No More Learning

303. The Umbrians were a people of the
Marsi, in the north of Italy. They were noted for their courage, and the
rusticity of their manners. ]

[Footnote 1056: The son of Sisyphus. --Ver. 313. He here alludes to
a scandalous story among the ancients, that Ulysses was the son of
Anticlea, by Sisyphus the robber, who had carried her off, and not by
Laertes, her husband. ]

[Footnote 1057: The wax. --Ver. 314. By the advice of Circe, Ulysses
filled the ears of his companions with melted wax, that they might not
hear the songs of the Sirens. ]

[Footnote 1058: The measures of the Nile. --Ver. 318. These airs were
sung by Egyptian girls, with voluptuous attitudes, and were much
esteemed by the dissolute Romans. These Egyptian singers were, no doubt,
the forerunners of the 'Alme' of Egypt at the present day. The Nautch
girls and Bayaderes of the East Indies are a kindred race. ]

[Footnote 1059: Plectrum. --Ver. 319. See the Metamorphoses, Book ii. 1.
601, and the Note; also the Epistle of Briseis, 1. 118, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1060: Thy mother. --Ver. 323. Amphion and Zethuswere the sons
of Jupiter and Antiope. Being carried off by her uncle Lycus, Antiope
was entrusted to his wife Dirce. When her sons grew up, they fastened
Dirce to wild oxen, by which she was tom to pieces. Amphion was said to
have built the walls of Thebes by the sound of his lyre. ]

[Footnote 1061: Arion. --Ver. 326. See the Fasti, Book ii. 1. 79. ]

[Footnote 1062: The festive psaltery. --Ver. 327. Suidas tells us that
'naulium,' or 'nablium,' was a name of the psaltery. Josephus says
that it had twelve strings. Strabo remarks that the name was of foreign
origin. ]

[Footnote 1063: Callimachus. --Ver. 329. See the Amores, Book ii. El. iv.
1. 19: and the Pontic Epistles, Book iv. Ep. xvi. 1. 32, and the Notes
of the passages. ]

[Footnote 1064: Poet of Cos. --Ver. 330. The poet Philetas. He flourished
in the time of Philip and Alexander the Great. Anacreon was a lyric poet
of Teios, and a great admirer of the juice of the grape. ]

[Footnote 1065: Or him, through whom. --Ver. 332. Some think that he
means Menander, from whom Terence borrowed many of his scenes; he
probably alludes to the Phormio of Terence, where the old men, Chremes
and Demipho, are deceived by Geta, the cunning slave. See the Tristia,
Book ii. 1. 359: and 69. ]

[Footnote 1066: Propertius. '--Ver. 333. See the Tristia, Book ii. 1.
465, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1067: Tibullus. --Ver. 334. See the Amores, Book iii. EL ix. ]

[Footnote 1068: Varro. --Ver. 335. See the Pontic Epistles, Book iv. Ep.
xvi. 1. 21; and the Amores, Book i. El. xv. 1. 21, and the Notes to the
passages. ]

[Footnote 1069: Lofty Rome. --Ver. 338. He refers here to the AEneid of
Virgil. ]

[Footnote 1070: Two sides. --Ver. 342. Both the males and the females. ]

[Footnote 1071: Composition. --Ver. 346. He takes to himself the credit
of being the inventor of Epistolary composition. ]

[Footnote 1072: Masters of posture. --Ver. 351. These persons, who were
also called 'ludii,' or 'histrlones,' required great suppleness of the
sides, for the purpose of aptly assuming expressive attitudes; for which
reason he calls them 'artifices lateris. ' See the First Book, 1. 112;
and the Tristia, Book ii, 1. 497, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1073: Which she must call for. --Ver. 356. Probably at the game
of 'duodecim seripta,' or 'twelve points,' like our backgammon; sets of
three 'tesserae,' or dice, were used for throwing; he recommends her to
learn the game, and to know on what points to enter when taken up, and
what throws to call for. See the last Book, 1. 203; and the Tristia,
Book ii. 1. 473, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1074: The pieces. --Ver. 357. See the Note to 1. 207, in the
last Book. ]

[Footnote 1075: The warrior, too. --Ver. 359. He alludes to one of the
principal pieces, whose fate depends upon another. ]

[Footnote 1076: Let the smooth balls. --Ver. 361. He seems to allude here
to a game played by putting marbles (which seems to be the meaning of
'pilae leves,' 'smooth balls,') into a net with the month open, and then
taking them out one by one without moving any of the others. ]

[Footnote 1077: Kind of game. --Ver. 363. These two lines do not seem to
be connected with the game mentioned in 1. 365, but rather to refer to
that mentioned in 1. 355. ]

