ODE XXVIII.-Dicolos Distrophos: Metre-The Second Asclepiadean, of which the first verse is a Glyconian, and the second a Lesser Asclepiadean; thus SUBJECT-An invitation to Lyde to assist him in celebrating the Neptunalia-an annual festival held in honour of Neptune on the 23d of July (X. Kal. Sextil). 2. Reconditum-"stored far back in the vault," and therefore old. See Notes, Ode ii. 3, 8. 3. Lyde strenua-"my active Lyde." Some refer strenua, in an adverbial sense, to prome. 4. Munitaeque, &c.—sapientiae-" and do violence to thy guarded wisdom," or "lay siege to the fortress of thy philosophy," i.e., do not be too philosophical and reserved. Cp. Ode iii. 21, 14. 5. Inclinare meridiem sentis -"thou seest that the noontide is inclining towards the west," i.e., that the day begins to decline. 7. Parcis, &c.—amphoram-" and art delaying to hurry down from the store-room the lingering amphora of the Consul Bibulus," ie., the amphora which contains wine made in the consulship of C. Julius Cæsar and M. Calpurnius Bibulus, B.C. 59, and probably now about 35 years of age. See Notes, Ode iii. 8, 12; and i. 37, 6. 9. Invicem "in alternate (or amœbean) strain." The poet is to sing of Neptune and the Nereids; Lyde of Apollo and Diana; and both of Venus. Cp. 10. Virides, váλivα._“, sea-green. Ovid, Met. v. 432; ii. 11; and xiii. 959. 12. Cynthiae-Diana, from Mount Cynthus in Delos, her native island. 13. Summo carmine, (ea dicetur a nobis), quae "at the conclusion of the strain, we shall sing together of the goddess, who," &c. Cnidon-See Notes, Ode i, 30, 1. 14. Fulgentes-Cycladas-See Notes, Ode i. 14, 20. Paphon-See Notes, Ode i. 30, 1. 15. Junctis (jugatis)―oloribus — " with her yoked swans," ie., in a car drawn by swans. 16. Dicetur, &c. - naenia - "night too shall be celebrated, in a hymn due to her praise." As the naenia, or funeral dirge, marked the close of existence, so here the expression is applied to the hymn that ends the banquet, and whose low and plaintive numbers invite repose. Cp. Ode iii. 10, 10, and Epist. i. 1. 63. ODE XXIX.-Tricolos tetrastrophos: Metre-The Alcaic or Horatian, of which the two first verses are Greater Alcaic, the third an Archilochian, and the fourth a Lesser Alcaic: thus SUBJECT-An invitation to Mæcenas to visit the poet's Sabine farm in the heat of summer. The date is uncertain. See Ode iii. 8, which is supposed to have been written about the same time, 1. Tyrrhena regum progenies-"descen- | be the produce of the Moringa Aptera or dant of Etrurian rulers," lit. "Etrurian Ben-Nut tree. descendant of kings See Notes, Ode i. 1, 1. Tibi-jamdudum apud me est-"there has been for a long time in reserve for thee in my house." 2. Non ante verso-"which has not as yet been turned," namely, to be emptied of any part of its contents, i.e., as yet unbroached. Cp. Ode iii. 21, 6. 4. Pressa balanus-"expressed perfume," or "oil of Ben." Balanus, or Myrobalanum, was a species of nut, from which a valuable unguent or perfume was extracted. It was styled by the Greeks Βάλανος Μυρεψική, (Balanos Myrepsica), and by the Romans Glans Unguentaria, and is understood to 5. Eripe te morae-"snatch thyself from delay," i.e., make haste to pay me a visit. Cp. Ode iv. 12, 25. 6. Ne semper, &c.-parricidae-"do not always gaze upon damp Tibur, the sloping soil of Asula, and the heights of Telegonus who murdered his father," places which might be seen from the tower (Turris Mecenatiana) of Maecenas' palace, the molem propinquam nubibus arduis, on the Esquiline, which was the highest of the seven hills on which Rome was built, and commanded a view of the Campagna di Romana. For Tibur, see Notes, Ode i. 7, 13. Esula is supposed to have been on the slope of a hill between Tibur and Præneste. Telegoni juga refers to Tusculum (Frascati), which Telegonus, the son of Ulysses and Circe, is said to have founded after he had unwittingly murdered his father. The epithets which the poet applies to these places, are not calculated to recommend them to Mæcenas in preference to Sabinum. Instead of ne at the commencement of line 6, several MSS. give nec, as in Ode i. 9, 15; 11, 2; and iii. 7, 29. 