by Horace
I say – haven’t you heard? A dispatch decked with laurels
has come from Caligula; the prime of Germany has crashed to defeat.
They’re raking the cold ashes from the altars; the Empress has ordered
arms for the doorways, royal mantles, yellow wigs
for the prisoners, chariots of war, colossal figures of the Rhine.
So for these brilliant successes I’m staging a hundred fights
in honour of the gods and our beloved leader. Who’s going to stop me?
50 Just try it. Turn a blind eye or else! I’m dishing out oil
to the mob – and bread and meat. Any objections? Speak up.
‘That field nearby,’ you say, ‘is too full of stones.’ Well if none
of my father’s sisters or his brother’s daughters and none of my uncle’s
great-great-granddaughters are left, and my maternal aunt has died
without issue, if my granny’s line is extinct, I’ll go to the beggars’
hill at Bovillae and in no time I’ll find some Jack for an heir.
‘An offspring of the soil?’
Ask who my grandfather’s grandfather was.
It’ll take a while, but I’ll tell you. Go back a stage – and another;
we’ve now reached a son of the soil. So in point of kinship
60 this Jack turns out to be some kind of great-great-uncle.
You’re next; why shout for the baton before I’ve finished?
I’m your Mercury, offering a purse like the god in his picture.
Do you refuse it? Or will you take what’s left and be thankful?
‘Some of it’s missing.’
It went to meet my expenses. But all of it’s
yours, whatever is there. Forget what became of the sum
Tadius left me, and don’t call me to account: ‘Put down
the sum inherited, add the interest, subtract the expenditure,
what’s the remainder?’
Remainder? Come on, boy, drown the cabbage,
drown it in oil and damn the expense! Shall I on holidays
70 eat boiled nettles and a smoked pig’s cheek with a hook-hole in the ear,
so that one day your young wastrel may gorge on goose’s liver,
and when the fastidious vein throbs in his roving cock,
relieve himself into an upper-class pouch? Am I to be left
with transparent skin, while his priest-belly wobbles with fat?
Sell your soul for profit, scour each quarter of the globe;
clinch your smart deals; make sure that you are pre-eminent
at standing on the hard platform and slapping fat Cappadocians.
Double your capital.
‘I have; now it’s trebled; and now
it’s in four folds, now in ten. Pinpoint where I’m to stop?
80 You’re the first ever to have checked Chrysippus’ heap!’
Notes
HORACE
Satire 1. 1
1. Maecenas: Horace’s patron and friend. He was a knight from an old Etruscan family. Although he never became a senator he was Augustus’ chief adviser on home affairs for over twenty years. See also the introductions to Satires I. 5, I. 6, and II. 6.
13. Fabius: A Stoic bore.
25. presenting the truth with a laugh: The Latin is ‘ridentem dicere verum’.
49–50. nature’s limits: I.e. too much food and too little food are both harmful.
58. Aufidus: A swift river near Venusia, Horace’s birthplace.
68. Tantalus: He abused the hospitality of the gods, but as he had eaten divine food he could not be killed. He was therefore condemned to eternal punishment, being always hungry and thirsty but never satisfied.
91. the Park: The Campus Martius.
101–2. Naevius or Nomentanus: These names typify prodigality. Naevius the wastrel is not mentioned elsewhere. Some scholars read Maenius, a name which, like Nomentanus, occurs in Lucilius.
104–5. There is… massive vassal: The Latin is ‘est inter Tanain quiddam socerumque Viselli’ – ‘there is a point between Tanais and the father-in-law of Visellius.’ The ancient commentator Porphyrion (third century AD) says that Tanais was a eunuch and that Visellius’ father-in-law represented the opposite extreme. This is not a particularly reliable or informative comment, but we have nothing else to go on, and so I have used it as the basis of my translation, which refers to the riddle: ‘What is the difference between an Eskimo and a eunuch?’ Answer: ‘One is a frigid midget with a rigid digit; the other is a massive vassal with a passive tassel.’
108. I return… greed: For a defence of this reading see N. Rudd, SH, pp. 274–5.
121. Crispinus: Another wordy Stoic. Cf. I. 4. 14–16 and II. 7. 45.
Satire 1. 2
3. Tigellius: This Tigellius, who is mentioned also in I. 3. 3, is apparently a different man from the Hermogenes Tigellius who is referred to in I. 3. 129. See SH, p. 292, n. 15.
