: LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY
EDITED BY
3 h.D., LL.D. T. E. PAGE, Lirr.D. W. H. D. ROUSE, Litt.D.
AUSONIUS
II
AUSONIUS
WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY
HUGH G. EVELYN WHITE, M.A.
SOMETIME SCHOLAR OF WAI'HAM COLLEGE, OXFORD
IN TWO VOLUMES
II
WITH THE EUCHARIST1CUS OF
PAULINTJS PELL^EUS
LONDON : WILLIAM HEINEMANN
NEW YORK : G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
M C M X X I
PR
Czzi
fa
1/2
CONTENTS
PAOB
BOOK XVIII. — THE EPISTLES 3
BOOK XIX. — EPIGRAMS OF AUSONIUS ON VARIOUS
MATTERS 155
book xx. — the thanksgiving of ausonius oi bor-
deaux, the vasate, for his consulship,
addressed to the emperor gratian .... 219
appendix to acsonius 271
the eccharisticus of paulinus pell.*:us 293
index 353
/
AUSONIUS
OPUSCULA
VOL. II.
D. MAGNI AUSONII
OPUSCULA
LIBER XVIII
EP1STULARUM
I. — Symmachus Ausonio
Merum mihi gaudium eruditionis tuae scripta tri-
buerunt, quae Capuae locatus accepi. erat quippe in
his oblita Tulliano melle festivitas et sermonis mei
non tarn vera, quam blatlda laudatio. quid igitur
magis mirer, sententiae incertus addubito, ornamenta
oris an pectoris tui. quippe ita facundia antistas ce-
teris, ut sit formido rescribere ; ita benigne nostra
conprobas, ut libeat non tacere. si plura de te prae-
dicem, videbor mutuum scabere et magis imitator tui
esse adloquii quam probator. simul quod ipse nihil
ostentandi gratia facis, verendum est genuina in te
bona tamquam adfectata laudare. unum hoc tamen
a nobis indubitata veritate cognosce, neminem esse
mortalium quern prae te diligam ; sic vadatum me
honorabili amore tenuisti.
AUSONIUS
BOOK XVIII
THE EPISTLES
I. — Symmachus to Ausonius
Your learned pages, which I received while stay-
ing at Capua, brought me sheer delight. For there
was in them a certain gaiety overlaid with honey
from Tully's hive, and some eulogy on my discourse
flattering rather than deserved. And so I am at a
loss to decide which to admire the more — the graces
of your diction or of your disposition. Indeed you
so far surpass all others in eloquence that I fear to
write in reply ; you so generously approve my essays
that I am glad not to keep silence. If I say more
in your praise, I shall seem to be " scratching your
back" and to be copying more than complimenting
your address to me. Moreover, since you do nothing
consciously for the sake of display, I must beware
of praising your natural good qualities as though
they were studied. This one thing, however, I must
tell you as an absolute fact — that there is no man
alive whom I love more than you, so deeply pledged
in honest affection have vou always held me.
USON1US
Set in eo mihi verecundus nimio plus videre. quod
libelli tui arguis proditorem. nam facilius est ar-
dentes favillas ore comprimere quam luculenti opens
servare secretum. cum seme! a te profectum ear-
men est, ius omne posuisti : oratio publicata res
libera est. an vereris aemuli venena lectoris, ne
libellus tuns admorsu duri dentis uratur ? tibi uni
ad hoc locorum nihil gratia praestitit aut dempsit
invidia. ingratis scaevo cuique proboque laudabilis
es. proinde cassas dehinc seclude formidines et in-
dulge stilo, ut saepe prodaris. certe aliquod didas-
calicum seu protrepticum nostro quoque nomini
carmen adiudica. fac periculum silentii mei, quod
etsi tibi exhibere opto, tamen spondere non audeo.
novi ego, quae sit prurigo emuttiendi operis, (juod
probaris. nam quodam pacto societatem laudis ad-
fectat, qui aliena bene dicta primus enuntiat. ea
propter in eomoediis summatim quidem gloriam
scriptores tulerunt, Roscio tamen atque Ambivio
ceterisque actoribus fama non defuit.
Ergo tali negotio expende otium tuum et inn is
voluminibus ieiunia nostra sustenta. quod si iac-
tantiae fugax garrulum indicem pertimescis, praesta
etiam tu silentium mihi, ut tuto simulem nostra
esse, quae scripseris. vale.
1 Q. Roseius Gallus, a freedman of Lanuvium, was raised
to equestrian rank by Sulla and defended by Cicero in a
speech still extant. His fame as a comic actor made his
THE EPISTLES
But in this I think you are excessively modest,
that you complain of me for playing traitor to your
book. For it is easier to hold hot coals in one's
mouth than to keep the secret of a brilliant work.
Once you have let a poem out of your hands, you
have renounced all your rights : a speech delivered
is common property. Or do you fear the venom of
some jealous reader, and that your book may smart
from the snap of his rude fangs ? You are the one
man who up to now has owed nothing to partiality,
lost nothing through jealousy. Involuntarily every-
one, perverse or honest, finds you admirable. There-
fore banish henceforth your groundless fears, and let
your pen run on so that you may often be betrayed.
At any rate assign some didactic or hortatory poem
to my name also. Run the risk of my keeping
silence ; and though I desire to give you proof of
it, yet I dare not guarantee it. Well I know how I
itch to aive voice to your work when vou are so
popular. For somehow he secures a partnership in
the glory who first pronounces another's neat phrases.
That is why in comedy authors have won but slight
renown, while Roscius, Ambivius, 1 and the other
players have had no lack of fame.
So spend your leisure in such occupation and re-
lieve my famine with fresh books. But if in your
Hight from vainglory you dread a chattering in-
former, do you also guarantee me your silence, that
I may safely pretend that what you have written is
mine ! Farewell.
name proverbial (cp. Horace, Epist.u.i. 82). Ambivius was
intimately associated with Terence, in most of whose plays he
acted.
AUSONIUS
II. — AUSONIUS SYM MACHO
Modo intellego, quam mellea res sit oratio ; quam
delinitica et quam suada facundia. persuasisti mihi.
quod epistulae meae aput Capuam tibi redditae con-
cinnatio inhumana non esset ; set hoc non diutius,
quam dum epistulam tuam legi, quae me blanditiis
inhiantem tuis velut suco nectaris delibuta perducit.
ubi enim chartulam pono et me ipsum interrogo,
turn absinthium meum resipit et circumlita melle
tuo pocula deprehendo. si vero, id quod saepe facio,
ad epistulam tuam redii, l'ursus inlicior : et rursum
ille suavissimus, ille floridus tui sermonis ad flatus
deposita lectione vanescit et testimonii pondus pro-
hibet inesse dulcedini. hoc me velut aerius bratteae
fucus aut picta nebula non longius. quam dum vi-
detur, oblectat chamaeleontis bestiolae vice, quae de
subicctis sumit colorem. aliud sentio ex epistula
tua, aliud ex conscientia mea. et tu me audes fa-
cundissimoi'um hominum laude dignari ? tu. inquam,
mihi ista, qui te ultra emendationem omnium pro-
tulisti ? quisquamne ita nitet, ut conparatus tibi
non sordeat ? quis ita Aesopi venustatem, quis so-
phisticas Isocratis conclusiones, quis ad enthyme-
mata Demosthenis aut opulentiam Tullianam aut
proprietatem nostri Maronis accedat ? quis ita ad-
fectet singula, ut tu imples omnia ? quid enim aliud
1 A mode of administering bitter medicine, ep. Lucretius
6
THE EPISTLES
II. — Ausonius to Symmachus
Now I understand how honey-sweet is the power
of speech, how enchanting and persuasive a thing is
eloquence ! You have made me believe that my
letter delivered to you at Capua was not a barbarous
compilation ; but this only for so long as I am actu-
ally reading your letter, which is so spread, as it
were, with the syrop of your nectar as to over-
persuade me while I hang agape over its allui-e-
ments. For as soon as I lay down your page and
question myself, back comes the taste of my own
wormwood, and I realize that the cup is smeared
round with your honey. 1 If indeed — as I often do —
I return to your letter, I am enticed again: and then
again that most soothing, that most fragrant per-
fume of your words dies away when I have done
reading, and denies that sweetness carries weight
as evidence. Like the Haunting glitter of tinsel or
a tinted cloud, it delights me only for so long as I
see it — like that little creature the chameleon, which
takes its colour from whatever is beneath it. Your
letter makes me feel one thing, my own conscience
another. And do you venture to count me worthy
of praise belonging to the most eloquent ? Do you,
I say, speak so of me — you who soar above all writers
in faultlessness ? What author is there so brilliant,
but he appears unpolished by comparison with you ?
Who like you can approach the charm of Aesop, the
logical deductions of Isocrates, the arguments of
Demosthenes, the richness of Tully, or the felicity
of our own Maro ? Who can aspire to such success
in any one of these, as you fully attain in them
all ? For what else are you but the concentrated
AUSONIUS
es, quam ex omni bonarum artium ingenio collecta
perfeetio ?
Haec, domine mi fili Symmacbe, non vereor, ne
in te blandius dicta videantur esse quam verius. et
expertus es fid em meam mentis atque dictorum.
da m in comitatu degimus ambo aevo dispari, ubi tu
veteris militiae praemia tiro meruisti, ego tirocinium
iam veteranus exercui. in comitatu tibi verus fui,
nedum me peregre existimes conposita fabulari. in
comitatu, inquam, qui frontes hominum aperit, raen-
tes tegit, ibi me et parentem et amicum et, si quid
utroque carius est, cariorem fuisse sensisti. set abe-
amus ab his : ne ista haec conmemoratio ad illani
Sosiae formidinem videatur accedere.
Mud, quod paene praeterii, qua adfectatione ad-
didisti, ut ad te didascalicum aliquod opusculum aut
sermonem protrepticum mitterem ? ego te docebo
docendus adhuc, si essem id aetatis, ut discerem ?
aut ego te vegetum atque alacrem common ebo ?
eadem opera et Musas hortabor, ut canant, et maria,
ut efHuant, et auras, ut vigeant, et ignes, ut caleant,
admonebo : et, si quid invitis quoque nobis natura
fit, superSuus instigator agitabo. sat est unius er-
roris quod aliquid meorum me paenitente vulgatum
est, quod bona fortuna in maims amicorum incidit.
nam si contra id evenisset, nee tu mihi persuaderes
placere me posse.
1 >•/>. Cic. Pro Planco, vi. 16 : tabella quae frontes aperit
hominum, mente'' tegit.
8
THE EPISTLES
essence of every great mind in the realm of the
liberal arts ?
My lord, my son Syrnmachus, I do not fear that
you may think I speak thus of you more smoothly
than truly. Indeed, you have proved how truthful
I am both in thought and word while the two of us,
so ill-matched in years, lived at court, where you. a
recruit, earned a veteran's pay, while I, already a
veteran, went through my recruit's training. At
court I was truthful with you : much less when I
am away from it should you think I tell stories. At
court, I repeat, which bares the face and veils the
heart l — there you felt that I was a father and a
friend and, if anything can be dearer than either,
then something dearer still. But let us leave this
matter, lest such a reminder seem too like the fear
felt by Sosias. 2
Now for that matter which I almost passed over.
What mock humility of yours is this, that you add a
request for me to send you some didactic work or
hortatory discourse ? Shall I teach you when I my-
self need teaching 3 were I of an age to learn? Shall
I counsel you, whose mind is so alert and vigorous ?
As well exhort the Muses to sing and advise the
waves to flow, the breezes to blow freely, fire to give
heat, and where anything occurs naturally, whether
we will or no, to urge it forward with superfluous
zeal ! Enough this one mistake that a work of mine
has, to my regret, become public property ; though
by good fortune it has fallen into the hands of
friends. For had it been otherwise, not even you
would convince me that I can give satisfaction.
2 Terence, Andria 43 f., nam istaec commemoratio Quasi
exprobratio est inmemori benefici.
3 Horace. Epi,«f. i. xvii. .3, rlisce clocendus adhuc.
9
AUSON1US
Haec ad litteras tuas responsa sint : cetera, quae
noscere aves, conpendi faciam ; sic quoque iam longa
est epistula. Iulianum tamen familiarem doraus
vestrae, si quid de nobis percontandum arbitraris,
adlego ; simul admoneo, ut, cum causam adventus
eius agnoveris, iuves studium, quod ex parte fovisti.
vale.
III. — Symmachus Ausonio
Etsi plerumque vera est aput parentes praedi-
catio filiorum, nescio quo tamen pacto detrimentum
meriti sui patiatur, dum personarum spectare gratiam
iudicatur. quaero igitur incertus animi. quae mihi
nunc potissimum super viro honorabili Thalassio
genero tuo verba sumenda sint. si parce decora
morum eius adtingam, liventi similis existimabor :
si iuste persequar, ero proximus blandienti. imitabor
igitur Sallustiani testimonii castigationem. habes
virum dignum te et per te familia consular^ quern
fortuna honoris parti maiorem beneficiis suis rep-
perit, emendatio animi et sanctitas potioribus iam
paravit. vale.
10
THE EPISTLES
Let that be my answer to your letter : with the
other matters which you desire to know, I will make
short work : even so this letter is already long. How-
ever, I depute Julian, an intimate of your household,
to answer any questions you care to ask concerning
me : at the same time I urge that, when you learn
his reason for coming, you aid him in a purpose
which to some extent you have already favoured.
Farewell.
III. — Symmachus to Ausonius
Although praise bestowed upon their children is
generally accepted as gospel by parents, yet it is
somehow discounted when it is considei'ed to have
an eye to the favour of the great. I am at a stand,
therefore, and ask what words I shall choose especi-
ally at this time in speaking of that worshipful man,
Thalassius, your son-in-law. If I touch sparingly
upon the graces of his character, I shall be thought
to show signs of jealousy : if I duly enlarge upon
them, I shall be next door to a flatterer. I will
therefore copy Sallust l in his rigid mode of giving
evidence. You have as son-in-law a man worthy of
you, and, through you, of a consular family — one
whom Fortune in her bestowal of distinctions has
found too great to need her benefits, whom a fault-
less nature and stainless character have already
furnished with higher gifts. Farewell.
1 Jugurtha, ix. 3: habes virum te (lignum el avo suo
Masinissa.
1 1
AUSONIUS
IV. -Ausonius Axio Paulo Rhetori Sal.
Tandem eluctati retinacula blanda morarum
Burdigalae molles liquinms inlecebras.
Santonicamque urbein viciao accessimus agro :
quod tibi si gratum est, optime Paule, proba.
cornipedes rapiant inposta petorrita mulae : 5
vel cisio triiugi, si placet, insilias,
vel celerem mannum vel ruptum terga veraediun
conscendas, propere dum modo iam venias ;
instantis revocant quia nos sollemnia Paschae
libera nee nobis ' est mora desidiae. 1
perfer in excursu vel teriuga milia epodon
vel falsas lites, quas schola vestra serit.
nobiscura invenies nullas, quia liquimus istic
nugarum veteres cum sale relliquias. 2
V. — Ausonius Paulo
Ostrea nobilium cenis sumptuque nepotum
cognita diversoque maris deprensa profundo,
aut refugis nudata vadis aut scrupea subter
antra et muriceis scopulorum mersa lacunis,
quae viridis muscus, quae decolor alga recondit. o
quae testis concreta suis ceu saxa cohaerent,
quae mutata loco, pingui mox consita limo,
nutrit secretus conclusae uliginis umor,
enumerare iubes, vetus o mini Paule sodalis,
adsuefacte meis ioculari carmine nugis. I(>
1 vobis, 6.
1 Z adds : Vale valeie si voles rue vel vola.
1 The word is said to be a Celtic compound : ■ptior = four.
rlt — wheel. 2 A conveyance with two wheels.
I 2
THE EPISTLES
IV. — AUSONIUS TO A.XILS PaULUS THE RHETORICIAN;
Greeting
At last, having struggled free from delay's seduc-
tive toils, I have left Bordeaux's soft enticements
and on a neighbouring farm dwell nigh the town
of Saintes : if this pleases you, friend Paulus, give
me proof of it. Let horn-hoofed mules whirl hither
a harnessed four-wheeled car, 1 or, if you please,
jump in a three-horse gig, 2 or mount a cob, or else
a back-broken hack, if only you come quickly ; for
approaching Easter's rites summon me back, nor
am I free to linger idly here. Bring over on your
jaunt thrice a thousand lyrics or the feigned cases 3
which your pupils weave. With me you will find
none, for I have left yonder the old remnants of my
trifles together with my wit.
V.— Ausonius to Paulus
Of oysters famed through the lavish feasts ot
high-born prodigals, whether dredged from the
depths of various seas or left bare by ebbing shal-
lows, or sheltered beneath rugged caves and in
jagged clefts amid the rocks, those which green
moss, which stained seaweed hides, whose welded
shells are firm-shut as the stones, which when re-
moved 4 from their home and planted in rich ooze
are fattened by the inward moisture of the packed
slime ; — of these you bid me tell all the kinds, Paulus,
my old comrade, made used to my trifling by sportive
3 sc. the declamations (in the form of imaginary lawsuits)
composed as exercises in the rhetorical schools.
4 i.e. transplanted to specially prepared heds for fattening:
<:p. Pliny, N.H. xxxii. 6.
13
AUSONIUS
adgrediar ; quamvis curam non ista senilem
sollicitent frugique viro dignanda putentur.
nam mihi non Saliare epulum, non aura dapalis,
qualem Penelopae nebulonum mensa procorum
Alcinoique habuit nitidae cutis uncta iuventus. 1 15
enumerabo tamen famam testesque secutus
pro studiis hominum semper diversa probantum.
Set mihi prae cunctis lectissima, quae Medulorum
educat Oceanus, quae Burdigalensia nomen
usque ad Caesareas tulit admiratio mensas, 20
non laudata minus, nostri quam gloria vini.
haec inter cunctas ])almam meruere priorem,
omnibus ex longo cedentibus : ista et opimi
visceris et nivei dulcique tenerrima suco
miscent aequoreum tenui sale tincta saporem. 25
proxima sint quamvis, sunt longe proxima multo
ex intervallo, quae Massiliensia, portum
quae Narbo ad Veneris nutrit ; cultuque carentia
Hellespontiaci quae protegit aequor Abydi ;
vel quae Baianis pendent fluitantia palis ; 30
Santonico quae tecta salo ; quae nota Genonis ;
aut Eborae mixtus pelago quae protegit amnis,
ut multo iaceant algarum obducta recessu :
aspera quae testis et dulcia, farris opimi.
Sunt et Aremorici qui laudent ostrea ponti. 35
et quae Pictonici legit accola litoris, et quae
mira Caledoniis nonnunquam detegit aestus.
1 cp. Horace, Epist. l. ii. 28 f.
1 The Salii, priests of Mars, were famous for their banquets.
8 cp. Horace, Epist. i. ii. 28 f. : sponsi Penelopae nehu
[ones Alcinoique In cutecuraiula plus aequo opera t a iuventus.
U
THE EPISTLES
verse. I will approach the task, albeit the theme
stir not an old man's zest nor be thought fit for the
notice of a frugal man. For I have no Salian fare, 1
no repasts of savour such as had the banquets ot
Penelope's wastrel suitors or of the sleek and scented
youth about Alcinoiis. 2 Yet will I tell o'er the tale,
following report and testimony according to the tastes
of men ever diverse in judgment.
1S Howbeit, for me the choicest above all are those
bred by the Ocean of the Meduli, 3 which, named
after Bordeaux, high esteem hath raised even to
Caesar's board, no less renowned than are our famous
wines. These amongst all have won the pride of
place, the rest lagging far behind : these be of sub-
stance both full fat and snowy white, and with their
sweet juice most delicately mingle some flavour ot
the sea touched with a fine taste of salt. Next,
though next at distance of long interval, are the
oysters of Marseilles, which Narbo feeds near Venus'
haven ; 4 and those which, untended, the Hellespon-
tine wave shelters at Abydos ; or those which cling
afloat to the piles of Baiae ; those washed by the
Santonic surge ; those known to the Genoni ; or
those harboured by Ebora's 5 stream where it joins
the sea, so that they lie covered with a deep bed of
weed : rough of shell are these, and sweet and rich
of meat.
35 There are, too, such as praise the oysters of the
Armoric deep, and those which shoremen gather on
Pictonic coasts, and which the tide sometimes leaves
bare for the wondering Caledonian. Add those
3 The people of Medoc. * Port Vendres.
5 Ebora (or Libertas Iulia), on the Guadalquivir.
6 cp. Mot>ella. 68 ff. The reference is no doubt to the
pearl-oysters of Britain, on which see Tacitus, Agric. xii.
15
AUSONIUS
accedunt, quae fatna recens Byzantia subter
litora et insana generata Propontidis acta
promoti celebrata ducis de nomine laudat. 40
Haec tibi non vates, non historic us neque toto
orbe vagus conviva loquor, set tradita multis,
ut solitum, cjuotiens dextrae invitatio mensae
sollicitat leneni comi sermone Lyaeum.
haec non per vulgum mihi cognita perque popinas i~>
ant parasitorum collegia Plautinorunij
set festos quia saepe dies partim ipse meorum
excolui inque vicem conviva vocatus adivi.
natalis si forte f'uit sollemnis aniico
coniugiove dapes aut sacra repotia patrum, 50
audivi meminique bonos lavrdare frequentes.
VI. — [nvitatio ad Paulum
Si qua fides lalsis umquam est adhibenda poetic
nee plasma semper adlinunt,
Paule, Camenarum celeberrime Castaliarum
alumne quondam, nunc pater,
aut avus, aut proavis antiquior, ut fuit olini 5
Tartesiorum regulus :
intemerata tibi maneant promissa, memento.
Phoebus iubet verum loqui :
1 An officer of Theodosius I. who defeated the Gruthungi
on the Danube in .'><(>. served against Maxim na in 388, and
was consul in 389. He was assassinated c. 391 a.d.
2 The meaning is : [ have gained my knowledge partly at
Feasts given by myself and partly at those to which I have
been invited.
1 6
THE EPISTLES
which, reared below Byzantium's shores and the
vexed beaches of Propontis, late-born renown now
honours with distinction after the name of Promotus
the general. 1
41 These I tell thee, no bard, no historian, nor yet a
world-wandering gourmand, but things I have heard
from many, as wont is, whenever a challenge from
a table on the right provokes gentle Lyaeus with
friendly converse. These are known to me not from
common company nor from taverns, nor from the
guilds of Plautine parasites, but because I myself
have often celebrated festal days, sometimes with
gatherings of my friends, 2 or going in turn to ban-
quets as a bidden guest, when perchance a friend
observed a birthday or a marriage feast, or a
carouse 3 sanctioned by our fathers' custom: there
I have heard many a worthy man praise these, and
I remember them.
VI. — Ax Invitation to Paui.us
If any trust is ever to be placed in the feigned
words of poets, and if they scrawl not ever fiction,
Paulus — once the most famous child of the Castalian
Camenae, now their father or grandfather or yet
more ancient than a great-grandfather, as was of old
the kinglet of Tartessus 4 — remember to keep your
promises inviolate. Phoebus bids us speak truth :
3 Re pot i< i were drinking bouts held cm the day after any
festival.
4 sc. Argantonius, king of Tartessus, who reigned eighty,
and lived one hundred and twenty years (Hdt. i. 163: cp.
Cicero, de Sen. 69). But Silius Ital. (iii. 397) makes him live
three hundred years, and observes : " rex proavia fuit
humani ditissimus aevi."
17
VOL. II. <
AUSONIUS
etsi Pierias patilur lirare sorore^.
numquam ipse torquet av/Wa. 10
te quoque ne pigeat consponsi foederis : et iain
citus veni remo aut iota,
aequoris undosi qua multiplicata recursu
Garumna pontum provocat,
aut iteratarum qua glarea trita viarum 15
fert militarem ad Blaviam.
nos etenim primis sanctum post Pascha diebu^
avemus agrum visere.
Nam populi coetus et compita sordida rixis
fastidientes cernimus 20
angustas fervere vias et congrege volgo
nomen plateas perdere.
turbida congestis referitur vocibus echo :
" Tene, feri, due, da, cave ! "
sus lutulenta fugit, rabidus canis impete saevo 25
et impares plaustro boves.
nee prodest penetrale domus et operta subire :
per tecla clamores meant,
haec et quae possunt placidos offendere mores,
cogunt relinqui moenia, 30
dulcia secreti repetantur ut otia runs,
nugis amoena seriis ;
tempora disponas ubi tu tua iusque tuum sit,
ut nil agas vel quod voles,
ad quae si properas, tota cum merce tuarum 35
veni Camenarum citus :
dactylicos. elegos, choriambum carmen, epodos,
socci et coturni musicam
1 cp. Ordo Urh. Nob. xx. 15, where however Ausonius
contradicts this reflexion on the "broadways"' of Bordeaux.
2 Horace, Epiaf. it. ii. 7"> : hac rabiosa fugit eanis, hac
lutulenta ruit sus.
iS
THE EPISTLES
although he suffers the Pierian sisters to swerve
from the line, he himself never twists a furrow.
You also must not regret your plighted bond ; come
quickly now by river or by road, either where Ga-
ronne, swelled with the flood-tide of the billowy
deep, challenges the main, or where the beaten
gravel of the relaid road leads to the garrison of
Blaye. For in the first days after holy Easter I
long to visit my estate.
19 For I am weary at the sight of throngs of people,
the vulgar brawls at the cross-roads, the narrow lanes
a-swarm, and the broadways belying their name x for
the rabble herded there. Confused Echo resounds
with a babel of cries : « Hold !*'— " Strike!"—" Lead !"
— " Give ! " — " Look out ! " Here is a mucky sow in
flight, there a mad dog in fell career, 2 there oxen
too weak for the waggon. No use to steal into the
inner chamber and the recesses of your home : the
cries penetrate through the house. 3 These, and what
else can shock the orderly, force me to leave the
walled city and seek again the sweet peace of the
retired country and the delights of trifling seriously :
and there you may arrange your own hours and have
the right to do nothing or else what you will. If
you haste after these joys, come quickly with all the
wares of your Camenae : 4 dactyls, elegiacs, choriam-
bics, lyrics, comedy and tragedy — pack them all in
3 Lucr. de Rerum Nat. i. 354 : inter saepta meant voces et
clausa domorum Transvolitant.
4 Horace, Od. iv. xii. 21 : ad quae si properas gaudia cum
tua velox merce veni.
'9
AUSONIUS
carpentis impone tuis : nam tota supellex
vatum pioruni chartea est. I"
nobiscum invenies ko.t ivavria, si libet uti
non Poena x sed Gvaeca fide.
VII. — Rescriptum Paulo Suo
Versus meos utili et conscio sibi pudore celatos
carmine tuo et sermone praemissis dum putas eliei,
repressisti. nam qui ipse facundus et musicus editi-
onis alienae prolectat audaeiam, consilio, quo suadet.
exterret. tegat oportet auditor doctrinam suam, qui
volet ad dicendum sollicitare trepidantem, nee eme-
rita adversum tirunculos arma concutiat veterana
calliditas. sensit hoc Venus de pulchritudinis palma
diu ambiguo ampliata iudicio. pudenter enini ut
apud patrem velata eertaverat nee deterrebat aemii-
las ornatus aequalis ; at postquam in pastovis ex-
amen deducta est lis dearum, qualis emerserat mari
aut cum Marte convenerat, et consternavit arbitrum
et contendentium certamen oppressit. ergo nisi De-
lirus tuus in re tenui non tenuiter laboratus opuscula
mea, quae promi studueras, retardasset, iam dudum
ego ut palmes audacior in hibernas adhuc auras im-
probum germen egissem, periculum iudicii gravis
1 T (poema, M : penna, td. princ): trpo?na. Pfijitr (after
Weil).
1 Plaut. Asin. 199 : cetera (jiiae volumus uti, Graeca nier-
camur fide — i.e. for cash down. The meaning is : I will
repay you, not w itli vague (Punic) promises, hut poem for
poem.
20
THE EPISTLES
your carriage, for the devout poet's baggage is all
paper. With me you will find a quid pro quo if you
please to trade on Greek, 1 not Punic, terms.
VTI. — A Reply to his Friend Paulls
As for my verses, which a salutary and self-con-
scious sense of shame had sent into hiding, while you
thought you were enticing them forth by sending
forward your own poetry and prose, you have driven
them back. For when one who is himself eloquent
and a poet tries to lure an author to venture on publi-
cation, he frightens the other out of the purpose which
he advocates. A listener ought to conceal his own
skill if he wishes to induce a nervous orator to speak,
and a practised veteran should not brandish in the
face of mere recruits weapons he has wielded through
a full term of service. Venus understood this in the
matter of the prize for beauty so long withheld for
lack of a decisive verdict. For it was modestly
arrayed, when in the presence of her father, that she
had contended, and her similar adornment did not
discourage her rivals ; but when the suit of the god-
desses was brought down for a shepherd's decision,
she appeared as when she had risen from the sea
or had met with Mars, both overwhelming the judge
and crushing her competitors' rivalry. And so, had
not your Crazy Man, slight in theme though not in
finish, 2 checked my poor little works which you were
eager to have brought out to light, I should long
since, like a too venturesome shoot, have put forth
an impudent bud in the still wintry air, only to run
2 op. Virgil, Georgic*. iv. 6.
21
AUSONIUS
incousulta festinatione subiturus. denique pisoneuu,
quein tollenonem existimo proprie a philologis ap-
pellatum, adhibere, ut iubebas, recenti versuum
tuorum lectione non ausus, ea quae tibi iam cursim
f'uerant recitata, transmisi. etenim hoc poposcisti
atque id ego malui, tu ut tua culpa ad eundem
lapidem bis offenderes, ego autem. quaecumque
fortuna esset, seinel erubescerem.
Vide, mi Paule, quani ineptum lacessieris in verbis
rudem, in eloquendo hiulcum, a propositis discre-
pantem, in versibus concinnationis expertem, in ca-
villando nee natura venustum nee arte eonditum,
diluti salis, f'ellis ignavi, nee de niimo planipedem
nee de comoediis histrionem. ac nisi haec a nobis
missa ipse lecturus esses, etiam de pronuntiatione
rideres. nunc coinmodiore fato sunt, quod, licet
apud nos genuina, aput te erunt adoptiva.
Vinum 1 cum biiugo j)arabo plaustro
primo tempore Santonos vehendum,
ovum tu quoque - passeris marini,
quod nunc promus ait procul relictum
in fundo patriae Bigerritanae,
* * * * *
1 So T ■. viium. Peirper aud other M.SS.
2 So Z : coque, Scaliger, Peiper.
1 A beam working on a pivot, by which a cage full of
men was raised to the height of the enemy's walls in a siege.
Ausonius suggests that to send his complete collection
would be like employing such an engine— like our "heavy
artillery."
22
THE EPISTLES
the risk of heavy censure for my ill-advised haste.
In short, to bring into play, as you bade me, the
"swipe" 1 — which, I fancy, is correctly termed by
scholars a " swing-beam ' — I did not dare after lately
reading your verses ; but I send you those pieces
which have already been hurriedly recited to you.
For indeed this you demand and I prefer ; so that
you, through your own fault, may stumble twice
over the same stone, while I, whate'er befall, may
blush but once.
See, my dear Paulus, what a sorry poet you have
provoked ! — in wording harsh, in utterance halting,
wandering from his points, in versifying without ele-
gance, in satire without natural grace or spice of
art, watery in wit, sluggish in spleen, no true per-
former in mime, 2 no actor in comedy. And were
not you yourself to read these pieces I send, you
would laugh at my delivery also. As it is, theirs is
a more kindly destiny, because though begotten by
me they will be adopted by you.
So soon as I shall get wine carried to Saintes by
two-horse cart, do you also get your cup of ostrich-
shell which your steward says was left on your farm
far away in your native Bigorre, 3
2 In mime neither slipper (as in comedy) nor buskin (as
in tragedy) was worn.
3 In the Dept. des Hautes Pyrenees. The meaning of
the verses is (apparently) that Ausonius is to get in a cart-
load of wine, while Paulus is to come with a large cup
made from an ostrich's ("sea sparrow's") shell to help
to drink it up.
23
A I "SO XI US
VIII.—AY50NI02 11AYA12I
'EA.<\u6(K)}s fx(.Toy K ov povaqs Latiaeque camenae
"A$lov Auo-oVios sermone adludo bilingui.
Musae, quid t'acimus ? rt ku'cuo-lv icj> kkiriirw awTws
ludinius a<f>pahlr)(Tiv iv 7/ pari y^pacKOVTCS •
lEavTOViKots KUL/XTroiaLV, orrot KpVOS a^evov £o~tlv, "
erramus gelidorpop epot «ai frigdopuetae,
ITt€pi8wi' TevipoTrXoKa.fxuiv Oepdiroi'res inertes.
Trdvra 8 e^ei 7raye7os tc pedum /<ai Kpovcrpos 68ovto>v.
6a\iru>pi) quia nulla <f>oKov ^toiuSSet X^PV'
et duplicant frigus ipvxpd carmina prjrioojv-e^. 10
dp^o/xevos 8 upa pvp'i ve'w Iavo? tc calendars
primitias Paulo nostrae wepipuipev doiS?}?.
Mi'/?pocriV7?s Kpqhzp.voKop.ov TroAvcantica tckvo.,
ewia verbosae Kptwoo-retpavoL re puellae,
t.i'6 dye pot TroXvvisSi tiri], o-Kovpw&eu. p.oXmjv, 1 5
frontibus vperepaa Trrepivov praeferte triumphum
upas yap Kakloi crKaios Aioi'uax)— ovqrrj<; —
ITajJAa) €<papp.6o-o-aiT€ p.ep.iyp.evofidp(3upov (o8ijv.
ov ydp poi Oepis lo-r\v in hac regione pevovri
A£iov ab nostris hriSevea eue Kapyvan- 20
Ktii/os" epot ttcivtcoi/ pero^o?, qui seria nostra,
(jui ioca 7ravToSa7r?7 novit tractare irakaxarpr).
ko1 vvv sepositus p.ova\tL ill rure Kpefievvov
do~Tacpv\w ivl \wpw habet dvpakyea X.e<r\nv
oure <pi\ois erapois nee niensae acconunodus ulli. '_'"'
otia 6e\£iv6oi<; aeger o~vppep.<peTai MoiWis.
1 No attempt can here be made to reproduce this macaronic
verse
A|ios is of course used in a double sense, as propel name
and epnthet.
24
THE EPISTLES
VIII. — Ausonius to Paulus 1
To Axius, worthy 2 participant in Hellenic poesy
and Roman song, I, Ausonius, send playful greeting
in a medley of the two tongues.
3 Muses, what do we ? Wherefore with empty-
hopes do I sport idly, heedless of growing older day
by day ? O'er the San tonic plains, where frost ac-
cords chill welcome, I wander shivering with cold,
a frigid bard indeed, a servant unemployed of the
soft-tressed Pierides. Cold feet and chattering of
teeth are each man's lot, because no hearth gives
warmth in this snowy country, and men redouble
all the cold with meditating their frigid verse. Yet
even so, at the beginning of the new month and on
the first of Januarv let me send to Paulus the first-
fruits of my song.
13 Ye songful children of Mnemosyne with tresses
coiffed, nine wordy maids with locks begarlanded,
come now with chant ridiculous and macaronic 3 lay.
wear winged triumph on your brows — for 'tis on you
I call, a clumsy bottle-bard — compose for Paulus
some mixed barbarian strain ! For I may not, albeit
tarrying in these parts, leave worthy Axius lacking
my poesy. He shareth all with me, and knoweth
all sorts of tricks for wrestling with ray serious and
my jesting verse. And now retired in the lonely
country of Crebennus he hath his heart-vexing
dwelling in a grapeless land, remote alike from his
dear friends and from all dinner- tables. There, sick
at heart, he chides the heart-soothing Muses for his
loneliness.
a — Lat. scurrtlis, from scurra, a dandy, top, macaroni or
buffoon.
25
AUSONIUS
lam satis, o <£i'Ae IlavAe, ttovov 6.ireTTtLprj(hj^.€v
eV tc forw causcus re kcu ingrataio-i Kafo'Spuis.
pr/ToptKOis AovSouri, Kat ittXzto ov&kv ovetap-
aXX' fj&r) K€tvos fikv a7ras iuvenalios tSpws 30
6KK€^urai peAe'wv, Tpo/xeprj Se Tra.pf.o-Ti senectus
kcu minus in sumptum oWdvas levis area ministrat.
ov yap e^€t a7rd\a/xvo<; avrjp KOuauTTcoSea lucrov,
k\(ivlko<; ovtc yepuw ^pvae-qv ipydt^er upoijSr/y.
aequanimus quod si fueris et irdvra vel alvdv 35
malueris, XijOrj ttovov ecrcreTat i)ok TTtVLrjs-
K€ivo Se 7rayKuAAtorTov, ut omnibus undique Musis
crvv <£tuAr/que oiWque, irewv o-vvotto.ovl Moucrwv,
#ujuou u.Ki-ixep.evov solacia blanda requiras.
hie erit et fructus A?7p?;Te'pos uyXaoKapTrov, 10
ivda aves OaXepoi, TroXv\av84a pocula iv6a,
Kipvav et K€ OeXois vexrap ovlvolo fiovoio.
ambo igitur nostrae 7rapa#e'A£opev otia vitae,
dum res et aetas et sororum
vr/p.uTa 7T0p<pvp€a TrXcKrjTai. -15
IX.— AYSON102 IlAYAfil
Poj/xato)]-' D7raTo? uperaAoyoj rjoe TroirjTfj,
AwoViOS riai'Aw' aTTfvSe (piXovs lb~£(ii>.
X
Aequoream liqui te propter, amice, Garumnain.
te propter campos incolo Santonicos ;
congressus igitur nostros pete, si tibi cum.
quae mihi, conspectu iam potiere meo.
1 = Lat. quaestorius, since official payments were made by
t lie quaestor.
26
THE EPISTLES
27 Enough experience have I had of toil ere now,
friend Paulus, both as a pleader in the courts and
in the thankless professorial chair at Schools of
Rhetoric, and got therefrom no profit. But now
has all that youthful energy oozed from these limbs,
trembling old age is nigh, and my strong-box grown
light furnishes means for outlay less readily. For
the helpless draws no salary from the Exchequer, 1
and the bed-ridden dotard earns no golden fees.
Yet if only thou wilt be of unruffled mind and
rather see good in everything, thy toil and poverty
will find oblivion. But this is the very best of all,
from all the Muses everywhere — not without bowl
and wine, comrade of the true Muses — to seek sooth-
ing consolation for a troubled heart. Here shalt thou
find the fruit of Demeter, rich in crops, here fat
swine, here capacious goblets if thou wouldst mix
the nectar of good wine. So shall we twain cheer
the blank hours of our life, so long as means and
age allow and the Three Sisters spin their purple
thread. 2
IX. — Ausonius to Paulus
Ausonius, consul of the Romans, to Paulus, poet
and declaimer : 3 haste to see thy friends.
X
For thee 1 left the Hood of the Garonne, for thee
1 dwell amid the plains of Saintes ; our meeting,
therefore, be thy aim ! If thou art eager as 1, full
soon wilt thou enjoy the sight of me. But make
a cp. Horace, Od. u. iii. 15 f. : dum resetaetas et aororum
Fila trium patiuntur atra.
3 Primarily one who vaunts his good qualities, and so by
transitions a declaimer, a rhetorician.
27
AUSONIUS
sed tantuni adpropera, quantum pote corpore et aevo:
ut salvum videam, sat cito te video. 6
si post infaustas vigor integratus habenas
et rediit membris iam sua mobilitas,
si riguam laetis recolis Pipleida Musis,
iam vates et non flagrifer Automedon, LU
pelle soporiferi senium nubeinque veterni
atque alacri mediam carpe vigore viam.
sed cisium aut pigrum cautus eonscende veraedum :
non tibi sit raedae, non amor acris equi.
cantheris moneo male nota petorrita vites, 15
ne celeres mulas ipse Metiscus agas.
sic tibi sint Musae faciles, meditatio prompta
et memor, et liquidi mel nuat eloquii :
sic, qui venalis tarn longa aetate Crebennus
non habet emptorem, sit tibi pro pretio. 20
Attamen ut citius venias leviusque vehare.
historiam, mimos, carmina linque domi.
grande onus in musis : tot saecula condita chartis,
quae sua vix tolerant tempora, nostra gravant.
nobiscum invenies iirtuv iroXv/xop(p£u irXrjdvv, 25
ypafi-fxaTLKCov tc 7tAokus koi XoyoSaiSaXirji'.
SuktiAov r/pwov kul aoi8oTr6\u>v \opiufxfdor,
aw ©aAi'^s kco/xoj arvpfAUTa Tep^f/i^opys,
trtoTttSiKov T€ Kivai&uv, Iwi'iKOv afj.<f>OTep<j>6ev.
pvdjxwv Uiv$apiKU)V Zvvop.ov tveirirjv. 30
1 A fountain in Pieria, sacred to the Muses
- Tlie charioteer of Achilles : cp. Virgil, Aen. ii. 47b 1.
:1 This is usually described as a four- wheeled car. but it
was evidently somewhat dangerous.
j 8
THE EPISTLES
such haste as thy strength and years permit; so that
I see thee safe, I see thee soon enough. If after
that unlucky drive thy powers are restored, and if
thy limbs have now regained their wonted pliancy,
if to the Muses' joy thou dost again frequent well-
watered Pimpla, 1 a bard once more and no scorching
Automedon, 2 banish the clouds of eld which haunt
a drowsy greybeard, briskly devour the intervening
road. But be heedful, mounting some chaise or slow
post-horse : let no dog-cart 3 tempt thee, no high-
mettled steed. I counsel thee avoid four-wheeled
cars 4 with their notorious geldings, drive no swift
mules thyself to play Metiscus. 5 So be the Muses
gracious to thee, thy conception ready, thy memory-
sound, and free thy flow of melting honey : so may
Crebennus, so long for sale without a purchaser, be
thine for a reward.
- 1 But that thou mayest come more quickly, travel-
ling the lighter, leave histories, mimes, and lyrics all
at home. Muses make heavy baggage : those books
stored with so many centuries, which scarce endure
their own ages, are crushed by ours. With me thou
wilt find a motley throng of epics, grammarians'
subtilties and niceties of speech, the heroic dactyl
and the lyrist's choriambus, Thaleia's comedy beside
Terpsichore's tragic train, Sotades' 6 wanton verse,
the Ionic of both kinds, 7 the ordered sweetness of
4 See note on Epist. iv. •">. This too was a swift ami
dangerous conveyance.
6 The charioteer of Turnus struck down by Juturna : see
Virgil, Aen. xii. 469 f.
6 Sotades of Crete, notorious for his wanton poems and for
Sotadic verse, which could be read backwards way.
7 i.e. Ionic a maiore and a minore. But since Sotades
wi'ote in Ionic, another meaning was probably intended.
2 9
AUSONIUS
et\i7r68r)v (Tkul^ovto. kcu ov crKa^ovra Tpt/xtrpov,
oktu) ®ovkv8l8ov, cvvta HpoSorov.
pTjropiKwv Oa-qixa, crocpCov ipiKvhia cpv\a,
iravTa. p.6X otrcr' e#eA.€is, kou tt\£ov, €i k€ ^e'Aots-
Hoc tibi de nostris acnraariKov offero libris. 35
vale ; valere si voles me, iam veni.
XI. — Ausonius Tethadio Sal.
O qui vetustos uberi facundia
sales opimas, Tetradi,
cavesque, ne sit tristis et dulei carens
amara concinnatio ;
qui felle carmen atque melle temperans 5
torpere musas non sinis
pariterque fucas, quaeque gustu ignava sunt,
et quae sapore tristia ;
rudes camenas qui Suessae praevenis
aevoque cedis, non stilo : 1
cur me propinquum Santonorum moenibus
declinas, ut Lucas boves
olim resumpto praeferoces proelio
fugit iuventus Romula?
non ut tigris te, non leonis impetu, 1 5
amore sed caro expeto.
videre alumni gestio vultus mei
et indole optata frui.
invitus olim devoravi absentiae
necessilatem pristinae, 20
quondam docendi munere adstrictum gravi
Iculisma cum te absconderet,
1 The scazon was an iambic trimeter with a spondee or
trochee in the sixth foot, causing the verse to limp or drag.
3°
THE EPISTLES
Pindaric rhythms, the shambling scazon l and the
unlimping trimeter, eight books of Thucydides, nine
of Herodotus, a goodly show of orators, and the
philosophers in glorious tribes — all that thou wouldst,
and still more shouldst thou wish.
35 This word of greeting I send thee from my
books. Farewell ; if thou wouldst have me fare well,
fare hither now.
XI. — Ausonius to Tetradius, 2 Greeting
O thou, who with copious eloquence enrichest our
ancient stores of wit, Tetradius, and takest heed
that thy tart compositions be not gloomy and bereft
of sweetness ; who, blending gall and honey in thy
verse, sufferest not thy Muses to grow dull, and
flavourest alike what is insipid to the taste and what
bitter to the palate; thou who outstrip'st the un-
polished Muses of Suessa, 3 yielding in age to them
but not in style ; why dost thou shun me, neighbour
to the walls of Saintes, as of old the Roman youth
fled from the Lucanian oxen 4 who renewed the battle
with exceeding fury? Not like a tiger, not with
lion's spring, but in fond love I seek thee out. I
yearn to see my pupil's countenance and to enjoy
the longed-for fruits of his mind. Reluctant hitherto
I have gulped down the necessity which parted us
in bygone days when Iculisma 5 kept thee hidden,
once fettered with the heavy chains of teaching,
* Otherwise unknown.
2 Now Sessa, in Campania ; the birthplace of Lucilius the
satirist.
4 "Lucanian Oxen" was the name given by the Romans
to elephants as first seen in Lucania in the army of Pyrrhus.
5 Now Angouleme.
3 1
A I SON I US
et iuvidebam devio ac solo loco
opus camenarum tegi.
at nunc — frequentes atque clams nee procul 25
cum tloreas inter viros
tibique nostras ventus auras deferat
auresque sermo verberet —
cur me supino pectoris fastu tumens
spernis poetam consulem, 30
tuique amantem teque mirantem ac- tua
desiderantem carmina
oblitus alto neglegis fastidio ?
plectendus exemplo tuo,
ni stabilis aevo pectoris nostri fides .^n
quamquam recusantes amet.
Vale, valere si voles me, pervola
cum scrinio et musis tuis.
XII. — Ausonius Probo Praefecto Praetorio S.
Oblata per antiquarios mora scio promissi mei
gratiam expectatione consumptam, Probe, vir op-
time ; in secundis tamen habeo non fefellisse. apo-
logos Titiani et Nepotis chronica quasi alios apologos
(nam et ipsa instar sunt fabularum) ad nobilitatem
tuam misi, gaudens atque etiam glorians fore ali-
quid, quod ad institutionem tuorum sedulitatis meae
studio conferatur.
Libello tamen apologorum antetuli paucos epodos,
studio in te observantiae meae impudentissimo.
1 Sexlus Petroniua Probus, born c. 330 a.d., was proconsul
of Africa in 3.38, consul with Gratiau in 371. Ammianus
Marcellinua (xxvu. ii. 1), referring to bis first appointment
as praetorian prefect, iu 36S, speaks of his immense wealth
but equivocal character as a friend. He died c. 393 a.o.
2 Probably Julius Titianus, tutor of Maximums, who was
raised to the consulate (cp. Oratiarum Act. vii.).
32
THE EPISTLES
and I would grudge that in so remote and lonely a
spot the Muses' handiwork was concealed. But now
— seeing thou nourishest amid throngs of famous
men and not far hence, where the wind wafts to
thee my renown and talk of me rings in thine ears —
why, puffing out thy chest with proud disdain, dost
thou scorn me, a poet-consul, and to one who loves
thee, admires thee, longs to enjoy thy verse, for-
getfully show neglect and proud contempt? Thou
shouldst be punished after thine own example, did
not the loyalty of my heart, unmoved by time, love
even the reluctant.
37 Farewell. If thou wilt my welfare, whirl here
forthwith with writing-case and all thy Muses.
XII. — Ausonius to Probus, 1 Praetorian
Prefect, Greeting
After the delay caused by the copyists, I know
that the pleasure caused by my promise has been
outworn by hope deferred, most noble Probus ; yet
I count it good fortune that I have not broken my
word. The Fables of Titianus 2 and the Chronicles
of Nepos 3 — as though they were further fables ; for
they, too, are like fairy tales — I now send your ex-
cellency, glad, nay exultant, that there will be some-
thing which my devotion and pains can contribute
towards your children's education.
To the little book of Fables, however, I have, in
the zeal of my respect for you, taken the extreme
liberty of prefixing a few verses — few at least as I
3 The friend and contemporary of Cicero and Catullus
(celebrated by the latter, i. 5). He died during the princi-
pate of Augustus : his Chronicles are not extant.
33
VOL. II. D
AUSONIUS
paucos quidem, ut ego loquax iudico ; verum tu,
cum legeris, etiam nimium inultos putabis. adiuro
benevolentiain tuain, verecundiae meae testem, eos
mihi subita persuasione fluxisse. nam quis hos diii
cogitaret? quod sane ipsi per se probabunt. fors
fuat, ut si mihi vita suppetet, aliquid rerum tuarum
quamvis incultus expoliam : quod tu etsi lectum non
probes, scriptum bom" consules. cumque ego imi-
tatus sim vesaniam Choerili, tu ignoscas magnani-
mitate Alexandri.
Hi igitur, ut Plautus ait, interim erunt antelogium
fabularum, garruli et deceptores. qui compositi
ad honorificentiae obsequium, ad aurium convieium
concurrerunt. vale et me dilige.
Perge, o libelle, Sirmium
et die ero meo ac tuo
have atque salve plurimum.
quis iste sit nobis erus,
nescis, libelle ? an, cum scias, 5
libenter audis, quod iuvat ?
possem absolute dicere,
sed dulcius circumloquar
diuque fando perfruar.
hunc dico, qui lingua potens 10
minorem Atridam praeterit
orando pauca et musica ;
qui grandines Ulixei
et mel fluentem Nestora
concinnat ore Tulli ; 15
qui solus exceptis tribus
1 A poet who sang the praises of Alexander in bad verse
and was rewarded in good coin : cp. Horace, Epist. n. i. 232 f. ,
Ars Poet. 357.
34
THE EPISTLES
judge, who am a man of words; though you, when
you have read them, will think them all too many.
I solemnly assure jour good-natured self, who can
vouch for my honour, that I gave vent to them on a
sudden impulse. For who would need to ponder
long over these ? This, indeed, the verses them-
selves will confirm. It may be that, if I live long
enough, I will fashion out some work on your career,
rude craftsman though I am : even should you not
be satisfied with the reading of it, you will take the
writing in good part. And since I have copied
Choerilus in his madness, you must pardon me with
the generosity of Alexander. 1
These verses then (to use Plautus' word 2 ) will serve
meanwhile as " Foreword " to the Fables, wordy and
treacherous though they are. Though put together
to convey my dutiful compliments to you, they have
rushed oft' with one accord to offend jour ears.
Farewell, and give me your good regard.
Go forth, little book, to Sirmium, and to thy lord
and mine bid hearty health and greeting. Thou
knowest not, little book, who is that our lord ? Or
though thou knowest, dost thou love to hear what
delights thee ? I might tell thee outright, but for
more pleasure 1 will talk in mazes and with speech
drawn out get full enjoyment. Him I mean who,
full eloquent, outstrips Atreus' younger son 3 in
pleading with few but melodious words ; who com-
bines Ulvsses' hail and Nestor's honeyed flow with
Tully's utterance ; who is the all-highest save the
2 See Plautus, Menaechmus, Prol. 13 : hoc argumento ante-
logium fuit.
3 cp. Homer, Iliad, iii. 214, 222 ; i. 248 f. and Prof. xxi.
21 ff.
35
d 2
AUSONIUS
eris erorum primus est
praetorioque maximus.
dico hunc senati praesulem,
praefectum eundem et consulem 20
(nam consul aeternum cluet
collega Augusti consulis),
columen curulis Romulae
primum in secundis fascibus;
nam primus e cunctis erit 25
consul, secundus principi.
Generi hie superstes aureo
satorque prolis aureae
convincit Ascraeum senem,
non esse saeclum ferreum, 30
qui vincit aevi iniuriam
stirpis novator Anniae
paribusque comit infulis
Aniciorum stemmata.
Probum loquor : scis optime, 35
quern nemo fando dixerit,
qui non prius laudaverit.
perge, o libelle, et utere
felicitate intermina.
Quin et require, si sinet 40
tenore fari obnoxio :
" Age vera proles Romuli,
effare causam nominis.
utrumne mores hoc tui
nomen dedere, an nomen hoc 45
secuta morum regula?
an ille venturi sciens
niundi supremus arbiter,
qualem creavit moribus,
iussit vocari nomine ? '' 50
36
THE EPISTLES
three Lords of Lords, 1 and supreme in the Prae-
torium. Him I mean, the Senate's chief, prefect
likewise and consul (for as consul he has endless
fame as colleague of an Emperor-consul), prop of
the Roman curule chair — first, though his authority
is second in degree ; for first of all citizens shall he
be as consul, but second to the Prince.
27 He, the survivor of the Golden Race, begetter
of a golden progeny, refutes the sage of Ascra, 2
showing this is no Iron Age, since, conquering Time's
ravages, he renews the line of the Annii and has
equal right to deck with fillets the Anician family-
tree. 3
35 Of Probus speak I : thou knowest him full well
— whom none ever named in speech without first
praising him. 4 Go forth, my little book, there to
enjoy boundless good fortune.
40 And ask withal, if he will suffer thee to address
him in humble tones: ''Prithee, true son of Romulus,
declare the reason of thy name. Was it thy conduct
earned thee this name, or to this name hath thy rule
of conduct conformed ? Or of his fore-knowledge
did the supreme Disposer of the world bid thee be
called by a name expressive of the nature with which
he created thee ? "
1 i.e. Valentinian, Valens, and (iratian.
2 sc. Hesiod : see W. and D. 176.
3 Stemmata could only be decorated with wreaths by
actual members of the family : Probus was such by mar-
riage with Anicia Fultouia Proba.
i i.e. they are compelled to call him " probus" = "upright":
see 11. 43 ff.
37
AUSONIUS
Nomen datum pracconiis
vitaeque testimonies
libelle felix, quern sinu
vir tantus evolvet suo
nee occupari tempora 55
grato queretur otio,
quern melleae vocis modis
leni aut susurro impertiet,
cui nigellae luminum
vacare dignabunt corae, GO
quern mente et aure consciis,
quibusdam omissiSj perleget :
Quaeeumque fortuna est tibi,
perge, o libelle, et utere
felicitate intermina. 65
die me valere et vivere,
die vivere ex voto pio,
Sanctis precantem vocibus,
ut, quern curulis proxima
collegio nati dedit, 70
hunc rursus Augustus prior
suis perennet fascibus.
subnecte et illud leniter :
" Apologos en misit tibi
ab usque Rlieni limite 75
Ausonius, nomen Italum,
praeceptor Augusti tui,
Aesopiam trimetriam,
quam vertit exili stilo
pedestre concinnans oj)us 80
fandi Titianus artifex ;
ut hinc avi ac pati"is decus,
mixto resurgens sanguine,
probiano itemque Anicio,
38
THE EPISTLES
51 The name was given in his praise and for a
token of his life. Ah, happy little book, that such
a man will unroll thee on his knee and not complain
that thou takest up the hours of his welcome leisure;
that he will vouchsafe thee the tones of his honeyed
voice or his soft whispers ; that for thee the dear
dark pupils of his eyes will deign to find leisure ;
that with mind and ear in unison he will read thee
through, some pages skipped.
C3 Whate'er thy fortune, go forth, little book, and
enjoy thy boundless happiness. Say that I fare
well and live, say that I live as I devoutly asked,
praying with hallowed words that, as the last consul-
ship made him colleague of the son, so again Au-
gustus the sire 1 will renown him with partnership
in his own honours. This also gently add : " Lo,
from the very borders of the Rhine Ausonius, Italian
of name, 2 tutor of thy belov'd Augustus, sends thee
these Fables, by Aesop writ in trimeters, but ren-
dered in simple style and adapted into prose by Ti-
tianus, artist in words ; that hereby he who is his
father's and grandfather's pride, sprung from the
mingled strains of the Probi and Anicii — as of old
1 8C. Valentinian I.
2 A i(-wus= Italian, as in Aen. vii. 547-
39
AUSONIUS
ut quondam in Albae moenibus 85
supremus Aenea satus
Silvios lulis miseuit,
sic iste, qui natus tui,
flos flosculorum Romuli,
nutricis inter lemmata 90
lallique somniferos modos
suescat peritus fabulis
simul et iocari et discere."
His adde votum, quod pio
coneepimus rei deo : 95
" Ut genitor Augustus dedit
collegio nati Probum,
sic Gratianus hunc novum
stirpi futurae copulet."
rata sunt futura, quae loquor : 1 00
sic merita factorum iubent.
Set iam ut loquatur lulius,
fandi modum invita accipe,
volucripes dimetria,
haveque dicto die vale. 105
XIII. — Ad Ursulum Grammaticum Trevirorum cui
Strenas Kalendis Ianuariis ab Imperatore non
datas reddi fecit
Primus iucundi foret 1 hie tibi fructus honoris
Augustae f'austum munus habere manus :
proximus ex longo gradus est quaestoris amici
curam pro strenis excubuisse tuis.
1 So MSS. (Z): fuat, Toll: fuit, Avantiua, Peiper.
1 Silvius, son of Aeneas by Lavinia, and half-brother and
successor of lulus (cp. Virgil, Aen. vi. TOO ff. ).
2 sc. Julius Titianus, the translator of the Fables.
40
THE EPISTLES
in Alba town the last scion of Aeneas' stock united
the lines of Silvius 1 and lulus — so he who is thy off-
spring, flower of the flowerlets of Rome, amid nurse's
tales and drowsy strains of lullaby, may become versed
in fables, growing used to play and learn at the same
time."
94 Thereto add this prayer which 1, though sinful,
have addressed to the all-loving God : " Even as
Augustus the sire hath made Probus colleague to
his son, so may Gratian link this new Probus with
his offspring which shall be." Fulfilled hereafter
shall be the words I speak : the worth of Probus'
deeds demands it so.
102 But now, that Julius 2 may speak, though all
unwilling make an end of words, swift - footed
dimeter, and having said "hail," say now "fare-
well!"
XIII. — To Ursulus, a Grammarian of Treves, to
whom he had caused to be paid the bounty 3
which had not been given to him by the
Emperor on the First of Januarv
Fullest enjoyment of a sweet distinction for thee
were this— to have an auspicious gift from Imperial
hands : next — though far inferior in degree — that thy
quaestor-friend took tireless pains to gain thy New
3 Strenae were New Year's presents given for the sake of
good omen, and such were regularly distributed by the
Emperors : see Suetonius, A ug. 57, Tib. 34.
41
AUSONIUS
ergo interceptos regale nomisma Philippos 5
aecipe tot numero, quot duo Geryones ;
quot terni biiuges demptoque triente Camenae
quotque super terrain sidera zodiaci ;
quot eommissa viris Romana Albanaque fata
quotque doces horis quotque domi resides; 10
ostia quot pro parte aperit stridentia circus
exceptor medium quod patet ad stadium ;
quot pedibus gradiuntur apes et versus Homeri
quotque horis pelagus profluit aut refluit ;
protulit in scaenam quot dramata fabellarum, 15
Arcadiae medio qui iacet in gremio,
vel quot iuncturas geometrica forma favorum
consent extremis omnibus et mcdiis ;
quot telios primus numerus solusque probatur ;
quot par atque impar partibus aequiperat, 20
bis ternos et ter binos qui consent unus,
qui solus totidem congeminatus habet,
quot faciunt iuncti subterque supraque locati ;
qui numerant Hyadas Pleiadasque simul.
1 cp. Horace Epist. n. i. 234 : rettulit acceptos, regale
nomisma, Philippos.
* sc. the Horatii and Curiatii, who fought for Rome and
Alba respectively in the time of Tullus Hostilius : see Livy,
i. 24.
3 The teaching profession, therefore, enjoyed a six-hour
day.
* The circus having twelve gates in all, a single half of it
contained seven : one of these (the gate looking along the
spina) has to be omitted from the count.
42
THE EPISTLES
Year's bounty. Therefore of royal coinage, of Phi-
lippes d'o)- 1 waylaid by me receive as many as two
Geryons ; as three pair of horses, or as the Muses less
one-third their band, or as those stars of the Zodiac ■"""
that are above the earth ; as many as the heroes to
whom were committed the destinies of Rome and
Alba, 2 or as the hours wherein thou dost teach 3 or
wherein thou dost rest at home ; as many as the jarring
gates which open on one half of the circus, except-
ing that which looks along the axis of the course ; 4
as many as the feet whereon bees and Homer's verses
move, or as the hours of the tide's flow and ebb ;
as many as the dramatic plots put on the stage by
him who rests in the midst of Arcadia's bosom, 5 or
as the angles which the geometric figure of the
honey-cell forms by the meeting of its extreme and
intervening sides ; 6 as many as that which is ap-
proved the one and only perfect number ; 7 as that
which consists equally of odd and even numbers,
which alone unites in itself twice three and thrice
two — the only number which, if doubled, contains
as many units as the numbers 8 above it and below
when added contain, and as the joint total of the
Hyades and Pleiades. 9
6 Terence, who is said to have died at Stymphalus in
Arcadia.
6 In plan the hexagonal honeycomb appears to have two
perpendicular (or " middle ") sides and two pair of con-
verging (or "extreme") sides which connect the "middle"
sides at top and bottom, thus : | | .
\y
7 sc. six, as the first compound of odd and even factor
(2 x 3, or 1 + 2 H 3).
R sc. 5 and 7.
9 The Hyades are five, the Pleiades seven in number.
43
AUSONIUS
[Tot numero auratos pro strenis accipe nummos ] ] 25
Ursule collega nobilis Harmonio,
Harmonio, quem Claranus, quern Soaurus et Asper,
quem sibi con ferret Varro priorque Crates
quique sacri lacerum collegit corpus Homeri
quique notas spuriis versibus adposuit : 30
Cecropiae commune decus Latiaeque camenae,
solus qui Chium miscet et Ammineum.
XIV. — Ausonius Theoni
Ausonius, cuius ferulam nunc sceptra verentur,
pagan um Medulis iubeo salvere Theonem.
Quid geris extremis positus telluris in oris,
cultor harenarum vates, cui litus arandum
oceani finem iuxta solemque cadentem, 5
vilis harundineis cohibet quem pergula tectis
et tinguit piceo lacrimosa colonica fumo ?
quid rerum Musaeque gerunt et cantor Apollo —
Musae non Helicon e satae nee fonte caballi,
set quae facundo de pectore Clementini 10
inspirant vacuos aliena mente poetas ?
iure quidem : nam quis malit sua carmina dici,
qui te securo possit proscindere risu ?
1 Suppl. Translator.
1 See Martial, Ep. x. xxi. 1 f.
2 See notes on Praef. i. 20.
8 Crates of M alius in Cilieia, founder of the Pergamene
school of critics, and rival of Aristarchus.
4 Zenodotus, to whom is here attributed the work with
which Pisistratus is traditionall} 7 credited. On this subject see
Pausanias, vn. xxvi. 6, and Monro. Odyssey, XIII.-XXIV.
pp. 403 f .
44
THE EPISTLES
25 So many sovereigns take as thy New Year's
gift, Ursulus, famed as colleague of Harmonius —
Harmonius, whom Claranus, 1 whom Scaurus and
Asper, 2 whom Varro would rank as his equal, or
Crates 3 in earlier days, or he who gathered the
mangled limbs of sacred Homer ; 4 or who placed
symbols to mark out spurious verses : 5 Harmonius,
glory alike of the Attic and the Latin Muse, who
alone dost mingle wine of Chios and Aminaea/'
XIV. — Ausonius to Theon
Ausonius, whose rod now overawes a sceptre, sends
greeting to rustic Theon at Medoc.
3 What dost thou, dwelling on earth's farthest
verge, poetic tiller of the sands, who must plough
the shore next Ocean's border and the setting sun,
whom a poor hovel, thatched with reeds, confines,
and a peasant's hut smothers with sooty smoke that
brings tears to the eyes? What can the Muses be
doing, and songster Apollo — Muses not sprung from
Helicon nor from the Horse's Spring, 7 but those which,
springing from Clementinus' eloquent breast, inspire
empty-headed bards with borrowed thoughts ? And
rightly so : for who would rather have verses called
his when he can safely rend thee with his laughter ? 8
5 Aristarchus of Samos, who in his edition of Homer
employed such critical marks.
6 Aminaea in Picenum was famous for its wine, cp.
Virgil, Georg. ii. 97.
7 i.e. Hippocrene.
8 i.e. Clementinus rightly lets you claim his verses ; for to
hear you recite them is worth the price, you do it so
ridiculously : cp. Martial, Ep. i. 38 f. The whole piece is a
burlesque remonstrance with Theon for not sending any of
his " trifles " (cp. xv. ad init.)
45
AUSONIUS
haec quoque ne nostrum possint urgere pudorem,
tu recita, et vere poterunt tua dicta videri. 15
Quam tamen exerces Medulorum in litore vitam ?
mercatusne agitas leviove nomismate captans,
insanis quod mox pretiis gravis auctio vendat —
albentis sevi globulos et pinguia cerae
pondera Naryciamque picem scissamque papyrum 20
fumantesque olidum, paganica lumina, taedas ?
An maiora gerens tota regione vagantes
persequeris fures, qui te postrema tinientes
in partem praedamque voceht ? tu mitis et osor
sanguinis humani condonas crimina minimis 25
erroremque vocas pretiumque inponis abactis
bubus et in partem scelerum de iudiee transis ?
An cum fratre vagos dumeta per avia cervos
cireumdas maculis et multa indagine pinnae ?
aut spumantis apri eursum clamoribus urges 30
subsidisque fero ? moneo tamen, usque recuses
stringere fulmineo venabula comminus hosti.
exemplum de fratre time, qui veste red u eta
ostentat foedas prope turpia membra lacunas
perfossasque nates vicino podice nudat. 35
inde ostentator volitat, mirentur ut ipsum
Gedippa Ursinusque suus prolesque Iovini
taurinusque ipsum priscis heroibus aequans.
qualis in Olenio victor Calydonius apro
aut Erymantheo 1 pubes fuit Attica monstro. 40
1 So VZ : Cromyoneo, Peipfr.
1 A conventional epithet (cp. Virgil, Aen. xii. 750),
Naryx being a cit}' of the Ozolian Loerians.
