thing of English money, taking the value of the 'denarius' at 8d. The Romans were great bathers. 139. Crispinum] See S. i. 1. 120, n. The body-guards of kings were called 'stipatores' Horace therefore uses the word ironically in that sense. SATIRE IV. HERE again Horace is at pains to defend himself from the charge of malevolence. This charge, no doubt, was loudly brought against him by those who were or thought themselves the objects of his satire; and he attributes it, as well as the neglect his poems experienced compared with the inferior poetry of the day and the old poetry of Lucilius, to the jealousy and fears of the multitude, every man apprehending that he may be attacked next; and also in some measure to a false taste, which preferred a wordy, flowing style to the terseness and accuracy of his own. His object is to contrast his own style and pretensions with those of Lucilius and of the Crispinuses and Fanniuses of the day, as well as to quiet the apprehensions of his friends, and disarm the malignity of his enemies. Everybody must admire the way in which he takes occasion, from the necessity of self-defence, to pay a tribute of grateful affection to his father's memory; and it would be difficult to find a more pleasing picture of paternal solicitude and sound sense, as applied to a boy's education, than Horace has drawn in the latter part of this Satire. 1. Eupolis atque Cratinus Aristophanesque] He begins by describing the character of Lucilius as a satirist, and says he followed in the steps of the old Greek comedians. The Greek comedy was divided by the Alexandrine grammarians into three periods, the Old, the Middle, and the New. The three persons here named were the chief poets of the Old Comedy. Cratinus was the eldest of the three, and died B. c. 422, when Aristophanes was a young man. He was the last of that period. The other writers of the Old Comedy, whom Horace alludes to with respect, are very little known to us. Horace fixes on the Comoedia Prisca, because the subsequent phases of the Greek Comic Drama were not of the same personally satirical cast, the license granted to the old writers having been taken away by law. The words 'poëtae' and 'virorum' are used emphatically, as below in S. 10. 16: "Illi scripta quibus comoedia prisca viris est." 5. multa cum libertate notabant.] During the period of the Old Comedy, the law of Athens did not interfere with the poet's liberty of speech, except upon two occasions, when psephisms were passed prohibiting the introduction upon the stage of living characters as objects of satire by name, a restriction of no great force, since the substitution of a feigned name, slightly altered from the true, would make the allusions equally intelligible and more ridiculous. Neither of these psephisms lasted more than a couple of years. See S. i. 6. 14, n., on notare.' 6. Hinc omnis pendet Lucilius,] Hine' means 'upon them,' as 'unde' is elsewhere used with reference to persons. What Horace says of Lucilius is briefly this: that his whole strength was laid out on the satirizing of vice in the persons of living characters; that he especially imitated herein the writers of the Old Comedy, only changing their metre; that he was funny (facetus') and acute ('emunctae naris '), but harsh in his style of versification; wordy and sometimes vulgar, in consequence of the haste with which he wrote and his impatience of the trouble of correcting. He adds below (S. 10. 3), that the most idolatrous admirer of Lucilius could not deny that his style was uncouth. He there also adds, that Lucilius loved to mix up Greek words with 415 his own language (v. 20), that he was good-tempered, notwithstanding his satirical vein (v. 53), and again that he was very unreserved and frank (S. ii. 1. 30-34). The fragments of Lucilius that have come down to us are too short to form a very accurate opinion upon, but in some points, at least, (such as the absurd mixture of Greek and Latin,) they bear out Horace's state ments. 7. Mutatis tantum pedibus] The writings of Lucilius appear to have been very early divided by the grammarians into thirty books, of which two thirds were written in hexameter verse, and the rest in the iambic and trochaic measures. That Lucilius imitated the comedians in all but their measures, cannot be true. The character of their plays could not be transferred to satirical poems like his, though some of their features might suit, as their coarseness and personalities. 