Cum Lycio Glauco, discedet pigrior ultrò 16. Diomedi. Comp. Sat. V. 88. When he met Glaucus, the son of Hippolochus, in the field, Glaucus, who was the inferior warrior, claimed a family acquaintance with him, and in testimony of hereditary friendship (under which he concealed his fears), exchanged his golden armour for that of brass, which Diomede wore.-Comp. Hom. II. VI. 119–236. 18. Prætore. Brutus was then proconsul, but it is not unusual to call proconsuls, prætors, i. e. governors of a province. 19. Par. Used as a substantive; i. e. "a pair." This use was frequent in speaking of a match between gladiators. 20. Compositus, "Matched." Ib. Cum Bitho Bacchius. Two gladiators, who killed each other. Ib. In jus, i. e. into the court, where Brutus presided. 22. Exponit, "States." Ib. Conventu, "Assembly." Comp. Juven. Sat. VIII. 127. Ib. Cohortem. This properly means a body of troops, the tenth part of a legion. It is, however, frequently used for the retinue or household of a prince or governor, as here. Comp. Epist. I. 8. 14. Juven. Sat. VIII. 125. 25. Canem. The dogstar, Sirius. It is said to be invisum agricolis sidus, because sterilis exurit agros. 27. Fertur quo rara securis.—Where no woodman bears his ax to cut down timber, because the winter flood tears away the trees.-Sch. B. Or, [where the ax is seldom used to cut down trees, that oppose its course.-G. D.] In either signification, the expression is a most infelicitous addition to flumen ut hibernum. Obiter, we may remark, that the first syllable in securis, from securus, is long; in securis, "an ax," is short. 28. Prænestinus, sc. Rupilius, born at Præneste (now Palestrina), a town in Latium, about twenty-three miles from Rome. Ib. Salso multoque fluenti, i. e. Persio, salso multoque fluenti. Multo fluenti, is the same as the Greek Toλλ peovτ.-Demosth. de Cor 43 29. Expressa arbusto. Transl. "drawn from the vineyard." Arbustum means a plantation of trees, on which they trained the vines. The meaning of saying "drawn from the vineyard," is that the language of Rupilius in reply was as abusive as that for which vinedressers were famed. Vindemiator et invictus, cui sæpe viator 30 "Hunc Regem jugulas? operum hoc, mihi crede, tuorum est. 35 SATIRA VIII. OLIM truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum, Ib. Regerit. Not from regere, but regerere. 30. Vindemiator. This word in scansion is of but four syllables, vindemyator, by Synæresis. Thus we have pituita, and Nasidienus afterwards. 31. Cucullum. This was a term of reproach, perhaps because the cuckoo sleeps half the year, and leaves the care of its young to others. [It was an insinuation that the vine-dresser was negligent in the care of his vines, who had not pruned them before the cuckoo was singing, dedecus enim habetur oprobriumque merito falcem ab illâ volucre in vite deprehendi.-Sch. D.] Vid. Append. 32. Græcus. Join witn Persius, 1. 33 Ib. Italo-aceto, i. e. the raillery peculiar to Italy. 34. Qui reges consueris tollere. Lucius Junius Brutus expelled Tarquinius Superbus. Marcus Brutus freed his country from the imperial power of Julius Cæsar. From the introduction of this we may conjecture that Horace at the time of writing this Satire, had not yet espoused the side of Augustus. 35. Regem. A pun on the cognomen of Rupilius. Ib. Operum hoc-tuorum est, i. e. hoc est unum operum tuorum. SATIRA VIII.-Priamus is supposed to relate a magic rite in Esquiliæ, of which he had been a witness 1. Inutile lignum. The wood of the fig tree is so brittle, that it is not fit for any kind of carpenter's work. As the truncus ficulnus was so worthless it was determined to make a Priapus of it.-Comp. Catull. Carm. XIX. 2. Priapum. The deity who presided over orchards and gardens. He was born at Lampsacus, where he was worshipped with particular honour. It was usual to place his image, as a protection against the depredations of thieves and birds, in gardens. 3. Inde. Because faber maluit esse deum. Ib. Furum aviumque, &c. Et custos furum atque aviam cum falce saligna. Virg. Georg. IV. 110. 4. Nam fures dextra coercet. His right hand was armed with a club, or (as Virgil says in the passage just quoted), with a scythe. VOL. II. E 2 Ast importunas volucres in vertice arundo. 5 10 5. In vertice arundo. [On the head of the image a crown of reeds was placed, which, as it fluttered and crackled in the wind, frightened the birds. D.] Arundo was a pipe, which uttered a tone, as the wind blew through it.-B. Ib. Importunas, "Vexatious," "intrusive." 6. Novis in hortis. The gardens formed by Mæcenas in that part of Esquilice which was granted to him by Augustus. 7. Priùs, "Formerly; before it was laid out in gardens. Ib. Ejecta. Instead of elata, to express the wretchedness of a slave's funeral. Ib. Cellis. Small apartments, in which the slaves slept.-Compare Cic. Phil. II. 27. 8. Portanda. Portanda huc, i. e. into this place, viz. Esquiliæ. Ib. Locabat. The imperfect has here a sense, that it not unusually bears, that of habit, or custom. Locare means to enter into a contract with a person for the performance of anything.