Pisonis: i.e. L. Calpurnius Piso Caesonianus, on whom see Intr. 70.
comites: i.e. members of the cohors, or staff, of a provincial governor; cf. Catul. 11.1; Catul. 46.9.
inanis: penniless, for Piso cared only to enrich himself, and Cicero scores him for his avarice in Cic. Pis. 35.86; cf. Catul. 64.288 “vacuus.”
[2] aptis: i.e. accommodated to the circumstances of their bearers, as definitely explained by inanis; the idea is carried out by the addition of expeditis, here in the meaning of ‘light,’ but suggesting, from its commoner use, the idea of soldiers in light marching order.
[3] The same careful recognition of equality in esteem that has been already noted (Intr. 68; Catul. 12.13n.) is kept up here by calling Veranius optime and Fabullus mi.
[4] quid rerum geritis: a colloquial form of greeting; cf. Pl. Aul. 117 “rogitant me ut valeam, quid agam, quid rerum geram.”
[5] vappa: wine that has become flat; hence a colloquialism for a good-for-nothing, and sometimes for a totally depraved fellow; cf. Hor. S. 1.1.104 “vappam ac nebulonem.”
[6] ecquidnam: cf. Catul. 10.8n.
[6] tabulis: account-books.
[6] lucelli: modifying ecquidnam.
[7] expensum: the word expected, if there was actually aliquid lucelli, is acceptum (cf. Pl. Most. 297 “ratio accepti atque expensi” ; Cic. Rosc. Com. 1.4 “in codice accepti et expensi” ), but Catullus means to indicate his presumption that all accumulation was that of debt.
[8] praetorem: i.e. provincial governor, as in Catul. 10.10, Catul. 10.13.
[8] refero datum lucello: set down to my credit; cf. Hor. Carm. 1.9.14 “lucro adpone.”
[9] bene me: etc. i.e. you have most scurvily abused me and betrayed my hopes. See Catul. 16.1n.
[13] pete nobiles amicos: ironically spoken in self-apostrophe: the suppressed conclusion is something like sic irrumatus fueris. Neither the Pisones nor the Memmii were new families; the former claimed descent from Numa ( Hor. AP 292 “vos [Pisones] o Pompilius sanguis” ), and the latter from Mnestheus, the comrade of Aeneas ( Verg. A. 5.117 “Mnestheus, genus a quo nomine Memmi” ).
[14] at vobis mala: cf. Catul. 3.13n.; Catul. 27.5; Catul. 36.18.
[14] nobis: i.e. Piso and Memmius.
[14] mala: etc. cf. Catul. 14.6n.
[15] opprobria: i.e. you disgrace to the noble origin of your nation; cf. Catul. 34.22; Catul. 49.1; Catul. 58.5.