12. Fufidius: Unknown.
20–21. Terence’s play: The Heautontimorumenos or ‘The man who punished himself’. Horace is referring to the description of Menedemus in the opening scene.
25–7. Maltinus minces… Gargonius of goat: Maltinus, Rufillus, and Gargonius are unknown.
29. flounce: The instita was an ornamental border worn around the lower edge of the stola. This was the dress of married ladies.
32. Cato: The Censor M. Cato (234–149 BC) who was famous for his strict views on morality. We do not know whether the anecdote is authentic, but in its full form it had a sequel. After meeting the man several times in the same place Cato said ‘I commended you, young man, for paying an occasional visit, not for becoming an habitué.’
37–8. It is worth… adulterous men: This is a parody of Ennius: ‘It is worth your while to give ear, ye who wish all success to the Roman state’ (Annals Frag. 471–2 in Warmington, Remains of Old Latin, vol. 1, Loeb Classical Library).
46. Galba: An unidentified member of the aristocratic family of the Sulpicii Galbae.
47–8. How much safer… freedwomen: Relations with freedwomen do not involve the dangers enumerated in the previous lines. Nor do they necessarily entail disgrace or ruin. But here too infatuation can lead to serious trouble.
48. Sallust: Horace seems to be referring either to the historian Sallust or to his adopted son. But there are difficulties in either case. See SH, pp. 135–6.
55. Marsaeus: Unknown.
Miss Newcome: The Latin name is Origo. She is also unknown.
63. wench with a cloak: It is not certain whether the phrase ancilla togata refers to a freedwoman or a slave. The former gives a tighter sequence but the latter corresponds more closely to the actual words. In any case the three-term Aristotelian treatment, where a satisfactory mean (the freedwoman) is distinguished from two opposing extremes (the married lady and the lowest whore), is not continued. Instead, from now on we have a simple contrast between married ladies and prostitutes. The toga was worn by meretrices (prostitutes), who might be either freedwomen or slaves.
64. Villius: Sextus Villius Annalis. His adulterous liaison with Sulla’s daughter was so regular that he is here called Sulla’s son-in-law.
Joy: Fausta, Sulla’s notorious daughter, was born in 86 BC. She would have been about forty-seven if she was still alive when the satire was written. Her affair with Villius was one of yesterday’s scandals.
67. Longarenus: Another of Fausta’s lovers. Otherwise unknown.
80–82. She may be decked… boasts: The text which I have translated runs as follows: ‘nec magis huic, inter niveos viridisque lapillos sit licet, hoc Cerinthe tuo tenerum est femur aut crus rectius, atque etiam melius persaepe togatae.’ See E. Fraenkel, Horace, Oxford, 1957, pp. 84–5.
91. Lynx: A member of the Argonautic expedition, famous for his keen sight.
Hypsaea: Unknown.
92. ‘O legs! O arms!’: This recalls the poem of Philodemus beginning ‘O feet! O legs!’ See
the Greek Anthology 5. 132.
95. Catia: A noble lady with a bad reputation.
101. Coan silk: From the island of Cos in the Aegean sea.
105. The poet: In these lines Horace cleverly summarizes an epigram by Callimachus (Greek Anthology 12. 102). Callimachus, writing in the third century BC, was one of the most important Alexandrian poets.
113. distinguish solid from void: Solid (i.e. atoms) and void were the two basic realities of Epicurean physics. Here the terms are transferred to ethics.
121. the Gauls: Galli was the name given to the eunuch priests of Cybele, the mother goddess of Phrygia. See Persius 5. 186.
Philodemus: (c. 110–c. 37 BC) The Greek Anthology contains twenty-five of his epigrams, but not the one referred to here. He had an important influence on Roman Epicureanism in the middle of the first century BC. For an outline of his work see G. M. A. Grube,The Greek and Roman Critics, chapter 12.
126. Lady Ilia: The mother of Romulus.
Countess Egeria: A nymph who, according to legend, was the wife and adviser of King Numa.
130–31. the maid for her legs… her dowry: Guilty slaves sometimes had their legs broken. A wife convicted of adultery would forfeit part of her dowry.
133. my cash… has had it: Cf. v. 44, where the louts in question are the stable-hands of the aggrieved husband. For other relevant forms of punishment see Mayor on Juvenal 10. 315–17, and Ellis on Catullus 15. 19.