-Comp. Cic. Phil. IX. 7. The fellowslave, before these gardens were laid out (says Horace), was accustomed to bargain with some one for carrying to Esquiliæ the corpes of his deceased companions. Ib. In arca. This vilis arca was a common bier or coffin, used in the burials of slaves, or the poor. 9. Stabat. Either for erat (as Carm. I. 16. 19.) or in the sense, ["conceded" or "appropriated,"] misera plebi, as commune sepulchrum. 10. Pantolabo scurræ. Mallius Verna is called here Pantolabus (as the Schol, informs us), from his habit of borrowing money from every one; Távτων λάβειν. Ib. Nomentano. He and Pantolabus were then alive, but as they had dissipated their fortunes, Horace, by anticipation, provides them with graves amongst the misera plebs.—Comp. Sat. I. 1. 102. 11. In fronte, i. e. towards the public road. Ib. Cippus. A stone pillar, on which the number of feet, given for a sepulchre, were marked, and the conditions on which the grant was made. Ib. In agrum, i. e. backwards, to the fields. 12. Hic, i. e. in Esquiliæ. Ib. Dabat, "Allowed," i. e. marked out, as allowed for a public sepulchre. Ib. Hæredes monumentum ne sequeretur. In addition to what was marked on the cippus, about the limits of the piece of ground, there were likewise these letters, H. M. N. S, the initials of hæredes monumentum ne sequeretur. This. inscription meant that the burying ground was not to return to the heirs of the person who gave it away, but was left as a perpetuity to the people. 15 Aggere in aprico spatiari, quà modò tristes 13. Esquiliis salubribus. Mons Esquilinus derived its name either from its oak plantations, æsculeta, or from the watches which were kept there, excubia. The air of Esquiliæ was considered so healthy that Augustus, when he was ill, was carried there to the house of Mæcenas 14. Aggere in aprico. Commentators think that Horace means the agger formed by Tarquinius Superbus. Perhaps it alludes to a terrace that Mæcenas had made, since the ground was granted to him. Ib. Quà. Thus Bentley for quo which (he asserts) never signifies in quo loco. I doubt the necessity of this alteration, although I have received it. I should prefer reading (if quò must be removed), qui; i. e. nunc licet illis Esquiliis habitare atque in aggere spatiari, qui modo tristes, &c.-Comp. Sat. I. 1. 16. 15. Spectabant, scil. homines spectabant. 16. Cùm. Refer this to nunc. 1. 14.-H. The incident, which Priapus relates, is supposed to occur before the change from a burying ground into gardens. Connect cum therefore with the preceeding line.-D. But then in 1. 18, we should have erant instead of sunt. Besides, why should we suppose that there was an image of Priapus at Esquiliæ before there were gardens? It appears to me that 1. 7-15, should be considered as parenthetic. Priapus, has said that he is able to keep off both robbers and birds, and yet he is not so anxious about them as about the witches, who molest him with nocturnal visits. Or if the reference of cum so far back offend] would read thus, translating cùm, "although:" Cùm mihi non tantum furesque feræque, suëtæ Ib. Fures. Who came to rob the gardens. Ib. Feræque. Birds of prey, who were accustomed to search for food amongst the graves as Esquiliæ. Ib. Sueta. A trisyllable by diæresis. 18. Quantum, i. e. quantum, eæ sunt curæ atque labori, quæ versant, & Ib. Carminibus, "Magic verses;" "incantations." Ib. Versant, "Distract." 20. Prohibere. Prohibere, quin ossa legant. Ib. Vaga luna. Stellæ sponte sua, jussæ ne vagentur et errent ?-EPIST. I. 12. 17. almaque curru Noctivago Phoebe medium pulsabat Olympum.-VIRG. ÆN. X. 216 25 Protulit os, quin ossa legant herbasque nocentes. 21 Ib. Decorum protulit os. Extulit os sacrum cœlo tenebrasque resolvit.-VIRG. ÆN. VIII. 159. 21. Quin ossa legant. EPOD. II. 17. 30 There was only a part of the hill occupied by the gardens; the rest was yet covered with human bones. Ib. Herbasque nocentes. At moonlight was the time for gathering these. : Falcibus et messæ ad Lunam quæruntur ahenis VIRG. EN. IV. 513. 22. Vidi egomet. As the Virgilian.-Vidi egomet duo de numero.—En. III. 623. Ib. Succinctam. As Sagana, Epod. V. 25, is termed expedita. Tisiphoneque sedens, pallâ succincta cruentâ.-VIRG. ÆN. VI. 555. Palla was an outer robe worn by females. 23. Canidiam. Under the name Canidia, Horace ridicules Gratidia, a perfumer at Naples. Comp. Epod. 5. and 17. Ib. Pedibus nudis, passoque capillo. Canidia is described according to the usual poetic embellishments of magic rites. Comp. Virg. Æn. IV. 518. and Ovid. Met. VII. 179, &c. Ib. Passo, from pandere. 24. Cum Sagana majore. Either "the elder Sagana (as there were two sisters of that name), or "elder than Canidia." 25. Scalpere terram. To make a fossa for the purpose afterwards mentioned. 26. Pullam. As it was usual to offer victims of a black colour to the infernal gods. Comp. Virg. Æn. VI. 249. Ib. Divellere mordicus, i. e. “to tear in pieces with their teeth. 27. Inde. Either "from the trench, or ["by this."] 29. Canidia bought two little images, one lanea, the other cerea. The lanea represented herself; the cerea, the person whose affections she wished to secure by her magical rites. 30. Inferiorem, scil. ceream. 31. The image made of wax was in the attitude of one supplicating for mercy, as if the woollen effigies was about to punish it as its slave.-Comp. Virg. Eclog. VIII. |