Minor Latin poets; with introductions and English translations

(JUAITIUScumbered and impressed by the others so lon^if asthe nrcnial warmth of the heavens"is kind to earth ;but when evening has shrivelled him with northwesternchilliness, his bad temper flags and thisstrong pup lets himself be snugly covered by thesluggish crowd (of the rest). It must be your carethoroughly to weigh his promised strength in yourhands : he will humble his light brothers with hisweight.'^ In these signs my poems v.iW misleadneither myself nor you.As soon as she has produced young, you are tooffer the mother different treatment and the comfortsdue to her, and to attend her carefully as shedeserves. Exactly as she is kindly treated, shewill maintain her little ones until a long serviceof nurture has been rendered.^ Then finally, whenthe mothers fail their offspring and their assiduityin the task of suckling has shattered them, letall your concern pass over to the deserted whelps.You must sustain the young brood with milk and asimple pap : they must not know other luxuries andthe outlays of a gluttonous life : such indulgencecomes home at mighty cost. Nor is this surprisingno other life eats more into the senses of mankind,unless reason banishes it and bars the way againstthe approach of vices. Such was the fault that ruinedEgyptian kings, as they drank old Mareotic winesin goblets of precious stone, reaping the perfimies" i.e. during the sunny day.* Cf. Livy IX. 34: ... ad scrvorum niinlsterium deduxisti(= brought down, degraded). The reference is not to exactweighing in a trutina or balance.The text is uncertain ; but the sense required is that thegreater the caro lavished on the mother, the longer she willbe able to give milk to her pups.i8i