Lampsaci]
Priapus was born at Lampsacus.
Catullus - Hubbard - Poems
Among various topics of conversation,
they spoke of Bithynia, where Catullus had recently
served under Memmius. The natural inquiry being
started, how far he had enriched himself there, he
answered evasively, blaming the avarice of the
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? 96 NOTES.
pretors who governed the province; yet unwilling
to appear to the lady entirely unsuccessful, he tells
her that he had brought home half a dozen litter
bearers. The wanton desires to borrow them,
when the poet is compelled to get off with a lame
and confused apology.
1. Farri] Vulpius, Turnebus and some others read
Varus, and suppose the person here mentioned, to
be Alphenus Varus, one of the most subtle and
distinguished lawyers of his times--the same to
whom Carm. xxii. was addressed. Vide Horace
Sat. 3. Lib. 3. v. 130.
2. ad s. a. visum] the same as visum suos amores.
Thus Terence Hecyra, Act 1. Scene 2. v. 189, has a
similar construction, "nostra (domina) it visere ad
earn. " So Plautus Bacch. Act 3. Sc. 5. "lbo et
visam hue ad eum. "
4. JVbn illepidum] i not ungenteel. '
10. prcstoribus] The same province was some-
times occupied by more than one prator at once;
or the reference may be to successive prators.
12. irrumator] < avaricious. '
13. nee faceret pili] 'valued not a hair. ' Conf.
Carm. xii. v. 17.
14. illic natum] 'what is said to have originated
there. ' Cicero in Verrem, says "Nam ut mos fuit
Bithyniae regibus lectica octophoro ferebatur.
Verses 21, 22 and 23, are to be understood as a
parenthesis, introduced to inform those to whom he
V
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? NOTES. 97
is relating the adventure. "Conversus ad lectores. "
Vulp.
22. grabati] 'a small bed carried from place to
place. ' From the Greek xQu? ? arov, derived ac-
cording to Voss, from tni to xgoita Sairtir, quasi
xaga? uTov.
26. ad Serapin] The temple of Serapis was with-
out the city, and was frequented for licentious pur-
poses, and also for obtaining dream3 there, which it
was thought would aid in the recovery of health.
27--30. ] These verses contain a strongly marked
anacoluthon, the hesitating and broken confession
of one detected in falsehood. The passage may be
thus constructed, Cuius Cinna est meus sodalis; is
sibi paravit istud quod modo dixeram me habere,
fugit me ratio, f. m. r. 'I forgot myself. '
34. negligentemj scil. of his words.
CARMEN IX.
To Asinius.
Catullus sends this poem to Marrucinus Asinius,
who in the freedom and carelessness of " mirth and
wine," had secreted some foreign napkins, which
he valued highly as memorials of absent friends;
and threatens a poet's vengeance.
3. ] Thefts of this kind were not infrequent.
Conf. Carm. xix. v. 6. Martial Ep. 59. Lib. 8.
"
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? Q8 NOTES.
12. astimatione] 'value. '
14. Setaba] Setabis was a town of Spain, on the
river Sucro, famous for its very fine linen.
CARMEN X.
To Fabullus.
Our poet in his poverty does not forget, or the
less relish the delights of social and festive enjoy-
ment, and alleging the leanness of his larder, in-
vites Fabullus to bring with him the means and
accompaniments of his own supper; offering only his
own affection, or if they should be preferred, odors
which the goddess of Love had bestowed on his
mistress.
CARMEN XI.
To Ldcinius Calvus.
A jocose rebuke to his friend Licinius, who on
the Saturnalia, had sent him a vile poem, which he
had received from one of his clients.
2. munere isto] 'for that present. '
3. odio Vatiniano] 'with the hatred of Vatinius. *
Calvus had incurred the bitter enmity of Vatinius, by
urging with great eloquence an accusation against
him, of bribery. But see Lempriere's Class. Dict.
8. reptrtum] 'far-fetched,' or with Docring,
"composed with much labor, in a new style. "
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? Notes. 99
ft Sulla] The individual here mentioned is sup-
posed to hare been a pedantic grammarian, the
freedman of . Sylla, who, as was often the case,
took the name of his master.
11. labores] professional' labors'in behalf of^Sulla.
