The Works of Horace, with English Notes / Twentieth Edition

I. | II.

NOTES.

ODES.—BOOK I.

ODE I.

This Ode was probably written as a dedication to Mæcenas of the three first books, when they were collectively published, probably in the forty-second year of Horace’s age, B. C. 24. He says that different men have different tastes; the Greek loves the Olympic games, the Roman to get place or money; one is quiet, another restless, and so on; while he only loves the lyre, and seeks to be ranked by Mæcenas among lyric poets.

Argument.—Mæcenas, my protector, my pride, various are the aims of men. The Greek seeks glory from the race; the lords of the world are supremely happy, one in the honors of the state, the other in his well-filled barns. The farmer will not plough the seas; the merchant is restless on land. One man loves his ease and his wine; another, the camp and the din of war; while the huntsman braves all weathers for his sport. My glory is in the ivy crown, my delight to retire to the groves with the nymphs and the satyrs, where my muse breathes the flute or strikes the lyre. Placed by thee among the lyric choir, I shall lift my head to the skies.

1. atavis] A noun substantive, signifying properly an ancestor in the fifth degree, thus: ‘pater,’ ‘avus,’ ‘proavus,’ ‘abavus,’ ‘atavus’; compounded of ‘ad’ and ‘avus,’ and corresponding to ‘adnepos’ in the descending scale. Mæcenas belonged to the family of Cilnii, formerly Lucumones or princes of Etruria, and up to a late period possessed of influence in the Etrurian town of Aretium, whence they were expelled by their own citizens B. C. 300. See Liv. x. 3. Compare Propert. iii. 9. 1:

“Maecenas, eques Etrusco de sanguine regum,
Intra fortunam qui cupis esse tuam.”

Martial xii. 4. 2: “Maecenas atavis regibus ortus eques.” See also C. iii. 29. 1. S. i. 6. 1, sqq.

2. O et praesidium] ‘My protector, my delight, and pride.’ Virgil (G. ii. 40) addresses Mæcenas in the same affectionate terms:

“O decus, O famae merito pars maxima nostrae,
Maecenas”;

and Propertius, ii. 1. 73.

3. Sunt quos] The Greeks say ἔστιν οὕς. The indicative is used with ‘sunt,’ or ‘est qui,’ when particular persons are alluded to, as here the Greeks in opposition to the Romans. So Epp. ii. 2. 182: “Argentum — sunt qui non habeant, est qui non curat habere,” where, by the latter, is distinctly indicated the wise man. Here Horace alludes to the Greeks of former days, and is led to refer to them, because this was the chief subject of Pindar’s poetry.

— curriculo] This may mean either the chariot (formed from ‘curro,’ as ‘vehiculum’ from ‘veho’) or the course.

4. Collegisse] The perfect is used to express the frequent repetition of the action, like the Greek aorist. The best illustration of what follows is in the Iliad (xxiii. 338, sqq.). ‘Meta’ was the conical pillar at the end of the course round which the chariots turned on their way back to the starting place. By the Greeks it was called νύσση. It was the mark of a skilful driver to turn the goal as closely as possible without touching it, which is implied in ‘fervidis Evitata rotis.’

6. Terrarum dominos] That is, the Romans. Virgil (Aen. i. 282) calls them “Romanos rerum dominos.”

8. tergeminis] This refers to the three curule magistracies, those of the ædile, prætor, and consul. Though the quæstorship was usually the first step in the line of promotion, it is not included, because it was not a curule office. ‘Tergeminus’ here signifies no more than ‘triplex.’ ‘Geminus’ is used in this combination with cardinal numbers frequently. So Virgil (Aen. vi. 287) calls Briareus ‘centumgeminus.’ ‘Honoribus’ is the ablative case, as (C. i. 21. 9): “Vos Tempe totidem tollite laudibus.” Tac. Ann. i. 3: “Claudium Marcellum pontificatu et curuli aedilitate — M. Agrippam geminatis consulatibus extulit.”