2 i.e. hunches of feathers tied on a cord to scare the prey
and prevent it from escaping through gaps. <■/>. Virgil,
Aen. xii. 750.
3 Meleager. * Theseus.
46
THE EPISTLE
These verses also, lest they may force my blushes,
do thou recite : and truly they will easily seem thy
very words.
16 Yet what life dost thou pursue on the coasts
of Medoc ? Art busy trafficking, snapping up for
a clipped coinage goods presently to be sold in dear
salerooms at outrageous prices — as balls of sickly
tallow, greasy lumps of wax, Narycian 1 pitch, torn
paper, and rank-smoking torches, your country lights ?
22 Or art thou busy about greater matters, chasing
the thieves who roam through all thy neighbour-
hood, until they fear the worst and invite thee to
share their spoils ? Dost thou through tenderness
and hatred of bloodshed compound felonies for cash,
call them mistakes, levy fines for cattle rieved, and
leave the part of judge to share the crime ?
2S Or with thy brother amid impenetrable thickets
dost thou surround the wandering harts with mesh
and feathers 2 in wide circle ? Or dost thou urge on
with shouts the foaming boar's career and lay wait
for the monster ? Yet I warn thee ever to avoid
wielding thy spear at close quarters with a bolt-like
foe. Take warning from thy brother, who pulls
back his clothes displaying ugly scars near his privy
parts, and bares his breech to show how awkwardly
'twas pierced. Then to display his wounds he flits
away to be admired by Gedippa, and his friend Ur-
sinus, and Jovinus' young hopeful, and Taurinus who
ranks him with ancient heroes such as was the Caly-
donian conqueror 3 of the boar in Olenus, or the Attic
stripling 4 victorious o'er the Erymanthian 5 monster.
6 Theseus, however, killed the wild sow of Crommyon : it
was Hercules who slew the Erymanthian boar. But the slip
is due to Ausonius himself, not to his copyists. Peiper's
correction is therefore needless.
47
AUSONIUS
Set tu parce feris venatibus et fuge nota
crimina silvarum, ne sis Cinyreia proles
accedasque iterum Veneri plorandus Adonis,
sic certe crinem flavus niveusque lacertos
caesariem rutilam per Candida colla refundis, -15
pectore sic tenero, plana sic iunceus alvo,
per teretes feminum gyros surasque nitentes
descendis, talos a vertice pulcher ad imos —
qualis floricoma quondam populator in Aetna
virgineas inter choreas Deoida raptam 50
sustulit emersus Stygiis fornacibus Orcus.
An, quia venatus ob tanta pericula vitas,
piscandi traheris studio? nam tota supellex
Dumnitoni tales solita est ostendere gazas,
nodosas vestes animantum Nerinorum 55
et iacula et fundas et, nomina vilica, lina
colaque et insutos terrenis vermibus hamos.
his opibus confise tumes ? domus omnis abunda
litoreis dives spoliis. referuntur ab unda
corroco, letalis trygon mollesque platessae, 60
urentes thynni et male tecti spina elacati l
nee duraturi post bina trihoria corvi.
An te carminibus iuvat incestare canoras
Mnemosynes natas, aut tris aut octo sorores ?
et quoniam hue ventum, si vis agnoscere, quid sit 65
'Tnrnebus : ligari, ligati, or ligatri, 3/SS.: ligatri, Peiper.
1 cp. •• Horace, Epist. n. ii. 4. The caricature is clumsy,
for Theon (cp. xvi. 31), tliough rounded, was not slim.
2 Probably hooks sewn on a long line (such as are used for
sea-fishing) and baited with earthworms.
3 The nature of this fish is doubtful : Vinet identifies it
with that known at Bordeaux as creac (sturgeon); Corpet
equates it with the Spanish corrujo (a kind of turbot).
4 8
THE EPISTLES
41 But do thou give up the chase and shun the
well-known tragedies of the woods, lest thou be
as the son of Cinyras and become a second Adonis
for Venus to mourn. Like him, assuredly, fair-haired
and snowy-white of arms, thou dost let stream ruddy
locks over a gleaming neck ; like him soft of breast,
like him slender as a reed with shapely body, dost
thou pass lower into smoothly curving hips and
shining ankles, beauteous from top to toe 1 — even
such as of old the ravisher in flowery Aetna, who
from amid maiden throngs carried off Deo's daughter
— Orcus, arisen from his Stygian furnaces !
52 Or, because thou avoidest the chase by reason
of such great dangers, does zeal for fishing draw
thee? For all the gear at Dumnitonus is wont to
display such treasures as the knotty wraps of Nereus'
creatures, casting-nets, drag-nets, lines with rustic
names, wears, and stitched hooks for earthworms. 2
On this outfit dost thou proudly rely ? The whole
house is rich to overflowing with the spoils of the sea-
shore. From the waves are brought home sturgeon, 3
the deadly sting-ray, soft tender plaice, bitter tun-
nies, 4 spindle-fish 5 ill-guarded by their spines, and
grayling which will not keep above twice three
hours.
63 Or dost thou delight to outrage with thy verses
the songful daughters of Mnemosyne, be they sisters
three or eight ? 6 And since we are come to this, if
thou wouldst learn what is midway between learned
4 cp. Matthew Arnold, Scholar Gipsy. " Tunnies steeped
in brine."
5 A species of tunny shaped like a spindle (r)\a«aT)j).
6 For three Muses cp. Griphus, 31 : the number eight is
otherwise unknown and is perhaps dictated by metrical
necessity.
49
VOL. II. E
AUSONIUS
inter doctrinam deridendasque camenas,
accipe congestas, mysteria frivola, nugas,
quas tamen explicitis nequeas deprendere ehartis,
scillite decies nisi cor purgeris aceto
Anticyi'aeve bibas l Samii Lucumonis acumen. 70
aut ad sit interpres tuus,
aenigmatum qui cognitor
fuit meorum., cum tibi
Cadmi nigellas filias,
Melonis albam paginam 75
notasque furvae sepiae
Gnidiosque nodos prodidit.
nunc adsit et certe, modo
praesul creatus litteris,
enucleabit protinus 80
quod lusitantes scribimus.
Notos fingo tibi, poeta, versus,
quos scis hendecasyllabos vocari,
set nescis modulis tribus moveri.
istos conposuit Phalaecus olim, 85
qui penthemimeren habent priorem
et post semipedem duos iambos.
sunt quos hexametri creant revulsi,
lit penthemimeres prior locetur,
1 Peiptr : Antichiramque bibas, Z : anticipesque vivum,
or anticipetque tuum, V.
1 For this mixture see Pliny, N.H. XXVI. viii. 48.
2 i.e. " until you drink hellebore at Antic3'ia and become
as wise as Pythagoras of Samoa." Lucumo is probabty an
Etruscan prince.
3 i.e. the letters (invented by Cadmus) written on papyrus
from Egypt (Melo = the Nile) with ink taken from the
cuttle-fish with a reed pen (for Cnidian knots cp. Epist.
xv. 20). Probably the riddle is a scribe's "conceit." An
analogous piece of wit was affected by S3riac scribes, as :
5°
THE EPISTLES
verse and verse ridiculous, take this trumped-up
rubbish, this trifling mystery, though with the sheet
unrolled thou wilt not be able to comprehend it un-
less thou dost purge thy wits ten times over with
vinegar seasoned with squills, 1 or at Anticyra drink
in the sagacity of the Samian nabob. 2
71 Or let thy interpreter come to thy aid, he who
read my riddles and revealed to thee the secret of
"Cadmus' little darky-girls, Melo's white page, the
marks of the swart cuttlefish, and the knots of
Cnidos." 3 Let him now come to thy help, and cer-
tainly once appointed literary dictator, he will worry
out forthwith what I write playfully.
52 I am making up verses, Master Poet, well
known to thee, and which thou knowest are called
hendecasyllables, though thou knowest not that they
move to three measures. Those were composed by
Phalaecus 4 of old, in which a penthemimeris is fol-
lowed by a half-foot after two iambi. Others are so
formed from a mutilated hexameter that the pen-
themimeris is placed first, and then, what left after
" Lord, let not be withheld the reward of the five twins who
have laboured, and the two who have exerted themselves and
sowed seed in the field of animals with the feathers of birds,"
{i.e. the five pairs of fingers and the two hands which have
written on parchment with quills). See Wright, Cat. of Syr.
31 SS. in the B.M., p. 107.
4 A lyrist of uncertain date Ausonius represents him as
early, but some moderns regard him as an Alexandrine.
Ausonius means that there are three varieties of hendeca-
syllables : —
(1) ~~_~_.
(2 )
(3) - ~ ~~
e 2
AUSONIUS
turn quod bucolice tome relinquit. 90
sunt et quos generat puella Sappho :
quos primus regit hippius secundus,
ut cludat choriambon antibacehus.
set iam non poteris, Theon, doceri,
nee fas est mihi regio magistro 95
plebeiam numeros docere pulpam.
Verum protinus ede, quod requiro.
nil quaero, nisi quod libris tenetur
et quod non opicae tegunt papyri,
quas si solveris,, o poeta, nugas, 100
totam trado tibi simul Vacunam,
nee iam post metues ubique dictum :
" Hie est ille Theon poeta falsus,
bonorum mala carminum Laverna."
XV. — Ausonius Theoni cum ei triginta Ostrea
Git AN PI A QUIDEM SET TAM PAUCA MISISSET
Expectaveram, ut reseriberes ad ea, quae dudum
ioculariter luseram de cessatione tua valde inipia et
mea erHagitatione, cuius rei munus reciprocum quo-
niam in me colendo fastidisti, inventa inter tineas
epistula vetere, quam de ostreis et musculis adfec-
tata obscuritate condideram, quae adulescens temere
fuderam, iam senior retractavi. set in eundem modum
instaurata est satirica et ridicula concinnatio, saltern
ut nunc respondeas novissimae cantilenae, qui illavn
noviciain silentio condemnasti.
1 Vacuna is the goddess of leisure: i.e. Theon shall be
immune from further bantering.
2 Patroness of gain, good or bad, and so the goddess of
thieves.
52
THE EPISTLES
the bucolic caesura. There are also those which
the girl Sappho brought forthj where first reigns
a second hippius, leaving an antibacchius to cap a
choriambus.
94 But thou wilt no longer be able to learn, Theon,
and 'tis not lawful for me, a royal schoolmaster, to
teach prosody to common clay.
97 But forthwith produce what I demand. I ask
for naught but what thy notebooks hold and
unsoiled sheets contain. If thou, Sir Poet, wilt
pay me this trifle, all Vacuna 1 do I cede to thee
outright, and no more hereafter shalt thou dread the
universal cry: "This is that feigned poet, Theon,
the bad Laverna 2 of good poetry."
XV. — Ausonius to Theon, who had sent him thirty
Oysters : he complains that though large
they are so few
I have been looking for a reply from you to the
letter I wrote some time ago dealing playfully with
your positively unnatural neglect of me and my own
urgent demands ; and since you have disdained to
do me the courtesy of sending a favour in return,
having found an old letter, half worm-eaten, which
I once composed in a style of deliberate obscurity
on oysters and mussels, now that I am older I have
revised that careless effusion of my youth. But
though recast, this composition still retains the
same satirical and burlesque character, that now at
least you may send an answer to my ditty in its
newest guise, though by your silence you condemned
it when new born.
53
AUSONIUS
Ostrea Baianis certantia, quae Medulorum
dulcibus in stagnis reflui maris aestus opimat,
accepi, dilecte Theon, numerabile raunus.
verum quot fuerint, subiecta monosticha signant :
Quot ter luctatus cum pollice computat index : 5
Geryones quot erant, decies si multiplicentur ;
ter quot erant Phrygii numerata decennia belli,
aut iter ut solidi mensis tenet ignicomus Sol ;
cornibus a primis quot habet vaga Cynthia noctes ;
singula pereurrit Titan quot signa diebus 10
quotque annis sublimis agit sua saecula Phaenon ;
quot numero annorum Vestalis virgo ministrat
Dardaniusque nepos regno quot protulit annos ;
Priamidae quot erant, si bis deni retrahantur,
bisque viros numeres, qui fata Amphrysia servant ; 1 5
quot genuit fetus Albana sub ilicibus sus
et quot sunt asses, ubi nonaginta trientes,
vel quot habet iunctos Vasatica raeda eaballos.
Quod si figuras fabulis adumbratas
numerumque doctis involutum ambagibus 20
ignorat alto mens obesa viscere,
numerare saltim more vulgi ut noveris,
in se retortas explicabo summulas.
Ter denas puto quinquiesve senas,
vel bis quinque, dehinc decern decemque, 25
vel senas quater et bis adde ternas ;
septenis quater adde et unum et unum, 27
1 i.e. xxx.
2 i.e. in which the sun passes from one Sign of the Zodiac
to another.
3 A Vestal spent ten years in learning her duties, another
ten in performing them, and a final ten in instructing novices.
4 Priam.
54
THE EPISTLES
Oysters rivalling those of Baiae, which the surge
of the ebbing sea fattens in the lush marshes of
Medoc, I have received, dear Theon — a gift not
beyond reckoning. But what was their number, the
following single lines declare.
5 As many were they as the forefinger thrice
crossed with the thumb J reckons up ; as many as
there were Geiyons, if ten times multiplied ; thrice
as many as the decades told over in the Phrygian
(Trojan) War, or as the journeys made by the flame-
tressed Sun in a full month ; as the nights which
wandering Cynthia enjoys after she first shows her
horns ; as the days wherein Titan traverses each
several Sign ; 2 as the years in which Phaenon (Sa-
turn) accomplishes his circuit aloft ; as the tale of
years in which a Vestal maid does service, 3 and as
those o'er which the scion of Dardanus 4 prolonged
his reign ; as many as Priam's sons if twice ten are
deducted, or, if you count them twice, as they who
keep the Amphrysian Oracles , 5 as the young lit-
tered beneath the oaks by the Alban sow, 6 and as the
unit when there are ninety thirds — or as many hacks
as are harnessed to a car at Bazas.
19 But if the figure shadowed forth in story, and
the number wrapped up in this learned rigmarole
baffles a mind smothered deep in fat — that you
may know how to count in the common way at least,
I will unfold the sum reduced to its factors.
24 Thrice ten, methinks, or five times six, or two
times five plus ten and ten, or four times six with
twice three added ; to seven times four add one and
5 The Sibylline Oracles, kept by fifteen commissioners (see
note on Oriphus, 86 f.). Amphrysian is here a purely con-
ventional epithet.
8 See Virgil, Am. iii. 390 f.
55
AUSONIUS
aut ter quattuor adde bis novenis ; 29
due binas decies semelque denas ; 28
octonas quater, hinc duae recedant ; 30
binas ter decies, semel quaternas.
et sex adde novem vel octo septem,
aut septem geminis bis octo iunge,
aut — ne sim tibi pluribus molestus,
triginta numero fuere cunctae. 35
Iunctus limicolis musculus ostreis
primo conposuit fercula prandio,
gratus deliciis nobilium cibus
et sumptu modicus pauperibus focis.
non hie navifrago quaeritur aequore, 40
ut crescat pretium grande periculis ;
set primore vado post refugum mare
algoso legitur litore concolor.
nam testae duplicis conditur in specu,
quae ferventis aquae iota vaporibus 45
carnem lacteoli visceris indicat.
Set damnosa nimis panditur area,
fac campum replices, Musa, papyrium
nee iam fissipedis per calami vias
grassetur Gnidiae sulcus harundinis, 50
pingens aridulae subdita paginae
Cadmi filiolis atricoloribus.
aut cunctis pariter versibus oblinat
furvam lacticolor sphongia sepiam.
Parcamus vitio Dumnitonae domus, 55
ne sit charta mihi carior ostreis.
XVI. — Ausonius Theoni
Ausonius salve caro mihi dico Theoni,
versibus expediens, quod volo quodve queror.
56
THE EPISTLES
one, or to thrice four add nine twice over ; take ten
times two and one time ten, four times eight with
two subtracted, two thirteen times plus a single four.
Add also six to nine and eight to seven, or with twin
sevens twice join eight, or — not to bother you with
more — thirty in number were they all.
30 The mussel not without mud-haunting oysters,
makes up a course for early luncheon — a food delight-
ful to the taste of lords and cheap enough for poor
folks' kitchens. 'Tis not sought on the ship-wrecking
deep so that the price grows great to match the
danger, but is picked up in the nearest shallows
after the sea's ebb, matching in colour the weed-
strewn shore. For it is hidden in the cavern of
a double shell which, warmed by the steam (if
boiling water, reveals the milk-white substance
within.
47 But too careless of cost this broad sheet is
spreading out. See that thou abridge, my Muse, thy
acreage of paper, and no longer let the furrow of the
Cnidian reed proceed along the paths of the cloven-
footed pen painting the surface of my poor parched
page with Cadmus' dark-hued little daughters. Or
from all the lines alike let a milk-white sponge blot
out the dusky sepia.
55 Let us spare the shortcomings of the folk at
Dumnitonus, lest paper cost me more than the value
of the oysters.
XVI. — Ausonius to Theon
I, Ausonius, send greeting to my dear Theon, here
setting out in verse my wishes and complaints.
57
AUSONIUS
Tertia fissipedes renovavit Luna iuvencas,
ut fugitas nostram, dulcis amice, domum.
nonaginta dies sine te, carissime, traxi ; 5
hue adde aestivos : hoc mihi paene duplum est.
vis novies denos dicam deciesque novenos
isse dies ? anni portio quarta abiit.
sexaginta horas super et duo milia centum
te sine consumpsi, quo sine et hora gravis. 10
milia bis nongenta iubet demensio legum
adnumerata reos per tot obire dies,
iam potui Romam pedes ire pedesque reverti,
ex quo te dirimunt milia pauca mihi.
scirpea Dumnitoni tanti est habitatio vati ? 15
Pauliacos tanti non mihi villa foret.
an quia per tabulam dicto pangente notatam
debita sumraa mihi est, ne repetamus, abes ?
bis septem rutilos regale nomisma Philippos,
nee tanti fuerint, perdere malo, Theon, 20
implicitum quam te nostris interne medullis
defore tarn longi temporis in spatio.
ergo aut praedictos iam nunc rescribe Darios
et redime, ut mora sit libera desidiae,
aut alios a me totidem dabo, dum modo cari 25
conspicer ora viri. pauperis usque licet.
Puppe citus propera sinuosaque lintea veli
pande : Medullini te feret aura 1 noti
1 So Souclay : ora, Peiper.
1 Some late authors represent the chariot of the moon as
drawn by oxen.
* Roman law required the defendant to travel (if necessary)
twenty miles per day in order to appear in Court at the
58
THE EPISTLES
3 Thrice hath Luna renewed her cloven-footed
heifers, 1 since thou, sweet friend, dost avoid my
house. Ninety days without thee have I dragged
out, my dearest comrade ; add further, summer days:
this makes them nearly twice as long for me. Wouldst
have me say that nine times ten days or ten times
nine are gone ? A fourth part of the year is passed
away. Sixty hours and two thousand and a hundred
beside without thee have I spent — without whom
even an hour hangs heavy. Miles twice nine hundred
the laws' appointment bids men accused traverse to
full reckoning in so many days. 2 By this time could
I have gone afoot to Rome, and afoot returned, since
the time when a few miles have parted thee from me.
Has a thatched cot at Dumnitonus such charms for a
bard ? My villa Pauliacos 3 would not weigh so with
me. Or because by bond drawn up hard and fast
money is owed to me, dost thou keep from me lest I
claim it back ? Those twice seven gleaming Philippes
d'or of royal mintage, 4 Theon, I had rather lose — they
would not be worth so much — than that thou, who
art so closely twined about my heart, shouldst desert
me over this long stretch of time. So either send
back now forthwith the aforesaid louts and buy back
thy freedom slothfully to linger, or I will freely give
as many more besides, provided I behold the face of
one so dear, however poor he be. 5
27 Haste hither, sped by boat, and spread the
bellying canvas of thy sail : the breath of the south
wind from Medoc will waft thee reclining beneath
stated time ; otherwise the ease went against him by default
{Digest n. xi. 1).
3 Possibly Pauliac on the (raronne.
4 See note on Epist. xiii. 5.
6 Presumably, "however often I have to pay this sum."
59
AUSONIUS
expositum subter paradas lectoque iacentem,
corporis ut tanti non moveatur onus. 30
unus Dumnitoni te litore perferet aestus
Condatem ad portum, si modo deproperes
inque vicem veli, quotiens tua rlamina cessant,
remipedem iubeas protinus ire ratem.
invenies praesto subiuncta petorrita mulis : 35
villa Lucani- mox potieris -aco.
rescisso disces conponere nomine versum :
Lucili vatis sic imitator eris.
XVII. — <Ausonius Thkoni>
Ausonius consul vatem resaluto Theonem.
Aurea mala, Theon, set plumbea carmina mittis ;
unius massae quis putet bas species ?
unum nomen utrisque, set est discrimen utrisque :
poma ut mala voces, carmina verte mala. 5
Vale beatis nomen a divis Theon,
metocbe set ista saepe currentem indicat.
XVIII. — Ausonius Hesperio S. D.
Quai.is Picenae populator turdus olivae
clunes opimat cereas
vel qui lucentes rapuit de vitibus uvas,
pendetque nexus retibus,
According to d'Anville this port, no longer existing, was
at Condat near Libourne in the Dordogne.
2 Identified with Lugaignac in the canton of Brannes.
Ennius is more famous for his split nouns, as in " saxo
cere- comminuit -brum."
3 i.e. "alter your verse — even if it means calling your
6o
THE EPISTLES
an awning and stretched upon a couch, that the bulk
of so great a body be not shaken. One tide will
bear thee from the shore of Dumnitonus right to the
harbour of Condate, 1 if only thou makest good haste,
and in place of sail, whene'er thy favouring breezes
die away, biddest the bark speed straight on pro-
pelled with oars. Thou shalt find ready a four-
wheeled car with team of mules : soon wilt thou
gain the Lucani- villa -acus. 2 Thou shalt learn to
make verse with such split nouns : thus shalt thou
be a copier of the bard Lucilius.
XVII. — Ausonius to Theon
I, Ausonius the Consul, return greeting to Theon
the Bard.
2 Apples of gold thou sendest, Theon, but verse
of lead ; who would think these species were of the
same substance ? Both have one name, but both
have differences : to call your apples quinces, alter
your quinsied verse. 3
6 Farewell, Theon, whose name is from the blessed
gods, but often as a participle it means one running. 4
XVIII — Ausonius to Hesperius sends Greeting
Even as the thrush who, ravaging the olives ot
Picenum, 5 fattens his waxen haunches, 6 or who has
torn the gleaming clusters from the vines and now
hangs entangled in the nets which in the evening
apples by another name." But the play on mala . . . mala
cannot adequately be reproduced.
* Theon might be either dewv or Oioiv.
6 cp. Martial, Epigr. IX. lv. 1 : Si mihi Picena turdus
palleret oliva.
' id. xin. v. 1 : Cerea quae patulo lucet ficedula lumbo.
6i
AUSONIUS
quae vespertinis fluitant nebulosa sub horis 5
vel mane tenta roseido :
tales hibernis ad te de saepibus, ipsos
capi volentes, misimus
bis denos ; tot enim crepero sub lucis eoae
praeceps volatus intulit. 10
turn, quas vicinae suggessit praeda lacunae,
anites maritas iunximus,
remipedes, lato populantes caerula rostro
et crure rubras Punico,
iricolor vario pinxit quas pluma colore, 15
collum columbis aemulas.
Defrudata meae non sunt haec fercula mensae :
vescente te fruimur magis.
Vale bene, ut valeam.
XIX. — Ausonius ad Patrem de Suscepto Filio
Credideram nil posse meis adfectibus addi,
quo, venerande pater, diligerere magis.
accessit (grates superis medioque nepoti,
bina dedit nostris qui iuga nominibus) 4
accessit titulus, tua quo reverentia crescat, 9
quo doceam natum, quid sit amare patrem. 10
ipse nepos te fecit avum : mihi filius idem 5
et tibi ego : hoc nato nos sumus ambo patres.
nee iam sola mihi pietas mea suadet amorem :
nomine te gemini iam genitoris amo. 8
quippe tibi aequatus videor, quia parvulus isto 1 1
nomine honoratum me quoque nobilitat :
1 It was customary for a father to take up imscipere) a
newborn son as a sign that he acknowledged it and would
62
THE EPISTLES
hour float loose like clouds, or in the morn are taut
with dew — such are the birds I send thee from our
wintry hedges, themselves glad to be caught, twice
ten in all ; for so many in the twilight of early dawn
flew headlong into the net. Thereto I add full-grown
ducks which a raid on the neighbouring meres sup-
plies, web-footed birds whose broad beaks ravage the
blue waters, with legs of crimson-red and plumage
rich as the rainbow (light with various colours, with
necks that rival doves.
17 I have not cheated my own table to send these
dainties : that thou shouldst eat them causes me
more enjoyment.
19 Fare thee well, that so I may fare well.
XIX. — Ausonius to his Father on the
Acknowledgment * of his Son
I had believed that nought could be added to the
sum of my affection whereby, mine honoured father,
my love might be increased. Added (thanks to the
gods above and to thy grandson, their instrument, who
has laid upon our names a two-fold yoke), added is
a title whereby my reverence for thee is increased,
whereby I may teach my son what 'tis to love a
father. This grandson himself hath made thee a
grandfather : to me he too is son, and to thee am I :
his birth makes us both fathers. No longer doth
natural affection alone inspire me with love for thee :
as doubly a father I love thee now. For I seem
made thy peer, because a little boy ennobles me too
with the distinction of that name ; not because our
rear it. For the circumstances in which this fulsome piece
was written see Introduction, p. xv.
63
AUSONIUS
non aetas quia nostra eadem : nam subparis aevi
sum tibi ego et possum fratris habere vicem,
nee tantum nostris spatium interponitur annis, 15
quanta solent alios tempora dividere.
vidi ego natales fratrum distare tot annis,
quot nostros : aevum nomina non onerant.
pulehra iuventa tibi senium sic iungit, ut aevum
quod prius est maneat, quod modo ut incipiat. 20
et placuisse reor geminis aetatibus, ut se
non festinato tempore utraque daret,
leniter haec flueret, haec non properata veniret,
maturam frugem flore manente ferens.
annos me nescire tuos, pater optime, testor 25
totque putare tuos, quot reor esse meos.
nesciat hos natus, numeret properantior heres,
testamenta magis quam pia vota fovens
exemploque docens pravo iuvenescere natos,
ut nolint patres se quoque habere senes. 30
verum ego primaevo genitus genitore fatebor
subparis haec aevi tempora grata mihi.
debeo quod natus, suadet pia cura nepotis
addendum patri, quo veneremur avum.
tu quoque, mi genitor, geminata vocabula gaude, 35
nati primaevi nomine factus avus.
exiguum, quod avus : faveant pia numina divum
deque nepote suo fiat avus proavus.
largius et poterunt producere fata senectam :
set rata vota reor, quae moderata, magis. 40
64
THE EPISTLES
age is the same, since I somewhat approach thee
in age and can pass as thy brother, nor does so
great a span divide our years as the seasons which
part others. I have seen brothers whose birth-
days were separated by as many years as ours :
names add no weight to years. Fair youth so blends
with old age in thee, that thy earlier time of life
lingers, while thy present but begins. And, me-
thinks, these two ages have agreed each to present
itself without hurrying on their seasons, this gently
gliding onwards, that approaching without haste,
bringing ripe fruit while yet the flower remains. I
vow, my dearest father, that I know not thy years,
and account thine as many as I deem my own. Let
no son know these, let the too hasty heir reckon
them up, his heart set more on inheritance than
loving wishes, teaching his sons to grow Op after
such bad pattern as to hope they too have no long-
lived father. But I, born when my sire was in his
earliest youth, will avow that I delight that our
times of life are so nearly matched. What I owe
as a son, my dear love for thy grandson moves me,
his father, to increase, the more to honour thee as
a grandsire. Thou too, my sire, l'ejoice in thy doubled
title now that thy son in early youth hath made thee
grandfather. A small thing 'tis to be a grandfather :
may the kind powers be propitious, and by his own
grandson may the grandfather be made great-grand-
father. Even further the Fates will have power to
prolong thine age : but those prayers, methinks, are
rather answered which are moderate.
65
VOL. II. F
AUSONIUS
XX. — Pater ad Filium cum temporibus tyhannh i>
ipse Treveris remansisset et Filius ad Patriam
profectus essex. hoc xncohatum neque 1n-
pletum sic de llturariis scriptum
Debeo et hanc nostris, fili dulcissime, curis
historian) : quamquam titulo non digna sereno
anxia maestarum fuerit querimonia rerum.
lam super egelidae stagiiantia terga Mosellae
protulerat te, nate, ratis maestique parentis 5
oscula et amplexus discreverat invidus amnis.
solus ego et quamvis coetu celebratus amico
solus eram profugaeque dabam pia vota carinae
solus adhuc te, nate, videns ; celerisque remulci
culpabam properos adverso numine eursus. 10
quis fuit ille dies ? non annus longior ille est,
Attica quern docti collegit cura Metonis.
desertus vacuis solisque exerceor oris,
nunc ego pubentes salicum deverbero frondes,
gramineos nunc frango toros viridesque per ulvas 15
lubrica substratis vestigia libro lapillis.
sic lux prima abiit, sic altera meta diei,
sic geminas alterna rotat vertigo tenebras,
sic alias : totusque mihi sic annus abibit,
restituant donee tua me tibi fata parentem. 20
hac ego condicione licet vel morte paciscar,
dum decores suprema patris tu, nate, superstes.
1 i.e. Ausonius to Hesperius.
2 i.e. in 3S3 a.d. when Maximas seized the Empire of the
West: Bee Introduction, pp. xif. , xx.
s On the importance of this editorial note see Introduction,
p. xxxvi.
66
THE EPISTLES
XX. — The Father to his Son, 1 when in the days of
usurpation 2 he himself remained at treves
and his son set out for his native place.
This Poem, begun but never finished, has been
copied as it stands from the rough draft 3
This narrative also I owe to my cares for thee,
my dearest son ; although this troubled plaint for
my gloomy fortunes scarce deserves so mild a term.
4 Already o'er the sluggish surface of chill Moselle
the bark had borne thee forward, O my son, and
from the kisses and embraces of thy weeping sire
the envious stream had parted thee. Alone ! though
compassed with a throng of friends, I was alone and
offered yearning prayers for that fleeting craft; alone,
though still I saw you, my child, and grudged the
hasty speed of the swift oarage plying against the
stream. What day was that ? No longer is that
year which Attic Meton 4 worked out with such
patient skill. Forlorn I pace the empty, lonely
shores. Now I strike down the sprouting willow-
shoots, now I crush beds of turf and o'er green
sedge I poise my slippery footsteps on the pebbles
strewn beneath. So the first day passed away, so
the second reached its bourne, so the two nights
which wheeled revolving after each, so others : and
the whole year for me will so pass by until thy
destiny gives back me, thy sire, to thee. With this
condition I may bargain even for death, that thou,
my son, payest thy father the last tributes, surviving
him.
* Meton of Athens (flor. c. 432 B.C.) discovered the Lunar
Cycle in which 235 lunar months = 19 solar years. By
annus Aus. seems to mean the Cycle, not the Lunar Year.
67
f 2
AUSONIUS
XXI. — Genethliacos ad Ausonium Nepotem
Ausonius Avus Ausonio Nepoti
Carmina prima tibi cum iam puerilibus annis
traderet adsidui permulcens cura magistri
inbueretque novas aures sensusque sequaees,
ut respondendas docili quoque murmure voces
emendata rudi perferret lingua palato, 5
addidimus nil triste senes, ne cura monendi
laederet aut dulces gustus vitiaret amaris.
at modo, cum motu vigeas iam puberis aevi
fortiaque a teneris possis secernere et ipse
admonitor morumque tibi fandique videri, 10
accipe non praecepta equidem, set vota precantis
et gratantis avi festum ad sollemne nepotis.
adnuit, ut reducem fatorum ab fine senectam
sospes again festumque diem dubitataque cernam
sidera, deposito prope conclamatus in aevo. 15
hoc, mellite nepos, duplicato faenore partum
natali accedente tuo, munusque salutis
plenius hoc nostrae, quod iam tibi puberis aevi
crescit honos iuvenemque senex iam cerno nepotem.
Sexta tibi haec primo remeat trieteris ab anno, 20
Septembres notis referens natalibus idus.
1 i.e. as pieces of repetition.
2 i.e. the hoy repeats the words of the poem after his tutor,
so that his faults of pronunciation may he corrected.
68
THE EPISTLES
XXI. — A Birthday Letter to his Grandson
Aitsokius
Ausonius the Grandfather to Ausonius his Grandson
While thy persistent master with coaxing pains
was committing to thee, still of boyish years, thy
earliest poems, 1 and Avas training thy prentice ear
and the faculties it guides, so that thy tongue, cor-
rected of the unskilled palate's faults, might produce
the words to be repeated with an obedient murmur, 2
I, an old man, added naught severe lest anxious
admonition might gall, or mar the sweet first-taste
with bitterness. But now, when thou dost feel the
stir and pulse of youth, and canst distinguish between
the manly and the feeble and show thyself thine
own councillor in behaviour as in speech, accept, not
indeed precepts, but prayers of thy grandfather who
entreats while rejoicing at the high festival of his
grandson's birthday. ......
(I thank Heaven which) has consented that, re-
covered, I may spend my old age brought back from
the Fates' borderland, 3 and behold this happy day
and the stars I scarce hoped to see, I who was well-
nigh mourned as one dead. This, my sweet grand-
son, is a gift doubly profitable, in that thy birthday
now occurs, and the prize of my own safety is by
this the richer that the glory of thy ripening age
now waxes, and that I, now old, behold my grandson
attain to youth.
20 Now comes round for thee the sixth period of
three years since thou wert born, bringing back the
3 Apparently Ausonius had just recovered from some
serious illness of which he had well-nigh died.
69
AUSONIUS
Idus alma dies, geniis quoque culta deorum.
Sextiles Hecate Latonia vindicat idus,
Mercurius Maias, superorum adiunctus honori.
Octobres olim genitus Maro dedicat idus : 25
Idus saepe colas bis senis mensibus omnes,
Ausonii quicumque mei celebraveris idus.
Vale nepos dulcissime.
XXII. — Liber Protrepticus ad Nepotem
Ausonius Hesperio Filio
Libellum, quern ad nepotulum meum, sororis tuae
nlium, instar protreptici luseram, venturus ipse prae-
misi legendum. hoc enim malui quam ipse recitare,
esset ut tibi censura liberior, quae duabus causis
impediri solet : quod aures nostras audita velocius
quam lecta praetereunt et quod sinceritas iudicandi
praesentia recitantis oneratur. nunc tibi utrumque
integrum est, quia et legenti libera mora est et
iudicaturo non obstat nostri verecundia.
Set heus tu, fili dulcissime, habeo quod admo-
neam. si qua tibi in his versiculis videbuntur (nam
vereor, ut rnulta sint) fucatius concinnata quam ve-
rius et plus coloris quam suci habere, ipse sciens
1 LI. 23 ff. are in imitation of Martial xn. lxvii. : —
Maiae Mercurium creastis Idus;
Augustis redit Idibua Diana ;
70
THE EPISTLES
Ides of September. The Ides is ran auspicious day, ob-
served too by the genii of gods. In Sextilis Hecate,
Leto's daughter, claims the Ides ; in May, Mercury,
who was raised to the ranks of the gods. October's
Ides are hallowed by the birth of Maro long ago.
26 Oft mayest thou observe each Ides of all the
twice six months, whoso shalt celebrate the Ides of
my Ausonius. 1
28 Farewell my sweetest grandson.
XXII. — A Book of Exhortation to his Grandson
Ausonius lo his S071 Hesperius
Being about to come myself, I send on ahead a
booklet which I have amused myself by writing
in the form of an exhortation to my little grandson,
your sister's son. For this I prefer to reciting it
myself, in order that you may feel less restraint in
your criticism — a faculty which is usually hampered
by two circumstances : first that what is heard passes
over our ears more quickly than what is read ; and
second the presence of the reciter handicaps the
frankness of the critic. As it is, you have nothing
to fear on either score, because both as you read you
are free to linger, and as you come to criticize your
feelings for me do not stand in your way.
But look you, my dearest son, I have a caution
to add. If any passages in these verses shall appear
to you (and I fear that there are many such) to be
composed with more brilliance than truth, and have
more colour than vigour, know that I deliberately
Oetobres Maro consecravit Tdus.
Idas saepe colas et has et illas,
Qui magni celebras Maronis Idus.
71
AUSONIUS
fluere permisi, venustula ut esserit magis, quam
forticula, instar virginum,
quas matres student
demissis umeris esse, vincto pectore, ut graciles
sient.
nosti cetera.
Superest igitur, ut dicas : quid moraris iudicatio-
nem raeam de eo, quod ipse pronuntias esse men-
dosum ? dicam scilicet me huiusmodi versibus foris
erubescere, set intra nos minus verecundari ; namque
ego haec annis illius magis quam meis scripsi aut
fortasse et meis: Sis 7ratSe? ol yepovres. ad summam
valeat austeritas tua : mihi cum infante [ratio est].
Vale, fili dulcissime. ^
Ad Nepolem Ausonium
Sunt etiam musis sua ludicra : mixta camenis
otia sunt, mellite nepos ; nee semper acerbi
exercet pueros vox imperiosa magistri,
set requie studiique vices rata tempora servant.
et satis est puero niemori legisse libenter, 5
et cessare licet. Graio schola nomine dicta est,
iusta laboriferis tribuantur ut otia musis.
quo magis alternum certus succedere ludum
disce libens : longum delinitura laborem
intervalla damus. studium puerile fatiscit, 10
laeta nisi austeris varientur, festa jirofestis.
disce libens, tetrici nee praeceptoris habenas
1 Terence, Eun. 313.
72
THE EPISTLES
allow them to run on smoothly;, so that these little
hits may he attractive rather than forceful, like those
marriageable daughters —
" whom their mothers seek to make
Low-shouldered and tight-laced, to seem more trim " l
— you know the rest.
It only remains, then, for you to say : " Why do
you wait for my criticism on what you yourself pro-
claim to be a faulty piece of work ? " My answer,
of course, will he that I blush for verses of this sort
in public, but am less ashamed of them when be-
tween you and me ; for I write them to suit his
years rather than my own — or perhaps to suit mine
also : old men are twice children ! In short, good-
bye to your strictures : I have to do with a child.
Farewell, my darling son.
To Ausonius my Grandson
The Muses also have their own sports : hours of
ease find place among the Camenae, my honey-
sweet grandson ; nor does the sour schoolmaster's
domineering voice always harass boys, but spells of
rest and study keep each their appointed times.
As for an attentive boy to have read his lessons
willingly is enough, so to rest is lawful. "School"
has been called by that Greek name, that the labo-
rious Muses may be allowed due share of leisure.
Wherefore the more, assured that play follows work
in turn, learn willingly : to beguile the weariness of
long toil we grant spells of leisure. Boyish zeal
flags unless serious work is interspersed with merri-
ment, and workaday with holiday. Learn readily,
and loathe not, my grandson, the control of your
73
AUSONIUS
detestere, nepos. numquam horrida forma magistri.
ille licet tristis senio nee voce serenus
aspera contractae minitetur iurgia frontis, 15
numquam inmanis erit, placida suetudine vultus
qui 1 semel inbuerit. rugas nutricis amabit,
qui refugit matrem. pappos aviasque trementes
anteferunt patribus seri, nova cura, nepotes.
sic neque Peliaden terrebat Chiron Achillem 20
Thessalico permixtus equo nee pinifer Atlans
Amphitryoniadem puerum, set blandus uterque
mitibus adloquiis teneros mulcebat aluinnos.
tu quoque ne metuas, quamvis schola verbere multo
increpet et truculenta senex gerat ora magister : 25
degeneres animos timor arguit. at tibi consta
intrepidus, nee te clamor plagaeque sonantes,
nee matutinis agitet formido sub horis.
quod sceptrum vibrat ferulae, quod multa supellex
virgea, quod fallax scuticam praetexit aluta, 30
quod fervent trepido subsellia vestra tumultu,
pompa loci et vani fucatur scaena timoris.
haec olim genitorque tuus genetrixque secuti
securam placido mihi permulsere senectam.
tu senium, quodcumque superlabentibus annis 35
fata dabunt. qui nomen avi geris, indole prima,
prime nepos, vel re vel spe mihi porge fruendum.
nunc ego te puerum, mox in iuvenalibus annis
iamque virum cernam, si fors ita iusserit ; aut si
1 AfSS.: cui, Peiper.
74
THE EPISTLES
grim teacher. A master's looks need never cause a
shudder. Though he be grim with age and, ungentle
of voice, threaten harsh outbursts with frowning
brows, never will he seem savage to one who has
tutored his face to habitual calm. A child will love
its nurse's wrinkles, who shrinks from its mother ;
grandchildren when they come at last, a new anxiety,
prefer doddering grandsires and granddams to their
parents. So Thessalian Chiron did not affright Achilles,
Peleus' son, though he was quite half a horse, nor
pine-bearing Atlas scare Amphitryo's youthful son,
but both coaxingly used to soothe their young pupils
with gentle words. You also be not afraid, though
the school resound with many a stroke and the old
master wear a lowering face: "fear proves a spirit
degenerate." 1 But to yourself be true, mocking at
fear, and let no outcry, nor sound of stripes, nor
dread, make you quake as the morning hours come
on. That he brandishes the cane for sceptre, that he
has a full outfit of birches, that he has a tawse
artfully hidden in innocent washleather, that scared
confusion sets your benches abuzz, is but the outward
show of the place and painted scenery to cause idle
fears. Your father and mother went through all
this in their day, and have lived to soothe my peace-
ful and serene old age. To that old age, for what-
ever space the Fates shall grant in the still coming
years, do you, who bear your grandfather's name,
my first-born grandson, with your first-born powers,
afford the joy that springs from achievement or
from promise. Now I see you a boy, soon shall I
see you in years of youth, and by and by a man, if
Chance so bid ; or if this be grudged, yet will I
1 Virgil, Aen. iv. 13.
75
AUSONIUS
invidia est, sperabo tamen, nee vota fatiscent, 40
ut patris utque mei non inmemor ardua semper
praemia musarum cupias facundus et olim
liac gradiare via, qua nos praecessimus et cui
proconsul genitor, praefectus avunculus instant.
Perlege, quodcumque est memorabile. prima
monebo. 45
conditor Iliados et amabilis orsa Menandri
evolvenda tibi : tu flexu et acumine vocis
innumeros numeros doctis accentibus effer
adfectusque inpone legens. distinctio sensum
auget et ignavis dant intervalla vigorem. 50
Ecquando ista meae contingent dona senectae ?
quando oblita mihi tot carmina totque per aevuni
conexa historiae, soccos aulaeaque regum
et melicos lyricosque modos profando novabis
obductosque seni facies puerascere sensus ? 55
te praeeunte, nepos, modulata poemata Flacci
altisonumque iterum fas est didicisse Maronem.
tu quoque, qui Latium lecto sermone, Terenti,
comis et adstricto percurris pulpita socco,
1 Thessalius (the father) was proconsul of Africa (378-
379 a.d.) ; Hesperius (the uncle) prefect of Italv, lllyricum
and Africa (377-380).
2 i.e. the loose measures of Comedy : cp. the epitaph of
Plautus ap. Aulus Gellius, i. 24 : —
Scena est deserta. Dein Risus, Ludiv, Jocusque
Et numeri innumeri simul omnes collacruinarunt.
3 For the general sense of this passage compare the obser-
vation of the Comte de Tressan od the Abbe" Le Sage (quoted
in Sir Walter Scott's Life of Le Sage) : " He possessed the
7 6
THE EPISTLES
hope — nor shall my prayers grow weary — that, not
unmindful of your father and myself, you may ever
strive to win through eloquence the hard-won prizes
of the Muses, and some day tread this path wherein
I have gone before and your father, the proconsul,
and your uncle the prefect 1 now press on.
45 Read thoroughly whatever is worth remember-
ing: I will give you some first hints. You must open
the pages of the Iliad's creator, study the works
of lovable Menander : with modulation and with
stress of voice bring out "measureless measures" 2
with a scholar's accent, and infuse expression as you
read. Punctuation enforces the meaning, and pauses
give strength even to dull passages. 3
61 Ah, when shall these gifts reward mine old age?
When shall those many poems by me forgot, those
many links in the chain of history through the ages,
those comedies, royal tragedies, and strains melic
and lyric 4 by thine 5 utterance be recalled ? When
wilt thou make an old man's clouded faculties grow
youthful ? With thee for guide, my grandson, once
more may I dare to learn Flaccus' rhythmic strains
and Maro's sonorous lines. Do thou, too, Terence,
who with thy choice speech 6 adornest Latium, and
with well-fitting sock 7 trippest o'er our stage, compel
uncommon art of that variation of tone and of employing
those brief pauses, which, without being actual declamation,
impress on the hearers the sentiments and beauties of the
author."
4 i.e. adapted for the flute or the lyre.
5 The style being here elevated, a change to the second
person singular may be permitted.
6 rp. Cicero quoted in Suetonius, Life of Terence : tu quo-
que qui solus lecto sermone, Terenti. . . .
7 cp. Milton, L 'Allegro : " If Jonson's learned sock be on."
77
AUSONIUS
ad nova vix memorem diverbia coge seneetam. 60
iam facinus, Catilina, tuuin Lepidique tumultum,
ab Lepido et Catulo iam res et tempore Romae
orsus bis senos seriem conecto per annos.
iam lego civili mixtum mavorte duellum,
movit quod socio Sertorius exul Hibero. 65
Nee rudis haec avus admoneo, set mille docendo
ingenia expertus. multos lactantibus annis
ipse alui gremioque fovens et murmura solvens
eripui tenerum blandis nutricibus aevum.
mox pueros molli monitu et formidine leni 70
pellexi, ut mites peterent per acerba profectus,
carpturi dulcem fructum radicis amarae.
idem vesticipes motu iam j)uberis aevi
ad mores artesque bonas fandique vigorem
produxi, quamquam imperium cervice negarent 75
ferre nee insertis praeberent ora lupatis.
ardua temperies, dura experientia, rarus
eventus, longo rerum spectatus ab usu,
ut regat indocilem mitis censura iuventam.
quae tolerata mihi, donee iam aerumna iuvaret 80
leniretque usu bona eonsuetudo laborem,
donee ad Augustae pia munera disciplinae
accirer varioque accingerer auctus honore,
aurea cum parere mihi palatia iussum.
absistat Nemesis, ferat et fortuna iocantem : 85
1 8C. 78 B.C. Ausonius here adapts a fragment from
Sallust's Histories (frag. 1 ).
78
THE EPISTLES
my scarce-remembering age to new delight in thy
dialogues. Now, Catiline, thy monstrous plot, now
Lepidus' sedition, now from the year of Lepidus
and Catulus J the fortunes and vicissitudes of Rome
do I commence and trace their sequence through
twice six years. Now read I of that war, not free
from civil strife, 2 which banished Sertorius stirred
up with the aid of his Iberian allies.
66 And not without skill do I, thy grandfather,
counsel thee thus, but from the experience gained
in training a thousand minds. Many from their in-
fant years have I myself brought up, and, cherishing
them in my bosom and hushing their complaints,
have stolen their tender years from their fond nurses.
Presently, as boys, with mild warnings and gentle
threats I lured them to seek through sourness for
ripe success and pluck sweet fruit sprung from a
bitter root. I, too, when they assumed manhood's
garb and reached their vigorous prime, led them on
towards good living and sound learning and forceful
speaking, even though they refused to bear the yoke
of command upon their necks and submitted not
their mouths to the jagged bits thrust upon them.
Hard the control, rough the experience, scanty the
result when viewed after long practice, to govern
headstrong youth with mild correction ! These toils
did I endure until — when now my pains were be-
coming pleasant and kindly Custom was lightening
my toil through use — until, invoked to the sacred
task of an Emperor's instruction, I am exalted and
compassed about with honours manifold, what time
the golden Palace was bidden to obey me. Let
Nemesis hold aloof, and may Fortune bear with my
2 Sertorius was joined by a number of Marian refugees,
partieularly by Perpenna who assassinated him in 72 B.C.
79
AUSONIUS
praesedi imperio, dum praetextatus in ostro
et sceptro et solio praefert sibi iura magistri
maioresque putat nostros Augustus honores.
quos mox sublimi maturus protulit auctu,
quaestor ut Augustis, patri natoque, crearer, 90
ut praefecturam duplicem sellamque curulem,
ut trabeam pictamque togam, mea praemia, consul
induerem fastisque meis praelatus haberer.
His ego quaesivi meritum quam grande nepoti
consul avus lumenque tuae praeluceo vitae. 95
quamvis et patrio iamdudum nomine clarus,
posses ornatus, posses oneratus haberi ;
accessit tamen ex nobis honor inclitus. hunc tu
effice, ne sit onus, per te ut conixus in altum
conscendas speresque tuos te consule fasces. 100
XXIII. — Ausonius Pontio Paulino filio cum ii.le
MISISSET PoEMATIUM VERS1BUS PI.URIMIS DE Re-
GIBUS EX TRANQUILLO COLLECTIS
Condiderat iam Solis equos Tartesia Calpe
stridebatque freto Titan iam segnis Hibero :
1 Gratian. - See Introduction, p. xi.
8 i.e. lie was exalted above his colleague, in that the year
was designated "Consule Ausonio."
4 The characteristic play on ornatue . . . oneratus cannot
well be reproduced.
5 Paulinus, born at Bordeaux (?) in 353 or 354 a. p., had
been a pupil of Ausonius. He practised in the courts and
quickly rose to high honours, becoming consul in 378. He
So
THE EPISTLES
light speaking : I held sway o'er the Empire, while
a schoolboy l endowed with purple, sceptre, throne,
submitted himself to a tutor's laws, and Augustus
held my dignity above his own. That dignity in
due time, when grown to manhood, he advanced to
dizzy heights, so that I was created Quaestor by
the Augusti, father and son ; so that a two-fold
prefecture 2 and curule chair were mine ; so that,
for my reward, as consul was I invested with the
purple robe and the embroidered toga, and was held
pre-eminent in the annals of my year. 3
94 Thus have I gained all possible advantage for
my grandchild, thy consul-grandfather, and shine
forth the beacon of thy life. Even though, long
since distinguished even through thy father's fame,
thou mightst seem graced, mightst seem laden ; 4
yet from me thou hast gained signal renown besides.
This render thou no load, but by thine own efforts
struggle to climb on high and hope for thine own
insignia, thine own consulate.
XXIII. — Ausonius to Pontius Paulinus, 5 his Son,
when the latter had sent him a poem on
the Kings, of great length and based on
Tranquillus
Now had Tartesian Calpe hidden the Sun's coursers
and Titan, now feeble, plunged hissing 'neath the
married a Spanish wife, Therasia (the " Tanaquil " of sub-
sequent letters) ; but in 389 or ,390 retired from the world to
Barcelona, where he was baptized and ordained priest in 393.
In 394 he left for Nola, where he dwelt as an ascetic near
the tomb of St. Felix. About 409 a.d. he was consecrated
bishop of Nola, and died in 431 a.d.
6 cjj. Juvenal Sat. xiv. 279 f. : sed longe Calpe relicta
Audiet Herculeo stridentem gurgite solem.
8i
VOL. II. G
AUSONIUS
iam succedentes quatiebat Luna iuvencas,
vinceret ut tenebras radiis velut aemula fratris ;
iam volucres hominumque genus superabile curis 5
mulcebant placidi tranquilla oblivia somni ;
transierant Id us, medius suprema December
tempora venturo properabat iungere Iano ;
et nonas decimas ab se Nox longa Kalendas
iugiter acciri celebranda ad festa iubebat. 10
Nescis, puto, quid velim tot versibus dicere. me-
dius fidius neque ego bene intellego : tamen suspicor.
iam prima nox erat ante diem nonum decimum kal.
Ian., cum redditae sunt mihi litterae tuae oppido
quam litteratae. his longe iucundissimum poema
subdideras, quod de tribus Suetonii libris, quos ille
de regibus dedit, in epitomen coegisti tanta ele-
gantia, solus ut mihi videare adsecutus, quod contra
rerum naturam est, bre vitas ut obscui*a non esset.
in his versibus ego ista collegi :
Europamque Asiamque duo vel maxima terrae
membra, quibus Libyam dubie Sallustius addit
Europae adiunctam, possit cum tertia dici,
regnatas multis, quos fama oblitterat et quos
barbara Romanae non tradunt nomina linguae — 5
Illibanum Numidamque Avelim Parthumque Vononem
et Caranum, Pellafea dedit qui nomina regum,
1 i.e. Dec. 14th.
2 For the opening of the letter down to this point cp.
Seneca, Apocolocyntosis, 2.
3 This work is no longer extant.
4 The first two kings are unknown : for Vonones see Tac.
82
THE EPISTLES
Iberian wave ; now was Luna lashing on her advanc-
ing heifers to vanquish darkness with her beams as
though vying with her brother ; now birds and
human kind, so vulnerable by care, were wooing
peaceful sleep and calm forgetfulness ; the Ides
were passed, and mid-December was hastening to
link his last days with approaching Janus ; and long
Night was bidding the nineteenth day of the Calends 1
be summoned forthwith to celebrate the feast.
You do not know, I expect, what I wish to say
in all these verses. So help me Heaven ! even I do
not clearly understand : yet I have a glimmering.
It was early in the night preceding the nine-
teenth day of the Calends of January 2 when
your wonderfully lettered letter was delivered me.
Together with this you sent an extremely delightful
poeni wherein you have condensed the three books of
Suetonius, which he devotes to the Kings, 3 so grace-
fully that I regard you as having alone achieved
what is contrary to the ordinary course of things —
conciseness without obscurity. Amongst these verses
I have picked out the following : —
"Europe and Asia, Earth's two greatest mem-
bers, whereto uncertainly Sallust adds Libya as ap-
panage of Europe, whereas it might be called a
third part of the globe, have been ruled by many
kings whom Fame blots from her page, and whom
their uncouth names perpetuate not in Roman speech
— Illibanus, Numidian Avelis, Vonones the Parthian,
Caranus who founded the dynasty of Pella, 4 and he
Ann. ii. 1, 58, 68. Caranus, a Heraclid, was the reputed
successor of Macedon, son of Deucalion, and ancestor of the
Macedonian kings. For Nechepsos see Julius Firmicus,
Math. viii. 5, and for Sesostris, Herodotus ii. 104 ff.
83
AUSONIUS
quique magos docuit mysteria vana Necliepsos
et qui regnavit sine nomine moxque Sesostris . . .
Haec tu quam perite et concinne, quam modulate
et dulciter, ita iuxta naturam Romanorum accentuum
enuntiasti, ut tamen veris et primigenis voeibus sua
fastigia non perirent. iam quid de eloquentia dieam?
liquido adiurare possum nullum tibi ad poetieam fa-
cundiam Romanae iuventutis aequari : certe ita mihi
videri. si erro, pater sum, fer me et noli exigere
iudicium obstante pietate. verum ego cum pie dili-
gam, sincere et severe iudico. adfice me, oro, tali
munere frequenter, quo et oblector et honoror. ac-
cessit tibi ad artem poetieam mellea adulatio. quid
enim aliud agunt :
Audax Icario qui fecit nomina ponto
et qui Chalcidicas moderate enavit ad arces,
nisi ut tu vegetam et sublimem alacritatem tuam
temeritatem voces, me vero, et consultum et quern
filius debeat imitari, salutari prudentia praeditum
dicas ? quod equidem contra est. nam tu summa
sic adpetis, ut non decidas : senectus mea satis
habet, si consistat.
Haec ad te breviter et illico vesperis illius secuto
mane dictavi ; ita enim tabellarius tuus, ut epistulam
1 cp. Virgil, A en. vi. 16.
84
THE EPISTLES
who taught the wizards unavailing mysteries, Ne-
chepsos, or reigned and left no name, and afterwards
Sesostris . . ."
How skilfully and neatly, how harmoniously and
sweetly have you delivered these names, conforming
at once to the character of our Roman accent, yet
not allowing the true and original sounds to lose
their proper stress ! And then what shall I say of
your gift for expression ? I can absolutely take my
oath that for fluency in verse none of our Roman
youths is your equal : at any rate, that is my opinion.
If I am wrong, I am your father, bear with me and
do not force from me a verdict which my natural
feelings reject. But in fact, while I love fondly, I
criticise frankly and strictly. Bestow on me, I beg,
such favours constantly, thereby both delighting and
complimenting me. Your skill in poetry has the
additional attraction of delicious flattery. For what
else do these lines mean ? —
"He who through rashness gave his name to the
Icarian Sea
And he who, prudent, winged his way to the
Chalcidian hold," *
save that you call your own lively and soaring vigour
rashness, but affirm that I, being both wary and one
whom a son ought to imitate, am endowed with a
wholesome cautiousness ? 2 But indeed the reverse is
true. For you fly high in such wise that you do
not fall : my old age is content to stay still.
I make this brief pronouncement out of hand on
the morning next after the evening mentioned ; for
your messenger is only waiting long enough to take
2 i.e. Paulinus compares himself to Icarus and Ausouius
to Daedalus.
85
AUSONIUS
referret, instabat. nam si mihi otiuin merit, oblec-
tabile negotium erit ad te prolixius delirare, te ut
cliciam, mihi ut satisfaciam. vale.
XXIV. — Ausonius Paulino Sal. Pl. D.
Paulino Ausonius. metrum sic suasit, ut esses
tu prior et nomen praegrederere meum,
quamquam et fastorum titulo prior et tua Romae
praecessit nostrum sella curulis ebur,
et, quae iamdudum tibi palma poetica pollet, 5
lemnisco ornata est, quo mea palma caret,
longaevae tantum superamus lionore senectae.
quid refert? cornix non ideo ante cycnum ;
nee quia mille annos vivit Gangeticus ales,
vincit centum oculos, regie pavo, tuos. 10
cedimus ingenio, quantum praecedimus aevo ;
adsurgit Musae nostra Camena tuae.
Vive, vale et totidem venturos consere ianos,
quot tuus aut noster conseruere patres.
XXV. — Ausonius Paulino Suo Sal. Pl. D.
Quanto me adfecit beneficio non delata equidem,
sed suscepta mea querimonia, Pauline fili ! veritus
displicuisse oleum, quod miseras, munus iterasti, ad-
dito etiam Barcinonensis muriae condimento cumu-
1 The lemniscus was a streamer attached to a victor's
crown, as a mark of extraordinary distinction.
2 The Phoenix : cp. Qriphus 16.
86
THE EPISTLES
back a reply. For if I have spare time, it will be
a delightful occupation to maunder on at greater
length to you, partly to draw you out, and partly
to please myself. Farewell.
XXIV. — Ausonius to Paulinus sends hearty
Greeting
To Paulinus, Ausonius. Metre so bids, placing
vou before me and setting your name in front of
mine. And yet before mine comes your name in our
annals, and at Rome your curule chair of ivory has
precedence of mine, and in poetry your palm is
long since decked with ribbons 1 which my palm
lacks. 'Tis in the glory of prolonged old age alone
I have the advantage — what matters that ? The
crow is not therein above the swan, nor, because he
lives a thousand years, does the bird of Ganges 2
surpass the kingly peacock with his hundred eyes.
I am beneath you in genius as far as I am above
you in age ; my homely Muse rises in deference to
yours.
13 Live, keep well, and in the time to come link
New Year to New Year as oft as did your father or
mine.
XXV. — Ausonius to his dear Paulinus sends
hearty Greeting
What kind treatment of me, that my complaint
is dealt with without even being delivered, my son
Paulinus ! Fearing that the oil you sent had not
given satisfaction, you repeat the gift and, by the
addition of some Barcelona sauce called muria, z in-
8 = a\fivpls : a sauce prepared by pickling the intestines
of tunnies or scombers in brine.
87
AUSONIUS
latius praestitisti. scis autem me id noraen muriae,
quod in usu vulgi est, nee solere nee posse dicere,
cum scientissimi veterum et Graeca vocabula fasti-
dientes Latinum in gari appellatione non habeant.
sed ego, quocumque nomine liquor iste sociorum
vocatur,
lam patinas implebo meas, ut parcior ille
maiorum mensis applaria sucus inundet.
Quid autem tarn amabile tamque hosj)itale, quam
quod tu, ut me participes, delicias tuas in ipsa pri-
mitiarum novitate defrudas ? o melle dulcior, o
Gratiarum venustate festivior, o ab omnibus patrio
stringende complexu ! sed haec atque alia huius
modi documenta liberalis animi aliquis fortasse et
aliquando, quamvis varus : illud de epistularum tu-
arum eruditione, de poematis iucunditate, de inven-
tione et concinnatione iuro omnia nulli umquam
imitabile futurum, etsi fateatur imitandum. de quo
opusculo, ut iubes, faciam. exquisitim universa li-
mabo et quamvis per te manus summa contigerit,
caelum superfluae ex])olitionis adhibebo, magis ut
tibi paream, quam ut perfectis aliquid adiciam.
Interea tamen, ne sine corollario poetico tabella-
rius tuus rediret, paucis iambicis praeludendum
1 = yapov, a variety of muria prepared from the ydpos, or
scomber.
2 c]>. Pliny, N. //. xxxi. 94 : aliud etiamnuiu liquoris ex-
quisiti genus, quod garon vocavere, intestinis piscium . . .
S8
2
THE EPISTLES
crease its measure. But you know that I am neither
accustomed nor able to pronounce that name muria
which is popularly used, though the most learned of
the ancients, even while disdaining to use Greek
terms, have no Latin name by which to call garum. 1
But by whatever name that " Liquor of the Allies "
is called,
" I'll Hood my plate : this juice, too little used
By our forefathers, must overflow the spoon."
But what could be more friendly or more generous
than that you, to give me a share, should cheat
yourself of your own dainties just when freshly
coming into season ? O friend sweeter than honey,
more delightsome than the Graces' charms, O
worthy to be clasped by everyone in a fatherly
embrace ! However, these and other tokens of a
generous nature some other, perchance, some day,
though but rarely, may reveal : as for your talent
shown in the scholarliness of your letter, in the
sweetness of your poem, in imagination and in apt
composition, I swear by everything that it will never
be imitable by any man, however much he admit
that it deserves imitation. As for the work itself,
1 will do as you bid. I will work over the whole
minutely, and although it has received the highest
finish at your hands, I will apply my chisel to give a
superfinish however needless, but rather to obey you
than to add aught to what is perfect.
Meanwhile, however, that your messenger may
not return without a douceur of verse, I think I
must make a preliminary gambol in a few iambics
sale niaceratis ut sit ilia putrescent urn sanies . . . Sociorum
id appellatur.
8 9
AUSONIUS
putavi, dum illud, quod a me heroico metro desi-
deras, incohatur. isti tamen, ita te et Hesperium
salvos habeam, quod spatio lucubratiunculae unius
effusi, quamquam hoc ipsi de se probabunt, tamen
nihil diligentiae ulterioris habuerunt. vale.
Iambe Parthis et Cydonum spiculis,
iambe pinnis alitum velocior,
Padi mentis impetu torrentior,
magna sonorae grandinis vi densior,
rlammis corusci fulminis vibratior, 5
iam nunc per auras Persei talaribus
petasoque ditis Arcados vectus vola.
si vera fama est Hippocrene, quam pedis
pulsu citatam cornipes fudit fremens,
tu, fonte in ipso procreatus Pegasi, 10
primus novorum metra iunxisti pedum
sanctisque Musis concinentibus novem
caedem in draconis concitasti Delium.
Fer banc salutem praepes et volucripes
Paulini ad usque moenia, Hebromagum loquor, 15
et protinus, iam si resumptis viribus
alacri refecti corporis motu viget,
salvere iussum mox reposce mutuum.
nihil moreris iamque, dum loquor, redi,
imitatus ilium stirpis auctorem tuae, 20
triplici furentcm qui Chimaeram incendio
supervolavit tutus igne proximo,
die "te valere," die: "salvere te iubet
amicus et vicinus et fautor tuus,
1 Mercury (born in Arcadia) was god of messengers : the
peta&us, with which he is represented, was worn by travellers
and in- later art is represented as winged.
2 The first verse ever invented was believed to be the
iambic i'tj traiay, iy -iratdv, lr\ -rraiav—a. strain with which
90
THE EPISTLES
while the work in heroic strains which you want of
me is beginning. But — so may I have you and
Hesperius safe! — since they are dashed off in a
single evening (though this they in themselves will
guarantee), have had no further pains bestowed upon
them. Farewell.
Iambus than Parthian or Cydonian dart, Iambus
than wings of birds more fleet, than rushing Padus'
current more impetuous, than the downpour of ratt-
ling hail more searching, than lightning's dazzling
flash more darting, even now speed through the
air borne by Perseus' winged sandals and with the
cap of the Arcadian god. 1 If 'tis truly told that
Hippocrene gushed forth at the hoof-beat of the
impatient courser, thou, begotten in the very fount
of Pegasus, wast first to link new rhythmic feet
and, while the nine holy Muses sang in harmony,
didst urge the lord of Delos to slaughter of the
dragon. 2
14 Bear this my greeting, fleetfoot, winged-foot,
even to the town where Paulinus dwells, I mean
Hebromagus, and straightway, if, his strength now
regained, brisk vigour nerves his refreshed frame,
bid him " hail," then demand of him a return. Tarry
not at all, and return now ere I cease to speak, after
the example of that author of thy source, 3 who o'er
Chimaera with her triple blast of raging flame flew
safe from the fire so near. Say " hail to thee," say
" greetings to thee sends thy friend and neighbour
Apollo was encouraged in his struggle with the dragon for
the possession of Delphi (see 1. 13). See Terentianus Maurus,
1558 ff., a passage which is almost paraphrased here.
8 i.e. Hippocrene, which burst forth at the hoof-beat of
Pegasus (auctor) ; cp. 11. 8 ff.
9i
AUSONIUS
honoris auctor, altor ingenii tui." 25
die et magister, die parens, die omnia
blanda atque sancta caritatis nomina.
haveque dicto die vale, actutum et redi.
Quod si rogabit, quid super scriptis novis
maturus aevi nee rudis diiudicem : 30
nescire dices, sed paratum iam fore
heroicorum versuum plenum essedum.
cui subiugabo de molarum ambagibus,
qui machinali saxa volvunt pondere,
'tripedes caballos terga ruptos verbere, 35
his ut vehantur tres sodales nuntii.
fors et rogabit, quos sodales dixeris
simul venire ? die: "Trinodem dactvlum
vidi paratum crucianti cantherio :
spondeus illi lentipes ibat comes, 40
paribus moratur qui locis cursum meum,
mihique similis, semper adversus tamen,
nee par, nee impar, qui trochaeus dicitur."
