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Pulveris exigui prope litus parva Matinum
Munera, nec quidquam tibi prodest
Aërias tentasse domos animoque rotundum
Percurrisse polum, morituro!
Occidit et Pelopis genitor, conviva deorum,
Tithonusque remotus in auras

Et Jovis arcanis Minos admissus, habentque
Tartara Panthoïden iterum Orco
Demissum, quamvis, clipeo Trojana refixo
Tempora testatus, nihil ultra

Nervos atque cutem morti concesserat atrae,
Judice te non sordidus auctor,

Naturae verique.

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Sed omnes una manet nox

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Et calcanda semel via leti.

Dant alios Furiae torvo spectacula Marti,

Exitio est avidum mare nautis;

Mixta senum ac juvenum densentur funera, nullum

Saeva caput Proserpina fugit.

'Me quoque devexi rapidus comes Orionis

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Illyricis Notus obruit undis.

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CARM. 28.-3. latum (inst. of litus), some Codd.-4. tibi quicquam, some Codd.6. morituro? some edd.-15. mers, Cod. Turic.-18. avidis, some Codd.-19. et (inst. of ac), some Codd.-21. rabidus, one Cod.

of earth' (which thou art still wanting).

6. polum, poetic. (per synecdochen) frequently put for coelum (comp. below C. 3, 29, 44; cras vel atrâ nube polum pater occupato)-morituro, emphatically put at the end: since thou hadst to die' (comp. below C. 2, 3, 1 sq. Aequam memento servare mentem...moriture Delli).

7. Pelopis genitor, i. e. Tantalus.

8. remotus in auras, poetic. = raptus in coelum (ab Aurora).

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(thus below S. 1, 3, 129; 2, 2, 29; Ep. 1, 17, 1; 22; 1, 18, 59; A. P. 366; but in its peculiar meaning of 'how much ever,' with the subjunct. C. 4, 2, 39; 4, 6, 6; Ep. 1, 18, 92—refixo, comp. Ep. 1, 18, 56: Sub duce, qui templis Parthorum signa refigit).

14. non sordidus gravissimus, per Meiosin-auctor, sc. Pythagoras.

18. avidum, 'greedy' (the same below, Car. 3, 29, 61: avarum mare).

19. densentur, poetic. form for densantur (comp. Virg. A. 7, 794: totis agmina densentur campis).

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20. fugit, aoristically non accedit (according to the belief that Proserpina used to cut off a lock of hair from the head of the dying, as of a victim, comp. Virg. A. 4, 698).

21. me quoque, &c., words of the unburied Archytas-devexi = vergentis ad occasum, 'setting.'

At tu, nauta, vagae ne parce malignus arenae

'Ossibus et capiti inhumato

'Particulam dare: sic, quodcumque minabitur Eurus 25 'Fluctibus Hesperiis, Venusinae

'Plectantur silvae te sospite, multaque merces,

'Unde potest, tibi defluat aequo

'Ab Jove Neptunoque sacri custode Tarenti. 'Negligis immeritis nocituram

'Postmodo te natis fraudem committere! Fors et

'Debita jura vicesque superbae

‹ Te maneant ipsum: precibus non linquar inultis, Teque piacula nulla resolvent.

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Quamquam festinas, non est mora longa: licebit 'Injecto ter pulvere curras.'

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CARMEN XXIX.

AD ICCIUM.

Horace expresses his astonishment that his friend Iccius should think of abandoning the study of philosophy for the profession of a soldier

ICCI, beatis nunc Arabum invides
Gazis, et acrem militiam paras
Non ante devictis Sabaeae
Regibus, horribilique Medo

27. plectentur, Cod. Bern.-31. forsan, some Cod. CARM. 29.-4. horribilisque,

Bentl. conj.

23. ne parce dare nole denegare, 'do not deny' (comp. Virg. A. 3, 42: parce pias scelerare manus).

24. capiti inhumato, hiatus. 28. unde potes a quo (sc. Jove) potest (sc. defluere); unde of a person, see above, note to C. 1, 12, 17.

30. negligis = nihil curas, pro nihilo habes? sc. committere fraudem, nocituram postmodo immeritis natis (ex) te-immeritis, to thy innocent posterity.

31. fors et, poetic. fortasse, etiam (comp. Virg. A. 11, 50: Fors et vota

facit).

32. debita jura, i. e. ' a due, well-merited penalty '—vices superbae (inclementes), rigorous, unmerciful retribution.'