Certat — tollere] The poets, following the Greek idiom, use for convenience and conciseness this construction of the infinitive with verbs, which in prose would require ‘ut’ with the subjunctive, or a supine, or ‘ad’ with a gerund or some other construction. In the next Ode we have “egit visere”; in the 12th, “sumis celebrare”; in the 26th, “tradam portare,” and so on. Verbs of all kinds signifying desire and the reverse are frequently used with the infinitive, as in this Ode: “demere spernit,” “refugit tendere”; C. 9. 13, “fuge quaerere,” &c. Propertius uses the infinitive after ‘ire,’ which the prose writers never do: “Ibat et hirsutas ille videre feras” (i. 1. 12).

10. de Libycis verritur areis.] The great mass of the corn consumed at Rome was imported from Sicily and Libya. See C. iii. 16. 26, 31. S. ii. 3. 87. The ‘area’ was a raised floor on which the corn was threshed, and, after the wind had winnowed it, the floor was swept, and the corn was thus collected. See Virgil (Georg. i. 178, sqq.), where directions are given for making an ‘area’.

11. findere sarculo] There is something of contempt in these words, where we should have expected ‘arare’. The soil must be poor that was worked by a hoe, and the owner ‘macro pauper agello’ (Epp. ii. 2. 12). ‘Scindere’ is the proper word for the plough; ‘findere,’ for the hoe or lesser instruments—‘Attalicis conditionibus’ signifies ‘the most extravagant terms.’ There were three kings of Pergamus of this name, which was proverbial for riches. The third left his great wealth to the Romans (B. C. 134). See C. ii. 18. 5. Compare for ‘conditionibus’ Cic. ad Qu. Fr. i. 2. 8: “Nulla conditio pecuniae te ab summa integritate deduxerit.”

13. dimoveas,] From the meaning of ‘de,’ ‘down from,’ ‘demoveo’ is more properly used when the place from which the removal takes place is expressed, and ‘dimoveo’ when the sentence is absolute, as here. For instance, ‘demovet’ is the proper reading in C. iv. 5. 14: “Curvo nec faciem littore demovet.” The MSS. have in many instances ‘dimovet’ where ‘demovet’ is wanted. The same remark applies to ‘diripio’ and ‘deripio’—‘Cypria,’ ‘Myrtoum,’ ‘Icarus’ (C. iii. 7. 21), ‘Africum,’ are all particular names for general, as ‘Bithyna carina’ (C. i. 35. 7). By adding names more life is given to the description—Horace’s epithets for Africus, which was the west southwest wind, and corresponded to the Greek λίψ, are ‘praeceps,’ ‘pestilens,’ ‘protervus.’ He uses the phrase ‘Africae procellae’ (C. iii. 23. 5) to signify the storms for which this wind was proverbial.—‘Luctari,’ ‘certare,’ ‘decertare,’ ‘contendere,’ are used by the poets with the dative case, instead of the ablative with ‘cum,’ after the manner of the Greek μάχεσθαί τινι.

16. otium et oppidi Laudat rura sui;] He commends the peaceful fields about his native town; for ‘otium et rura’ may be taken as one subject.

18. indocilis — pati.] Examples of this Greek construction for ‘ad patiendum’ are very numerous. To go no further than this book, we have ‘audax perpeti,’ ‘blandum dicere,’ ‘nobilem superare,’ ‘impotens sperare,’ ‘callidum condere,’ ‘doctus tendere,’ ‘praesens tollere,’ ‘ferre dolosi’—‘Pauperies,’ ‘paupertas,’ ‘pauper,’ are not usually by Horace taken to signify ‘privation,’ or anything beyond a humble estate, as, among many other instances, “meo sum pauper agello” (Epp. ii. 2. 12). “Probamque pauperiem sine dote quaero” (C. iii. 29. 56). ‘Paupertas,’ ‘inopia,’ ‘egestas,’ is the climax given by Seneca (de Tranq. Animi, 8).

19. Est qui] See above, v. 3. This is the only instance in which ‘est qui’ is followed by the indicative where the person is not expressed or clearly understood. Horace may have had some one in his mind, and the description would apply to many of his friends, or to himself.

— Massici] The wine grown on Mons Massicus in Campania was of delicate flavor. See S. ii. 4. 54.

20. solido demere de die] That is, to interrupt the hours of business. So (C. ii. 7. 6) “morantem saepe diem mero fregi.” ‘Solidus’ signifies that which has no vacant part or space; and hence ‘solidus dies’ comes to signify the business hours, or occupied part of the day.