[Footnote 1078: A little table receives. }--Ver. 365. This game is
mentioned in the Tristia, Book ii. 1. 481. It seems to resemble the
simple game played by schoolboys on the slate, and known among them as
tit-tat-to. ]

[Footnote 1079: No trusting. --Ver. 377. On account of the continued run
of bad luck. ]

[Footnote 1080: Flying ball. '--Ver. 380. See the Tristia, Book ii. 1.
485-6, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1081: The Virgin. --Ver. 385. This was near the Campus Martius.
See the Fasti, Book i. 1. 464; and the Pontic Epistles, Book i. Ep.
viii. 1. 38, and the Note. ]

[Footnote 1082: Etrurian. --Ver. 386. The Tiber flowed through ancient
Etruria. ]

[Footnote 1083: The Virgin. --Ver. 388. He alludes to the heat while the
sun is passing through the Constellation Virgo. ]

[Footnote 1084: Paraetonium. --Ver. 390. See the Amores, Book ii. El.
xiii. 1. 7, and the Note. He alludes to the victory of Augustus over
Antony and Cleopatra, at Actium; on which the conqueror built the temple
of Apollo on the Palatine hill. ]

[Footnote 1085: The suter and the wife. --Ver. 391. Livia, the wife, and
Octavia, the sister of Augustus, are referred to. ]

[Footnote 1086: His son-in-law. --Ver. 392. The allusion is to M.
Agrippa, the husband of Julia, the daughter of Augustus; after the
defeat of the younger Pompey, Augustus presented him with a naval crown.
A Portico built by Augustus was called by his name. ]

[Footnote 1087: Memphian heifer. --Ver. 393. See the Amores, Book i. El.
viii. 1. 74.
]

[Footnote 1088: Frequent the three Theatres. --Ver. 394. He probably
alludes to the theatres of Pompey, Balbus, and Marcellus, as they are
mentioned by Suetonius as the 'trina theatra. ']

[Footnote 1089: Glowing wheels. --Ver. 396. See the Amores, Book iii. El.
ii. ]

[Footnote 1090: Thamyras. --Ver. 399. He was a Thracian poet, who
challenged the Muses to sing, and, according to Homer, was punished with
madness. Diodorus Siculus says that he lost his voice, while the Roman
poets state that he lost his sight. Amoebeus was a famous lute-player of
Athens. ]

[Footnote 1091: Of Cos. --Ver. 401. See the Pontic Epistles, Book iv. Ep.
i. 1. 29. ]

[Footnote 1092: Poets were. --Ver. 405. Euripides was the guest of
Archelaus king of Macedonia, Anacreon of Polycrates king of Samos, and
Pindar and Bacchilides of Hiero king of Sicily. ]

[Footnote 1093: Placed near to thee. --Ver. 410. According to some
accounts, the ashes of Ennius were deposited in the tomb of the Scipios,
by the older of his friend Scipio Africanus. ]

[Footnote 1094: Its own Priam. --Ver. 440. Priam and Antenor advised that
Helen should be restored to Menelaus. ]

[Footnote 1095: Liquid nard. --Ver. 443. There were two kinds of nard,
the 'foliated,' and the 'spike' nard. It was much esteemed as a perfume
by the Romans. ]

[Footnote 1096: Narrow belt. --Ver. 444. He probably means a girdle that
fitted tightly, and caused the 'toga' to set in many creases. See the
Notes to the Fasti, Book v. 1. 675. ]

[Footnote 1097: And many a ring. --Ver. 446. 'alter et alter. ' Literally,
one and another. ]

[Footnote 1098: Some thief. --Ver. 447. Among its other refinements, Rome
seems to have had its swell mob. ]

[Footnote 1099: Thou, Venus--Ver. 451. This temple is referred to in the
First Book, 1. 81--87. Its vicinity was much frequented by courtesans. ]

[Footnote 1101: You, ye Goddesses. --Ver. 452. He probably alludes to
the Nymphs whose statues were near the Appian aqueduct, mentioned in the
81st Une of the First Book. The Delphin Editor absolutely thinks
that the 'pro-fessae,' or courtesans, are themselves alluded to as the
'Appiades Deae. ']

[Footnote 1102: Theseus. --Ver. 457. Who deserted Ariadne. ]

[Footnote 1103: Of Inachus. --Ver. 464. Isis, or To. Seo the
Metamorphoses, Bk. i. ]

[Footnote 1104: To deceive your husbands. --Ver. 484. It is not
improbable that 'viros' here means merely 'keepers,' and not 'husbands,'
especially as he alludes to their being without the privilege of the
'vitta,' which the matrons wore. ]