17. si illuxerit] 'when day shall have dawned. '
18. Cissios, Aquinios] sorry poets.
19. Suffenum] a conceited verse maker. Conf.
Carro. xvr.
CARMEN XII.
Catullus seems to have taken a violent dislike to
a fellow townsman, whose jealousy was not so
easily excited as his own, and whose complacent
or heedless allowance of the sports and caprices of
his wife, was intolerable to the hasty temper of the
poet. He addresses the colony, offering his good
wishes in the matter of a new bridge, which the
residents very much desired, and asking in return,
that the fellow who could so neglect his own inter-
ests, might be flung from it into the deepest and
blackest mud beneath.
1. Colonia] Scaliger and Voss suppose that the
place here mentioned was Novum Comum, a col-
ony recently planted by Julius Caesar, ludere]
Certain contests, as boxing, were sometimes exhib-
ited on bridges.
3. asculis] i. q. assicidis, 'slender beams. '
'y
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? 100 NOTES.
6. ] 'On which (so good that) their sacred rites
may be performed by the morris dancers. '
10. ut] i. q. ubi.
14. cum] i. q. etsi. Jlore] the greenness of her
youth, as liable to errors; and also contrasted with
the advanced age of her husband.
17. uni] for unius, as sometimes toti for totius,
alii modi for alius modi.
18. alnus . . . suppernata] 'the alder hewn be-
neath,' i. e. a boat, suppernata is commonly written
subpernata.
19. Liguri] 'of a Ligurian. ' Liguria was noted
for ship and boat timber.
20. Tantumdem] 'Just as much. '
22. Nunc] Sillig reads hunc. "Hie is est, quern
nolo. " Better, for the notion of time is impertinent
here, and nunc is never used, I believe, to denote
sequence. Hunc eum is analagous to the common
hie ille.
CARMEN XIII.
The dedication of a grove to Priapus, composed,
probably during the poet's residence in Bitliynia.
1. dedico] 'I devote. ' consecroque] "I dedicate
with solemn rites. " "Consecrare has a more reli-
gious cast than dedicare. " Dumesnil.
2.
Lampsaci] Priapus was born at Lampsacus.
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? NOTES. 101
4. ostreosior] So Virgil George, 1. v. 207, ostriferi
fauces Abydi.
CARMEN XIV.
An image of Priapus standing in a garden, ad-
dresses some mischievous boys, who were disposed
to plunder on the grounds, mentions the various
gifts and observances, by which the owner had
sought to secure his favor, with his own duty of
watchfulness, and points out to their rapacity, a
richer vineyard and a more negligent Priapus.
This poem and the next, may be considered a
locus classicus on the worship of Priapus. There
are few passages, if any, in the whole of Latin liter-
ature, which more fully and strikingly evince, what
we find it very difficult to comprehend, the earnest
sincerity of the rustic worshipper. One can hardly
rise from this truly poetical picture of the poor hus-
bandman and his son in their devout offerings,
without feeling that though the philosopher might
despise, and the cultivated poet sneer or ridicule,
yet they were influenced by a real faith in the
power, and a real hope of the favor of the Deity they
served.
4. Nutrivi] i. q. auxi. ut] with the force of
utpote, 'because,' introducing the reason of the pre-
ceding sentence, beata] belongs to quercus, i. e.
-
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? 102 Notes.
Priapus. "Auxi Wam villam quia quotidie muneri-
bus et honoribus large qfficior. " Nam hujus villa etc.
Sillig.
10. ponitur] 'is offered. '
35. sed tacebilis] Why silent? The common
answer, that the fruits of the earth only were pre-
sented to Priapus, is hardly satisfactory, as probably
in the time of Catullus, certainly soon after, sacri-
fices of blood were made to him. More likely, be-
cause they were offered only in the fouler mysteries,
which the darkness of midnight concealed from the
moral and severe, and which, therefore, he would
not have disclosed.
CARMEN XVI.
A satire upon Suffenus, a man of some preten-
sions to gentility, but a vile, voluminous and con-
ceited poet. The piece naturally concludes with a
reflection on the blindness of men to their own
failings, and their tendency to mistake their own
powers.
1. probe nusti] simply 'well known. '
5. palimpsesto] a material used for the first
draught of a work, from which it might be easily
erased.
