

the appearance of being a mere correction (such as may be compared with the conjectural nominatis in Carm. III. xiv. 11.), and the interrogative construction is out of place in a summary of reasonings.

110. Cp. Ov. A. A. i. 350.: Vicinumque pecus grandius uber habet.

Sic festinanti semper locupletior obstat,
Ut cum carceribus missos rapit ungula currus,
Instat equis auriga suos vincentibus, illum
Præteritum temnens extremos inter euntem.
Inde fit ut raro qui se vixisse beatum
Dicat et exacto contentus tempore vita
Cedat uti conviva satur reperire queamus.
Jam satis est: ne me Crispini scrinia lippi
Compilasse putes, verbum non amplius addam.

115

120

SATIRA II.

AMBUBAIARUM Collegia, pharmacopolæ,
Mendici, mimæ, balatrones, hoc genus omne
Mostum ac sollicitum est cantoris morte Tigelli
Quippe benignus erat. Contra hic, ne prodigus esse
Dicatur metuens, inopi dare nolit amico,
Frigus quo duramque famem propellere possit.
Hunc si perconteris, avi cur atque parentis
Præclaram ingrata stringat malus ingluvie rem,

[blocks in formation]

Omnia conductis coëmens obsonia nummis;
Sordidus atque animi quod parvi nolit haberi
Respondet laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis.
Fufidius vappæ famam timet ac nebulonis;
Dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis,
Quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecat atque
Quanto perditior quisque est, tanto acrius urget;
Nomina sectatur modo sumpta veste virili
Sub patribus duris tironum. Maxime, quis non,
Jupiter! exclamat, simul atque audivit? At in se
Pro quæstu sumptum facit hic. Vix credere possis,
Quam sibi non sit amicus, ita ut pater ille, Terenti
Fabula quem miserum gnato vixisse fugato
Inducit, non se pejus cruciaverit atque hic.

Si quis nunc quærat: Quo res hæc pertinet? illuc :
Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt.
Maltinus tunicis demissis ambulat; est qui
Inguen ad obscoenum subductis usque facetus

·

19

15

20

25

16. Nomina. i.e. bonds or bills. 18. At in se . . . . 'But of course he spends liberally in proportion... Not so,' etc.

20. Terentî fabula. The Heautontimorumenos. Cp. act. III. sc. i. 31. with v. 24., dum vitant, etc.

14. Quinas capiti mercedes ex-1quinas centesimas, or 60 per cent. secat. A description of excessive usury. Caput, the principal;' merces, the interest.' The old rate of interest established by the XII. Tables was a yearly one, unciarium fenusth of the sum borrowed, or 8 per cent. But in later times interest was paid every month, and in calculating it the rate was expressed by the as and its divisions. Thus, asses usuræ signified 12 per cent., being 1 as per month. deunces usuræ=11 per cent. unciæ usuræ (uncia being the 12th of an as) signified 1 per cent. Instead of asses usuræ, the phrase centesimæ us. was often used, because at this rate in a 100 months a sum equal to the principal was paid up. And thus binæ centes. us. was 24 per cent.; and in this passage quinas is equivalent to

25. Maltinus. The Scholiast supposes Mæcenas to be alluded to under this substituted name; on which, see Milman's Life, pp. 39, 40. tunicis demissis. Orelli quotes Plaut. Poen. v. v. 24. : Sane genus hoc muliebrosum est tunicis demissiciis. These long flowing robes, worn as a protection against cold, were a mark of effeminacy. They might also be a mark of slovenliness. (Cp. Sat. 1. iii. 31.)

26. facetus, neat, trimly dressed,' or thinking himself so.

Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gargonius hircum.

Nil medium est. Sunt qui nolint tetigisse nisi illas,
Quarum subsuta talos tegat instita veste;

Contra alius nullam nisi olenti in fornice stantem.
Quidam notus homo cum exiret fornice, Macte
Virtute esto, inquit sententia dia Catonis ;
Nam simul ac venas inflavit tetra libido,
Huc juvenes æquum est descendere, non alienas
Permolere uxores. Nolim laudarier, inquit,
Sic me, mirator cunni Cupiennius albi.
Audire est operæ pretium, procedere recte
Qui mochis non vultis, ut omni parte laborent;
Utque illis multo corrupta dolore voluptas,
Atque hæc rara, cadat dura inter sæpe pericla.
Hic se præcipitem tecto dedit, ille flagellis
Ad mortem cæsus, fugiens hic decidit acrem
Prædonum in turbam, dedit hic pro corpore nummos,
Hunc perminxerunt calones; quin etiam illud
Accidit, ut quidam testes caudamque salacem
Demeteret ferro. Jure omnes: Galba negabat.
Tutior at quanto merx est in classe secunda,
Libertinarum dico, Salustius in quas
Non minus insanit quam qui mochatur: at hic si,
Qua res, qua ratio suaderet quaque modeste
Munifico esse licet, vellet bonus atque benignus
Esse, daret quantum satis esset nec sibi damno
Dedecorique foret. Verum hoc se amplectitur uno,
Hoc amat et laudat : Matronam nullam ego tango.
Ut quondam Marsæus, amator Originis ille,
Qui patrium mimæ donat fundumque laremque,
Nil fuerit mi, inquit, cum uxoribus unquam alienis.
Verum est cum mimis, est cum meretricibus, unde

27. Repeated Sat. 1. iv. 92. 39. Cp. Epist. I. ii. 55.

53. hoc se amplectitur uno, 'in

30

35

40

45

50

55

this he hugs himself; this is his boast.'

« PreviousContinue »