SATIRA X. IN the 4th satire of this book Horace had censured Lucilius, his predecessor in satirical composition, attributing to him carelessness in regard to form—a matter essential in productions which are intended to endure. In the reign of Augustus there arose among the critics two parties, the one paying unconditional homage to the ancient Roman writers, whose vigour and talent they admired; the other seeking to create something new, and insisting particularly upon strict attention to form, style, and versification. Under the first emperors the latter party was predominant; but after Hadrian's time the former assumed sway, and then began the rapid decline of Roman literature. In this satire Horace maintains his opinion of Lucilius, and justifies his own exertions. He rushes at once in medias res, by a reference to his previous criticism, which is implied in the particle nempe. This want of a preface displeased the old grammarians, who therefore prefixed eight lines, which are here given, as they form a kind of introduction. These lines are wanting in the oldest and best manuscripts. This is the last satire of the first book, and is intended to guide the reader in his criticism of the whole book. [LUCILI, quam sis mendosus, teste Catone Grammaticorum equitum doctissimus. Ut redeam illuc.] Nempe incomposito dixi pede currere versus Ut non hoc fateatur ? At idem, quod sale multo Nec tamen hoc tribuens dederim quoque cetera; nam sic Et Laberi mimos ut pulchra poemata mirer 5 1. Nempe. Compare Zumpt, §§ 278 and 345.-4. Charta eadem, 'on the same leaf, in the same satire.'-5. Cetera, the other qualities which are necessary to make a good poet.'-6. D. Laberius was a Roman eques, whom the dictator Caesar compelled to go upon the stage at the games which he gave. He was distinguished as a writer Ergo non satis est risu diducere rictum Auditoris; et est quaedam tamen hic quoque virtus; Est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia neu se Hoc stabant, hoc sunt imitandi; quos neque pulcher of mimes; that is, dramatic scenes and jests, without a regular plot, and acted without masks. Women also played in mimes, which was not the case in the comedy proper.-12. Defendente vicem tuente partes. - 15. Secat= dirimit, decides.'—16. Quibus viris, dative for a quibus viris. He calls them viri, because they were men of sturdy intellect, without much polish.-17. Stabant. Stare is properly said of an actor who 'pleases, takes' in the theatre. The opposite is cadere. The sense of the passage is: Lucilius and his contemporaries are to be admired for their talent and vigour, but the form of their productions is not worthy of imitation.-18. As to Hermogenes, see i. 3, 129. The simius was a certain poet, M. Demetrius, so called from his puny form and ugliness, and therefore put here in contrast to the pulcher Hermogenes. See verse 90.-19. C. Licinius Calvus, who died young about 48 B. C., was a friend of Catullus, and a poet of considerable merit. Valerius Catullus was the celebrated lyric poet whose works we still possess.-20. At. Horace puts his censure into the guise of an objection which is made to him.-21. Seri studiorum, behind in your studies.' Gram. § 277, 6, note 2. Quine. Horace here, in a remarkable and extremely rare fashion, affixes the interrogative particle ne to the relative pronoun: hence the meaning is, since you think-but do you really think that a difficult thing?'22. The Rhodian Pitholeon, a Greek by birth, is unknown; for it is not certain that the Pitholaus mentioned by Suetonius (Jul. Caes. cap. 75) as a witty poet, is the same person.-23. Lingua concinnus utraque; that is, concinnatus, mixtus ex Graeco et Latino. As the Falernian wine was heady and somewhat sour, it was often mixed with the sweet Chian.-25. The sense is: you consider it allowable or even a Dura tibi peragenda rei sit causa Petilli? Verba foris malis, Canusini more bilinguis? Quae neque in aede sonent certantia, judice Tarpa, Nec redeant iterum atque iterum spectanda theatris. 40 Eludente senem comes garrire libellos 45 beauty in verse, but not in judicial pleading. However, if it is right in the one case, it must be so in the other.-26. Petillius, a friend of Octavianus, who was accused of stealing a golden crown from the temple of Jupiter on the Capitol.-28. Q. Pedius, nephew of Julius Caesar, adopted a son of the elder Messalla, who henceforward bore the name of Q. Pedius Poplicola.-30. In Canusium, as in a great part of Lower Italy, both Greek and Latin were spoken.