6. relata] 'written out. ' Carey suggests the
meaning "scored, blotted with corrections,"
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? NOTES. 103
7. umbilici] The umbilicus was of two kinds: in
cylindrical volumes, the inner edge of the roll, which
was usually attached to a slender rod; and in books
made of two tables or pages, as those used for mem-
oranda, a small button in the middle of each, to
prevent their touching when closed, and obliterating
the impression on the wax.
lora] The Romans attached to the outer edge of
the volume, a strip of parchment, wide enough to
fold around and enclose the whole. They were
used for protection, and for ornament, and painted
of various colors, here red.
8. cKrecta] 'ruled. '
11. abhorret] scil. a se ipso, mutat] is often
used passively.
12. scurra] 'a witling. '
14. inficeto] commonly written infaceto.
15. Simul]. more frequently in prose we find
simul ac. Horace uses Simul, Carm. Lib. 1. 12. v.
27. Catullus also, Carm. 35. v. 6. and 42. vs. 31.
12. 86. 147.
31. mantica]
"Peras imposuit Juppiter nobis duos,
Propriis repletam vitiis post terga dedit. "
Phaedrus. 4. 9.
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? 104 NOTES.
CARMEN XVII.
To Furius.
A piece of severe satire upon Furius, whom he
ironically congratulates on the conveniences of hia
extreme poverty, and the stinginess of his parents.
CARMEN XVIII.
To the young Juventius.
Catullus represents to Juventius, the low estate
of one who sought to win his affection, as a suffi-
cient dissuasive, whatever other merits he might
possess.
1. Juventiorum] 'of the Juventii,' a family of con-
siderable distinction at Rome.
4. mihi] in passages like this, has commonly been
treated as an expletive. It may be better to consider
it as expressing the remote object of the verb, and in-
dicating more strongly than mallem would do without
it, the personal interest of the writer. Conf. Carm.
7. v. 2. and see Buttman's larger Greek Grammar,
Sec. 133, note 4. Voss conjectures Mida, and
makes the sense of the line, that ' he would preter
that Juventius should bestow the wealth of Midas
on his wooer. '
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? NOTES. 105
9. haec] 'his condition and my wishes. ' elevaque]
'undervalue. '
CARMEN XIX.
To Thallus. .
Catullus with great severity and even coarseness,
scolds and threatens Thallus, who had carried off
and exhibited as his own, some articles belonging
to him. This piece presents him in no very amia-
ble light, yielding to violent passion, and descend-
ing to abusive language, on, to say the least, an un-
suitable occasion. Such methods of gratifying ill-
will, or revenging an affront, were not very uncom-
mon in this age of Rome, and English literature,
even is not wholly without examples. Catullus in
these verses, has exhausted all the power of di-
minutives to abuse and degrade his enemy.
2. oricilla] i. q. auricula, dim. of auris.
4. diva mulier] 'a female skilled in omens. '
occinentes] 'whose song is of evil omen. '
6. catagrapliosque] according to Voss, parchment
tablets, painted of various colors, great numbers of
which were made in Bithynia. 'Profiles '?
CARMEN XX.
To Furius.
The best reading of the first line of this poem i
em is
9*
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? 106. NOTES.
entirely uncertain. The editions are divided, with
great weight of authority on either side, between
nostra and vestra; and I am not aware that we have
any means of deciding the question. Vestra, seems
to suit better with the general character and con-
dition of Catullus. - Yet we do not know the time
when it was written, or whether he was then pros-
perous or poor. Nor do we know'the individual to
whom it is addressed. In other pieces he speaks of
two, of the same name, one a friend, and the other
an enemy. Nor yet do we know the villa of which
he speaks, as he possessed more than one, (Carm.
29. and 23. ,) neither of which can be the one to
which he here refers. The general construction of
the piece needs no remark.
CARMEN XXI.
To a youthful Cupbearer.
2. amariores] 'more bitter,' i. e. older.
3. magistral] the mistress of the revel, who pre-
scribed the rule (legem) of drinking. The Postu-
mia, who here held the office of symposiarch, is not
known, probably a fancy name.
