The works of Horace : with English notes, critical and ... - Cristo Raul

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EXPLANATORy NOTES.—BOOK II., SATIRE I. 48ft
well equipped with evU arts for the injury of others. The first of these,
Cervius, appears to have been a public informer. Leges et umam.
" With the laws and a prosecution." Literally, " with the laws and the
(judiciary) nm." Uma refers to the practice of the Boman judges, in ex
pressing their opinions, of throwing their votes or ballots into an'urn
placed before them.— 48. Canidia. Compare Introductory Bemarks,
Epade v. Canidia is here made to threaten her enemies with the same
poison that Albutius nsed. According to the scholiast, this individual
poisoned his own wife.^49. Grande malum Turius, &c. " Turius great
injury, if one goes to law about any thing while he presides as judge."
The allusion is to a corrupt judge, and by gna'ade malum is meant an unfortunate
and unjust termination of a cause, brought about by bribery or
persdnal enmity.
50-61. 50. Ut, quo guisque valet, &c. " How every creature strives
to terrify those who are taken by it for enemies, with that in which it is
most powerful) and how a strong natural instinct commands this to be
done, infer with me fixim the following examples."—S3. SciBoa vivacem
crede nepoti, Ice. The poet here, in his usual manner, so manages his
argument as to convert it into a means of lashing one of th^ abandoned
characters of the day. The train of thought is as follows : But Bcssva, the
spendthrift, one will say, is an exception to my rule; for he makes no use
whatever of the weapons of attack that nature has bestowed upon him
he employs open violence against no being. Ay ! intrust bis aged mother
to Iiis power. He won't do her any open hai°m. Oh ! no, he is too pious
for that. But he will remove the old woman by a secret dose of poison.
According to the scholiast, Scseva poisoned his mother because she lived
too long.—53. Vivacem mairem, "His long-lived mother."— ^54. Pia.
Ironical. Mirum, ut neque ctdce Ittpus^ ice. "A wonder indeed I just
as the wolf does not attack any one with his hoof, nor the ox with his
teeth." Wonderful indeed ! observes the poet ; how, pray, do other an
imals act? since the wolf does not attack with his hoof, but his fangs, and
the ox not with bis teeth, but his horn. Horace does not mean to diminish
the criminality of Soeeva^a conduct because he secretly made away
with his mother; on the coiltra.ry, he considers it equally as criminal as
if he had been guilty of open and violent parricide. His leading position
must be borne in mind, that all, whether men or animals, have their own
ways of attack and defence, and that he too has his, the writing of satires.—56.
Vitiato melle. "In the honey poisoned with it." Keightley
supposes it may have been an electuaryj or a draught of mulmm, i., e.,
wine and honey.—59. Jusserit. Supply sf.— 60. Quisquis erit vitce color.
" Whatever shall be the complexion of my life." O puer ut sis mtalis
metuo. " My son, I am afiraid that thou wilt not live long." After
the verbs metuo, timeo, vereor, ne is used when the following verb expresses
a result contrary to our wish, ut when it is agreeable to it.
Trebatius wishes Horace to enjoy a long hfe, but is afraid he will not.
[Zampt, J 533.) Hence ne after such verbs must be rendered by that, and
ut by that not.—61. Et ma^orum ne quis amicus, &c. " And that some
one of thy powerful inends will kill thee by a vrithdrawing of his favor."
Frigore is here equivalent to amicitim remissiotte. The idea intended to
be oonyeyed by the whole reply of Trebatius is as follows : Yes, yes, my
good friend, it would be very well if even exile alone were involved in
;