134. Fabius: The point seems to be that even a Stoic like Fabius would acknowledge that the consequences were painful.
Satire 1. 3
3. Tigellius: See note on I. 2. 3.
4–5. Caesar: Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus. He was adopted by Julius Caesar and therefore counted as his son, though in fact he was his great-nephew.
10–11. carrying the sacred vessels: I.e. in a religious procession.
21. Maenius: Probably a real person who had figured in the satires of Lucilius.
Newman: Unknown. The Latin is ‘Novius’.
21–3. ‘Hey there… said Maenius: The Latin is ‘ignoras te, an ut ignotum dare nobis verba putas?’ ‘egomet mi ignosco’ Maenius inquit. Literally ‘“Do you not know yourself, or do you think you are deceiving us as unknown?” “I pardon myself,” said Maenius.’ It is as if Maenius had said non ignoro sed ignosco. The play on words, which cannot be translated, turns on the fact that ignotum can mean both ‘unknown’ and ‘pardoned’.
27. Epidaurian snake: Snakes were supposed to have keen sight. They were sacred to Aesculapius the god of medicine, whose main centre of worship was at Epidaurus in Greece. He also had a temple on the island in the Tiber.
40. Balbinus… Hagna: Unknown.
45–8. ‘Castor’… ‘Bowie’: The euphemistic names recommended by Horace, viz.paetus, pullus, varus, and scaurus all belonged to well-known Roman families.
82. Labeo: Cannot be identified with any certainty.
92. Evander: A mythical king who emigrated from Arcadia to Italy before the Trojan war. He founded Pallanteum, later the Palatine Hill. In the Aeneid Virgil describes how he welcomed Aeneas and sent his son Pallas to fight on the Trojan side.
127. Chrysippus: (c. 280–207 BC) Head of the Stoic school.
129. Hermogenes: Mentioned in I. 4. 72, I. 9. 25, I. 10. 17–18, 80, 90. Although his surname was Tigellius, he was not, it seems, the same man as Tigellius the Sardinian. See SH, p. 292.
130. Alfenus: Sometimes identified with the famous jurist Alfenus Varus, but this is uncertain.
139. Crispinus: See note on I. 1. 121.
Satire 1. 4
1. Cratinus, Eupolis, and Aristophanes: Comic writers of fifth-century Athens.
6. Lucilius: See Introduction, pp. xi–xv.
8. harsh: The Latin is ‘durus componere versus’, and some scholars take this to mean ‘indefatigable in writing verses’. It is a fine point, but in view of I. 10. 56ff., where the word dura occurs again, it seems better to suppose that Horace is talking about harshness.
14. Crispinus: Mentioned already in I. 1. 121 and I. 3. 139.
21. Fannius: A Complacent Poet. The Latin does not make it clear whether he gives or receives the presents. For arguments in favour of the former see Hermathen a 87 (1956) 52–5.
28. Albius: Apparently the father of the man mentioned in v. 109. Statuettes and vases of Corinthian bronze were collectors’ items.
34. hay: A wisp of hay was tied to the horns of a dangerous bull.
34–5. For the sake… his friends: I have translated the Oxford text, which prints ‘dummodo risum/excutiat sibi non non cuiquam parcet amico.’ Most editors read ‘dummodo risum/excutiat sibi, non hic cuiquam parcet amico’ ‘provided he raises a laugh for himself this fellow will not spare any of his friends.’ It seems more likely that non non would be changed to non hic than vice versa; in the context hic does not carry much force; and the former reading has a good parallel in Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics IV. 14, where the buffoon ‘will not spare himself or anyone else if he can raise a laugh’. But certainty is impossible. Some editors read tibi for sibi.
42. a style rather close to prose: The Latin is ‘sermoni propiora’.
45. comedy: From the example given in 48ff. it is clear that Horace is thinking of Roman comedy.
52. Pomponius: Usually regarded as a real person, but more likely to be a character in the play referred to.
60–61. when loathsome Discord… war: A quotation from Ennius. Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 7. 622.
66. Sulcius and Caprius: Apparently soap-box orators who specialized in denunciation. The names suggest types of fig, recalling the Greek for ‘informer’. See Radermacher, Wiener Studien 53 (1935) 80–84.