4. acind Ebriosd] 'than the swollen grape. '
Seneca makes this distinction between ebrius and
ebriosus. "Potest qui ebrius est, nunc primum esse,
qui ebriosus est, sape extra cbrietatem esse. " *
7. Thyonianus] a name of Bacchus,
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they spoke of Bithynia, where Catullus had recently
served under Memmius. The natural inquiry being
started, how far he had enriched himself there, he
answered evasively, blaming the avarice of the
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? 96 NOTES.
pretors who governed the province; yet unwilling
to appear to the lady entirely unsuccessful, he tells
her that he had brought home half a dozen litter
bearers. The wanton desires to borrow them,
when the poet is compelled to get off with a lame
and confused apology.
1. Farri] Vulpius, Turnebus and some others read
Varus, and suppose the person here mentioned, to
be Alphenus Varus, one of the most subtle and
distinguished lawyers of his times--the same to
whom Carm. xxii. was addressed. Vide Horace
Sat. 3. Lib. 3. v. 130.
2. ad s. a. visum] the same as visum suos amores.
Thus Terence Hecyra, Act 1. Scene 2. v. 189, has a
similar construction, "nostra (domina) it visere ad
earn. " So Plautus Bacch. Act 3. Sc. 5. "lbo et
visam hue ad eum. "
4. JVbn illepidum] i not ungenteel. '
10. prcstoribus] The same province was some-
times occupied by more than one prator at once;
or the reference may be to successive prators.
12. irrumator] < avaricious. '
13. nee faceret pili] 'valued not a hair. ' Conf.
Carm. xii. v. 17.
14. illic natum] 'what is said to have originated
there. ' Cicero in Verrem, says "Nam ut mos fuit
Bithyniae regibus lectica octophoro ferebatur.
Verses 21, 22 and 23, are to be understood as a
parenthesis, introduced to inform those to whom he
V
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? NOTES. 97
is relating the adventure. "Conversus ad lectores. "
Vulp.
22. grabati] 'a small bed carried from place to
place. ' From the Greek xQu? ? arov, derived ac-
cording to Voss, from tni to xgoita Sairtir, quasi
xaga? uTov.
26. ad Serapin] The temple of Serapis was with-
out the city, and was frequented for licentious pur-
poses, and also for obtaining dream3 there, which it
was thought would aid in the recovery of health.
27--30. ] These verses contain a strongly marked
anacoluthon, the hesitating and broken confession
of one detected in falsehood. The passage may be
thus constructed, Cuius Cinna est meus sodalis; is
sibi paravit istud quod modo dixeram me habere,
fugit me ratio, f. m. r. 'I forgot myself. '
34. negligentemj scil. of his words.
CARMEN IX.
To Asinius.
Catullus sends this poem to Marrucinus Asinius,
who in the freedom and carelessness of " mirth and
wine," had secreted some foreign napkins, which
he valued highly as memorials of absent friends;
and threatens a poet's vengeance.
3. ] Thefts of this kind were not infrequent.
Conf. Carm. xix. v. 6. Martial Ep. 59. Lib. 8.
"
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? Q8 NOTES.
12. astimatione] 'value. '
14. Setaba] Setabis was a town of Spain, on the
river Sucro, famous for its very fine linen.
CARMEN X.
To Fabullus.
Our poet in his poverty does not forget, or the
less relish the delights of social and festive enjoy-
ment, and alleging the leanness of his larder, in-
vites Fabullus to bring with him the means and
accompaniments of his own supper; offering only his
own affection, or if they should be preferred, odors
which the goddess of Love had bestowed on his
mistress.
CARMEN XI.
To Ldcinius Calvus.
A jocose rebuke to his friend Licinius, who on
the Saturnalia, had sent him a vile poem, which he
had received from one of his clients.
2. munere isto] 'for that present. '
3. odio Vatiniano] 'with the hatred of Vatinius. *
Calvus had incurred the bitter enmity of Vatinius, by
urging with great eloquence an accusation against
him, of bribery. But see Lempriere's Class. Dict.
8. reptrtum] 'far-fetched,' or with Docring,
"composed with much labor, in a new style. "
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? Notes. 99
ft Sulla] The individual here mentioned is sup-
posed to hare been a pedantic grammarian, the
freedman of . Sylla, who, as was often the case,
took the name of his master.
11. labores] professional' labors'in behalf of^Sulla.
17. si illuxerit] 'when day shall have dawned. '
18. Cissios, Aquinios] sorry poets.
19. Suffenum] a conceited verse maker. Conf.
Carro. xvr.
