enunciates. Orellius supposes that the poet's design, throughout the whole satire, is to hoax the common herd of Roman Epicureans into the notion that he was here accurately describing the cuisine of his patron Maecenas, for whose special amusement the poem was originally composed. UNDE et quo Catius? Non est mihi tempus aventi 5 Ede hominis nomen, simul et, Romanus an hospes.- 10 'Ipsa memor praecepta canam, celabitur auctor. 'Longa quibus facies ovis erit, illa memento, Ut suci melioris et ut magis alba rotundis, 'Ponere: namque marem cohibent callosa vitellum. 'Caule suburbano; qui siccis crevit in agris; 'Dulcior, irriguo nihil est elutius horto. 'Si vespertinus subito te oppresserit hospes, 'Ne gallina malum responset dura palato, 15 SAT. 4.-2. vincunt, some Codd.-13. alma, Bentl. conj.--15. cole, some Codd. Sat. 4.-1. Unde (venit) et quo (tendit), 'whence and whither,' a kind of salutation, directed by Horace to Catius (comp. S. 1, 9, 62: Unde venis? et, Quo tendis?)-aventi, being desirous.' 2. ponere signa novis praeceptis (dative), poetic. = consignare, literis mandare nova praecepta, to write down the new precepts' (which I have just heard)-vincant = facile palmam ferre possint,might easily excel.' 3. Anyti reum, poetic. (accusatum ab Anyto). Socratem 5. bonus == pro animi tui bonitate, as a good-natured man.' 6. interciderit exciderit e memoria (propter interpellationem meam). 7. sive est, &c., whether this (i. e. your excellent faculty of remembering) be of nature or of art). 8. Quin, &c., Why, this was just what I was anxious about, namely, how I might retain, &c. 10. hominis, i. e. of the man, who gave you those precepts. 12. He begins very appropriately his culinary precepts with the eggs, as the Roman dinner itself always commenced with eggs (comp. above S. 1, 3, 7: ab ovo usque ad mala). 6 13. ut suci melioris, &c., as (being) of better flavour and paler yolk.' 14. ponere apponere in mensacohibent circumdant, 'enclose.' 15 and 16. construe (caulis) qui crevit in siccis agris, dulcior (est) caule suburbano-elutius (= insipidius), 'more insipid.' 17. vespertinus, in the evening' (comp. Epod. 16, 51: nec vespertinus circumgemit ursus ovile). 18. malum, for the more usual male -dura, 'tough' (because newly killed). Doctus eris vivam mixto mersare Falerno: 'Hoc teneram faciet. Pratensibus optima fungis Natura est; aliis male creditur. Ille salubres 'Aestates peraget, qui nigris prandia moris 'Finiet, ante gravem quae legerit arbore solem. 'Aufidius forti miscebat mella Falerno, 'Mendose, quoniam vacuis committere venis 'Nil nisi lene decet: leni praecordia mulso 'Prolueris melius. Si dura morabitur alvus, 'Mitulus et viles pellent obstantia conchae 'Et lapathi brevis herba, sed albo non sine Coo. 'Lubrica nascentes implent conchylia lunae; 'Sed non omne mare est generosae fertile testae: 'Murice Bajano melior Lucrina peloris, 'Ostrea Circejis, Miseno oriuntur echini, 'Pectinibus patulis jactat se molle Tarentum. 'Nec sibi coenarum quivis temere arroget artem, 'Non prius exactâ tenui ratione saporum. 'Nec satis est, carâ pisces averrere mensâ Ignarum, quibus est jus aptius et quibus assis 20 25 30 35 40 Languidus in cubitum jam se conviva reponet. 'Umber et ilignâ nutritus glande rotundas 'Curvat aper lances carnem vitantis inertem : 'Nam Laurens malus est, ulvis et arundine pinguis. • Vinea submittit capreas non semper edules. 'Fecundae leporis sapiens sectabitur armos. 'Piscibus atque avibus quae natura et foret aetas, • Ante meum nulli patuit quaesita palatum. 'Sunt quorum ingenium nova tantum crustula promit: 19. musto, Bentl. conj.-36. Ni prius, some Codd.-37. avertere, some Codd.— 41. curvet, some Codd., Bentl.-44. fecundi, some Codd. 45 6 Nequaquam satis in re unâ consumere curam, Ut si quis solum hoc, mala ne sint vina, laboret, Quali perfundat pisces securus olivo. 'Massica si coelo suppones vina sereno, Nocturnâ, si quid crassi est, tenuabitur aurâ, 'Et decedet odor nervis inimicus; at illa Integrum perdunt lino vitiata saporem. 'Surrentina vafer qui miscet faece Falernâ Vina, columbino limum bene colligit ovo, 'Quatenus ima petit volvens aliena vitellus. 'Tostis marcentem squillis recreabis et Afrâ 'Potorem cochleâ: nam lactuca innatat acri 50 55 'Post vinum stomacho; pernâ magis ac magis hillis 60 Flagitat in morsus refici, quin omnia malit, 6 6 6 Quaecumque immundis fervent allata popinis. Est operae pretium duplicis pernoscere juris "Naturam. Simplex e dulci constat olivo, Quod pingui miscere mero muriâque decebit 'Non aliâ, quam quâ Byzantia putuit orca. 'Hoc ubi confusum sectis inferbuit herbis Corycioque croco sparsum stetit, insuper addes 'Pressa Venafranae quod baca remisit olivae. 'Picenis cedunt pomis Tiburtia suco: 65 70 'Nam facie praestant. Venucula convenit ollis; Rectius Albanam fumo duraveris uvam. 'Hanc ego cum malis, ego faecem primus et allec, 'Primus et invenior piper album cum sale nigro 48. Nec quemquam, some Codd.; Nequaquam satis est in rem unam insumere curam, Bentl. conj.-51. supponas, some Codd.-61. immorsus or immorsis, Bentl. conj. --61. mavult, some Codd., Bentl.-65. at pingui, e Cod. Bosii Bentl. 