[Footnote 1105: Two hands. --Ver. 496. He means, that the writing of
the lover must be quite erased before she pens her answer on the same
tablets. ]

[Footnote 1106: Hence, avaunt. --Ver. 505. See the Fasti, Book vi. 1.
696. * Laying aside his foils. --Ver. 515. The 'rudis' was a stick, which
soldiers and persons exercising used in mimic combat, probably like our
foil or singlestick. ]

[Footnote 1107: With Tecmessa. --Ver. 517. She was taken captive by Ajax,
and probably had good reason to be sorrowful. ]

[Footnote 1108: The twig of vine. --Ver. 527. He alludes to the
Centurions, who had the power of inflicting corporal punishment, from
which circumstance their badge of office was a vine sapling. ]

[Footnote 1109: Nemesis. --Ver. 536. Nemesis was the mistress of
Tibullus. See the Amores, Book iii. El. ix. Cynthia was the mistress of
Propertius and Lycoris of Gallus. ]


[Footnote 1110: Shut your door. --Ver. 587. He addresses the husband,
whom he supposes to be wearied with satiety. ]

[Footnote 1111: Than even Thais. --Ver. 604. Thais seems to have been
a common name with the courtesans of ancient times. Terence, in his
Eunuchus, introduces one of that name, who is pretty much of the free
and unrestrained character here depicted. ]


[Footnote 1112: Lictor's rod. --Ver. 615. This conferred freedom on the
slave who was touched with it. See the Fasti, Book vi. 1. 676, and the
Note, lie means, that free-born women are worthy to become wives; but
'libertinae,' or 'freed-women,' are only fit to become 'professae,' or
'courtesans,' when they may sin with impunity, so far as the laws are
concerned. ]

[Footnote 1113: Broad girth. --Ver. 622. This seems to be the kind of
belt mentioned in line 274. ]

[Footnote 1114: Stalk of wetted flax. --Ver. 629. According to the common
reading, this will mean that the letter is to be written on blank paper,
with a stalk of wetted flax; which writing will afterwards appear, when
a black substance is thrown upon it. Heinsius insists that the passage
is corrupt, and suggests that 'alumine nitri' is the correct reading; in
which case it would mean that alum water is to be used instead of ink.
Vessius tells us that alum water, mixed with the juice of the plant
'tithymalum,' was used for the purposes of secret correspondence. ]


[Footnote 1115: Good Goddess. --Ver. 637. The debauched Clodius was
detected as being present at these rites, in a female dress. ]

[Footnote 1116: The false key, too, tells. --Ver. 643. He plays upon the
double meaning of the words, 'adultera clavis,' which properly signifies
'a false key. ']

[Footnote 1117: Even though. --Ver. 646. 'Even though you should have
to go to the expense of providing the rich wines of Spain for the
purpose. ']

[Footnote 1118: Even she. --Ver. 663. He alludes to the accommodating
lady mentioned in line 641. ]

[Footnote 1119: Has she filled. --Ver. 666. See his address to Cypassis,
in the Amores, Book ii. El. viii. ]

[Footnote 1120: Lemnian dames. --Ver. 672. See the introduction to the
Epistle from Hypsipyle to Jason. ]

[Footnote 1121: Cephaltis. --Ver. 695. This story is also related in the
Seventh Book of the Metamorphoses. ]

[Footnote 1122: The quinces. --Ver. 705. These are called 'cydonia,' from
Cydon, city of Crete. ]

[Footnote 1123: Cyllenian God. --Ver. 725. Cephalus was said to be the
son of Mercury; but, according to one account, which is followed by Ovid
in the Metamorphoses, Deioneus was his father. ]

[Footnote 1124: Her breath. --Ver. 746. See the corresponding passage in
the Metamorphoses, Book vii. 1. 861. It was the custom for the nearest
relative to catch the breath of the dying person in the mouth. ]

[Footnote 1125: With your fingers. --Ver. 755. . Perhaps he means in
moderato quantities at a time, and not in whole handfuls. See the Note
to the First Book, 1. 577. ]

[Footnote 1126: And do not first. --Ver. 757. He seems to irs two
precepts here; first, they are not to eat so much at home as to take
away all appetite at the banquet, as that would savour of affectation,
and be an act of rudeness to the host. On the other hand, he warns them
not to stuff as long as they are able, but rather to leave off with an
appetite. The passage, however, is hopelessly corrupt, and is capable of
other interpretations. ]

[Footnote 1127: Perform their duty. --Ver. 764. 'Constent,' literally.
'Will stand together. ']

[Footnote 1128: The swans.