ODE II. Silver shines only in use. Generous use of wealth makes Proculeius immortal. He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city. Hydroptic immoderate desire is a disease curable only by removal of its cause. The true king sits not on the throne of Cyrus. 'Tis he who is not the slave of greed. Translated by Cotton in Johnson's Poets, 18, p. 16. For similar 'barren scraps, to say the least, of Stoic commonplaces' (Dobson), cf. 1. 16. 17; 3. 2. 17; 4. 9. 39; Sat. 1. 3. 125; Epp. 1. 1. 106. 1-4. The parallel silver has no lustre in the mine, wealth is worthless except for noble uses, is given a personal application by the substitution of the condition for its second member. All editors since Bentley warn the student that inimice is the apodosis of nisi. . . splendeat. But the construction nullus. . . color est ... nisi splendeat is perfectly possible despite the verbal contradiction, and is quite in Horace's pregnant, subtle manner. Cf. Milton's for what peace will be given | To us enslaved, but custody severe ?' Jebb on Soph. Ajax, 100. 1. color: cf. οὐκ ἔστ ̓ ἐν ἄντροις λευκός, ὦ ξέν', άργυρος, Anon. apud Plut. Tepi duσwrías 10.-avaris: either as 1. 28. 18; 3. 29. 61; or by association with miser's greed. 2. terris preferably abl., if the ore of the mine is meant (cum terra celat, 3. 3. 50), dat. perhaps, if the reference is to the miser's hoards (Sat. 1. 8. 43, abdiderint furtim terris).—lamnae: for syncope, cf. 1. 36. 8; Epode 9.1; Kirkland, p. xv. Bullion, bar silver, with implied contempt for the pale and common drudge 'tween man and man.' 3. Crispe Sallusti: there is, perhaps, a touch of familiarity in putting the family name before the gentile. Cf. Hirpini Quinti 2. 11. 2; Fuscus Aristius, Sat. 1. 9. 61. Sallustius was the grandnephew and adopted son of the historian, and the fortunate owner of the famous Horti Sallustiani and of rich copper mines. Originally an adherent of Antony, he was in later life a confident of Augustus and a signal example of his clemency. (Sen. de Clem. 1. 10; Tac. Ann. 3. 30.) An epigram of the contemporary poet Krinagoras celebrates his liberality, Anth. Pal. 16. 40. 4. usu: that to shine in use is the test of true metal, both in physics and morals, is a favorite commonplace of Greek poetry. Cf. Theog. 417, 449-450; Aeschyl. Ag. 390; Soph. Fr. 780, λáμwei γὰρ ἐν χρείαισιν ὥσπερ ἐκπρεπὴς χαλκός. 5. vivet: sc. the life of fame in others' breath.' Cf. Ov. Met. 15. 878, perque omnia saecula fama, | siquid habent veri vatum praesagia, vivam. — extento aevo: abl. as occulto aero, 1. 12. 45. Cf. 3. 11. 35 and Verg. Aen. 6. 806, virtutem extendere factis; 10. 468, famam extendere factis. - Proculeius: C. Proculeius, the brother of Maecenas' wife Terentia and of L. Licinius Murena (2. 10) shared his estate, Porphyry tells us, with his brothers, who lost their property in the civil wars. Cf. Cotton's naïve expansion of the passage, 'Soon as this generous Roman saw | His father's sons proscribed by law, | The knight discharged a parent's part, | They shared his fortune and his heart. | Hence stands consigned a brother's name | To immortality and fame.' 6. in cf. 4. 4. 28. — animi: gen. of 'reference' with notus. Page, holding this impossible, construes notus with vivet and animi as gen. of qual. with Proculeius. 7. aget: bear aloft, upbear, cf. levat, 4. 2. 25. - penna: cf. pinnata fama (Verg. Aen. 9. 473). Cf. ibid. 4. 