8. Emunctae naris,] Emunctac naris' is one who has his nose well wiped, and is therefore no driveller. Phædrus explains it in his description of Æsop (1. iii. f. 3, v. 14): — Aesopus ibi stans naris emunctae senex, Natura nunquam verba cui poterit dare." Emungere' is used by the comic writers for cheating,' as among other places (see A. P. 238) in the fragment from the Epiclerus of Cæcilius quoted by Cicero de Am. 26. "To wipe a man's nose for him, is to imply that he is a driveller who cannot do it for himself, and hence it means to outwit' and to 'cheat' him." (Long in loco). Others explain 'emunctae naris' as 'keen-scented,' like a hound, which is wrong. 10. versus dictabat] See S. 10. 92, n. mean with the utmost facility, or 'standing at ease,' as we might say. Others The words 'stans pede in uno' explain 'stans pede in uno' to mean within the time a man could stand on one foot. The other is right. 11. Cum Aueret lutulentus] Lutulentus' combines two notions, dirtiness and obscurity. Lucilius may have imitated the obscenity of the old comedians; and in this, as in other respects, his verse may have been like a muddy stream. The word, no doubt, comprehends defects of taste as well as style. 12. piger scribendi ferre laborem,] 'Piger ferre' is a Greek construction, common in the Odes, but not so in the language of the Satires. (See C. i. 1. 18, n.) In C. iv. 14. 22, we have impiger' in the same construction. 14. Crispinus minimo] See S. i. 1. 120, n. offers me the greatest odds,' literally, 'he challenges me at the smallest Minimo me provocat,' 'he amount' to be staked on my side, while he puts down a large one on his. The mention of the negligent way in which Lucilius wrote, leads on to the mention of small pocts of the day, Crispinus and Fannius. See Introduction. 15. Accipiam tabulas;] This is nothing more than a polite challenge to see which could write most verses in a given time. Take tablets if you please, and I will take them too." The omission of the personal pronoun before accipiam' to express antithesis, is nothing in familiar talk, where there could be no mistake. foul play. Custodes' are umpires to see that there is no 18. raro et perpauca loquentis.] making me of a poor and unpretending disposition, that speaks but seldom, The gods have done me a kindness in and very little at a time.' This is Horace's reply to the challenge, which he declines. 19. At tu conclusas] Persius imitates this, S. v. 10. 21. Beatus Fannius] This Fannius is spoken of in another place (S. i. 10. 80) as a contemptible person, and a parasite of Hermogenes Tigellius (S. 3. 129, n.). It appears probable, from Horace's words, that he had his admir ers, as rant and emptiness will always have, and that they made him a pres ent, by way of a testimonial as it is called, of a set of handsome 'capsae ' and a bust. The capsa' was a round box, suited to hold one or more rolled volumes. The larger sort was called 'scrinium.' 22. cum mea nemo] See Introduction. That Horace wrote many pieces which have not been preserved, appears clear from this passage and v. 71, sqq. 23. vulgo recitare timentis] See note on v. 73. The usage which leaves the personal pronoun to be inferred from the possessive, is common both in Greek and Latin. (See C. iii. 22. 6.) Compare Ovid (Heroid. v. 45) : “Et flesti, et nostros vidisti flentis ocellos." Timco' and 'metuo' do not govern an infinitive mood in the prose-writings of Horace's day. 'Vereor is used in that construction. 24. sunt quos] There are some who are by no means pleased with this sort of writing, as being for the most part worthy of censure themselves.' As to 'sunt quos,' see C. i. 1. 3, n. He seems to have particular persons or classes in view. 26. Aut ob avaritiam] Laborare ob' is an unusual construction, and the sentence begins with one form of expression and ends with another. 'Ambitio' generally had an epithet of a strong kind applied to it. Horace has 'prava,' inanis,' 'mala,' misera'; and Cicero (De Off. i. 26) says, “Miserrima est omnino ambitio honorumque contentio." The practice, therefore, seems to have been habitual, which, if we consider the evils that arose out of personal ambition, and the eagerness with which places of honor were sought at all times of the Republic, is not surprising. 28. Hunc capit argenti splendor ;] Cups and other vessels curiously wrought in silver and Corinthian bronze, and very costly (such as Juvenal describes, S. i. 76), were among the many objects of extravagance at Rome. The exaggerated admiration of the persons Horace alludes to, for such works of art, might be comparatively harmless, if it did not lead them into dishonest ways of acquiring them, and beggaring their families, as Albius did, of whom we know nothing. His son is mentioned below (v. 108), as living in want through his father's extravagance. Stupet,' with the ablative, occurs below (S. 6. 