CARMEN XII.
Catullus seems to have taken a violent dislike to
a fellow townsman, whose jealousy was not so
easily excited as his own, and whose complacent
or heedless allowance of the sports and caprices of
his wife, was intolerable to the hasty temper of the
poet. He addresses the colony, offering his good
wishes in the matter of a new bridge, which the
residents very much desired, and asking in return,
that the fellow who could so neglect his own inter-
ests, might be flung from it into the deepest and
blackest mud beneath.
1. Colonia] Scaliger and Voss suppose that the
place here mentioned was Novum Comum, a col-
ony recently planted by Julius Caesar, ludere]
Certain contests, as boxing, were sometimes exhib-
ited on bridges.
3. asculis] i. q. assicidis, 'slender beams. '
'y
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? 100 NOTES.
6. ] 'On which (so good that) their sacred rites
may be performed by the morris dancers. '
10. ut] i. q. ubi.
14. cum] i. q. etsi. Jlore] the greenness of her
youth, as liable to errors; and also contrasted with
the advanced age of her husband.
17. uni] for unius, as sometimes toti for totius,
alii modi for alius modi.
18. alnus . . . suppernata] 'the alder hewn be-
neath,' i. e. a boat, suppernata is commonly written
subpernata.
19. Liguri] 'of a Ligurian. ' Liguria was noted
for ship and boat timber.
20. Tantumdem] 'Just as much. '
22. Nunc] Sillig reads hunc. "Hie is est, quern
nolo. " Better, for the notion of time is impertinent
here, and nunc is never used, I believe, to denote
sequence. Hunc eum is analagous to the common
hie ille.
CARMEN XIII.
The dedication of a grove to Priapus, composed,
probably during the poet's residence in Bitliynia.
1. dedico] 'I devote. ' consecroque] "I dedicate
with solemn rites. " "Consecrare has a more reli-
gious cast than dedicare. " Dumesnil.
2.
Lampsaci] Priapus was born at Lampsacus.
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? NOTES. 101
4. ostreosior] So Virgil George, 1. v. 207, ostriferi
fauces Abydi.
CARMEN XIV.
An image of Priapus standing in a garden, ad-
dresses some mischievous boys, who were disposed
to plunder on the grounds, mentions the various
gifts and observances, by which the owner had
sought to secure his favor, with his own duty of
watchfulness, and points out to their rapacity, a
richer vineyard and a more negligent Priapus.
This poem and the next, may be considered a
locus classicus on the worship of Priapus. There
are few passages, if any, in the whole of Latin liter-
ature, which more fully and strikingly evince, what
we find it very difficult to comprehend, the earnest
sincerity of the rustic worshipper. One can hardly
rise from this truly poetical picture of the poor hus-
bandman and his son in their devout offerings,
without feeling that though the philosopher might
despise, and the cultivated poet sneer or ridicule,
yet they were influenced by a real faith in the
power, and a real hope of the favor of the Deity they
served.
4. Nutrivi] i. q. auxi. ut] with the force of
utpote, 'because,' introducing the reason of the pre-
ceding sentence, beata] belongs to quercus, i. e.
-
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? 102 Notes.
Priapus. "Auxi Wam villam quia quotidie muneri-
bus et honoribus large qfficior. " Nam hujus villa etc.
Sillig.
10. ponitur] 'is offered. '
35. sed tacebilis] Why silent? The common
answer, that the fruits of the earth only were pre-
sented to Priapus, is hardly satisfactory, as probably
in the time of Catullus, certainly soon after, sacri-
fices of blood were made to him. More likely, be-
cause they were offered only in the fouler mysteries,
which the darkness of midnight concealed from the
moral and severe, and which, therefore, he would
not have disclosed.
CARMEN XVI.
A satire upon Suffenus, a man of some preten-
sions to gentility, but a vile, voluminous and con-
ceited poet. The piece naturally concludes with a
reflection on the blindness of men to their own
failings, and their tendency to mistake their own
powers.
1. probe nusti] simply 'well known. '
5. palimpsesto] a material used for the first
draught of a work, from which it might be easily
erased.