9. Fastidiosam copiam -"abundance which is productive of disgust," lit. "nauseous abundance." 10. Molem, &c.-nubibus-Cp. Epode 9, 3. 11. This verse commences with a short syllable. The only other instances are in Öde i. 16, 19; 17, 7; 29, 7; 37, 15; ii. 3, 3; and 20, 11. Beatae-Romae-" of opulent Rome." 13. Vices "change." 14. Parvo sub lare-"beneath the humble roof" 15. Sine aulaeis et ostro-" without hangings, and without the purple covering of the couch," lit., "without hangings and purple." The aulaea, or hangings, were suspended from the ceilings and side-walls of the banqueting rooms. Cp. Sat. ii. 8, 54. 16. Sollicitam explicuere frontem-" have smoothed the anxious brow," i.e., have removed or unfolded the wrinkles of care. 17. Clarus-Andromedae pater-Cepheus, a king of Ethiopia, and father of Andromeda, by Calliopea, was, at his death, said to have become a constellation near the tail of the (Ursa Minor) Little Bear, which rose on the 9th of July (vii. Id. Jul.), and is here taken by the poet to mark the arrival of the summer heats. Occultum ostendit ignem-"displays the fire which he had previously concealed," i.e., rises. 18. Procyon "the Little Dog," is from the Greek_Προκύων (πρό, ante, and κύων, canis), its Latin appellation being Antecanis, or Ante Canem. It rose on the 15th of July (Id. Jul.), and was so called from rising heliacally in Greece 11 days before the Great Dog (Kówv, Canis, Canicula, or Sirius). See Notes, Ode i. 17, 17; and iii. 13, 8. 19. Stella vesani Leonis-The sun enters Leo on the 20th of July (xiii. Kal. Aug.), (Colum. xi. 2, 52.) 22. Horridi dumeta Silvani-"the thickets of the rough Silvanus." Horridus refers to the rough and bristly appearance of the rustic deity (goxóuns). He presided over fields and forests, and is sometimes confounded with Pan, as god of shepherds, and also with Terminus, as the protector of boundaries. Cp. Epode 2, 22, and Virg. En. viii. 601. He is represented carrying the trunk of a cypress, as an affectionate remembrance of his favourite Cyparissus. Cp. Virg. Geo. i. 20. The following illustration is from Montfaucon. 24. Ripa taciturna implies stillness of the atmosphere. 25. Tu civitatem, &c.-curas-"thou, in the meantime, art anxiously considering what condition of affairs may be most advantageous to the state." See Notes, Ode iii. 8, 17. 27. Seres-The most distant inhabitants of the East are associated with the Indians in Ode i. 12, 56, and with the Persians, as here, in Ode iv. 15, 23, and were famed for the production of silk. For the construction of regnata, see Notes, Ode ii. 6, 11. 28. Bactra, or Zariaspa (Balk), the capital of Bactria, or Bactriana (Bokhara), though formerly ruled over by Cyrus, was, in the time of Augustus, subject to the Parthians and Scythian Tochari, and is here put for the whole Parthian empire. Tanaisque discors-" and the Tanais (Don) whose banks are the seat of discord," alluding to the dissensions among the Parthians. See Notes, Ode iii. 8, 19. 29. Prudens, &c.-—trepidat―" a wise deity shrouds in gloomy night the events of the future, and smiles if a mortal is solicitous beyond the law of his being." Cp. Ode iv. 4, 22, Nec scire fas est omnia. 32. Quod, &c.—aequus (=aequo animo)— "remember to arrange the present with a tranquil spirit." 33. Cetera, &c-feruntur-" other things are (i.e., the future is) borne on after the manner of a river," i.e., irresistible, but at one time troubled, and at another calm and tranquil. 