Haec fare cursim nee moratus pervola,
aliquid reportans interim munusculi 45
de largitate musici promptarii.
XXVI. — Ausonii's Paulino suo Sal. Pl. D.
Multas et frequentes mihi gratiae tuae causas et
occasio subinde nata concinnat et naturae tuae faci-
litas benigna conciliat, Pauline fili. nam quia nihil
1 Paulinus owed his consulship to the influence of Ausonius.
9-
THE EPISTLES
and thy patron, the source of thine honours, 1 the
fosterer of thy intellect." Say also "master," say
"father," say every caressing name of hallowed
affection. And having said " Hail," say " Farewell "
and instantly return.
29 But if he ask what judgment my ripe and not
unskilful age pronounces on his latest writings, say
thou knowest not, but that soon there will be ready
a waggon full of heroic verses. Thereto I will yoke
a pair of three-legged screws, back-broken with the
lash, taken from the labyrinths of the mill, where
by the heavy crank they turn the millstones, that
by these may travel three jovial messengers. Per-
chance, too, he will ask who are these jovial fellows
whom thou dost say are coming in a troop ? Then
say : " I saw three-jointed Dactyl ready on a heart-
breaking hack ; 2 slow-footed Spondee was tramping
in his company — he who at equal intervals checks
my career — and one much like me but always facing
about, neither equal to me nor unequal, who is called
Trochee."
44 Thus speak : then in haste fly hither straight
without delay, bringing back meanwhile some little
gift from the abundance of that storehouse of poetry.
XXVI. — Ausonius to ins friend Paulinus sends
hearty Greeting
Many and various are the causes I have for grati-
tude to you, which both circumstance, arising from
time to time, happily introduces, and the ready
generosity of your nature voluntarily invites, my
son Paulinus. For in that you deny me nothing
2 cp. Plautus, Caplivi, 814: qui advehuntur quadrupedanti
crucianti cantherio.
93
AUSONIUS
poscente me abnuis, magis acuis procaciam quam
retundis : ut nunc quoque in causa Philonis procu-
ratoris quondam mei experiere, qui apud Hebro-
magum conditis mercibus, quas per agros diversos
coemit, concesso ab liominibus tuis usus hospitio,
inmature periclitatur expelli. quod nisi indulseris
rogante me, ut et mora habitandi ad commodum
suum utatur et nauso aliave qua navi usque ad op-
pidum praebita frugis aliquantum nostrae advehi
possit, Lucaniacus ut inopia liberetur mature : tota
ilia familia hominis litterati non ad Tullii frumen-
tariam, sed ad Curculionem Plauti pertinebit.
Hoc quo facilius impetrarem, aut quo maiorem
verereris molestiam, si negares, concinnatam iambis
signatamque ad te epistulam misi, ne subornatum
diceres tabellarium, si ad te sine signi fide veniret.
signavi autem, non, ut Plautus ait,
Per ceram et linum x litterasque interpretes ;
sed per poeticum characterem: magis notam inustam,
quam signum impressum iudicares.
Pinion, meis qui vilicatus praediis,
ut ipse vult, eVtrpo7ro?,
(nam gloriosum Graeculus nomen putat,
quod sermo meat Dorius)
1 So Plautus, Pseud. 42: lignum, MSS. and Peiper.
1 Or Eburomagus, the modern Bratn, near the foot of the
eastern Pyrenees. * A.'s estate.
94
THE EPISTLES
when I demand, you whet my effrontery rather than
blunt it ; as now again you will realize in the matter
of Philo, formerly my bailiff, who, after storing at
Hebromagus 1 goods which he has bought up on
various estates, is in danger of being driven in-
conveniently from the shelter which your people
afforded him. And unless you kindly grant this my
request — namely that he be permitted to stay on
there as suits his purpose, and that a barge or some
sort of vessel be furnished him, that a little of my
corn may be transported as far as the town, thereby
delivering Lucaniacus 2 from famine betimes — a lite-
rary man's whole household there will be reduced,
not to Cicero's Speech on the Corn Supply, 3 but to the
Weevil of Plautus.
That I may the more easily obtain this boon, or
that you may fear greater bother if you refuse, I
send you a letter composed in iambics, and duly
sealed, that you may not say the messenger has
been tampered with, should he come to you without
the guarantee of a seal. Yet I have sealed it, not,
as Plautus says —
" With wax and thread and signs significant," 4
but with a poetic stamp : this you may regard more
as a brand burnt in than a seal impressed. 5
Philo, who is bailiff of my estate, or as he him-
self wishes, the administrator (for your Greekling
thinks that a fine-sounding name which shows the
3 i.e. the third speech against Verres, dealing with the
Sicilian corn supplies. 4 Pseudolus, 42.
5 i.e. "my style is like the brand of a hot iron, not super-
ficial like the impression of a seal."
95
AUSONIUS
suis querellis adserit nostras preces, 5
quas ipse lent us prosequor.
videbis ipsum, qualis adstet commhuis,
imago fortunae suae,
canus, comosus, hispidus, trux, atribux,
Terentianus Phormio, 10
horrens capillis ut marinus asperis
echinus aut versus mei.
hie saepe falsus messibus vegrandibus
nomen perosus vilici,
semente sera sive multum praecoqua 15
et siderali inscitia
caelum lacessens seque culpae subtrahens
reos peregit caelites.
non cultor instans, non arator gnaruris,
promusque quam condus magis, 20
terrain infidelem nee feracem criminans
negotiari maluit
mercator quo <libet> foro venalium,
mutator ad Graecam fidem,
sapiensque supra Graeciae septem viros 25
octavus accessit sophos.
et nunc paravit x triticum casco sale
novusque pollet emporus ;
adit inquilinos, rura, vicos, oppida
soli et sali commercio ; 30
acatis, phaselis, lintribus, stlattis, rate
Tarnim et Garumnam permeat
1 Z : parabit, Peiper.
1 cp. Cic. Pro Caecina, x. '27 : nee minus niger, nee minus
eonlidcns quam ille Terentianus est Phormio.
2 Hor. Epod. v. 21 f. : horret eapillis ut marinus asperis
eehirms aut Laurens aper.
9 6
THE EPISTLES
gilt of the classic tongue), unites with his complaints
my prayers, which reluctantly I myself dispatch.
You shall see the man himself" as he stands close by
me, the very image of his class, grey, bushy-haired,
unkempt, blustering, bullying, Terence's Phormio, 1
with stiff hair bristling like a sea-urchin 2 or my lines.
This fellow, when light harvests had oft belied his
promises, came to hate the name of bailiff; and,
after sowing late or much too early through igno-
rance of the stars, 3 made accusation against the
powers above, carping at heaven and shifting the
blame from himself. No diligent husbandman, no
experienced ploughman, a spender rather than a
getter, 4 abusing the land as treacherous and un-
fruitful, he preferred to do business as a dealer in
any sale-market, bartering for "Greek credit," 5 and,
wiser than the Seven Worthies of Greece, has joined
them as an eighth sage. And now he has provided
grain at the price of old salt, and blossoms out
as a new trader ; he visits tenants, country parts,
villages and townships, travelling by land and sea ;
by bark, skiff, schooner, galley, he traverses the
windings of the Tarn and the Garonne, and by
3 i.e. of those which mark the time for sowing. S< e
Hesiod, W. and D. 384, 615 f.
4 cp. Plaut. Pseud. 608 : condus promus procurator peni.
5 See Epist. vi. 42 (note).
8 i.e. by bartering salt for grain.
9 7
vol.. ii. n
AUSONIUS
ac lucra damnis, danina mutans fraudibus
se ditat et me pauperat.
Is nunc ad usque vectus Hebromagum tuam .')5
sedem locavit niercibus,
ut inde nauso devehat[ur triticum *]
nostros in usus, ut refert.
lninc ergo paucis ne graveris bospiteni
[cura diebus ut meet, 2 ] 40
adactus ut mox navis auxilio tuae
ad usque portus oppidi
iam iam Perusina, iam Saguntina fame
Lucaniacum liberet.
Hoc si impetratum munus abs te accepero, 45
prior col ere quam Cei'es :
Triptolemon olim, sive Epimenidem vocant,
aut viliconum Buzygem,
tuo locabo postferendos numini,
nam munus boc fiet tuum. 50
XXVII. — Ad eundem cum ilee ad aeia magis
RESPONDERET NEQUE SE VENTURUM POLL.ICERETUR
Discutimus, Pauline, iugum, quod nota fovebat
temperies, leve quod positu et venerabile iunctis
tractabat paribus Concordia mitis babenis ;
quod per tarn longam seriem volventibus annis
tabula non umquam, numquam querimonia movit, 5
nulla querella loco pepulit, non ira nee error
1 Sappl. Schen/:/. - Suppl. Translator.
1 i.e. where there is a profit he represents it (in his
accounts) as a loss ; and where there is really loss he
fraudulently enlarges it.
2 Pernsia, held by L. Antonius, was reduced through
famine by Octavian (41-40 B.C.) ; Saguntuin was similarly
taken by Hannibal (219 B.C.).
9 8
THE EPISTLES
changing profits into losses and losses into frauds, 1
he makes himself rich and me poor.
35 He now has sailed right up to your villa He-
bromagus and made it the depot for his goods, that
thence by barge grain may be carried down for my
service, as he avers. This guest, then, lest you be
burdened, speed on his way in a few days, that,
transported forthwith by the help of your vessel
as far as the township's harbour, he may deliver
Lucaniacus from famine by now, by now Perusian,
by now Saguntine. 2
45 If I receive this boon I ask of you, you shall
be worshipped above Ceres : old Triptolemus or, as
some call him, Epimenides, or Buzyges, 3 the bailiff's
patron, will I arrange to make inferior to your god-
head, for this corn will become your gift.
XXVII. — To THE SAME PaULINUS, WHEN HE REPLIED
TO EVERYTHING ELSE WITHOUT PROMISING TO COME
We are shaking off a yoke, Paulinus, which its
tried equableness once made easy, a yoke lightly
laid and worthy the respect of those it joined, which
mild Concord used to guide with even reins ; which
through so long a line of rolling years never an idle
tale, never a peevish complaint has stirred, nor
quarrel thrust from its place, nor anger, nor mis-
apprehension, nor Suspicion which, lending too ready
a According to Hesychius, an Attic hero who first yoked
oxen to the plough : lie was also known as Epimenides.
Triptolemus was otherwise believed to have made this in-
vention.
99
h 2
AUSONir.S
nee quae conpositis male suadae credula causis
concinnat veri similes suspicio culpas;
tain placidum, tarn mite iugum, quod utrique parentes
ad senium nostri traxere ab origine vitae 10
inpositumque piis heredibus usque manere
optarunt, dum longa dies dissolveret aevum.
et mansit, dum laeta fides nee cura laborat
officii servare vices, set sponte feruntur
incustoditum sibi continuantia cursum. 1 ~>
Hoc tarn mite iugum docili cervice subirent
Martis equi stabuloque feri Diomedis abacti
et qui mutatis ignoti Solis habenis
fulmineum Phaethonta Pado mersere iugales.
diseutitur, Pauline, tamen : nee culpa duorum 20
ista, set unius tantum tua. namque ego semper
contenta cervice feram. consorte laborum
destituor, nee tarn promptum gestata duobus
unum deficiente pari perferre sodalem.
non animus viresque labant, sed iniqua ferendo 25
condicio est onei'i, cum pondus utrumque relicto
ingruit acceduntque alienae pondera librae,
sic pars aegra hominis trahit ad contagia sanum
corpus et exigui quamvis discrimine inembri
tota per innumeros artus conpago vacillat. 30
obruar usque tamen, veteris ne desit amici
me durante fides memorique ut fixa sub aevo
restituant profugum, solacia cassa, sodalem.
Inpie, Pirithoo disiungere Thesea posses
Eurvalumque suo socium secernere Niso ; 35
ioo
THE EPISTLES
ears to Persuasion's trumped-up pretexts, forms from
them grievances to look like truth ; so gentle, so
easy a yoke which both our fathers drew on into
old age from the beginning of their life, which, laid
upon their duteous heirs, they would have had re-
main throughout till length of days broke up our
lives. And remain it did, while there was joyous
trust and no laborious care to maintain exchange
of good offices, but they flowed freely, keeping
unbroken their unguarded course.
16 This yoke so mild Mars' horses would endure
with obedient neck, and those wild steeds stolen
from the stable of Diomedes, and even that team
which, when another than the Sun held their reins,
plunged lightning-blasted Phaethon in the Padus.
Yet it is being shaken off, Paulinus ; and that, not
through the fault of both, but of one alone — of
thee. For my neck will ever bear it gladly. It is
the partner of my toil deserts me, and 'tis not so
easy for one, when his fellow fails, to carry on alone
that which the two bare as comrades. Heart and
strength fail not, but unfair is the condition of
carrying a burden, when both loads are laid on the
partner left and the weight of another's charge is
added. So one ailing member in a man involves the
sound body in infection, and the peril even of a tiny
limb makes the whole knitted frame totter in all its
countless joints. Yet let me even be crushed if onlv
loyalty to my old friend fail not while I endure, and
memory deep-planted in the years bring back — vain
consolation ! — my errant comrade.
34 Ah, heartless ! From Peirithous thou couldst
part Theseus and separate Euryalus from the com-
pany of his dear Nisus ; urged to flight by thee,
IOI
AUSONIUS
te suadente fugam Pylades liquisset Oresten
nee eustodisset Siculus vadimonia Damon.
quantum oblectamen populi, quae vota bonorum
sperato fraudata bono ! gratantia cuncti
verba loquebantur : iam nomina nostra parabant 40
inserere antiquis aevi melioris amicis.
cedebat Pylades, Phrygii quoque gloria Nisi
iam minor et promissa obiens vadimonia Damon.
nos documenta magis felicia, qualia magnus
Scipio longaevique dedit sapientia Laeli : 45
nos studiis animisque isdem miracula cunctis,
lioc maiora, pares f'uimus quod dispare in aevo.
ocius ilia iugi fatalis solvere lora
Pellaeum potuisse ducem reor, abdita opertis
prineipiis et utroque caput celantia nodo. 50
Grande aliquod verbum nimirum diximus, ut se
inferret nimiis vindex Rhamnusia votis ;
Arsacidae ut quondam regis non laeta triumphis
grandia verba premens ultrix dea Medica belli
sistere Cecropidum in terris monumenta paranti 55
obstitit et Graio iam iam figenda tropaeo
ultro etiam victis Nemesis stetit Attica Persis.
Quae tibi Romulidas proceres vexare libido est?
in Medos Arabasque tuos per nubila et atrum
perge chaos : Romana procul tibi nomina sunto. 60
1 rp. Epigr. xlii. Pansanias (i. xxxiii. 2) relates that the
Persians, making sure of victory, brought with them to Mara-
thon a block of Parian marble to be erected there as a
trophy (Graio iam iwm figenda tropaeo). After the rout of the
102
THE EPISTLES
Pylades would have left Orestes, and Sicilian Damon
would not have kept his bond ! What general de-
light, what good men's prayers have thus been
cheated of their looked-for gain ! They all were
speaking words of congratulation: already they were
about to enter our names in the lists of friends be-
longing to nobler days of old. Pylades was giving
place, Phrygian Nisus also now was growing less
famed, and Damon who met his promised bail. We
showed less tragic tokens of friendship, even as
great Scipio and Laelius, long-lived in wisdom : we,
with pursuits and hearts the same, were marvellous
to all, the more for this that we were equals though
unequal-aged. Sooner, methinks, could the Pellaean
war-lord have loosed the lashings of that fate-fraught
yoke, although their beginning was concealed from
view and their end hidden by a double knot.
51 Some presumptuous word we surely spoke, that
the vengeful queen of Rhamnus thus made onslaught
on our excessive hopes; as in old days when, angered
at the vaunting of Arsaces' royal son, the avenging
goddess, crushing his presumptuous boasts, with-
stood his purpose to set up in the land of Cecrops'
sons a memorial of the Median arms, and just when
she was to be raised to support a trophy of Greek
arms, deliberately took her stand as Attic Nemesis
to mark the Persian rout. 1
58 What caprice of thine is this to harass nobles
of the seed of Romulus ? Against Medes and Arabs,
thy natural foes, advance through clouds and chaos
black : from men of Roman name keep thou afar.
Persians this was wrought by Phidias (others say Agora-
critus) into a statue of Nemesis and set up at Rhamnus
(see 1. 52).
io 3
AUSONIUS
illic quaere alios oppugnatura sodales,
livor ubi iste tuus ferrugineumque venenum
opj)ortuna tuis inimicat pectora fucis.
Paulinum Ausoniumque, viros, quos sacra Quirini
purpura et auratus trabeae velavit amictus, 65
non decet insidiis peregrinae cedere divae.
Quid queror eoique bisector crimina monstri ?
occidui me ripa Tagi, me Punica laedit
Barcino, me bimaris iuga ninguida Pyrenaei.
[laedis et ipse tuos qui deseris ultro, relictis 1 ]
moenibus et patrio forsan quoque vestis et oris 70
[more, interque novos qui nunc versaris amicos 1 ]
quemque suo longe dirimat provincia tractu
trans montes solemque alium, trans flumina et urbes
et quod terrarum caelique extenditur inter
Emeritensis Anae lataeque Huenta Garumnae.
Quod si intervalli spatium tolerabile limes 75
poneret exiguus (quamvis longa omnia credant,
qui simul esse volunt), faceret tamen ipsa propinquus
cura locos, mediis iungens distantia verbis ;
Santonus nt sibi Burdigalam, mox iungit Aginnum
ilia sibi et populos Aquitanica rura colentes ; 80
ut(jue duplex Arelas Alpinae tecta Viennae,
Narbonemque pari spatio sibi consent, et mox
quinquiplicem socias tibi, Martie Narbo, Tolosam.
hoc mihi si spatium vicinis moenibus esset,
1 Suppl. Translator.
IC.|
THE EPISTLES
There rather seek thou friendships to assail, where
that jealousy of thine and rankling venom estranges
hearts well-fitted for thy deceits. For Paulinus and
Ausonius, men whom the sacred purple of Quirinus
and the golden tissue of the consul's robe have
enwrapped, to yield to the stratagems of a foreign
goddess is not seemly.
67 Wherefore do I complain and cry out on the
ravage of an eastern monster ? 'Tis western Tagus'
shores, 'tis Punic Barcelona that does me hurt, 'tis
the Pyrenees whose snowy crests join sea to sea,
thou thyself also dost me hurt, thou who abandonest
thy friends without a cause, deserting thy town and,
perchance, the native fashion of thy dress and speech,
thou who now dwellest among new friends, whom
the extent of a wide province parts from me beyond
mountains 'neath an alien sun, beyond rivers and
cities and all the land and sky which lie outspread
betwixt Merida by Ana's streams and the wide flood
of the Garonne.
75 If only the division were narrow and interposed
a separating space not too formidable (albeit they
think every place far off who seek to be together),
even so affection's self would make the places near,
spanning the interval with a bridge of words ; even
as Saintes keeps touch with Bordeaux, and she again
with Agen and the folk who till the country parts
of Aquitaine ; and as two-fold Aries x links to her-
self at equal distances the roofs of Alpine Vienne
and Narbonne ; and then thou, Martian 2 Narbonne,
alliest with thee five-fold Toulouse. 3 If such the
distance severing our neighbouring towns, then
cp. Ordo Urb. Xof>. x. 1.
id. 2; xix. 1. 3 id. xviii. 7 ff.
io 5
AUSONIUS
tunc ego te ut nostris aptum conplecterer ulnis 85
adflaretque tuas aures nostrae aura loquellae.
Nunc tibi trans Alpes et marmoream Pyrenen
Caesarea est Augusta domus, Tyrrhenica propter
Tarraco et ostrifero super addita Barcino ponto :
me iuga Burdigala, 1 trino me flumina coetu 90
secernunt turbis popularibus otiaque inter
vitiferi exercent colles laetumque colonis
uber agri, turn prata virentia, turn nemus unibris
mobilibus celebrique frequens ecclesia vico
totque mea in Novaro sibi proxima praedia pago, 95
dispositis totum vicibus variata per annum,
egelidae ut tepeant liiemes rabidosque per aestus
adspirent tenues frigus subtile Aquilones.
te sine set nullus grata vice provenit annus,
ver pluvium sine flore fugit, Canis aestifer ardet, 100
nulla autumnales variat Pomona sapores
effusaque hiemem contristat Aquarius unda.
agnoscisne tuam, Ponti dulcissime, culpam ?
nam mibi certa fides nee conmutabilis umquam
Paulini illius veteris reverentia durat 105
quaeque meoque tuoque fuit concordia patri.
si tendi facilis cuiquam fuit arcus Ulixei
aut praeter dominum vibrabilis ornus Achilli,
nos quoque tarn longo Rhamnusia foedere solvet.
1 P : Burdigalae, Peiper.
1 Originally Salduba, it was renamed in honour of Augus-
tus in 25 B.C.
106
THE EPISTLES
would I clasp thee, ready to my embrace, and the
air of my complaint would be breathed into thy
ears.
87 Now for thee beyond the Alps and stony
Pyrenees, Saragossa is thy home, 1 Tyrrhenian Tarra-
gona 2 is near by, and Barcelona built above the
oyster-bearing sea: me hills, me rivers in triple array 3
part from Bordeaux and from the common throng, and
in my leisure the vine-clad hills engage me, the rich
glebe with its blithe peasantry, now the green meads,
now the copse with its dancing shades, the church 4
thronged with crowding villagers, and all those my
domains hard by each other in Novarus village,
which enjoy such change at the various seasons
throughout the year, that the chill winters are warm
for them and in the furious summer heats soft north
winds breathe over them a gentle coolness. Yet
without thee the year advances, bringing no grate-
ful change. The rainy Spring flits by lacking its
flower, the heat-bringing Dog-Star parches, Pomona
brings not variety of sweet autumn fruits, and with
outpoured water Aquarius makes gloomy all the
winter. Dost thou perceive thy fault, my dearest
Pontius ? For my loyalty remains steadfast and,
never to be changed, inv regard for the Paulinus of
old days endures, even as the harmony betwixt my
sire and thine. If Ulysses' bow was easy to be
strung by any man, or if Achilles' spear could be
wielded save by its lord, then shall the queen of
Rhamnus loose us from so long a bond.
2 Tarragona was not an Etrurian foundation, but looks
out over the Etruscan Sea.
3 The Garonne, the Durane, and the Charente.
4 Or assembly.
107
AUSONIUS
Set cur tam maesto sero tristia carmina versu 110
et non in meliora animus se vota propinquat?
sit procul iste metus. certa est fiducia nobis,
si genitor natusque dei pia verba volentum
accipiat, nostro reddi te }>osse precatu,
ne sparsam raptamque domum lacerataque centum
per dominos veteris Paulini regna fleamus 116
teque vagum toto quam longa Hispania tractu,
inmemorem veterum peregrinis fidere amicis.
Adcurre, o nostrum decus, o mea maxima cura,
votis ominibusque bonis precibusque vocatus, ll'O
adpropera, dum tu iuvenis, dum nostra senectus
servat inexhaustum tibi gratificata vigorem.
ecquando iste meas inpellet nuntius aures ?
" Ecce tuus Paulinus adest : iam ninguida linquit
oppida Hiberorum, Tarbellica iam tenet arva, 125
Hebromagi iam tecta subit, iam praedia fratris
vicina ingreditur, iam labitur amne secundo
iamque in conspectu est: iam prora obvertitur annii :
ingressusque sui celebrata per ostia portus
totum occursantis populi prae\ ertitur agmen 130
et sua praeteriens iam iam tua limina pulsat."
Credimus an, qui amant, ipsi sibi somnia fingunt ?
ioS
THE EPISTLES
110 But why weave I such sad refrain in mournful
verse, why does my heart nut turn to nobler prayers?
Far be that fear ! Sure is my confidence that, if
the Father and the Son of God accept the reverent
words of those who seek, thou canst be restored at
my prayer, that I may weep not for a home scattered
and ravaged, for the realm rent in pieces between
a hundred owners, once Paulinus's, and for thee,
that, wandering with a range as wide as the extent
of Spain, unmindful of old friends thou dost trust
in strangers.
119 O hasten hither, my pride, my chiefest care,
summoned with vows, good omens, and with prayers
speed thee hither, while thou art young and while
my old age to win thy favour preserves its vigour
unconsumed. Ah, when shall this news break on
my ears ? " Lo, thy Paulinus is at hand : now he
leaves the snowy towns of Spain, now reaches the
fields of Tarbellae, now approaches the homesteads
of Hebromagus, now enters his brother's domains
hard by, now glides down stream, and now is in
sight : now the prow is being swung out into the
stream : : now he has passed the thronged entrance
of his home-port, outstrips the whole host of folk
who hurry to meet him, and passing his own doors
now, even now beats at thine."
" Do I believe, or do those who love feign dreams
for their own selves." 2
1 cp. Virgil, Aen. vi. 3: obvertunt pelago proras. The
prow was swung outwards, the stern brought in to land for
mooring. 2 Virgil, Eel. viii. 108.
109
AUSONIUS
XXVI I [. — Ad eundem Pontium Paulinum Epistui.a
SUBINDE SCRIPTA
Proxima quae nostrae fuerat querimonia chartae,
credideram quod te, Pauline, inflectere posset
eliceretque tuam blanda obiurgatio vocem.
set tu, iuratis velut alta silentia sacris
devotus teneas, perstas in lege tacendi. 5
non licet ? anne pudet, si quis tibi iure pa tern o
vivat amicus adhuc maneasque obnoxius heres ?
ignavos agitet talis timor, at tibi null us
sit met us et morem missae acceptaeque salutis
audacter retine. vel si tibi proditor instat 10
aut quaesitoris gravior censura timetur,
occurre ingenio, quo saepe occulta teguntur.
Tbraeicii quondam quam saeva licentia regis
fecerat elinguem, per licia texta querellas
edidit et tacitis mandavit crimina telis. 15
et pudibunda suos malo commisit amores
virgo nee erubuit tacituro conscia porno.
depressis scrobibus vitium regale minister
credidit idque diu texit fidissima tellus :
inspirata dehinc vento cantavit harundo. 20
lacte incide notas : arescens charta tenebit
semper inaspicuas ; prodentur scripta favillis.
vel Lacedaemoniam seytalen imitare, libelli
segmina Pergamei tereti circumdata ligno
1 The allusion is probably to the rule of silence on which
monks at this period laid great stress.
2 Therasia, I'aulinus' wife is meant : rp. 1. 31 (below).
8 For the story of Philomela and Tereus see Ovid, Metam.
vi. 574 ft".
i io
THE EPISTLES
XXVIII. To THE SAME PoNTIUS PaULINUS: A LETTER
WRITTEN JUST AFTER THE PRECEDING
I hoped that the complaint which filled my latest
letter might be able to move thee, Paulinus, and
that my caressing reproof might lure thee to reply.
But thou, as if after swearing by holy things thou
wast vowed to keep deep silence, abidest obstinately
by the rule of speechlessness. 1 Is it not allowed ? Or
art thou ashamed to have a friend still alive who claims
a father's rights, whilst thou remainest the dependent
heir? Let cowards quake with such dread, but have
thou no fear, and boldly keep the custom of giving
and returning greeting. Or if an informer is beside
thee, and if 'tis an inquisitor's 2 too stern rebuke is
feared, baffle it with a device whereby secrets are
oft concealed. She whom the brutal outrage of the
Thracian king had robbed of her tongue, revealed
her sorrows by means of woven threads and com-
mitted the story of her wrongs to the silent loom. 3
Also a shamefast maid entrusted the tale of her love
to an apple, 4 and blushed not to share her secret
with fruit which could never speak. To deep-dug
pits a servant revealed his royal lord's deformity, 5
and long the earth hid the secret most faithfully :
thereafter the reed, breathed on by the wind, sang
the story. Trace letters with milk : the paper as it
dries will keep them ever invisible ; yet with ashes
the writing is brought to light. 6 Or imitate the
Spartan scytale, writing on strips of parchment wound
4 Cydippe : see Ovid, Heroides, xx. 9 f.
B Midas : for the story see Ovid, Mttam xi. ISO ff.
If a paper written as prescribed is sprinkled with ashes,
which are then shaken off, the writing shows up faintly in
grey.
1 1 I
AUSONIUS
perpetuo inscribens ver.su, qui deinde solutus, 2 i
non respondentes sparso dabit ordine forraas,
donee consimilis ligni replicetur in orbem.
Innuineras possum celandi ostendere fornias
et clandestinas veterum reserare loquellas :
si prodi, Pauline, times nostraeque vereris 30
crimen amieitiae ; Tanaquil tua neseiat istud.
tu contemne alios nee dedignare parentem
adfari verbis, ego sum tuns altor et ille
praeeeptor, primus veterum largitor lionoruni,
primus in Aonidum qui te collegia duxi. 35
XXIX. — Cum Pontius Paulinus iunior quartis
IAM LITTERIS NON RESPONDISSET SIC AD EUM
SCRIPTUM EST
Quarta tibi baec notos detexit epistula questus,
Pauline, et blando resident sermone laeessit.
officium set nulla piuni milii pagina reddit,
fausta salutigeris adscribens orsa libellis.
unde istam meruit non felix charta repulsam, 5
spernit tarn longo eessatio quam tua fastu ?
hostis ab hoste tamen per barbara verba salutem
accipit et Salve mediis intervenit armis.
respondent et saxa bomini et percussus ab antris
sermo redit, redit et nemorum vocalis imago; 10
1 See Aulus Gellius, xvn. ix. 6 ff.
2 i.e. for enciphering and deciphering.
3 cp. Juvenal, vi. 560. Tanaquil (wife of the elder Tar-
quin), the typical domineering woman, represents Therasia,
the wife of Paulinus.
1 1 2
THE EPISTLES
about a rounded stick in continuous lines, which,
afterwards unrolled, will show characters incoherent
because sequence is lost, until the}' are rolled again
about just such another stick. 1
28 I can show thee countless codes of the ancients
for concealing and unlocking secret messages 2 ; if
thou, Paulinus, fearest to be betrayed and dread'st
the charge of my friendship, let thy Tanaquil 3 know
naught of it. Do thou scorn others, but disdain
not to address thy father. I am thy nourisher, thy old
tutor, the first to lavish on thee the honours of old
time, 4 the first to introduce thee into the guild of
the Aonides.
XXIX. — When Pontius Paulinus the younger did
NOT REPLY TO THE FOUR LETTERS ALREADY SENT,
THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN TO HIM
This is the fourth letter in which I have laid bare
to thee, Paulinus, my familiar complaint, and with
caressing words sought to stir thee from thy lethargy.
But never a page comes to repay my loving atten-
tions, no propitious words writ at the head of sheets
which bring me greeting. 5 How has my luckless
letter, for which your long neglect shows such
disdain, deserved this rebuff? Yet foe from foe
receives greeting 6 in savage speech and "hail " comes
between opposed arms. Even rocks make answer to
mankind and speech beating back from caves returns,
returns too the vocal mimicry of the woods ; cliffs by
4 The reference may be either to the consulship which
Ausonius procured for Paulinus in 378 a.d., or to the glories
of ancient literature.
s i.e. no letter with the formula, salutem dat plurimam.
6 As pugilists shake hands on entering the ring.
VOL- "■
AUSONIUS
litorei clamant scopuli, dant murmura rivi,
Hyblaeis apibus saepes depasta susurrat.
est et harundineis modulatio musica ripis
cumque suis loquitur tremulum coma pinea ventis.
incubuit foliis quotiens levis eurus acutis, 15
Dindyina Gargarico respondent cantica luco.
nil mutum natura dedit. non aeris ales
quadrupedesve silent, habet et sua sibila serpens,
et pecus aequoreum tenui vice vocis anhelat.
eymbala dant flictu sonitum, dant pulpita saltu 20
icta pedum, tentis reboant cava tympana tergis ;
Isiacos agitant Mareotica sistra tumultus
nee Dodonaei cessat tinnitus aeni,
in numerum quotiens radiis ferientibus ictae
respondent dociles modulato verbere pelves. i'.j
Tu velut Oebaliis habites taciturnus Amvclis
aut tua Sigalion Aegyptius oscula signet,
obnixum, Pauline, taces. agnosco pudorem,
quod vitium fovet ipsa suum cessatio iugis,
dumque pudet tacuisse diu, placet ofrieiorum 30
non servare vices ; et amant longa otia culpam.
quis prohibet Salve atque Vale brevitate parata
scribere felicesque notas mandare libellis ?
non ego, longinquos ut texat pagina versus,
postulo multiplicique oneret sermone tabellas. 35
1 ep. Virgil, Ed. i. 54 ff. : .saepes Hyblaeis apibus floreni
depasta salicti, etc.
'- Dindymus, near Pessinus, was famed for the' noisy rites
of Cybele held there : Gargara is a part of Mount Ida.
s i.e. Egyptian The sislrum was a rattle consisting of
rings strung on the cross-bars of a metal frame, and was used
tor ritual purposes.
ii4
THE EPISTLES
the sea-shore cry out, streams utter their murmurs,
the hedges, whereon bees of Hybla feed, 1 are
ever whispering. Reed-grown banks also have their
tuneful harmonies, and the pines foliage in trem-
bling accents talks with its beloved winds. So oft as
the light eastern breeze leans on the shrill-voiced
leaves, strains of Dindymus respond to the grove of
Gargara. 2 Nature made nothing dumb. Birds of
the air and four-footed beasts are not mute, even the
serpent has its own hissing note, and the herds of
the deep sigh with faint semblance of a voice.
Cymbals give sound at a clash, stages at beat of
bounding feet, the taut skins of hollow drums give
back a booming ; Mareotic 3 sistra raise rattling din
in Isis' honour nor does Dodona's brazen tinkling cease
as oft as the lavers at the clappers' measured stroke
obediently reply with rhythmic beat. 1
26 Thou, as though thou wert a mute citizen of
Oebalian Amyclae, 5 or Egyptian Sigalion 6 were
sealing thy lips, stubbornly keepest silence, Paulinus.
I recognise shame in thee, for continued negli-
gence cherishes her own defect, and in shame
for long silence thou dost resolve not to main-
tain interchange of courtesies ; and lengthened
idleness loves its own fault. Who forbids you to
write "hail" and "farewell" with studied brevity,
and to commit to paper these words of greeting ?
I do not demand that thy page should Aveave a long
drawn out web of verse and burden thy letter with a
4 The Oracle at Uodona was surrounded by a circle of
brazen pans hung in trees which were either struck by a
priest, or clashed together in the wind.
6 See Profe.ssores, xv. 6 and note.
6 i.e. Harpocrates (Heru-pa-khrat), who is represented in
Egyptian art with his finger upon his lips.
i 2
AUSONIUS
una fuit tantum, qua respondere Lacones
littera, et irato regi placuere negantes.
est etenim comis brevitas : sic fama renatum
Pythagoram docuisse refert. cum multa loquaces
ambiguis sererent verbis, contra omnia solum 40
Est, respondebat, vel Non. o certa loquendi
regula ! nam brevius nihil est et plenius istis,
quae firmata probant aut infirmata relidunt.
nemo silens placuit, multi brevitate loquendi.
Verum ego quo stulte dudum spatiosa locutus 45
provehor ? ut diversa sibi vicinaque culpa est !
multa loquens et cuncta silens non ambo placemus.
nee possum reticere, iugum quod libera numquam
fert pietas nee amat blandis postponere verum.
vertisti, Pauline, tuos dulcissime mores? 50
Vasconis hoc saltus et ninguida Pyrenaei
hospitia et nostri facit hoc oblivio caeli ?
inprecer ex merito quid non tibi, Hiberia tellus !
te populent Poeni, te perfidus Hannibal urat,
te belli sedem repetat Sertorius exul. 55
ergo meum patriaeque decus columenque senati
Birbilis aut haerens scopulis Calagorris habebit,
aut quae deiectis iuga per scruposa minis
arida torrentem Sicorim despectat Hilerda?
hie trabeam, Pauline, tuam Latiamque curulem GO
constituis, patriosque istic sepelibis honores ?
Quis tamen iste tibi tarn longa silentia suasit
1 When Philip asked leave to visit their city, the Spartans
replied o ( = ov). See Technopuegn. xiii. 5 and note.
n6
THE EPISTLES
multitude of words. Twas but one letter wherewith
the Spartans made reply and, though refusing,
pleased the angry king. 1 For indeed terseness is
courteous ; so, report says, taught reborn Pythagoras. 2
While babblers would be stringing indecisive words,
in all cases he would answer only " Yes " or " No."
stable rule of speech ! For nothing is shorter and
more adequate than these, which approve the valid
or reject the invalid. None pleased by silence ;
many by brief reply.
45 But I, whither with foolish amplitude of speech
have I been long careering? How distant from
itself and yet how near is error ! 1 with long speech,
thou with utter silence, we both displease. Yet can
1 not keep silence, for free affection never bears
yoke, nor loves to screen truth with glozing words.
Hast thou, dearest Paulinus, changed thy nature?
Do Biscayan glades and sojourns in the snowy
Pyrenees and doth forgetfulness of our clime work
thus ? What curse shall I not righteously call down
on thee, O land of Spain ? May Carthaginians
ravage thee, may faithless Hannibal waste thee with
fire, may banished Sertorius again seek in thee the
seat of war ! Shall then Birbilis or Calagorris cling-
ing to its crags, or parched Ilerda 3 whose ruins,
littered over rugged hills, look down on brawling
Sicoris, possess him who is mine and his country's
pride, the mainstay of the Senate ? Here dost thou,
Paulinus, establish thy robe consular and Roman
curule chair, and wilt thou bury there thy native
honours ?
62 But who is that unhallowed wretch who has
2 Pythagoras claimed to be a reincarnation of Euphorbus.
3 The places named are Baubola, Calahorra, and Lerida.
117
AUSONJUS
impius? ut nullos hie vocem vertat in usus,
gaudia non ilium vegetent, non dulcia vatum
carmina, non blandae modulatio flexa querellae, G5
non fera, non ilium pecudes, non mulceat ales,
non quae pastorum nemoralibus abdita lucis
solatur nostras Echo resecuta loquellas.
tristis, egens deserta colat tacitusque pererret
Alpinis conexa iugis, ceu dicitur olim 70
mentis inops coetus hominum et vestigia vitans
avia perlustrasse vagus loca Bellcrophontes.
Haec precor, banc vocem, Boeotia numina Musae,
accipite et Latiis vatem revocate camenis.
XXX. — Ausonio Paulinus
Continuata meae durare silentia linguae
te numquam tacito memoras placitamque latebris
desidiam exprobras neglectaeque insuper addis
crimen amicitiae formidatamque iugalem
obicis et durum iacis in mea viscera versum. 5
parce, precor, lacerare tuum, nee amara paternis
admiscere velis, ceu melle absinthia, verbis.
Cura mihi semper fuit et manet ofhciis te
omnibus excolere, adfectu observare tideli.
non umquam tenui saltim tua gratia naevo 10
conmaculata mihi est; ipso te laedere vultu
semper et incauta timui violare figura ;
cumque tua accessi, venerans mea cautius ora
1 See Homer Z ',01 f.
2 On Paulinus see Introduction, and EpiM. xxiii. (note).
nS
THE EPISTLES .
urged you to so long silence ? May he turn no
sound to any advantage, may no joys enliven him,
no sweet poets' lays, no melting harmonies of se-
ductive elegy, may no cry of beast nor low of cattle
nor song of bird cheer him, nor yet Echo, who
hidden in shepherds' bosky groves consoles us while
repeating our complaints. Sad, needy let him dwell
in waste places and in silence roam the borders of
Alpine hills, even as, 'tis said, in days of old Beller-
ophon, distraught, avoided the company of men and
wandered straying through untrodden places. 1
73 This is my prayer, this cry, Boeotian Muses
divine, receive ye and with Latin strains call back
your bard !
XXX. — Paulinus 2 to Ausonius
Thou tellest me that my tongue keeps unbroken
silence while thou art never dumb, and reproachest
me with choosing idleness in secret retreats, and
withal addest the charge of neglected friendship and
tauntest me with terror of my spouse, launching
a cruel line against my very heart. 3 Cease, I prithee,
to wound thy friend, and seek not to mingle bitter-
ness — as wormwood with honey — with a father's
words.
8 My care has been and still, endures, to honour
thee with every friendly token, to compass thee
with faithful affection. No blemish, however slight,
has ever marred my devotion towards thee ; even by
a look I have ever feared to hurt thee and to wrong
thee with an. unguarded aspect ; and when I have
approached thee, out of respect I have the more
a i.e. against Therasia herself.
Il 9
AUSONIUS
conposui et laeto formavi lumine frontem,
ne qua vel a tacito contractam pectore nubem 15
duceret in sanctum suspicio falsa parentem.
hoc mea te domus exemplo coluitque colitque
inque tuum tantus nobis consensus amorera est,
quantus et in Christum conexa mente colendum.
Quis tua, quaeso, tuis obduxit pectora livor ? 20
quo rumore pium facilis tibi fama per aures
inrupit pepulitque animum contraque vetustam
experta pietate fidem nova vulnera movit,
laederet ut natis placidum male suada parentem ?
Set mini non fictae mens conscia simplicitatis 25
nee patris inculti pietas rea respuit omne
inmeritum et falso perstringi crimine non fert,
inmunis vero : gravius violatur iniquo
vulnere, tarn tenera offensae, quam libera culpae.
Discussisse iugum quei'eris me, quo tibi doctis 30
iunctus eram studiis. hoc nee gestasse quidem me
adsero. namque pares subeunt iuga : nemo valentes
copulat infirmis neque sunt concordia frena,
si sit conpulsis mensura iugalibus inpar.
si vitulum tauro vel equum committis onagro ; 35
si confers fulicas eyenis et aedona parrae,
castaneis corulos ; aequas viburna cupressis ;
me conpone tibi : vix Tullius et Maro tecum
sustineant aequale iugum. si iungar amore,
120
THE EPISTLES
heedfully ordered my looks and given my features a
bright and cheerful cast, that no ungrounded sus-
picion might bring down a cloud upon thee, my
revered father, even though arising from an un-
spoken thought. After like pattern my household
has honoured and honours thee, and in love for thee
we are as agreed together as our hearts are linked
together in worship of Christ.
20 What rancour, I beg of thee, against thy friends
is crept over thy heart ? With what idle tale has
nimble Slander forced her way into thy ears, smitten
thy fond heart, and aimed late blows against
the tried affection of ancient faith, so as to harm a
son by cozening a sire from his peace ?
25 But my heart is conscious of no feigned sin-
cerity, my devotion, guiltless of neglect towards my
father, hurls back with scorn every undeserved taunt,
and brooks not to be scarred with a false charge
because in truth innocent : as easy hurt as it is
free from fault, it is the more sorely injured by an
unjust blow.
30 Thou dost complain that I have shaken off the
yoke x wherewith I was joined with thee in the
pursuit of letters. This I declare that I have never
even borne. For only equals share one yoke : no one
links the powerful with the weak, and no team
works with one will, if the forced yoke-fellows are of
unequal measure. If thou dost match calves with
bulls or horses with wild-asses ; if thou comparest
moorhens with swans, and nightingales with owls,
hazels with chestnuts, or rankest wayside shrubs
with cypresses ; — then place me beside thee : Tully
and Maro scarce could uphold a like yoke with
thee. If I be yoked in love, in that alone will
1 In reply to Ejnst. xxvii. If.
AUSONIUS
hoc tantum tibi me iactare audebo iugalem, -10
quo modicus sociis magno contendit habenis.
dulcis amicitia aeterno mihi foedere tecum
et paribus semper redamandi legibus aequat.
hoc nostra cervice iugum non scaeva resolvit
fabula, non terris absentia longa diremit, 45
nee perimet, toto licet abstrahar orbe vel aevo.
numquam animo divisus again : prius ipsa recedet
cor])ore vita meo, quam vester pectore vultus.
Ego te per omne quod datum mortalibus
et destinatum saeculum est, 50
claudente donee continebor corpore,
discernar orbe quamlibet,
nee oi'be longe nee remotum lumine
tenebo fibris insitum :
\ ick'bo corde, mente conplectar pia 55
ubique praesentem mihi.
et cum solutus corporali carcere
terraque provolavero,
quo me loearit axe communis pater,
illic quoque animo te geram ; 60
neque finis idem, qui meo me corpore
et amore laxabit tuo.
mens quippe, lapsis quae superstes artubus
de stirpe durat caeliti,
sensus necesse est simul et adfectus suos 65
teneat aeque ut vitam suam,
et ut mori, sic oblivisci non capit,
perenne vivax et meraor.
Vale domine ilhistris.
122
THE EPISTLES
I dare boast myself thy yoke-fellow wherein the
humble vies with the great in even career. Sweet
friendship makes us peers through the eternal bond
betwixt me and thee and through the equal laws of
endless mutual love. This yoke no malicious tale
has unloosed from my neck, no long absence from
my land has broken it nor ever shall destroy it,
though I should be removed from thee by the whole
span of space and time. Never shall I live separate
from thee in soul : sooner shall life itself depart
from my frame than thy face from my heart.
49 Through all the length of time given to mortals
and ordained, so long as I shall be confined in this
halting frame, though I be held a world apart, thee
neither parted by a world nor severed from my sight I
will keep implanted in my inmost being: in heart I
shall see thee, in loving thought embrace thee, having
thee with me everywhere. And when, released
from the prison of the body, I shall have Mown forth
from the earth, in whatever clime our general Father
shall place me, there also will 1 bear thee in my
heart ; nor shall the selfsame end which severs me
from my body, unloose me from love of thee. For
the soul, which, surviving the body's ruin, endures in
virtue of heavenly birth, must needs keep both its
own faculties and affections no less than its own life,
and so admits forgetfulness no more than death, re-
maining ever living, ever mindful.
69 Farewell, illustrious master.
123
AUSONIUS
XXXI. — Ausonio Pauunus
Quarta redit duris haec iam messoribus aestas,
et totiens cano bruma gelu riguit,
ex quo nulla tuo mihi littera venit ab ore,
nulla tua vidi scripta notata manu,
ante salutifero felix quam charta libel lo 5
dona negata diu multiplicata daret.
trina etenim vario florebat epistula textu,
set numerosa triplex pagina carmen erat.
dulcia multimodis quaedam subamara querellis,
anxia eensurae miscuerat pietas. 10
sed mihi mite patris plus quam censoris acerbum
sedit, et e blandis aspera penso animo.
ista suo regerenda loco tamen et graviore
vindicis heroi sunt agitanda sono.
interea levior paucis praecurret iambus 15
discrete referens mutua verba pede.
Nunc elegi salvere iubent dictaque salute,
ut fecere aliis orsa grad unique, silent.
Ausonio Pai>linus
Quid abdicatas in meam curam, pater,
redire Musas praecipis? 20
negant Camenis nee patent Apollini
dicata Christo pectora.
fuit ista quondam non ope, sed studio pari
tecum mihi concordia,
124
THE EPISTLES
XXXI. — Paulinus to Ausonius
'Tis the fourth summer now returns for hardy
reapers, and as oft has winter grown stark with
hoary rime, since any syllable from thy lips reached
me, since I saw any letter penned by thy hand —
ere thy page, auspicious with its message of
greeting, bestowed manifold the gift so long denied.
For indeed 'twas a triple letter enriched with various
flowers of composition, but the melodious sheets
were a three-fold poem. Things sweet, though
somewhat soured with manifold complaints, troubled
affection had mingled with criticism. But with me
the father's gentleness rather than the critic's bitter-
ness finds a resting place, and in my heart I draw
from the kindly words what may weigh against the
harsh. But these charges must be refuted in their
proper place and canvassed in the sterner tones of
the avenging heroic measure. Meanwhile, though
briefly, lighter iambus shall hurry on ahead, in
separate metre 1 paying back his debt of words.
17 Now my elegiacs bid thee "hail" and having
hailed thee, since they have made for others a
beginning and a step, cease to speak.
Paulinus to Ausonius
Why dost thou bid the deposed Muses return to
my affection, my father ? Hearts consecrate to
Christ give refusal to the Camenae, are closed to
Apollo. Once was there this accord betwixt me
and thee, equals in zeal but not in power — to call forth
1 i.e. as distinct from the hexameters of 11. 103 ft'. : the
double sense of pede cannot well be reproduced. The debt
of words is the obligation to reply to the strictures of
Ausonius.
i 2 5
AUSONIUS
ID
ciere surdum Delphica Phoebum specu,
vocare Musas numina,
fandique munus munere indultum dei
petere e nemoribus aut iugis.
nunc alia nientem vis agit, maior deus,
aliosque mores postulat 30
sibi reposcens ab bomine 1 munus suum,
vivamus ut vitae patri.
vacare vanis, otio aut negotio,
et fabulosis litteris
vetat ; suis ut pareamus legibus 35
lucemque cernamus suam,
quam vis sopborum callida arsque rhetorum et
figmenta vatum nubilant,
qui corda falsis atque vanis imbuunt
tantumque linguas instruunt, 40
nihil adferentes, ut salutem con fe rant,
quod veritatem detegat.
quid enim tenere vel bonum aut veruin queant,
qui non tenent summae caput,
veri bonique fomitem et fontem deum, 45
quern nemo nisi in Christo videt?
Hie veritatis lumen est, vitae via,
vis, mens, manus, virtus patris,
sol aequitatis, fons bonorum, flos dei,
natus deo, mundi sator, 50
mortalitatis vita nostrae et mors necis.
magister hie virtutium,
deusque nobis atque pro nobis homo,
nos induendus induit,
aeterna iungens homines inter et deum 55
in utrumque se commercia.
hie ergo nostris ut suum praecordiis
vibraverit caelo iubar,
, 1 MSS. : nomine, Peiper.
i 20
THE EPISTLES
deaf Apollo from his Delphic cave, to invoke the Muses
as divine, to seek from groves or hills the gift of utter-
ance by the god's gift bestowed. Now 'tis another
force governs my heart, a greater God, who demands
another mode of life, claiming for himself from man
the gift he gave, that we may live for the Father of
life. To spend time on empty things, whether in
pastime or pursuit, and on literature full of idle tales,
he forbids ; that we may obey his laws and behold
his light which sophists' cunning skill, the art of
rhetoric, and poets' feignings overcloud. For these
steep our hearts in things false and vain, and train
our tongues alone imparting naught which can
reveal the truth. For what good thing or true can
they hold who hold not the head of all, God, the
enkindler and source of the good and true, whom
no man seeth save in Christ.
47 He is the light of truth, the path of life, the
strength, mind, hand, and power of the Father, the
sun of righteousness, the fount of blessings, the
flower of God, born of God, creator of the world,
life of our mortality and death of Death. He, the
Lord of Virtues, to us God and for us Man, puts on
our nature as we must put on his, linking God with
man in perpetual intercourse, himself of each par-
taking. He, then, when he has launched his beams
from heaven upon our hearts, wipes off the sorry
1*7
ALISON I US
abstergit aegrum corporis pigri situm
habitumque mentis innovat : 60
exhaurit omne, quod iuvabat antea,
castae voluptatis vice,
totusque nostra iure domini vindicat
et corda et ora et tempora.
se cogitari, intellegi, eredi, legi, 65
se vult timeri et dilijri.
aestus inanes, quos movet vitae labor
praesentis aevi tramite,
abolet futura cum deo vitae fides.
quae, quas videmur spernere, 70
non ut profanas abicit aut viles opes,
set ut magis caras monet
caelo reponi creditas Christo deo,
qui plura promisit datis,
contempta praesens vel mage deposita sibi 75
multo ut rependat faenore.
sine fraude custos, aucta creditoribus
bonus aera reddet debitor
multaque spretam largior pecuniam
restituet usura deus. 80
Huic vacantem vel studentem et deditum,
in hoc reponentem omnia
ne quaeso segnem neve perversum putes
nee crimineris impium.
pietas abesse Christiano qui potest ? 85
namque argumentum mutuuni est
pietatis, esse Christianum, et impii,
non esse Christo subditum.
banc cum tenere discimus, possum tibi
non exhibere, id est patri, 90
cui cuncta sancta iura, cara nomina
debere me voluit deus?
[28
THE EPISTLES
filth of our dull bodies and renews the disposition of
our hearts : he draws forth all which aforetime used
to please, giving unsullied pleasure in return, and
absolutely with a master's right claims both our
hearts and lips and time. He seeks himself to en-
gross our thoughts, our minds, belief and choice, him-
self to be feared and loved. Those aimless surges,
which the toils of life stir up in the course of this
present span of time, are brought to naught by faith
in a life to come with God. This casts not away
the riches, which we are thought to scorn, as un-
hallowed or little worth, but, as more dear, bids
them be laid up in Heaven in trust with Christ our
God, who has promised more than he receives, to
pay back with large usury those things now despised
or rather laid up in his keeping. A faithful guardian,
an unfailing debtor, he will repay with increase
wealth entrusted to him, and of his bounty God
with abundant interest will restore the money we
have spurned.
81 To Him given up, whether waiting or serving,
in Him laying up my all, think me not, I beseech
thee, slothful nor wayward, nor charge me with
want of filial piety. How can piety be wanting in a
Christian? For "piety " has the acquired meaning to
be a Christian, and " the impious " one not subject to
Christ. When I am learning to hold fast this, can I
fail to show it toward thee, that is, towards my father,
to whom God has willed that I should owe all sacred
duties and names of affection ? To thee I owe
129
VOL. II. K
AUSONIUS
tibi disciplinas, dignitatem, littei'as,
linguae, togae, famae decus
provectus, altus, institutus debeo, 95
patrone, praeceptor, pater.
Sed cur remotus tamdiu degam, arguis
pioque motu irasceris.
conducit istud aut necesse est aut placet :
veniale, quidquid borum, erit. 100
ignosce amanti, si geram quod expedit ;
gratare, si vivam, ut libet.
Ausoxio Paulinus
Defore me patriis tota trieteride terris
atque alium legisse vagis erroribus orbem,
culta prius vestrae oblitum consortia vitae, 105
increpitas Sanctis mo'ta pietate querellis.
amplector patrio venerandos pectore motus
et mibi gratandas salvis adfectibus iras.
set reditum inde meum, genitor, te j)oscere mallem,
unde dari possit. revocandum me tibi credam, 110
cum steriles fundas non ad divina precatus,
Castalidis supj)lex averso numine Musis?
non bis numinibus tibi me patriaeque reduces.
surda vocas et nulla rogas (levis boc feret aura,
quod datur in nihilum) sine numine nomina Musas. 115
inrita ventosae rapiunt haec vota procellae,
quae non missa deo vacuis in nubibus baerent
nee penetrant superi stellantem regis in aulam.
130
THE EPISTLES
training, honours, learning, my pride of eloquence,
of civil rank, of reputation, being by thee ad-
vanced, fostered, and instructed, my patron, tutor,
father.
(J7 But why do I live so long retired, thou askest
reproachfully, and art stirred with a loving anger. It
is expedient, or 'tis necessary, or 'tis my pleasure :
whichever of these it be, it will be pardonable.
Forgive me, as I love thee, if I do what is convenient ;
be thankful if I live as pleases me.
Paulinus to Ausonius
That I shall be absent from my native land full
three years' space, and that I have traversed another
world in aimless wanderings, forgetful of that fellow-
ship in thy life, once cherished — thou dost reproach
me with complaints hallowed by the love whence
they spring. I welcome with reverence due the
emotions of a father's heart and the anger which
claims my gratitude leaving affection unimpaired.
Yet for my return, my father, I would rather thou
should'st ask it there where it can be granted.
Shall I believe that thou canst call me back to thee
while thou pourest forth barren prayers to beings
not divine, suppliant to the Castalian Muses while
God turns from thee ? Not through such deities
wilt thou bring me back to thee and to my country.
Thou call'st the deaf, implorest things of naught —
a light breeze will bear away what is addressed to
a nothing — the Muses, who are names but non-
entities. The stormy winds whirl away ineffectual
such prayers as these, which, not addressed to God,
catch in the empty clouds nor make their way into
the starry court of the King of Heaven.
k 2
AUSONIUS
Si tibi cura mei reditus, ilium adspice et ora,
qui tonitru summi quatit ignea culmina caeli, 120
qui trifido igne micat nee inania murmura nriscet
quique satis eaelo soles largitur et hnbres,
qui super omne, quod est, vel in omiii totus ubique,
omnibus infuso rebus regit omnia Christo :
quo mentes tenet atque movet, quo tempora nostra 1 25
et loca disponit. quod si contraria votis
constituat nostri ; prece deflectendus in ilia est,
quae volumus.
Quid me accusas ? si displicet actus
quern gero agente deo, prius est : fiat reus auctor,
cui placet aut formare meos aut vertere sensus. 130
nam mea si reputes, quae pristina, quae tibi nota,
sponte fatebor eum modo me non esse, sub illo
tempore qui fuerim, quo non perversus habebar
et perversus eram falsi caligine cernens,
stulta dei sapiens et mortis pabula vivens. 135
quo magis ignosci mihi fas, quia promptius ex hoc
agnosci datur a summo genitore novari,
quod non more meo geritur : non, arbitror, istic
confessus dicar mutatae in prava notandum
errorem mentis, quoniam sim sponte professus 140
me non mente mea vitam mutasse priorem.
mens nova mi,fateor, mens non mea : non mea quondam,
set mea nunc auctore deo, qui, si quid in actu
ingeniove meo sua dignum ad munia vidit,
1 ep. 1 Cor. iii. 19.
•3-
THE EPISTLES
119 If thou carest for my return, look towards him
and pray to him who with his thunder shakes the
fiery heights of highest Heaven, who shoots forth his
triple flash of flame, nor mingles it with idle sounds,
who on the crops graciously bestows sunshine and
rains from heaven, who being above all that is, or
wholly in all things everywhere, reigns over all
through Christ who permeates all things : through
whom he occupies and sways our minds, through
whom he orders our times and places. But if he
ordains things opposed to our hopes, by prayer he
may be turned aside to that which we desire.
us why blamest thou me ? If thou mislikest the
course which I pursue under God's influence, there
is an earlier step : let the Author be accused, who is
pleased either to shape or change my feelings. For
if thou thinkest my nature is as of old and as 'twas
known to thee, I will avow of myself that now I am
not the man I was about that time when I was not
thought wayward though wayward I was, seeing with
the darkness of error, wise in what with God is
foolishness, 1 and living on the food of death. Where-
fore thou art the more bound to pardon me, because
by this the more readily 'tis permitted thee to
recognize that this change is from the most high
Father — that 'tis not in accordance with my nature:
by this I shall not, methinks, be held to have ad-
mitted a lamentable distraction of a mind changed
for the worse, since I have openly avowed that not
my own mind has caused me to change my former
life. I have a new mind, I confess— a mind not
my own : not mine aforetime, though mine now
through God's influence — and if in my deeds or
thoughts he sees anything worthy for his gifts, to
133
AUSONIUS
gratia prima tibi, tibi gloria debita eedit, 145
cuius praeceptis partum est, quod Christus amaret.
Quare gratandum magis est tibi, quam queritandum,
quod tuus ille, tuis studiis et moribus ortus,
Paulinus, cui te non infitiare parentem,
nee modo, cum credis perversum, sic mea verti 150
consilia, ut sim promeritus Christi fore, dum sum
Ausonii. feret ille tuae sua praemia laudi
deque tua primum tibi deferet arbore fructum.
Unde, precor, meliora putes nee maxima perdas
praemia detestando tuis bona fontibus orta. 1 55
non etenim mihi mens vaga, sed neque participantum
vita fugax hominum, Lyciae qua scribis in antris
Pegaseum vixisse equitem, licet avia multi
numine agente colant, clari velut ante sophorum
pro studiis musisque suis : ut nunc quoque, castis 160
qui Christum sumpsere animis, agitare frequentant,
non inopes animi neque de feritate legentes
desertis habitare locis ; sed in ardua versi
sidera spectantesque deum verique profunda
perspicere intenti de vanis libera curis 1G5
otia amant strepitumque fori rerumque tumultus
cunctaque divinis inimica negotia donis,
et Christi imperiis et amore sal litis, abhorrent
speque fideque deum sponsa mercede sequuntur,
quam referet certus non desperantibus auctor, 170
si modo non vincant vacuis praesentia rebus,
1 cp. Epist. xxix. 70 ff.
134
THE EPISTLES
thee chief gratitude, to thee the glory falls due,
since thy instruction has produced what Christ could
love.
147 Wherefore thou shouldst give thanks rather than
complain because I — that son of thine, offspring of
thy learning and thy character, Paulinus, whose
parentage thou dost not deny, even now when thou
believest me wayward — have so changed my prin-
ciples that I have gained grace to become the child
of Christ while I am the child of Ausonius. He will
confer his rewards upon thy merit and from this tree
of thine proffer the first fruit to thee.
154 And so, I pray thee, think nobler thoughts and
lose not the highest rewards by execrating good
things which have their source from thee. For
indeed my mind does not wander, nor even does
my life flee from intercourse with men — even as
thou writest that Pegasus' rider lived in Lycian
caves 1 — albeit many dwell in pathless places through
God's leading, just as before them men famous
among the sages did for the sake of their learning
and their inspiration. Even so in these days also,
they who with pure hearts have adopted Christ
are wont to live — not as beside themselves, nor out
of savagery choosing to dwell in desert places ; but
because — turning their faces to the stars on high,
contemplating God, and intent to scan the deep
wells of truth — they love repose void of empty cares,
and shun the din of public life, the bustle of affairs,
and all concerns hostile to the gifts of Heaven both
by Christ's command and in desire for salvation. By
hope and faith these follow God for the pledged
reward which he, whose promise cannot fail, will
bestow on such as persevere, if only this present life
r 35
AUSONIUS
quaeque videt spernat, quae non videt ut meieatur
secreta ignitus penetrans caelestia sensus.
namque caduca patent nostris, aeterna negantur
visibus; et nunc spesequimur, quod mentevidemus, 175
spernentes varias, rerum spectacula, formas
et male corporeos bona sollicitantia visus.
attamen haec sedisse illis sententia visa est,
tota quibus iam lux patuit verique bonique,
venturi aeternum saecli et praesentis inane. 180
At mihi, non eadem cui gloria, cur eadem sit
fania ? fides voti par est, sed amoena colenti,
nunc etiam et blanda posito locupletis in acta
litoris, unde haec iam tarn festinata locorum
invidia est ? utinam iustus me carpere livor 185
incipiat : Christi sub nomine probra placebunt.
non patitur tenerum mens numine firma pudorem,
et laus hie contempta redit mini iudice Christo.
Ne me igitur, venerande parens, his ut male versum
increpites studiis neque me vel coniuge carpas 190
vel mentis vitio : non anxia Bellerophontis
mens est nee Tanaquil mihi, sed Luci'etia coniunx.
nee mihi nunc patrii est, ut visa, oblivio caeli,
qui summum suspecto patrem, quern qui colit unum,
hie vere memor est caeli. crede ergo, pater, nos 195
nee caeli inmemores nee vivere mentis egentes,
humanisque agitare locis. studia ipsa piorum
1 There is an inept play on the two-fold meaning of coettun
= heavens (clime) and Heaven.
136
THE EPISTLES
with its vain interests does not prevail, and the fiery
perceptions, penetrating to Heaven's secret places,
scorn what they see to gain what they see not. For
things perishable are open to our sight, the eternal
are denied ; and now in hope we pursue what with
the mind we see, scorning the various shapes, the
images of things, and the attractions which provoke
our natural sight. And yet such i-esolve has been
found to lodge in those to whom already is revealed
the light of the good and true, the eternity of the
world to come and the emptiness of that which is.
181 But I, who have not the same cause for
boasting, why do I bear the same reproach? My
surety of hope is no less ; but since I dwell in pleasant
places, and even now abide upon the agreeable
shores of a prosperous coast, whence this so premature
carping at my abode ? I would that jealousy with
good grounds may begin to pluck at me : bearing the
name of Christ I shall welcome taunts. A mind
strengthened by power divine feels no weak shame,
and the praise I here despise is restored to me when
Christ is judge.
189 Do not, then, chide me, my honoured father, as
though I had turned to these pursuits perversely, and
do not twit me with my wife or with defect of mind :
mine is not the perturbed mind of Bellerophon, nor
is my wife a Tanaquil but a Lucretia. Nor am I now
forgetful, as thou thinkest, of the heavens 'neath
which my fathers dwelt, seeing that I look up to the
all-highest Father, and that whoso worships Him
alone he is truly mindful of Heaven. 1 Believe then,
father, that I am not unmindful of the heavens and
do not live distraught in mind, but dwell in a civilized
place : pursuits themselves bear witness to the
137
AUSONIUS
testantur mores hominum ; nee enim impia summum
gens poterit novisse deum : sint multa locorum,
multa hominum studiis inculta, expertia legum, 200
quae regio agresti ritu caret? aut quid in istis
improbitas aliena nocet ? quod tu mihi vastos
Vasconiae saltus et ninguida Pyrenaei
obicis hospitia, in primo quasi limine fixus
Hispanae regionis agam nee sit locus usquam 205
rure vel urbe mihi, summum qua dives in orbem
usque patet mersos spectans Hispania soles.
sed fuerit fortuna iugis habitasse latronum,
num lare barbarico rigui mutatus in ipsos,
inter quos habui, socia feritate colonos ? 210
non recipit mens pura malum neque levibus haerent
inspersae fibris maculae : si Vascone saltu
quisquis agit purus sceleris vitam, integer aeque
nulla ab inhumano morum contagia ducit
hospite. sed mihi cur sit ab illo nomine crimen, 215
qui di versa colo, ut colui, loca iuncta superbis
urbibus et laetis hominum celeberrima cultis?
ac si Vasconicis mihi vita fuisset in oris,
cur non more meo potius formata ferinos
poneret, in nostros migrans, gens barbara ritus? 220
Nam quod in eversis habitacula ponis Hibera
urbibus et deserta tuo legis oppida versu
montanamque mihi Calagorrim et Birbilim acutis
pendentem scopulis collemque iacentis Hilerdae
1 i.e. if they are just as wicked as others, that is no special
objection against them.
138
THE EPISTLES
character of righteous men ; for an unrighteous race
will not be able to know the most high God: granted
that much of the country, much of the folk is
unimproved and ignorant of laws, yet what tract is
without its rustic worship? Or what offence in them
is wickedness common to other parts? 1 And yet
thou dost taunt me with the woodlands of Vaseonia
and snowy lodgings in the Pyrenees, as though I
live tied down at the very frontier of the whole
realm of Spain and have no place of my own any-
where in country or in town, where wealthy Spain
outstretched along the world's boundary watches the
suns dip down into the sea. But suppose it had
been my lot to dwell amid the hills of brigands,
have I become a block in a savage's hut, changed into
the very serfs amid whom I lived, partaking of their
wildness ? A pure heart admits no evil, even as
filth spattered upon smooth bristles does not stick: if
one without stain of wickedness spends his life in a
Vasconian glade, his character, unblemished as before,
draws no infection from his host's barbarity. But
why am I charged on that account when I dwell, as
I have dwelt, in a far different country bordering
on splendid cities and thickly covered with man's
prosperous tillage ? And if my life had been led on
the borders of Vaseonia, why should not the savage
folk rather have been moulded after my mode of life,
laying aside their barbarous customs to come over to
our own ?