6. relata] 'written out. ' Carey suggests the
meaning "scored, blotted with corrections,"
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? NOTES. 103
7. umbilici] The umbilicus was of two kinds: in
cylindrical volumes, the inner edge of the roll, which
was usually attached to a slender rod; and in books
made of two tables or pages, as those used for mem-
oranda, a small button in the middle of each, to
prevent their touching when closed, and obliterating
the impression on the wax.
lora] The Romans attached to the outer edge of
the volume, a strip of parchment, wide enough to
fold around and enclose the whole. They were
used for protection, and for ornament, and painted
of various colors, here red.
8. cKrecta] 'ruled. '
11. abhorret] scil. a se ipso, mutat] is often
used passively.
12. scurra] 'a witling. '
14. inficeto] commonly written infaceto.
15. Simul]. more frequently in prose we find
simul ac. Horace uses Simul, Carm. Lib. 1. 12. v.
27. Catullus also, Carm. 35. v. 6. and 42. vs. 31.
12. 86. 147.
31. mantica]
"Peras imposuit Juppiter nobis duos,
Propriis repletam vitiis post terga dedit. "
Phaedrus. 4. 9.
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? 104 NOTES.
CARMEN XVII.
To Furius.
A piece of severe satire upon Furius, whom he
ironically congratulates on the conveniences of hia
extreme poverty, and the stinginess of his parents.
CARMEN XVIII.
To the young Juventius.
Catullus represents to Juventius, the low estate
of one who sought to win his affection, as a suffi-
cient dissuasive, whatever other merits he might
possess.
1. Juventiorum] 'of the Juventii,' a family of con-
siderable distinction at Rome.
4. mihi] in passages like this, has commonly been
treated as an expletive. It may be better to consider
it as expressing the remote object of the verb, and in-
dicating more strongly than mallem would do without
it, the personal interest of the writer. Conf. Carm.
7. v. 2. and see Buttman's larger Greek Grammar,
Sec. 133, note 4. Voss conjectures Mida, and
makes the sense of the line, that ' he would preter
that Juventius should bestow the wealth of Midas
on his wooer. '
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? NOTES. 105
9. haec] 'his condition and my wishes. ' elevaque]
'undervalue. '
CARMEN XIX.
To Thallus. .
Catullus with great severity and even coarseness,
scolds and threatens Thallus, who had carried off
and exhibited as his own, some articles belonging
to him. This piece presents him in no very amia-
ble light, yielding to violent passion, and descend-
ing to abusive language, on, to say the least, an un-
suitable occasion. Such methods of gratifying ill-
will, or revenging an affront, were not very uncom-
mon in this age of Rome, and English literature,
even is not wholly without examples. Catullus in
these verses, has exhausted all the power of di-
minutives to abuse and degrade his enemy.
2. oricilla] i. q. auricula, dim. of auris.
4. diva mulier] 'a female skilled in omens. '
occinentes] 'whose song is of evil omen. '
6. catagrapliosque] according to Voss, parchment
tablets, painted of various colors, great numbers of
which were made in Bithynia. 'Profiles '?
CARMEN XX.
To Furius.
The best reading of the first line of this poem i
em is
9*
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? 106. NOTES.
entirely uncertain. The editions are divided, with
great weight of authority on either side, between
nostra and vestra; and I am not aware that we have
any means of deciding the question. Vestra, seems
to suit better with the general character and con-
dition of Catullus. - Yet we do not know the time
when it was written, or whether he was then pros-
perous or poor. Nor do we know'the individual to
whom it is addressed. In other pieces he speaks of
two, of the same name, one a friend, and the other
an enemy. Nor yet do we know the villa of which
he speaks, as he possessed more than one, (Carm.
29. and 23. ,) neither of which can be the one to
which he here refers. The general construction of
the piece needs no remark.
CARMEN XXI.
To a youthful Cupbearer.
2. amariores] 'more bitter,' i. e. older.
3. magistral] the mistress of the revel, who pre-
scribed the rule (legem) of drinking. The Postu-
mia, who here held the office of symposiarch, is not
known, probably a fancy name.
4. acind Ebriosd] 'than the swollen grape. '
Seneca makes this distinction between ebrius and
ebriosus. "Potest qui ebrius est, nunc primum esse,
qui ebriosus est, sape extra cbrietatem esse. " *
7. Thyonianus] a name of Bacchus,
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