17); and 'torpere,' an equally strong word, is used in the same connection in S. ii. 7. 95. 29. Hic mutat merces] See C. i. 31. 12, n. surgente a sole, etc.] This means from east to west ("ad ortus Solis ab Hesperio cubili," C. iv. 15. 15). 'Mutare merces , can hardly be applied to any but a mercator. Mala' means dangers and hardships. 34. Foenum habet in cornu;] A law of the XII. Tables gave an action to any man who was injured by a vicious animal. It became customary, therefore, that any ox or other animal of vicious propensities should be marked in such a way as to warn passengers, and enable them to get out of its way. Hence the proverb, "He has a wisp of hay on his horn." 37. a furno] Furnus' is the bakehouse, to which the lower sort of people, old women and children, carried their bread to be baked. 'Lacus' were tanks distributed in all parts of the city, into which water was conveyed from the aqueducts, and to which poorer persons resorted who could not afford to have water laid on at their houses. 38. Agedum,] Dum,' as an enclitic, signifies 'awhile'; 'agedum,' 'come a moment.' 39. Primum ego me illorum] Primum' means 'in the first place'; before I begin, let me dispose of the fallacy which classes writers like myself among poets (the word assumed above, Omnes hi metuunt versus, odere poëtas,' v. 33). This question occupies twenty-four verses, after which he returns to the main point, which is the odium attaching to writers of Satire. The da tive is commonly used after 'licet esse,' 'datur esse,' etc. 2. 51. A. P. 372. See S. i. 1. 19; 40. concludere versum] This expression is repeated below (S. 10. 59: "si quis pedibus quid claudere senis "). 42. Sermoni propiora:] Sermoni' means common conversation. Hence the name 'Sermones' given to the Satires and Epistles. 43. os Magna sonaturum,] This form does not appear elsewhere in this word. Cicero uses praestaturus,' and Sall. (Jug. 47) juvaturus.' Horace has 'intonata' in Epod. ii. 51. See Virg. (Georg. iii. 294): "Nunc veneranda Pales, magno nunc ore sonandum." The attributes of a poet, which Horace considers essential, are genius, inspiration, and dignified sentiments, and language suited to high subjects. 45. Idcirco quidam] In reference to this, certain persons have raised the question whether a comedy was or was not a poem': "utrum comoedia esset poema necne esset." This is a grammarian's question, and depends upon the definition assumed for a poem, in which, however, imagination is generally supposed to have a conspicuous place, and this would exclude the comedies of Plautus and Terence, and their Greek originals of the New Comedy, from the title of poetry. But the same rule would exclude much more that has passed for poetry, with less pretension to the name even than Horace's Satires, or the Heautontimorumenos. Quidam' signifies the grammarians of Alexandria. 48. Differt sermoni] Discrepare,' 'dissidere,' 'distare,' 'differre,' Horace uses with the dative (see C. i. 27. 5, n.), but the two last also with the ablative and ab." "It must not be supposed, however, that 'from ' can in any way be the signification of the dative," which remark Professor Key applies to the analogous construction in use by the poets with verbs of taking away. At pater ardens] Demea in the Adelphi of Terence, and Plautus's Theuropides are instances in point. At,' which usually in such places introduces an objection, here seems to be the remark of one who supposed that the fury and ranting of the enraged father in the comedy might be supposed to partake of the fire of poetry. But Horace disposes of the objection very casily. Any father who had such a son as Pomponius, for instance, a dissolute youth (of whom we know nothing more), would probably storm at him in much the same terms that the man on the stage uses. It was the aim of the New Comedy, which the Roman writers followed, to put real life upon the stage by means of a plot natural and probable, and to represent men and women as they were seen and heard every day, in which it differed essentially from the Old Comedy, a mere vehicle for political and personal satire. 54. puris verbis,] Puris' corresponds to inornata' (A. P. 234). It means plain language, free from any mixture of trope or other ornament. See Terence (Heaut. Prol. 44) : "Si quae laboriosa est ad me curritur : Si lenis est ad alium defertur gregem. 