34. Medio aequore-"in the midst of its channel." For aequore in this sense, see Virg. Æn. viii. 86 and 96. Most MSS. give alveo; but as some good ones give aequore, the former being the less difficult reading, is the more likely to have been a marginal gloss than the latter. 35. Cum pace-placide, ngipa-"peacefully," is antithetical to nunc lapides, &c. In Etruscum, the last syllable is elided, as in Ode ii. 3, 27. 36. Non sine-See Notes, Ode iii. 26, 2. 37. Stirps is sometimes masc. and sometimes fem. Cp. Virg. Æn. xii. 208, and vii. 293. 38. Una-"together," or "in a mass." Cp. Ovid, Met. i. 285. her cruel employment, and persisting in 54. Resigno quae dedit-"I resign what she bestowed." Resigno is here in the sense of rescribo. When an individual borrowed a sum of money, it was entered with the borrower's name in the banker's books; and when the money was repaid, another entry was made. Hence scribere nummos is "to borrow," and rescribere, "to pay back." Mea virtute me involvo-"I wrap myself up in the mantle of my integrity, and pay court to honest though undowered poverty." Poverty is a privilege where riches is a crime. 57. Non est meum-"it is not for me," or "it is no employment of mine." With mugiat Africis malus procellis, compare Ode 14, 5, and see Notes, Ode i 1, 15. 59. Et votis pacisci "and to strive to bargain by my vows." 40. Diluvies"flood," occurs again in Ode iv. 14, 28; but diluvium is more fre-i quently found elsewhere. 41. Amnes-"tributary streams." As the Tiber is probably the river mainly referred to, these are the Clanis, Tinia, Nar, and Anio. Cp. Virg. Æn. vii. 465. Ille, &c. deget "that man will live master of himself, and happy." Potens sui-yngarns ἑαυτοῦ, οι αὐτάρκης. 42. In diem-each day," is to be joined with dixisse, and not with vixi, as in diem vivere, is "to live from hand to mouth." 43. Vixi-"I have lived," ie., I have done my duty, and enjoyed the blessings of life. With atra nube, compare informes hiemes, in Ode ii. 10, 15. 44. Polus and axis are often poetically used for caelum. Pater-Diespiter, Ode i. 34, 5. Occupato is the Sd sing. pres. imper. rather than the 2d, and may be translated by Zeugma, in the first instance, "shroud," and in the second, "illumine." 46. Quodcunque retro est-"whatever is gone by." 47. Diffinget infectumque reddet-" will he change and render undone." Cp. diffingas, Ode i. 35, 39. 48. Vexit is here-avexit, or abstulit, not to advexit, or attulit. 49. Saevo, &c.-pertinax-"exulting in 62. Tum-"at such a time as this." Biremis-scaphae-" of a two-oared boat." Cp. Cic. de Orat. i. 38, 174; duorum scalmorum navicula, oxápos dinerov. See Notes, Ode ii. 3, 28. Biremis, properly denotes "with two banks of oars." See Notes, Ode iii. 1,39. vouring breeze, and the twin-brothers Cas64. Aura-geminusque Pollux-"a fator and Pollux." See Notes, Ode i. 3, 2. bited on the obverse a female head adorned The silver coinage of Rome originally exhiwith a winged helmet, and on the reverse the Dioscuri on horseback, with couched each of their heads: thusspears, and conical caps, and a star above The illustration is taken from a Quinarius; but both the Denarius and Sestertius had similar devices. ODE XXX-Monocolos: Metre-The Lesser Asclepiadean, composed throughout of Lesser Asclepiadean verses: thus 1 This Ode, like the last one of the Second Book, predicts the poet's immortality in the admiration of his countrymen, and was probably intended as an epilogue to the three first Books. For the supposed date, see Öde i. 1. 1. Exegi, &c.-perennius-"I have reared | tamorphoses: Jamque opus exegi quod nec a memorial of myself more enduring than Jovis ira, nec ignes, &c., and by Properbronze." This appears to have been imi- tius, iii. 1, 8: Exactus tenui pumice versus tated by Ovid, at the conclusion of the Me- eat. 2. Regalique, &c.