have a palace that might expose him to envy. The lofty pine is more frequently agitated with winds, and high towers fall down with a heavier ruin, and lightnings strike the summits of the mountains. A well-provided breast hopes in adversity, and fears in prosperity. Tis the same Jupiter, that brings the hideous winters back, and that takes them away. If it is ill with us now, it will not be so hereafter. Apollo sometimes rouses the silent lyric muse, neither does he always bend his bow. In narrow circumstances appear in high spirits, and undaunted. In the same manner you will prudently contract your sails, which are apt to be too much swollen in a prosper ous gale.

ODE XI.

TO QUINTIUS HIRPINUS.

O QUINTIUS HIRPINUS, forbear to be inquisitive what the Cantabrian, and the Scythian, divided from us by the interposed Adriatic, is meditating; neither be fearfully solicitous for the necessaries of a life, which requires but a few things. Youth and beauty fly swift away, while sapless old age expels the wanton loves and gentle sleep. The same glory does not always remain to the vernal flowers, nor does the ruddy moon shine with one continued aspect; why, therefore, do you fatigue your mind, unequal to eternal projects? Why do we not rather (while it is in our power) thus carelessly reclining under a lofty plane-tree, or this pine, with our hoary locks made fragrant by roses, and anointed with Syrian perfume, indulge ourselves with generous wine? Bacchus dissipates preying cares. What slave is here, instantly to cool some cups of ardent Falernian in the passing stream? Who will tempt the vagrant wanton Lyde from her house? See that you bid her hasten with her ivory lyre, collecting her hair into a graceful knot, after the fashion of a Spartan maid."

45 There is much doubt about the reading and interpretation of taia passage. See Orelli.

ODE XII.

TO MECENAS.

Do not insist that the long wars of fierce Numantia," or the formidable Annibal, or the Sicilian Sea impurpled with Carthaginian blood, should be adapted to the tender lays of the lyre: nor the cruel Lapithæ, nor Hylæus excessive in wine, and the earth-born youths, subdued by Herculean force, from whom the splendid habitation of old Saturn dreaded danger. And you yourself, Mæcenas, with more propriety shall recount the battles of Cæsar, and the necks of haughty kings led in triumph through the streets in historical prose. It was the muse's will that I should celebrate the sweet strains of my mistress Lycimnia," that I should celebrate her brightdarting eyes, and her breast laudably faithful to mutual love : who can with a grace introduce her foot into the dance, or, sporting, contend" in raillery, or join arms with the bright virgins on the celebrated Diana's festival. Would you, [Mæcenas,] change one of Lycimnia's tresses for all the rich Achæmenes possessed, or the Mygdonian wealth of fertile Phrygia, or all the dwellings of the Arabians replete with

46 Numantia, a city in Spain, now called Garray: with a garrison of 4000 men, it held out fourteen years against a Roman army of 40,000 men; at last, being sore pressed by Scipio, and like to perish by famine, they gathered all their goods together, and setting them on fire, they threw themselves afterward into the flames. WATSON.

47 Terentia, the passionately-loved wife of the jealous Mæcenas, is, doubtless, intended. When the poets wished to avoid the direct nomination of an individual, they generally coined some word corresponding in meter and number of syllables with the proper name of the person, as here Lycimnia Terentia. Thus also Persius, "Auriculas asini Midas rex habet," where Midas is Nero, as Plania is Delia, in Tibullus, etc.; Malthinus in Serm. i. 8, is for Maecenas, etc. A freed-woman could

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not be intended, from the expression "nec ferre pedem dedecuit choris," for none but females of the highest rank took part in these sacred dances. WHEELER “Neque enim periculum erat, ne inter virgines lectas saltare cuivis fœminæ dedecori esset, excepta forte Livia Augusti vel Terentia Mæcenatis, vel Octavia aliave ex nobilissimis quarum infra dignitatem id esse severioribus videri potest." ORELLI.

48 By the word certare, the poet alludes to a custom among the Greeks and Romans of disputing the prize of raillery on their festival days. It appears by a passage in Aristophanes, that the victors in these disputes were publicly crowned by the Greeks. DAC.

treasures? Especially when she turns her neck to meet your burning kisses, or with a gentle cruelty denies, what she would more delight to have ravished than the petitioner-or sometimes eagerly anticipates to snatch them herself.

ODE XIII.

TO A TREE.

O TREE" he planted thee on an unlucky day whoever did it first, and with an impious hand raised thee for the destruction of posterity, and the scandal of the village. I could believe that he had broken his own father's neck, and stained his most secret apartments with the midnight blood" of his guest. He was wont to handle Colchian poisons, and whatever wickedness is any where conceived, who planted in my field thee, a sorry log; thee, ready to fall on the head of thy inoffensive master. What we ought to be aware of, no man is sufficiently cautious at all hours. The Carthaginian sailor thoroughly dreads the Bosphorus; nor, beyond that, does he fear a hidden fate from any other quarter. The soldier dreads the arrows and the fleet retreat of the Parthian; the Parthian, chains and an Italian prison; but the unexpected assault of death has carried off, and will carry off, the world in general. How near was I seeing the dominions of black Proserpine," and Facus sitting in judgment; the separate abodes also of the pious, and Sappho complaining on her Æolian lyre of her 49 The construction is, "ille et nefasto te pos. die, Quicunque primum posuit, et (postea) produxit sacr. manu." ORELLI.