33. precibus, sc. meis, i. e. my prayers (against thee) will not be ineffectual.

35. non est mora longa, i. e. it (the performance of this sacred duty) would not detain thee long-licebit curras, &c., 'thou mayest run on after having thrice cast dust' (on my remains).

Carm. 29.-1. nunc, ironically, 'now on a sudden.'

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Quum tu coëmptos undique nobilis

Libros Panaetî, Socraticam et domum

Mutare loricis Hiberis,

Pollicitus meliora, tendis?

CARMEN XXX.

AD VENEREM.

Venus, and her attendant train-Cupid, the Graces, Nymphs, Hebe, and Mercury-are invited by Horace to forsake their favourite haunts, and take up their abode in the house of Glycera, where a temple had been prepared for their reception.

O VENUS, regina Gnidi Paphique,
Sperne dilectam Cypron, et vocantis

13. mobiles, some Codd.

5 and 6. quae virginum barbara, poetic. for quae virgo barbara or quae virginum barbararum, what barbarian virgin.'

7. puer ex aula (regia), i. e. t a boy from the court' (of those Arabian and Median kings), 'page.'

8. ad cyathum statuetur, (verbally: will be put to the cup, i. e.) 'will be made your cup-bearer.'

9. doctus, poetic. with the infin.-tendere sagittas, poetic. inst. of tendere arcum (comp. Virg. A. 5, 508: oculos telumque tetendit)-Sericas, poetic. for 'Oriental' in general (as all Asiatic people were famous for skill in archery).

10. sq., a very frequent image for an impossible or an unexpected thing; comp. the most celebrated passage, Eurip. Med. 410: ̓́Ανω ποταμῶν ἱερῶν χωροῦσι παγαί, καὶ δίκα καὶ πάντα πάλιν στρέφεται. Hence also the short proverbial expression ἄνω ποταμῶν.

11. pronos, 'bending downwards' (by nature), a beautiful opposition to the preceding arduis.

13. sq. construe: quum tu, pollicitus meliora, tendis (= studiose cogitas, studes) mutare coëmptos undique libros nobilis Panaeti, &c.

14. Socraticam domum, i. e. Socraticos philosophos, the Socratic sect.'

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Ture te multo Glycerae decoram
Transfer in aedem.

Fervidus tecum puer et solutis
Gratiae zonis properentque Nymphae,
Et parum comis sine te Juventas
Mercuriusque.

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CARMEN XXXI.

AD APOLLINEM. '

A.U.C. 726, Augustus dedicated a temple to Apollo on the Palatine Hill. Horace, while pouring out a libation in honour of the newly-enshrined deity, supposes himself to be asked, what those blessings are for which he supplicates the god? His answer is, that he prays not for silver, and gold, and extensive possessions: that he is satisfied with the humblest fare; but that he implores the gods for permission to enjoy what he has acquired, with health, soundness of mind, and the pleasures of the lyre, in his old age.

QUID dedicatum poscit Apollinem
Vates? Quid orat, de patera novum
Fundens liquorem? Non opimae
Sardiniae segetes feraces,

Non aestuosae grata Calabriae

Armenta, non aurum aut ebur Indicum,
Non rura, quae Liris quietâ
Mordet aquâ taciturnus amnis.

CARM. 31.-3 and 4. opimas and feracis (genit.), some Cod.

Carm. 30.-3. decoram, sc. floribus. 4. transfer te, poetic. = veni. 5. puer, i. e. Cupid, (comp. below C. 1, 32, 10: Venerem et illi Semper haerentem puerum canebat).

6. properentque Nymphae, poetic. for 'properent Nymphaeque' (thus in the foll., C. 2, 7, 25; 2, 17, 16; 2, 19, 28, 32; 3, 4, 11; Carm. Saec. 22; S. 1, 6, 43.

7. Juventas, the goddess of youth, Hebe. 8. Mercurius, as companion of Venus. Carm. 31.-1. dedicatum cui nova aedes consecrata est (sc. for the victory

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An address to the Lyre, in which Horace sings its praises, and those of the Greek poet Alcaeus, his great model in lyrical composition.

POSCIMUR. Si quid vacui sub umbra
Lusimus tecum, quod et hunc in annum
Vivat et plures, age, dic Latinum,
Barbite, carmen,

9. Calenam, Bentl. conj.-10. ut, some Codd., Bentl.--15. pascant, some Codd., Bentl. CARM. 32.-1. Poscimus, some Codd.---antro (inst. of umbra), Cod., Bentl.

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