30 Cicero (In Verr. ii. 4. 22) speaks of "purum argentum," plate with the ornamental work taken off. He says it is not enough (to constitute a poem) that it should be written throughout in plain language, which, if you take to pieces, it will be found that any father in common life expresses his wrath in the same terms as the father in the play. 56. His ego quae nunc,] From these verses that I now write and Lucilius wrote formerly, if you take away certain times and measures (measures regulated by beating time), and change the position of the words, you will not (as you would if you broke up such a verse as the following, Postquam, etc.) find the members of the poet thus torn to pieces.' That is, his language would be unintelligible, or there would be no more of the poet left. 60. Postquam Discordia tetra] The Scholiasts imply that this is a verse of Ennius, but they do not say from what poem it is taken. Virgil (Aen. i. 294) has "claudentur belli portac." As to the position of 'non,' see S. 6. 1. 63. alias justum sit necne poëma,] The question he has been discussing since v. 38, namely, whether he and such as he are or are not properly called poets, is not resumed, though we may perceive that Horace does not consider that his arguments have quite settled it. He goes on to show that the public have no reason to be afraid of him. 65. Sulcius acer Ambulat et Caprius] These persons are said by the Scholiasts to have been public informers, or else causidici,' 'pleaders,' and Horace may mean that they have made themselves hoarse with roaring in the courts. The 'libelli' they carried were their note-books. 'Ambulat' signifies their strutting through the streets with the consciousness that men were afraid of them. Delatores,' 'informers,' were more common in after years, but they were sufficiently abundant in Horace's time. Cælius and Birrus are said by Acron to have been profligate youths, meaning probably that they were young men of fortune, who had run through their money and had taken to robbing. 69. Ut sis] Say that you are.' Horace says he is not like the informers, going about seeking whom they may charge, and no one with clean hands need be afraid of him. 71. Nulla taberna meos habeat] In the next place, he has no wish to see his books in the shops and thumbed by the vulgar. The taberna' was sometimes under a porticus, in which case the titles of the books for sale within were hung upon the columns (pilae') in front. Horace alludes to this when he says (A. P. 372), Mediocribus esse poëtis Non Dii, non homines, non concessere columnae," which means that indifferent poets would not be patronized by the booksellers. Habeat' expresses a wish. On Hermogenes Tigellius, see S. 3. 129, n. 73. Nec recito cuiquam] Nor does he go about reciting his works in public. This practice grew to be an intolerable nuisance in the course of time. Persons who had money and dabbled in literature inflicted their productions upon their clients and others, whom they bribed to listen and applaud them. What Horace goes on to complain of are silly people reciting their own verses in public places (the forum and the baths) to chance acquaintances, or even strangers, and annoying the neighbors while they gratified themselves. Round the baths were spaces called 'scholae.' On these, people sat or walked about, and conceited authors could tease their acquaintance and the strangers that were compelled to listen to them, and in the act of bathing they could do the same. 77. haud illud quaerentes,] Illud' is thus used commonly to introduce something about to be mentioned. Studio' is 78. Lacdere gaudes, Inquit,] Horace has said, that, even if he does write or recite, it is only in a private way, and no one therefore need be afraid of him. He now disposes of the charge of writing with malicious intent. used adverbially, 'of set purpose in your malignity you do it.' 80. Est auctor quis denique eorum] Quis' may be taken as an interrogative or an enclitic. It is not easy to decide. As to 'auctor,' see C. i. 28. 14, n. 84. commissa tacere Qui nequit ;] This, which is too commonly softened into a weakness, the inability to keep a secret, Horace very justly marks as one of the most prominent signs of a mischievous character. See C. iii. 2. 25, n. On Romane,' see C. iii. 6. 2, n. ་ 86. Saepe tribus lectis] Four persons on each lectus tricliniaris' would be an unusually large party at one table. Three on each was the usual number when the table was full. Respecting the arrangement of the guests, see S. ii. 8. 20, n. |