221 p or w hereas thou dost fix my Spanish dwelling-
place in ruined cities, traversing in thy verse desolate
towns, and castest in my teeth mountain Calahorra,
Bambola hanging from its jagged crags, and Lerida
prostrate on its hill-side — as though, an exile from
139
AUSONIUS
exprobras, velut his habitem laris exul et urbis 225
extra hominum tecta atque vias ; — an credis Hiberae
has telluris opes, Hispani nescius orbis,
quo gi'avis ille poli sub pondere constitit Atlans,
ultima nunc eius mons portio metaque terrae,
discludit bimarem eelso qui vertice Calpen? 230
Birbilis huic tantum, Calagorris, Hilerda notantur,
Caesarea est Augusta cui, Barcinus amoena
et eapite insigni despectans Tarraco pontum ?
Quid numerem egregias terris et moenibus urbes,
quas geminum felix Hispania tendit in aequor, 235
qua Betis Oceanum Tyrrhenumque auget HiberuSj
lataque distantis pelagi divortia couplet,
orbe suo finem ponens in limite mundi ?
anne tibi, o domine inlustris, si scribere sit mens,
qua regione habites, plaeeat reticere nitentem 240
Burdigalam et piceos malis describere Boios ?
cumque Maroialicis tua prodigis otia thermis
inter et umbrosos donas tibi vivere lucos,
laeta locis et mira colens habitacula tectis :
nigrantesne casas et texta mapalia culmo 2 15
dignaque pellitis habitas deserta Bigerris ?
quique superba tuae contemnis moenia Romae
consul, arenosas non dedignare Vasatas?
vel quia Pictonicis tibi fertile rus viret arvis,
Raraunum Ausonias heu devenisse curules 250
1 The Guadalquivir, " the (Jreat River."
2 The Ebro.
y The modern Bourbonnais of the Dep. de l'Allier.
T 4°
THE EPISTLES
home and city, I were dwelling in these far from the
dwellings and highways of men ; dost thou believe
these are the resources of the Iberian land, ignorant
of the Spanish world where laden Atlas took his
stand beneath the load of Heaven, he whose moun-
tain, now the furthest fragment and boundary of the
earth, shuts out with its lofty peak Calpe that lies
betwixt two seas? Are only Bambola, Calahorra,
Lerida, placed to the credit of this land which has its
Saragossa, pleasant Barcelona, and Tarragona looking
from majestic heights down to the sea ?
234 What need for me to tell over the cities,
distinguished for their territories and walls which
prosperous Spain thrusts forth between two seas ;
where Betis 1 swells the Atlantic, Hiberus '-' theTuscan
sea — Spain whose compass occupies the wide inter-
vening tract which parts main from main, setting its
bounds at the extreme verge of the world ? If thou,
O famous master, wert minded to describe the
region where thou dwellest, wouldst thou be content
to leave unnamed cheerful Bordeaux preferring to
write of the pitchy Boii 3 ? And when thou bestowest
thy leisure on the hot springs of Maroialuin 4 and
permittest thyself to live amid shady groves, dwelling
amid cheerful scenery and habitations marvellously
built, dost thou inhabit murky hovels and cabins of
twisted straw amid a wilderness fit for the skin-clad
natives of Bigorre ? Dost thou, a consul, scorn the
proud walls of thine own Rome while not disdaining
Bazas amid its sand hills? Or because the fertile
country and green fields of Poiteau are about thee,
shall I lament that the Ausonian consulate — alas ! —
has sunk to the level of Raraunum, 5 and that the
4 Probably Bagueres de Bigorre.
5 Now Rom or Raum.
141
AUSONIUS
conquerar, et trabeam veteri sordescere fano ;
quae tamen augusta Latiaris in urbe Quirini
Caesareas inter parili titulo palmatas
fulget inadtrito longum venerabilis auro,
florentem retinens meriti vivacis honorem. 255
aut cum Lucani retineris culmine fundi,
aemula Romuleis habitans fastigia tectis,
materiam praebente loco, qui proxima signat,
in Condatino diceris degere vico?
Multa iocis pateant, liceat quoque ludere fictis ; 260
sed lingua mulcente gravem interlidere dentem,
ludere blanditiis urentibus et male dulces
fermentare iocos satirae mordacis aceto
saepe poetarum, numquam decet esse parentum.
namque fides pietasque petunt, ut, quod mala nectens
insinuat castis fama auribus, hoc bona voti 266
mens patris adfigi fixumque haerescere cordi
non sinat. et vulgus scaevo rumore malignum
ante habitos mores, non semper flectere vitam
crimen habet : namque est laudi bene vertere. cum me
inmutatum audis, studium orficiumque require. 271
si pravo rectum, si relligiosa profanis,
luxurie parcum, turpi mutatur honestum,
segnis, iners, obscurus ago, miserere sodalis
in mala perversi : blandum licet ira parentem 275
excitet, ut lapsum rectis instauret amicum
moribus et monitu reparet meliora severo.
1 Elsewhere (e.g. Ejrist. xxvi. 44) called Lucaniacus.
142
THE EPISTLES
official robe grows shabby in some mouldering shrine ;
whereas in fact it hangs in the renowned city of
Roman Quirinus along with the imperial palm-
broidered robes, trophies of like distinction, there
gleaming, long venerable, with unfrayed gold, keep-
ing fresh the glorious bloom of thy deathless achieve-
ment ? Or when thou art lodged under the roof ot
Lucanus, 1 thy country house, inhabiting a pile vying
with the halls of Rome, shall we take the pretext
afforded by the place which gives its name to the
vicinity, saying thou dwellest in the hamlet of
Condate 2 ?
Jtl0 Let much admit of jests, let sportive fiction
also be allowed ; but with a smooth tongue to strike
against an aching tooth, to sport with stinging
compliments, and to season jests ill-relished with the
vinegar of tart satire, oft befits a poet, never a father.
For loyalty and natural affection demand that what
slander-spinning Rumour instils into guileless ears,
that the good-hoping mind of a father should not
suffer to take hold and gain firm lodgment in the
heart. Even the common herd, malignant in its
brutal sneers towards habits formerly observed, does
not always hold it crime to alter one's life : for to
alter wisely is accounted praise. When thou hearest
I am changed, ask what is my pursuit and my
business. If 'tis a change from right to wrong, from
godliness to wickedness, from temperance to luxury,
from honour to baseness, if I live slothful, sluggish,
ignoble, take pity on a comrade strayed into evil ;
a gentle father well may be stirred with anger to
restore a fallen friend to right living and by stern
reproof to bring him back to better things.
2 Cognac, near Saintes.
M3
AUSONIUS
At si forte itidem, quod legi et quod sequor, audis,
corda pio vovisse deo venerabile Cliristi
imperium docili pro credulitate sequentem, 280
persuasumque dei monitis aeterna parari
praemia mortal i damnis praesentibus empta,
non reor id sancto sic displicuisse parenti,
mentis ut errorem credat sic vivere Christo,
ut Christus sanxit. iuvat hoc nee paenitet huius 285
erroris. stultus di versa sequentibus esse
nil moror, aeterno mea dum sententia regi
sit sapiens, breve, quidquid homo est, homo corporis
aegri,
temporis occidui et sine Christo pulvis et umbra :
quod probat aut damnat tanti est, quanti arbiter ipse,
ipse obit atque illi suus est comitabilis error 291
cumque suo moriens sententia iudice transit.
Et nisi, dum tempus praesens datur, anxia nobis
cura sit ad domini praeceptum vivere Christi,
sei-a erit exutis homini querimonia membris, 295
dum levia humanae metuit convicia linguae,
non timuisse graves divini iudicis iras ;
quern patris aeterni solio dextraque sedentem,
omnibus impositum regem et labentibus annis
venturum, ut cunctas aequato examine gentes 300
iudicet et variis referat sua praemia gestis,
credo equidem et metuens studio properante laboro.
si qua datur, ne morte prius quam crimine solvar.
Huius in adventum trepidis mihi credula fibris
M4
THE EPISTLES
2/8 But if perchance thou dost likewise hear — and
'tis what I have chosen and what I pursue — that I
have vowed my heart to our holy God, following in
accord with obedient belief the awful behest of
Christ, and that I am convinced by God's word that
deathless rewards are laid up for man, purchased by
present loss, that, methinks, has not so displeased my
revered father that he thinks it a perversion of the
mind so to live for Christ as Christ appointed. This
is my delight, and this "perversion" I regret not.
That I am foolish in the eyes of those who follow
other aims gives me no pause, if only in sight of the
eternal King my opinion be wise. A short-lived
thing is man at best, man with his frail body and
passing season, dust and a shadow without Christ :
his praise and blame are so much worth as the arbiter
himself. Himself he perishes and his own mistake
must bear him company, and with the judge who
pronounced it a verdict dies and passes.
293 And unless, while this present time is granted,
we take careful heed to live according to the com-
mand of Christ our Lord, too late, when man has
put off his mortal frame, will be his complaint that
while he feared the light rebuke of human tongues, he
feared not the severe wrath of the Heavenly Judge.
And that He sitteth on the throne at the right
hand of the eternal Father, that He is set over all as
king, and that as years roll away He will come to try
all races with even-balanced judgment, and bestow
due rewards upon their several deeds, I for my part
believe, and, fearing, toil with restless zeal that, if
so it may be, I be not cut off by death ere I am cut
off from sin.
304 Against His coming my believing heart trembles
r 45
VOL. II. L
AUSONIUS
corda tremunt gestitque anima id iam cauta futuri, 305
praemetuens, ne vincta aegris pro corpore curis
ponderibusque gravis rerum, si forte recluso
increpitet tuba vasta polo, non possit in auras
regis ad occursum levibus se tollere pinnis,
inter honora volans sanctorum milia caelo, 310
qui per inane levis neque mundi conpede vinctos
ardua in astra pedes facili molimine tollent
et teneris vecti per sidera nubibus ibunt,
caelestem ut medio venerentur in aere regem
claraque adorato coniungant agmina Christo. 315
Hie metus est, labor iste, dies ne me ultimus atris
sopitum tenebris sterili deprendat in aetu,
tempora sub vacuis ducentem perdita curis.
nam quid agam, lentis si, dum coniveo votis,
Christus ab aetheria mihi proditus arce coruscet 320
et, subitis domini caelo venientis aperto
praestrictus radiis, obscurae tristia noctis
suffugia inlato confusus lumine quaeram ?
Quod mihi ne pareret vel diftidentia veri,
vel praesentis amor vitae rerumque voluptas 325
curarumque labor, placuit praevertere casus
proposito et curas finire superstite vita
communemque adeo ventura in saecula rebus
expectare trucem securo pectore mortem.
Si placet hoc, gratare tui spe divite amid : 330
si contra est, Christo tantum me linque probari.
146
THE EPISTLES
with fluttering strings and my soul, even now aware
of what shall he, quakes with forehoding lest,
shackled with paltry cares for the body and weighted
with a load of business, if perchance the awful trump
should peal from the opened heaven, it should fail
to raise itself on light pinions into the air to meet
the Lord, 1 flitting in Heaven amid glorified thousands
of the saints, who through the void up to the stars
on high shall with unlaborious effort uplift light feet,
unshackled with the world's fetters, and wafted on
soft clouds shall pass amid the stars to worship the
Heavenly King in mid air and join their glorious
companies with Christ whom they adore.
316 This is my fear, this my task, that the Last Day
overtake me not asleep in the black darkness of
profitless pursuits, spending wasted time amid empty
cares. For what shall I do if, while I drowse amid
sluggish hopes, Christ, disclosed to me from his
heavenly citadel, should flash forth, and I, dazzled by
the sudden beams of my Lord coming from opened
Heaven, should seek the doleful refuge of murky
night, confounded by the o'erwhelming light ?
3 - 4 Wherefore, that neither doubt of the truth, nor
love of this present life with delight in worldly
things and anxious toil should bring this on me, I
am resolved to forestall calamity by my plan of life,
to end anxieties while life remains, awaiting with
untroubled heart fierce Death, the general doom of
things for ages yet to come.
320 If this thou dost approve, rejoice in thy friend's
rich hope : if otherwise, leave me to be approved by
Christ alone.
1 cp. 1 ThesscUonians iv. 16 f.
r 47
l 2
AUSONIUS
XXXII. — Oratio Paulini
Omnipotens genitor rerum, cui summa potestas,
exaudi, si iusta j)recor. ne sit mihi tristis
ulla dies, placidam nox rumpat nulla quietem.
nee placeant aliena mihi, cpiin et mea prosint
supplicibus null usque habeat mihi vota nocendi 5
aut habeat nocitura mihi. male velle facultas
nulla sit ac bene posse adsit tranquilla potestas.
mens contenta suo nee turpi dedita lucro
vincat cor{)oreas casto bene eonseia leeto
inlecebras, turpesque iocos obscenaque dicta 10
oderit ilia nocens et multum grata malignis
auribus effuso semper rea lingua veneno.
non obitu adfligar cuiusquam aut f une re crescam,
invideam numquam cuiquam nee mentiar umquam.
adsit laeta domus epulisque adludat inemptis 15
verna satur fidusque comes nitidusque minister,
morigera et coniunx caraque ex coniuge nati.
Moribus haec castis tribuit deus : hi sibi mores
perpetuam spondent ventura in saecula vitam.
XXXIII. — <Paulinus Gestidio>
Domino merito suspiciendo Gestidio Fault mis.
Injuria quidem est patri familias maritimis deliciis
abundanti terrenum aliquid et agreste praebere ;
sed ego, ut et causa mihi esset aput unanimitatem
148
THE EPISTLES
XXXII.— A Prayer of Paulinus
Almighty Father of all things, to whom supreme
power belongs, hear, if I pray aright. Let no day be
passed by me in sadness, no night disturb my calm
repose. Let others' goods not attract me, but rather
let my own avail such as implore my aid : may none
have a wish to hurt me or the means to hurt me.
Let me have no occasion to will ill and let the
unruffled power to do well be with me. Let my
mind, content with its own and not given to base
gains, overcome bodily enticements keeping the
conscience of chaste conduct. Let that offending
member, the ever-guilty tongue, well-pleasing to
malicious ears for the poison it sheds, hate lewd
jesting and unseemly words. Let me not be over-
come by any man's decease, nor prosper through the
death of any ; let me never envy any man
nor ever tell a lie. Be mine a cheerful home, and
at my unpurchased x repasts may a well-fed
slave bred in my house, my trusty comrade and
prosperous henchman, serve blithely ; and mine an
obedient wife with children born of my dear wife.
18 Upon pure conduct God bestows such gifts : such
conduct assures itself of life unending against the
world to come.
XXXIII. — Paulinus to Gestidius
Paulinus to the justly respected lord Gestidius.
It is an insult to present a man of standing who
has plenty of sea dainties with anything derived from
the land and country-side. But, that I might have
1 i.e. consisting of "home-grown " products, and so homely,
not luxurious.
149
AUSONIUS
tuam aliquid conloquendi et aliquod sermoni huic
obsequium viderer adiungere, pauculas de paucis-
simis, quas pueruli vespere inferunt, ficedulas misi.
quarum cum erubescerem paucitatem, plura etiam
versiculis verba subtexui, quasi vero numerum
loquacitate facturus. sed quia utraque culpabilia
sunt, tu utrisque benigne ac familiariter ignoscendo
fades, ut nee inhumana videatur paucitas nee
odiosa garrulitas.
Sume igitur pastas dumoso in rure volucres,
quas latitans filieis sub tegmine callidus aueeps,
dum simili mentitur aves fallitque susurro,
agmina viscatis suspendit credula virgis.
tunc referens tenuem non parvo munere praedam 5
digerit aucupium tabulis : et primus opimis
ordo nitet, sensim tenuatus ad ima tabellae.
ut minus offendat macies, praelata saginae
gratia praeventos pingui iuvat alite visus.
XXXI\". — An Eundem
Pauperis ut placeat carum tibi munus amici,
munera ne reputes, quae mittis ditia nobis,
nam tibi quid dignum referam pro piscibus illis,
quos tibi vicinum locupleti gurgite litus
suppeditat miros specie formaque diremptos ? 5
at mihi vix alto vada per saxosa profundo
^5°
THE EPISTLES
excuse for some converse with you, my bosom friend,
and to make a show of accompanying these words of
mine with some token of respect, I am sending a
poor few of the very few fig-peckers which my lads
bring home of an evening. And since I blush for
their small number, I added on more words to my
verses, as though indeed I could increase their
number by my chatter. But since both alike are
open to criticism, you will do a kind and friendly
action by pardoning both, so as to make the fewness
of the birds not appear mean, and my wordiness not
tiresome.
Take, then, these fowl fed in the thickets of the
country-side, which the cunning fowler, lurking
beneath a screen of bracken, while he beguiles and
decoys birds witli a call like their Own, has taken
hanging on his limed twigs — a silly tribe. Then,
bringing home his light prey of no slight price, he
sets out the catch upon his stall : and the array
makes goodly show of prime birds in front gradually
thinning out towards the back of the counter. That
the more skinny may not displease, the fat birds with
their attractive plumpness hold the foremost place,
forestalling and delighting the gaze.
XXXI V. To THE SAME
That thy poor friend's loving gift may find favour
with thee, think not on the rich gifts which thou
sendest me. For what fit return can I make thee for
those fish which the neighbouring shore supplies thee
from its teeming pools, so wondrous in appearance, so
diverse in shape ? But for me in the deep pools amid
151
AUSONIUS
ranis in obscura generatur sphondylus alga.
Iiinc te participans bis quinque et bis tibi ternas
transmisi aequoreo redolentes nectare testas,
quas viscus praedulce replet bicolore medulla. 10
Oro libens sumas, nee vilia dedigneris,
quae sunt parva modum magno metitus amore.
XXXV. — Fraomenta Epistulahum
1 Redite sursum flumina !
2 investigatum ferre dolo leporem.
3 quae tantae tenuere niorae rumore sub omni ?
152
THE EPISTLES
the rocky shallows only a few shellfish are bred
among the dark seaweed. Of these I give thee a
share sending across to thee twice five and twice
three shells smelling of the sea's fragrance, filled with
delicious meat and substance of double hue.
" I pray thee accept them gracefully and despise
them not as little worth : if they are few, use great
love in measuring their quantity.
XXXV. — Fragments of Epistles *
1 Ye rivers, backwards return !
2 To carry off a hare tracked down by craft.
3 What things have kept thee lingering so long,
while Rumour is rife ?
1 These three citations from epistles no longer extant
are preserved by an anonymous grammarian of the seventh
century.
iS3
LIBER XIX
EPIGRAMMATA AUSONII DE DIVERS1S
REBUS
I
I. — Upo(r(DTro7roda IN Chart am
Si tineas cariemque pati te, cbarta, necesse est,
incipe versiculis ante perire meis.
"malo, inquis, tineis." sapis, aerumnose libelle,
perfungi mavis quod leviore malo.
ast ego damnosae nolo otia perdere Musae, 5
iacturam somni quae parit atque olei.
"utilius dormire fuit, quam perdere somnum
atque oleum." bene ais : causa sed ista mini est :
irascor Proculo, cuius facundia tanta est,
quantus honos. scripsit plurima, quae cohibet. 10
hunc studeo ulcisci ; et prompta est ultio vati :
qui sua non edit carmina, nostra legat.
huius in arbitrio est, seu te iuvenescere cedro,
seu iubeat duris vermibus esse cibum.
huic ego, quod nobis superest ignobilis oti, 15
deputo, sive legat, quae dabo, sive tegat.
1 Possibly the son of Titianus, Count of the East in 382-3,
executed 392 a.d.
'54
BOOK XIX
EPIGRAMS OF AUSONIUS ON VARIOUS
MATTERS
I
I. — A Personal Address to his Paper
If worms and decay must needs be thy lot, my
sheet, begin to perish under my verses first.
"Rather," thou sayest, "the worms." Wisely, my
woeful little book, dost thou choose to endure the
lesser evil. But I like not to lose the leisure given
to the wasteful Muse, who causes loss of slumber and
lamp-oil too. " It had been better to sleep than to
lose both slumber and oil." Well said : but this is
my reason for it. I am angry with Proculus x whose
eloquence is equal to his rank. He has written
reams, but keeps all close. On him I long to be
avenged, and a poet has vengeance ready to hand :
let him who publishes not his own verse read mine.
For him is it to decide whether to bid thee keep thy
youth with cedar oil, 2 or to be food for cruel worms.
To him I commit all that I have to show for my
inglorious leisure, either to scan what I shall give
him or to ban it.
2 Cedar-oil was used to preserve books from the attacks of
worms.
155
AUSONIUS
II. — EXHORTATIO AD MoDESTIAM
Fama est fictilibus cenasse Agathoclea regem
atque abacum Samio saepe onerasse luto,
fercula gemmatis cum ponevet horrida 1 vasis
et miseeret opes pauperiemque simul.
quaerenti eausam respondit : " Rex ego qui sum
Sicaniae, h'gulo sum genitore satus."
fortunam reverenter habe, quicumque repente
dives ab exili progrediere loco.
III. — In Eumpinam 2 Adulteram
Toxica zelotypo dedit uxor moecha inarito,
nee satis ad mortem credidit esse datum,
miscuit argenti letalia pondera vivi,
cogeret ut celerem vis geminata necem.
dividat haec si quis, faciunt discreta venerium ; 5
antidotum sumet, qui sociata bibet.
ergo inter sese dum noxia pocula certant,
cessit letalis noxa salutiferae.
protinus et vacuos alvi petiere recessus,
lubrica deiectis qua via nota cibis. 10
quam pia cui'a deum ! prodest crudelior uxor :
et, cum fata volunt, bina venena iuvant.
IV. — In Eunomum Medicum
Languentem Gaium moriturum dixerat olim
Eunomus. evasit fati ope, non medici.
1 So F: aurea, Z.
2 So VZ •. Kuripulam ? ( = Euripylam), Peiper : Euripinam
Schenli.
156
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
II. — An Exhortation to Moderation
'Tis said that Agathocles * when king dined off
earthen plates and that his sideboard oft bare a load
of Samian ware, whereas he used to lay his rustic
trays with jewelled cups, thus mingling wealth and
poverty together. To one who asked his reason he
replied : " I, who am king of Sicily, was born a
potter's son."
7 Bear good fortune modestly, whoe'er thou art
who from a lowly place shall rise suddenly to
riches.
III. To EUMPINA A FAITHLESS WlFE
A faithless wife gave poison to her jealous spouse,
but believed that not enough was given to cause
death. She added quicksilver of deadly weight, that
the poison's redoubled strength might force on a
speedy end. If one keep these apart, separate they
act as poison ; whoso shall drink them together, will
take an antidote. Therefore while these baleful
draughts strove with each other, the deadly force
yielded to the wholesome. Forthwith they sought
the void recesses of the belly by the accustomed easy
path for swallowed food.
11 Mark well the loving kindness of the gods ! A
wife too ruthless is a gain, and, when the Fates will,
two poisons work for good.
IV. — To Eunomus a Physician
Eunomus had once pronounced that Gaius would
die of his sickness. He slipped away, Fate— not the
1 King or tyrant of Sicily, 317-289 B.C.
157
AUSON1US
paulo post ipsum videt, aut vidisse putavit,
pallentem et multa mortis in ertigie.
" Quis tu ? " " Gaius," ait. " Vivisne ? " hie abnuit. 5
" Et quid
nunc agis hie? " " Missu Ditis, ait, venio,
ut, quia notitiam rerumque hominumque tenerem,
accirem medicos." Eunomus obriguit.
turn Gaius : " Metuas nihil, Eunome. dixi ego et
omnes,
nullum, qui saperet, dicere te medicum." 10
V. — In Hominem Vocis absonae
Latratus eatulovum, hinnitus fingis equorum,
caprigenumque pecus lanigerosque greges
balatu adsimulas ; asinos quoque rudere dicas,
cum vis Arcadicum Hngere, Marce, peeus.
gallorum cantus et ovantes gutture corvos 5
et quidquid vocuin belua et ales habet,
omnia cum simules ita vere, ut ficta negentur,
noil potes humanae vocis habere sonum,
VI. — De Auximo Grammatico
Em en data potest quaenam vox esse magistri,
aomen qui proprium cum vitio loquitur?
auxilium te nempe vocas, inscite magister?
da rectum casum : iam solicismus eris.
1 i.e. asses.
158
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
doctor — aiding. A little afterwards the doctor saw,
or thought he saw, the man, pale, and in death's
very likeness. " Who art thou ? " he asked.
" Gaius," he answered. "Art thou alive?'' He
answered " No." " And what now dost thou here ? "
"I come," said he, "at the behest of Dis, because I
still retained knowledge of the world and men, to
summon to him doctors." Eunomus grew stiff with
fright. Then Gaius : " Fear nothing, Eunomus : I
said, as all men say, that no man who is wise calls
you a doctor."
V.— To a Man with a discordant Voice
Whelps' barking, horses' neighing thou dost copy,
and imitate the bleating of herds of goats and
woolly flocks, and a man would say asses were bray-
ing, when thou, Marcus, wouldst mimic the Arcadian
herd. 1 The cock's crow, the raven's throaty caw and
whatever cry is uttered by beast or bird — though
these thou canst imitate so naturally that no one
believes them feigned, thou canst not command the
sound of the human voice.
VI. — On Auxilius a Grammar-Master
How can a master speak a word correctly who
cannot utter his own name without mistake ? "Aux -
ilium - " (a help) callest thou thyself forsooth, ignorant
usher ? Give the nominative : straightway thou wilt
be a solecism !
2 There is a play on the word as both a proper and a
common noun.
159
AUSONIUS
VII. — De Philomuso Grammatico
Emptis quod libris tibi bibliotheca referta est.
doctum et grammaticum te, Philomuse, putas?
hoc genere et chordas et plectra et barbita condes
omnia mercatus eras citharoedus eris.
VIII. — De Rufo Riietore
" Reminisco " Rufus dixit in versu suo :
cor ergo versus, iinmo Rufus, non habet.
IX. — In Statu am eiusdem Rhetoris
Rhetoris liaec Rufi statua est: nil verius ; ipse est,
ipse, adeo linguam non habet et cerebrum.
et riget et surda est et non videt : haec sibi constant ;
unum dissimile est: mollior ille fuit.
X. — Idem
"Ore pulcro, et ore muto, scire vis quae sini ? "
"Volo."
" Imago Run rhetoris Pictavici."
" Diceret set ipse, vellem, rhetor hoc mi." "Non
potest."
" Cur ? " " Ipse rhetor est imago imaginis."
XI. — Idem
" Rhetoris haec Rufi statua est?" "Si saxea, Rufi."
"Cur id ais?" "Semper saxeus ipse fuit."
1 For remini8Cor : cor in 1. '2 = wit, intelligence.
I 60
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
VII. — On Philomusus a Grammar-Master
Because with purchased books thy library is
crammed, dost think thyself a learned man and
scholarly, Philomusus ? After this sort thou wilt
lay up strings, keys, and lyres, and, having pur-
chased all, to-morrow thou wilt be a musician.
VIII. — On Rufus a Rhetorician
Reminisco? wrote Rufus in his verse : so then the
verse — nay, Rufus — has no cor (wit).
IX. — For a Statue ok the same Rhetorician 2
This is a statue of Rufus the Rhetorician ; nothing
more life-like : 'tis the man himself, so much lacks
it tongue and brain. Tis stiff" and dumb and sees
not : in these points it tallies. One single point of
difference is there — he was a little softer.
X. — The same Subject
« With lips so fair and lips so dumb, wouldst know
who I am ? " "I would." " I am a figure of Rufus
the Pictavian rhetorician." " Nay, I would have the
rhetorician tell me this himself." "He cannot.''
"Why?" "The real rhetorician is an image of
this image."
XI. — The same Subject 3
" Is this a statue of Rufus the rhetorician ? " " If
'tis of stone, 'tis Rufus's." " Why sayest thou so ? "
" Rufus himself was always made of stone."
-' cp. Anth. Pal. xi. 145, 149, 151.
:; cp, id. xvi. 317.
i6r
VOL. II. M
AUSONIUS
XI I. — Idkm
Eunguem (juis te dicentis imagine pinxit?
die mihi, Rule, taces? nil til)i tarn simile est.
XIII.— Idem
" Haec Rufi tabula est." "Nil verius. ipse ubi
Rufus ? "
" In cathedra." " Quid agit ? " " Hoe, quod et in
tabula."
XIV. — De eo qui Thesaurum repperit cum se
Laqueo vellet suspendere
[ex Graeco]
Qui laqueum collo nectebat, repperit aurum
thesaurique loco deposuit laqueum.
at qui eondiderat, postquam non repperit aurum,
aptavit collo quern reperit laqueum.
X\ r . — Ex Graeco
Incipe : dimidium facti est coepisse. superfit
dimidiuin : rursum hoc incipe et etticies.
XVI.— Ex Graeco
d X"/ 3 ' 5 '"■ fipaSvirovs adapts X"F ls
G RATI A; quae tarda est, ingrata est. gratia namque
cum fieri properat, gratia grata magis.
1 = An/h. Pal. xvi. 31b. - = id. ix. 44. :; Lueian, Somn. 3.
162
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XII. — The same Subject ]
Who painted thee, Rufus, tongue-tied, in the like-
ness of a speaking man ? Tell me, Rufus. Thou
art silent? Nothing is more like you.
XIII. — The same Subject
"This is a picture of Rufus." "Nothing more
lifelike. Where is Rufus himself?" " In his chair."
"What is he doing?" "The same as in the
picture."
XIV. — On the Man who found a Treasure when
HE MEANT TO HANG HIMSELF (FROM THE Greek) 2
He who was knotting a halter for his own neck,
found gold and buried the halter in the treasure's
place. But he who had hidden the gold, not
finding it, fitted about his neck the halter which he
found.
XV. — From the Greek
The beginning is half the whole. z
Begin : to have commenced is half the deed. Half
yet remains : begin again on this and thou wilt
finish all.
XVI. — From the Greek 4
" Favours sloiv-footed are unfavoured favours."
Favours which tarry meet small favour. For a
favour when it hastes to be performed, is a favour
more favoured. 5
4 = Av/h. Pah x. 30. ■' i.e. more acceptable.
163
M 2
AUSONIUS
XVII- -E.X BODEM
Si l>ene quid facias, facias cito. nam cito factum
gratum crit. ingratum gratia tarda tacit.
XVIII. — Dk ko yui Capanf.cm saltans ruit
Deceptae felix casus se miscuit arti :
bistrio, saltabat qui Capanea, ruit.
XIX. — In Dodralem
Dodra ex dodrante est. sic collige : ius, aqua, vinum,
sal, oleum, panis, mel, piper, herba : aovem.
XX. — Idem
" Dodra vocor." " Quae causa ? " " Xovem species
. gero." " Quae sunt ? "
"Ius, aqua, mel, vinum, panis, piper, berba, oleum,
sal."
XXI.— Idem
AoSpa iroTov Kcii apiOpos, l^a) fie\i, ohor, eXaiov.
aprov, u\as, (3<>Ta\n]i', £w/a6V, vSwp, irhcept.
XXII. — Ad Marcum Amicum de Discordia ol am
HABET CUM PUELLIS
" Hanc amo quae me odit, contra illam quae me
amat, odi.
compone inter nos, si potes, alma Venus! "
1 i.e. the acrobat made a slip and fell, but as he was in the
part of Capaneua, the accident was appropriate, cp. Anth.
164
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XVII. — From the same
If thou doest aught good, do it quickly. For what
is done quickly will be acceptable. Favours slow
granted are unfavourably received.
XVIII. — On an Acrobat who fell while dancing
AS CaPANEUS
A happy chance combined with a fault in skill :
a tumbler, dancing the part of Capaneus, fell to the
ground. 1
XIX. — On a Brew called "Dodra"
Dodra* ("nines") is from dodrans (nine-twelfths).
Thus compound : broth, water, wine, salt, oil, bread,
honey, pepper, herbs : there's nine !
XX. — The same Subject
" I am called dodra." " Why so? " " I am made
of nine ingredients.'' " What are they ? " " Broth,
water, honey, wine, bread, pepper, herbs, oil, salt."
XXI. — The same Subject
I, dodra, brew and number both, contain honey,
wine, oil, bread, salt, herbs, broth, water, pepper.
XXII. — To Marcus a Friend on his Lack ok Con-
cord with Girls
" I love one girl who hates me, and again another
who loves me I hate. Settle the trouble between us,
Pal. xi. '254, 1—4. Capaneus, one of the Seven against
Thebes, was smitten by a thunderbolt and fell from the walls.
2 A drink compounded of nine ingredients.
i6 5
AUSONIUS
" Perfacile id faciam : mores mutabo et amores ;
oderit liaec, amet haec." " Rursus idem patiar."
" Vis ambas ut ames ? " "Sidiligat utraque, vellem." 5
" Hoc tibi tu praesta, Marce : ut aniens, ama."
XXIII. — Dyseros
"Suasisti, Venus, ecce, duas dyseros ut amarem.
odit utraque : aliud da modo consilium."
" Vince datis ambas." " Cupio : verum arta domi res."
" Pellice promissis." "Nulla fides inopi."
" Antestare deos." " Nee fas mihi fallere divos." 5
" Pervigila ante foi - es." " Nocte capi metuo."
"Scribe elegos." " Nequeo, Musarum et Apollinis
expers."
"Frange fores." " Poenas iudicii metuo."
" Stulte, ab amore mori pateris : non vis ob amorem ? "
" Malo miser dici, quam miser atque reus." 10
" Suasi, quod potui : tu alios modo consule." "Die
quos ? "
" Quod sibi suaserunt, Phaedra et Elissa dabunt,
quod Canace Phvllisque et fastidita Phaoni." 1
"Hoc das consilium? tale datur miseris."
XXIV. — De ID QUI TESTAM HoMINIS INM1SERICOR-
DITER DISSIPARE VOLUIT
Abiecta iii triviis inhumati glabra iacebat
testa hominis, nudum iam cute calvitium.
1 So V : Phaedra el Elissa tibi dent laqueum aut gladium,
praecipitem pelago vel Leucados elige nipem, Z.
166
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
sweet Venus, if thou canst.'' "Right easily will I :
I will change thy leanings and thy loves; the one
shall hate, the other love." "Again I shall suffer
the same fate." " Wouldst love them both ? " "If
both should love me, I would." " Bestow this, Marcus,
on thyself: to be beloved, love."
XXIII. A poor Lover
" Lo, Venus, thou hast persuaded me to love two
girls, a luckless lover. Each hates me : give me
another counsel now." Ci Overcome both with gifts."
" Fain would I : but scant is my store at home."
" Tempt them with promises." " A poor man has no
credit." "Swear by the gods." "But 'twere a sin
to deceive the gods." " Keep watch before their
doors." "I fear to be caught at night." "Write
sonnets." "I cannot, having no skill of the
Muses and Apollo." " Break down their doors."
"I fear the legal penalties." "Fool, thou dost let
thyself be killed by love : wouldst thou not die for
love ? " " I would rather be called poor fellow than
poor prisoner." " I have advised thee all I can :
now take others' counsel." "Tell me whose?"
" Phaedra and Elissa will give the advice they gave
themselves, Canace, too, and Phyllis, and she whom
Phaon scorned." " Do you give this counsel ? Such
is given to the unhappy ! "
XXIV. — On the Man who pitilessly tried to
BREAK IN PIECES A HtlMAN Skill.
The bare skull of an unburied man lav cast awav
where three roads met — a bald thing now stripped of
167
AUSONIUS
Heverunt alii : fletu non niotus Achilas,
insuper et silicis verbere dissicuit.
eminus ergo icto rediit lapis ultor ab osse
auctorisque sui frontem oculosque petit.
sic utinam certos manus impia dirigat ictus,
auctorem ut feriant tela retorta suum.
II
XXV. — CoMMENDATIO CoDICIS
Est quod mane legas, est et quod vespere ; laetis
seria miscuhnus, tempore uti placeant.
nou unus vitae color est nee carininis unus
lector; habet tempus pagina quaeque suum ;
hoc mitrata Venus, probat hoc galeata Minerva ;
Stoicus has partes, has Epicurus aniat ;
salva mihi veterum maneat dum regula inorum,
plaudat permissis sobria musa iocis.
XXVI.— [De AugustoI]
Phoebe patens numeris, praeses Tritonia bellis,
tu quoque ab aerio praepes Victoria lapsu,
come serenatum duplici diademate frontem
serta ferens, quae dona togae, quae praemia pugnac.
bellandi fandique potens Augustus honoiem 5
bis meret, ut geminet titulos, qui proelia Musis
tempeiat vl Geticum moderatur Apolline Martem.
1 Sii|>|d. Pulmann.
1 This collection as a whole is found only in the Z group oi
MSS., i.e. in the first published collection of Ausonius's
work : see Introduction.
1 68
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
skin. Other men wept : by weeping all unmoved,
Achilas even struck and cleft it with a stone. And
so the avenging stone, glancing from the skull, flew
hack and caught the face and eves of him who
threw it. So may an impious hand ever aim its
deadly blows, that the weapon may rebound and
smite the wieldcr.
II 1
XXV. — A Rf.( ommendation oe his Book
.Hkke is what thou mavest read at morn, here also
what at eve ; I have mingled grave with gay, each to
give pleasure at its season. Life wears not one hue,
nor has my verse one reader only ; each page has its
due season ; mitred Venus approves this, helmed
Minerva that ; the Stoic loves this part, Epicurus
that. So long as the code of ancient manners
remains by me unbroken, let the grave Muse applaud
at lawful jests.
XXVI.— On Augustus
Phoebus, thou lord of song and thou, Tritonia,
queen of war, thou also, Victory, down-swooping in
dizzy Hight, deck with a two-fold diadem an unknitted
brow 2 : bring garlands, those which are gifts in
peace, those which are prizes in fight. Mighty in
war and eloquence, Augustus" doubly wins renown,
so that he claims a two-fold title, since by the
Muses' aid he allays wars and by Apollo's restrains
'-' i.e. on the Emperor's brow, no longer sternly knitted in
war.
3 i.e. Gratian.
169
ALISON I US
anna inter Chunosque truces furtoque nocentes
Sauromatas, quantum cessat de tempore belli,
indulget Clariis tantum inter castra Camenis. 10
vix posuit volucres stridentia tela sagittas :
Musarum ad calamos fertur raanus, otia nescit
et commutata meditatur arundine carmen :
sed carmen non molle modis ; bella horrida Martis
Odrysii Thi'aessaeque viraginis arma retractat. 15
exulta, Aeacide : celebraris vate superbo
rursum Romanusque tibi contingit Homerus.
XXVII. — [De Fera a Caesare interfecta 1 ] •
Cedere quae lato nescit fera saucia f'erro
armatique urget tela cruenta viri,
(juam grandes parvo patitur sub vulnere mortes
et solam leti vim probat esse manum !
mirantur casusque novos subitasque ruinas : 5
nee contenta ictos letaliter ire per artus,
coniungit mortes una sagitta duas.
plurima communi pereunt si fulminis ictu,
haec quoque de caelo vulnera missa putes. 10
XXVIII. — An Fontkm Danuvii Iussu Valentiniani
AUGUSTI
Ii.i.vrk is regnator aquis, tibi, Nile, secundus
Danuvius laetum profero fonte caput.
1 Suppl. A vanlius.
1 The Muses are called Clariau from their connection with
Apollo, who was worshipped at Claros, Dear Colophon.
170
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
the Getic Mars. Midst arms and Huns ferocious and
Sauromatae dangerous in stealth, whatever rest he
has from hours of war, in camp he lavishes it all
upon the Clarian 1 Muses. Scarce has he laid aside
his swift arrows, those whirring darts : 'tis to the
Muses' shafts he turns his hand, repose he knows
not, and setting the reed to new employ essays a
song : yet 'tis a song not soft of strain ; the frightful
wars of Odrysian Mars and the prowess of the
Thracian warrior-maid he treats anew. Rejoice,
thou son of Aeacus ! Thou art sung once more by
a lofty bard and thou art blessed with a Roman
Homer. 2
XXVII. — On a Wild Beast slain by Caesar
The beast which knows not how to yield when
pierced with the broad steel, but hurls itself upon
the gory spear of a full-armed man, how marvellous
the death it suffers from a tiny wound, showing that
on the hand alone death's might depends. Men
wonder at swift disasters and sudden downfalls
and not content to drive its deadly course through
the stricken limbs, a single arrow deals two deaths
at once. If full many deaths come from one light-
ning stroke, these wounds also thou mayest deem
sent from heaven.
XXVIII.— On the Source of the Danube. Written
by Command of the Emperor Vai.entiniw
Lord among streams of Illyricum, next to t lice
in greatness, O Nile, I, Danube, from inv source put
- (iiatian appears to have been composing an epic on
Achilles.
171
AUSONIUS
salvere Augustus iubeo, natiunque patremque,
armiferis alvi cjuos ego Pannoniis.
nuntius Euxino iam nunc volo currere ponto, .")
ut sciat hoc superum cura secunda Valens,
caede, fuga, flammis stratos periisse Suebos
nee Rheninn Gallis limitis esse loco,
quod si lege maris refluus mihi curreret amnis,
hue possem victos inde referre Gothos. 10
XXIX. — Valentiniano Iuniori in Sign dm
MARMOREUM
Nunc te marmoreum pro sumptu feeimus : at cum
Augustus frater remeaverit, aureus esto.
XXX. PlCTURAE SUBDITI UB1 LEO UNA SAGITTA A
Gratiano OCCISUS EST
Quod leo tarn tenui patitur sub harundine letuin,
non vires ferri, sed ferientis agunt.
XXXI. — Ad Fontem Dandvii Jdssd Valentiniani
Augusti
Dandvids penitis caput occultatus in oris
totus sub vestra iam dicione Huo :
qua gelidum fontem mediis eftundo Suebis,
impciiis gravidas qua sect) Pannonias,
1 Valentinian I. and Gratian : Valentinian's father, another
Gratian, was a Pannonian.
2 For the events commemorated see Introduction.
172
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
forth my head in joy. I bid the Emperors hail,
father and son, 1 whom I have nurtured amid the
sword-wearing Pannonians. As herald to the Euxine
Sea even now I long to speed, that Valens, who is
Heaven's next care, may learn of this — -that with
slaughter, Might, and fire the Swabians 2 are hurled
to destruction, and Rhine no longer is accounted the
frontier of Gaul. But if at the sea's behest my
stream should flow backwards may I hither bring
from there news that the Goths are vanquished.
XXIX. — To Valentinian the Younoer. For a
marble Statue
Now we have made thee of marble, as our means
afford : but when thine Emperor-brother is returned,
he thou of gold. 8
XXX. — Lines inscribed under a Picture showing
a Lion slain by Gratian with a sinole Arrow
The death which the lion suffers through so frail
a reed is due, not to the weapon's power, but to the
wielder's.
XXXI. — To the Source of the Danube. By Command
ok the Emperor Valentinian
I, Danube, whose head was once concealed in
lands remote, now flow at full length under your
sway : where 'midst the Suebi I pour forth my chill
source, where I divide the Pannonias pregnant with
3 cp. Virgil, Eel. vii. 35 f. : nunc te marmoreum pro tem-
pore feeimus ; at tu, Si fetura gregem suppleverit, aureus
esto.
173
AUSONIUS
et qua dives aquis Scythico solvo ostia ponto, 5
omnia su^ vestrum flumina mitto iugum.
Augusto dal)itur sed proxima palma Valenti :
inveniet fontes liic quoque, Nile, tuos.
XXXII.— In Echo Pictam
Vane, quid adfeetas faciem mihi ponere, pietor,
ignotamque oeulis sollieitare deam ?
Aeris et Linguae sum filia, mater inanis
indicii, vocem quae sine mente gero.
extremos pereunte modos a fine reducens, 5
ludificata sequor verba aliena meis.
auribus in vestris habito penetrabilis Ecbo :
et, si vis similem pingere, pinge sonum.
XXXIII. — In Simulacrum Occasionis et
Paenitentiae
Cuius opus ? Phidiae : qui signum Pallados, eius
quique Iovem fecit ; tertia palma ego sum.
sum dea quae rara et paucis occasio nota.
quid rotulae insistis ? stare loco nequeo.
quid talaria babes ? volucris sum. Mercurius quae 5
fortunare solet, trado ego, cum volui.
crine tegis faciem. cognosci nolo, sed bens tu
occipiti calvo es ? ne tenear fugiens.
quae tibi iuncta comes ? dicat tibi. die rogo, quae sis.
sum dea, cui nomen nee Cicero ipse dedit. 10
1 Because Valentinian was of Pannonian origin.
174
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
empire, 1 and where witli wealth of waters I open my
mouth to the Scythian sea, all my streams 1 cause to
pass beneath your Roman yoke. To Augustus shall
the chief palm be given, but the next to Valens : he
too shall find out sources — even thine, O Nile.
XXXII. — To a Painting op Echo
Fond painter, why dost thou essay to limn my
face, and vex a goddess whom eyes never saw ? I
am the daughter of Air and Speech, mother of empty
utterance, in that I have a voice without a mind.
From their dying close I bring back failing strains
and in mimicry repeat the words of strangers with
my own. I am Echo, dwelling in the recesses of
your ears : and if thou wouldst paint my likeness,
paint sound.
XXXIII. — For a Figure of Opportunity and Regret
" Whose work art thou ? " " Pheidias's : his who
made Pallas' statue, who made Jove's : his third
masterpiece am I. I am a goddess seldom found
and known to few, Opportunity my name." " Why
stand'st thou on a wheel?" "I cannot stand still."
" Why wearest thou winged sandals ? " "I am
ever flying. The gifts which Mercury scatters at
random I bestow when I will." " Thou coverest thy
face with thy hair." " I would not be recognised."
" But — what ! — art thou bald at the back of thy
head?" "That none may catch me as I flee."
" Who is she who bears thee company ? " " Let her
tell thee." "Tell me, I beg, who thou art." "I
am a goddess to whom not even Cicero himself gave
T 75
AUSONIUS
sum dea, quae factique et non faeti exigo poenas,
nempe ut paeniteat. sic metanoea vocor.
tu modo die, quid agat tecum, quandoque volavi,
haec manet ; hanc retinent, quos ego praeterii.
tu quoque dum rogitas, dum percontando moraris, 15
elapsam dices me tibi de manibus.
XXXIV. — Ad Gallam Puellam iam senescentem
Dicebam tibi : " Galla, senescimus ; effugit aetas,
utere rene tuo : casta puella anus est."
sprevisti. obrepsit non intellecta senectus
nee revocare potes, qui periere, dies,
nunc piget et quereris, quod non aut ista voluntas 5
tunc fuit, aut non est nunc ea fonna tibi.
da tamen amplexus oblitaque gaudia iunge.
da : foliar, et si non quod volo, quod volui.
XXXV. — De Lepohe capto a Cane Marino
Trinacrii quondam currentem in litoris ora
ante canes leporem caeruleus rapuit.
at lepus : " In me omnis terrae pelagique rapina est,
forsitan et caeli ; si canis astra tenet."
1 = jxerdvoia, primarily change of disposition and purpose,
then the emotion accompanying such change, and finally
"regret," "remorse" generally.
,76
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
a name. I am a goddess who exacts penalties for
what is done and what undone, to cause repentance.
So I am called Metanoea. 1 " " Do thou 2 now tell me
what does she along with thee ? '' " When I have
down away she remains : she is retained by those
I have passed by. Thou also Avhilst thou keepest
asking, whilst thou tarriest with questioning wilt say
that I have slipped away out of thy hands."
XXXIV. — To a Maid, Gam, a, now growing old 3
I used to say to thee : " Galla, we grow old, Time
Hies away, enjoy thy life : a chaste girl is an old
woman." Thou didst scorn my warning. Age has
crept upon thee unperceived, nor canst thou call
back the days that are gone. Now thou art sorry
and dost lament, either because then thou wert dis-
inclined, or because now thou hast not that former
beauty. Yet give me thine embrace and share for-
gotten joys with me. Give : I will take, albeit not
what I would, yet what T once would.
XXXV. — On a Hare caught by a Ska-Dog 4
Once on the strand of Sicily a sea-dog snapped up
a hare speeding before the hounds. Then said the
hare: "Against me both sea and land direct their
ravages, perchance heaven also ; since there is a Dog
among the stars."
2 The poet here turns again to Opportunity.
3 After A nth. Pal. v. 21.
4 id. ix. 18.
'77
VOL. II. N
AUSONIUS
XXXVI. — Df. Pergamo Scriptobe fugitivo qui
CAPTUS FUERAT
Tam segnis scriptor, quain lentus, Pergame, cursor,
fugisti et prinio captus es in stadio.
ergo notas scripto tolerasti, Pergame, vultu
et quas neglexit dextera, frons patitur.
XXXVII. — <In eundf.m Pergamum x >
Pergame, non recte punitus fronte subisti
supplicium, lentae quod meruere maims.
at tu, qui dominus, peccantia membra eoherce :
iniustum falsos excruciare reos.
aut inscribe istam, quae non vult scribere, dextram,
aut profugos ferri pondere necte pedes.
XXXVIII. — De Myrone qui Laidis Noctem
rogaverat
Canus rogabat Laidis noctem Myron :
tulit repulsam protinus
causamque sensit et caput fuligine
fucavit atra candid um.
idemque vultu, crine non idem Myron 5
orabat oratum prius.
sed ilia formam cum capillo comparans
similemque, non ipsum, rata
(lortasse et ipsum, sed volens ludo frui)
sic est adorta callidum : 10
" Inepte, quid me, quod recusavi, rogas ?
patri negavi iam tuo."
1 Combined in the MSS. with the foregoing epigram •
.78
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XXXVI. — On Pergamus, a Runaway Scribe, who had
BEEN CAUGHT
As lazy a scribe as a sluggish runner, thou, Perga-
mus, didst run away and wert caught at the first lap.
Therefore thou hast felt letters 1 branded, Pergamus,
upon thy face, and those which thy right hand
neglected thy brow endures.
XXXVII. — On the same Pergamus
Pergamus, when thou wast punished 'twas not just
thy brow should bear the penalty which thy slow
hands earned. Nay, do thou, their master, control
thy errant limbs : it is unfair to torment those not
really guilty. Either mark that right-hand which
will not make a mark, or shackle those errant feet
with an iron weight.
XXXVIII. — On Myron who asked Lais fob an
Assignation 2
Hoar-headed Myron asked Lai's for an assignation,
and was refused outright : he understood the cause,
and dyed his white poll with black soot. In face —
though not in hair — the selfsame Myron, he begged
what he had begged before. But she, contrasting
his features with his hair, and thinking him like,
though not the same (perchance even thinking him
the same, but wishing to enjoy the jest), thus ad-
dressed the artful gallant : " Fool, why askest thou
what I have refused ? I have already rejected thy
father."
1 i.e. fug = fugitivus.
2 cp. Spartianus, Vita Hadriani, xx. 8.
179
N 2
AUSONIUS
XXXIX. — De Opinione quasi de ii.i.o habebat
Kirs Uxor
Laidas et Glyceras, lascivae nomina famae,
coniunx in nostro carmine cum legeret,
hidere me dixit falsoque in amore iocari.
tanta illi nostra est de probitate fides.
XL. — Ad Uxorem
Uxor, vivamus quod viximus, et teneamus
nomina, quae primo sumpsimus in thalamo:
nee ferat ulla dies, ut commutemur in aevo ;
quin tibi sim iuvenis tuque puella mihi.
Nestore sim quamvis provectior aemulaque annis 5
vincas Cumanam tu quoque Deiphoben ;
nos ignoremus, quid sit matura senectus.
scire aevi meritum, non numerare decet.
XLI. — In Meroen Anum ebriosam
Qui primus, meroe, nomen tibi condidit, die
Thesidae nomen condidit Hippolvto.
nam divinare est, nomen componere, quod sit
fortunae et morum vel necis indicium.
Protesilae, tibi nomen sic fata dederunt, 5
victima quod Troiae prima futurus eras.
Idmona quod vatem, medicum quod Iapyga dicunt,
discendas artes nomina praeveniunt.
et tu sic Meroe, non quod sis atra colore,
ut quae Niliaca nascitur in Meroe; 10
1 i.e. the Sibyl of Cumae, daughter of Glaucus (see Virgil,
Aen. vi. 36).
2 See Epitaphia, xii. 1-2 (note).
180
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XXXIX. How HIGHLY THE PoET's WlFE THOUGHT OF
HIM
Of Lais and Glyeera, ladies of naughty fame,
whene'er my wife read in my verse, she said I did but
play and feign strange loves in jest. Sueh is her
confidence in my integrity.
\L._To his Wife
Dear wife, as we have lived, so let us live and
keep the names we took when first we wedded : let
no day ever make us change in lapse of time ; but I
will be thy " Lad " still and thou wilt be my " Lass."
Though I should outlive Nestor, and thou too
shouldst outstrip Deiphobe of Cumae ] in rivalry of
years, let us refuse to know the meaning of ripe age.
Better to know Time's worth than count his years.
XLI. — To Meroe, a drunken Hag
Who first compounded thee thy name, Meroe, he
for Hippolytus, Theseus' son, compounded a name.
For 'tis divining to make such a name as betokens
lot, or character, or death. So, Protesilaiis, the Fates
gave thee thy name, because thou wert to be Troy's
first victim. 2 When men call a poet Idmon, 3 a
physician Iapyx, 4 the names anticipate the arts they
are to learn. Even so art thou Meroe, not because
thou art dusky-hued as one born in Nile-washed
3 Idmon (from the root 18-) was the bard and seer who
accompanied the Argonauts.
4 Iapyx was the physician who tended Aeneas (Virgil, Aen.
xxii. 391 ff.).
181
AUSONIUS
infusum sed quod vinuni nun diluis undis,
potare inmixtum sueta merumque nierum.
XLII. — Ex Graeco traductum de Statua Nemesis
Mk lapidem quondam Persae advexere, tropaeum
ut Herein bello : nunc ego sum Nemesis.
ac sicut Graecis victorious adsto tropaeum,
punio sic Persas vaniloquos Nemesis.
XLIII. — De Thrasybulo Laceoaemonio yui ioh-
TISSIME DIMICANS OCCUBUIT
Excipis adverso quod pectoie vulnera septem,
anna super veheris quod, Thrasybule, tua,
non dolor hie patris est, Pitanae sed gloria maior.
rarum, tarn pulchro funere posse frui.
quern postquam maesto socii posuere feretro, 5
talia magnanimus edidit orsa pater :
" Flete alios, natus lacrimis non indiget ullis,
et mens, et talis, et Lacedaemonius."
XLIV. — Ex Graeco traductum de Matre
MAGNANIMA
M atek Lacaena clipeo obarmans filium,
"Cum hoc," inquit, "aut in hoc redi."
The play upon MeroS . . . merum cannot be reproduced.
2 = A nth. x\]. 263.
3 See EpiM. xxvii. 53 ff. and note.
l82
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
Meroe ; but because thou never slakest wine with
water, being used to drink draughts unallayed of
wine, pure wine. 1
XLII. — Translated from the Greek. 2 On a Statue
of Nemesis
As a stone the Persians once brought me here to
be a trophy of war ; now am I Nemesis. And
even as I stand here a trophy of Greek victory, so as
Nemesis I requite the idly-boasting Persians. 3
XLII I. — On Thrasybulus the Lacedaemonian who
FELL FIGHTING MOST BRAVELY 4
That thou receivest seven gashes all in front, that
thou art borne, Thrasybulus, upon thy shield, this
grieves not thy sire, but adds greater glory to Pitana. 5
Rare is the opportunity of so fair a death. After thy
comrades laid thee upon the mournful bier, these
words did thy stout-hearted sire pronounce : " Weep
ye for others : a son needs not any tears, being mine,
so glorious, and a Spartan."
XLIV. — Translated from the Greek. On a brave
Mother
A Spartan mother slinging her son's shield,
" Return with this," said she, "or upon it."
4 = Anlh. Pal. yii. 229.
fi A Spartan town on the Eurotas.
6 Pint. Apophth. Lacaen. Incert. 15 : t4kvov, ec/>?7, t) rav %
in\ tot.
I8 3
AUSONIUS
XLV. — -In Degenerem divitem Moecho genitum
Quidam superbus opibus et fastu tumens
tantumque verbis nobilis
spernit vigentis clara saecli nominn,
antiqua captans stemmata,
Martem Remumque et conditorem Ronmlum 5
privos parentes nuncupans.
hos ille Serum veste contexi iubet :
hos caelat argento gravi,
ceris inurens ianuarum limina
et atriorum pegmata. 10
credo, quod illi nee pater certus fuit
et mater est vere lupa.
XLVI. — Antisthenis Cynicj Imagini subditi
Inventor primus Cynices ego. " Quae ratio istaec ?
Alcides multo dicitur esse prior."
Aleida quondam fueram doctore secundus :
nunc ego sum Cynices primus, et ille deus.
XLVIL— [De Eodem]
Discipulus melior nulli meliorve magister
et? aperrjv avvefSy kcli \LvviKrjy iTo<f>n]\'.
dicere me novit verum, qui novit utrumque,
K«t 6cov AXxeiSrjv, koli kvvcl AioyeVr;:'.
1 Antisthenes, pupil first of (rorgias, then of Socrates,
founder of the Cynic school, used to quote Heracles as illus-
[84
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XLV. — To a rich Degenerate basely born
A fellow, purse-proud and swollen-headed, high
born in words alone, scorns the illustrious names of
the current age, hankering after an ancient pedigree
and claiming Mars, Remus, and Romulus our
founder as his own special forebears. Their figures
he bids be woven in his silken robes, theirs he chases
on his massy plate, or paints in encaustic on his
threshold and on the ceiling of his halls. True for
him ! For his father was not known and his mother
surely is a bitch.
XLVI. — Written under a Portrait of Antis-
thenes the Cynic
"I am the first discoverer of the Cynic rule."
" How can that be ? Men say Alcides 1 long pre-
ceded thee." "Once I was second with Alcides
for my master ; now I am the first Cynic and he a
god."
XLVII. — On the same
None had a better pupil or a better master in
virtue and the Cynic lore. He knows that I speak
truth who knows each of the two, Alcides the god
and Diogenes the dog (Cvnic).
Dating his doctrine that labour is a good. Diogenes (412-
323 B.C.), disciple of Antisthenes, compared his mantle to the
lion's skin of Heracles.
*8 5
AUSONIUS
xlviii. — mlxobarbaron llbehi patris slgno mar-
moueo in Villa nostra omnium Deorum
argumenta 1iabenti
Ogygidae 1 me Bacchum vocant,
Osirin Aegypti putant,
Mysi Phanacen nominant,
DionysoD Indi existimant,
Romana sacra Liberum, 5
Arabica gens Adoneum,
Lucaniacus Pantheum.
XLIX. — Libeko Patri
AlyvTTTitiiv fxkv Ocripts eyw, Mi'<ru>i' Se <t>am/o/s,
Buk^os ei't ^wotcni', eri (fiBi/xtvoicriv 'ASwj/cus,
7rvpoy€i'?;s, SiKepws, TiTai'oXcVi;?, AioVvaos.
L. — In Corydonem marmoreum
Ai£ \ifAupo<i 7n;8?; iroi/xi]v paj88oC\^os iXair]
eis Ai#os eic Travrwi' Aitos eyw KopuSwv.
LI. — In Simulacrum Sapphus
Lesbia Pieriis Sappho soror addita Musis,
tip.' ivilTI] \vpLKWl', Aovi&wv 8eK(ATr).
LI I. — Deae Veneri
Orta salo, suscepta solo, patre edita Caelo,
Aeneadum genetrix, hie habito alma Venus.
1 ep. Statins. Theb. ii. 586: Ogygiae, MSS.
1 i.e. the Thebans: Ogyges was the mythical founder of
the city. 2 Ausonius' estate.
186
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XLVIII. — An outlandish Medley to a marble
Statue of Liber Pater in my Country House,
having the attributes of various gods
The sons of Ogyges 1 call me Bacchus, Egyptians
think me Osiris, Mysians name me Phanaces, Indians
regard me as Dionysus, Roman rites make me Liber,
the Arab race thinks me Adoneus, Lucaniacus 2 the
Universal God.
XLIX. — To Liber Pater
I am Osiris of the Egyptians, Phanaces of the
Mysians, Bacchus among the living, Adoneus among
the dead, Fire-born, Twy-horned, Titan-slayer, Dio-
nysus.
L. To A MARBLE STATUE OF Coin DON
A goat, a ram, a wallet, a shepherd with his staff',
an olive-tree, all in a monolith make up lithe :i
Corydon.
LI. — To a Figure of Sappho 4
I, Lesbian Sappho, adopted sister of the Muses,
am ninth of the lyrists, 5 tenth of the Aonides.
LI I. — To the Goddess Venus
Risen from the firth, received by earth, Heaven's
child by birth, mother of Aeneas' line, I, kindly
Venus, here do dwell.
3 The play on \l6os . . . \itos cannot full}* be reproduced.
4 cp. Anth. Pal. ix. 506, 571 (11. 7 L).
5 In reference to the Alexandrine Canons of standard
authors (Nine Lyrists, Ten Orators, and so forth).
I8 7
AUSONIUS
LI1I. — Versus in Veste context]
Laudet Achaemenias orientis gloria telas :
molle aurum pallis, Graecia, texe tuis ;
non minus Ausoniain celebret dum fama Sabinam,
parcentem magnis sumptibus, arte parem.
LI V.— Item
Sive probas Tyrio textam subtemine vesteni
sen placet inscripti commoditas tituli,
ipsius hoc dominae concinnat utrumque venustas,
has geminas artes una Sabina eolit.
LV. — De eadem Sabina
Licia qui texunt et carmina, carmina Musis,
licia contribuunt, casta Minerva, til)i.
ast ego rem sociam non dissociabo Sabina,
versibus inscripsi quae mea texta meis.
LV1. — De Puella quam amabat
1 1 \\( volo, quae non vult ; illam, quae vult, ego nolo :
vincere vult animus, non satiare Venus,
oblatas sperno illecebras, detrccto negatas :
nee satiare aniinum nee cruciare volo.
nee bis cincta Diana placet nee nuda Cv there : 5
ilia voluptatis nil habet, haec nimium.
callida sed mediae Veneris mihi venditet artem
femina, quae iungat, quod volo nolo vocant.
1 Again A nzonia bears a double meaning, " western " and
" wife of Ausonius."
- cp. Anth. Pal. xii. 200.
iSS
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
LIII. — Lines woven in a Robe
Let the proud Orient extol its Achaemenian
looms : weave in thy robes, O Greece, soft threads of
gold; but let fame equally renown Ausonian 1 Sabina
who, shunning their costliness, matches their skill.
LIY. — A Second Set
Whether thou dost admire robes woven in Tyrian
looms, or lovest a motto neatly traced, my mistress
with her charming skill combines the twain : one
hand — Sabina's — practises these twin arts.
LV. — On the same Sabina
Some weave yarn and some weave verse : these of
their verse make tribute to the Muses, those of their
yarn to thee, O chaste Minerva. But I, Sabina, will
not divorce mated arts, who on my own webs have
inscribed my verse.
LYL — On the Maid whom he loved 2
Her 1 would have who will not, and her, who
will, 1 would not : Venus would vanquish, not satisfy,
the heart. Charms offered me I scorn, depreciate
those denied : I would neither sate my heart nor
torture it. Neither twice-girt Dian pleases, nor nude
Cythere : the one gives no delight, the other over-
much. Be mine a mistress skilfully to display the
art of attempered love, who can unite what " I
would," " I would not" mean. 3
3 i.e. "who can unite the two attitudes these words
imply."
189
AUSONIl S
LVII. — Dk di obus Fratribus
Xp>}aro5, AkivSvvos, avTOu?>e\(f>cui, oi/cTpa 8e TtKVa,
moribus ambo malis nomina falsa gerunt :
OVO OUTOS ^p^CTTOS, Ol>S OUTOS (ZKlI'SwoS icTTlV.
una potest ambos littera corrigere.
ui Key Xprj(TTo<; e^?/ 7rap dSeA<£oi} 'AkivSiVov a\<f>(L, 5
kiVSwos liic h'et, f rater u^p^cr-ros erit.
L\ III. — De Chresto et Acindyno quibus fuerat
MALE NOMEN IMPOSITUM
Germani fratres sunt, Chrestos, Acindynos alter.
falsum nomen utrique : sed ut verum sit utrique,
alpha suuin Chresto det Acindynos, ipse sine alpha
pennaneat ; verum nomen uterque geret.
LIX. — Quoddam quasi Aenigma de tribus Incestis
"Tris uno in lecto : stuprum duo perpetiuntur.
et duo committunt." " Quattuor esse reor."
"Fallens : extremis da singula crimina et ilium
bis numera medium, qui faeit et patitur."
LX. — De his qui dicunt Reminisco quod non
est Latin um
Qui reminisco putat se dicere posse latine
hie ubi co scriptum est, faceret cor, si cor haberet.
i 90
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
LVII. — On two Brothers
Chrestus and Acindynus, own brothers but hap-
less children, bear names which belie their unhappy
qualities : neither this one is " Gracious/' nor this
" Riskless." One letter can correct them both. It*
Chrestus should borrow alpha ("-less"), from his
brother Acindynus, one will become " Risk " and his
brother will be "Graceless."
LVI1I. — On Chrestus and Acindynus who had
BEEN INAPPROPRIATELY NAMED
These are two own brothers, Chrestus and Acin-
dynus. Both have been wrongly named : but that
both may be set right, let Acindynus give his alpha
to Chrestus, himself remaining without alpha ; each
will be an appropriate name.
LIX.— A Kind of Riddle on three lewd Fellows 1
" Tris uno in lecto : stuprum duo perpetiuntur,
et duo committunt." " Quattuor esse reor."
" Falleris : extremis da singula crimina et ilium
bis numera medium, qui facit et patitur."
LX. — On those who say " Reminisco," which is
not Latin
He who thinks he can say reminisco and speak
Latin, would put cor where co is written, if he had
any sense.
1 = A nth. Pal. xi. 225.
191
AUSONIUS
LXI.— De Verbis Run
Rufus vocatus rhetor olim ad nuptias,
celebri ut fit in convivio,
grammaticae ut artis se peritum ostenderet,
haec vota dixit nuptiis :
" Et masculini et feminini ^ignite 5
generisque neutri filios."