181; Spenser, Ruins of Time, But Fame with golden wings aloft doth fly,' etc.; and Matthew Arnold, Hither to come and to sleep | Under the wings of Renown' (Heine's Grave). — metuente solvi: unflagging, with a possible glance at the wax-joined wings of Icarus. Indissolubilis would be unpoetical and impracticable here. Periphrasis with metuo ekes out the slender resources of Latin as does periphrasis with careo. Cf. 3. 11. 10; 3. 24. 22; 4. 5. 20; Verg. G. 1. 246, arctos... metuentes aequore tingui. Cf. also 3. 26. 10. n. 8. Cf. Ov. Trist. 3. 7. 50, me tamen extincto fama superstes erit. 9 sqq. The Stoic paradox, dives qui sapiens est. ... et solus formosus et est rex, Sat. 1. 3. 125. Cf. Cic. Paradox. 6, Öтι μóvos ¿ σοφὸς πλούσιος, which goes back to Socrates' prayer, πλούσιον δὲ voμíçoiμ Tòv σopóv, Plat. Phaedr. 279 C.-regnes: cf. 'Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules | Passions, desires, and fears is more a king' (Milton, P. R. 2). 11. Tyrrell (Latin Poetry, p. 197) says somewhat captiously, 'What is the meaning of to "join Libya to the distant Gades"? Surely to unite Africa to Spain by a bridge.' But cf. the millionaire in Petron. 48, nunc coniungere agellis Siciliam volo ut cum Africam libuerit ire per meos fines navigem. -et: and (so). - uterque Poenus: sc. of Carthage and of her Spanish colonies, where remnants of the old Phoenician population doubtless still lingered. 12. Serviat: perhaps literally, since the latifundia were cultivated by chain-gangs of slaves. With whole passage cf. 3. 16. 31-41.-uni: sc. tibi. 13-16. The dropsy, symbol of greed, is personified and substituted for the thing it signifies. dpwy is both the sick man and the malady. The image is a commonplace. Cf. Polyb. 13. 2; Lucil. 28. 27, aquam te in animo habere intercutem; Donne, 'the worst voluptuousness, an hydroptic immoderate desire of human learning and languages.' For thirst of dropsy, cf. Ov. Fast. 1. 215. 15-16. aquosus . . . languor: lassitude caused by the water. A Greek poet would have had his choice between ὑδατώδης, ὑδερής, ὑδατόχροος, λευκόχροος, and a dozen other convenient derivatives in this connection. The poorer Latin has only the vague aquosus for all these, for oußpopópos, Epode 16. 54, and Homer's Toλuñîdаž as well. Cf. on 3. 20. 15.-fugerit: cf. Epp. 1. 6. 29, quaere fugam morbi. 6 17. redditum: despite his restoration. Cyri: typical, cf. Plut. Alex. 30, and Milton's won Asia and the throne of Cyrus held | At his dispose.' - Phraaten: for his restitution to throne of Parthia, cf. on 1. 26. 5. 18. beatorum: cf. 2. 3. 27, 3. 29. 35, for hypermetron, and 4. 9, 46, and Epp. 1. 16. 18-20 for thought. 19. Virtus: the Stoic sage, spokesman of the Stoic Virtue (3. 2. 17), uses the porticoes of the people but not their estimates of good and evil (dissidens plebi, cf. Epp. 1. 1. 71), like Socrates (Plato, Gorg. 470 e), refuses to count even the Great King happy without knowing how he stands in respect of culture and virtue, defines real kingship as a truer mental and higher moral state (Ruskin), and assigns the safer diadem and the inalienable laurel to him who can pass by heaps of treasure with unreverting eye. falsis cf. Sal. Cat. 52, iam pridem . . nos vera vocabula rerum amisimus. 21. regnum: for sage as king cf. Sat. 1. 3. 133; Epp. 1. 1. 59; 1. 1. 107; Sen. Thyest. 389 sqq.-tutum: which the tiara of Phraates was not. 22. propriam: cf. Sat. 2. 6. 5, propria haec mihi munera faxis; Verg. Aen. 3. 85. 23. inretorto: Cic. in Cat. 2. 1. 2 says of Catiline leaving Rome, retorquet oculos profecto saepe ad hanc urbem. For same idea in different image cf. Pers. Sat. v. 110-112. 24. acervos: sc. aeris acervos et auri, Epp. 1. 2. 47; cf. Sat. 1. 1. 44; 2. 2. 105; Epp. 1. 6. 