CARM. 6.-12. Phalantho, Cod. Turic. cum Strabone et Pausania.-18. apricus, Bentl. conj.-19. fertilis, some Codd.

CARMEN VII.

AD POMPEIUM VARUM.

In this ode, which is supposed to have been written A.U.C. 724, after the battle of Actium, Horace addresses Pompeius Varus, his friend, and former companionin-arms, on the republican side, at the battle of Philippi. Varus continued to serve in the army for many years after Horace had returned to Italy, and commenced his literary career; and the poet here congratulates his old comrade upon his restoration to his country, after the peace concluded between Sextus Pompeius and the Triumvirate had enabled the proscribed republicans, of whom Varus was one, to revisit their native land with impunity.

O SAEPE mecum tempus in ultimum
Deducte Bruto militiae duce,

Quis te redonavit Quiritem
Dîs patriis Italoque coelo,

diem mero

Pompei, meorum prime sodalium?
Cum quo morantem saepe
Fregi, coronatus nitentes
Malobathro Syrio capillos.

Tecum Philippos et celerem fugam
Sensi, relictâ non bene parmulâ,

5

10

Carm. 7.--1. saepe, sc. about two years (in B.C. 43 and 42 till to the battle of Philippi)-tempus in ultimum, poetic. = in summum vitae discrimen, in summum periculum, into the greatest peril.'

3. Quiritem, the sing. only used in poetry for Roman citizen' (comp. below Ep. 1, 6, 7: Plausus et amici dona Quiritis), here with the special meaning of a Roman with the full rights of citizenship (not deprived of them in consequence of his having espoused the party of Brutus).

4. Italoque the i here short, in other passages long (e. g. C. 2, 13, 18: Parthus et Italum; C. 3, 30, 13; ad Italos al.)

5. Pompei, dissyl., as Pompei (comp. above C. 1, 35, 17: antēīt),-prima,

the first not in time but in affection, 'principal, dearest.'

7. fregi, poetic. = breviorem reddidi, 'have shortened the lingering day.'

9. sq. the meaning of this strophe is: with thee I felt the shame of the general flight at the battle of Philippi, when the bravest men had fallen--Philippos et celerem fugam, poetic. for celerem fugam Philippensem, 'the precipitate flight at (the battle of) Philippi' in B.C. 42; see the Life of Horace-sensi, very expressively put at the beginning of the verse I felt deeply, with shame' - relictâ parmulâ, probably nothing but a lively poetical picture of the precipitate flight (perhaps also in imitation of the Greek lyric poets Archilochus, Alcaeus and Anacreon,

Oblivioso lêvia Massico

Ciboria exple, funde capacibus

Unguenta de conchis. Quis udo
Deproperare apio coronas

Curatve myrto? Quem Venus arbitrum
Dicet bibendi? Non ego sanius
Bacchabor Edonis: recepto

Dulce mihi furere est amico.

CARM. 7.-12. Turpe! solum, some edd.

15

20

25

who had related the same of themselves)-non bene non honeste, 'ingloriously.'

11. minaces = milites minaci vultu. 12. turpe, poetic. soiled' (by the stain of defeat).

13. sed me, &c., i. e. I have been saved by the god of poetry from the conse quences of the civil war.

14. denso aëre, i. e. me involutum densâ nube (comp. Virg. A. 1, 411: At Venus obscuro gradientes aëre sepsit).

15. te, &c., after the battle of Philippi, Pompejus Varus had with others joined Sextus Pompejus in Sicily-in bellum belong to resorbens as well as to tulit.

30, 16: Delphicâ lauro.

21 and 22. on Massico and ciboris see Excurs. to C. 1, 20-lêvia = λeîa, detersa ac polita-exple = imple, fill up'-funde = defunde in crines tuos.

23. quis, &c., who will take care hastily to prepare garlands, &c.?'

25. curatve myrto, poetic. for: curat myrtove (the ve, like que and ne, joined to a different word from that to which it properly belongs, comp. above C. 1, 30, 6)-Venus, here=jactus Venereus, the best throw at dice-arbitrum bibendi = magistrum bibendi, master of the revel.'

26. dicet designabit, will pronounce '-non sanius aeque insane, as insanely, wildly as.'

27 and 28. recepto amico, having received back my friend.'

Dice-playing (alea), which was a favourite game among both the Romans and Greeks, and was often carried on to such an extent that its abuse had to be prevented by laws, was invented in the most ancient times. There were two kinds of dice, tali (dorpáyaλo) and tesserae (kúßo). The tali, which were originally made of the ankles of animals, and afterwards of other materials, had an oblong shape, and only four even sides; they were rounded at both ends, and could, therefore, scarcely ever lie on either of them, or if they did, they had to be thrown once more. There were points or strokes on the four even sides, the two opposite sides having the numbers 1 and 6, the other two 3 and 4; 2 and 5 were omitted.

Four tali were required for playing. They were not thrown from the hand, but from a box shaped like a tower or cup, and made of horn, boxwood, ivory, &c. (pyrgus, phimus, fritillus.) This box was narrower on the top than below, and cut on the inside like a staircase, in order that the dice might be more shaken, and all kinds of trickery prevented. The dice were thrown on a board made for that purpose (alveus, alveolus, abacus). This board was probably surrounded with a high edge or rim, to prevent the dice from falling on the floor. The most fortunate throw, called Venus or jactus Venereus, was when all the four tali exhibited different numbers; all the four tali showing 1 was considered the worst throw (canis, or canis damnosus).

The tesserae (kúßo) entirely resembled our dice. All the sides were marked with numbers from 1 to 6, so that the sum of the two sides opposed to one another was always seven. Two or three dice made up a game. They were also thrown by means of the pyrgus, phimus, or fritillus, and the same terms were used for both the best and worst throw.

It was a general custom to play at dice for amusement, or for the purpose of choosing, by a throw, the chairman at a feast (magister, or rex convivii, or arbiter bibendı.) Tali were generally employed for the latter purpose;1 and it was, of course, the jactus Venereus that fixed the choice, as may be seen from the preceding ode:

"Quem Venus arbitrum

Dicet bibendi ?"

1 Hor. C. 1, 4, 18: Nec regna vini sortiêre talis.

CARMEN IX.

AD C. VALGIUM.

This Ode is addressed to Gaius Valgius Rufus, a noted rhetorician, grammarian, and poet, who became Consul Suffectus A.U.c. 742. Horace here endeavours to mitigate the grief of Rufus for the death of his friend (not son) Mystes, by diverting his thoughts into a different channel, and by suggesting, as topics more worthy of his poetical genius, the recent triumphs of Augustus, and the conquests of the Roman people.