LXII. — De Glaucia inmatura Morte praevento
Laeta bis octono tibi'iam sub consul e pubes
cingebat teneras, Glaucia adulte, genas.
et iam desieras puer anne puella videri :
cum properata dies abstulit omne decus.
sed neque furictorum socius miscebere vulgo 5
nee metues Stygios flebilis umbra laeus,
verum aut Persephonae Cinyreius ibis Adonis,
aut lovis Elysii hi Catamitus en's.
LXIII. — In Signum Marmoreum Niobes
Vivebam : sum facta silcx, quae deinde polita
Praxiteli manibus vivo iterum Niobe.
reddidit artificis manus omnia, sed sine sensu :
hunc ego, cum laesi minima, mm habui.
LXIV. — De Pallade volente certare Armis cum
Venere
Arm ata m vidit V r enerem Lacedaemone Pallas.
"Nunc certemus," ait, "iudice vel Paride."
cui Venus : " Armatam tu me, temeraria, tenmis,
(juae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui? "
1 cp. generally Auth. Pal. ix. 489.
* Meaning apparently that a rhetorician was often invited
and expected to make a speech.
192
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
LXI. — On an Utterance of Rufus *
Rufus the rhetorician, being once invited to a
wedding— a thing oft done at crowded festivals 2 —
to show his skill in grammar, expressed these
wishes for the wedded pair : " May ye get sons of
gender masculine, feminine and neuter."
LXII. — On Glaucias, cut off by an untimely
Death
Glad youth verging upon thy sixteenth year
already was encircling thy soft cheeks' with down,
young Glaucias. And already thou hadst ceased to
seem boy or maid indifferently when the day came
too hurriedly and bare off all thy comeliness. Yet
neither shalt thou join company with the common
throng of dead, nor shalt thou, a piteous shade,
dread the Stygian pools, but thou shalt go thither
as Persephone's Adonis, the son of Cinyras, or thou
shalt be the Ganymede of Elysian Jove.
LXI II. — For a marble Statue of Niobe 3
I used to live : I became stone, and then being
polished by the hand of Praxiteles, I now live again
as Niobe. The artist's hand has restored me all but
sense : that, when I offended gods, I had not.
LXIV. — On Pallas offering to do Combat with
Venus 4
At Lacedaemon Pallas saw Venus armed. " Now,"
quoth she, "let us contend, even with Paris for
judge." Venus replied : " When I am armed, rash
maid, dost thou despise me, seeing that when I con-
quered thee I was bare ? "
3 cp. Anth. xvi. 129. * = Anth. xvi. 174.
VOL. II. O
AUSONIUS
LXV. — De Laide dicante Veneri Speculum buum
Lais anus Veneri speculum dico : dignum habeat se
aeterna aeternum forma ministerium.
at mihi nullus in hoc usus, quia cernere talem,
qualis sum, nolo, qualis eram, nequeo.
LXVI. — [De Castore, Poli.uce et Helena]
Istos tergemino nasci quos cernis ab ovo,
patribus ambiguis et matribus adsere natos.
hos genuit Nemesis, sed Leda puerpura fovit :
Tvndareus pater his et Iuppiter : hie putat, hie scit.
LXVII. — De Imagine Veneris sculpta a Pkaxitele
Vera Venus Gnidiam cum vidit Cvprida, dixit :
" Vidisti nudam me, puto, Praxitele."
" Non vidi, nee fas : sed ferro opus omne polimus.
ferrum Gradivi Martis in arbitrio.
qualem igitur domino scierant placuisse Cvtheren, ;">
talem fecerunt ferrea eaela deam."
LXVIII. — In Buculam Aeream Myron is
Bucula sum, caelo genitoris facta Myronis
aerea : nee lactam me puto, sed genitam.
sic me taurus init, sic proxima bucula mugit.
sic vitulus sitiens ubera nostra petit.
1 rp. Anth. Pal. vi. 1. 2 -p. Gorgias, Helen, i '■'■.
191
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
LXY. — On Lais dedicating her Mirror to Venus 1
I, Lais, grown old, to Venus dedicate my mirror :
let eternal beauty have the eternal service which
befits it. But for me there is no profit in this, for to
behold myself such as I am I would not, such as I
was I cannot.
LXVI. — On Castor, Pollux, and Helen
Those whom thou seest springing from a triple
egg, declare their ancestry doubtful on either side.
These Nemesis conceived, but pregnant Leda bare
them in her womb ; Tyndareus to them was father
and Juppiter : the one believes he is, the other
knows. 2
LXVII. — On a Statue ok Venus sculptured by
Praxiteles 3
The real Venus, when she saw the Cnidian Cypris,
said : " Methinks, Praxiteles, thou hast seen me un-
clad." "I have not seen thee, 'twould be sin : but
'tis with steel I finish every work. Steel is at the
disposal of Mars Gradivus. Therefore my steel chisel
has fashioned a goddess such as the Cvthera whom
it knew to have pleased its lord."
LXVIII. — On the Bronze Heifer of Myron 4
I am a heifer, wrought in bronze by the chisel
of Myron mv creator: nay, I think I was not
wrought but born, so does the bull make for me, so
does the heifer by my side low, so the calf athirst
3 Anth. xvi. 160 {cp. 162).
i cp. Anth. Pal. ix. 713. 726, 730.
'95
O 2
AUSONIUS
mirarisj quod fallo gregem ? gregis ipse magister 5
inter pascentes me numerare solet.
LXIX. — De eadkm Bucula Myronis
Ubera cpiid pulsas frigentia matris aenae,
o vitule, et sucum lactis ab aere petis ?
hunc quoque praestarem, si me pro parte parasset
exteriore Myron, interiore deus.
LXX. — Ad Daedai.um de eadem Bucula
Daedale, cur vana consumis in arte laborem ?
me potius clausa subice Pasiphae.
illecebras verae si vis dare, Daedale, vaccae,
viva tibi species vacca Myronis erit.
LXXI. — De eadem Myronis Bucula iam habente
Spiritum
Aerea mugitum poterat dare vacca Myronis ;
sed timet artificis deterere ingenium.
fingere nam similem vivae, quam vivere, plus est ;
nee sunt facta dei mira, sed artificis.
LXXII. — De eadem Bucula iam habente Spiritum
Aerea bos steteram ; mactata est vacca Minervae ;
sed dea proflatam transtulit hue animam.
et modo sum duplex : pars aerea, pars animata.
haec manus artificis dicitur, ilia deae.
196
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
seeks my udders. Dost wonder that the herd mis-
takes me? The master of the herd himself oft
reckons me with his grazing beasts.
LXIX. — On the same Heifer of Myron
Why thrustest thou at the cold udders of a brazen
dam, O calf, and seekest milky liquid from bronze ?
That also would I supply had Heaven made me
within as Myron without.
LXX. — To Daedalus on the same Heifer
Daedalus, why wastest thou pains in idle craft ?
Rather expose me with Pasiphae enclosed within.
If thou wouldst offer the allurement of a real cow,
Myron's shall be for thee a living image.
LXXI. — On the same Heifer of Myron now
endowed with Breath
Myron's brazen heifer could low aloud, but fears
to spoil the artist's craftsmanship. For to make me
seem alive is more than to make me live ; and not
the works of God are wondrous, but the artist's. 1
LXXII. — On the same Heifer now endowed with
Breath
1 had stood here a brazen heifer ; a cow was
slaughtered to Minerva ; but the goddess transferred
to me the life breathed forth. And now I am two-
fold : part is brazen, part alive. This is ascribed to
the artist's skill, that to the goddess.
1 i.e. natural objects are taken for granted and excite no
wonder : it is the artificial which meets with admiration.
197
AUSONIUS
LXXIII. — Ad Taurum de f.adem Bucula
Quid me, taure, paras specie deceptus inire ?
non sum ego Minoae machina Pasiphaae.
LXXIV. — De eadem Myronis Bucula
Necdum caduco sole, iam sub vespere,
ageret iuvencas cum domum pastor suas,
suam relinquens me monebat ut suam.
LXXV. — De eadem Myronis Bucula
Unam iuvencam pastor forte amiserat,
numerumque iussus reddere
me defuisse conquerebatur, sequi
quae noluissem ceteras.
LXXVI.— <Quae Sexum mutarint>
Vallebanae (nova res et vix credenda poetis,
sed quae de vera promitur historia)
femineam in speciem convertit masculus ales
pavaque de pavo constitit ante oculos.
cuncti admirantur monstrum : sed mollior agna 5
[talia virginea voce puella refert : J ]
" Quid stolidi ad speciem notae novitatis hebetis ?
an vos Nasonis carmina non lcgitis ?
Caenida convertit proles Saturnia Consus
ambiguoque fuit corpore Tiresias. 10
vidit semivirum tons Salmacis Hermaphroditum :
vidit nubentem Plinius Androgynum.
1 Suppl. Tranaltotor
198
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
LXXIII. — To a Bull on the same Heifer
Why seekest thou to make for me, lord of the
herd, beguiled by appearance ? I am no contrivance
of Pasiphae, Minos' wife.
LXXIV. — On the same Heifer of Myron
Ere the sinking sun was set, evening now drawing
on, the neatherd, while he drove his heifers home,
left one of his own and chid me as though one of
his.
LXXV. — On the same Heifer of Myron
A neatherd chanced to have lost a single heifer,
and, bidden to deliver up the tale, complained that I
was missing because I would not follow the others
home.
LXXVI. — They who have changed their Sex
At Vallebana J (a thing strange and scarce credible
in a poet, but which is taken from a truthful tale) a
male bird changed into female form, and an erstwhile
peacock stood a peahen before men's eyes. All
marvelled at the portent ; but a girl softer than any
lamb spake thus with maiden voice : " Fools, why so
amazed to see a thing strange yet not unknown ? Or
do ye not read Naso's verse ? Consus, old Saturn's
son, changed Caenis to a boy and Tiresias was not
always of one sex. The fount Salmacis saw Herma-
phroditus the half-man 2 ; Pliny 3 saw a man-woman
1 Unknown.
•-' See Ovid, Mttam. xii. 189 ft.: iii. 32.'} ft'. ; iv. 285 ff.
; - See Pliny N.H. vii. 30.
199
AUSONIUS
nee satis antiquum, quod Campana in Benevento
unus epheborum virgo repente fuit.
nolo tamen veteris documenta arcessere famae. ] 5
ecce ego sum factus femina de puero."
LXXVII. — Ad Pythagoram de Marco qui
DICEBATUR Pui.LARIA
" Pythagora Euphorbi, reparas qui semina rerum
corporibusque novis das reduces animas,
die, quid erit Marcus iam fata novissima functus,
si redeat vitam rursus in aeriam ? "
"Quis Marcus?" "Feles nuper pullaria dictus, 5
corrupit totum qui puerile secus,
perversae Veneris postico vulnere fossor,
Lucili vatis subpilo pullipremo."
" Non taurus, non mulus erit, non hippocamelus,
non caper aut aries, sed scarabaeus erit." 10
LXXVIII. — De Castore Fellatore qui suam
lingebat Uxorem
Lambere cum vellet mediorum membra virorum
Castor nee posset vulgus habere domi,
repperit, ut nullum fellator perderet inguen :
uxoris coepit lingere membra suae.
LXXIX. SUBSCRIPTUM PlCTURAE MlLIERIS
IMPUDICAE
Pkaetiu legitimi genialia foedera coetus
repperit obscenas veneres vitiosa libido :
Herculis beredi quam Lemnia suasit egestas,
200
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
in the act. Nor is the tale yet old that in Campanian
Beneventum a certain lad suddenly became a maid.
Yet I would not cite you instances of old report : lo,
I was changed from boy to girl."
LXXVII. — To Pythagoras on Marcus who was
said to he a Kidnapper
" Pythagoras, Euphorbus' son, thou who dost
renew the seeds of nature and to fresh bodies dost
assign souls brought back to earth, say, what will
Marcus be who has now felt fate's final stroke, if he
return again to live in our air ? " " Who is Marcus ? "
" One lately known as seducer and kidnapper, who
has debauched the entire sex, an unnatural scoundrel,
or, as the bard Lucilius says, a pilfering paederast."
" No bull, no mule, no hippocamel shall he be, no
goat or ram, but he shall be a scarabaeus." 1
LXXVTII. — De Castore Fellatore qui suam
lingebat Uxorem
Lambere cum vellet mediorum membra virorum
Castor nee posset vulgus habere domi,
repperit, ut nullum fellator perderet inguen :
uxoris coepit lingere membra suae.
LXXIX. — Written under the Portrait of a lewd
Woman
Praeter legitimi genialia foedera coetus
repperit obscenas veneres vitiosa libido :
Herculis heredi quam Lemnia suasit egestas,
1 The Egyptian dung-beetle.
201
AUSONIUS
quam toga facundi scaenis agitavit Afrani
et quam Nolanis capitalis luxus inussit.
Crispa tamen cunctas exercet corpore in uno :
deglubit, fellat, molitur per utramque cavernam,
ne quid inexpertum f'rustra moritura relinquat.
LXXX. — De Alcone Medico qui Haruspicem
VANILOQUUM FECIT
Languenti Marco dixit Diodorus haruspex
ad vitam non plus sex superesse dies.
sed medicus divis fatisque potentior Alcon
falsum convicit illico haruspicium
tractavitque manum victuri, ni tetigisset ;
illico nam Marco sex periere dies.
LXXX1. — De Signo Iovis tacto ab Alcone
Medico
Alcon hesterno signum Iovis attigit. ille
quamvis marmoreus vim patitur medici.
ecce hodie iussus transferri e sede vetusta
etfertur, quamvis sit deus atque lapis.
LXXX11. — In Eunum Liourkitorkm
Kink, quid adfectas vendentem Phyllida odores?
diceris banc mediam lambere, non molere.
pcrspice, ne mercis fallant te nomina, vel ne
aere Seplasiae decipiare cave.
dum kvitOov Kooroiquc putas communis odoris
et nardum ac sardas esse sapore pari.
ZQ2
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
quam toga facundi scaenis agitavit Afrani
et quam Nolanis capitalis luxus inussit.
Crispatamen cunctas exercet corpore in uno :
deglubit, fellat, molitur per utramque cavernam,
ne quid inexpertum frustra moritura relinquat.
LXXX. — On Alcon a Doctor who made a Sooth-
sayer a false Prophet
When Marcus was sick, Diodorus the soothsayer
told him that no more than six days of life remained.
But the doctor, Alcon, more potent than the gods
and fates, straightway proved the divination false
and touched his patient's hand who might have
lived had he not touched ; for straightway Marcus'
six days came to an end.
LXXXI. — On a Statue of Jove touched in Alcon
the Doctor
Yesterday Alcon touched Jove's statue. He,
though of marble, felt the doctor's influence. To-day ,
lo, he is being carried off, bidden to be removed
from his ancient place, for all he is a god and made
of stone.
LXXXI1. — To Eunus a lecherous Fellow
Eunus, why dost thou seek to win Phyllis, the
scent-seller ? Diceris banc mediam lambere, non
molere. Look that the names of her wares do not
deceive thee, or that thou beest not deceived by the
scent of Seplasia, 1 while you think rank and fragrant
smell alike and that spikenard and stockfish have the
same savour.
1 A street in Capua where scents were .sold.
203
AUSONIUS
LXXXIII. — <1n eundem Eunum>
Diversa infelix et lambit et olfacit Eunus :
dissimilem olfactum naris et oris habet.
LXXXIV. — An eundem Eunum quod non vei.it
BENE NEC MALE OLERE
Salgama non hoc sunt, quod balsama : cedite odores.
nee male olere mihi, nee bene olere placet.
LXXXV. — <An elndem Eunum >
Lais Eros et Itys, Chiron et Eros, Itys alter
nomina si scribis, prima elementa adime,
ut facias verbum, quod tu facis, Eune magister.
dicere me Latium non decet opprobrium.
LXXXVI. — Ad Eunum qui Uxoris suae Inguina
lambebat
Eune, quod uxoris gravidae putria inguina lambis,
festinas glossas non natis tradere natis.
LXXXVII. — Ad Eunum Ligurritorem Paedagogu
M
Eunus Syriscus, inguinum ligurritor,
opicus magister (sic eum docet Phyllis)
muliebre membrum quadriangulum cernit :
triquetro coactu .A. litteram ducit.
de valle femorum altrinsecus pares rugas
mediumque, fissi rima qua patet, callein
.fy. dicit esse : nam trifissilis forma est.
cui ipse linguam cum dedit suam, .A. est :
204
EPIGRAMS OX VARIOUS MATTERS
LXXXIII. To THZ SAME EUNUS
Unhappy Eunus tastes and smells things much
unlike : his nose has one sense, his tongue another.
LXXXIV. — To the same Eunus, because he would
-MELL NEITHER SWEET NOR RANK
Picki.es are one tiling, balsam another : away with
scents ! Neither to smell rank nor to smell sweet
pleases me.
LXXXV. — To the same Eunus
Lais, Eros, and Itvs. Chiron and Eros, Itvs again,
these names write down and take their initials, that
thou mavest form a word describing what thou dost,
schoolmaster Eunus. To name the infamy in Latin
becomes me not.
LXXXYL — An Eunum qui Uxoris suae Inc.uina
lambebat
Ei ne, quod uxoris gravidae putria inguina Iambi-,
festinas glossas non natis tradere natis.
LXXXVII. — To Eunus. a lecherous Schoolmaster
Eunus Syriscus, inguinum ligurritor,
opicus magister (sic enim docet Phyllis)
muliebre membrum quadriangulum cernit :
triquetro coactu .A.litteram ducit.
de yalle femorum altrinsecus pares rugas
mediumque, fissi rima qua patet. callem
.^. dicit esse : nam trinssilis forma est.
cui ipse linguam cum dedit suam. .A. est :
20^
AUSONIUS
veramque in il lis esse .<!>. notam sentit.
quid, imperite, "P. putas ibi scriptuni, 10
ubi loeari .1. eonvenit longum?
miselle doctor, .8. tibi sit obsceno,
tuumque nomen .0. sectilis signet.
LXXXVIII. — Ad Crispam quae a quibusdam
DICEBATUR DEFORMls
Deformem quidam te dicunt, Crispa : ego istud
nescio : mi pulchra es, iudice me satis est.
quin etiam cupio, iunctus quia zelus amori est,
ut videare aliis foeda, decora mibi.
LXX XIX - — -QuALEM VELIT HABERE AlrtlCAM
Sit mini talis arnica velim,
iurgia quae temere incipiat,
nee studeat quasi casta loqui :
pulcra procax petulante manu,
verbera quae ferat et regerat
caesaque ad oscula confugiat.
nam nisi moribus his fuerit,
casta modesta pudenter agens,
dicere abominor, uxor evit.
XC. — Ex Graeco traductum ad Cupidinem
Hoe, quod amare vocant, solve aut misceto, Cupido :
aut neutrum rlammis ure vel ure duo.
XCI. — Ad Dionen de Amore suo
Aut restingue ignem, quo torreor, alma Dione,
aut transirc iube : vel fac utrimque parem.
206
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
veramque in illis esse .<£. notam sentit.
quid, imperite, .P. putas ibi scriptum,
ubi locare . I. eonvenit longum ?
miselle doctor, .#. tibi sit obsceno,
tuumque nomen .0. sectilis signet.
LXXXVIII. — To Crispa, said by some to re
DEFORMED
Some say that thou art deformed, Crispa : that I
know not : for me thou art fair, 'tis enough since I
am judge. Nay more, I long — for jealousy is yoked
with love — that thou mayest seem to others ugly,
comely to me alone.
LXXXIX. — What Sort of Mistress he would
have
Fain would I have such a mistress as may lightly
start a quarrel, nor be careful to speak as if an honest
woman ; pretty, saucy, hasty of hand, one to take
blows and return them, and, if beaten, to take refuge
in kisses. For if she be not of this character, but
live chaste, subdued, shamefastly — 1 shudder to say
it — she will be a wife.
XC. — To Cupid. Translated from the Greek l
This thing which they call love bring to an end
or spread evenly, Cupid : either burn neither with
thy flame or burn both.
XCI. — To Dione on his Passion 2
Either put out this fire wherein I burn, sweet
Dione, or bid it pass over from me, or make it equal
on both sides.
1 cp. Ant!,. Pal. v. 68. 2 cp. id. v. 88.
207
AUSONIUS
XCII. — De Iuri.s- Consui.to qui Uxorem habebat
ADULTER AM
Iuris consulto, cui vivit adultera coniunx,
papia lex placuit, iulia displicuit.
([uaeritis, unde haec sit distantia ? semivir ipse
scantiniam metuens non metuit titiam.
XCII1. — Ad quendam qui leuia sibi Inguina
FACIEBAT
Inguina quod ealido levas tihi dropace, causa est :
irritant volsas levia membra lupas.
sed quod et elixo plantaria podice vellis
et teris incusas pumice Clazomenas,
causa latet : bimarem oisi quod patientia morbum 5
adpetit et tergo femina, pube vir es.
XCIV. — Ad Zoilum qui Uxorem moecham duxerat
Semivir uxorem duxisti, Zoile, moecbam :
quantus fiet quaestus utrimque domi,
cum dabit uxori molitor tuus et tibi adulter,
quantum deprensi damna pudoris ement !
sed modo quae vobis lucrosa libido videtur, 5
iacturam senio mox subeunte feret :
incipient operas conducti vendere moechi,
quos modo munificos lena iuventa tenet.
XCY. — Puixhrum Dei Responsum
Doctus Hylas caestu, Phegeus catus arte palaestrae,
clarus Olympiads et Lycus in stadiis,
1 The Lex Papia Poppaea (9 a.d.), intended to promote
marriage (cp. Tac. Ann. ii. 32 ; iii. 25, 28).
a Lex Iulia de Adulteriis, promulgated bv Aueustus
(17 B.C.).
208
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
XCII. — To a Lawyer who had a faithless Wife
A lawyer who had a faithless wife approved of
the Papian statute x but disapproved of the Julian. 2
Do ye ask why this difference ? Effeminate himself,
fearing the Scantinian, 3 he feared not the Titian
Law. 4
XCII I. — Ad quendam qui levia sibi Inguina
faciebat
Inguina quod calido levas tibi dropace, causa est :
irritant volsas levia membra lupas.
sed quod et elixo plantaria podice vellis
et teris incusas pumice Clazomenas,
causa latet : bimarem nisi quod patientia morbum
adpetit et tergo femma, pube vir es.
XCIV. — To ZoiLus who had married a lewd Woman
Effeminate thyself, Zoilus, thou hast wedded an
unchaste wife : how great a profit will ye twain earn
at home, when thy debaucher pays thy wife, and
her lover thee, the fees of shame ! But lust, which
now seems to you profitable, will soon, as age creeps
on, cause loss : lovers will begin to sell you then-
services for pay, whom prostituted youth now makes
your customers.
XCV. — A neat Answer of the Oracle 5
Hylas, the boxer, with Phegeus, skilled in wrest-
ling, and Lycus, famous on the Olympian track,
:! «•. do nefanda Venere : the date is uncertain.
1 ? 31 B.C.: it directed provincial governors to appoint
guardians to safeguard orphans. ' Anth. /'<>/. xi. 163.
209
VOL. II. p
AUSONIUS
an possent omnes venturo vincere agone,
Hammonem Libyae consuluere deum.
sed deus, ut sapiens: " Dabitur victoria vobis
indubitata equidem, si caveatis " ait,
" ne quis Hylam caestu, ne quis certamine luctae
Phegea, ne eursu te, Lvce, praetereat."
XCVI. — <De Hermiones Zona>
Punica turgentes redimibat zona papillas
Hermiones : zonae textum elegeon erat :
" Qui legis hunc titulum, Paphie tibi mandat, ames me
exemploque tuo neminem amare vetes."
XCVII. — De Hyi.a quem Naiades rapuerunt
Adspice, quam blandae necis ambitione fruatur
letifera experiens gaudia pulcher Hylas.
oscula et infestos inter moriturus amores
aneipites patitur Xaidas Eumenidas.
XCVIII. — Nymphis quae Hvi.am merserunt
Furitis prdcaces Naides
amore saevo et irrito :
ephebus iste Hos erit.
XCIX. — Ad Narcissum qui sui ipsius Amore
CAPTUS ERAT
Si cuperes alium, posses, Nareisse, potiri.
nunc tibi amoris adest copia, fructus abest.
2IO
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
asked Amnion al his Libyan shrine x whether they
all would win at the approaching games. But the
god (so wise was he) replied : " Victory shall be
assured you, if only ye take heed that none excel
Hylas with the gloves, Phegeus in clinching, and
thee, Lycus, in speed of foot.''
XCVT. — On Hermione's Girdle 2
A crimson girdle bound Hermione's swelling
breasts : and on the girdle this couplet was embroi-
'dered : " Thou who dost read this inscription, know
that the Paphian commands thee to love me, and by
thy conduct to forbid none to love."
XCVII. — On Hylas seized by the Nymphs
Behold with how sweet and proud a death is fair
Hylas blessed^ tasting of joys that bring destruction !
Doomed to perish amid kisses and fatal love, 'twere
hard to say whether Naiads or Eumenides so afflict
him.
XCVIII. — To the Nymphs who drowned Hylas
Ye rave, ye wanton Nymphs, with love as cruel as
'tis fruitless. That lad shall be a flower.
XCIX. — To Narcissus seized with Love for himself
Wert thou to desire another, Narcissus, then
mightestthou win him. Of love thou hast abundance ;
'tis the enjoyment fails.
1 In the Oasis of Siwah in the Libyan desert.
- Anth. Pal. v. 158.
211
V 2
AUSONIUS
( '. -De Eodem
Quid non ex buius forma pateretur amator,
ipse suam qui sic deperit effigiem?
CI. — De Echo dolente propter Mortem Narcissi
(ommoritur, Narcisse, tibi resonabilis Echo,
voeis ad extremos exanimata modos :
et pereuntis adbuc gemitum resecuta querellis,
ultima nunc etiam verba loquentis amat.
CII. — De Hermaphrodito et eius Natura
Mercurio genitore satus, genetrice Cythere,
nominis ut mixti, sic corporis Hermapbroditus.
concretus sexu, sed non perfectus, utroque :
ambiguae Veneris, neutro potiendus amori.
CII I. — De Coniunctione Salmacis cum
Hermaphrodito
Salmacis optato concreta est nympba inarito.
felix virgo, sibi si scit inesse viruin :
et tu formosae, iuvenis, permixte puellae
bis felix, uniim si licet esse duos.
CIV. — Ad Apollinem de Daphne fugiente
Pom: arcum, Paean, celeresque reconde sagittas :
nou te virgo fugit. sed tua tela timet.
_' i :
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
C On the same Subject
What would a lover not suffer through the beauty
of this youth who thus pines away for his own
reflection ?
CI. — On Echo grieving for Narcissus' Death
Along with thee, Narcissus, dies resounding Echo,
her spirit passing with the last tones of thy voice :
both while thou wert pining away, thy sighs she has
hitherto answered with her plaints, and now also
when she loves the latest words of thy voice.
CII. — On Hermaphroditus and his Nature 1
By Mercury begotten, conceived by Cvthera,
Hermaphroditus, compound alike in name and frame,
combining either sex, complete in neither, neutral in
love, unable to enjoy either passion.
CIII. — On the Union of Salmacis and Hermaphro-
ditus
The nymph Salmacis grew one with the mate
she desired. Ah, happy maid, if she is conscious
ot a man's embrace. And twice happy thou,
O youth, united with a lovely bride, if one being
may still be two.
CIV.— To Apollo : on Daphne fleeing him
Put by thy bow, Paean, and hide thy swift arrows :
not thee the maid flees, but fears thy shafts.
1 cp. Anth. Pal. ix. 783.
21 ^
AUSONIUS
CV. — De Daphne tecta Cortice
Invide, cur properus, cortex, operire puellam?
laurea debetur Phoebo, si virgo negatur.
CVI. — In scabiosum Polygitonem
Thermarum in solio si quis Polygitona vidit
ulcera membrorum scabie putrefacta foventem,
praeposuit cunctis spectacula talia ludis.
principio tremulis gannitibus aera pulsat
verbaque lascivos meretricum imitantia coetus 5
vibrat et obscenae numeros pruriginis implet.
brachia deinde rotat velut entliea daemone Maenas ;
pectus, crura, latus, ventrem, femora, inguina, suras,
tergum, colla, umeros, luteae Symplegadis antrum,
tarn diversa locis vaga carnificina pererrat, 10
donee marcentem calidi fervore lavacri
blandus letali solvat dulcedine morbus.
desectos sic fama viros, ubi cassa libido
femineos coetus et non sua bella lacessit.
irrita vexato consumere gaudia lecto, 1 ■>
titillata brevi cum iam sub fine voluptas
fervet et ingesto peragit ludibria morsu :
torpida non aliter Polygiton membra resolvit.
et, quia debentur suprema piacula vitae,
ad Pblegethonteas sese iam praeparet undas. 20
CVII. — De quooam Silvio Bono qui erat Brito
Silvius ille Bonus, qui carmina nostra lacessit,
nostra magis meruit disticha, Brito bonus.
1 Apparently "a good man" and "a Briton*" were re
garded as a contradiction in terms, and a Briton surnamed
2 14
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
CV. — On Daphne covered with Bark
Too envious bark, why hastest thou to overlap the
maid? Laurel is Phoebus' due, if the damsel is
denied.
CVI. — On mangy Polygiton
Whoe'er has seen Polygiton in a tub at the baths
chafing the caked and rotting ulcers on his limbs,
ranks such a sight above every comic show. First, he
makes the air ring with his quavering howls, yells
words suggestive of a brothel and sounds the full
gamut of impurity. Next, he whirls his arms like
a Maenad possessed by some spirit, while the itch
strays at random, now in this part now in that, over
his breast, legs, flanks, belly, thighs, loins and
calves, his back, neck, shoulders, and his hinder
parts. At length he droops with the heat of his
scalding bath, and kind exhaustion makes him relax
in a death-like swoon. Just as they say that men
emasculate, when vain desire attacks them, exhaust
themselves without fruition, mocked by pleasure
unachieved ; even so Polygiton relaxes his nerveless
limbs. And, since at the last he must expiate his
life, let him now make ready for the waters of
Phlegethon.
CVII. — On one Silvius " Good " who was a Briton
That Silvius " Good " who attacks my verse, has
the more fully earned my lampoon, being a good
Briton. 1
Bonus as something extremely humorous. The expression
"good Indian " (= a dead Indian) is somewhat similar.
2I 5
AUSONIUS
(Till. Idem
Silvius hie Bonus est. "Quis Silvius?" Iste Britannus.
" Aut Brito hie non est Silvius, aut malus est."
CIX.— Idem
Silvius esse Bonus fertur ferturque Britannus :
quis credat civem degenerasse bonum ?
CX.— Idem
Nemo bonus Brito est. si simplex Silvius esse
incipiat, simplex desinat esse bonus.
CXI— Idem
Sii.vius hie Bonus est, sed Brito est Silvius idem :
simplicior res est, credite, Brito malus.
CXIL— Idem
Silvi, Brito Bonus : quamvis homo non bonus esse
ferris nee <se quit> iungere Brito Bono.
2 16
EPIGRAMS ON VARIOUS MATTERS
CVIII.— The Same
" This is Silvius ' Good.' " " Who is Silvius ? " "He
is a Briton." " Either this Silvius is no Briton, or he
is Silvius ' Bad.' "
CIX. — The Same
Silvius is called Good and called a Briton : who
would believe a good citizen had sunk so low ?
CX. — The Same
No good man is a Briton. If he should begin to
be plain Silvius, let the plain man cease to be good.
CXI. — The Same
This is Silvius Good, but the same Silvius is a Briton :
a plainer thing — believe me — is a bad Briton.
CXII. — The Same
Thou Silvius art Good, a Briton : yet 'tis said thou
art no good man, nor can a Briton link himself with
Good.
217
LIBER XX
AUSONIl BURDIGALENSIS VASATIS
GRATIARUM ACTIO AD GRATIANL'M
IMPERATOREM PRO CONSULATU
I. Auo tibi gratias, imperator Auguste ; si possem,
etiam referrem. sed neque tua fortuna desiderat
remunerandi vicem neque nostra suggerit restituendi
facultatem. privatorum ista copia est inter se esse
munificos : tua beneficia ut maiestate praecellunt, ita
mutuum non reposcunt. quod solum igitur nostrae
opis est, gratias ago : verum ita, ut apud deum fieri
amat, sentiendo eopiosius quam loquendo. atque
non in sacrario [loco] imperialis oraculi, qui locus
horrore tranquillo et pavore venerabili raro eundem
animum praestat et vultum tui ; sed usquequaque
gratias ago, turn tacens, turn loquens, tum in coetu
hominum, turn ipse raecum, et cum voce patui, et
cum meditatione secessi, omni loco actu habitu et
tempore, nee mirum, si ego terminum non statuo
tarn grata profitendi, cum tu finem facere nescias
1 i.e. belonging (by origin) to Bazas, the birthplace of the
orator's father.
218
BOOK XX
THE THANKSGIVING OF AUSONIUS OF
BORDEAUX, THE VASATE, 1 FOR HIS
CX)NSULSHIP, ADDRESSED TO THE
EMPEROR GRATIAN
I. I express my thanks to you, most gracious
Emperor ; could I do so, I would also make repay-
ment. But neither does your estate need any
interchange of bounty, nor does mine supply
the ability to return it. Men of private station
alone have the opportunity for being liberal to one
another : your favours at once surpass all others in
their princely scale and demand no requital. And
so I express my thanks — all that is in my power to
do : yet in such a way as one is wont to do in the
presence of God, with greater fulness of feeling than
of speech. And it is not in the shrine of the
imperial oracle, a place where feelings of subdued
fear and reverent awe rarely permit your subject to
exhibit outwardly all that he feels within ; but it is
at all times and in all places that I express my thanks,
now silently in my own heart, now with my tongue,
now in company with others, now by myself, whether
I speak openly or reflect inwardly and apart, in
every place, deed, habit, and season. Nor is it
surprising that I set no limit to the expression of
my gratitude, seeing that you do not know how to
219
All SON I US
honorandi. quis enim locus est aut dies, qui non me
huius aut similis gratulationis admoneat ? admoneal
autem ? o inertiam significationis ignavae ! quis.
inquam, locus est, qui non beneficiis tuis agitet, in-
flammet? nullus, inquam, imperator Auguste, quiu
admirandam specieui tuae venerationis incutiat : nou
palatium, quod tu, cum terribile acceperis, amabile
praestitisti ; non forum et basilicae, olim negotiis
j)lena, nunc votis pro tua salute susceptis : nam de
sua cui non te imperante securitas ? non curia
honorificis modo laeta decretis, olim sollicitis maesta
querimoniis ; non publicum, in quo occursus gauden-
tium plurimorum neminem patitur solum gratulari ;
non domus commune secretum. lectus ipse, ad
quietem datus, beneficiorum tuorum reputatione
tranquillior. somnus, abolitor omnium, imagines
tuas offert. ista autem sedes honoris, sella eurulis,
ijloriosa pompis imperialis officii, in cuius me fastigio
ex qua mediocritate posuisti, quotiens a me cogitatur,
vincor magnitudine et redigor ad silentium, non
oneratus beneficiis, sed oppressus. ades enim locis
omnibus, nee iam miramur licentiam poetarum, qui
220
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
set any bound to your gracious favours. For what
place, what time is there which does not remind me
of this or some similar cause for thankfulness? Do
I say " remind " ? What a weak and feeble conno-
tation has that word ! Is there any place, I say,
which does not thrill and fire me with a sense of
your bounty ? There is no place, 1 say, Most
Gracious Emperor, but stamps my consciousness with
the wondrous image of your most worshipful majesty ;
not the Court, which was so formidable when you
succeeded, and which you have made so agreeable ;
not the forum and basilicas, which once reechoed
with legal business, but now with the taking of vows
for your well-being — for under your rule who is there
whose property is not secure ? — ; not the Senate-
house, now happy in the business of passing reso-
lutions in your honour as formerly gloomy and
troubled with complaints ; not the public highways
where the sight of so many joyous faces suffers no
one to be alone in showing delight ; not the univer-
sal privacy of the home. The very bed, destined
for our repose, is made more restful as we reflect
upon your benefits : slumber, which blots out every-
thing, nevertheless presents your picture to our gaze.
As for that throne of honour, the curule chair
surrounded with all the splendid circumstance
which belongs to a rank which confers the
imperium, to the proud elevation of which you
have exalted me from so ordinary a station, as
often as I think of it, its grandeur overpowers me
and I am reduced to silence, being not merely loaded
by your bounty, but overwhelmed. Your presence,
indeed, is felt in all places and we are no longer
surprised at the supposed extravagance of the poets
221
AUSONIUS
omnia deo plena dixerunt. spem superas, cupienda
praevenis, vota praecurris : quaeque animi nostri
celeritas divinum instar adfectat, beneficiis praeeun-
tibus anteceditur. praestare tibi est, quani nobis
optare, velocius.
II. Ago igitur gratias, optime imperator. ac si
quis liunc sennonein meum isdeni verbis tam saepe
repetitum inopiae loquentis adsignat, experiatur hoe
idem persequi, et nihil poterit proferre facundius.
aguntur enim gratiae non propter maiestatis am bi turn
nee sine argumentis imperatori fortissimo : testis est
uno pacatus in anno et Danuvii limes et Uheni ;
liberalissimo : ostentat hoc dives exercitus : indul-
gentissimo : doeet securitas erroris humani ; consul-
tissimo : probat hoc tali principe oriens ordinatus ;
piissimo : hums vero laudis locupletissimum testi-
monium est pater divinis honoribus conseeratus,
instar filii ad imperium frater adscitus, a contumelia
belli patruus vindicatus, ad praefecturae collegium
til ins cum patre coniunctus, ad consulatum praeceptor
electus. possum ire per omnes appellationes tuas.
1 cp. Virgil, Eel. iii. 60.
- After the defeat of the Alamanni at Argentaria in
:!7s a.m.
; Valentinian II., raised to the purple as emperor <>f the
Ivist in '.r,7i A.D.
4 Yalens was killed in battle with the Goths at Adrianople
in .'578 A.D. and his body burned. The Goths were actually
driven out bv Theodosius.
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
who have declared that ""all things are full of God." 1
You surpass our hopes, you anticipate all we can
desire, you outstrip our fondest wishes ; and the
swiftness of our thought, which claims to be some-
thing divine, is outdistanced by your benefits which
outrun it. For you to fulfil a wish is more in-
stantaneous than for us to conceive it.
II. Therefore I express my thanks, most gracious
Emperor. And if anyone attributes so frequent a
repetition in the same words of this phrase of mine
to the speaker's poverty of speech, let him try to
work out this same theme, and he will not be able to
produce anything more eloquent. For I am now
expressing thanks, not with intent to flatter any royal
vanity and not without proofs of my assertions, to a
most valiant emperor— as witness the pacification in
a single year of the Danubian and Rhenish frontiers : -
to one most generous; the wealth of the Army shows
as much : to one most merciful ; the safety which
man's waywardness enjoys declares this: to one
most statesmanlike ; the organization of the east by
so great a prince is proof enough : to one most
dutiful ; there is the amplest evidence to confirm
this tribute — the canonization of his father with
divine honours, the association of his brother, 3 just as
though he were a son, with himself in the imperial
authority, the avenging of the outrage suffered by his
uncle in war, 4 the pairing of a son and father together
in joint control of a praefecturc, and the election
of his tutor to the consulate. I could enumerate all
those titles which your valour has won for you in the
D In 378 a.d. Ausonius and his son Thalassius were col-
leagues in the administration of the double prefecture of the
( raula and Italy.
AUSONIUS
quas olim virtus dedit, quas proxime fortuna concessit,
quas adhuc Lndulgentia divina meditatur: vocarem 1
Germanicum deditione gentilium, Alamannicum tra-
ductione captorum, vincendo et ignoscendo Sarma-
ticum : conecterem omnia merita virtutis et cogno-
mina felicitatis : sed alia est ista materia et suo
parata seereto, cum placuerit signanter et breviter
omnia, quae novimus, indicare nee persequi, ut qui
terrarum orbem unius tabulae ambitu circumscribunt
aliquanto detrimento rnagnitudinis, nullo dispendio
veritatis.
Nunc autem, quod diei huius proprium, de con-
sulatu gratias agam. Sed procurrunt et aliae dig-
nitates atque in vocem gratulationis erumpunt ac se
prius debere profitentur. tot gradus nomine comitis
propter tua incrementa congesti : ex tuo merito te ac
patre principibus quaestura communis et tui tantum
praefectura beneficii, quae et ipsa non vult vice sim-
plici gratulari, liberalius divisa quam iuncta : cum
teneamus duo integrum, neuter desiderat separatum.
III. Sed ilia, ut paulo ante promisi, habebunt sui
muneris peculiare secretum. consulatus hie nieus
1 Acidaliu8: voca, Z, Peiper.
1 The Sarmatae were actually conquered by Theodoaius in
:i78-.T79 a.i».
224
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
past j those which Fortune has granted you so
recently, and those which Heaven's favour is still
designing for you : I might call you Germanicus in
virtue of the surrender of that race to you ; Alaman-
nicus, because of the prisoners whom you transplanted ;
Sarmaticus, 1 because you conquered and forgave
that people : I might string together all the distinc-
tions won by your valour, and all the titles earned by
your good fortune ; but that is another theme and
one which will be treated in its own separate place,
when 1 decide that the time has come to sketch
distinctly and briefly all my facts without following
them out in detail — like those who confine a map of
the world to the compass of a single sheet, thereby
causing it to lose something in impressiveness, but
without any sacrifice of truth.
But now for the special business of this day, which
is to express thanks for my consulate. And yet there
are other distinctions besides, which push to the
front and burst out into cries of acknowledgment,
claiming that they have the right to do this first.
All those honours heaped upon me at once under the
title of ''companion" in acknowledgment of your
upbringing ; the quaestorship for which I have to
thank you, though it was held under the joint
sovereignty of your father and yourself, and the
praefecture which I owe to your kindness alone.
This latter in its very self is not content with a
single acknowledgment for the larger bounty which
divided rather than kept it one : since two of us
now possess it complete, neither desires it apart.
III. But these honours, as I promised just now.
shall have their special place apart for paying their
tribute. At the present moment my consulship
225
vol.. ii. V
AU SON 1 1 S
orat atque obsecrat, ut obnoxiam tibi uni sinas fieri
eius dignitatem, quern omnibus praetulisti. quot
quidem et ipse sibi invenit gradus ! cum clarissimo
viro collega meo honore coniunctus, nuncupatione
praelatus, consul ego, imperator Auguste, munere
tuo non passus saepta neque campum, non sufTVagia,
non puncta, non loculos : qui non prensaverim manus
nee salutantium confusus occursu aut sua amicis
nomina non reddiderim, aut aliena imposuerim : qui
tribus non circumivi, centurias non adulavi, vocatis
classibus non intremui, nihil cum sequestre deposui,
cum distributore nil pepigi. Romanus populus,
Martius campus, equester ordo, rostra, ovilia, senatus,
curia, unus mihi omnia Gratianus. iure meo, Auguste
maxime, adfirmare possum incolumi omnium gratia,
qui ad hunc honorem diversa umquam virtute
venerunt venturique sunt (suus enim cuique animus,
suum meritum sibique mens conscia est), iure, inquam
meo adfirmare possum me mihi videri a ceteris esse
secretum. sunt quos votorum cruciat inanitas : non
optavi ; quos exercet ambitus: non petivi ; qui ad-
siduitate exprimunt : non coegi ; qui offeruntur
occasione : non adfui ; quos iuvat opulentia : obstat
1 This was Q. Clodius Hermogeniauus Olybrius.
* i.e. they happen to be before the Emperor when he is
designating the consuls.
226
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
begs and prays you to allow one whom you have
set above all to submit his high degree to your-
self alone. And how many further degrees were
added to this honour ! Not only was I associated
in this high office with a distinguished colleague, 1
and designated as the senior, but by your favour,
most gracious Emperor, I became consul without
undergoing the ordeal of the hustings, the Cam-
pus Marti us, the canvassing, the registration, the
gratuities ; I have not had to shake hands, nor
have I been so confused by crowds of people
pressing to greet me as to have been unable to call
my friends by their proper names, or to have given
them names which were not theirs : I have not had
to visit the tribes, to flatter the centuries, I have not
trembled as the classes were called upon to vote. I
have made no deposit with a trustee, nor given any
pledge to a financial agent. The Roman people, the
Field of Mars, the Equestrian Class, the Rostra, the
hustings, the Senate and the Senate House — Gratian
alone was all of these for me. I have the right to
declare, most mighty Emperor, and that without
offending: anv of those who have ever attained or
shall attain hereafter to this distinction in right of
various qualities (for everyone has his own spirit, his
own deserts, his own conscience) : I can, I repeat,
rightfully declare that my consulship seems to stand
apart from the consulships of other men. Some are
cruelly grieved by the disappointment of their hopes :
I longed for nothing ; some busy themselves in canvass-
ing for this honour : I never sought it ; some extort
it by their importunity : I brought no pressure to
bear ; some owe their designation to the accident of
their presence : 2 I was not at the court ; some use
Q •-'
227
AUSONIUS
temporum disciplina : non erni, nee possum con-
fcinentiam iactare : non habui. unum praestarc
temptavi, et hoc ipsum quasi ineuni vindicare non
possum : in tua enim posituni est opinione, si merui.
IV. Fecisti autem et faeies alios quoque consules,
piissime Gratiane, sed non et causa pari. viros
gloriae militaris : habent enim tecum, ut semper
laboris, ita dignitatis plerumque consortium, virtutis
quam honoris antiquiore collegio ; viros nobilitatis
antiquae : dantur enim multa nominibus et est fama
pro merito ; viros fide inclitos et ofticiis probatos :
quorum me etiamsi non secerno numero, tamen, quod
ad honoris viam pertinet, ratione dispertio.
Quartum hunc gradum novi beneficii tu, Auguste,
constituis : diflerre tibi ipsi, quo alter ornetur, bona
animi tui ad alienam referre praestantiam eruditio-
nemque naturae, quam deo et patri et tibi debes, ad
alterius efheaeiam gratius retorquere quam verius.
tua haec verba sunt a te mihi scripta : solvere te, quod
debeas et adhue debere, quod solveris. o mentis aureae
dictum bratteatum ! o de pectore candidissimo
1 i.i. in addition to the three detailed immediately above.
228
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
then - wealth to help them : the morality of our age
forbids such a practice ; I did not buy this honour,
yet cannot boast any self-restraint : I had no money.
One thing only I have tried to make sure of, and
even that I cannot claim as my own ; for it de-
pends upon your valuation whether I have been
deserving.
IV. You have appointed, and will appoint others
also as consuls, most kindly Gratian, but never on
similar grounds. Men of military renown : and as
these are always associated with you in the toils of
empire, so they, in common with you, hold the
greater share in its distinctions, having been your
colleagues in soldierly virtue before they became
so in civil dignities ; men of ancient and famous
lineage : for an illustrious name secures much, and
distinction may serve as a substitute for achieve-
ments ; men distinguished for their trustworthiness
and tested bv official duties : and though I do not
place myself outside this category, yet, so far as
the path to honours is concerned, I differ in my
qualifications.
And to this new favour of yours, your Majesty,
you add a fourth degree, 1 in that you disparage
yourself to do another honour, give the credit of the
excellences of your mind to the efficacy of exterior
influence, and with greater generosity than truth,
misrepresent those natural accomplishments which
you owe to God, to your father, and to yourself
as the product of a stranger's efforts. Your own
words written to me in your own hand declare :
that you are discharging a debt which you owe, and still
owe what you have discharged. Oh, how that sentence
is overlaid with the gold of your nature ! How
229
AUSONIUS
lactei sermonis alimoniam ! quisquamne tam parcus
est in ostentatione beneficii ? quisquam pondus
gratiae suae vim meriti profitetur alieni ? quisquam
denique quod indulget, quasi ab obnoxio deferatur,
pretium mavult voeare quam donum ? certent huic
sententiae veteres illi et Homerici oratores, subtilis
deducta oratione Menelaus et instar profundae gran-
dinis ductor Ithacensius et melleo delibutus eloquio
iam tertiae Nestor aetatis : sed neque ille concinnius
eloquetur, qui se Laconica brevitate collegit, nee ille
contortius, qui cum sensibus verba glomeravit, nee
iste dulcius, cuius lenis oratio mulcendo potius quam
extorquendo persuasit. solvere te dicis, quod debeas
et debiturum esse, cum solveris. Auguste iuvenis,
caeli tibi et humani generis rector hoc tribuat, ut
praelatus antiquis, quos etiam elegantia sententiae
istius antecessisti, vincas propria singulorum : in
Menelao regiam dignationem, in Ulixe prudentiam,
in Nestore senectutem.
V. Subiciet aliquis : ista quidem adeptus es, sed
effare, quo merito ? quid me oneras, sciscitator ?
rationem felicitatis nemo reddit. deus et qui deo
proximus tacito munera dispertit arbitrio et benefi-
ciorum suorum indignatus per homines stare iudicium,
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
sustaining is the milk of these words, springing from
the sincerest of breasts ! Is there anyone who
shrinks so modestly from arrogant display of his
generosity ? Anyone who thus alleges that his
favours have no other weight but the receiver's
work ? Anyone who, in a word, prefers to call his
gifts payment as though rendered by a debtor ? Let
those famous spokesmen of old, those orators of
Homer — Menelaus, with his subdued but subtle
mode of speech, the chieftain of Ithaca, so like a
heavy storm of hail, Nestor, the survivor of three
generations, whose lips were steeped in honey — let
those seek to rival such a sentence ! Yet for all his
compression and Spartan conciseness, the first will
utter nothing neater; the second, though he heap up
words and ideas, nothing more forcible ; the last,
nothing sweeter, although his gentle speech per-
suaded rather by charming than overbearing. You
say that you are paying a debt you owe and will still
be in debt when you have paid. My young sovereign,
may He who is the Ruler of heaven and of mankind
grant that you may excel those ancients, even above
whom the choiceness of that one sentence has placed
you, and outstrip each one of them in his peculiar
quality — Menelaus in kingly majesty, Ulysses in
discretion, and Nestor in length of days.
V. Someone will interpose : " It is true you have
received all these benefits, but, tell me, how have
you deserved them ? " Why do you cast this burden
upon me, Master Inquisitor? No man gives a
reason for his prosperity. God, and he who stands
next to God, distributes blessings at will, and dis-
daining to await man's verdict on his favours, chooses
rather in the persons of the uplifted to perform a
23 l
AUSONIUS
mavult de subditis dedisse miraculum. quo, inquis,
merito? ego nullum scio, nisi quod tu, piissime
imperator, debere te dicis : et hoc debere latissime
pertinet, sive hoc eruditionis tuae faenus existimas,
sive sine faenore gloriam liberalitatis adfectas, sive
te pondere conceptae sponsionis exoneras, seu fidei
commissum patris exsolvis,seu magnanimitate caelesti,
ostentatione suppressa, dei munus imitaris. debere
te dicis. cui ? quando ? quo nomine ? lege syngra-
pham, nomina creditorem ; accepti et expensi tabulae
conferantur : videbis alio summae istius transire ra-
tionem. tibi coepit deus debere pro nobis, quid
autem mihi debes, gratissime imperator? patitur
enim humanitas tua, ut praeter regias virtutes private
appellatione lauderis. quid tu mihi debes? et contra
quid non ego tibi debeo ? anne quod docui ? hoc ego
possum verius retorquere, dignum me habitum, qui
docerem ; tot facundia doctrinaque praestantes in-
clinata in me dignatione praeteritos, ut esset quern
tu matura iam aetate succinctum per omnes honorum
gradus festinata bonitate proveheres ; timere ut vide-
reris, ne in me vita deficeret, dum tibi adhuc aliquid,
quod deberes praestare, superesset.
VI. Negat Cicero consularis ultra se habere, quod
1 There is of course a play on gratisiimt and the Emperor's
own name.
232
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
miracle. "How have I deserved them," you ask ?
I know of no grounds, except that you, most kindly
Emperor, say that you owe a debt : and this word
"owe" admits of very wide interpretation. Either
you consider this debt to be the interest on the
principal of your education ; or, apart from this
interest, you seek after the renown which bounty
earns ; or you are discharging yourself of the burden
of a pledge which you have incurred ; or else with a
heavenly loftiness of soul and without a trace of
vanity you are imitating God's function. You say
you owe a debt. To whom then ? Or when did you
contract it ? On what account ? Read the bill over :
name the creditor : let the accounts for receipts and
expenditure be laid before the court. When this is
done you will see that the debit balance is not
against you but against another. It is God who now
begins to owe you a debt on my behalf. But what
do you owe me, most gracious Emperor — for your
kindly nature permits me to set aside your kingly
qualities and use this familiar form of complimentary
address ? x What do you owe me ? And on the other
side, what do I not owe you ? Is it because I was
your tutor ? I can turn this about and say more
exactly that I was deemed worthy to teach you ;
that so many men superior to me in eloquence and
learning were passed over ; that the honourable
choice fell upon me, in order that you might have a
man equipped with ripe years whom your impetuous
generosity might advance through all the stages of
a distinguished career ; and that you seemed to fear
that my life might fail while there still remained
unbestowed something which you ought to bestow.
VI. Cicero, after his consulate, declared that he
■* -» j
AUSONIUS
cupiat. ego autem iam consul et senex adhuc avidi-
tatem meam fatebor. te videre saepius in hoc magi-
strate Gratiane, desidero, ut et sex Val. Corvini et
septem C. Marii et cognominis tui Augusti tredecim
consulatus unus aequiperes. plures tibi potest aetas
et for tuna tua praestare ; verum ego in numero par-
cior, quia tu in munere liberalior : ipsum eniin te
saepius hoc honore defraudas, ut et aliis largiaris.
scis enim, imperator doctissime (rursum enim utar
laude privata), scis, inquam, septem ac decern Domi-
tiani consulatus, quos ille invidia alios provehendi
continuando conseruit, ita in eius aviditate derisos, ut
haec eum pagina lastorum suorum, immo fastidiorum,
fecerit insolentem nee potuerit praestare felicem.
quod si principi honoris istius temperata et quae
vocatur aurea debet esse mediocritas, quid privati
status hominibus, quid aequanimis, quid iam senibus
erga se oportet esse moderaminis ? ego quidem,
quod ad honores meos pertinet, et vota saturavi : tu
tamen, imperator optime, tu piissime, tu quern non
fatigat liberalitas, nisi quando cessavit : tu. inquam,
indulgentissime Gratiane, ut ad benefaciendum
subito es necopinus ingenio, adhuc aliquid, quod hoc
nomine mihi praestetur, invenies. invenies? sic
intellexei-e omnes, sic nobis ordinem ipse fecisti.
1 ///•'/ Planco. 2~>. - r/,. Suet. AvyHstiw, 26.
: See Suet. Umn. 13.
234
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
had nothing more to long for. 1 I for my part, though
I am a consul and an old man to boot, will confess to
a ravenous appetite. I long to see you, Gratian,
holding this office so many more times that your
total may equal the sum of the six consulships of
Valerius Corvinus, 2 the seven of Caius Marius, and
the thirteen of Augustus, whose name you bear.
Your youth and your exalted station can secure for
you a still greater number ; but I am sparing in my
estimate, because you are so generous in bestowing
this honour. For too often you cheat yourself of it
to lavish it upon others. You know, most learned
Emperor (for once again I will use a personal mode
of complimentary address), you know, I say, that the
seventeen consulates of Domitian 3 which, in his
jealousy of the advancement of others, he held in an
unbroken series, bi-ought down such ridicule upon
his selfishness that this page of his annals, nay, rather,
of his arrogance, made him overbearingly proud but
could not make him happy. But if the Sovereign
ought to observe a well-calculated and, as the saying
goes, a golden mean in holding this dignity, what
moderation ought men of private station, of calm
judgment, and lastly, of advanced age to observe ? For
myself, I have sated even my desires, so far as my
own distinctions are concerned ; but you, my most
excellent, my most gracious Sovereign, you who never
weary in your generosity except when you have no
scope for it, you, I repeat, most bountiful Gratian,
have such a quick and surprising inventiveness in
conferring favours, that even now some addition to
be conferred upon me under this head will be
found. "Will be found "? Such a conviction have all
men felt, in such wise have you yourself created this
235
A U SONUS
sic amicus deo es, ut a te iam impetratum sit, quod
optatur, a quo et quod nondum optamus, adipiscimur.
VII. Et rursum aliquis adiciet aut sermone libere
aut cogitatione Hberius : norme olim et apud veterex
multi eiusdem modi doctores fuerunt? an tu solus
praeeeptor Augusti ? immo ego cum multis con-
iunctus officio, sed cum paucissimis secretus exemplo.
nolo Constantini temporum taxare collegas : Caesares
docebantur. superiora contingam. dives Seneca,
nee tamen consul, arguetur rectius quam praedica-
bitur iion erudiisse indolem Neronis, sed armasse
saevitiam. Quintilianus consularia per Clementeni
ornamenta sortitus honestamenta nominis potius
videtur quam insignia potestatis habuissc. (juo
modo Titianus magister, sed gloriosus ille, munici-
palem scholam apud Visontionem Lugdunumque
variando non aetate equidem, sed vilitate consenuit.
unica mihi et amplectenda est Frontonis imitatio :
quern tamen Augusti magistrum sic consulatus orna-
vit, ut praefectura non cingeret. sed consulatus ille
cuius modi ? ordinario suffectus, bimenstri spatio
interpositus, in sexta anni parte consumptus, quae-
1 Possibly T. Flavius Clemens, uncle of Domitian. Quin
tilian appears to have been a "consul suffectus, " appointed
to fill a vacancy due to death or some other cause.
1 The tutor of the younger Maximin : cp. Epist. xii.
; M. Cornelius Fronto. of Cirta in Numidia, the tutor of
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verns : r. 90-168 A.i>.
^6
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
rank for me, such is your intimacy with the deity, that
what we hope for is straightway granted by you, and
what we have not yet hoped for is bestowed upon us.
VII. But again someone will comment freely in
speech, yet more freely in thought : " Were there
not in the past and even in ancient times many such
tutors ? Or are you the only man who has had an
Emperor for his pupil ? " No, indeed ! But while I
am only one of many so far as my employment goes,
1 stand apart with verv few in virtue of this distinc-
tion. I do not wish to cast reflections upon my
fellows in this calling in the age of Constantine :
there were princes and they were instructed. I will
go back to earlier times. Fact proves more surely
than words that Seneca, who for all his wealth was
not a consul, did not discipline the nature of Nero,
but merely gave arms to his cruelty. And though
Quintilian obtained the consular distinction by grace
of Clemens, 1 he seems to have held an honorary
title rather than the actual emblems of power. So
too with the tutor Titianus ; 2 but for all his boastful
assumption, while alternating between the provincial
school of Visontio (Besancon) and Lugdunum (Lyons),
not through years but through light esteem he fell
into a decline. The one and only precedent and one
which I must frankly accept is the case of Fronto ; 3
and yet this tutor to an Emperor, though he had
the distinction of a consulate, was never invested
with the authority of a prefect. But what sort of a
consulship was it which he held ? Acting as the substi-
tute to an ordinary 4 consul, made to fill up a gap of two
months, and dismissed in the sixth part of a year, this
4 The " consul ordinarius " is junior of the two, the senior
(i.e. the first to be designated) giving his name to the year.
237
AUSGNIUS
rendum ut reliquerit tantus orator, quibus cpnsulibus
gesserit consulatum.
Ecce aliud, quod aliquis opponat : in tanti te ergo
oratoris fastigium gloriosus attollis ? cui talia requi-
renti respondebo breviter : non ego me contendo
Frontoni, sed Antonino praefero Gratianum. cele-
brant equidem sollemnes istos dies omnes ubique
urbes, quae sub legibus agunt, et Roma de more et
Constantinopolis de imitatione et Antiochia pro luxu
et Carthago discineta et donum rluminis Alexandria :
sed Treveri principis beneficio et mox cum ipso
auctore beneficii. loca inter se distant, vota con-
sentiunt. unus in ore omnium Gratianus, potestate
imperator, virtute victor, Augustus sanctitate, pon-
tifex religione, indulgentia pater, aetate films, pietate
utrumque.
XI II. " Non possum fidei causa ostendere imagines
inaiorum meorum," ut ait apud Sallustium Marius,
nee deductum ab heroibus genus vel deorum stemma
replicare, nee ignotas opes et patrimonia sparsa sub
regnis : sed ea, quae nota sunt, dicere potius, quam
praedieare : patriam non obscuram, familiam non
1 The connection of thought with the foregoing seems to
be : Gratian's unique position is proved by the affectionate
popularity with which he is universally regarded.
- In imitation of Herodotus' dictum that " Egypt is the
gift of the Nile." But Alexandria is not on a river.
n
2 3 8
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
great orator has left us to find out for ourselves in
which year he held the consulate.
But here is another objection which may be
raised : " Are you then so conceited as to exalt
yourself to the height attained by that great orator?"
To such a question I will answer briefly : No, I do not
set myself up as Fronto's rival, but I rank Gratian
before Antoninus. It is true x that all the world
over, every city which lives under our governance
observes these annual days of festival, Rome as a
matter of custom, Constantinople out of imitation,
Antioch out of love for indulgence, as also do
degenerate Carthage and Alexandria, the gift of its
river 2 ; but Treves is enabled to do this by the kind-
ness of our prince, and will soon do so in company
with the author of that kindness. All these places
are far apart, but the prayers they offer up are all to
one effect : one name is on the lips of all — the name
of Gratian, Gratian who in virtue of his authority is
styled Imperator ; of his courage, the Victorious ; 3
of his sacred person, Augustus; of his devotion,
Pontifex; of his tenderness, Father; of his age, a Son;
and of natural affection, both one and the other.
VIII. "I am not able to display portraits of my
ancestors in proof of good faith," as Marius says in
Sallust : 4 I cannot unroll a pedigree to show my
descent from heroes, or that I am of the lineage of
the gods : I cannot boast of uncounted wealth and
ancestral estates dotted all over the kingdoms of the
world : but I can mention without vaunting advan-
tages which are less fabulous. I can mention my
birthplace, a city not unrenowned ; my family, of
'■'■ For most of these titles cp. C.I.L. VI. i. 1175.
4 Jugurtha, Ixxxv. 29.
2 39
AUSONIUS
paenitendam, domum innocentem, innocentiam non
coactam, angustas opes, verumtamen libris et litteris
dilatatas, frugalitatem sine sordibus, ingenium libe-
rate, animum non inliberalem, vietum, vestitum,
supellectilem munda, nun splendida : veteribus ut
•illis consulibus (excepta, quae turn erant, bellicarum
eonlatione virtutum) si quis me conferre dignetur.
seponat opulentiam non derogaturus industriam.
Verum quoniam gratiis agendis iamdudum suc-
cumbo materiae : tu orationi meae, Gratiane, succede.
tu, Gratiane^ qui hoc nomen sic per fortunam adep-
tus es, ut nemo verius ambitione quaesierit : neque
enim iustius Metellus cognomento Pius patre revo-
cato, qui esset • impius exulante ; aut verius Sulla
Felix, qui felicior ante, quam vocaretur ; quam tu,
Gratianus : cui et hoc nomen est, et ilia Metelli
Sullaeque cognomina. tu, inquam, Gratiane, qui
hoc non singulis factis, sed perpetua grate agendi
benignitate meruisti ; cui, nisi ab avo deductum
esset, ab omnibus adderetur : tu ipse tibi, inquam,
pro me gratiam refer, tu tuaeque virtutes : bonitas,
qua in omnes prolixus es, perpetuus in me ; pietas,
qua orbem tuum temperas, quam in ulciscendo patruo
2 A°
THANKSGIVING FOK HIS CONSULSHIP
which I have no need to be ashamed ; my unblem-
ished home ; my life passed of my own free will
without a spot ; my scanty means (though enriched
with books and learning) ; my simple yet not stingy
tastes ; my liberal intellect ; my not illiberal spirit ;
the unostentatious refinement of my diet, my dress
and the appointments of my house ; so that, if anyone
should think me worthy of comparison with those
famous consuls of past days (excluding from the com-
parison those war-like qualities which then flourished),
let him deny me their wealth without belittling my
diligence.
But in this expression of gratitude, my subject
has long overpowered me : you, Gratian, must come
to the help of my words. You, Gratian, who have
received this name by chance, yet by so happy a
chance that no one out of flattery has ever tried to
find one more appropriate — for Metellus was less
rightly surnamed the Dutiful when he recalled his
father (since he would have been undutiiul had he
kept him in exile), and Sulla was less exactly called
the Lucky (since he was luckier before he was so
named), than you are named Gratian ; you, who
besides this name also bear those titles of Metellus
and Sulla, you, Gratian, I repeat, who have earned
your name not by isolated deeds but by the continual
kindliness of your gracious life, you who would have
received this as a surname by general consent had
you not inherited it from your grandfather, you, I
repeat, must yourself render thanks to yourself on
my behalf. It is a task for you and for your high
powers : for that kindness, so frequently shown to all,
and so continually to me ; for that natural affection
with which you guide your subject world, and which
24]
Vol.. 11. u
\i soMrs
probas, tuendo in fratre cumulas, ornando in prae-
ceptore multiplieas. agat gratias dementia, quam
humano generi impertis ; liberalitas,, qua ditas onirics ;
ibrtitudo, qua vincis, et mens ista aurea, quam de
communi deo plus quam unus hausisti. agant et pro
me gratias voces omnium Galliarum, quarum praefecto
banc honorificentiam detulisti. ultra progredior, et
hoc quia debere te dicis : agat, quae optime agere
potest, vox ista, quam docui.
IX. lamdudum autem quam grati animi, tarn ser-
monis exigui, ut supra dictum est, succumbo materiae,
neque adhuc ilia perstrinxi, quae ne infantissimus
quidem, nisi idem impiissinuis, eminentia per famam
et omnium gaudiis testata supprimeret ; quae supra
vires dicendi meas posita cunctor attingere, aut ingrati
crimine arguendus aut temerarii professione culpan-
dus : tamen, alterum cum subeundum sit, audaciam
quam malevolentiam malo reprehendi. tu, Auguste
venerabilis, districtus maximo bello, adsultantibus tot
milibus barbarorum, quot Danuvii ora praetexitur,
comitia consulatus mei armatus exerces. tributa ista
quod in urbe Sirmio geruntur, an. ut quod in pro-
242
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
you proved by avenging your uncle s death, doubled
by maintaining your brother, and redoubled by
raising your tutor to distinction. Let that indulgence
which vou vouchsafe to mankind render you thanks ;
that generosity with which you enrich all ; that
courage which enables you to conquer ; and that
golden spirit which you have drawn more freely than
any single man from the God of us all. So also let
the voice of every province in the three Gauls render
thanks on my behalf, since it is upon their prefect
that you have bestowed this distinction. I go even
farther — and this I add because you say you are in
my debt : let that render you thanks which can best
render it, I mean that voice which I have trained.
