THE present Edition has been carefully revised, in accordancevith the opinion of high educational authorities, warder to render this volume of selections from Catullus perfectly suitable for school reading. At the same time, from the scholar's point of view, a thorough recension has been made of the text, and the Appendices have been verified and augmented. The Notes also have been reviewed and improved, and include observations furnished by Mr. Munro, to whose kind criticism I am much indebted. I am also obliged to Mr. T. Agar (late Junior Student of Christ Church) for valuable corrections. F. P. S. October, 1879. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. I. 'Venias hedera juvenalia cinctus Tempora cum Calvo, docte Catulle, tuo.' EVERLASTING gratitude is due to the notary of Verona who rescued from the dust the sole manuscript, so long lost, of his compatriot Catullus; for, possessing this,1 we possess a diary vividly picturing the life of Rome, just before it was overcast with the grey monotone of Imperialism, in the colours which it wore to the feelings of a young Republican, man of the world, and poet. Catullus had many friends who lived and wrote like himself; but their works met the fate of the authors, and perished before their time. It is most fortunate for us, therefore, that one has escaped, by a hair's-breadth, the general mortality; and it is most fortunate that the survivor is Catullus. For he was especially fitted to represent to us the daily world he lived in, both because his sensibility was singularly pure-embalming its experience in crystal, without stain, shadow, or distortion-and because he belonged 1Or rather transcripts of it. See Advertisement to Text. |