69. Caelius or Birrius: Unknown.
87. one who throws all kinds of dirt: This line refers to the type of person known as a scurra (hence our ‘scurrilous’). Such men relied on being invited to dinner-parties, where they were expected to amuse the company.
92. Rufillus… of goat: A quotation from I. 2. 27.
94–5. the theft… Capitolinus: This refers to a cause célèbre in which a Petillius Capitolinus was tried for embezzlement. To judge from I. 10.27 the defence counsel had great difficulty in securing an acquittal. Petillius may have been the man whose name appears on a coin dated about 43 BC.
109. Albius… Baius: Unknown.
112. Scetanus: Unknown.
114. Trebonius: Unknown.
120. without a ring: Literally ‘without cork’.
129. That is the reason: The Latin is ‘ex hoc’. It is normally translated ‘as a result of this training’, but it seems preferable to make the hoc refer to the immediately preceding lines. The general sense is much the same either way.
143. the Jews: The Jewish colony in Rome was well known for its proselytizing zeal (Matthew 23:15) and for its community spirit (Cicero, Flacc. 66).
Satire 1. 5
1. Aricia: About sixteen miles from Rome; famous for the worship of Diana Nemorensis (see Frazer, Golden Bough, chapter 1).
2. Heliodorus: T. Frank plausibly suggests that this may be the scholar Apollodorus who was a well-known teacher in Rome at the time and whose name could not be included in a hexameter. See Classical Philology 15 (1920) 393. Apollo was often identified with the sun, and the Greek for sun is helios.
9–23. Night was preparing… we landed: The journey is continued by barge through the Pomptine marshes.
24. Feronia: An Italian goddess, consort of Jupiter at Anxur.
25. Anxur: The old Volscian name of Tarracina; on the west coast of Italy sixty-five miles south of Rome.
28. Cocceius: L. Cocceius Nerva. He had helped to negotiate the earlier treaty of Brundisium in 40 BC which divided the Mediterranean world between the triumvirs Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus.
32. Fonteius Capito: After this conference he was given another commission, that of escorting Cleopatra from Egypt to Syria, where she was to spend the winter with Antony. Fonteius Capito became Consul Suffectus in 33 BC.
/> 34. the Praetorship of Aufidius Luscus: A grandiloquent phrase.
36. the pan of glowing charcoal: Apparently for burning incense in honour of the guests’ arrival.
37. the Mamurras’ city: Formiae, birthplace of the notorious Mamurra who was Caesar’s chief engineer in Gaul.
38. Murena: Varro Murena, Maecenas’ brother-in-law. He was Consul in 23 BC, but was involved in a conspiracy with Fannius Caepio and was executed in 22.
40. Plotius: Plotius Tucca who, with Varius, edited the Aeneid after Virgil’s death.
Varius: He and Virgil introduced Horace to Maecenas – see I. 6. 55. Horace speaks of him as an epic poet in I. 10. 43–4. He also attained distinction in tragedy.
41. and Virgil: Virgil probably came to join the party from Naples, where he spent most of his time.
49. inflamed eyes… stomachs: Horace had sore eyes. Virgil had a chronic stomach ailment.
52–5. Sarmentus: A former slave, emancipated by Maecenas and given a job in the Treasury. His name, which meant ‘faggot’, apparently suited his physique.
Messius: His cognomen Cicirrus meant ‘cock’. The cock-man was a stock figure in local farces. The Oscans were proverbially oafish.
62–3. ‘Campanian disease’: Unknown. Guesses vary from warts on the forehead to satyriasis.
65–9. Had Sarmentus… scrap like him: The implication is that Sarmentus had once been kept in chains and had obtained his freedom by running away. The normal ration for a slave was about four pounds of meal a day; this may well have been reduced during the blockade of Sextus Pompeius.
98. Then Gnatia… scowled: Gnatia was also short of water.
100–101. Apella the Jew may believe it: The Romans regarded the Jews as credulous and superstitious.
101–3. the gods live a life… the sky: These lines are a parody of Lucretius, who maintained that the gods lived a life of serenity, undisturbed by human wickedness. See, e.g., De Rerum Natura 5. 83.
Satire 1. 6
1. all the Lydians… Tuscan soil: According to Herodotus 1. 94 half the people of Lydia in Asia Minor migrated to Etruria as a result of a famine. Maecenas’ family came from Arretium, the modern Arezzo.