50. securus non curans, 'indifferent, careless' (what kind of oil he pours over the fish). 55. vafer, here in a good sense, 'skilful.' 56. columbino, &c., collects the sediment with a pigeon's egg' (and thus fines the wine). 57. quatenus quoniam, because'aliena, the heterogeneous substances.' 58. marcentem = torpentem nimio potu, non jam aptum ad cibos conco T quendos, 'jaded.' 61. flagitat, sc. stomachus. 62. fervent allata, which are brought smoking hot.' 63. est operae pretium, it is worth while'-duplicis juris, sc. simplicis et compositi (see the foll. lines). 69. remisit, aoristically = remittere solet, yields' (comp. C. 3, 23, 19: hostia mollivit aversos Penates). 73. faecem, i. e. a condiment prepared from the lees of wine. Incretum puris circumposuisse catillis. 75 'Immane est vitium, dare milia terna macello Angustoque vagos pisces urgere catino. Magna movet stomacho fastidia, seu puer unctis Tractavit calicem manibus, dum furta ligurrit; 'Sive gravis veteri craterae limus adhaesit. Vilibus in scopis, in mappis, in scobe quantus 'Consistit sumptus? Neglectis, flagitium ingens. 'Ten' lapides varios lutulentâ radere palmâ, 'Et Tyrias dare circum illota toralia vestes, Oblitum, quanto curam sumptumque minorem 'Haec habeant, tanto reprehendi justius illis, 6 Quae nisi divitibus nequeant contingere mensis?'- 80 85 90 95 78. movent, some Codd.-79. frusta, some Codd.-84. illuta, some Codd.87. nequeunt, some Codd. 75. incretum (from incerno) = per tessellatum, a tesselated pavement'— cribrum inspersum, admixtum-circum- | palmâ, a broom made of palm-leaves. posuisse, i. e. to have placed around the table. 76. milia terna, sc. sestertium (about £18) macello in foro piscario. 6 79. furta ligurrit, poetic., while he devours the stolen fragments' (of the meal). 80. gravis nauseam faciens, disagreeable-veteri, i. e. diutino usu attritae, cuique vel propter hanc ipsam vetustatem facilius limus adhaeret (comp. S. 1, 3, 91: catillum Evandri manibus tritum dejecit) craterae, comp. above C. 3, 18, 7: Larga nec desunt vina craterae. 81. quantus sumptus, 'what great expense?' (i. e. very little). 83. lapides varios = pavimentum, 84. construe: et dare illota toralia circum Tyrias vestes (= purpureum torum), purple covers' (for couches, &c.) 86. tanto, &c. construe: tanto justius reprehendi (haec neglecta) illis (neglectis quam illa neglecta, quae, &c.) 88. auditum, 'to hear,' sc. the author of these precepts. 91. tantundem, sc. quantum ipse praeceptor tuus. 92. habitum formam exteriorem atque cultum, deportment, manner.' 94. sq. fontes, &c., an excellent ironical application of the lines of Lucretius (1, 926 sq.): Juvat integros accedere fontes Atque haurire. SATIRA VI. Dated A.U.C. 723, the year in which Horace received the present of his Sabine farm from Maecenas. Through the unexampled munificence of his patron, Horace had at last attained the object, perhaps nearest to his heart—namely, the possession of a country-house and small tract of land, whither he might, at any time, retire from the ferment and distraction of the city, and recruit both mind and body as he reclined beneath the shade of his own trees on the grassy brink of that clear spring, or gurgling brook, which he has described so often in immortal verse. He complains, however, that, owing partly to the force of habit, and partly to his affection for Maecenas, he does not avail himself sufficiently of his privilege, but often lingers in Rome, where he is constantly exposed to the low-minded detraction of those who envy his intimacy with Maecenas; or to the restless and impudent self-seeking of others, who desired, through his intervention, to obtain the patronage of his noble friend. He declares that his friendship for Maecenas is disinterested-refuses to importune him for favours to others which he would disdain to ask for himself-ridicules his own calumniators, and the whole tribe of hack-writers (the Grubstreet authors of that day), of whom he himself was formerly one; and concludes the piece with a glowing panegyric on the delights of a country life. Hoc erat in votis: modus agri non ita magnus, 5 Si veneror stultus nihil horum: 'O si angulus ille 'Proximus accedat, qui nunc denormat agellum! 'O si urnam argenti fors quae mihi monstret, ut illi, 10 SAT. 6.-10. qua (inst. of quae), some Codd. Sat. 6. -1. in votis = in optatis, what I wished for'-non ita non admodum, non valde. 2. construe: ubi hortus et fons jugis aquae (of perennial, never-failing water) vicinus tecto. 3. super his, for the more usual super haec, in addition to these.' 4. bene est, 'it is well' (i. e. I am content). 5. Maja nate, i. e. Mercury, as the patron of wealth and worldly prosperity-propria = stabilia, lasting' facis, old forin of the perf. subj. for 7. vitio, i. e. vitiosâ libidine, luxuriâ -culpâ, i. e. segnitiâ et negligentiâ. 9. denormat denormem, inaequalem reddit, adeo ut contra agrimensorum regulas quadratus non sit, 'spoils the regularity, the shape of it.' 10. construe: o si quae (= aliqua) fors monstret mihi urnam argenti, ut illi, qui, &c.-fors, chance' (comp. S. 1, 1, 2: quam sibi sortem Seu ratio dederit, seu fors objecerit). |