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Admovit iam bruma foco te, Basse, Sabino?
iamne lyra et tetrico vivunt tibi pectine chordae?
mire opifex numeris veterum primordia vocum
atque marem strepitum fidis intendisse Latinae,
5mox iuvenes agitare iocos et pollice honesto
egregius 1 lusisse senex.2 mihi nune Ligus ora
intepet hibernatque 3 meum mare, qua latus ingens
dant scopuli et multa litus se valle receptat.
‘Lunai portum, est operae, cognoscite, cives’:
10cor iubet hoc Enni, postquam destertuit esse
Maeonides, quintus pavone ex Pythagoreo. 4 5 6 [p. 394]
Hic ego securus volgi et quid praeparet auster
infelix pecori securus et angulus ille
vieini nostro quia pinguior; et si adeo omnes
15ditescant orti peioribus, usque recusem
curvus ob id minui senio aut cenare sine uncto
et signum in vapida naso tetigisse lagoena.
discrepet his alius, geminos, horoscope, varo
producis genio: solis natalibus est qui
20tinguat olus siccum muria vafer in calice empta,
ipse sacrum inrorans patinae piper; hic bona dente
grandia magnanimus peragit puer. utar ego, utar,
nec rhombos ideo libertis ponere lautus,
nec tenuis sollers turdarum 7 nosse salivas.
25Messe tenus propria vive et granaria, fas est,
emole. quid metuas? occa, et seges altera in herba est.
at vocat officium, trabe rupta Bruttia saxa
prendit amicus inops remque omnem surdaque vota
condidit Ionio, iacet ipse in litore et una
30ingentes de puppe dei iamque obvia mergis
costa ratis lacerae: nunc et de caespite vivo
frange aliquid, largire inopi, ne pictus oberret
caerulea in tabula, sed cenam funeris heres
negleget iratus, quod rem curtaveris; urnae
35ossa inodora dabit, seu spirent cinnama surdum 8 [p. 396]
seu ceraso peccent casiae, nescire paratus:
‘tune bona incolumis minuas?’ et Bestius urguet
doctores Graios: ‘ita fit; postquam sapere urbi
cum pipere et palmis venit nostrum hoc maris expers,
40faenisecae crasso vitiarunt unguine pultes.’
haec cinere ulterior metuas? at tu, meus heres
quisquis eris, paulum a turba seductior audi.
O bone, num ignoras? missa est a Caesare laurus
insignem ob cladem Germanae pubis, et aris
45frigidus excutitur cinis ac iam postibus arma,
iam chlamydas regum, iam lutea gausapa captis
essedaque ingentesque locat Caesonia Rhenos.
dis igitur genioque ducis centum paria ob res
egregie gestas induco. quis vetat? aude.
50vae, nisi conives! oleum artocreasque popello
largior, an prohibes? dic clare ‘non adeo,’ inquis, 9 10 [p. 398]
‘exossatus ager iuxta est.’ age, si mihi nulla
iam reliqua ex amitis, patruelis nulla, proneptis
nulla manet patrui, sterilis matertera vixit,
55deque avia nihilum superest, accedo Bovillas
clivumque ad Virbi, praesto est mihi Manius heres,
‘progenies terrae?’ quaere ex me quis mihi quartus
sit pater: haut prompte, dicam tamen; adde etiam unum,
unum etiam: terrae est iam filius, et mihi ritu
60Manius hic generis prope maior avunculus exit.
qui prior es, cur me in decursu lampada poscis?
sum tibi Mercurius, venio deus huc ego ut ille
pingitur. an renuis? vis tu gaudere relictis?
‘dest aliquid summae.’ minui mihi, sed tibi totum est
65quidquid id est. ubi sit, fuge quaerere, quod mihi quondam 11 [p. 400]
legarat Tadius, neu dicta repone 12 paterna,
‘faenoris accedat merces, hinc exime sumptus.’
‘quid reliqum est?’ reliqum? nunc nunc inpensius ungue,
ungue, puer, caules! mihi festa luce coquatur
70urtica et fissa fumosum sinciput aure,
ut tuus iste nepos olim satur anseris extis,
cum morosa vago singultiet inguine vena,
patriciae inmeiat vulvae? mihi trama figurae
sit reliqua, ast illi tremat omento popa venter?
75Vende animam lucro, mercare atque excute sollers
omne latus mundi, ne sit praestantior alter
Cappadocas rigida pinguis plausisse catasta,
rem duplica. ‘feci; iam triplex, iam mihi quarto,
iam decies redit in rugam.’ depunge ubi sistam:
80inventus, Chrysippe, tui finitor acervi. 13
4 aegregius a: aegraecius P1: aegregios P2L.
5 senes P2L.
6 Housm. suggests mite tepet vernatque (t c. pp. 28-7).
8 turdarum P1Sch.: turdorum aP2L.
9 The name Bestius is taken from the corrector Bestius of Horace (Epp. I. xv. 37), and is used to represent the vulgar irrelevant critic, who connects all the evils of his day with the bringing in of new-fangled Greek learning along with foreign articles like pepper, dates, etc. ‘Your heir will snarl,’ says Persius, ‘and Bestius will talk drivel; but why should that trouble you in the grave?’ Sapere of course has a punning meaning, referring to Greek Philosophy as well as to the smack of dates and pepper.
10 The words maris expers are taken from Horace (Chium maris expers, Sat. II. viii. 15), but the context is quite different from the Horatian. They have been usually explained as meaning ‘destitute of salt,’ and therefore ‘tasteless,’ or foolish. But Professor Housman has shown that Casaubon's rendering, ‘destitute of virility,’ gives the true meaning (l.c. pp. 27-28). Bestius complains that modern Greek ideas
11 This obscure phrase has been variously explained. Exossatus means ‘cleared of bones.’ Some interpret ‘cleared of stones,’ i.e. good land prepared for a crop; others ‘land from which the bones, the strength and marrow of the soil, have been taken,’ and so ‘poor land.’ In line 51 Persius challenges his heir to reply. Conington takes adeo as a verb: ‘I decline the inheritance,’ says the heir; to which Persius replies, ‘Here is a field, now, cleared for ploughing,’ for which I can easily find an heir. Professor Housman follows an interpretation given by Hermann: Persius says to his heir, ‘Do you forbid my extravagance? Tell me plainly.’ ‘I would rather not,’ says the heir; ‘that field close by is far too full of stones’; i.e. he is afraid that the populace will stone him if he lifts his voice against the pro-
13 repone L and old edd. Büch. has neu dicta ‘pone paterna ... sumptus.’ ‘quid reliqum est?’ Housm. suggests neu dic ita, ‘pone paterna ... reliqum est.’ reliqum? and explains, ‘Do not say ‘state what you inherited, add interest, subtract expenditure, and see how much is left.’ Left, quotha?’ (l.c. p. 31). ita then means ‘as follows.’ Büch. takes pone to mean ‘invest.’
Persius. Juvenal and Persius with An English Translation. G. G. Ramsay. London. New York. William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam's Son. 1918. Keyboarding.
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