IX. But grateful as my heart is, my words are all
too feeble, and, as I have already said, I have long
sunk under the theme. Moreover, I have not yet
touched upon those matters which not even the
sorriest speaker, unless he were likewise the most
sacrilegious, would pass over, exalted as they are by
fame and attested by universal delight — matters so
far beyond my powers of speech that I hesitate
to touch upon them, and I must either be proved guilty
on a charge of ingratitude, or be blamed for my rash
pretensions. And yet since I must suffer one of these
two things, I prefer to be censured for over boldness
than for ill-will. You, most worshipful Emperor,
amid all the distractions of a most serious war,
amid the onslaughts of all those thousands of
savages who dwell along the shores of the Danube,
held the elections for my consulate in full panoply.
Shall I speak of them as elections by the people in
tribes because they were held in the city of
Sirmium ? Or in centuries, because they were held
r 2
243
AUSONIUS
cinctu, centuriati dicentur? an ut quondam ponti-
ficalia vocabuntur, sine arbitrio multitudinis sacer-
dotnm tractata collegio? sic potius, sic vocentur
quae tu pontifex maximus deo participatus habuisti.
Non est ingenii mei, piissime imperator, talia com-
minisci. verba sunt litterarum tuarum : quibus apud
me auctoritatem summi numinis et tuae voluntatis
amplificas. sic enim loqueris : cum de consulibus in
annum creandis solus mecum volittarem, id me nosli atque
ut facere debui et velle te scivi ) consilium meum ad ileum
retuli. eiits auctoritati obsecuius te consilient designaci et
declaravi et priorem nuncupavi. cuius orationis ordo
lucidior? quae doctrina tarn diligens propriis comi-
tiorum verbis loqui nee vocabulis moris antiqui
nomina peregrina miscere ? valete modo. classes
populi et urbanarum tribuum praerogativae et cen-
turiae hire vocatae. quae comitia pleniora urn-
quam fuerunt quam quibus praestitit deus consilium,
imperator obsequium ?
X. Et nunc ego, piissime imperator, ne fastigium
auditorii sacri, dictorum tuorum timidus interpres.
offendam, divinitatis tuae pro ! levi cum piaculo
verba transcurro. cum de consulibus, inquis, in annum
creandis: erudita vox et cura sollemnis ! mecum
1 The pontifices tilled up vacancies in their college b} co-
option until 102 B.C., when Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus trans-
ferred the right of election to the people.
2 44
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
in the war-zone? Or shall we call them pontifical
elections, as in old days, 1 since they were held, as
elections to the priestly college were held, without
reference to the people's will ? That is best, that
is their right description, seeing that you, who
presided over them, are the Pontifex Maximus and
a participator in the designs of God.
It is not a part of my character, most devout Em-
peror, to invent such words as these. They are the
words of your letter, in which you enlarge upon the
authority of the Supreme Disposer and of your own
will. This is what you say : When I was privately con-
sidering the appointment of consuls for the year, I re-
ferred my purpose to God. as you know I do, and as I
was bound to do, and as I knew you wished me to do.
In obedience to his prompting I have designated you as
consul, proclaimed you as such, and given your name
the precedence. What speech could be more clearly
arranged? What learned man more careful to use
only the terms customary at elections, without
mixinjr untechnical words with the time-honoured
phrases ? No more of you henceforth, you classes
of the people, you privileged city-tribes and
centuries called up in due order ! What elections have
ever been more adequately attended than these,
where God furnished the design, and the Emperor
gave it effect ?
X. And now, most devout Emperor, that I may not
insult the majesty of this sacred Audience-Chamber
by shrinking from interpreting your utterances, with
the forgiveness of your godhead, though not without
some slight sacrilege, I run over your words. When,
vou say, / was considering the appointment of consuls
for the year. What a learned phrase ! What a
245
AUSONIUS
volutarem : o profundi altitudo secreti ! habes ergo
consiliatorem et non metuis ])roditorem. ut me nosti :
quid familiarius, ut J'acerc debut : quid constantius, ul
relic te scivi : quid dici blandius potest? consilium
meum ad deum reluli. et quemadmodum solus, cui
praesto est tarn grande consilium ? an plenius cum
senatu, cum equestri ordine, cum plebe Romana.
cum exercitu tuo et provinciis omnibus deliberasses ?
consilium meum ad deum reluli. non ut, credo, novum
sumeres, sed ut sanctius fieret, quod volcbas. eius
aucloritati obseculus : scilicet ut in consecrando patre,
in ulciscendo patruo, in cooptando fratre fecisti. te
consulem designavi et declaravi et priorem nuncupavi.
quis haec vei'.ba te docuit ? ego tam propria et tarn
Latina nescivi. designavi et declaravi et nuncupavi.
non fit hoc temere. habet moras suas dispertitis
gradibus tam matura cunctatio. has ego litteras tuas
si in omnibus pilis atque porticibus, unde de piano
legi possint, instar edicti pendere mandavero, nonne
tot statuis honorabor, quot fuerint paginae libellorum ?
XI. Sed ad blandiora festino. ab hac enim litte-
rarum ad me datarum parte digressus, eo quoque
descendisti, ut quaereres, qualis ad me trabea mitte-
retur. omne largitionum tuarum ministerium solli-
citudine fatigasti. non ergo supra consulatum mini
246
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
solemn task ! / was pondering inwardly. What depths
to the secrets of your heart ! You have, then, a
counsellor without fearing betrayal. As you know I
do : what could be more intimate ? As I ivas bound
to do : what more uncompromising ? As I knew you
wished : what more courteous phrase could be used ?
/ referred my purpose to God : how, then, can you
say privately when such vast wisdom is ready to aid
you ? Could you have weighed the matter more
thoroughly if the Senate, the Equestrian Order, and the
People together with your army and all the provinces
had been aiding you ? / referred my purpose to God.
Not, I am sure, in order to gain some new plan, but
to consecrate your own inclination, hi obedience to his
will : that is to say, as you have acted in canonizing
your father, in avenging your uncle, in associating
your brother with you. / have designated you as
consul, proclaimed you as such, and given your name the
preference. Who taught you these words? I knew none
so fitting, so thoroughly Roman. / have designated,
proclaimed, and named you. This is no random
writing. The ripe deliberation of these words with
its pauses allows them to progress by well-marked
degrees. If I have this letter of yours posted up like
an edict on every pillar and in every portico where it
could easily be read, shall I not have as many statues
in my honour as there were placarded sheets ?
XI. But I hasten on to what is still more agree-
able. For in your letter which was delivered to me,
you diverged from this subject, and so far con-
descended as to ask me what sort of robe should be
sent me. With your anxiety you have worn out the
whole staff of officials in charge of your bounties.
Have I not then received over and above the con-
247
AUSONIUS
est adhibita per te cura tarn diligens, pro me cura
tarn felix ? in Illyrico arma quatiuntur : tu mea causa
per Gallias civilium decorum indumenta dispensas,
loricatus de toga mea tractas, in procinctu et cum
maxime dimicaturus palmatae vestis meae ornamenta
disponis : feliciter et bono omine. namque iste habi-
tus, ut in pace consulis est, sic in victoria trium-
phantis. parum est, si, qualis ad me trabea mittatur,
interroges : te coram promi iubes. nee satis habes, ut
largitionum ministri ex more fungantur : eligis ipse
de multis et, cum elegeris, munera tua verborum
honore prosequeris. palniatam, inquis, tibi misi, in
qua divus Constantius parens noster intextus est. me
beatum, cuius insignibus talis cura praestatur ! haec
plane, haec est picta, ut dicitur, vestis, non magis
auro suo quam tuis verbis, sed multo plura sunt in
eius ornatu, quae per te instructus intellego. gemi-
num quippe in uno habitu radiat nomen Augusti.
Constantius in argumento vestis intexitur, Gratianus
in muneris honore sentitur.
XII. Accessit tarn inpenso beneficio tuo pondus
quorundam sciscitatione cumulatum. interrogatus,
quern priorem decerneres consulem, nee dubilandum
1 8C. the son of Constantine the Great, father of Faustina
and grandfather of Constantia, Gratiairs wife.
248
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
sulate an additional gift in these pains, which cost you
so much trouble and caused me so much happiness ?
Swords are being drawn in Illyricum : for my sake,
you distribute robes of civil dignities in Gaul : you,
wearing your equipment, deal with the question of
my gown ; while prepared for battle and on the
verge of a supreme struggle, you make arrangements
for the decoration of my palm-broidered garb.
Yet the omen was happy and auspicious. For just as
in peace time this apparel marks the consul, so in
victory it distinguishes the conqueror in his triumph.
But it is not enough for you to ask what kind of robe
shall be sent me : you must have it produced before
vour eyes. You are not content that the officials of
your largess should perform their ordinary duties :
you choose one robe out of many with your own
hands, and having chosen it, follow up your gift with
words of compliment. You say : / have sent you a
palm-broidered robe in which is worked a ^figure of the
.sainted Constantius 1 my ancestor. Happ} r am I that
such pains should be bestowed upon my vestments !
It is, it most surely is, a broidered robe, as you say ;
but embroidered more richly with your words than
with its own threads of gold. But, since it is you
who have invested me, I perceive that its enrichment
means far more. For the light which flashes from
this single garment bespeaks two imperial personages:
Constantius is embroidered in the actual fabric of the
robe ; but in the complimentary nature of the gift,
I feel the presence of Gratian.
XII. To your favour, already so weighty, was
added the weight which a question put by certain
persons piled upon it. When they inquired whom
you appointed senior of the two consuls, you replied
24g
AUSONIUS
esse dixisti tu, et qui tecum boni sunt, dubitare
non poterant. sed tamen ad hoc dictum erexerant
animos, qui libenter elarissimum virum collegam
meum, quern praesentcm habebat occasio, praelatum
credidissent. fatigantes tamen, quod intellexerant,
requirebant. hie tu, sicut mihi renuntiatum est,
noto illo pudore tuo paulisper haesisti non rationis
ambiguus, sed eorum dubitationem vultu et rubore
condemnans, qui studium suum interpretationis
errore palpabant. deinde illico subdidisti : quid de
duobus consulibus designatis quaeritis, quis ordo sit nun-
cupationis ? anne alius quam quern praef'ectura consti-
tuit ? o felicem verecundiam tuam, cui ista popularis
ratio tam prudenter occurrit ! scisti aliud, Gratiane,
quod diceres : sed propter quorundam verecundiam
dicere noluisti. scopulosus hie mihi locus est et
propter earn, quam numquam adpetivi, gloriam, re-
cusandus. cum prior renuntiatus sim, satis est
tuum tenere iudicium : interpretes valete meritorum.
neque autem ego, sacratissime imperator, in tenui
beneficio gradum nuncupationis amplector. non est
haec gloria ignota Ciceroni : praetorem me, inquit,
populus Romanus primum fecit, consulem priorem.
ex ipsa eius sententia intellegitur commendabilius
uni videri quam pluribus esse praepositum. nulla
1 In Pisonem i. 2. .".
250
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
that there, could be no uncertainty as to that ; and the
honourable men who surround you could not feel
uncertainty. Nevertheless, this pronouncement
aroused the expectations of those who would have
been glad to think that the most distinguished man,
who is my colleague, and who happened to be
present at the time, had been awarded the precedence.
At any rate, they made themselves wearisome by
seeking for that meaning which they had read into
your answer. Whereupon, as I am informed, your
well-known modesty caused you for a while to hesi-
tate, not through indecision as to your course, but to
reprove with your flushed glance those who were
flattering their own hopes by their affected inability
to understand. Then you replied outright : Why do
you ask in what order of precedence the two consuls
designate are to stand ? Can they stand in any other
order than that which the prefecture has already
determined ? What happy modesty, so sagely to
suggest that popular reason ! You could have made
another reply, Gratian, but refrained in order to
spare the feelings of certain persons. But I find
mvself on dangerous ground and for the sake of that
distinction which I never coveted, I must avoid it.
Since I have been declared the senior, it is enough
for me to keep to your decision : so farewell, you who
would examine merits ! I do not, however, regard
this honour of precedence as a trifling favour, my
most gracious Sovereign. It confers a glory of which
Cicero was fully conscious : " The Roman People," he
says, "made me chief praetor and senior consul." 1
His very form of expression makes us clearly under-
stand that it is more honourable to receive precedence
over one person, than over many ; for while there is
251
AUSONIUS
enim est equidem contumelia secundi, sed in duobus
gloria magna praelati.
Alexandri Macedonis hoc fertur, cum legisset
illos versus Homericos, quibus Hectore provocante
de novem dueibus, qui omnes pugnare cupiebant,
unum deligi placeret sortis eventu, trepida ubi eon-
tentione votorum Iovem optimum maximum totus
j)reeatur exercitus, ut Aiacem vel Tydei filium aut
ipsum regem ditium Mycenarum sortiri patiatur
Agamemnonem : occiderem, inquit, ilium, qui me
tertium nominasset. o magnanimitatem fortissimi
viri ! nominai'i inter novem tertius recusabat ; ubi
eerte pluribus antecelleret quam subesset. quanta
hie verecundia gravaretur posterior de duobus ? est
enim in hoc numero arduae plena dignationis electio.
cum universis mortalibus duo, qui fiant consules,
praeferuntur, qui alteri praeponitur, non uni, sed
omnibus antefertur.
XIII. Expectare nunc aures praesentium scio et
eminere in omnium vultu intellego, quod desiderio
concipiatur animorum. existimant enim, cum ea,
quae ad grates agendas pertinebant, summatim et
tenuiore filo, sicut dicitur, deducta libaverim, aliqua
me etiam de maiestatis tuae laudibus debere per-
stringere. quamquam me istam dixerim seposuisse
materiam et in tempus aliud reservare ; nihilominus
tamen, ut nunc aliqua contingam, nutu et prope mur-
mure cohortantur. itaque faciam, quando cogunt
1 H 161-180. - Horace, Epp. mi. 226,
^52
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
indeed no disgrace in taking the second place, the
one of two who is preferred is signally distinguished.
It is said of Alexander of Macedon that, after
reading that passage in Homer 1 relating the decision
to select by lot one of the nine chiefs who were
all eager to right in answer to Hector's challenge,
and how the whole host besought Jupiter the Best
and Greatest with anxiously conflicting prayers to
suffer Ajax, or the son of Tydeus, or even Agamem-
non, the king of rich Mycenae, to be chosen ; he ex-
claimed : " I would have killed the man who named
me third!" See the high spirit of the dauntless
hero ! He scorned to be placed third in a list of nine
persons, even though, of course, he would have more
below him than above him. How deeply ashamed
he would feel if he were the second of two persons
only ! For where there are two candidates, the choice
of one is rich in high distinction. If the two who
are made consuls are exalted over all mankind, then
the one who has precedence over his colleague is set
not above one only, but over all.
XIII. I know that the ears of my audience are now
eagerly waiting, I can read on every face the thought
which springs from the longing of each heart. They
think that now that I have touched on every topic
which has reference to my Thanksgiving — however
summarily, or, as our poet says, 2 " spun out with
meagre thread" — I am bound to touch upon the
praises of your Majesty. Although I have said that
I have put that subject on one side and am keeping
it for another occasion, nevertheless they all urge
with nods, nay, almost with protests, to make some
reference to it now. I will do as they bid (for 1
welcome this compulsion), but I must lay aside the
2 53
AUSONIUS
volentem, sed maioribus separatis tenuiora memorabo,
nulla spe ad plenum exequendi, sed universi ut
intellegant eorum, quae inter [familiaria] praedi-
canda sunt, a me poscendam esse notitiam, ab aliis
dignitatem, nee excellentia, sed cotidiana tractabo.
XIV. Nullum tu umquam diem ab adulescentia
tua nisi adorato dei numine et reus voti et illico
absolutus egisti, lautis manibus, mente pura, inmacu-
labili conscientia et, quod in paucis est, cogitatione
sincera. cuius autem umquam egressus auspicatior
fuit aut ineessus modestior aut habitudo cohibitior
aut familiaris habitus condecentior aut militaris
accinctior ? in exercendo eorpore quis cursum tarn
perniciter ineitavit ? quis palaestram tarn lubricus
expedivit? quis saltum in tam sublime eollegit .'
nemo adduetius iaeula contorsit, nemo spieula crebrius
iecit aut eertius destinata percussit. mirabamur
poetam, qui infrenos dixerat Numidas, et alterum.
qui ita collegerat, ut diceret in equitando verbera et
praeeepta esse fugae et praecepta sistendi. obscurum
hoc nobis legentibus erat : intelleximus te videntes,
cum idem arcum intenderes et habenas remitteres
aut equum segnius euntem verbere concitares vel
eodem verbere intemperantiam coherceres. qui te
visi sunt hoc docuisse, non faciunt : immo qui visi
1 Virgil, Aen. iv. 41.
- Nemeaian, Cyney. 268 : verbera sunt praecepta fugac.
sunt verbera freni.
254
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
larger aspects of the subject and speak only of the
slighter ; and this not with any hope of according
them adequate treatment, but to let all men know
that from me they are to expect a relation only of
those personal qualities which deserve praise, and to
look to others for an estimate of your higher
virtues. I shall deal therefore not with your loftiest
qualities, but those of your every-day life.
XIV. From your boyhood you have never let a
single day pass without worshipping God, without
discharging your vows the moment that they became
due, with clean hands and a pure heart, a stainless
conscience, and — a rare quality— with undivided
thoughts. Was there ever a prince whose going
forth was attended with better auguries, whose pro-
gress was less ostentatious, whose state was less
extravagant, whose attire in private life was more
seemly or in the field more severe ? In athletic pur-
suits who ever matched your fleetness of foot, who so
supple in disengaging at wrestling, who cleared so
great a height in leaping ? No one ever launched a
javelin with a more forceful swing, no one hurled
darts with greater speed or struck the mark more
surely. We used to wonder at the poet x when he
spoke of Numidians who use no reins, and at that
other who summed up by saying that in riding it is
with the lash alone that they urge their horses to full
speed or make them stand. 2 While we read we could
not understand this, but we realized it when we saw
you drop the reins and at the same time draw your
bow, or urge on your horse with the whip when he
slackened speed and check his exuberance likewise
with the whip. Those who were supposed to instruct
you in this do not do these things : nay, rather,
2 55
AUSONIUS
sunt docuisse, nunc discunt. in cibis autem cuius
sacerdotis abstinentior caerimonin ? in vino cuius
senis mensa frugalior? operto conclavis tui non
sanctior ara Vestalis, non pontificis cubile castius nee
pulvinar rlaminis tarn pudicum. in officiis amicorum
non dico paria reddis : antevenis et, quotiens in
obsequendo praeeedimus, erubescis j>udore tarn ob-
noxio, quam in nobis esse deberet ab imperatore
praeventis. in ilia vero sede, ut ex more loquimur.
consistorii, ut ego sentio^, sacrarii tui, nullus umquam
superiorum aut dicenda pensius cogitavit aut con-
sultius cogitata disposuit aut disposita maturius
expedivit.
XV. Et aliqua de oratoriis virtutibus tuis dicerem.
nisi vererer mihi gratificari. non enim Sulpicius
acrior in contionibus nee maioris Gracchi connnenda-
bilior modestia fuit nee patris tui gravior auctoritas.
qui tenor vocis, cum incitata pronuntias ; quae inflexiOj
cum remissa ; quae temperatio, cum utraque dis-
pensas ! cpiis oratorum laeta iucundius, facunda
cultius, pugnantia densius, densata glomerosius aut
dixit aut, quod est liberum, cogitavit? vellem, si
rerum natura pateretur, Xenophon Attice. in aevum
2S 6
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
those who are supposed to instruct you are now
learning from you. Again, in the matter of food,
was ever a priest more self-denying on religious
grounds ? Or in the matter of wine, was there ever
an old man more sparing at table? The altar of
Vesta is not more hallowed than the privacy of your
bed-chamber, the couch of a priest is not more pure,
the bed of a prophet not more chaste. In your rela-
tions with your friends I do not say that you return
like for like : you anticipate our services, or whenever
we have the advantage in paying our duty to you,
you flush up shyly with an embarrassment which we
rather ought to feel when we have been anticipated
by our Sovereign. In that place which we ordinarily
speak of as your Consistory, but which I regard as
your sanctuary, none of your predecessors ever
thought out more deeply what he had to say, or
arranged his thoughts more skilfully, or delivered
them, when so arranged, in a more masterly style.
XV. I would also make some remarks on your
excellence as a speaker, were I not afraid of flattering
myself. Sulpicius was not more vehement in harangue,
nor the elder Gracchus more deserving of praise for
self-control, nor your own father more weighty, more
impressive. How your voice rings out when you
declaim some stirring theme ! How gentle in unim-
passioned passages ! How skilfully regulated when
you deal with both ! Which of the orators either
in speech or in the free domain of thought dealt
with cheerful themes more charmingly, on eloquent
themes more choicely, on the strenuous more in-
tensely, on the intense more forcibly? Ah, Attic
Xenophon, I would that it were possible in the
nature of things for you to come to life again in
VOL. II. S
.
AUSONIUS
nostrum venires, tu, qui ad Cyri virtutes exequendas
votum potius, quam historiam commodasti : cum
diceres, non qualis esset, sed qualis esse deberet.
si nunc in tempora ista procederes, in nostra Gratiano
cerneres, quod in Cyro tuo non videras, sed optabas.
atque ista omnia, quae punctis quibusdam acuminata
signavi, si facundia pro voluntate suppeteret, quam-
quam non copiosius, exequerer, ubertatem stilo rerum
magnitudine suggerente. sed nee huius diei nee
huius ista materiae. qui dicturi estis laudes principis
nostri, habetis velut seminarium, unde orationum
vestrarum iugera compleatis. ego ista perstrinxi
atque, ut sciunt omnes, possum videri familiaris
notitiae secretus interpres domestica istaec non tarn
praedicare quam prodere.
Atque ut ista dixi de cognitis mihi atque intra
aulam familiaribus, possem et foris celebrata memo-
rare, nisi omnia omnes et separatim sibi quisque
novisset. pessem pari brevitate dicere, qua supe-
riora : emendatissimi riri est pigenda non facere : at
tu numquam paenitenda fecisti et semper \eniam
paenitentibus obtulisti. pulchrum est indulgere timen-
tibus : sed tu perpetuae bonitatis edictis occumsti
258
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
this age — you who celebrated the virtues of Cyrus
by following the line of your own desires rather than
his actual history, since you described him not as he
was, but as he ought to have been. If you could
take a stride forward into these present times, you
would behold in our beloved Gratian not what you
actually saw in your favourite Cyrus, but what you
wished to see. All these qualities, the salient points
of which I have sketched in a few dashes, I would
describe in detail were my powers of speaking pro-
portionate to my will ; for however much I may lack
fluency, the greatness of the subject would inspire
my pen. But all that is appropriate neither to this
occasion, nor to this subject. You, who hereafter
shall pronounce the praises of our Sovereign have
here, if I may call it so, a nursery-garden on which
you can draw to fill out the acres of your own dis-
courses. I have merely touched upon the subject,
and being — as all are aware — the exponent of secrets
known to me through my close intimacy, I may be
thought merely to divulge rather than to belaud
these personal virtues.
And as I have spoken of matters known to me
and to all who share the inner life of the
Court, I might also tell of those which are con-
stantly spoken of beyond its precincts, were it not
that they are all known to all men and individually
to each. I could say in as few words as I have
done above : a most perfect hero does nothing of
which he need be ashamed; but you have never
done anything which calls for repentance, while
you have always extended pardon to those who
repent. It is noble to be merciful to those who fear ;
but so continual is your kindness that your edicts
s 2
259
AUSONIUS
omnibus, ne timerent. magnificum largiri honores :
tu honoratos et liberalitate ditasti. laudabile est im-
peratorem faciles interpellantibus praebere aditus nee dc
occupatione causari : tu confirmas adire cunctantes ;
et iam querimoniis explicatis, ne quid adhuc sileatur,
interrogas.
XVI. Celebre fuit Titi Caesaris dictum, perdidisse
se diem, quo nihil boni fecerat ; sed celebre fuit, quia
Vespasiani successor dixerat, cuius nimia parsimonia
et austeritas vix ferenda mi ram fecerat filii lenitatem.
tu Valentiniano genitus, cuius alta bonitas, praesens
comitas, temperata severitas fuit, parto et condito
optimo reipublicae statu, intellegis posse te esse
lenissimum sine dispendio disciplinae. neque vero
unum aliquod bonum uno die praestas : sed indul-
gentias singulares per singula horarum momenta
multiplicas. vel illud unum cuius modi est de con-
donatis residuis tributorum ? quod tu quam cumu-
lata bonitate fecisti ! quis umquam imperatorum
hoc provinciis suis aut uberiore indulgentia dedit,
aut certiore securitate prospexit, aut prudentia con-
sultiore munivit ? fecerat et Traianus olim, sed par-
tibus retentis non habebat tantam oblectationem
concessi debiti portio, quanta suberat amaritudo
1 Snot. Titus, viii.
2 Cuius of Trajan bear references to this remission.
260
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
remove all cause for fear. It is splendid to lavish dis-
tinctions : you not only bestow distinctions, but also
generously enrich the recipients. // is praiseworthy
in an Emperor to grant petitioners easy access and not to
refuse them on the pretext of engagements : you encourage
those who hesitate to approach you, and when they
have declared their complaints, you ask them whether
they have left anything still unmentioned.
XVI. The saying of Titus Caesar 1 that he had lost
that day in which he had not performed a good action,
has become famous ; but it has become famous because
it was uttered by the successor of Vespasian, a man
whose excessive economy and almost intolerable
strictness made his son's easier rule seem remarkable.
You, the son of Valentinian, whose kindness was so
profound, whose affability was never lacking, whose
sternness was so well controlled — you realize that, now
that the State has gained and established a thoroughly
sound condition, you can show all the gentleness of
your nature without pi-ejudice to good order. And,
indeed, it is not just one good deed a day that you
perform : every moment of every hour you increase
the sum of your momentous favours. How shall we
speak of that single measure by which the arrears of
tribute were remitted ? What a wealth of generositv
there was in this act ! What Emperor has ever granted
such a boon to his subject provinces with a more
generous consideration, or calculated its results with
a surer confidence, or safeguarded it with more
experience and wisdom ? Trajan 2 also did the same
thing in past times ; but since he retained a claim to
a certain amount of the arrears, the pleasure caused
by that portion of the debt which he forgave was less
than the underlying discontent left unremoved by
261
AUSONIUS
servati. et Antoninus indulserat, sed imperii, non
beneficii successor invidit, qui ex documentis tabu-
lisque populi condonata repetivit. tu argumenta
omnia flagitandi publicitus ardere iussisti. videre in
suis quaeque foris omnes civitates conHagrationem
salubris incendii. ardebant stirpes fraudium vete-
rum : ardebant semina futurarum. iam se cum
pulvere favilla miscuerat, iam nubibus fumus se
involverat : et adhuc obnoxii in paginis concrematis
ductus apicum et sestertiorum notas cum substan-
tiolae ratione eernebant, quod meminerant lectum,
legi posse metuentes. quid te, imperator Auguste,
indulgentius, quid potest esse consultius? quae bona
praestas, efficis, ne caduca sint : quae mala adimis,
prospicis ne possint esse recidiva. haec provin-
cialibus indulgentiae bona, quid ilia nostro ordini ?
quid ilia militibus ? Antoninorum cognita fuit et
iam ante Germanicorum in cohorte amicorum et
legionibus familiaris humanitas. sed ego nolo
benevolentiam tuam aliorum collatione praecellere
abundant in te ea bonitatis et virtutis exempla, quae
sequi cupiat ventura posteritas et, si rerum natura
pateretur, adscribi sibi voluisset antiquitas.
XVII. Necesse est tamen aliquid comparari, ut
possit intellegi, bona nostra quo praestent. Aegro-
262
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
the amount which he retained. Antoninus, too,
granted the same favour ; but he who inherited his
throne but not his kindliness, grudged this remission
of arrears and reclaimed from his people the full
amount as entered in the schedules and registers.
You gave orders for all these evidences of claim to be
burned publicly. Every township beheld in its own
market-place the blaze of the relieving fire. Burning
were the roots of by-gone wrongs : burning were the
seeds of those to come. Already the ashes had mingled
with the dust, already the smoke had been absorbed
in the clouds ; but still the debtors beheld in the
charred pages the lines of lettering and the figures
in the cash-column together with the valuation of
their little properties: still they feared that what
they remembered to have heard read could even now
be read. What then can there be which is more
merciful, more sagacious than you, most gracious
Emperor? You give good gifts and make sure that
they shall not be transitory : you remove ills, and take
precautions against their revival. Such are the favours
you have lavished upon the provinces ; but what of
those conferred upon our own order? Or upon the
Army ? The personal interest taken by the Antonines,
and even earlier by the Germanici, in their suite of
friends and in their legions, was a recognized fact.
But I do not care to extol your benevolences by com-
paring others. You furnish a host of such instances
of goodness and virtue as generations to come will
long to imitate, and as ages past would have wished,
did the nature of things allow, to have attributed
to themselves.
XVII. Nevertheless, some comparison must be
made in order to make clear the superiority of our
263
AUSONIUS
tantes amicos Traianus visere solebat : hactenus in
eo comitas praedicanda est. tu et visere solitus et
mederi praebes ministros, instruis cibos, fomenta
dispensas, sumptum adicis inedellarum, consolaris
adfectos, revalescentibus gratularis. in quot vias de
una eius humanitate progrederis ! legionibus univer-
sis, ut in communi Marte evenit, si quid adversi
acciderat, vidi te circumire tentoria, "satin salvae?"
quaerere, tractare vulnera sauciorum et, ut salutiferae
adponerentiir medellae atque ut non cessaretur, in-
stare. vidi quosdam fastidientes cibum te commeii-
dante sumpsisse. audivi confirmantia ad salutem
verba praefari, occurrere desideriis singulorum : huius
sarcinas mulis aulicis vehere, his specialia iumenta
praebere, illis ministeria perditorum instaurare lixa-
vurn, aliorum egestatem tolerare sumptu, horum
nuditatem velare vestitu, omnia agere indefesse et
benigne, pietate maxima, ostentatione nulla, omnia
praebere aegris, nihil exprobrare sanatis. inde
eunctis salute nostra carior factus meruisti, ut haberes
amicos obnoxios, promptos, devotos, fideles, in aevum
(jinne mansuros, quales caritas potius quam fortuna
conciliat.
^64
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
blessings. Trajan was in the habit of visiting his
friends when they were sick : so far we may grant
that he had a considerate nature. Your practice is
both to visit and to heal them : you provide them
with attendants, you order their diet, you prescribe
medicines, you furnish the cost of remedies, you
comfort them in their pain, and vou congratulate
them on their recovery. See in how many ways you
show advance beyond Trajan's single form of con-
sideration ! With the legions one and all, whenever
any regrettable incident had occurred, as is the
fortune of war, I have seen you go round the
men's lines, asking "How goes it ? ", attending to
the wounds of casualties, giving strict orders that
healing remedies should be applied and that there
should be no delay about it. I have seen men who
turned from their food with loathing take it on your
recommendation : I have heard you speak words
which gave them heart to recover. You anticipated
what each man sorely needed, causing this man's pack
to be carried by the mules of the royal train, pro-
viding special beasts for some to ride, furnishing
others with servants in place of those whom they had
lost : sometimes you would relieve the poorer soldiers
out of your own purse, sometimes cover the naked-
ness of the thinly clad. You would do all unweary-
ingly and cheerfully, with the deepest charity and
without a trace of display, bestowing everything
upon the sick and claiming nothing from the cured.
Thus it is that you have become dearer to us than
our lives, and have deservedly gained friends who
are obedient, ready, devoted, faithful — men who will
stand by you for ever, since it is affection rather
than accident which makes them yours.
265
AUSONIUS
XVIII. Concludani deinceps orationem raeani.
piissime Auguste, sermonis magis fine, quam gratiae.
namque ilia perpetua est et spatio non transmeabili
terminum calcis ignorat. flexu tamen parvo, nee a
te procul, convertar ad deum. aeterne omnium
genitor, ipse non genite, opifex et causa mundi,
principio antiquior, fine diuturnior, qui templa tibi
et aras penetrabilibus initiatorum mentibus condi-
disti, tu Gratiano humanarum rerum domino eius-
modi semina nostri amoris inolesti, ut nihil in digressu
segnior factus meminisset et relicti, illustraret absen-
tem, praesentibus anteferret ; deinde quia interesse
primordiis dignitatis per locorum intervalla non po-
terat, ad sollemnitatem condendi honoris occurreret,
benefieiis ne deesset officium. quae enim maiorum
umquam memoria transcursum tantae celeritatis
vel in audacibus Graecorum fabulis commenta est?
Pegasus volucer actus a Lycia non ultra Ciliciam
permeavit. Cyllarus atque Arion inter Argos Ne-
meamque senuerunt. ipsi Castorum equi, quod
longissimum iter est, non nisi mutato vectore trans-
currunt. tu, Gratiane, tot Romani imperii limites,
tot flumina et lacus, tot veterum intersaepta reg-
uorum ab usque Thracia per totum, quam longum
1 Possibty = the baptized.
- For Cyllarus (the steed of Pollux), see Virgil, Gfeorg. iii.
90 ; Arion is the famous horse of Adrastus.
266
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
XVIII. After this I must bring my speech to a
close, most Sacred Majesty ; though it is my words
rather than my gratitude which will end. For the
latter is unending : its course can never be run, for
it knows no stopping point. Yet I must make a
slight digression and turn not very far from you to
God. Eternal Begetter of all things, thyself un-
begotten, Creator and Cause of the universe, more
ancient than its beginning, outlasting its end, Thou
who hast built thine own temples and altars in the
inmost hearts of the initiated x worshippers : Thou
hast implanted in Gratian, the lord of this world
below, such seeds of love towards me that separation
has not weakened his remembrance of me though
parted from him. He has honoured me though I
was no longer in his presence, he has preferred
me above those who stand before him ; and further :
because distance would not allow him to be present
at the opening ceremony of my elevation, he has
hastened to attend the solemnities of my laying down
office, that his bounties might be completed by his
courtesy. For what record is there, even in the
daring fables of the Greeks, of a journey so swiftly
accomplished ? Winged Pegasus starting from Lycia
travelled no further than Cilicia : Cyllarus and Arion 2
grew old between Argos and Nemea. Even the
steeds of a Castor do not accomplish that endless
journey of theirs without changing their riders. 3
You, Gratian, speed across all those frontiers of the
Roman Empire, all those rivers and lakes, all those
barriers of old-established kingdoms, from distant
Thrace and along the whole coast, through all its
3 Probably referring to the journey of Castor and Pollux
to and from the world below : <■/>. Virgil, Atn. vi. 121 f.
267
AUSONIUS
est, latus Illyrici, Venetian! Liguriamque et Galliam
veterem, insuperabilia Rhaetiae, Rheni vadosa, Se-
quanorum invia, porrecta Germaniae, celeriore trans-
cursu, quam est properatio nostri sermonis, evolvis,
nulla requie otii, ne somni quidem aut eibi munere
liherali, ut Gallias tuas inopinatus illustres, ut con-
sulem tuum, quamvis desideratus, anticipes, ut illam
ipsam, quae auras praecedere solet, famam facias
tardiorem. hoc senectuti meae, hoc honori a te
datum, supremus ille imperii et consiliorum tuorum
deus conscius et arbiter et auctor indulsit, ut sellam
eurulem. cuius sedem frequenter ornabis, ut prae-
textam meam purpurae tuae luce fucatam, ut trabeam
non magis auro suo quam munere tuo splendidam,
quae ab Illyrico sermonis dignitas honestavit, apud
Gallias illustriora praestares, quaestorem ut tuuin,
praefectum ut tuo praetorio, consulem tuum et, quod
adhuc cunctis meis nominibus anteponis, praecep-
torem tuum, quern pia voce declaraveras, iusta ratione
praetuleras, liberali largitate ditaveras, Augustae
dignationis officiis consccrares.
Finii gratiarum actio.
268
THANKSGIVING FOR HIS CONSULSHIP
length, of lllyricum, through Venetia, Liguria, and
old Gaul, over the forbidding peaks of Rhaetia, across
the fords of the Rhine, through the thick country
of the Sequani and across the plains of Germany ;
you speed across them, I repeat, swifter in your
passage than my rapid speech, without stopping for
rest, without indulging fully in sleep or in food ; and
all to shed the unexpected light of your presence
upon your favourite Gaul, to surprise (how welcome
the surprise ! ) your own consul while still in office,
to make even Rumour, who is usually swifter than the
winds, a slower traveller than yourself. This was
your tribute to my age, this to my dignity ! God, that
supreme confidant, controller and author both of your
throne and of your counsels, has graciously permitted
that the curule chair (which you will often fill with so
much grace), that my magisterial robe dyed with your
glowing purple, that my consular apparel which is
enriched less by its own gold than by your muni-
ficence — that all these favours, which your noble
letter from lllyricum made yet more honourable,
should gain yet further in lustre by your presence in
Gaul ; that your quaestor, your praetorian prefect,
your consul, and — a name which you still rate above
all my titles — your tutor, he whom you designated
with your sacred lips, whom you named as senior
consul on substantial grounds, whom you enriched
with your generous bounty, should be hallowed by
the condescension of your royal attentions.
End of the Thanksgiving.
260
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
This Appendix, corresponding to book XXII. of
the Teubner edition, contains various poems of
relatively ancient date which, though ordinarily
edited with the works of Ausonius, are in fact
anonymous. Two only of these works call for
notice.
The elegiac poem De liosis Nascentibus (II.) is
interesting — apart from some trace of naturalistic
feeling in 11. 7 ff. — both as the humble source of
Herrick's Gather ye Rosebuds (11. 49 f.), and as having
once been attributed to Virgil himself. x It cannot,
however, be regarded as earlier than the fourth
century a.u., and was associated with the works of
Ausonius by Aleander in the Paris edition of 1511.
Sulpicia's Complaint on the State of the Common-
wealth (V.) seems to belong to the same age and is
not unreasonably considered a school-piece or liter-
ary exercise. The real Sulpicia flourished in the
later part of the first century a.d. and was famous
for a series of amatory poems composed in a variety
of metres {see 11. 4 ff.) and addressed to her husband
Calenus. According to Martial (Epigr. x. 35. 1 ff.)
her work was distinguished by its morality, though
not perhaps by its delicacy (id. x. 38. 1 ff.), and
Ausonius in his exculpatory address to Paulus at the
close of the Cento Xuptialis 2 alleges that prurire
opusculum Snlpiciae, frontem caperare. The piece was
first published in an edition of Ausonius by Ugoletus
in 1496 a.d.
1 See Ribbeck's Virgil, iv. p. 181 (Appendix Vergiliana).
- See vol. i. p. 390.
271
APPENDIX AUSONI ANA *
I. — Septem Sapientum Sententiae
(i) Bias Prieneus
Quaenam summa boni est? mens semper conscia recti,
pernieies homini quae maxima ? solus homo alter,
cmis dives ? qui nil cupiet. quis pauper ? a varus,
quae dos matronis puleherrima ? vita pudica.
quae casta est ? de qua mentiri fama veretur. 5
quod prudentis opus ? cum possis, nolle nocere :
quid stulti proprium ? non posse et velle nocere.
(n) Pittacus Mitylenaeus
Loqui ignorabit, qui tacere nesciat.
bono probari malo quam multis malis.
demens superbis invidet felicibus ; 1
demens dolorem ridet infelicium.
pareto legi, quisque legem sanxeris.
plures amicos re secunda compares :
paueos amicos rebus adversis probas.
1 = Peiper, BooL XXII.
272
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS 1
I. — Sayings of the Seven Sages
(i) Bias of Priene
What is the sum of all good? A heart ever
conscious of right. What is man's greatest bane ?
His brother man alone. Who is the rich man? He
who will long for nothing. Who is the poor man ?
The miser. What is the fairest dowry wedded wives
can bring ? A modest life. Who is the chaste
woman ? She about whom scandal fears to lie.
What deed marks a wise man? To refuse to hurt
another when he might. What is the fool's badge?
To wish to hurt another though he cannot.
(n) Pittacus of Mitylene
He who cannot hold his tongue will not know
how to speak. I would rather please one good man
than many bad. A fool envies the proud man in
prosperity, a fool laughs at the grief of the unhappy.
Obey the law whoever you be who made the law.
If Fortune smile, you gather many friends : if
Fortune frowns, you find few true friends.
1 The following poems, formerly included in the works of
Ausonius, are by unknown authors.
2 73
VOL. II. T
AUSONIUS
(m) Cleobnlus Lindius
Quanto plus liceat, tarn libeat minus. 15
fortunae invidia est immeritus miser.
felix criminibus non erit hoc diu.
ignoscas aliis multa, nihil tibi.
parcit quisque malis, perdere vult bonos.
maiorum meritis gloria non datur : 20
turpis saepe datur fama minoribus.
(iv) Periancler ( 'orintkius
Numquam discrepat utile ab decoro.
plus est sollicitus magis beatus.
mortem optare malum, timere peius.
taxis, ut libeat, quod est necesse. 25
multis terribilis caveto multos.
si fortuna iuvat, nihil laboris :
si non adiuvat, hoc minus laboris.
(v) Solon Atheniensis
Tunc beatam dico vitam, cum peracta fata sunt.
par pari iugator coniunx ; quidquid inpar, dissidet. 30
non erunt honores umquam fortuiti muneris.
clam coarguas propinquum, quern palam laudaveris.
pulchrius multo parari quam creari nobilem.
certa si decreta sors est, quid cavere proderit ?
sive sunt incerta cuncta, quid timere convenit? .'55
(vi) Chilon Lacedaemonius
Nolo minor me timeat despiciatque maior.
vive memor mortis, item vive memor salutis,
tristia cuncta exsuperans aut animo, aut amico.
tu bene si quid facias, nee meminisse fas est ;
274
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
(m) Cleobulus of Lindas
The greater your liberty, the less be your lusts.
A just man suffering wrongfully is Fortune's
indictment. A man may thrive on wrong, but not
for long. Overlook much in others, nothing in
yourself. He who spares the bad, seeks to corrupt
the good. The good deeds of the fathers bring no
glory to their posterity ; but ill-repute is often
inherited.
(iv) Periander of Corinth
The expedient and the honourable never disagree.
The greater your fortune, the greater j^our cares.
'Tis bad to wish for death, but worse to fear it. See
that you do willingly that which you needs must
do. If many dread you, then beware of many. If
Fortune aids, no need for toil : if she aids not, so
much the less toil. 1
(v) Solon of Athens
1 only call a life happy after its fated course is run.
Let like mate with like ; the ill-matched never
agree. True fame will never be in Chance's gift.
Rebuke a kinsman privately, but praise him openly.
'Tis fairer far to win nobility than to be born to it. If
our lot is certainly decreed, what profit is it to guard
against it ? Or if all is uncertain, what is the use of
fear.
(vi) Ckilon of Lacedaemon
I hate when one below me fears me, and one
above me despises me. Live and forget not death,
but also live and forget not safety : let courage or the
support of friends conquer all your griefs. If you
1 i.e. because you can do nothing to withstand her.
275
T 2
AUSON I US
quae bene facta accipias, perpetuo memento,
grata senectus homini, quae parilis iuventae :
ilia iuventa est gravior, quae similis senectae.
(vn) Anacharsis Scythes
Turpe quid ausurus te sine teste time.
vita perit, mortis gloria non moritur.
quod facturus eris, dicere distuleius. 1")
crux est, si metuas, vincere quod nequeas.
cum vere obiurges, sic inimice iuvas :
cum f'also laudes, tunc et amice nooes.
nil nimium. satis hoc, ne sit et hoc nimiun).
II. — De Rosis Nascentibus
Ver erat et blando mordenti a frigore sensu
spirabat croceo mane revecta dies,
strictior eoos praecesserat aura iugales
aestiferum suadens anticipare diem.
errabam riguis per quadrua compita in hortis
maturo cupiens me vegetare die.
vidi concretas per gramina flexa pruinas
pendere aut holerum stare cacuminibus,
caulibus et teretes patulis conludere guttas
10
vidi Paestano gaudere rosaria cultu
exoriente novo roscida lucifero.
rara pruinosis canebat gemma frutectis
ad primi radios interitura die.
1 The poem On tht Seven Sages (Peiper, i. viii.), a translation
of Anf/i. Pal. ix. .'$06, is omitted as spurious, being found
276
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
confer a benefit, never remember it ; if you receive
one, never forget it. Old age may be sweet, if it be
made like youth ; but youth is burdensome if it be
like old acre.
(vn) Anacharsis of Scythia
When you would perpetrate some deed of shame,
fear yourself even without a witness. Life passes,
but a glorious death can never die. Avoid speaking
of what you plan to do. True torment is to fear
what you cannot overcome. A just reproof is an
unfriendly help, feigned praise a friendly injury. Do
nothing to excess. That is enough ; or precept too
will run to excess. 1
II. — On Budding Roses -
'Twas spring-time, and day brought back by saffron
morn was breathing with a pleasing influence after
the biting cold. A shrewder air had run before
Dawn's coursers, moving me to forestall heat-bringing
Day. I was straying along the paths dividing the
well-watered garden-plots, seeking to drink in the
freshness of day's prime. I saw the hoar-frost
hanging caked upon the bending grass or resting on
the tops of garden herbs, and round drops rolling
together upon the cabbage-leaves .... I saw
such rose-beds as Paestum cultivates smiling all dewy
at the new-risen harbinger of light. Upon the
frosted bushes a white pearl glimmered here and
there, to perish at the earliest rays of day. 'Twere
in no MS. and appearing first in the edition of Ugoletus, to
whom it is probably due.
2 This poem is sometimes attributed in MSS. to Virgil.
277
AUSONIUS
ambigereSj raperetne rosis Aurora ruborem [5
an daret et flores tingueret orta dies,
ros unus, color unus et unum mane duorum ;
sideris et Moris nam domina una Venus.
forsan et unus odor : sed celsior ille per auras
diffluit : expirat proximus iste magis. 20
communis Paphie dea sideris et dea floris
praecipit unius muricis esse habitum.
Momentum intererat, quo se nascentia floruni
germina conparibus dividerent spatiis.
haec viret angusto foliorum tecta galero. 25
hanc tenui folio purpura rubra notat.
haec aperit primi fastigia celsa obelisci
mucronem absolvens purpurei capitis,
vertice collectos ilia exsinuabat amictus,
iam meditans foliis se numerare suis : 30
nee mora : ridentis calathi patefecit honorem
prodens inclusi semina densa croci.
haec modo, quae toto rutilaverat igne comarum
pallida conlapsis deseritur foliis.
mirabar celerem fugitiva aetate rapinam •'!•">
et, dum nascuntur, consenuisse rosas.
ecce et defluxit rutili coma punica floris,
dum loquor, et tellus tecta rubore micat.
tot species tantosque ortus variosque novatus
una dies aperit, conficit ipsa dies. 40
Conquerimur, Natura, brevis quod gratia talis :
ostentata oculis illico dona rapis.
quam longa una dies, aetas tarn longa rosarum :
cum pubescenti iuncta senecta brevis.
278
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
hard to say whether Aurora were stealing blushes
from the rose, or lending them and risen day were
dyeing the flowers. One is the dew, one the tint,
one the morn of both ; for Venus is the one queen
both of the morning-star and of the flower. Perchance,
too, one is their fragrance ; but that is diffused on
the breezes far above us, this, near at hand, breathes
forth a sweetness more perceptible. The queen of
Paphos, goddess of the star and flower alike, bids
both be habited in one ruddy hue.
23 The time was just at hand for the teeming buds
to split in equal segments. One is close capped
with a covering of green leaves ; another flecks her
narrow sheath with ruddy purple ; a third is opening
the tip of her tapering spire and freeing the point
of her crimson head. Another was disengaging at
her peak her furled array, already planning to take
count of herself with her petals. Then on a sudden
she has laid open the glories of her smiling calyx
displaying the close-packed saffron seeds which lie
within. Another, which but late had glowed with
all the fires of her bloom, now fades, abandoned by
her falling petals. I marvelled at the swift ruin
Avrought by the fleeting season, to see the roses all
withered even while they bloom. See, even while I
speak, a glowing flower has shed the ruddy honours
of its head, and earth gleams carpeted with crimson.
These many forms, these various births and changes,
one day brings forth and the same day ends.
41 Nature, we grieve that such beauty is short-
lived : once displayed to our eyes forthwith you
snatch away your gifts. As long as is one day, so
long is the life of the rose ; her brief youth and
age go hand in hand. The flower which the bright
279
AUSONIUS
quam modo nascentem rutilus conspexit Eons, 45
hanc rediens sero vespere vidit anum.
sed bene, quod paucis licet interitura diebus
succedens aevum prorogat ipsa suum.
collige, virgo, rosas, dum flos novus et nova pubes,
et memor esto aevum sic properave tuuin. 50
III. — Nomina Musarum
Clio gesta canens transactis fcempora reddit.
dulciloquis calamos Euterpe flatibus urguet.
comica lascivo gaudet sermone Thalia.
Melpomene tragico proclamat maesta boatu.
Terpsichore aftectus citharis movet, imperat, auget. 5
plectra gerens Erato saltat pede carmine vultu.
Urania motusque poli scrutatur et astra.
carmina Calliope libris heroica mandat.
signat cuncta maim loquiturque Polymnia gestu.
mentis Apollineae vis has movet undique Musas: 10
in medio residens complectitur omnia Phoebus.
IV. — De Signis Caelestibus
Ad Boreae partes A re toe vertuntur et Anguis.
post has Arctophvlax pariterque Corona, genuque
prolapsus, Lyra, Avis, Cepheus et Cassiopeia,
Auriga et Perseus, Deltoton et Andromedae astrum,
Pegasus et Delphin Telumqm \ Aquila Anguite-
nensque.
2S0
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
Morning Star beheld just being born, that, returning
with late evening, he sees a withered thing. But 'tis
well ; for though in a few days the rose must die,
she springs anew prolonging her own life. Then,
maidens, gather roses, while blooms are fresh and
youth is fresh, and be mindful that so your life-time
hastes away. 1
III. — The Names of the Muses
Clio, singing of famous deeds, restores times past
to life. Euterpe's breath fills the sweet-voiced
flutes. Thalia rejoices in the loose speech of comedy.
Melpomene cries aloud with the echoing voice of
gloomy tragedy. Terpsichore with her lyre stirs,
swells, and governs the emotions. Erato bearing
the plectrum harmonises foot, song and voice in the
dance. Urania examines the motions of the heaven
and stars. Calliope commits heroic songs to writing.
Polymnia expi*esses all things with her hands and
speaks by gesture. The power of Apollo's will enlivens
the whole circle of these Muses : Phoebus sits in their
midst and in himself possesses all their gifts.
IV. — On the Heavenly Signs
Towards the realm of Boreas the two Bears and
the Snake turn in the skv. Next come the Bear-
■r
warden and the Crown together, the Kneeling Man,
the Lyre, the Bird, Cepheus and Cassiopeia, the
Charioteer and Perseus, the Triangle and Andromeda's
constellation, Pegasus and the Dolphin and the
1 Lines 45-50 inspired Herrick's stanza : —
'• Oather ye rosebuds while ye may ;
Old Time is still a-flying,
And this same flower, that smiles to-day,
To-morrow will be dying."
281
A U SO XI US
Signifer inde subest, bis sex et sidera complent
hunc : Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra, Scorpius, Arquitenens, Capricornus et urnam
qui tenet, et Pisces, post sunt in partibus Austri
Orion, Procyon, Lepus, ardens Sirius, Argo, 10
Hydrus, Chiron, Turibulum quoque Piscis et ingens
hinc sequitur Pistrix simul Eridanique fluenta.
V. SULPICIA QU15R1TLK DE SlATL ReIP. ET
Tf.mporibus Domitiani
MijSA, quibus numeris heroas eL anna lYequeutas,
fabellam permitte mihi detexere paucis ;
nam tibi secessi tecum penetrale retractans
consilium, quare nee carmine curro Phalaeco,
nee trimetro iambo, nee qui pede fractus eodem 5
fortiter irasci didicit duce Clazomenio.
cetera quin etiam, quot deinceps milia lusi
primaque Romanos docui contendere Grais
et salibus variare novis, constanter omitto
teque, quibus princeps et facundissima calles, 10
adgredior : precibus descende clientis et audi.
Die mihi, Calliope, quid iam pater ille deorum
cogitat ? an terras et patria saecula mutat
quasque dedit quondam marcentibus eripit artes ?
' A hendeeasyllabic metre.
- Hipponax of Ephesus (flor. 546-520 B.C.) invented the
variety of iambic metre known as ' 'scazon " (limping), in which
282
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
Arrow, the Eagle and the Snake-holder. Below these
comes the Zodiac which twelve constellations occupy:
the Ram, the Bull, the Twins, the Crab, the Lion and
the Virgin, the Scales, the Scorpion, the Archer,
Capricornus, and He who holds the Water-Jar, and
the Fishes. Next, in the Southern Hemisphere are
found : Orion, Antecanis, the Hare with fiery Sirius,
Argo and the Water-snake, Chiron, the Censer (Ara)
also and the Great Fish. After these together follow
the Whale and the streams of Eridanus.
\ *.— sulpicia complains of the condition uk the
State and of the Times of Domitian
Muse, suffer me to weave in few words my tale,
using those numbers wherewith thou celebratest
heroes and deeds of war ; for 'tis for thee I have
retired, with thee pondering my inward purpose.
Wherefore my song trips not to the measure of
Phalaecus, 1 nor to the iambic trimeter, nor to that
which, limping on the last foot, learned under the
guidance of him of Clazomenae boldly to be angry ! 2
Nay, and all those other innumerable measures with
which I have trifled, and wherein I first taught
Romans to vie with Greeks and season their verse
with an array of new flavours, I firmly pass by : thee
I approach in that metre in which thou hast the chief
and richest skill.
12 Tell me, Calliope, what ponders now that Father
of the Gods ? Is he changing the whole earth
and ages past, and is he snatching from our drooping
hands the arts which he once gave us? Is it his
&"
the last foot is a spondee ( — ) or trochee (-w) instead of an
iambus (^ -). This metre he used with effect in writing
lampoons.
283
AUSONIUS
nosque iubet tacitos et iam rationis egentes, 15
non aliter, primo quam cum surreximus arvo,
glandibus et purae rursus procumbere lymphae ?
an reliquas terras conservat amicus et urbes,
sed genus Ausonium Rutulique extirpat alumnos ?
quid? reputemus enim : duo sunt, quibus extulit ingens
Roma caput, virtus belli et sapientia pacis. 21
sed virtus, agitata domi et socialibus armis,
in freta Sicaniae et Carthaginis exulat arces
ceteraque imperia et totum simul abstulit orbem.
deinde, velut stadio victor qui solus Achaeo 25
languet et immota sensim virtute fatiscit,
sic itidem Romana manus, contendere postquam
destitit et pacem longis frenavit habenis.
ipsa domi leges et Graia inventa retractans,
omnia bellorum terra quaesita marique 30
praemia consilio et molli ratione regebat :
stabat in his (neque enim poterat constare sine isti^ :
haut frustra auctori mendaxque Diespiter olim,
" Imperium sine fine dedi " ] dixisse probatur.
Nunc igitur qui rex Romanos imperat inter, 35
non trabe, sed tergo prolapsus et ingluvie albus,
et studia et sapiens hominum nomenque genusque
omnia abire foras atque urbe excedere iussit ?
quid fugimus Graios hominumque reliquimus urbes,
ut Romana foret magis his instructa magistris, 40
iam (Capitolino veluti turbante Camillo
1 Virgil. Atn. i, 279.
284
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
will that speechless and bereft of reason, even as
when first we rose up out of the soil, we feed on
acorns and again lap up unmixed water ? Or does
he kindly keep all other lands and cities in their
former state, but roots out the Roman race and the
sons of Latium ? What ? Let us but reflect. Two
things there are whereby mighty Rome raised up her
head, valour in war and wisdom in peace. But valour,
exercised at home and in our Social Wars, travelled
abroad against the fleets of Sicily and the towers
of Carthage, pulled down those other empires and
seized upon the whole world at once. Then, as an
unmatched athlete on the Olympic course grows
feeble and with unstirred mettle declines gradually,
even so the might of Rome after it ceased to strive,
and gave loose rein to peace. She also, pondering at
home her laws and the discoveries of Greece, used to
govern the prizes won by her wars on land and sea
with wisdom and the gentle rule of reason : on these
she used to stand (for indeed without them she could
not have stood whole). Surely it was no vain or lying
word when to the father of our race Jupiter said of
old : " I have given you an Empire without bounds."
35 Has he, then, who now reigns as king amongst
the Romans, bestial and dead-white through gluttony,
ordered learning and the whole name and race of
our philosophers to get gone and leave the city ? l
Why do we flee the Greeks and have left the cities
of mankind that Rome might the better be sup-
plied 2 with such teachers, if now (as the Gauls fled
leaving the sword and scales when Camillus, the old
1 Dom'itian expelled all the philosophers from Rome and
Italy, cp. Suet. Dom. x.
- i.e. by our absence, which gives the Greeks a free field.
285
AUSONIUS
ensibus J et trutina Galli fugere relicta)
si nostri palare senes adiguntur et ipsi
ut ferale suos onus exportare libellos ?
ergo Numantinus Libycusque erravit in isto 45
Scipio, qui Rhodio crevit formante magistro,
ceteraque ilia manus bello facunda secundo ?
quos inter prisci sententia dia Catonis 2
scire adeo magni fecisset, utrumne secundis
an magis adversis staret Romana propago. 50
scilicet adversis ! nam, cum defendier armis
suadet amor patriae et caritura penatibus uxor,
convenit, ut vespis, quarum domus arce Monetae,
turba rigens strictis per lutea corpora telis ;
ast ubi res secura redit, oblita furorum 55
plebs rectorque una somno moriuntur obeso :
Romulidarum igitur longa et gravis exitium pax. —
Hie fabella modo pausam facit. optima, postliac,
Musa, velim moneas, sine qua mini nulla voluptas
vivere : uti quondam, dum Smyrna Byblisque peribat,
nunc itidem migrare vacat. vel denique quid\ is t> I
ut dea quaere aliud : tantum Romana Caleno
moenia iucundos pariterque averte Sabinos.
Haec ego. turn paucis dea me dignarier infit :
1 So MSS.: censibus, I'tijn r. " Ensibus"' is a jocular allusion
to the sword which Brennus cast into the scale.
2 rp. Horace, Sat. i. ii. 32.
1 An allusion to the well-known deliverance of the Capitol
when besieged by Gauls under Brennus in 390 B.C.
286
APPENDIX TO ALISON I US
hero of the Capitol, routed them J ) our old sages art-
forced to go a-wandering and to carry out their own
books like the deadly burden borne by criminals. 2
Was Scipio, then, misguided in this, the hero of
Numantia and Libya 3 who prospered under tht-
guidance of a Rhodian director 4 ; and the others
of that company who joined eloquence with success
in war ? And among these, how important would
old Cato with his heaven-sent prudence have held it
only to know whether the Roman race stood firmer in
prosperity or in adversity. Surely in adversity ! For
when love of country and fear that their wives may
lose their homes moves them to defend themselves,
they muster ; even as the wasps whose home is in
Moneta's stronghold, a swarm formidable with un-
sheathed weapons upon their yellow bodies ; but
when security returns, the commons and their ruler
alike forgetful of their rage perish in full-fed sleep.
Therefore a long, heavy peace is the ruin of the sons
of Romulus.
58 Here now my tale must rest. Hereafter, sweetest
Muse, without whom I find no pleasure in life, I fain
would hear thy grave warnings : even as of old, while
Smyrna and Byblis were perishing, so now there is yet
time to go into other lands. Or, as a goddess ma}',
find any other plan: only keep Calenus 5 from the
walls of Rome and from the pleasant Sabine land.
64 Such was my prayer. Then first the goddess
2 i.e. the cross. Or, possibly, "as though their books
were some noxious load " (which needed to be got rid of).
s sc. Scipio Afrioanus Minor, who took Carthage in 146 B.C.
and Numantia in 13.3 B.C.
4 Panaetius, the Stoic of Rhodes, the intimate friend of
Scipio and Laelius.
5 Calenus was the husband of Sulpicia.
287
AUSONIUS
l Pone metus aegros, cultrix mea : summa tyranno 65
haec instant odia et nostro periturus honore est.
nam laureta Numae fontisque habitamus eosdem,
et comite Egeria ridemus inania coepta.
vive, vale ! manet hunc pulchruin sua fama dolorem :
Musarum spondet chorus et Romanus Apollo." 70
VI. — In Puerum Formosum
Dum dubitat natura, marem feceretne puellam :
factus es, o pulcher, paene puella, puer.
VII. — De Matre Augusti
Ante omnes alias felix tamen hoc ego dicar.
sive hominem peperi femina sive viruni.
VIII.— DlDONI
Infelix Dido, nulli bene nupta marito :
hoc pereunte fugis, hoc fugiente peris.
IX. — An Amicam
Ecce rubes nee causa subest. me teste pudicus
iste tuus culpam nescit habere rubor.
288
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
vouchsafed me these few words: "Cast off your
anxious fears, my devotee : hatred for these crowning
offences threatens to overwhelm the tyrant, and he
shall perish to expiate the slight he put upon me.
For I dwell in the laurel groves that Numa haunted
and by the same springs ; and, with Egeria for my
companion, I laugh to scorn such vain attempts.
Long life and farewell ! So noble a grief shall find
the fame that is its due ; and this the choir of Muses
and Roman Apollo promise thee."
VI. To A GRACEFUL Boy
While Nature was in doubt whether to make a
boy or girl, thou didst become almost a girl, my
handsome boy.
VII. — On the Mother of an Emperor
Yet for this cause 1 I shall be called happy above all
others, whether I, a woman, have borne a man or
hero.
VIII.— To Dido
Ah ! luckless Dido, unhappy in both husbands :
this, dying, caused thy flight ; that, fleeing, caused
thy death.
IX.— To a Mistress
See, thou dost blush ; and yet there is no secret
cause. I can bear witness that this modest blush of
1 sc. because I am mother of an Emperor, whatever his
qualities may be. This couplet appears to be a fragment
from the end of an epigram.
289
VOL. II. U
AUSONIUS
et vice populeae frondis tremis, et vice lunae
puniceam maculant lutea signa cuteni.
amplexus etiam nostros pudibunda recusas
et, si testis adest, oscula sueta fugis.
X
Consuetudo oculis nil sinit esse novum.
290
APPENDIX TO AUSONIUS
thine is innocent of guilt. Now like a poplar-leaf
thou tremblest, now like the moon pale marks dapple
thy rosy cheeks. Shamefast, thou dost shun even
my embrace, and if a witness is at hand, thou neest
my wonted kisses.
X
Custom suffers naught to be strange to the eye.
291
v 2
PAULINUS FELLJEUS
THE EUCHARISTICUS
INTRODUCTION
The Author
The author of the Eucharisticus is in some sense an
elusive personage ; for while the one surviving MS.
states that the work is by an unknown writer
(incerti auctoris), the editio princeps attributes it to
St. Paulinus of Nola. This ascription was almost
certainly found in the MS. (now lost) used by the
first editor; and though quite impossible 1 as it stands,
it has so far been taken seriously by modern scholars
that the poem is ascribed, not to the Saint, but to
some other person of the same name.
Paulinus, as we may therefore call him, makes
certain allusions to his relatives which show at any
rate to what family he belonged. In 11. 26 ff". he
refers to his father as vicarius of Macedonia, and
again (1. 35) as proconsul of Africa : further on
(1. 48 f.) he mentions a visit to Bordeaux in the same
year in which his grandfather was consul, and finally
(1. 332) alludes to Bazas as the native place of his
forefathers. The chronology of the author's life
leaves no room for doubt that the grandfather was
Decimus Magnus Ausonius, the poet-rhetorician,
who was consul in 379 a.d. But here our certainty
ends. Was Paulinus the son of Hesperius (as Brandes
1 The history of the author is entirely different from the
known history of Paulinus of Nola.
295
INTRODUCTION
argues), or of a daughter of Ausonius by Thalassius, 1
as Seeck and Peiper maintain ? The complete
arguments on either side are too minute and too
complicated to be summarised here; nor, after all,
is the question important. All that need be said
is that the author's references to Gaulish estates
inherited from his grandfather (res avitae, 11. 422, 570)
and to others in Macedonia left by his mother
(materni census, 1. 414) strongly favour Brandes' view
that Paulinus was a son of Hesperius by a Mace-
donian wife.
We may now turn to the life history of the author.
He was born at Pella in Macedonia in 376 a.d. and
carried to Carthage nine months later on his father's
promotion to the Proconsulship of Africa (11. 24-33).
After eighteen months in this province he was taken
first to Rome and then to Bordeaux, which he reached
in 379 a.d. (11. 34-49). Here his education began.
After passing through the elementary stage, he was
advanced to read Plato, Homer and Virgil ; though,
being used to converse in Greek and almost ignorant
of Latin, he found the last-named a trying author
(11. 65-80). It is worthy of notice that at this early
period he had a boyish ambition to be set apart —
apparently for the monastic life (11. 92 ff.). Just as
he was beginning to take an interest in study and to
show some promise, he was struck down by an ague.
Doctors recommended exercise and amusement, with
the result that horses, hounds and hunting took the
place of books (11. 113 ff.).
The youth, now rapidly growing up, next developed
a love of finery and general magnificence, succeeded
1 If so, "Paulinus" is really the grandson Ausonius of
Epitt. xxi.-xxii. (Above, pp. 68 ft'. )
296
INTRODUCTION
by indulgence in other amusements which he fol-
lowed with a stronger sense of caution than of
morality (11. 140-175). Hereupon parents intervened
with the remedy of a marriage of convenience.
Paulinus gained a wife, for whom he shows scant
affection, but found an outlet for his energies in
restoring to order the neglected estate which was
her portion (11. 176 ff.). The independent means
thus acquired were laid out in forming a comfortable
and luxurious establishment, and Paulinus bade fair
to settle down to an indolent, if blameless, life
(11. 202 ff.).
But this period of ease came to an abrupt end. In
406 a.d. his father died almost at the same time that
the barbarians burst into the Roman Empire(U. 226ff).
