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and the subjects handled. — 86-88. Descriptas vices; i. e. the parts assigned to each class of poetry. Operum colores; the coloring of poems. Pudens prave through a false shame.-90-91. Privatis; the language of everyday life. Coena Thyestae. The murder of the children of Thyestes by Atreus and the serving them up at their father's table was a favorite subject with the ancient tragedians. 94-98. Chremes; one of Terence's characters, put for comic characters generally; as Telephus and Peleus for tragic characters. Sesquipedalia = a foot and a half long. — 99. Dulcia; i. e. affecting. The next verse explains it. 104. Male; with mandata: improperly assigned you, not suited to your character. -108. Prius corresponds to post, v. 111: first, the feeling; afterwards, the expression. — 113. Equites peditesque; i. e. all the citizens of Rome, with reference to their division by Servius Tullius (Livy, I. 44). — 119. The poet should follow tradition and common belief, or, if he invents, his inventions should be consistent with themselves. 120. Honoratus = renowned, KλUTÓS. Reponis put upon the stage again. 122. Nihil - armis = let him claim everything for arms; i. e. make arms his one appeal.-123, 124. Ino. See on Virg. G. I. 437. Ixion. See on Virg. A. VI. 601. Io; the daughter of Inachus, king of Argos, whose wanderings in the form of a cow are related in many ways. Orestes. See on Virg. A. III. 331; IV. 471.128. Proprie - dicere. Of the various explanations of this much disputed passage, only two deserve notice. The one makes communia = what everybody knows, or what is common property, as opposed to fictions of one's own creating, and proprie dicere to tell it so as to make it one's own. The other makes abstract ideas, general conceptions, and proprie dicere to individualize; the whole being from general ideas to form individual characters. If we adopt the former, we must either make tuque, etc., mean: "and yet you had better do this, by dramatizing the Iliad, than to be the first to handle new subjects"; or, if we do not thus strain the meaning of the -que, we must give a forced rendering to the rest of the sentence. On the whole, we prefer the other explanation. It is both illustrated and supported by Quintilian (Inst. Or. VII. 1): Non dissimile huic est illud praeceptum ut a communibus ad propria veniamus. Fere enim communia generalia sunt. Commune est, tyrannum occidit; proprium, Viriatum tyrannum occidit. Cicero and Tacitus also use the words in the same way. For a very full and able discussion of the passage see Lincoln ad loc. 131. Publica - erit = public materials will become private property. Dillenb. explains publica as jam saepius tractata et ita quasi publici juris facta.—132. What Horace means is, the hackneyed round of subjects, phrases, and illustrations, ground which anybody may tread,

communia: =

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and many have trod already. Patulum is opposed to arctum, "a strait," i. e. narrow ground, in which you must tread precisely in the steps of him whom you follow, "out of which diffidence or the plan of the work forbids you to move :” (v. 135); i. e. prevents you from showing any originality. 136-152. The proper beginning of a poem.-136. A class of Epic poets arose some time after Homer, who adopted subjects akin to his, and connected their poems with his; their design being to form their poems and Homer's into one cycle, embracing the whole history of the Trojan times, whence they came to be called Cyclic poets. —139. Athenaeus (XIV. 6) quotes a proverb: ὤδινεν ὄρος, Ζεὺς δ' ἐφοβεῖτο, τὸ δ' ἔτεκεν μῦν. — 141, 142. A version of the first lines of the Odyssey. Cf. E. I. 2. 19 foll. 143-145. Horace says of Homer, that he does not begin with a flash which ends in smoke, but with him out of smoke comes a bright light; that is, out of a modest beginning the reader is led on to beauties and objects of interest; and he is carried rapidly forward, instead of being detained over matters preliminary and irrelevant. The stories referred to are all in the Odyssey. Antiphates was king of the Laestry. gones, a gigantic race in Sicily, who devoured three of the companions of Ulysses, and destroyed his ships (X. 80 foll.). The adventure with Polyphemus, the Cyclops, forms the leading event of the ninth book. The description of Scylla and Charybdis is contained in the twelfth book (vv. 85 foll.). Cf. Virg. A. III. 420, 613 foll.-146, 147. Meleager was uncle to Diomed, being brother to Tydeus. The cause of his death is variously related. According to Homer, he was cursed by his mother, Althaea, for the slaughter of her two brothers (Il. IX. 567 foll.), and her Erinnys pursued him to his death. But as this was before the Trojan war, and had nothing to do with it, to begin an account of Diomed's return with an account of his uncle's death would be absurd enough. Gemino... ab ovo; i. e. from the birth of Helen, who was born from one of the eggs brought forth by Leda, while Castor and Pollux issued from the other. - 151, 152. Mentitur: = invents. Ita... sic... ne so... so... that not. 153-284. Rules of dramatic poetry, interspersed with historical notices. 154-157. Aulaea. See on Ov. M. III. 111 and cf. E. II. I. 189. Cantor histrio. Vos plaudite; the words with

annis; i. e. men's

which a play usually concluded. Mobilibus characters change with the different stages of life, and these changes must be attended to. With the passage that follows compare Shakespeare's "Seven Ages"; Boileau, Art Po'tique, III. 373 foll. ; Delille, Imagination, VI. 24 foll.-161-165. Custode; the paedagogus. See on S. I. 6. 81. Campi; sc. Martii. Sublimis high-spirited. -172. Spe longus = slow to hope. So Orelli, Dillenb., Macleane, and others. Some translate: indulging in distant expectations. Avi