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50 i. e. the blood of his guest, slain at midnight.

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51 The term robur appears to allude particularly to the well-known prison at Rome, called Tullianum. It was originally built by Ancus Martius, and afterward enlarged by Servius Tullius, whence that part of it which was under ground, and built by him, received the name of Tullianum. ED. DUBL.

52 Proserpine, the daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, whom Pluto stole and carried away with him out of Sicily. Horace here uses Regna furvæ Proserpinæ," the realms of black Proserpine, instead of "furva Regna Proserpinæ," the black realms of Poserpine. WATSON.

53 acus was the son of Jupiter and Ægina, and father of Peleus and Telamon. His reputation for justice was so great, that after his death he was established one of the infernal judges along with Minos and Rhadamanthus. WATSON.

own country-damsels; aud thee, O Alcæus, sounding in fuller strains on thy golden harp the distresses of exile, and the distresses of war. The ghosts admire them both, while they utter strains worthy of a sacred silence; but the crowded multitude, pressing with their shoulders, imbibes, with a more greedy ear, battles and banished tyrants. What wonder? Since the many-headed monster, astonished at those lays, hangs down his sable ears; and the snakes, entwined in the hair of the furies, are soothed. Moreover, Prometheus and the sire of Pelops are deluded into an insensibility of their torments, by the melodious sound nor is Orion any longer solicitous to harass the lions, or the fearful lynxes.

ODE XIV.

TO POSTUMUS.

ALAS! my Postumus, my Postumus, the fleeting years glide on; nor will piety cause any delay to wrinkles, and advancing old age, and insuperable death. You could not, if you were to sacrifice every passing day three hundred bulls, render propitious pitiless Pluto, who confines the thricemonstrous Geryon and Tityus" with the dismal Stygian stream, namely, that stream which is to be passed over by all who are fed by the bounty of the earth, whether we be kings or poor hinds. In vain shall we be free from sanguinary Mars, and the broken billows of the hoarse Adriatic; in vain shall we be apprehensive for ourselves" of the noxious South,

54 Sacro silentio. At the ancient sacred rites the most profound silence was required from all who stood around, both out of respect to the deity whom they were worshiping, as also lest some ill-omened expression, casually uttered by any one of the crowd, should mar the solemnities of the day. Hence the phrase "sacred silence," became eventually equiva lent to, and is here used generally as, "the deepest silence." Thus Anthon: preferable explanation is, "suited to that hallowed region of silence." "Sacris sedibus, quas umbræ silentes incolunt, Elysio." ORELL. Comp. En. vi. 264, Umbræque silentes;" 443, "silentum

concilium.." WHEELER.

55 Titys, the son of Jupiter by Elora, of such a gigantic size, that his body was, according to the poets, nine acres in length. WATSON. 56 The construction metuemus corporibus is more correct than nocen lam corporibus, unless we regard it as twofold. ORELLI.

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in the time of autumn. The black Cocytus wandering with languid current, and the infamous race of Danaus," and Sisyphus, the son of the Eolus, doomed to eternal toil, must be visited; your land and house and pleasing wife must be left, nor shall any of those trees, which you are nursing, follow you, their master for a brief space, except the hated cypresses; a worthier heir shall consume your Cæcuban wines guarded with a hundred keys, and shall wet the pavement with the haughty wine, more exquisite than what graces pontifical entertainments.

now

ODE XV.

AGAINST THE LUXURY OF THE ROMANS.

THE palace-like edifices will in a short time leave but a few acres for the plow; ponds of wider extent than the Lucrine lake will be every where to be seen; and the barren plane-tree will supplant the elms. Then banks of violets, and myrtle groves, and all the tribe of nosegays" shall diffuse their odors in the olive plantations, which were fruitful to their preceding master. Then the laurel with dense boughs shall exclude the burning beams. It was not so prescribed by the institutes of Romulus, and the unshaven Cato, and ancient custom. Their private income was contracted, while that of the community was great. No private men were then possessed of galleries measured by ten-feet rules, which collected the shady northern breezes; nor did the laws permit them to reject the casual turf [for their own huts], though at the same time they obliged them to ornament in the most sumptuous manner, with new stone, the buildings of the public, and the temples of the gods, at a common expense.

57 Danaus. He had fifty daughters, called the Danaïdes, who, by their father's command, killed in one night all their husbands. WATSON.

58 Sisyphus, the most cunning of all mortals, who, for his robberies and impious arts, was condemned to roll a stone up-hill, which immediately rolled down again; therefore Virgil calls it non exuperabile saxum," or the insurmountable stone. Georg. Lib. v. 39. WATSON.

59 Luxus odorum." SCHOL.

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