The attempts of his brother to upset his father's will
was the first and least of his troubles (11. 248 ff.) :
Bordeaux was occupied by the Visigoths, who sacked
the city ere they evacuated it in 414 a.d. Paulinus,
absent at the time, had failed to take the precaution
which might have saved his property ; and conse-
quently his house was given up to plunder (11. 271 ff,
308 ff). To make matters worse, the puppet-
Emperor Priscus Attalus inflicted on him the empty
but apparently burdensome title of Count of the
Private Largesses. Driven from his home which was
burned, Paulinus fled with his family to Bazas, only
to be besieged in the town, where he narrowly
escaped assassination (11. 328 ff). His attempts to
extricate himself had the unexpected result of
ending the siege by detaching the Alans from their
Gothic allies (11. 343 ff).
His position, however, was now difficult. Hostile
Goths and dishonest Romans had made away with
297
INTRODUCTION
all, or nearly all, of his inherited property. Natur-
ally he thought of removing to Macedonia, where
his mother's estates remained intact, but was thwarted
in this by his wife's obstinate refusal to make the
voyage (11. 404 ff., 480 ff., 494).
Probably it was in desperation at his difficulties
that Paulinas sought to abandon the world (and his
family) by becoming a monk (II. t55 ff.) ; but from
this purpose he was deterred by the advice of certain
"holy men." A course of penance was imposed
upon him, and at Easter, 421 a.o., he felt fitted to
receive the Communion (11. 464-478).
As years passed by, his position grew worse and
worse ; his mother-in-law, mother, and wife (of
whom he speaks with some bitterness) died one
after another ; his sons left him to make their way
at Bordeaux, where they too died (11. 492-515).
His means, too, were now so small that he retired
to Marseilles and there endeavoured to make a
livelihood by working a very small property which
he owned there. But this effort also failed and
he returned to Bordeaux to live, apparently, in
dependence (11. 520 ff.).
But at length his continuous ill-fortune was re-
lieved. His estate at Marseilles, though somehow
embarrassed, was purchased by an unknown Goth
who paid, if not the fair price, yet a sum sufficient
to make him independent once more (11. 575 ff.). It
is evident that Paulinus expects that the proceeds
will suffice to support his remaining years; and we
may therefore take it that the transaction was carried
out not lonj* before the Eucharisticus was written,
and that it was the last incident of importance in
this strange life.
298
INTRODUCTION
The poem was composed when the author was in
his eighty-third year (11. 12-14), i.e. in 459 a.d. : in
the nature of things his death must have followed
not long after that date.
The Euchakisticds as Literature
Paulinus openly avows that his purpose in writing
the Eucharisticus is to show how his whole life had
been ordered and directed by Providence, and
thereby in some measure to return thanks for such
guidance. He is careful to disclaim both literary
merit and literary ambition. And indeed in any
strictly literary sense the value of the poem must be
regarded as slight.
It is probable that the nature of his subject —
reHexions upon times long gone by — induced him
to adopt a slow and deliberate style. Yet even
if this is so, it cannot excuse the long and laboured
periods in which he unfolds his experiences. In
the tangle of absolute, temporal, and relative
clauses, complicated by parentheses and conditions,
the reader is often hard put to it to follow the
trend of the author's thought ; sometimes (as in
11. 149-153) a main verb is altogether lacking. A
certain almost wilful ponderousness of expression
(as in 11. 458 f. : " qui sibi servari consuetam indi-
cere curam | posse viderentur "), and a habit of
introducing sentence after sentence with a relative
(11. 81, 85, 92) only increase the monotonous effect.
It is not that Paulinus scorns any form of literary
refinement and embellishment. He imitates such
authors as were known to him — Virgil among the
ancients, and Ausonius, Paulinus of Nola, Juvencus,-
299
INTRODUCTION
Sedulius among the moderns. Moreover, as became
a grandson of Ausonius, he was by no means in-
different to rhetorical and verbal effects, indulging
largely in such antitheses as : " effectum . . . pro-
fectum " (1. 6), or " officeret . . . succedente . . . ce-
dente . . . sufficeret " (11. 137-140). The note struck
by one word is frequently repeated with some
variation further on (as in 11. 4 f . : " placidus . . .
placita," or in 432-4 " complacuit . . . placatum").
Alliteration also was frequently though not regularly
brought into play ; thus in 11. 182 ff. we have
" possessa placeret ) ad praesens posset" followed
by " dudum desidia domini " ; in 1. 209 " pretio
quam pondere praestans " ; in 1. 149 "vegetus veloci
currere vectus | equo." Sometimes, but more rarely,
he indulges in such plays as " ponere finem | nescis
et ignaris solis succurrere nosti " (1. 445).
Of the metrical and rhythmic aspects of the
Eucharisticus no adequate account can here be
given. 1 Licences such as status (1. 194, genitive)
and comperta (1. 197, ablative) may be due to the
changes which Latin had undergone and was under-
going ; but it is evident that Paulinus used the
hexameter as a purely conventional mould into
which his words were to be forced. As a result, his
verses move as regardless of rhythm as a slow train
over an ill-laid line.
But though we must deny to Paulinus literary
precision, technical ease and grace, 2 his work pre-
sents certain aspects which must not be ignored.
1 On this see the Prolegomena toBrandes' edition, § iii.
* As Brandes observes, many of the blemishes in tliis
work may be due to the interruption of the author's training
ere he had attained an adequate knowledge of Latin.
300
INTRODUCTION
Consciously or unconsciously he chose a subject which
has something of the unity and regular development
of a Greek tragedy. The varying phases of the first
half of the author's life unfold themselves in an
atmosphere of almost insolent prosperity seeming
to invite the catastrophe or " reversal of fortune "
which forms the central point. Misfortune after
misfoi'tune follows until it seems likely that the
"hero" will be overwhelmed; only towards the
close is the picture brightened (as in the Samson
Agonistes) by some measure of consolation. Here,
moreover, as in Milton's drama, the pervading idea
of continuous divine direction is an additional bond
of unity. And lastly, if we seek for individual
passages, most will admit that the conclusion at
least (11. 590 ft°.) has a solemn and majestic dignity
of its own. Paulinus lacks literary craftsmanship, but
he has, what many literary craftsmen lack, sincerity
and real experience of what he describes ; his poem,
though essentially religious, is quite pure of the
mendacious assumption of emotions never experi-
enced which poisons so many ''religious poems."
Historical Value ok the Poem
When all allowance has been made, we must still
admit that it is as an historical document that
the Eucharisticus deserves to be read. Even here it
is not the few concrete facts recorded (the sack of
Bordeaux, the siege of Bazas and the like) which
are chiefly important. The phrases "barbarian in-
vasion," "collapse of the Roman power," and such
like mean little unless their implication is under-
stood ; and the Eucharisticus does indeed reveal in
a single instance what these events implied for
3 OT
INTRODUCTION
thousands of happy and prosperous homes. First
the free, gay and luxurious life of the well-to-do
is depicted ; then the storm breaks, and
apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto.
The surviving unfortunates struggle on for a time,
catching at expedient after expedient, but always
sinking deeper. If in the end certain of them found
some ark of safety, they might well see in their
preservation a token of divine mercy.
Nor is the poem unimpoi'tant for social and moral
history. The author's account of his youth and
early manhood well illustrates the life led bv a
young provincial squire — set upon having the best
that money could buy in the way of horses, hounds,
and the like ; fond of hunting and a gallop across
country, and withal, careful to be in the latest
fashion. One passage at least (11. 160 ff.) is a
remarkable commentary on ancient slavery and thr
curious moral distinctions based upon it.
MSS. and Editions of the Poem
Only two MSS. of the Euckarislicus are known to
have survived into modern times: (1) An MS. (P)
used by the first editor. Of the earlier and later
history of this, nothing is known. (2) A ninth-cen-
tury MS. (#), now at Berne (No. 317), and showing
corrections by three subsequent hands (distinguished
as B 2 -B 4 ). Both MSS. were derived from a single
archetype.
The following have published editions of the
Euckarislicus : —
(1) Marguarinus de la Bigne, in Bibliotkeca Sanc-
torum Putrum, Appendix (Vol. HI.), Paris, 1579
(Ediiio Princeps).
302
INTRODUCTION
(2) Caspar Barth, Animadversiones, Frankfurt, 162-1
(republished with considerable augmentations and
an emended text (pp. 150 ff.) in Christian Daum's
Paulinus Petricorius, Leipzig, 1681).
(3) Collectio Pisanrcnsis, Vol. VI. (Pisauri, 1766).
(4) Ludovicus Leipziger, Paulini Carmeji Euchar-
isticum, Wratislau, 1858.
(5) Wilhelm Brandes, in Poetae Ckristiani Minores,
Pars I., Vienna, 1888. (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiax-
ticorum Latinorum, Vol. XXV 7 1.)
The text of the present edition is that of Brandes
with a few negligible changes in punctuation.
There appears to be no English translation of the
poem, and none in a foreign language is known to
me. In the present version, intended as it is to
stand side by side with the original, I have judged
it better for the most part not to attempt to break
up the author's long sentences. However desirable
that process may be, it is calculated to perplex the
reader who desires help in following the original
rather than an independent version.
3°3
SANCTI PAULINI 1 ETXAPISTIKON
Praefatio
(1) Scio quosdam inlustrium virorum pro suarum
splendore virtutum ad perpetuandam suae gloriae
dignitatem ephemeridem gestorum suorum proprio
sermone conscriptam memoriae tradidisse. a quo-
rum me praestantissimis meritis tarn longe profecto
quam ipsa temporis antiquitate discretum non utique
ratio aequa consilii ad contexendum eiusdem prope
materiae opusculum provocavit, cum mihi neque ulla
sint gesta tarn splendida, de quibus aliquam possim
eaptare gloriolam, nee eloquii tanta fiducia ut facile
audeam cuiusquam opera scriptoris aemulari, (2) sed,
quod non piget confiteri, iamdudum me in peregri-
natione diuturna aerumnosi otii maerore marcescen-
tem misericordia, ut confido, divina ad huiusmodi me
solacia affectanda pellexit, quae simul et bene sibi
consciae senectuti et religioso proposito convenirent
— ut, qui me scilicet totam vitam meam deo debere
meminissem, totius quoque vitae meae actus ipsius
devotos obsequiis exhiberem eiusdemque gratia con-
cessa mihi tempora recensendo eucharisticon ipsi
opusculum sub ephemeridis meae relatione contexe-
rem, (3) sciens profecto et benignae ipsius miser-i-
1 P : Incerti auctoris EuxaptaTiK6s, B 3 ' 4 .
3°4
THE THANKSGIVING OF
ST. PAULINUS
The Preface
I know that among famous men there have
been some who, in right of their brilliant qualities
and to immortalise the eminence of their renown,
have handed down to posterity a memoir of their
doings compiled in their own words. Since I am of
course as far removed from these in their outstanding
worth as in point of time, it is certainly no similar
reason and design which has induced me to put
together a little work almost identical in subject;
for I have neither any such brilliant achievements
whereby 1 might hope to snatch some little gleam
of fame, nor so great a confidence in my powers of
expression as lightly to dare to challenge the work
of any author. But — I am not ashamed to avow it —
I, who in my lengthy pilgrimage have long languished
in the misery of care-fraught idleness, have been led
on, as I surely believe, by divine mercy to seek such
consolations as befitted alike a good conscience in
old age and a devout purpose ; I mean that I, who
indeed felt that I owed my whole life to God,
should show that my whole life's doings also have
been subject to his direction ; and that, by telling
over the seasons granted me by his same grace, I
should form a little work, a Thanksgiving to him, in
the guise of a narrative memoir. For I know indeed
both that the care of his kindlv mercy was about
3°5
VOL. II. X
PAULINUS PELUEUS
cordiae circa me fuisse, quod indultis humano generi
temporariis voluptatibus etiam ipse prima mea aetate
non carui, et in hac quoque parte curam mihi provi-
dentiae ipsius profuisse, quod me adsiduis adversi-
tatibus moderanter exercens evidenter instruxit nee
inpensius me praesentem beatitudinem debere dili-
gere quam amittere posse me scirem, nee adversis
magnopere terreri, in quibus subvenire mihi posse
misericordias ipsius adprobassem.
(4) Proinde si quando hoc opusculum meum in
cuiusquam manus venerit, ex ipso libelli titulo prae-
notato evidenter debet advertere me hanc medita-
tiunculam raeam, quam omnipotenti deo dedico, otio
ineo potius quam alieno negotio praestitisse, magis-
que id meorum esse votorum, ut hoc qualecumque
obsequium meum aeceptum deo sit, quam ut carmen
incultum ad notitiam perveniat doctiorum. (5) Al-
tamen si cui forsitan magis cui-ioso tantum otii ab re
sua merit, ut laboriosum vitae meae ordinem velit
agnoseere, exoratum eum cupio ut, sive aliquid seu
forsitan nihil in gestis vel in versibus meis quod
])ossit probare reppererit, ea tamen ipsa quae ele-
ment oblivioni j)otius inculcanda deleget quam
memoriae diiudicanda commendet.
€YXAPICTIK0C Deo sub Ephemeridis meae
Textu.
Enarrare parans annorum lapsa meorum
tempora t-t in seriem deducere gesta dieruni
ambigua exactos vitae quos sortc cucurri,
306
THE EUCHARISTICUS
me, because in my early life I lacked not even the
fleeting pleasures natural to mankind ; and that in
this part of it also the care of his providence has been
before me, because, while reasonably chastening me
with continual misfortunes, he has clearly taught me
that 1 ought neither to love too earnestly present
prosperity which I knew I might lose, nor to be
greatly dismayed by adversities wherein I had found
that his mercies could succour me.
Therefore, if ever this little work of mine should
come into the hands of any, from the very title
prefixed to the book he ought clearly to understand
that this my little musing, which 1 consecrate to
God Almighty, is a gift to my leisure, rather than to
another's pleasure ; and that my prayer is rather that
this my service, such as it is, may be accepted by
God, than that my uncouth poem should win its way
to the attention of the learned. Nevertheless, if
someone perchance more inquisitive than ordinary
should have so much leisure from his own affairs
as to seek to learn the toilsome progress of my life, 1
wish to beg him -whether he find anything, or perhaps
nothing, in my doings or in my verses which he can
praise — yet to elect for the trampling of oblivion
those very features which he has selected, rather
than to commend them to the discernment of
posterity.
A Thanksgiving to God in the Form or my
Memoirs
Now as I make ready to tell o'er the bygone
seasons of my years and to trace out the succession
of past days through which I have sped with
3°7
v 2
PAULINUS PELL^EUS
te, deus omnipotens, placidus mihi, depreeor, adsis
adspiransque operi placita tibi coepta secundes, 5
effectum scriptis tribuens votisque profectum,
ut tua te merear percurrere dona iuvante.
Omnia namque meae tibi debeo tempora vitae,
auram ex quo priraum vitalis Iuminis hausi,
inter et adversas iactatus saepe procellas 10
instabilis mundi te proteetore senescent
altera ab undecima annorum currente meorum
hebdomade sex aestivi flagrantia solis
solstitia et totidem brumae iani frigora vidi
te donante, deus, lapsi qui temporis annos 1 5
instaurando novas cursu revolubilis aevi.
Sit mihi fas igitur versu tua dona canentem
pangere et expressas verbis quoque pendere grates,
quas equidem et clausas scimus tibi corde patere,
ultro sed abrumpens tacitae penetralia mentis 20
fontem exundantis voti vox conscia prodit.
Tu mihi lactanti vires in corpore inerti
ad toleranda viae pelagique incerta dedisti,
editus ut Pellis inter cunabula quondam
regis Alexandri prope moenia Thessalonices 25
patre gerente vices inlustris praefecturae,
orbis ad alterius discretas aequore terras
perveherer trepidis nutricum creditus ulnis,
ninguida perque iuga et sectas torrentibus Alpes
1 Literally " success to my writings and fulfilment to my
prayers"; but it is desirable to reproduce the play oil
effectum . . . profectum.
308
THE EUCHARISTICUS
changeful fortunes, thee I implore, Almighty God,
favourably to be nigh me and, breathing on my
work, to prosper a design favoured by thee, in
granting me sustainment in my task, attainment in
my prayers, 1 that by thy aid I may be worthy to run
o'er the list of thy gifts. For all the seasons of my
life I owe to thee ever since I drew in the breath of
enlivening light, and, though oft tossed amid the
storms of this inconstant world, under thy protection
I grow old and in the course of my twelfth hebdomad
of years have now seen six scorching solstices of the
summer sun and as many winters' frosts — this
through thy gift, O God, who renewest the years of
bygone time in repairing the course of the circling
Ages. 2 Be it permitted me, therefore, singing to re-
cord thy gifts in verse, and in setting forth of words
also to pay thanks which, indeed, even when shut
within the heart, we know are open to thee, but the
fraught voice unbidden breaks through the barriers
of the silent mind and reveals a fount of out-gushing
prayer.
Thou in my infancy didst give my helpless frame
strength to endure the hazards of travel by land and
sea, that I — born at Pella, the nursery of King
Alexander of old, near Salonika's walls, where mv
father was vicegerent 3 of the illustrious Prefect —
might be conveyed to the shores of another world,
cut off by sea, entrusted to my nurses' trembling
arms, and so across snowy ridges and torrent-riven
ranges, across the main and the waves of the
2 The reference is to the cycle of ages : cp. Virgil, Eel.
iv. 5.
3 i.e. Vicarius (deputy of the Prefect) of Macedonia. But
possibly the rendering may be merely "performed the
functions of the illustrious Prefect."
3°9
PAULINUS PELL.KUS
Oeeanumque fretum Tyrrheni et gurgitis undas 30
moenia Sidoniae Carthaginis usque venirem,
ante suum nono quam menstrua lima recursu
luce novata orbem nostro eompleret ab ortu.
Illic, ut didici, ter senis mensibus act is
sub genitore meo proconsul e rursus ad aequor 35
expertasque vias revocor, visurus et orbis
inclita eulminibus praeclarae moenia Romae ;
quae tamen baud etiain sensu agnoscenda tuentis
subiacuere mibi, sed j>ost comperta relatu
adsiduo illorum quibus haec tarn nota f'uere, 10
propositum servans operis subdenda putavi.
Tandem autem exacto longarum fine viarum
maiorum in patriam tectisque advectus avitis
Burdigalam veni, cuius speciosa Garumna
moenibus Oceani refluas maris invehit undas 15
navigeram per portam, quae portum spatiosum
nunc etiam muris spatiosa includit in urbe.
Tunc et avus primum illic fit mibi cognitus, anni
eiusdem consul, nostra trieteride prima.
Quae postquam est expleta mini firmavit et artus 50
invalidos crescens vigor et mens conscia sensus
adsuefacta usum didicit cognoscere rerum —
quidquid iam . . - 1 potui meminisse, necesse est
ipse fide propria de me agnoscenda retexam.
Sed quid ego ex nostris aliud puerilibus annis, 55
quos mihi libertas ludusque et laetior aetas
conciliare suis mentis potuisse \ identur,
1 A word Lb lost.
310
THE EUCHARISTICI s
Tyrrhenian flood, might come to the far walls of
Sidonian Carthage, ere yet the monthly moon in
her ninth orbit since my birth filled her disk with
renewed light. There, as I have learned, when
thrice six months were passed under the proconsul-
sliip of my father, I was called back again to the sea
and paths already tried, soon also to behold the famed
bulwarks of all-glorious Home on the world's heights. 1
All this which passed before me, though not even to
be comprehended by my sense of sight but later
learned through the careful report of those to whom
these matters were well known, I have deemed
worthy of mention in accordance with the purpose
of my work.
But at length, the end of my long journeying
reached, I was borne into the land of my forefathers
and to my grandfather's house, coming to Bordeaux
where beauteous Garonne draws Ocean's tidal waves
within the walls through a ship-traversed portal
which even now enfolds a roomy port within the
roomy city's barriers. Then also my grandfather,
consul in that same year, was there first known to
me in my first triennium. And after this period was
outgrown, and when waxing power strengthened my
feeble limbs and my mind, aware of its faculties,
learned through wont to know the properties of
things — so far as now ... I can remember, I myself
with due truth must needs narrate what is to be
known concerning me.
But what else in my boyish years, which free-
dom, play, and blithesome youth seemed to have been
able to commend to me by their own virtues, shall I
1 i.e. "on the heights which dominate the world." But
the expression is very obscure.
311
PA U LIN US PELL.LUS
vel magis ipse libens recolam, vel dignius ausim
inserere huic nostro, quern versu cudo, libello
quam pietatis opus studiumque insigne parentum 60
permixtis semper docta exereere perituni
blanditiis gnaramque apto moderamine curam
insinuare mihi morum instrumenta bonorum
ingenioque rudi celerem conferre prof'ectum—
ipsius alpbabeti inter prope prima elementa 60
nosse cavere decern specialia signa amathiae
nee minus et vitia vitare aKoivovorjTaJ
Quarum iam dudum nullus vigeat licet usus
disciplinarum, vitiato scilicet aevo,
me Romana tamen, fateor, servata vetustas 70
plus iuvat atque seni propria est acceptior aetas.
Nee sero exacto primi mox tempore lustri
dogmata Socratus et bellica plasmata Homeri
erroresque legens cognoscere cogor Ulixis.
Protinus et libros etiam transire Maronis 7~>
vix bene conperto iubeor sermone Latino,
conloquio Graiorum adsuefactus famulorum,
quos mihi iam longus ludorum iunxerat usus ;
unde labor puero, fateor, fuit hie mihi maior,
eloquium librorum ignotae apprehendere linguae. 80
Quae doctrina duplex sicut est potioribus apta
ingeniis geminoque ornat splendore peritos,
sic sterilis nimium nostri, ut modo sentio, cordis
exilem facile exhausit divisio venam.
Quod nunc invito quoque me haec mea pagina prodit, 85
inconsulta quidem, quam sponte expono legendam,
sed mihi non rebus, quantum confido. pudenda,
quarum notitiam scriptis contexere conor :
namque ita me sollers castorum cura parentum
a puero instituit, laedi ne quando sinistro 90
3 12
THE E UCHARISTICl s
more gladly dwell upon or more fitly dare to set in
this little book which I fashion in verse, than affec-
tion's work and my parents' noble pains, skilled to
season learning with mingled enticements, and their
wise care, exercising due control, to instil into me the
means of good living and on my untrained mind to
bestow speedy development — almost along with my
first steps in the alphabet itself to learn to shun the
ten special marks of ignorance and equally to avoid
vices anathematised ? And albeit this discipline has
long since fallen out of use through the corruption,
doubtless, of the age, yet, I declare, the antique
Roman fashion 1 observed delights me more, and the
life natural to an old man is more tolerable therefor.
Full early, when the days of my first lustrum
were well-nigh spent, I was made to con and learn
the doctrines of Socrates, Homer's warlike fantasies,
and Ulysses' wanderings. And forthwith I was
bidden to traverse Maro's works as well, ere I well
understood the Latin tongue, used as I was to the
converse of Greek servants with whom long pursuit
of play had made me intimate ; whereby, I affirm,
this was too heavy a task for me, a boy, to grasp the
eloquence of works in an unknown tongue.
This double learning, as it is suited to more
powerful minds and decks those skilled in it with
a two-fold radiance, so its wide range soon drained
dry the vein of my mind — too barren, as I now
undei'stand. So much now even despite me this
my page reveals — a page ill-judged, indeed, which
I unasked set forth to be read, yet, as I hope, not
disgracing me in the matters whereof I seek to form
a written record ; for so my chaste parents careful
taught me from my boyhood, lest some day the
3*3
PAL' LIN US PELLKUS
cuiusquatn sermone mea se fama timeret.
Quae licet obtineat proprium bene parta decorem,
hac potiore tamen turn me decorasset honore,
consona si nostris primo sub tempore votis
hac in parte etiam mansissent vota parentum, 95
perpetuo ut puerum servarent me tibi, Christe,
recti us banc curam pro me pietatis habentes,
carnis ut inlecebi'is breviter praesentibus expers
aeternos caperem venturo in tempore fructus.
Sed cpioniam nunc iam magis hoc me credere fas est 10"
conduxisse mihi, quod te voluisse probasti,
omnipotens aeterne deus, qui cuncta gubernas,
culpato renovando mihi vitalia dona,
hoc nunc maiores pro me tibi debeo grates,
maiorum quanto errorum cognosco reatum. L05
Namque et, incautus quidquid culpabile gessi
inlicitumque vagus per lubrica tempora vitae,
te indulgente mihi totum scio posse remitti
ex quo me reprobans lapsum ad tua iura refugi,
et, si ulla unquam potui peccata cavere, 110
quae mihi maiorem parerent commissa reatum,
hoc quoque me indeptum divino munere novi.
Sed redeo ad seriem decursaque illius aevi
tempora, quo studiis intentus litteraturae
ultro libens aliquem iam me mihi ipse videbar 1 I 5
votivum inpensi operis sentire protectum,
Argolico pariter Latioque instante magistro,
cepissemque etiam forsan fructum quoque dignum.
ni subito incumbens quarterna acerba meorum
conatus placitos studiorum destituisset L20
vix impleta aevi quinta trieteride nostri.
Consternata autem pro me pietate parentum,
3 r 4
THE EUCHARISTICUS
malignant tongue of any man might endanger my
repute. And though this repute, well earned, still
keeps the lustre due to it, yet with this higher
grace would it then have adorned me, if with my
hopes in early life my parents' hopes had continued
to agree in this respect, namely, that forever they
should keep me as thy child, O Christ, mote rightly
making this the aim of their love for me — that by
brief sacrifice of the present joys of the flesh I
might win endless reward in the world to come.
But — since I now am bound to believe that this has
more profited me which thou, O God, almighty,
everlasting, hast shown to have been thy will by
renewing to me, though sinful, thy gifts of life — so
much the greater thanks I now owe thee on my behalf,
as I perceive the greater guilt of my transgressions.
For both I know that — whatever deed blameworthy
or act unlawful I have unwarily committed, straying
through life's treacherous seasons — thou in thy
mercy canst wholly forgive, ever since scorning my
fallen self I fled back to thy obedience ; and, if ever
I have been able to shun any sins which, committed,
would bring me greater guilt, this too I feel that I
have gained through Heaven's bounty.
But I return to my course and to the seasons I
passed through at the time when, wrapt in study
and in learning, I gladly fancied to myself that
already I felt some of the desired outcome of my
pains lavished under the constant care of Greek and
Latin tutors both, and I should also have gained,
perchance, a meet return, had not a sharp quartan
fever, suddenly falling upon me, defrauded my
willing efforts in learning, when the fifth triad of
my life was scarce completed. But when my
parents' love for me was stricken with alarm at this
3*5
PAULINUS PELLiEUS
quippe quibus potior visa est curatio nostri
corporis invalidi quam doctae instructio linguae,
primitus hoc medicis suadentibus, ut mihi iugis 125
laetitia atque animo grata omnia perspicerentur ;
quae pater in tantum studuit per se ipse parare,
deposito ut nuper venandi attentius usu—
causa equidem sola studiorum quippe meorum,
neve his officeret, sibi me ad sua ludicra iungens, 130
neu sine me placitis umquam solus frueretur —
me propter rursus cura maioi'e resumens
eiusdem ludi cuncta instrumenta novaret,
ex quibus optatam {)OSsem captare salutem.
Quae protracta diu longi per tempora morbi 135
invexere mihi iugem iam deinde legendi
desidiam, ofticeret durans quae postea sano
succedente novo mundi fallacis amore
et tenero nimium aflectu cedente parentum.
sufficeret quibus ex nostra gaudere salute. 140
Qua ratione auctus noster quoque crevit et error.
firmatus facile ad iuvenalia vota sequenda,
ut mihi pulcher equus falerisque ornatior esset,
strator procerus, velox canis et speciosus
accipiter, Romana et nuper ab urbe petita 145
aurata instrueret nostrum sphaera concita luduni.
cultior utque mihi vestis foret et nova saepe
quaeque Arabi muris leni fragraret odore.
Nee minus et vegetus veloci currere vectus
semper equo gaudens quotiens evasero casus 150
abruptos, recolens — Christi me munere fas est
credere servatum, quod turn nescisse dolendum est,
scilicet inlecebris urgentibus undique mundi.
316
THE EUCHARISTICUS
— seeing they deemed more urgent the recovery of
my enfeebled body than the training of my tongue
in eloquence, and as physicians from the first advised
that continual gaiety and amusement should be
devised for me — my father was so eager by his own
efforts to secure this end that, though of late he
had laid by his wont of hunting zealously ('twas
indeed for my studies' sake alone, that he might
not hinder them by making me the companion of
his pastimes, nor without me ever enjoy his
delight alone), on my account he returned to it
with greater interest, renewing all means this
sport affords, in hope that thereby I might
woo health. These pursuits, long continued during
the slow period of my sickness, caused in me
a distaste for study, thenceforward chronic, which
persisting afterwards in time of health, harmed me
when love of the false world made way and the too
pliant fondness of my parents gave way, charmed
with delight at my recovery.
Wherefore, as my growth, so my waywardness
increased, readily settling down to the pursuit of
youthful desires — as to have a fine horse bedecked
with special trappings, a tall groom, a swift hound,
a shapely hawk, a tinselled ball, fresh brought from
Rome, to serve me in my games of pitching, to
wear the height of fashion, and to have each latest
novelty perfumed with sweet-smelling myrrh of
Araby. Likewise when I recall how, grown robust,
I ever loved to gallop riding a racing steed, and how
many a headlong fall I escaped, 'tis right I should
believe I was preserved by Christ's mercy ; and pity
'tis that then I knew it not by reason of the world's
thronging enticements.
.5 "7
PAULINUS PELL/KUS
Quas inter fluitans interque et vota parentum
iugiter in nostram tendentia posteritatem, 155
iam prope sero calens aevi pro tempore nostri
in nova prorupi iuvenalis gaudia luxus,
quae facile ante puer rebar me posse cavere.
Attamen in quantum lasciva lieentia cauto
stricta coherceri potuit moderamine freni, 160
congererem graviora meis ne crimina culpis,
hac mea castigans lege incentiva repressi ;
invitam ne quando ullam iurisve alieni
adpeterem carumque memor servare pudorem
cedere et ingenuis oblatis sponte caverem, 165
contentus domus inlecebris famulantibus uti,
quippe reus culpae potius quam criminis esse
praeponens famaeque timens incurrere damna.
Sed neque hoc etiam mea inter gesta silebo,
unum me nosse ex me illo in tempore natuni, 170
visum autem neque ilium turn, quia est cito functus,
nee quemquam, fuerit spurius post qui mens, umquani
cum mihi lascivae inlecebris sociata iuventae
libertas gravius quisset dominando nocere,
ui tibi, Christe, mei iam tunc quoque cura fuisset. 1 ~i~>
Talis vita mihi a ter senis circiter annis
usque duo durans impleta decennia mansit
donee me invitum, fateor, pia cura parentum
cogeret tnvectum blanda suetudine ritum
deserere atque novum compelleret esse maritum 180
coniugis, antiquo potius cuius domus esset
nomine inagnirica. quam quae possessa placere
3i8
THE EUCHARISTICVS
As I was wavering betwixt such interests and
my parents' wishes which were set constantly upon
the renewal of their line through me, at length,
late for my time of life, I felt new fires and broke
out into the pleasures of youthful wantonness which,
as a boy, 1 used to think I could easily avoid. How-
beit, so far as wilful wantonness could be curbed and
bridled with prudent restraint, lest I should heap
heavier offences on my faults, I checked my passions
with this chastening rule : that I should never seek
an unwilling victim, nor transgress another's rights,
and, heedful to keep unstained my cherished
reputation, should beware of yielding to free-born
loves though voluntarily ottered, but be satisfied with
servile amours in my own home ; for I preferred to
be guilty of a fault rather than of an offence, 1 fear-
ing to suffer loss of my good name. Yet even this
also among my doings I will confess : one son I know
was born to me at that time — though neither he
then (since he soon died), nor any bastard of mine
afterwards, was ever seen by me — when freedom,
allied with lusty youth's allurements, might by gain-
ing mastery have more gravely harmed me, hadst
not thou, () Christ, even then had care for me.
Such was the life I led from about my eighteenth
year, and so continued until my second decade's
close, when my parent's anxious care forced me,
unwillingly, I admit, to give up this state, grown
easy through soft custom, and drove me by way of
change to mate with a wife, whose property was rather
glorious for its ancient name than for the present
a portion potent to please, because of the sore
1 Culpa is a transgression of moral, crimen of statutory,
law.
319
PAULINUS PELLjEUS
ad praesens posset nimiis obnoxia curis,
dudum desidia domini neglecta senili,
parva cui neptis functo genitore superstes I 85
successit, taedisque meis quae postea cessit.
Sed semel inpositum statuens tolerare laborem,
suffragante animi studiis fervore iuventae
vix paucis domus indeptae exereere diebus
gaudia contentus, malesuada otia curis 190
mutare insolitis, cito meque meosque coegi,
quos potui exemplo proprii invitando laboris,
quosdam autem invitos domini adstringendo rigore.
Atque ita suscepti status actibus inpiger instans
protinus et culturam agris adhibere refectis, 1 95
et fessis celerem properavi inpendere curam
vinetis conperta mihi ratione novandis
et, quod praecipue plerisque videtur amarum,
ultro libens primus fiscalia debita certo
tempore persolvens, propere mihi fida paravi 200
otia privatae post inpendenda quieti.
Quae et mihi cara nimis semper fuit ingenioque
congrua prima meo mediocria desideranti,
proxima deliciis et ab ambitione remota,
ut mihi compta domus spatiosis aedibus esset 205
et diversa anni per tempora iugiter apta,
mensa opulenta nitens, plures iuvenesque ministri
inque usus varios grata et numerosa supellex
argentumque magis pretio quam pondere praestans
et diversae artis cito iussa explere periti 210
1 i.e. the house was to be equipped with summer and
winter quarters -the latter heated By hypocausts such as
-?20
THE EUCHARIST1CUS
anxiety it involved, as long uncared for through the
lethargy of its aged lord, to whom, surviving her
own father's death, a young grandchild succeeded —
she who afterwards acceded to wedlock with me.
But once I was resolved to bear the toil laid upon
me, youth's zeal seconding my mind's desire, in
but few days I was content to enjoy the pleasures
of the estate thus gained, and soon forced both
myself and my thralls to exchange seductive idleness
for unwonted toils — inciting such as I could by the
example of my own labour, but compelling some
against their will with a master's sternness. And so,
tirelessly bent upon the pursuits of the condition I
had adopted, forthwith I hastened to bring fallowed
lands under tillage, and promptly to lavish pains in re-
newing the exhausted vineyards in the manner I had
learned, and also — though to many a one this seems
especially vexatious — by voluntarily paying down out-
right my taxes at the appointed time, I rapidly
earned for myself an assured leisure to lavish after-
wards upon my own relaxation. This was ever too
much prized by me, and though at first it was
conformable with my nature which then sought
but moderate satisfaction, later it became luxurious
and estranged from high purpose, only concerned
that my house should be equipped with spacious
apartments and at all times suited to meet the
varying seasons of the year, 1 my table lavish and
attractive, my servants many and those young,
the furniture abundant and agreeable for various
purposes, plate more preeminent in price than
poundage, workmen of divers crafts trained promptly
maybe seen in the existing remains of the more important
Roman houses.
321
VOL. II. V
PAULINUS PELLjEUS
artifices stabula et iumentis plena refectis,
tunc et carpentis evectio tuta decoris.
Nee tamen his ipsis attentior amplificandis,
quam conservandis studiosior et neque census
augendi cupidus nimis aut ambitor honorum, 2 1 -"J
sed potius, fateor, sectator delieiarum,
si qua tamen minimo pretio expensaque parari
et salvo famae possent constare decore,
ne nota luxuriae studium macularet honestum.
Quae mihi cuncta tamen grata acceptaque fruenti 220
cara magis pietas superabat magna parentum,
obstringens sibi me nexu dominantis amoris,
maiore ut parte anni ipsis praesentia nostra
serviret, paribus perdurans consona votis
communemque parans per mutua gaudia fructum. 225
Cuius vitae utinam nobis prolixior usus
concessus largo mansisset munere Christi,
persistente simul priscae quoque tempore pacis !
Multimodis quisset nostrae prodesse iuventae
consulti patris adsidua conlatio verbi 230
exemplisque bonis studiorum instructio crescens.
Sed transacta aevi post trina decennia nostri
successit duplicis non felix cura laboris,
publica quippe simul clade in commune doleiula
hostibus infusis Romani in viscera regni -■">•">
privata cum sorte patris de funere functi :
ultima namque eius finitae tempora vitae
temporibus ruptae pacis prope iuncta fuere.
322
THE E UCHA RISTICUS
to fulfil my behests, my stables filled with well-
conditioned beasts and, withal, stately carriages to
convey me safe abroad. And yet I was not so much
bent on increasing these same things as zealous in
preserving them, neither too eager to increase my
wealth nor a seeker for distinctions, but rather — i
admit — a follower of luxury, though only when it
could be attained at trifling cost and outlay and
without loss of fair repute that the brand of prodi-
gality should not disgrace a blameless pursuit. But
while I found all these things sweet and pleasant to
enjoy, my great affection for my parents, dearer still,
outweighed them, so binding me to them with the
stronger bands of overmastering love that for the
most part of the year my visits put me at their
service — visits which passed their length accordant
with our prayers, 1 winning through mutual joys a
general gain.
Of this life would that the enjoyment granted
by Christ's rich bounty had continued longer for
us, the former times of peace enduring likewise !
In many ways could my youth have profited by
frequent application of my father's spoken counsel
and by the growth in my training won from his
good example ! But after the third decade of my life
was passed, there followed hopeless sorrow caused
by a double burden — a general grief at public-
calamity, when foes burst into the vitals of the Roman
realm, together with personal misfortune in the
end and death of my father ; for the last days which
closed his life were almost continuous with the days
1 i.e. these visits, though long, passed without an}' friction
arising to disturb the relations between Paulinus and his
parents.
323
y 2
PAULINUS PELLiEUS
At mihi damna domus populantem inlata per hostem,
per se magna licet, multo leviora fuere 240
defuncti patris immodico conlata dolori,
per quern cara mihi et patria et domus ipsa fiebat :
tamque etenim fido tradentes mutua nobis
officia affectu conserto viximus aevo,
vinceret aequaevos nostra ut concordia amicos. 245
Hoc igitur mihi subtracto inter prima iuventae
tempora tarn caro socio et monitore fideli,
ilico me indocilis fratris discordia acerba
excepit, validum genitoris testamentum
solvere conantis specialia commoda matris 250
inpugnandi animo, cuius mihi cura tuendae
hoc quoque maior erat, quo iustior, et pietatis
non minor afFectus studium firmabat honestum.
Insuper adversis me pluribus exagitandum
laeva facultatum prorumpens fama meorum 255
exposuit blandas inter vanae ambitionis
inlecebras gravibus coniuncta et damna periclis.
Quae meminisse licet pigeat transactaque dudum
oblivione sua malim sopita silere,
invitant adversa tamen per nostra tuorum 260
cognita donorum solacia, Christe, bonorum
emensis indepta malis tua munera fando
prodere et in lucem proferre recondita corde.
Namque et quanta mihi per te conlata potentum
gratia praestiterit, facile experiendo probavi, 265
saepe prius claro procerum conlatus honori
ignorans, proprio quani praeditus ipse potirer,
3 2 4
THE EUCHARISTICUS
when peace was broken. But for me the havoc
wrought on my home by the ravage of the enemy,
though great in itself, was much lighter when
compared with boundless grief for my departed
father, who made both my country and my
home itself dear to me. For, indeed, by rendering
kindness to each other in genuine affection, we so
knit in one our uneven ages, that in our agreement
we surpassed friends of even ages. He, then, so
dear a comrade and trusty counsellor, was with-
drawn from me in the early season of my youth ; and
straightway succeeded bitter disagreement caused
by my wilful brother, who sought to overthrow our
father's valid will, desiring to annul the special
benefits therein granted to my mother ; and to safe-
guard her caused me concern the greater as it was
natural, my just endeavours being strengthened by
the yet greater impulse of affection. Besides, luck-
less rumour of my means being spread abroad exposed
me to be tossed by yet more misfortunes amid the
enticing lures of empty ambition and its forfeits
close-linked with sore dangers. And though their
memory irks me, and I would fain leave these
passages of long ago silently buried in their due
oblivion, yet the comfort of thy good gifts
realized through my misfortunes, call upon me,
O Christ, to reveal them and to bring them forth to
light from the depths of my heart, in declaring thy
bounty gained after full measure of ills. For I soon
learned through experience both what advantage the
favour of the powerful, bestowed on me through
thee, afforded, when ofttimes I was accredited
unconsciously with my ancestor's bright distinctions,
ere yet I myself acquired such attributes of my own ;
325
PAULINOS PELLjEUS
quantum et e contra vi impugnante maligna
ipsa patronarum mihi ambitiosa meorum
obfuerint studia et nostri evidenter honores. 270
Ac mihi ante omnes specialiter, altera cuius
pars orientis erat patria, in qua scilicet ortus
possessorque etiam non ultimus esse videbar,
iniecere manum mala, sed mihi debita dudum,
quod me et invitum protracto errore tenerent 275
agminis ipsa mei primum molitio pigra,
dissona et interdum carorum vota meorum,
saepius et propriis certans mens obvia votis,
ambigui eventus quotiens formido recurrens
tardabat coepto sorte obsistente paratus ; 280
allicerent et contra animum suetudo quietis,
otia nota, domus specialia commoda plura,
onmibus heu ! nimium blandis magnisque refertae
deliciis cunctisque bonis in tempore duro,
hospite tunc etiam Gothico quae sola careret ; 285
quod post eventu cessit non sero sinistro,
nullo ut quippe domum speciali iure tuente
cederet in praedam populo permissa abeunti :
nam quosdam scimus summa humanitate Gothorum
hospitibus studuisse suis prodesse tuendis. 290
Sed mihi ad sortem praefatae condicionis
addita maioris nova est quoque causa laboris,
ut me, conquirens solacia vana, tyrannus
1 Prisons Attains was an Ionian and originally a Pagan.
He was a Senator and Praefect of the city at the second
siege of Rome. He was set up as a puppet Emperor by the
I roths, hut deposed in 410 a.d. He remained in the company
of Ataulf the Goth, at whose wedding witli Placidia lie per-
?26
THE EUCHARIST1CUS
and on the other hand what hindrance in the
assaults of ill-will my patrons' own ambitious aims
and my own distinctions surely presented.
And on me particularly above all, who had
a second country in the East — where indeed I
was born and was also held to be an owner
of great consequence— did misfortunes lay hold,
yet such as were long my due ; because, albeit
reluctant, I was kept absent on a journey pro-
longed, first by the mere sluggish effort of my
train, sometimes also by the conflicting wishes
of my dear ones, and too often by the struggle of
their resolves with my own wishes whenever their
returning dread of an uncertain issue delayed by some
perverse chance preparations already begun ; and
on the other hand because my nature was enticed
by my habits of, ease, my wonted repose, the many
special comforts of my home — too full, alas ! with all
great and pleasant luxuries and every blessing in
those rough days, and which alone at that time
lacked a Gothic guest. This circumstance was
followed not long afterwards by a disastrous result,
namely that, since no particular authority protected
it, my house was given up to be pillaged by the
retiring horde ; for I know that certain of the Goths
most generously strove to serve their hosts by pro-
tecting them.
But on me, besides my lot in the condition
just described, a fresh cause of greater trouble was
also imposed ; namely that in his general groping
after emptv consolations, the tyrant Attalus l bur-
formed as a musician. During the revolt of Jovinus he was
again set up as a rival Emperor, but was soon abandoned,
and in 416 A.n. was banished by Honorius to Lipari. On
Attalus see Gibbon (ed. Bury), iii. 318 ff.
327
PAULINUS PELL/EUS
Attalus absentem casso oneraret honoris
nomine, privatae comitivani largitionis 295
dans mihi, quam sciret nullo subsistere censu
iamque suo ipse etiam desisset fidere regno,
solis quippe Gothis fretus male iam sibi notis,
quos ad praesidium vitae praesentis habere,
non etiam imperii poterat, per se nihil ipse 300
aut opibus propriis aut ullo milite nixus.
Unde ego non partes infirmi omnino tyranni,
sed Gothicam fateor pacem me esse secutum,
quae tunc ipsorum consensu optata Gothorum
paulo post aliis cessit mercede redempta 305
nee penitenda manet, cum iam in re publica nostra
cernamus plures Gothico rlorere favore,
tristia quaeque tamen perpessis antea multis,
pars ego magna fui quorum, privatus et ipse
cunctis quippe bonis propriis patriaeque superstes. 310
Namque profecturi regis praecepto Atiulfi
nostra ex urbe Gothi, fuerant qui in pace recepti,
non aliter nobis quam belli iure subactis
aspera quaeque omni urbe inrogavere cremata :
in qua me inventum comitem turn principis eius, 315
imperio cuius sociatos non sibi norant,
nudavere bonis simul omnibus et genetricem
iuxta meam mecum, communi sorte subactos,
uno hoc se nobis credentes parcere captis,
quod nos immunes poena paterentur abire, 320
1 Alaric's brother-in-law, who brought reinforcements of
(Joths and Huna to aid Alaric in 409 a.d. In 410 he became
King of the Visigoths on the deatli of Alaric. Later he
328
THE EUCHARKTICUS
dened me in my absence with an empty title of
distinction, making me Count of Private Largesses,
although he knew that this office was sustained by
no revenue, and even himself had now ceased to
believe in his own royalty, dependent as he was
upon the Goths alone of whom already he had had
bitter experience, finding with them protection at
the moment of his life but not of his authority,
while of himself he was supported neither by re
sources of his own nor by any soldiery. Wherefore
'twas by no means the cause of that tottering tyrant,
but, I declare, peace with the Goths that I pursued
— peace which, at that time desired by the general
consent of the Goths themselves, was soon after
granted to others and, though purchased at a price,
remains unregretted, since already in our state we
see full many prospering through Gothic favour,
though many first endured the full range of suffering,
not least of whom was I, seeing that I was stripped
of all my goods and outlived my fatherland. For when
about to depart from our city at the command of
their king Ataulf, 1 the Goths, though they had
been received peaceably, imposed the harshest treat-
ment on us, as though subdued by right of war, by
burning the whole city. There finding me — then a
Count of that Prince, whose allies they did not
recognise as their own — they stripped me of all my
goods, and next my mother also, both of us over-
taken by the same lot, for this one grace considering
that they were showing us, their prisoners, mercy —
that they suffered us to depart without injury ;
married Placiclia, sister of Honorius, and was murdered at
Barcelona (see Gibbon, ed. Bury, iii. 313, 318 ff.). The
name Ataulf survives in the modern Adolf.
3 2 9
PAULINUS PELL.ELTS
cunctarumque tamen comitum.simul et t'amularum,
eventum fuerant nostrum quaecumque secutae,
inlaeso penitus nullo adtemptante pudore,
me graviore tamen relevato suspicione
munere divino, iuges cui debeo grates, 325
filia ut ante mea per me sociata marito
excedens patria communi clade eareret.
Nee postrema tamen tolerati meta laboris
ista fuit nostri, quern diximus. Ilico namque
exactos laribus patriis tectisque crematis .330
obsidio hostilis vicina excepit in urbe
Vasatis, patria maiorum et ipsa meorum,
et gravior multo circumfusa hostilitate
factio servilis paucorum mixta furori
insano iuvenum [nequam J ] licet ingenuorum. 335
armata in caedem specialem nobilitatis.
Quam tu, iuste deus, insonti a sanguine avertens
ilico paucorum sedasti morte reorum
instantemque mihi specialem percussorem
me ignorante alio iussisti ultore perire, 340
suetus quippe novis tibi me obstringere donis,
pro quis me scirem grates debere perennes.
Sed mihi tarn subiti concusso sorte pericli,
quo me intra urbem percelli posse viderem,
subrepsit, fateor, nimium trepido novus error, 345
ut me praesidio regis dudum mihi cari,
cuius nos populus longa obsidione premebat,
1 Suppl. Brandts.
33°
THE EUCHARIST ICUS
howbeit, of all the companions and handmaidens
who had followed our fortunes none suffered any
wrong at all done to her honour, nor was any assault
offered, yet I was spared more serious anxiety by the
divine goodness, to which I owe constant thanks,
because my daughter, previously wedded by me
to a husband, was spared the general calamity by
her absence from our country.
But not even this was the extreme limit of the
sufferings we endured, as I have said : for when we
were driven from our ancestral home and our house
burned, straightway siege by the enemy overtook us
in the neighbouring city of Bazas, which also was
my forefathers' native place, 1 and, far more dan-
gerous than the beleaguering foe, a conspiracy of
slaves supported by the senseless frenzy of some few
youths, abandoned though of free estate, and armed
specially for the slaughter of the gentry. From
this danger thou, O righteous God, didst shield the
innocent blood, quelling it forthwith by the death of
some few guilty ones, and didst ordain that the
special assassin threatening me should without my
knowledge perish by another's avenging hand, even
as thou hast been wont to bind me to thee with
fresh gifts for which I might feel I owed thee
endless thanks.
But in my alarm at the hap of so sudden a
danger by which I saw I might be stricken down
within the city, there entered into me — too fearful,
I admit — a new error of judgment, leading me to
hope that under the protection of the king, 2 long
since my friend, whose people were afflicting us with
1 cp. Ausonius, Epicedion 1. 4 (Vol. I. pp. 42 f.), where
Julius Ausonius (Paulinus' great-grandfather) declares that
Bazas was his native place. 2 i.e. Ataulf.
33*
PAULINUS PKLL.EUS
urbe a obsessa sperarem abscedere posse
agmine carorum magno comitante meorum,
hac tamen hos nostros spe sollicitante paratus, 350
quod scirem imperio gentis cogente Gothorum
invitum regem populis incumbere nostris.
Explorandi igitur studio digressus ab urbe
ad regem intrepidus nullo obsistente tetendi,
laetior ante tamen, primo quam affarer amicum 355
alloquio, gratumque magis fore quem»mihi rebar.
Perscrutato autem, ut potui, interius viri voto
praesidium se posse mihi praestare negavit
extra urbem posito, nee tutum iam sibi prodens,
ut visum remeare aliter pateretur ad urbem, 360
ipse nisi raecum mox susciperetur in urbe,
gnarus quippe Gothos rursum mihi dira minari
seque ab ipsorum eupiens absolvere iure.
Obstipui, fateor, pavefactus condicione
proposita et nimio indicti terrore perieli, 365
sed miserante deo, afflictis qui semper ubique
imploratus adest, paulo post mente resumpta
ipse licet trepidus, sed adhuc nutantis amici
consilium audacter studui pro me ipse fovere,
ardua dissuadens, quae scirem omnino neganda, 370
praestanda quae autem, quam mox temptanda
perurgens.
Quae non sero probans vir prudens ipse secutus,
ilico consultis per se primatibus urbis
rem coeptam adcelerans una sub nocte peregit
auxilinnte deo, cuius iam munus habebat, 375
33-
THE EUCHARISTICUS
the long siege, I might be able to escape from the
besieged city together with the large train of my
dear ones : and yet this hope induced this attempt
of mine, because I knew that 'twas by the constrain-
ing will of the Gothic host that the king reluctantly
oppressed our folk. So, purposing to investigate, I
set out from the city and hastened to the king, no man
withstanding me, yet with greater cheer before I
addressed my first words to the friend who, I
thought, would be more favourable to me. But
when I had closely examined as best I might the
inwardness of the man's intent, he declared he could
not afford me protection if dwelling outside the city,
avowing that it was no longer safe for him, having
once seen me, to suffer me to return to the city on
other terms than that he himself should presently
be admitted with me into the city — for he knew
that the Goths again meant me mischief, and he
himself desired to break free from their influence. I
was dumbfounded, I admit, with alarm at the terms
proposed and with exceeding fear at the danger
threatened, but by the mercy of God who always and
everywhere is with them who beseech his aid, 1 pre-
sently regained my faculties and, albeit quaking,
boldly set myself to foster in my interest the design
of my still wavering friend, discouraging difficult con-
ditions which I knew must be utterly rejected, but
strongly pressing for instant attempt to secure the
attainable.
These the far-sighted man speedily approved
and adopted. Straightway, when he had for him-
self conferred with the leaders of the city, he so
hastened on the business in hand as to complete it
in a single night through the help of God, whose
333
PA U LIN US PELLiEUS
quo nobis populoque suo succurrere posset.
Concurrit pariter cunctis ab sedibus omnis
turba Alanaruni armatis sociata maritis.
Prima uxor regis Romanis traditur obses,
adiuncto pariter regis caro quoque nato, 380
reddor et ipse meis pactae inter foedera pacis,
communi tamquam Gothico salutatus ab hoste,
vallanturque urbis pomeria milite Alano,
acceptaque dataque fide certare parato
pro nobis, nuper quos ipse obsederat hostis. 385
Mira urbis facies cuius magna undique muros
turba indiscreti sexus circumdat inermis
subiecta exterius ; muris haerentia nostris
agmina barbarica plaustris vallantur et armis.
Qua se truncatain parte agminis baud mediocri x 390
circumiecta videns populantum turba Gotborum,
ilico diffidens tuto se posse morari
bospite intestino subito in sua viscera verso.
nil temptare ausa ulterius properanter abire
sponte sua legit. Cuius non sero secuti '>95
exemplum et nostri, quos diximus, auxiliares
discessere, fidem pacis servare parati
Romanis, quoque ipsos sors oblata tulisset.
Atque ita res [ingens 2 ] temere a me coepta benigno
auxilio domini eventu est expleta secundo, 400
erroremque meum deus in nova gaudia vertit
multorum pariter mecum obsidione levata,
1 Suggested by Brnmhs : mediocris, BP.
2 Suppl. Brnndea.
334
THE EUCHARISTICUS
bounty he now enjoyed, thereby to help us and his
own people. The whole throng of Alan women
Hocks together from all their abodes in company
with their warrior lords. 1 First the king's wife is
delivered to the Romans as a hostage, the king's
favourite son also accompanying her, while I myself
am restored to my friends by one of the articles of
peace, as though I had been rescued from our
common enemy the Goths : the city's boundaries are
fenced round with a bulwark of Alan soldiery pre-
pared for pledges given and received to fight for us
whom they, lately our enemies, had besieged.
Strange was the aspect of the city, whose unmanned
walls were compassed on every side with a great
throng of men and women mixed who lay without ;
while, clinging to our walls, barbarian hosts were
fenced in with waggons and armed men. But when
they saw themselves thus shorn of no slight portion
of their host, the encircling hordes of ravaging
Goths, straightway feeling they could not safely
tarry now that their bosom friends were turned to
mortal enemies, ventured no further effort, but chose
of their own accord to retire hurriedly. And not long
after our allies also, above named, followed their
example and departed, though prepared to maintain
loyally the peace made with the Romans wherever
the chance which befell might have carried them.
Thus did a great business, rashly commenced by me,
result in a happy issue through the Lord's kindly
aid, and God turned my misjudgment into fresh
joys in the deliverance of many from the siege
1 The army besieging Bazas was partly of Goths and
partly of Alans. The latter, headed by Ataulf, went over
to the Roman side and prepared to defend the city against
the Goths.
335
PAULINUS PELL/KUS
adcrescunt quae cuncta mihi simul ad referendas,
Christe, tibi grates, quas inpos solvere verbis
parte rependo aliqua semper debere professus. 405
Sit tamen ista satis super liis me esse profatum,
inter barbaricas longo quae tempore gentes
expositus gessi. Quorum mihi plurima saepe
adversa experto rursum suasere moranti
linquendas patriae sedes quantocius esse — 410
quod fecisse prius fuerat magis utile nobis —
ilia ut contento peteremus litora cursu,
pars ubi magna mihi etiamnunc salva manebat
materni census, complures sparsa per urbes
Argivas atque Epiri veterisque novaeque ; 415
per quas non minima numerosis farta colonis
praedia diffusa nee multum dissociata
quamvis profusis dominis nimi unique remissis
praebere expensas potuissent exuberantes.
Sed nee sero mea est proventus vota secutus, 420
ut vel migrare exoptata hinc ad loca possem,
vel mihi pars aliqua ex rebus superesset avitis
inter barbaricas hostili iure rapinas
Romanumque nefas, contra omnia iura licenter
in mea grassatum diverso tempore damna. 425
A quo se exuere admisso nee nomina possunt
cara mihi, maior nostri est quae causa doloris,
cum mihi damna rei damnis cumulentur amoris,
quern scio me fidum primis debere propinquis,
quamlibet offensum, nee fas non reddere duco. 430
Sed bene si sapio, gratanda haec nunc mihi sors est,
quae tibi conplacuit, multo potiora parante
iam te, Christe, mihi, quam cum securior ipse
336
THE EUCHARISTJCUS
along with me — all which things increase my debt
of thanks to thee, O Christ ; which knowing not how
to discharge, I repay in some measure in woi'ds
by declaring my continual indebtedness.
But let it suffice that I have said so much on
what 1 did dui'ing the long period when I was ex-
posed amid barbarous peoples. Through them I
suffered so numerous reverses as again convinced
me, lingering still, that I should leave my country
with all speed possible (and to have done so earlier
had been more profitable for me), to make my way
directly to that land where a large part of my
mother's property still remained intact, scattered
among full many states of Greece and Epirus the
Old and New ; for there the extensive farms, well-
manned by numerous serfs, though scattered, were
not widely separated and even for a prodigal or
a careless lord might have furnished means abun-
dant. But not even at this stage did success follow
my hope, either to be able to depart hence to the
land I longed for, or to recover some part of my
grandfather's property dispersed partly through the
ravages of barbarians acting by the laws of war and
partly through the iniquity of Romans, proceeding
wantonly and in defiance of all laws to my hurt at
various times. Of this guilt even persons dear to
me cannot rid themselves ; and 'tis the chief cause
of my pain, since upon hurt to my substance is
heaped hurt to that affection which I feel I owe
inviolate, however slighted, to my nearest kin, and
which 1 deem it sinful not to render. But if 1 am
truly wise, I should now rejoice in this lot of mine
which thou, O Christ, didst approve, since thou dost
prepare for me far better things now than when,
337
VOL. II.
PAUL1NUS PELL.EUS
placatum rebar nostris adsistere votis,
cum mihi laeta domus magnis floreret abundans 435
deliciis, nee pompa minor polleret honoris
instructa obsequiis et turbis fulta clientum.
Quae peritura cito illo me in tempore amasse
nunc piget et tandem sensu meliore senescens
utiliter subtracta mihi cognosco fuisse, 440
amissis opibus terrenis atque caducis
perpetuo potius mansura ut quaerere nossem —
sero quidem, sed nil umquam, deus, est tibi serum,
qui sine fine manens miserandi ponere finem
nescis et ignaris solis succurrere nosti 445
praeveniendo prior multorum vota precantum
et supra quam petimus bona nobis prospiciendo
ambiguisque etiam, quid pro se quisque precetur,
plura petita negas, magis apta his dare paratus,
qui sapiunt tua dona suis praeponere votis. 450
Namque et me moresque meos quanto prior ipso
me melius nosses, in me prodendo probasti,
quern maiora meis audentem viribus ante
prospiciens melius per te mihi consuluisti
conatus inhibendo meos nimis alta petentes, 455
auderem ut monachi perfecto vivere ritu,
cum mihi plena domus caris aftectibus esset,
qui sibi servari consuetam indicere curam
posse viderentur, filii, mater socrus, uxor
338
THE EUCHARIST ICW
more free from care, I fancied that thy approval
furthered my hopes ; when my house was gay and
prosperous in the great abundance of its luxury ;
and when the pageantry of my rank flourished no
less in its setting of deferential crowds and throngs
of supporting clients. That in those days I loved
such things, quicklv doomed to perish, I now regret,
and with perception improving with old age I recog-
nise at last that to my profit they were withdrawn
from me, that by the loss of earthly and failing
riches I might learn to seek rather those which will
endure for ever. 'Tis late, indeed, but nought, O
God, is ever late with thee who, continuing without
end, knowest not how to make an end of pity,
and knowest how to aid those who unaided
know not how, by anticipating the prayers of
many ere they ask, and by providing good things
for us beyond what we seek — and who to the mis-
guided l also, whatso each one prays for himself,
dost refuse full many a request, though ready to
grant things more expedient to those wise enough
to prefer thy gifts to their own wishes. For how
much better than I myself thou didst know me and
my character thou didst prove in preventing me
when, foreseeing that I was venturing on a task
beyond my strength, thou of thyself didst take
better measure for me by thwarting my designs
which aimed too high in venturing to live after the
perfect pattern of a monk, though my home was full
of dear relatives who seemed to have the right to
claim for themselves continuance of my wonted
care — sons, mother, wife's mother, wife, with
1 i.e. those who pray for what they themselves desire, but
339
which is not for their ultimate good
PAULINUS I'ELL.iX'S
cum grege non minhno famularum quippe suaruin, 460
quern totum pariter peregrinae exponere terrae
nee ratio aut pietas mens aut religiosa sinebat.
Sed tua magna manus divina et provida virtus
consilio sanctorum cuncta operando peregit,
suadentum mihi turn morem servare vetustum, 465
quern seme] invectum maiorum traditione
nunc etiam servans ecclesia nostra teneret ;
confessusque igitur, penitenda quae mihi noram,
proposita studui constrictus vivere lege,
non digno fortasse pians commissa labore, 470
sed rectam servare fidem non inscius ipse,
errorum discendo vias per dogmata prava,
quae reprobans sociata aliis nunc respuo culj)is.
Post autem, exacta iam ter trieteride quinta.
rite recurrente statuto tempore Pascha 175
ad tua, Christe Deus, altaria sacra reversus
te miserante tua gaudens sacramenta recepi
ante hos ter decies super et bis 1 quattuor annos —
salvo tunc etiam propriae domus online, nuper
qui fuerat, linqui et quam iam non posse probarem 480
nee retinere tamen peregrino iugiter esset
possibile adstricto iam censu ; quominus autem
rem propriam expeterem, cuius meritumque situmque
anteriore loco iam me exposuisse recordor,
obstabat flecti ad communia commoda coniunx 485
indocilis nimioque metu navigare recusans,
quam nee invitam trahere usquam fas mihi rebar
parque nefas esset subtractis linquere natis.
1 Barth (accepted by Brandes) : his, BP.
34°
THE EUCHARISTICUS
the considerable company of their attendants : for
to expose all these together to the strangeness
of a foreign land neither reason, nor affection, nor
religious feeling would allow. But thy mighty
hand divine and foreseeing power directed all things
through the counsel of the saints, who then urged
me to follow the ancient custom which, once intro-
duced by the tradition of our forefathers, our
Church still retained and held. So when I had con-
fessed such deeds as I knew needed repentance, I
set myself to live under the discipline of a set rule —
not, as it chanced, atoning for my sins by any meet
penance, but, though of myself not without know-
ledge to keep the right faith, by learning the paths
of error through corrupt doctrines, 1 which now I
reject and repudiate along with my other faults.
Rut afterwards, when now I had passed thrice five
triennia, and Easter duly came round at its appointed
season, to thy holy altar, Christ my God, I returned,
and through thy mercy joyfully received thy Sacra-
ment — thrice ten and twice four years ago. Then
also stil! unbroken were the ranks of my own family
which I now found I could not leave and yet could
not continually maintain, now that my foreign in-
come was curtailed. Rut from seeking out my own
property — whose value and position, I recall, was set
forth by me in a previous passage — I was hindered
by my wife who stubbornly refused to yield for our
general good, refusing from undue fear to make the
voyage ; and I held it right for me not to tear her
away anywhere against her will, and no less wrong
to leave her, tearing her children from her.
1 Paulinus passed a season in performing some form of
penance. How he came to lapse into " corrupt doctrine "
(possibly Arianism) is not clear.
341
PAULINUS PELL.EUS
Atque ita frustratus spe iam meliore quietis
in rebus propriis post plura adversa fruendae 490
perpetuum exilium diversa sorte dierum
exigo, iam dudum cunctis affectibus expers,
primo socru ac matre, dehinc et coniuge functa,
quae mihi cum fuerit rectis contraria votis
officiente metu, fuit et defuncta dolori, 495
turn subtracta, raeae potuisset cum magis esse
apta senectuti iunctae ad solamina vitae ;
quae mihi iam derant natis abeuntibus a me,
non equidem paribus studiis nee tempore eodem,
succensis pariter sed libertatis amore, 500
quam sibi maiorem contingere posse putabant
Burdigalae, Gothico quamquam consorte colono.
Quod licet invito me illos voluisse dolerem,
sic compensandum tamen hoc ipsum mihi rebar,
commoda ut absentis praesentum cura iuvaret, 505
fructus quippe rei nostrae, quicumque fuissent,
sponte sua mecum paulatim participando.
Sed cito praereptus iuvenis iam presbyter unus
morte repentina luctum mihi liquit acerbum,
summa autem rerum, tenuit quascumque,mearum 510
tota erepta mihi multis fuit una rapina.
Insuper ipse etiarm velut ad solacia nostra
qui superest, actu simul eventuque sinistro
inter amicitias regis versatus et iras
destituit prope cuncta pari mea commoda sorte. 515
342
THE EUCHARIST1CUS
Thus disappointed in my brightening hopes of
enjoying repose on my own property after so many
misfortunes, I now spend my days in perpetual exile
with varying fortunes, long since deprived of all my
dear ones. For first my wife's mother and my
mother died ; then my wife also, who, when she
lived, thwarted my natural hopes through the
hindrance of her fears, and in her death caused me
grief in being reft from me at a time when her life,
if continuous with mine, might have been more
serviceable in affording my old age consolations
which now it lacked, as my sons left me. These
went, not with like aims, indeed, nor at the same
time ; but both alike were fired with the desire for
freedom which they thought they could find in
greater measure at Bordeaux, albeit in company
with Gothic settlers. And though I grieved that
their desires thus ran counter to my own, yet I
thought that this same thing would so be made up
to me that their care while present in Bordeaux
would advance the interests of their absent father,
namely, by gradually sharing with me of their own
will the income of our property, such as it might
be. 1 But soon was one — a youth, yet already a
priest — hurried off untimely by a sudden death,
leaving me bitter sorrow ; while all such of my
possessions as he held were wholly torn from me by
the single act of many robbers. Moreover, he also,
who was left as though to console me, ill-starred
alike in his course and its consequence, experienced
both the king's friendship and his enmity, and after
losing almost all my goods came to a like end
1 i.e. he hoped that his sons living in Bordeaux might be
able to recover some of the wreck of his property. Paulinus
himself seems to have feared to reside in the city.