35; Tenn. The Golden Year: 'When wealth shall rest no more in mounded heaps.' Milt. Comus : 'unsunn'd heaps | Of miser's treasure.' ODE III. Temper thy joy and sorrow, Dellius, with the thought of death. Gather the roses of life while you may. For Dives and Lazarus alike is drawn the inevitable lot that dooms us to Charon's bark and everlasting exile from the warm precincts of the cheerful day. Quintus Dellius, the boon companion of Antony, was wittily nicknamed by Messalla desultor bellorum civilium, the desultor being the circus rider who leaps from horse to horse. His last change of front was his desertion of Antony for Octavian through fear of Cleopatra. He stood high in the favor of Augustus, and was the author of memoirs of the Parthian wars and scurrilous letters ostensibly addressed to Cleopatra. Vell. 2. 84; Sen. Suas. 1. 7; Plut. Ant. 59; Sen. de Clem. 1. 10. 1. Aequam . . . arduis: the verbal antithesis faintly suggests a latent image: a level head a steep and rugged path. For animus aequus cf. Epp. 1. 18. 112; 1. 11. 30; Plaut. Rud. 402; Lucret. 5. 1117; Aequanimitas was the last watchword given out by the Emperor Antoninus Pius on the eve of his death; mens aequa in arduis, the motto of Warren Hastings. 2-4. non secus idea. laetitia parenthetic parallel to leading non secus: and likewise, nor less. Cf. 3. 25. 8. 3. insolenti: joy need not be overweening or extravagant, but some men ont le bonheur insolent.' - temperatam: cf. 3. 4. 66, and Sen. de Prov. 4. 10: cum omnia quae excesserunt modum noceant, periculosissima felicitatis intemperantia est. 4. moriture: the inevitable conclusion to the alternative conditions moestus vixeris and bearis. For neat use of future participle to express any future contingency or probability, cf. 1. 22. 6 ; 1. 28. 6; 2. 6. 1; 3. 4. 60; 4. 3. 20; 4. 4. 16; 4. 13. 24; 4. 2. 3. Delli: some Mss. read 'Gelli.' 6. remoto gramine: cf. 1. 17. 17, in reducta valle; Epode 2. 23– 27; Tennyson's 'banquet in the distant woods,' In Mem. 89. per for distributive force, cf. 2. 14. 15; 3. 22. 6; C. S. 21; Epp. 2. 1. 147. : 7. reclinatum: cf. 2. 11. 14; Tenn. Lucretius: 'No larger feast than under plane or pine | With neighbors laid along the grass to take | Only such cups as left us friendly warm' (Lucret. 5. 1392-93); Milt. P. L., as they sat recline | On the soft downy bank damask'd with flowers.' 8. interiore nota: inner brand for brand of inner-(most), i.e. oldest and best. For nota cf. Sat. 1. 10. 24; Catull. 68. 28, de meliore nota. The names of the consuls of the year were stamped on or attached to the cadus. Cf. 3. 8. 12; 3. 21. 1. 9-12. Cf. Milton, Comus, Wherefore did nature pour her bounties forth | With such a full and unwithdrawing hand ? ' . quo: qua and quid have been read. Cf. Epp. 1. 5. 12, quo mihi fortunam si non conceditur uti? This use of quo is made clearer by the following quid. Cf. Ov. Met. 13. 516, quo ferrea resto? quidve moror? Cf. quo... cur, Verg. Aen. 12. 879. 9. ingens pinus: cf. 2. 10. 9. trast with albus, as well as tall. The pine is dark by implied con- 10. hospitalem: cf. Under the hospitable covert nigh | Of trees thick interwoven' (Milt. P. R.); But now to form a shade | For thee green alders have together wound | Their foliage' (Words. River Duddon, 5). Cf. Plat. Phaedr. 230 B. and Verg. G. 4. 24, obviaque hospitiis teneat frondentibus arbos. amant wavers between poetic personification and pixoûσi, are wont. เ 11-12. Why does the huddling brook strive to bicker down its winding way?' Cf. Epp. 1. 10. 21, quae per pronum trepidat cum murmure rivum; Ov. Met. 1. 39, Aluminaque obliquis cinxit declivia ripis. |