-31. Natus citra mare, born on this side of the Adriatic;' that is, in Italy.-34. In silvam ligna ferre was a proverbial expression, corresponding exactly to the English carry coals to Newcastle.'-35. Magnas Graecorum catervas implere, to make the large troops of Greek poets still larger.' There are so many great Greek writers that no one now can gain fame in Greek literature, or in the departments occupied by the Greek authors. Therefore, says Horace, I attempt neither the epic nor the dramatic, but a new kind-satirical poetry.-36. Alpinus, a poet, now unknown, who seems to have written epics in Latin. Jugulat Memnona; that is, describes the death of the Trojan hero Memnon.-37. Defingit-caput, 'describes the muddy mouth of the Rhine,' probably in a poem on the deeds of the Romans in Caesar's time. The verb defingere is rare, and implies here, to injure by description.' Haec ego ludo, I compose these light poems, satires.'-40. Construe thus: potes garrire comes libellos arguta meretrice Davoque eludente senem Chremeta-that is, comedies; for the artful mistress, the slave Davus, and the old father Chremes, were the chief dramatis personae in comedy.-42. As to Pollio, see Carm. ii. 1, introduction.-43. Pede ter percusso; that is, in iambic trimeter, which has three ictus.-44. Varius has been mentioned in Hoc erat, experto frustra Varrone Atacino Atque quibusdam aliis, melius quod scribere possem, Quam rudis et Graecis intacti carminis auctor, i. 6, 55.-46. Hoc; namely, satire, which Lucilius invented, and which after him was attempted by P. Terentius Varro Atacinus, the most learned Roman of his time, and by others, but was still in need of improvement.-50. Horace had said of Lucilius in a previous satire (i. 4, 11), Quum flueret lutulentus, erat quod tollere velles; that is, as his language was by no means pure, there was much which one would expunge. This judgment he repeats here still more strongly: plura tollenda relinquendis, more that deserves to be removed than to be left.'-52. Doctus, as a critic.'-53. Nil mutat, 'does he alter nothing?' that is, does he censure nothing?-54. Ennius was the father of Roman poetry, distinguished in all departments, but particularly in epopee.— 55. In comparison with himself (quum de se loquitur), Lucilius censures the verses of Ennius, though, in so doing, he does not speak of himself as a greater poet. Hence reprensis is an ablative absolute: supply versibus from the preceding line.-57. Num-num, poetical for utrum-an. The sense is whether merely his nature or the nature of things generally permits none but rough and unpolished verses to be composed in Latin, such as a person would write who simply wished to have lines that would scan.-59. Pedibus senis claudere; that is, to write in hexameters.-62. Cassius, an unknown poet.-64. Ambustum; namely, before he was buried.-66. Graecis intacti carminis auctor, Ennius, who first attempted satire (a kind of poetry untried by the Greeks), but who did not succeed in it so well as Lucilius. Hence the latter is called in line 48 its inventor.-67. Seniorum, poetical for vetustiorum. Si foret hoc nostrum fato delatus in aevum, Non ego nam satis est equitem mihi plaudere, ut audax Contemptis aliis explosa Arbuscula dixit. Men' moveat cimex Pantilius, aut cruciet, quod 80 Vellicet absentem Demetrius, aut quod ineptus Pollio, te, Messalla tuo cum fratre, simulque 69. Quod ultra perfectum traheretur; that is, what is overdone.-71. Vivos unques, his nails down to the quick.'-73. Neque, but yet not.'-74. An objector speaks.-75. Vilibus in ludis, in low schools." In the schools of the grammarians the old poets alone were read and explained.-76. Equitem; that is, respectable and educated people.-77. Arbuscula, the name of an actress who is praised by Cicero.-78. Horace mentions some persons whose censure is commendation. Pantilius and Fannius were bad poets, but are otherwise unknown.-84. Horace next mentions his noble patrons, whom he is anxious to please, and introduces the list with the expression ambitione relegata; that is, without wishing to boast of my great acquaintances.' Among these the most distinguished are Pollio and Messalla (lines 42 and 29.)-90. As to Demetrius, see line 79. Hermogenes Tigellius was a singer and teacher of music: hence plorare jubeo, you may howl away.' Besides, however, jubeo aliquem plorare, like the Greek iu sú, has the sense of an imprecation, ruin take you.'-92. Said not without a special purpose. 6 |