343
PAUL1NUS PKLLJi'S
Atque ita subtracta spe omni solaciorum,
quae mihi per nostros rebar contingere posse,
eunctaque sero probans a te magis esse petenda,
quae cupimus, deus alme, subest eui summa potestas,
Massiliae demum paulisper consistere legi, 520
urbe quidem in qua plures sancti essent mihi eari,
parva autem census substantia familiaris
nee spes magna novis subitum ex fructibus esset,
non ager instructus propriis cultoribus ullus,
non vineta — quibus solis urbs utitur ipsa 525
onine ad praesidium vitae aliunde parandum —
sed tantum domus urbana vicinus et hortus
atque ad perfugium secreti parvus agellus,
non sine vite quidem vel pomis, sed sine terra
digna coli ; verum exigui iactura laboris 530
suasit et in vacuum culturae inpendere curam
vix plena exesi per iugera quattuor agri
et fundare domum summa in crepidine saxi,
ne quid de spatio terrae minuisse viderer.
Porro autem expensas, vitae quas posceret usus, 535
conductis studui ex agris sperare paratas,
donee plena magis servis mansit domus et dum
maiores melior vires mihi praebuit aetas.
At postquam in peius pariter mutavit utraque
condicio instabilis semper generaliter aevi, 540
paulatim, fateor, curis evictus et annis
exul inops caelebs [caris] facile in nova versus
consilia et varia nniltum ratione vacillans,
Burdigalam revocare gradum conducere du\i.
Nee tamen efTectus nostra est incepta secutus,
utilitas cum vota sibi coniuncta iuvaret ;
14 I
THE EUCHARIST ICUS
When thus all hope of that solace, which I
thought I might gain through my family, was with-
drawn, rinding, though late, that all things we
desire are rather to be sought of thee, O bounteous
God, with whom all power rests, I chose at length
to settle awhile at Marseilles, a city where indeed
were many saints dear to me, but only a small
property, part of my family estate. Here no fresh
revenues were like to give rise to great hopes — no
tilth tended by appointed labourers, no vineyards
(on which alone that city relies to procure from
elsewhere every necessary of life), but, as a refuge
for my loneliness, only a house in the city with a
garden near, and a small plot, not destitute of vines,
indeed, and fruit-trees, but without land worth
tillage. Yet the outlay of a little toil induced me
to lavish pains in tilling the vacant part — scarce
four full acres — of my exhausted land, and to build
a house upon the crest of the rock, lest I should
seem to have reduced the extent of soil avail,
able. Further, for the outlay which the needs of
life demand, I made it my hope to earn them by
renting land, so long as my house remained well
stocked with slaves, and while my more active years
furnished me with undiminished strength. But
afterwards, when my fortunes in a world generally
ever variable changed for the worse in both these
respects, by degrees, I admit, I was broken down
by troubles and by age : so as a wanderer, poor,
bereaved of my loved ones, I readily inclined to new
designs, and, greatly wavering betwixt various pur-
poses, thought it profitable to return to Bordeaux.
Yet my efforts did not attain success ; though ex-
pediency seconded my prayers allied with it.
345
PAULINUS PELL.EUS
quod mihi firmandae fidei, quantum puto, causa
a te provisum fas est me credere, Christe,
ut, praestare mihi quantum tua gratia posset,
prolixo paulatim usu experiendo probarem, 550
plurima subtracto cum per dispendia censu
perdurare mihi speciem domus et renovatas
saepius expensas te prospiciente viderem.
Pro qua sorte quidem vitae scio me tibi grates
immodicas debere, deus, pro me tamen ipse 555
nescio, si salvo possim gaudere pudore —
sive quod ipse adhuc propriae specie domus utens,
seu quod divitibus contentus cedere natis
omnia quae possunt etiamnunc nostra videri,
expensis patior me sustentari alienis — 560
ni mihi nostra fides quae nil proprium docet esse,
subveniat, tarn tuto aliena ut nostra putemus,
quam nos nostra aliis debemus participanda.
Nee tamen hoc ipso vitae me in ordine passus
ambiguum nutare diu, velociter ultro 565
solari es dignatus, deus, nostramque senectam
invalidam variis diverso tempore morbis
iugiter adsuetus blandis palpare medellis,
nunc quoque sic ipsi iuvenascere posse dedisti,
ut, cum iam penitus fructus de rebus avitis 570
sperare ulterius nullos me posse probasses,
cunctaque ipsa etiam, quae iam tenuatus habere
Massiliae potui, amissa iam proprietate
conscripta adstrictus sub condicione tenerem.
1 i.e. the house was only his by courtesy.
2 Yet his sons (11. 498 ff.) had died previously. Possibly
these are younger sons ignored in the earlier passage.
34°
THE EUCHARISTICUS
This I may lawfully believe to have been ordained
by thee, O Christ, for the strengthening of my
faith, as I suppose, that by prolonged experience I
might gradually find out how far thy favour could
avail me, when, though deprived of means through
countless losses, I still saw the semblance l of a house
always remained to me, and my means ofttimes re-
plenished by thy providence. For this lot, indeed,
I know I owe thee boundless thanks, O God ; yet
on my own account I know not whether I can
rejoice with full self-respect — because, whether in
occupying a house in semblance still my own, or in
contentedly resigning to my wealthy sons 2 all that
can still be thought of as my own, I suffer myself to
be supported at others' charges 3 — did not our faith
come to my aid, teaching that nothing is our own ;
so that we may as surely consider others' goods to
be ours, as we are bound to share our own with
others.
Yet in this same state of life thou didst not
suffer me long to drowse in doubt, but unasked,
O God, didst speedily deign to comfort me ; and —
ever wont to soothe with gentle remedies my old
age weakened at various times with divers sick-
nesses — now also thou didst enable it to grow young
again. For when thou hadst shown I could no
longer hope for further profit from my grand-
father's property ; and when all that also which in
my poverty I was able to hold at Marseilles was
retained by me under the terms of a written contract,
the freehold now being lost — thou didst raise up for
3 The use of the present tense here suggests that 11. 564 ff.
(in whioh he tells of his improved fortunes) were subsequently
added.
347
PAULINUS PELL !• IS
emptorem mihi ignotum de gente Gothorum 575
excires, nostri quondam qui iuris agellum
mercari cupiens pretium transmitteret ultro,
haut equidem iustum, verumtamen accipienti
votivum, fateor, possem quo scilicet una
et veteres lapsi census fulcire ruinas 580
et vitare nova cari mihi damna pudoris.
Quo me donatum pvaestanti munere gaudens
ecce novas, deus omnipotens, tibi del)eo grates,
exuperent quae paene alias cumulentque priores,
quas contestatus tota haec mea pagina praesens 585
continet ; et quamquam spatiis prolixior amplis
evagata diu claudi se iam prope poscat,
nostra tamen iugis devotio ponere finem
nescit ad explenda tibi debita munia, Christe,
hoc unum ipse bonum statuens,hoc esse tenendum 590
eonscius, hoc toto cupiens adquirere corde,
omnibus usque locis et tempore iugiter omui
te praefando loqui, te [et 1 ] meminisse silendo.
quo circa et totum tibi me, deus optime, debens
cunctaque quae mea sunt, opus hoc abs te, deus,
orsus 595
nunc quoque concludens tibi desino teque precatus
saepius attente nunc multo inpensius oro,
ut — quia vita in hac, qua nunc ego dego, senili
ipsa morte magis plura [haut *] agnosco timenda,
nee mihi, quid potius cupiam, discerneve promptum
est— 600
(jiiamcumque in partem tua iam sententia vergit.
da, precor, intrepidam contra omnia tristia menteni
constantemque tuae virtutis munere praesta,
ut, qui iam dudum placitis tibi vivo dicatus
legibus et sponsam conor captare salutem, 605
1 Suppl. PrancUs.
348
THE EUCHARISTJCUS
me a purchaser among the Goths who desired to
acquire the small farm, once wholly mine, and of his
own accord sent me a sum, not indeed equitable, yet
nevertheless a godsend, I admit, for me to receive,
since thereby I could at once support the tottering
remnants of my shattered fortune and escape fresh
hurt to my cherished self-respect.
Rejoicing in my enrichment with this exceeding
gift, to thee, Almighty God, I owe fresh thanks,
such as may almost overwhelm and bury all those
preceding, whereof each page of mine holds record.
And although my constant devotion, grown too
lengthy, has o'erspread its wide limits this while
past, and almost calls upon itself to halt ; yet it
knows not how to make an end of dwelling on the
gifts I owe to thee, O Christ. This I make my only
good, this I feel must be held fast, this with my
whole heart 1 long to secure — in all places every-
where and at all times continually, in utterance to
tell of thee, and in silence to remember thee.
Wherefore— owing all myself to thee, O God most
excellent, and all things that are mine — as I began
this work from thee, so in finishing it I end to
thee ; and while I have often prayed thee earnestly,
now much more fervently I beseech thee— seeing
that in this decrepit age which I now spend I see
nought more to be feared but death itself, and
cannot readily descry what further I can desire —
whichever way thy will inclines, 1 grant me, I pray,
a heart unflinching in the face of any sorrow, and
make it steadfast by the gift of thy power ; that I
who long have lived obedient to the laws approved
1 i.e. whether sorrows are or are not to be my lot.
349
PAULINUS PELL.EUS
nee vicina magis pro condicione senectae
tempora plus metuam mortis, cui subiacet omnis
aetas, ambiguae nee me discrimine * vitae
suspectum exagitent varii formidine casus,
vitari quos posse, deus, te praesule fido, 610
sed, quaecumque manet nostrum sors ultima finem,
mitiget hanc spes, Christe, tui conspectus et omnem
discutiat dubium fiducia certa pavorem,
me, vel in hoc proprio mortali corpore duin sum,
esse tuum, cuius sunt omnia, vel resolutum 615
corporis in quacumque tui me parte futurum.
1 Brandcs : discrimina, B 1 , P.
35°
THE EUCHAR1STICUS
of thee, and seek to win thy promise of salvation,
may not too greatly dread the hour of death — now
nearer by reason of my advanced age, though every
season of life is subject to him. And at the crisis of
my changeful life may no idle chances — for these, I
trust, may be avoided under thy leadership, O God
— distress me with misdoubtful fears ; but whatever
lot awaits me at my end let hope of beholding thee,
O Christ, assuage it, and let all fearful doubts be
dispelled by the sure confidence that alike while I
am in this mortal body I am thine, since all is
thine, and that when released from it I shall be in
some part of thy body.
35 1
INDEX
[Note. — Fictitious names are distinguished by an asterisk (*). The
abbreviations Aug., Mt., R. stand for Ausonius, Mountain, Rirer.\
Abydos, II. 15
Achaeans, The, I. 155, 279
Achaemenian (Persian), II. 180
*Achilas, II. 169.
Achilles, taught by Cheiron, I. 5 ;
143, 151, 155, 299 ; II. 75 ;
spear of, 107, 171
Acilinus of Bordeaux, I. 135
*Acindynus, n. 191
Actium, Battle of, I. 241
Adam, I. 19, 37
Adoneus (Bacchus), II. 187
Adonis, I. 209, 213, 299 ; II. 49, 193
Adour (R. Aturrus), I. 263
Aeacus, I. 5, 143, 145, 151. 299;
II. 171
Aeas of Salamis, I. 209
Aedui, I. 3, 63, 123
Aelius (see Hadrian)
Aemilia Aeonia (mother of Aus.),
I. viii, 61
Aemilia Corinthia Maura (grand-
mother of Aus.), I. ix, 65, 67, 123
Aemilia Dryadia (aunt of Aus.),
I. 91
Aemilia Hilaria (aunt of Aus.),
I. 67
Aemilius (Asper), I. 5
Aeneas, I. 149, 151 ; sons of, 185,
331, 337 ; II. 41, 187
Aesculapius, I. 335
Aesop, II. 7, 39
Aetna, II. 49
Afranius, Thais of, I. 287, 371 ;
II. 203
Africa, Province of, II. 295, 296
Agamemnon, I. 141 ; II. 253
Aganippe, I. 261
Agathocles of Sicily, II. 157
Agen (Aginnum), n. 105
AUSONIUS II.
Agenor, Bull of, I. 191
Aglaus, I. 319
Agricius, Censorinus Atticus (a
grammarian), II. 119
Aisne (R. Axona), I. 261
Ajax, l. 143; II. 253
Alamanni, Expedition against, I.
x, xvi
Alamannicus (Title of Gratian), II.
225
Alani, Alans, I. 29, 51 ; II. 297, 335
Alba, II. 41, 43
Alban Sow, II. 55
Alcaeus, I. 5, 195
Alcides (Hercules). II. 185
Alcinous, I. 153 ; II. 15
*AIcon, II. 203
Alectryon, I. 316 and note
Alethius, Latinus Alcimus, I. ix,
101
Alethius Minervius (rhetorician),
I. 109
Alexander the Great, I. 217, 271 ;
II. 35, 103, 239, 253, 309
Alexandria, Character and site of,
I. 271 : n. 239
Alisoutia (R. Elz), I. 255
Allobroges, The, I. 281
Alps, The, II. 107
Amazon, I. 201 ; II. 171
Ambivius (actor), II. 5
Aminaea (wine of). II. 45
Amnion, Libyan Oracle of, II. 211
Ammonius (grammarian), I. 115
Amphimachus, I. 151
Amphitryo, II. 75
Amphrysian (Sibylline) Oracles,
II. 55
Amyclae, Silence at, I. 121 ; II. 115
Ana (R. Guadiana), II. 105
353
A A
INDEX
Anaballianus, I. 125
Anacharsis, II. 277
Anastasius (grammariau), i. 115
Anchorets, II. 135
Andromache, I. 299
Andromeda (constellation), II. 281
Anicia, Gens, II. 37, 39
Annii, The, n. 37
Annianus (writer of Pescennine
verse), I. 391
Antecanis (constellation), II. 283
Anthedon, I, 245
Anticyra, n. 51
Antilochus (s. of Nestor), I. 1-15
Antioch, I. 271 : II. 239
Antiphila, I. 309, 327
Antoninus Pius, I. 343 ; II. 239,
263 (see also Caracalla, Helioga-
balus)
Aonia, Aonides, I. 261, 363 ; II.
113, 187
Aphrodite, I. 185 (see also Venus)
Apollo, I. 169 ; games of, 197, 323 ;
n. 45 ; slays the dragon, 91, 105,
125, 167, 169, 213, 281, 289
Aponus (Bagni d'Abano), I. 285
Apuleius, I. 391
Aquarius (constellation), I. 203 ;
II. 107, 283
Aquileia, Maximus slain at, I. 275
Aquitaine, I. 261, 277, 279, 281 ;
II. 105
Ara (constellation), II. 283
Arabia, II. 317
Arabs, II. 103, 187
Arborius, Aem. Magnus, I. ix, 61 f.,
79, 81, 123, 129
Arborius, Caecilius Argicius, I. viii,
63
Arcadia, Terence buried in, n. 43
Arcadian God (Mercury), n. 91 ;
— herd (asses), 159
Archemorus, I. 193, 195
Archer, The (constellation), i. 191,
203 ; II. 283
Archimedes, I. 247 and note ;
puzzle of, 395
Architects, The Seven, I. 247
Arelate : see Aries
Arethusa, Legend of, I. 279
Argicius, I. 123
Argo (constellation), II. 283
Argos, Argives, I. 145, 149 ; II. 267
Ariadne, I. 211
Arianisni, II. 34
354
Arion (steed of Adrastus), I. 161 ;
II. 267
Aristarchus (Homeric critic), I.
119, 311 ; II. 45
Aristides, I. 87, 255
Aristippus, I. 33
Aries (Arelate), "two-fold," I. 26:;;
described, 277 ; H. 105
Arrow, The (constellation), n. 233
Arsaces, II. 103
Arsinoe, I. 249
Ascra, Sage of (Hesiod), n. 37
Asia, I. 149, 153, 301 ; II. 83
Asper, Aemilius, I. 5 ; II. 45
Astyanax, I. 149
Ataulf (King of the Goths), II. 329,
331 333
Athens, I. 167, 277, 313
Atlantic, The, I. 235 ; II. 141
Atlas, Teacher of Hercules, I. 5 ;
II. 75, 141
Atreus, I. 141. 143, 145 ; II. 35
Atropos, I. 77
Attalus, Priscus (Puppet-Emperor),
II. 297, 327
Attic Colonization of Ionia, I. 297
Attusia Lucana Sabina : see Sabina
Attusia Lucana Talisia (relative
of Aus.), I. 85
Attusius Lucanus Talisius (f. -in-
law of Aus.), I. 69
Aturrus : see Adour
Augeas, Stables of, I. 201
Augastus : see Gratian, Octavian,
Theodosius, Valentinian
Aurora, II. 279
Ausci (Auch), I. 129
Ausonian, II. 141, 189
Ausonius (s. of the poet), I. ix, 73
Ausonius (grandson), n. 69, 7;>
Ausonius, D. Magnus, I. vii ; life of,
viii ff. ; as a Christian, xii ff. ;
his literary work, xiv ; his
classical reading, xxix ; effect
of rhetoric on, xxx ; place as &
poet, xxxiv ; textual hist, of his
works, xxxiv ; ancient editions
of, xxxvi ; MSS. of, xxxvii
3, 7, 9, 39, 49 ; Consulship of, 51
and passim, 53, 73, 103, 259, 261,
265, 311, 331, 349 ; Consulship
of, 351, 371 ; II. 3, 7, 13, 25, 27,
31, 39, 45, 53, 57, 63, 67, 69, 71 ;
experience as teacher, 79 ; career
of, 31, 37, 93, 105, 119, 125, 131,
INDEX
135, 155 ff. : Consulship of, 219
fl. ubique; 271 ff. ; grandfather
of Paulinus Pellaeus. 295 ; imi-
tated by Paulinus, 299, 311
*Auxilius, II. 159
A. veils (Numidian King), II. 83
Avernus, I. 241
Avitianus (brother of Aus.). I. 77
Axona : see Aisne
Bacchanals, 1. 391
Bacchus, I. 185, 189, 227, 235, 363 ;
n. 187
Baiae, i. 253 ; oysters or", n. 15. 55
Balbus. I. 315
Bambola : see Birbillis
Barbel (in the Moselle), I. 231
Barcelona, II. 87 ; Punic, 105, 107,
141
Bassianus : see Caracalla
Bayeux Baiocassium, i. 105
Bazas (Cossio Vasatum), I. 3, 43,
89 ; IT. 55, 219, 295 ; besieged,
297, 301, 331 f.
Bears, The two (constellations), II.
281
Bearwarden, II. 281
Belcae, I. 281
Belenus (a Celtic god), I. ix, xxxii,
105, 115
Belgae, I. 227, 229, 257, 259. 261
Bellerophon, Madness of, II. 119,
135, 137
Beneventum, II. 201
Betis (R. Guadalquivir), II. 141
Bias of Priene, I. 315, 325; II.
273
Biblis, II. 287
Bigone, II. 23, 141
Bingen : see Vincum
Birbilis (Bambola), II. 117, 139, 141
Bird, The (constellation). II. 281
Biscayan, II. 117 (see Vasconia)
Bissula, I. xvii, 217, 219 ff.
Blavia (Blaye), II. 19
Bleak (fish in the Moselle), I. 235
Boeotian, I. 307
Boii, The, II. 141 -
Bootes, I. 203
Bordeaux (Burdigala), I. viii r\, 3,
43, 69 ; Senate of, 79 ; scholars
at, 115, 125, 127 ; professors at,
141 ; described, 243, 285 ; II.
13, 15, 105, 107, 141, 219, 295 f. ;
sacked by Goths, 297 f., 301, 311,
343
Boreas, II. 281
Braga (Bracara), I. 277
Briton, Britons, I. 229, 257; II.
215 ff.
Bromius, I. 263
Bull, The (constellation), I. 201 ;
II. 283
Byrne, Miss, I. xxii (note), xliii
Byrsa ( = Carthage), I. 269
Byzantium, Byzantine, I. 123, 269 :
oysters of, II. 17
Byzyges (patron of bailiffs), n. 99
Cadmus, Daughters of (letters),
II. 51, 57
Cadurca (Cahors), I. 125
Caenis, I. 209 : II. 199
Caesar (Gaius), I. 331, 333 ;
(Gratian), II. 171 and passim ;
(Julius), I. 331, 333, 335
Caesares, The, Double edition of,
I. xxiii, 331
Calagorris (Calahorra), I. 97 ; II.
117, 139, 141
Caledonian Tides, I. 179, 229 ; n.
15
Calends, The, I. 187, 189 ; II. 83
Calenus, II. 271, 287
Caligula (Gaius Caesar), I. 331, 333,
Calliope, II. 281, 283
Callipio (Julius), I. 69
Calpe, II. 81, 141
Calpurnia, Gens, I. 87
Calydonian Boar, The, II. 47
Camenae (Muses), II. 17, 19, 73,
125
Camillus and the Gauls, II. 285
Campania, I. 273 ; II. 201
Campus Martius, The, I. 313 ;
II. 227
Canace, i. 211 ; n. 167
Cancer, Tropic of, I. 169, 189, 191,
201 ; II. 283
Cannae, Battle of, I. 225
Capaueus, II. 165
Capitol, The, Restorations of, I.
281 ; n. 287
Capri, I. 333, 337
Capricornus, Tropic of, I. 169, 189,
203 ; II. 283
Caprotine Nones, I. 197
355
A A
INDEX
Capua, Ambition and fall of, I. 273,
275; n. 3
Caracalla (Emperor), I. 347
Carantonus (R. Charente), I. 261
Caranus, Founder of Macedonian
Kingdom, II. 83
Carians, Character of, I. 301
Carpathian Sea, The, I. 245
Carthage, I. 269, 275 ; II. 117, 239,
296, 311
*Carus, I. 161
Cassiopeia (constellation), II. 281
Castalian (Muses), II. 131
Castor, i. (Hero), I. 161 ; II. 195,
267 ; ii. (Historian), I. 133 ;
iii. (Fictitious), II. 201
Catalepta or Catalecta of Virgil, I.
307
Catamitus (Ganymede), II. 193
Catana, Legend of, I. 279
Cataphronia, Julia (aunt of Aus.),
I. xxxii, 91
Catiline, Conspiracy of, II. 79
Cato, M. Porcius, i. 87, 255 ; ii.
287
Catullus, I. 163, 353
Catulus, I. 281 ; Consulship of, II.
79
Caucasus, Prometheus on the, I.
165
Cecrops, Cecropian, I. 305 ; li. 103
Celbis (R. Kyll), I. 253
Celtic words in Virgil, I. 307
Censor (Severus — Julianus), I. 87,
95
Cento, The Nuptial, I. xvi, xxxiv,
371 ; composition of, 373, 375,
377
Cephalus, I. 209
Cepheus (constellation), II. 281
Cerberus, I. 159, 201, 361
Ceres, I. 9, 217, 361, 379 ; II. 99
Cevennes, The (Cebennae), I. 279,
281
Chaerea assassinates Caligula, I. 333
Chalcedon, I. 247
Chalcidian, II. 85
Chamaves, The, I. 259
Chance (Fors), II. 75
Charente : see Carantonus
Charioteer, The (constellation), 11.
281
rheiron (Chiron), teaches Achilles,
i. 5 ; 11. 75, 205 ; (constellation).
288
Chilon, I. 315. 321 : n. 275
Chimaera, I. 369 ; II. 91
Chinese (" Chink"), I. 301, 303
Chios, II. 45
Choaspes, R., I. 285
Choerilus (poet), II. 35
♦Chrestus, II. 191
Christ, I. 35, 39; II. 121, 125, 127,
129, 133, 135 ff., 145 rf., 315 If.
(passim)
Chromius (Mysian Hero), I. 153
Chub, The. found hi the Moselle,
I. 231
Cicero, M. Tullius, I. 133, 309, 391 ;
II. 3, 7, 35, 95, 121, 175 ; Con-
sulship of, 231, 251
Cicero, Quintus, Verses ascribed to,
1.201
Cicones, The, I. 151
Cilicia, II. 267
Cineas of Epirus, I. 121
Cinyras, II. 49, 193
Circe, I. 245
Circus, Factions in, I. 17:;
Citarius (grammarian), I. 119
Cithaeron, I. 363
Claranus, n. 45
Clarentius of Xarbonne, I. 127
Clarian Muses, II. 171
Ol&ros I 1QS
Claudius (Emperor), I. 331, 333, 337
Clazomenae, II. 209, 283
Cleanthes the Stoic, I. 121
Clemens, T. Flavius, II. 237
Clementinus (poet), II. 45
Cleobulus of Lindos, I. 317, 323;
II. 275
Cleonae, Lion of, I. 199
Clio, II. 281
Clytemnestra, I. 141
Cnidos, II. 51, 57; Venus of, II.
195
Colossus of Rhodes, I. 367
Commodus (Emperor), I. 345
Communion, II. 298, 341
Concordius (grammarian), I. ix, 115
Condate, II. 61, 143
Consistory, The Imperial, II. 257
Constantine (Emperor), I. is,
brothers of. 123; II. 237
Constantinople, I. ix, 63, 97, 123,
269 : ii. n:i'.'
Constantius (Emperor), II. 249
Constellations, The, i. 201 ; ii. 281,
283
35 6
INDEX
Consus. Feast of, i. 199, 277, 297 ;
II. 199
Contemtus, Clemens, I. 69
Cordova (Corduba), I. 277
Corinth, Games at, I. 195
Corinthius (grammarian), I. ix, 111
Corrector (Spanish official), I. 91
Corvinus, Val., II. 235
Corydon, II. 187
Cos, I. 303
Cossio Vasatum, I. 89 : see Bazas
Crab (constellation) : see Cancer
Crates (Homeric critic), II. 45
Crebennns, n. 25, 29
Cretan Bull, The. I. 201 .—legend,
211
•Crispa, II. 203, 207
Crispns (grammarian), I. 131
Crocus, I. 209
Croesus, I. 157, 315, 319, 321
Crown, The (constellation), II. 281
Cumae, I. 133, 241, 247, 253 ;
Sibyl of, II. 181
Cupid, Crucified, I. 207, 215 ; II.
207
Cures, Priest at, I. 133
Curia, I. 313
Curius, I. 391
Cybele, I. 197 note
Cydonian, II. 191
Cynic, Cynics, n. 157, 185
Cynosema, I. 155
Cynthia, I. 51 ; II. 55
Cypris (Venus), II. 195
Cvrus and Croesus, I. 319 ; II. 259
Cythere (Venus), n. 189, 195, 213
Cytherea. I. 385
Daedalus, i. 211, 247, 301 : II. 85,
197
Dalmatius, I. 125
Damon, II. 103
Danaans, The, I. 147, 153
Danube, R., I. 51, 221 ; II. 171,
173 ; Frontier of, 223, 243
Daphne, II. 213, 215
Dardanus, I. 135 ; II. 55
David, I. 23
Dax (Aquae Tarbellae), I. viii, 3, 65
Deiphobe (a Sibyl), II. 181
Deiphobus, I. 149
Delos, II. 91
Delphi, I. 105 : centre of the
earth. 147 ; oracle at, 169;
299 ; Solon's Maxim at, 315
Delphians. I. 195
Delphic God (Apollo), I. 317, 321 ;
II. 127
Delphidius, Attius Tiro (rhetori-
cian), I. ix, xxxii, 105
Demosthenes, I. 99 ; II. 7
Deo, II. 49
Diana, Feast of, I. 197 ; II. 189
Didius Julianus (Emperor), I. 345
Dido, II. 289 : see EINsa
Dindymus, II. 115
Dinochares, I. 249
*Diodorus, II. 203
Diogenes, I. 33, 157 ; II. 185
Diomedes, I. 145, 147 ; horses of,
201 ; II. 101
Dione, Star of, I. 185 ; II. 207
Dionysiac Gaines, I. 199
Dionysus, I. 377 ; II. 187
Dis, I. 297, 309 ; II. 159
Divona (spring at Bordeaux), I.
285
Dodona, II. 115
Dodra (a drink), II. 165
Dog-star, II. 177
Dolphin, The (constellation), II.
281
Domitian, I. 333, 335, 341 ; n. 235,
283 ff.
Don, R., I. 267
Dordogne, I. 261
Draco, Code of, I. 133
Dragon, The (constellation), I. 203
Drahonus (R. Thron), I. 253
Drepanius : see Pacatus
Dromo (Terentian character), I. 327
Druentia (R. Durance), l. 263
Druids, I. ix, 105, 115
Druna (R. Drdme), I. 263
Dryadia, Aemilia (aunt of Aus.),
I." 91
Dryadia, Julia (sister of Aus.), I.
75, 87, 89
Eagle, The (constellation), n. 83
Easter, I. 35 ; II. 13, 19, 298, 341
Ebora, II. 15
Ebro, The, II. 141
Echo, I. 247 ; II. 119, 175, 213
Eelpont, The (found in the Moselle),
I. 233
Egeria (nymph), II. 289
357
INDEX
Egypt, i. 267; Egyptians, n. 187
Elias, I. 19
Elissa (Dido), I. 211, 269 ; II. 167
Elysium, I. 143
Endymion, Legend of, I. 13, 211
Ennius, I. 307, 309
Ennomus, i. 153
Enoch, 1. 19
Ephemeris, The, Date of, I. xxi f.
xxxix
Ephesus, I. 249
Ephyra, I. 327
Epicedion, The, Double edition of,
1. xxiii, xxvi, xxxv f., xxxix,
41 ff.
Epicurean, 11. 169
Epimenides, II. 99
Epirus, Old and New Provinces, II.
317
Epitaphia, The, Double edition of,
I. xxiii, xxix, 141, 161
Equina, Festival of, I. 199 and
note
Equites, Order of, I. 369 ; II. 227,
247
Erasinus, I. 219
Erato. II. 281
Eridanus (constellation), 11. 283
Erigone, I. 157
Erinyes, I. 369
Eriphyle, I. 211
Eros, 11. 205
Erubris (R. Ruwar), Stone sawmills
on, 1. 253
Erymanthus, Boar of, 1. 201 ; 11. 47
Ethiopians, I. 295
Euboea, 1. 301 : Euboean
( = Cumaean). 1. 241, 247. 253
Eucharixticus, The, authorship of,
II. 295 ; literary character of,
299 f. ; historical value of, 301 f. :
MSS. and editions of, 302 f. ; 305
Euchrotia, executed as a Pris-
cillianist, I. 107 (note)
Euclio (in Plautus), I. 353
Eumenides, IT. 211
♦Eumpina, II. 157
•Eunomus, 11. 157, 159
•Eunus, II. 203, 205
Euphemus (chief of the Cicones),
1. 151
Euphorbus. 11. 201
Euripus ( = aqueduct), I. 283
Euromius (Val. Latinus), I. 77
Europe, II. 83
358
Euryalus, 1. 147 ; 11. 101
Eusebius, I. 81
Euterpe, 11. 2-1
Euxine Sea, II. 173
Eve. 1. 19, 37
Evenus, I. 391
Fates, The, I. 361. 385 ; II. 69, 75,
157, 181
Father, God the, 1. 17 ff., 37 ;
II. 109, 145, 149
Fauns. I. 237
Februa (Festival), I. 183 and note,
185
Fescennine Songs. I. 387, 391
Fish, The Great (constellation), II.
283
Fishes (constellation), 1. 191, 201 ;
II. 283
Flaccus : see Horace
Flavia, Gens, I. 341
♦Flavinus, 1. 135
Floralia (Feast of Flora), 1. 199
Franks, I. 51, 259
Fronto, M. Cornelius, II. 237, 239
Frugi, epithet of L. Calpurnius
Piso, 1. 87
•Gains. 11. 157
Gaius Caesar : see Caligula
Galba (Emperor), I. 333, 335, 339
•Galla, II. 175
Gallius, 1. 313
Gallus (Alectryon). 1. 361
Ganges, bird of (Phoenix), I. 361 ;
11. .-7
Gauymedes, II. 193
Gargara, II. 115
Garonne, P.. I. 237, 263, 279 ;
II. 10. 27. »7. 311
Garum (a sauce), II. 89
Gaul. Prefecture of, I. 5, 47 ; II.
173, 24:;. 249; old Gaul, 269
Gaums. I. 237. 241
Gedippa, 11. 47
Ihliacoe, The. 1. xxi; 11. 69
Genoni, The, 11. 15
German. Germans. Germany, I. x,
263 ; 11. 225, 269
Germanici, The. 11. 263
Germanicus (title of Gratian). 11.
225
INDEX
Geryones, I. 201, 369 ; Ii. 43, 55
Gestidius, n. 149
Getae, I. 51, 301
Getic Mars, II. 171
Glabrio, Acilius (grammarian), I.
135, 137
Gladiatorial Shows at Funerals, I.
363
•Glaucias, II. 193
Glaucus, Legend of, I. 245
*Glycera, II. 181
God. 1. 15 ft"., 365, 369 ; II. 109, 127,
129, 267, 307 ft", (passim)
Gorgons, The, I. 369
Gortyn, I. 247
Goths, Gothic, I. 51, 301 : II. 171,
173, 297 ; pillage Bordeaux,
327, 329, 333, 335, 343, 349
trracchus, the Elder, II. 257
Graces, The, I. 361 ; II. 89
Gradivus, I. 51
Gratian (Emperor), taught by Aus.,
I. ix, xi ; dedication of Epi-
grams to, xxxviii ; 5, 39, 41 ;
II. 79, 81 ; as poet-warrior, 169,
171, 219 ft", {passim)
Grayling in the Moselle, I. 231
Greece, II. 285, 337 and passim.
Greek Rules for drinking, I. 355 ;
— credit, II. 21, 97 ; — fables, II.
267 ; — invasion of Rome, 285 ;
— tutors, 315
Gregorius Proculus, I. xxxv, 207,
349, 351
Griphus, The, I. x. xxviii, xxxiv,
353 ft.
Gudgeon in the Moselle, I. 235
Gunes (hero), I. 147
Hades, I. 167
Hadrian, I. 343
Haemus, I. 283
Hamadryad Nymphs, I. 175, 299
Hannibal, Relations with Capua,
I. 275 ; death of, 301 ; II. 117
Hare, The (constellation), EC. 283
Harmonia, I. 211
Harmonius (grammarian), II. 45
Harpies, The, I. 369
Hebromagus (estate of Pauhnus
of Nola), II. 91, 95, 99, 109
Hecate, I. 361 ; II. 71
Hector, I. 149, 151, 153
Hecuba, I. 155
Helen, I. 141 ; origin of, 361 ; II.
195
Helicon, n. 45
Heliogabalus (Emperor), I. xix,
347
Helle, I. 247
Helvius : see Pertinax
Herculanus, Pomponius Maximus
(nephew of Aus., grammarian),
I. 81, 117
Hercules, taught by Atlas, I. 5 ;
birthday of, 199 ; 363 ; II. 201
Herculeus (sc. Maximian), Baths of,
at Milan, I. 273
Hermaphroditus, II. 199, 213
Hermes Trismegistus, I. 357
♦Hermione, II. 211
Herodotus, I. 129 ; Works of, in
library of Aus., II. 31
Herrick, Debt to poem de Rosis,
II. 271, 281 and note
Hesiod, I. 173, 203 (note) ; II. 37
Hesperides, Apples of, I. 201
Hesperius (s. of Aus.), I. ix, xix,
xxxv, xxxvi, 75, 331, 349; II.
61, 67, 71, 91, 295, 296
Hesperus, I. 239
Hiberus (R, Ebro), II. 141
Hippocratas, I. 303
Hippocrene, II. 45, 91
Hippolytus, Fate of, I. 165;
= Virbius, 373; significance of
his name, II. 181
Hipponax of Ephesus, II. 283 note
Hippothous (Trojan War hero), I.
153
Hispalis : see Seville
Homer, I. 131, 143 ; work of
Zenodotus and Aristarchus on,
311 ; ii. 43 ; his scattered verses
collected by Zenodotus (sic), 45
and note ; read in schools, 77 ;
171, 231; used in schools, 296,
313
Horace, imitated by Aus., I. xxix,
15: 131, 217, 355; read in
schools, II. 77
Huns, I. 51 ; II. 171
Hyacinthus, I. 209
Hyades, II. 43
Hvbla, Bees of, II. 115
•Hylas, II. 209, 211
Hylas and the Nymphs, n. 211
Hyperion, I. 241
359
INDEX
Iambus, I. 15 ; [I. 91
"Iapyx, II. 181
Iberian (Spanish), I. 277, 279 :
II. 79, 83, 141
Icarian Sea, II. 85
Icarus, I. 247 ; II. 85
Ictinus the Architect, I. 249
Iculisma (Angouleme), n. 31
Idalia, Julia (cousin of Aus.), I. 93
Ides, The, 1.187, 189, 197; an
auspicious day, II. 71
*Idmon, II. 181
Ilerde, II. 117, 139 ; see also
Lerida
Iliad, The, read in schools, n. 77,
313
Ilithyia, I. 181
Ilium, I. 149, 255
Illibanus (an unknown king), n. 83
Illyricum, Illyria, etc., Prefecture
of, I. xi, 47, 233, 275; II. 171,
249, 269
Indians and Dionysus, II. 187
Io, Wanderings of, I. 299
Ionia colonised from Attica, I. -21'.)
Isis, Feast of the Bark of. I. 199 ;
Sistra of, II. 115
I ^marus, I. 237
Isocrates, II. 7
Ister (R. Danube), I. 233. 259 :
see also Danube
isthmian Games, The, I. 195
Italy, Prefecture of, I. xi, 5, 47,
257, 275
Itys, II. 205
lulus, II. 41
Ixion, I. 299 (note)
la nus, I. 49 ft'., 183, 135, 189, 191,
333 ; II. 83
Jocasta, I. 363 (note)
Jordan, R., I. 39
Jove : see Jupiter
.loviuus, H. 47
Jucundus (grammarian), i. 113
Judgment, The Last, 11. 145
Julian (Emperor), I. 101
Julian (? a freedman), 11. 1 1
Julius : see Caesar
Juniadae (sons of Junius Brutus),
1. 363 and note
Juno, 1. 185, 189, 361. 385
Jupiter, Jove, 1. 149, 165. (Planet)
IT."., 188, L93, 1 '.).-., 205, 297, 301 ;
Stygian Jove (Dis), 307, 361 ;
Pheidias' statue of, 11. 175 ;
Jove and Ganymedes, 193, 195,
203
Juturna, I. 165
Juvenal quoted by Aus., 1. 391
Juvencus, II. 299
Juventa, 1. 185, 2'.i!i
Lacedemmi, Armed Aphrodite at,
II. 193
Lachesis, I. 133
Laconian : see Spartan
Laelius, 11. 103
Laertes, 1. 143, 147 ; son of : see
Ulysses
Laevius, Erotopaegnia of, I.
*Lais, 11. 179, 181, 195, 205
Laodamia, 1. 21 1 and note
La pith (Ixion), 1. 299
Lar, 1. 297
Larissa, I. 143
Larunda, 1. 207
Lascivus : see Leontiu>
Latium, I. 275 ; 11. 77,
Latmus, 1. 211
Laverna, 11. 53
Leda, 11. 195
Leman, Lake, 1. 281
Leo (constellation), I. 49, 157,
203 ; II. 283
Leontius Lascivus (grammarian),
I. Ill, 113
Lepidus, II. 79
Lerida (Ilerda), I. 135; 11. 117,
139, 141
Lesura (R. Lieser), I. 253
Leto, II. 71
Leucu3, 1. 211, 241
Libanus, Mt., I. 303
Liber Pater (Bacchus), 1. 199, 217,
241 ; 11. 187
Libs (S.W. wind), I. 297
Libya, 1. xi, 5, 47, 91, 309 ; II.
BS, 287
Libyan Amnion, II. 211: 3ea
281, 2-j'.t
Liger (R. Loire), I. 261
Uguria, 11. 267
Ligurians, Character of, I. 301
Livy, 1. 129
Locrians, The, 1. 133
Love, 1. 211 ft.
36
)0
INDEX
Lucaniacus (villa of Aus.), I. Ill
and note ; II. 61, 95, 99, 143
(Lucanus), 187
Lucanian Oxen (elephants), n. 31
and note
Lucifer, I. 383
Lucilius, I. 33; II. 61, 201
Lucina, I. 187, 385
Luciolus (rhetorician), I. 103
♦Lucius, I. 159; nickname for the
pike, 233
Lucretia, II. 137
Lugudunum (Lyons), I. 63 ; n.
237
Luna, I. 211 ; II. 59, 81
Lupodunum (? Ladenburg), Battle
of, I. 259
Lyaeus, I. 237 ; n. 17
Lycia, II. 135, 267
Lycian (Sarpedon), I. L49
*Lycus, II. 209, 211
Lydia, Lydians, I. 301, 319
Lygos ( = Byzantium), I. 269
Lyre, The (constellation), n. 281
Lyrna, Hydra of, I. 201
Macedonia, Province of, n. 295,
296. 298
Macrinus (grammarian), I. ix, 115;
Opilius — , 347
Maeander, R., I. 305
Maenad, II. 215
Mantua, Birthplace of Virgil, I.
255
Manuscripts of Ausonius, their in-
terrelation, xxxvii, xli.
Marcellus (grammarian), I. 217
*Marcius, I. 159
Marcus ( = M. Ter. Varro), I. 247
•Marcus, n. 159, 165, 167, 201, 203
Marcus Aurelius (Emperor), I. 343
Mareotic ( = Egyptian), n. 115
•Marius, I. 159 ; G. — , II. 235, 239
Marne, R. (Matrona), I. 261
Maro : see Virgil
Maroialum (Bagueres de Bigorre),
II. 141
Mars, I. 9, 151, 165, 183, 185, 189,
205, 281, 291, 297, 361, 367 ;
horses of, II. 101, 171, 185 ;
— Gradivus, 195
Marseilles (Massilia), Oysters of, II.
15 ; Paulinus Pell, at, 298, 345,
347
Martial, I. 391 ; II. 271
Matrona : see Marne
Maura, Aemilia Corinthia (grand-
mother of Aus.), i. ix, 67
Maximus (Pretender), I. xi f.,
xxii, 107 and note ; slain at
Aquileia, 275 ; II. 67 (note)
May, Etymology of, I. 183, 185
Medes, Median, I. 285 ; n. 103
Medoc (Meduli), Oysters of, it. 15,
45, 47, 55, 59
Megalesia (festival), I. 197
Megentira (niece of Aus.), I. 87
Melania, Aemilia (sister of Aus.),
i. 93
Meleager, II. 47
Meliboean purple, I. 381
Melicertes, I. 195 (note)
Melo ( = Egypt), II. 51
Melpomene, II. 281
Memphian ( = Egyptian), I. 251
Menander, I. 391, 393 ; read in
schools, II. 77
Menecrates (architect), I. 249 and
note
Menelaus, I. 131, 143 ; II. 231
Menestheus (grammarian), I. Ill
Mercury, I. 183 ; festival of, 197 ;
patron of thieves, 203, 303 ;
festival of, II. 71, 175, 213
Merida, II. 105
*Meroe, II. 181 ; city in Nubia, ib.
Metanoea (regret), II. 77
Metellus, I. 159 ; II. 241
Metiscus (charioteer of Turnus),
II. 29
Meton of Athens, Cycle of, II. 67
Midas, I. 35
Milan (Mediolanum), Buildings of,
I. 273
Milton, John, II. 301
Minerva, Citadel of (the Acropolis),
I. 249 ; II. 169, 189, 197
Miuervius, Tib. Victor (rhetori-
cian), i. 97
Minos, I. 133, 211, 303 ; II. 199
Mirmillo (gladiator), I. 303
Mitylene, I. 327 ; II. 273
Mnemosynae (sic, = Muses), I.
363 ; II. 25, 49
Moneta, Temple of, n. 287
Moon, The, I. 183, 205, 211 ; see
also Luna
Moselle, R., I. xvii f., xxxi, 227 ff. :
fish of, 231 ff. ; vineyards of,
361
INDEX
235 ff. ; scenery on, 237 f . ; aqua-
tic sports on, 239 f. ; fishing on,
243 f. ; country-houses by, 245
ff. ; tributaries of, 253 ff. ;
the Moselle praised by Sym-
machus, 265, 267; 271 ; II. 67
Muraena, Theatre of, I. 313 ;
Augurship of, 355
Muses, The, I. 361 ; u. 27, 73, 87,
91, 119, 131, 155, 167, 169, 171,
187, 189 ; names of, 281 ; 289
Mycenae, h. 253
Mylae ( = Mylasa), Battle of, I.
241 and note
*Myron, n. 179 ; — the sculptor
(Heiffer of), II. 195 ff.
Mysia, I. 153
Naiads, H. 211
Xar (R. Nera), I. 297
Narbonne, Province of, I. 63 : city
of, 127, 129, 277 ; described, 281*;
II. 15, 105
Narcissus, I. 209, 299; II. 211, 213
N'aso : see Ovid
Nastes (hero of Trojan War), I. 151
Nava (R. Nahe), I. 225
Nazarius (rhetorician), I. 121
Xealces (artist), I. 355
Nechepsos (Egyptian king), II. 85
Nemausus (Nimes), I. 285
Nemean Games, I. 195 ; II. 267
Nemesa (R. Nims), I. 253
Nemesis, I. 53, 255 ; II. 79 : wor-
shipped at Rhamnus, 103 ; 107,
183, 195
Nepa ( = Scorpio), I. 203
Nephela, I. 247
Nepos, Chronicles of, II. 33
Nepotianus (grammarian), I. 121
Neptunalia, I. 199
Neptune, I. 9 ; builder of Trov,
149, 195, 199
Nereus, I. 245
Nero, I. 331, 333, 335, 337 ; II. 237
Nerva (Emperor), I. 341
Nestor, I. 131, 145, 361 ; II. 35,
181, 231
Nicer (R. Neckar), I. 257
Nile, R., I. 241, 267, 271 ; II. 171.
175, 181
Niobe, I. 155 ; II. 193
Nisus, II. 101
Noiomagus (Neumagen), I. 2!
note
Nola, n. 203
Nomion (hero), I. 151
Nones, The, I. 187 ; Caprotine
197
Novarus (hamlet in Aquitaine), II.
107
Novempopulonia, I. 63, 129
Numa, establishes the Parentalia.
I. 57. 59 : 133 ; establishes the
Februa, 183, 185; montrT of
. (February), 189, 191 ; — and
Egeria, II. 289
Numantia, reduced by Scipio, n.
287
Numidians, n. 255 .
Nymphs, of the Moselle, i. 231,
237 ; — and Hylas, II. 211
Oceanus, father of Alcinous, I. 153 ;
(the Atlantic), 283 ; II. 141
Octavian (Emperor), I. 9, 315, 335 ;
consulships of, n. 235
Odryssian Mars, n. 171
Odyssey, The, I. 143 ; II. 313
Oebalus, Oebalian, I. 209, 299 ;
II. 115
Ogyges, Founder of Thebes, n.
Olenus, II. 47
Olympia, Stadium at, II. 209
Olympian Games, The, I. 195
Ops (Rhea), Feast of, 1. 197, 297, 359
Uratory, Three styles of, i. 367
Orcus, II. 49
Oreads, I. 237
Orestes, i. 147 ; n. 103
Orion (constellation), II. 283
Orpheus, Tripod of, I. 367
Osiris, II. 187
I istia, I. 197
i i-tomachia (a picture-puzzle), l.
375, 395 ff.
Ostrich egg-shell used as a cup,
n. 23
Otho (Emperor), I. 333, 335, 339
Ovid, Metamorphoses of, II. 199
Pacatus, Drepanius, I. xxiii, 163,
287, 293, 309, 311
Padus (R. Po), II. 91, 101
Paean (Apollo), H. 213
Paestum, Poses of, II. 277
362
INDEX
Palaemon, I. 103
Palamedes. I. 307
Pallas, Strife of. with Poseidon for
Attica, I. 277 ; statue of, by
Pheidias, II. 175; 10::
Pan, Pans, I. 237, 207
Panaetius of Rhodes, n. 287 (note)
Panatkenaicus of Isocrates, The,
I. 99
Pangaean Hills, The, I. 237
Pannonians, The, II. 173 bis
Panope, I. 237
Paphian, The (Venus), II. 211, 279
Paphos, II. 279
Papia, Lex, II. 209
Paradise, I. 41
Parcae : see Fates
Parentalia, The, I. xx, xxxiv. :>7 ff.
Parian marble, I. 281, 283
Paris, II. 21, 93
•Parmeno, I. 13, 15
Parnassus, I. 195; Parnassian, II.
299
Parthenias (sc. Virgil), I. 393
Parthian darts, II. 91
Pasiphae, I. 211, 303 ; II. 197, 199
Pastor (grandson of Aus.), I. 75
Patera, Attius (rhetorician), I.
103, 109. 121
Paul. St., I. 41
Pauliacos (? Pauliac, a villa of
Aus.), II. 59
Paulinus of Kola, on literary
value of Aus., I. vii ; relations
with Aus., xiii, xxiii ; corre-
spondence with Aus. and life,
xxiv ; dedication of Techno-
■paegnion to, 289 ; author of
poem on the Emperors, II. 81;
87, 89. 91, 93, 99, 101, 105, 107,
109, 111, 113, 119, 125, 131, 135 ;
prayer of, 149 ; 295, 299
Paulinus of Pella, History of, II.
295 ff. ; Eucharisticus of, 299 ff.
Paulus, Axius (rhetorician), I. 219,
371, 391 ; II. 13, 17, 21, 23, 25,
27 35 271
Pegasus,' I. 161, 355; II. 91, 135,
267: (constellation), 281
Peirithoiis, II. 101
Peleus, II. 75
Pella, II. 83, 103, 296, 309
Pelops, I. 195 and note
Pelorus. I. 241
Pelusian ( = Egyptian), I. 297
Penance, n. 341
Penelope, n. 15
Perch in the Moselle, I. 233
Perfect Number, The, I. 365
*Pergamus, II. 179
Periander of Corinth, I. 317, 327
II. 275
Persephone, II. 193
Perseus, II. 91 ; (constellation), 281
Persians, i. 271, 319 : n. 103, 183
Pertinax (Emperor), I. 345
Perusia, Famine and siege of, II.
99 and note
Phaeacians, The, I. 303
Phaedra, I. 211 ; II. 167
Phaethon, Fate of, n. 101
Phaenon (i.g. Saturn), i. 175
Phalaecus, II. 51, 283
Phanaces (Mysian Bacchus), n. 187
Phaon (Sappho's lover), i. 211 ;
II. 167
Pharos at Alexandria, Pharian. I.
249, 251
*Phegeus, II. 209, 211
Pheidias the sculptor, II. 175
Philo (Athenian architect), I. 247 ;
(Bailiff of Aus.), II. 93
Philomela, I. 301
*Philomusus, II. 161
Philopoemen, Death of, I. 299 and
note
Phlegethon, R., II. 215
Phoebe (the Moon), I. 175
Phoebicius (grammarian), i. 115
Phoebus, I. 55, 105, 181, 193, 225,
271, 299, 325, 361, 363 ; II. 17,
169, 215, 281
Phoenix, The, I. 173, 361 ; II. 87
Phormio of Terence, II. 97
Phosphorus (a race-horse), I. 159
Phrixus. Ram of, I. 189
Phrygian marble, I. 229 : — char-
acter, 301
Phyllis, II. 167 ; *— , 203, 205
Picenum, II. 61
Pieria. Pierian, I. 257 ; II. 19, 25
Pike in the Moselle, I. 233
Pimpla, II. 29
Pindar, I. 323 ; Pindaric, II. 31
Pisa (in Elis). I. 195
Pitana (in Sparta), II. 183
Pittacus of Mitylene, I. 315, 327 ;
II. 273
Planets, Influence of the, l. 179
Plato, I. 139, 343, 355, 391 ; II. 296
363
INDEX
Plautua, Plautine, i. 371 : n. 17,
35, 95
Pleiades, The, II. 43
Pleisthenes, sou of: see Menel
Pleuronia, I. 147
Pliny the Younger, I. 391 ; the
Elder, II. 199
Poictiers, I. 115, 117
Poiteau, II. 141
Pollux, II. 195
Polydorus (hero), I. 151
♦Polygiton, II. 215
Polynmia (Muse), II. 281
Polyxena (dau. of Priam), I. 155
Pomona, I. 49, 183 ; II. 107
Pompey the Great, I. 315
Pomponius Maximus (brother-in-
law of Aus.), I. 79
Pontifices, Code of, i. 133
Pope, Windsor Forest of, I. 239 note
Portumnus, I. 195
Praxiteles (sculptor), II. 193, 195
Priam, I. 147 note, 153, 155 ; n.
55
Priene, I. 315, 325
Priscillianist .Martyrs, I. xxi, 107
note
Probus, M. Valerius, I. 5, 121, 129 ;
— , Sex. Petronius, I. xvii, 257
and note ; II. 33 and note, 37, 41
Procopius, Revolt of, I. 107 note
Procris, I. 209
Proeulus : see Gregorius
Professores, The, I. xx f., xxxiv, 97
ff.
Promea (R. Priirn), I. 253
Prometheus, I. 165, 299
Propontis, II. 17
Proserpine, I. 21:'.
Protesilaus, i. 147 ; n. 1 s 1
Protrepticus, The, n. tl
Provence, I. 281
Ptolemy, i. 249
Pudentilla, Namia (sister-in-law of
Aus.), I. 83
Punic, I. 345 ; - - wars, 361 ; — faith,
II. 21
Pylades, II. 103
Pyleus (hero), I. 15:;
Pyrene, I. 261 ; Pyrenees, 279 ; n.
105, 107, 117, 1 ):>
Pyrois (the planet Mars), I. 175 ;
II. 55
Pyrrhus (s. of Achilles), I. 147 ;
(King of Epirus), 299 note
Pythia, Cave of the, I. 217
Pythian Games, The, I. 195
Pythagoras of Samos. " Two Ways "
of, I. 117, 305 and note ; "Yea
and Nay "of, I. 171 f.. II. 117
Pythagoreans, I. 163 ; massacre
of, 167, 169
Quinquatrus (Feast of Pallas), I. 197
Quintilis (July), I. 183
Quintilian, M. Fabius, I. 97, 99,
257 ; II. 237
Quirinus, I. 49, 351 ; II. 105, 1 4;:
Quirites, I. 133
Ram, The (constellation), n.
Raraunum (Raum), II. 141
Regifugium, Festival of, r. 197
Regulus, Miuucius (brother-in-law
of Aus.), I. 85
Remus, II. 185
Rhamnus. Xemesis of, II. 103, 107
Rhea, I. 295, 359
Rhine, The, I. 221, 257, 259, 271
283 ; II. 39 ; frontier of, 223 ;
269
Rhodanus : see Rhone
Rhodes, Oratory of, I. 367 ; Colos-
sus of, ib. ; II. 287
Rhodope, I. 133, 237
Rhone, R.. I. 263, 277, 2S1
Rhopalic Verse, I. 39 and note
Ripa Dextra (a quarter of Aries),
I. 263
Roach in the Moselle, I. 231
Roman education, II. 313
Rome, I. 49, 109, 129, 255. 269,
273, 285, 831, 347, 351, 367,
377 ; II. 43, 59, 87. 141, 143, 239,
285, 296, 311, :I17
Romulus, sons of, I. 297, 313 ; II.
37, 103, 185, 287 ; (a gram-
marian), T. ix, 111
Roscius (actor), II. 5
Rubrius, Banquet of, in Cicero, I.
355
Rudiae, Birthplace of Ennius, I. 309
•Rufus, II. 161, 163, 193 -
Rumour, II. 143, 153, 269
Rutupiae (port of Richborough),
i. 69, B3, 27.".
3 6 4
INDEX
Sabina, Attusia Lucana (wife of
Aus.). I. ix, xxvii ; lament for,
71 t\, 85; II. 181, 189
Sacred Mount, the, I. 367
Sages, The Seven, I. 61, 311 ff. ;
n. 97, 273 ff.
Saguntum, Siege and destruction
of, I. 165 ; II. 99
Salamis, I. 209
Salian fare, II. 15
Sallust the historian, U. 11 ; read
in schools, 79 ; 83, 239 ; (fourth
century colleague of Julian), I.
103
Salmacis, n. 199, 213
Salmon in the Moselle, i. 233
Salmona (R. Salm), I. 253
Salonika (Thessalonica), II. 309
Samian Ware, II. 157
Sanctus, Flavius (relative of Aus.),
I. 83
Santones (people of Saintes), I. 85 ;
II. 13, 23, 25, 27, 31, 105
Sapphic Metre, The, I. 15
Sappho, I. 209; II. 53, 167, 187
Saragossa (Caesarea Augustal, n.
107, 141
Saravus (E. Saar), I. 231, 253
Sardanapalus, I. 165
Sarmatians, I. 51, 225
Sarpedon of Lycia, I. 149
Sarran (Tyrian) fabrics, I. 29
Saturn, I. 165, 183 ; feast of, 199 ;
205 : castrates Uranus, 299 ;
II. 199
Saturnalia. The, I. 197
Satyrs, I. 237
Sauromatae, n. 171
Scaean Gate at Troy, I. 149
Scales, The (constellation), I. 191,
203 ; II. 283
Scarabaeus, II. 201
Scatinia, Lex, II. 209
Scaurus, Q. Ter.. I. 5, 121, 129;
II. 45
Scipio, II. 103, 287
Scorpion, The (constellation), I.
191 ; II. 283
Scylla, I. 369
Scytale (Spartan cipher-device), H.
Ill
Scythia. i. 267 : Scythian Sea
( = The Euxine). II. 175
Sedatus (rhetorician), I. 127
Sedulius, it. 300
Seleucus, Founder of Antioch. I. 271
Semele, i. 209
Seneca, II. 237
Seplasia (a quarter of Capua), n.
203
Sequani, The. n. 269
Serpent (the Devil), I. 19
Sertorius, II. 79, 117
Sesostris, II. 85
Sestos, I. 209, 247
Severus Censor Julianus, I. 87
Severus, Septimius (Emperor), l.
345
Seville (Hispalis), I. 277
Sextilis (August), I. 189 ; II. 71
Shad in the Moselle, I. 235
Sheat, fish in the Moselle. I. 235
Sibyl, Sibyls, The Three, I. 369;
II. 181 and note
Sicily, I. 133, 361 ; Sicilian Medim-
nus, 363 ; II. 157, 177
Sicoris (R. Segre), II. 117
Sidonian, II. 311
Sigalion (Harpocrates), II. 115
Sigeum, I. 143, 147
Sigillaria, Feast of, I. 199
Significance of names, I. 147, 149 ;
II. 181
Silvius (son of Aeneas), II. 41 :
(a Briton), II. 215 ff.
Simois, R., I. 255
Simonides of Ceos, I. 119
Sipylus, Mt., I. 155
Sirens, The, I. 121, 361
Sirius (constellation), I. 49 ; II. 283
Sirmium, II. 243
Siwa, Oasis of, II. 211, note
Smyrna, I. 255 : II. 287
Snake-holder, The (constellation),
n. 283
Socrates, II. 313
Solon, Laws of, I. 133 ; — and
Croesus, 315, 317 ; II. 275
Son of God, The, II. 109
*Sosias, I. 23, 25 ; (in Terence),
n. 9
Sotades, II. 29
Spain, Spanish, n. 109, 117, 139,
141
Spartan brevity, I. 265, 321 ;
— cipher, II. Ill ; — brevity,
117 ; — stoicism, 183
Spercheus (grammarian), I. Ill
Sphinx of Thebes, The, I. 301, 363
Spirit, The Holy, I. 19, 37
;65
INDEX
Staphylius (rhetorician), I. 129
Stephen, I. 41
Sthenelus, I. 147
Stilbon (the planet Mercury), I. 175
Stoic, II. 169
Stymphalus, Birds of, I. 201
Styx, Stygian, I. 169, 297 ; n. 193
Sucuro (grammarian), I. ix, 115
Suessa (birthplace of Lucilius), II.
31
Suetonius, I. 381, 337 ; II. 81, 83
Sulla, II. 239
Sulpicia (poetess), I. 391 ; II. 271,
283
Sun, The, i. 183, 205 ; n. 81, 101
Sura (R. Sauer), I. 253
Swabian, Suebi, I. 219 ; II. 173
Syagrius, I. 7
Symmachus, Q. Aurelius, I. vii,
xxxv, 265 ; II. 3, 7, 9, 11
Syracuse, I. 247, 279
Tabernae (Berncastel), I. 225
Tables, The Twelve, I. 365
Tagus, R., II. 105
Tanaquil (wife of Tarquin), i. 9o ;
II. 113, 137
Tantalus, I. 195
Tarbellae, Aquae, I. 65, 123, 263 ;
II. 109; see also Dax
Tarentum, Games at, I. 363
Tarnes (R. Tarn), I. 263 ; II. 97
Tarpeian Rock, The, I. 363
Tarquin, I. 281
Tarraaona (Tarraco), I. 91, 277 ;
II. 107, 141
Tartessus, II. 17 ; Tartesian, 81
Taurinus (a provincial), II. 47
Technopaegnion, The, I. xxviii ;
double edition of. xxxv ; xl ; 287,
289 tf.
Telles (or Tellos), the Athenian,
I. 319
Tench in the Moselle, I. 23a
Terence, I. 323, 327, 329; buried
in Arcadia, II. 43 ; read in
schools, II. 77. 97
Tereus, I. 105. 301 (note)
Terpsichore, II. 29, 281
Tethys, I. 245
Tetradius (grammarian), II. 31
Tetrici, The, I. viii, 65
Teutosagi, The, I. 281
Textual History of Ausoniua'
Poems, i. xxxiv f.
Thais of Afranius, I. :_'S7
Thalassius (son-in-law of Aus.),
II. 11, 296
Thalassus (grammarian), I. 117
Thales of Miletus, I. 317, 323
Thalia, II. 29, 281
Theano (wife of Pythagoras), I. 95
Theatres in Greece used for de-
liberation, I. 313
Thebes, I. 155, 195 ; festival or
Dionysus at, 363
Themis, I. 133, 295
Theodosius (Emperor), overthrows
Maximus, i. xii ; asks for poems
ot Aus., xxxvi, 7, 9
Theon of Medoc, I. xxxiii ; n. 45,
53, 59
Therasia (wife of Paulinus of Nola),
II. 113 note, 119, 137
Theseus, II. 47, 101, 181
Thessalonica, II. 309
Thisbe, I. 211
Thrace, Thracian. cruelty, 1. 151,
•201; — priest, 379; —Amazons,
II. 171 ; 267
Thrasybulus (Spartan warrior), II.
183
Thucydides, History of, II. 31
Thvmele, I. 219
Thyone, I. 373
Tiber, I. 197, 255
Tiberius, Nero Claudius (Emperor).
I. 331, 333, 335, 337
Tilianus, Codex, I. xxxvii
Timavus (R. Timao), I. 285
Timon of Athens, I. 167
Tiresias, II. 199
Titan (the Sun), I. 175 ; n. 55, 81
Titia, Lex, II. 209
Titianus, Julius, the Fables oi, n.
33, 237
Titus (Emperor), I. 333, 335, 341 ;
saying of, II. 261
Toulouse (Tolosa), I. 63, 123, 125,
127, 279 ; II. 105
Trajan (Emperor), I. 343 ; remits
arrears of taxation, II. 261, 265
Tranquillus, see Suetonius
Treves (Augusta Treverorum), I.
xii, xx, 207 ; Senate of : 257 ;
described, 271 ; H. 41, 67, 239
Triangle, Forms of, I. 365 ; (con-
stellation), II. 281
3 66
INDEX
Tribunes, derivation of the title,
I. 367
Trinity, The, analogous with the
Three Emperors, I. 37; 369
Triptolemus, II. 99
Tritonia (Athene), II. 169
Troilus, I. 151
Trojan War, the, Heroes of, I. 141 ;
length of, n. 55
Tropics, The two, I. 53
Tros, son of Dardanus, I. 301
Trout, I. 231
Troy, I. 149, 151, 153, 155 ; II. 131
Tully: see Cicero
Tuscan Sea, The, n. 141, 311
Twins, The (constellation), I. 201 ;
II. 283
Tydeus, n. 253
Tyndareus, reputed father of
Castor, Pollux, and Helen, I.
143 ; n. 195
Tyrian fabrics, n. 189
Tyrrhenian : see Tuscan
Ulysses, I. 121, 131, 143, 147 ; n.
35, 107 ; bow of, 107, 231, 313
Urania, n. 281
Urbica, Pomponia (relative by
marriage of Aus.), I. 95
Urbicus (grammarian), I. 131
Ursinus (a provincial), II. 47
Ursulus (grammarian), II. 41, 45
Vacuna, II. 53
Valens (Emperor), II. 173, 175 ;
death of, 243
Valentinian I. (Emperor), I. x, 371 ;
n. 173, 261
Valentinian II. (Emperor), I. xi ;
birth of, xvii ; it. 173
Valentinus, I. 79
Vallebana (unknown), II. 199
Varro (M. Terentius), I. 129, 357 ;
II. 45
Vasconia (Basque country), II. 117,
139
Veneria, Julia, aunt of Aus., I. 93
Venetia, n. 269
Venus (planet), I. 175, 183 ; (god-
dess), 205, 213, 215, 241, 291, 299,
381, 393 ; n. 49, 167, 169, 187,
1 89 ; represented as armed at
Sparta, 193, 195, 279
Venus' Haven (Port Vendres), n. 15
Veria Liceria, I. 79
Verona, I. 63
Vespasian (Emperor), I. 333, 335,
339 ; n. 261
Vesta, I. 361 ; II. 257
Vestal Virgins, II. 55
Vesuvius, I. 241
Victoria, II. 169
Victorinus (one of the " Thirty
Tyrants"), I. viii, 65
Victorius (grammarian), I. 133
Vienne (Vienna), I. 63, 277 ; II.
105
Vincum (Bingen), I. 225
Virbius ( = Hippolytus), I. 373
Virgil, I. 131, 133, 149, 207, 209,
267 ; Catalepta of, 307 ; Bucolics
of, 309, 371, 387, 393; n. 7;
birthday of, 71 ; read in schools,
77, 121, 296, 299,' 313
Virgin, The (constellation), II. 283
Visontio (Besancon), n. 237
Vitellius (Emperor), I. 333, 335, 339
Vivisci (Bituriges, dwelling about
Bordeaux), I. 259
Vonones (Parthian King), II. 83
Vossianus, Codex, I. xxxvii.
Vulcan, Festival of, 197, 251 ; 355,
393
Wain, The (constellation), I. 203
Water-Snake, The (constellation),
II. 283
Whale, The (constellation), it. 283
Word of God, The, I. 17, 23, 37
Wordsworth, Wm., Laodameia of,
I. 211 note
Xenophon, Cyropaedia of, IT. 257
Xerxes, I. 247, 285
Zaleucus (the Locrian Lawgiver),
I. 133
Zenodotus (Homeric critic), I. 119,
311; "collects" the scattered
remains of Homer, II. 45
Zodiac, Signs of the, n. 283
•Zoilus, II. 209
Zoilus of Treves, I. 207
367
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