-altius-" and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids." 3. Imber edax-"the corroding shower." Impotens (sui) = vehemens-" boisterous." Cp. Epode 16, 61. 4. Inumerabilis, &c. -temporum "the countless series of years, and the flight of ages." 7. Libitinam-Venus Libitina, at Rome, was worshipped as the goddess who presided over funerals, as Juno Lucina, over births. To escape Libitina, therefore, is to escape the oblivion of the grave. Usque -semper, is to be joined with crescam, not with recens, as it is not used in this sense except with verbs. Postera (=posterorum) laude-recens-"ever fresh in the praises of posterity." 8. Dum Capitolium, &c.-pontifex="as long as Rome shall endure." The vestal virgins went up to the capitol on the Ides of every month with the pontifex maximus to sacrifice to Vesta. The virgins, though silent, were accompanied with boys chanting hymns in honour of the goddess, (Varro, Ling. Lat. 5, 47, p. 19, Müll; and Ovid, Fast. iii. 699.) of which Horace was born at Venusia, on the 8th of December, B.C. 65. 11. Et qua, &c.-populorum-" and where Daunus, scantily supplied with water, ruled over a rustic population." Daunus is here supposed to have been an ancient king of Apulia, and pauper aquae understood to refer to the summer heats of that country. See Notes, Ode i. 22, 13. 12. Regnavit populorum is an imitation of the Greek idiom, ngg av. Several MSS. give regnator for regnavit, but the latter reading is generally preferred, as a verb is needed. Ex humili potens-"I, having become powerful from being lowly,' applies to the poet, and not, as Bentley and some others would have it, to Daunus. 13. Aeolium carmen has a particular reference to Alcæus and Sappho, who both Wrote in the Eolic dialect. Cp. Ode iv. 3, 12; and see Notes, Ode ii. 13, 24, 26. 14. Deduxisse-The figure is borrowed from the leading down of streams to irriThe stream or gate the adjacent fields. Lyric verse is drawn down by Horace from the heights of Grecian poesy to irrigate and refresh the humbler literature of Rome. 15. Delphica lauro-"with Apollo's bays." Cp. Ode iv. 2, 9. Melpomene 10. Dicar is to be joined in construction with princeps deduxisse-"I shall be celebrated as the first that brought down," &c. Aufidus-A rapid stream in Apulia, now 16. Volens-"propitiously." the Ofanto, about fifteen miles to the south-See Notes, Ode i 24, 3. VIEWS OF THE CAPITOL AT DIFFERENT PERIODS. 1. From a Denarius of the Gens Petillia. 2. From a large Brass of Vespasian. 3. From a Silver Medallion of Domitian. ODE L-The Second Asclepiadean, of which the first verse is a Glyconian, and the second a Lesser Asclepiadean: thus This Ode is a prologue to the Fourth Book, addressed to Venus, and written probably in B.C. 15. See line 6. SUBJECT-The poet remonstrates with Venus against a veteran of nearly fifty years being again summoned into her service; advises her to call upon Paullus Maximus, who was young, noble, handsome, accomplished, and able to reward, and confesses that, though love did not now afford him its former pleasure, it still retained its hold of his inclinations. 2. Bella-Cp. Ode iii. 26, 2. Precor is repeated for the sake of emphasis. 3. With non sum, qualis eram, compare Epist. i. 1, 4. Bonae-Cinarae-" of the good Cinara." Though rapacious to others, she was kind to him, (Epist. i. 14, 33). From Ode iv. 13, 22, it appears that she died young. The name is probably fictitious. In Greek, Kivága is a species of artichoke. Kuvága, a sort of wild rose, (Κυνόσβατος). 5. Mater saeva Cupidinum is also found in Ode i. 19, 1. preces "the soothing 9. Tempestivius, &c. - Maximi -"more seasonably shalt thou go flying with thy beautiful swans to the house of Paullus Maximus to revel." The allusion is probably to Paullus Fabius Maximus, who was a favourite with Augustus, and afterwards |