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dus futuri= greedy of life, eager to live longer. - 176. Ne lest, that not. 178. Aevo; with both adjunctis and aptis.-184. Facundia praesens; i. e. an eye-witness who tells the story before the audience.185-187. Medea. Cf. v. 123. When deserted by Jason, Medea murdered the two children she had borne to him. Atreus. See on v. 91. Avem; a swallow (Ov.) or a nightingale (Virg., Propertius, etc.). Cadmus. See on Ov. M. III. 98. —191, 192. Nec-incidefit; i. e. do not make a god interpose unless the exigency demands it. Nec - laboret. Thespis introduced a single actor, Aeschylus a second, Sophocles a third, and with the Greeks it was ever after the rule that only three should take part in the dia. logue. —193–195. The chorus should sustain the part of an actor; that is, what it sings ought to carry on the action. Officium virile = a strenuous part. -196-201. The office here ascribed to the chorus is "a general expression of moral sympathy, exhortation, instruction and warning" (Schlegel). The chorus is "the ideal spectator; . . . a personified reflection upon the action that is going on." Mensae brevis. Cf. C. II. 16. 14. Otia peace. Cf. C. III. 5. 23. Tegat commissa let it keep the secrets intrusted to it. Being present through the whole play, it was necessarily the confidant of all the actors.-202-207. Horace says that in simpler days the tibia served for an accompaniment to the chorus, but afterwards it came to drown it. In those days the population of the city was smaller, the theatres less crowded, and the audience more reverential and attentive. —210. Genius. Cf. E. II. 1. 144; II. 2. 187. foll. — 215. The palla worn by tragic actors had a train which swept the stage. Pulpita. See on E. II. 1. 174. — 216–219. Horace says that in the course of time the grave style of music to which the choruses were once sung gave way to a more vehement style, as the eloquence of the chorus grew more impetuous, and it began to speak in language obscure, prophetic, and oracular. 220-229. Horace here passes on to the Satyric Drama of the Greeks. A goat was the prize contended for in the composition of the choral songs or dithyrambs to which the name rpay@dia first belonged. The name may have been derived from the prize. The chorus appeared in the character of Satyrs as attendants on Dionysus (Bacchus), at whose festival they performed. Their subjects were originally confined to the adventures, serious and sportive, of that god, and therefore were a mixture of mirth and gravity. Nudavit = nudos induxit in scenam. Ludo. See on C. I. 35. 4. Regali - tabernas; i. c. let not him who but now came forward in gold and purple (the garb of a god or hero) descend to the low language of a frequenter of taverns. Obscuras; because they were often vaults or cellars. -231-233. Tragedy should move like a modest and stately matron among the

Satyrs. Moveri

saltare, as in E. II. 2. 125. —234. Inornata = literal, as opposed to figurative. Dominantia = prevalent, in common use; but some make it literal, like kúpia, 236. Colori. Gr. 385.4. A. & S. 224, R. 3. —238. Pythias seems to be the name of a slave-girl who cheated her master, Simo, out of some money. — 239. Silenus. See on Ov. M. XI. 90. -240. Ex noto; referring to the style, or, as some say, to the subject.—244-250. Horace says that rough Fauns from the woods should not talk as if they had been born in the city, or languish in love verses like a silly youth; neither should their language be low, for this is sure to offend the refined in the audience, even if the vulgar applaud it. — 252-262. Unde-sibi; i. e. it caused the verse to take the form of a trimeter. See Gr. 683. A. & S. 314. The admission of the spondee, Horace says, was an after invention. Non ita pridem not so (very) long ago. In-recepit = gave a share of its patrimony. Socialiter ==== "like a good comrade," in a friendly way. Hic; sc. pes, i. e. the iambus. Acci... Enni. See on E. II. 1. 50, 56. Nobilibus famous; perhaps ironical. Note the five spondees in v. 260. Gr. 672. 2. A. & S. 310. 2.-263-268. Not every critic can detect an unrhythmical verse, and so an indulgence they do not deserve is accorded to our poets. "But am I on this account to take all manner

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of liberties? Or, on the other hand, am I to suppose that every one will see my faults, and keep safely and cautiously within the limits of forgiveness? Why, if I do this, I may have avoided a fault, but I shall have earned no praise."-270-274. But your fathers admired both the rhythm and the wit of Plautus. Yes, stupidly enough, if we know the difference between coarseness and wit, and can scan a verse. See on E. II. 1. 170. Sales. Gr. 132. A. & S. 97. — 276 – 280. Thespis is said to have invented Tragedy, travelling about with his wagon and his actors smeared with wine-lees. Then came Aeschylus with mask, robe, buskin, and stage, and taught them to speak grandly. See on v. 192 and E. II. 1. 163, 174. Horace confounds the early history of Tragedy with that of Comedy. -281-284. The period of the old Greek Comedy was B. C. 458-404. Its earliest poet was Cratinus.-285-476. After alluding to the aversion of Roman poets to careful composition, and their absurd notions of poetic inspiration (285-303), Horace goes on to explain critically what is necessary for the formation and the guidance of the poet (304-476). —288. Praetextas. Fabulae praetextae, or praetextatae, were tragedies, as togatae were comedies. See on E. II. 1. 57. — 290. Si non, etc. Cf. E. II. 1. 167. —292. Pompilius. Gr. 369. 2. A. & S. 105, R. 3. The family of the Pisones claimed descent from Numa Pompilius. 294. Ad unguem. See on S. I. 5. 32. -295-298. Because genius is above art, and all poets, according to Democritus (see on

E. II. 1. 194), are mad, many neglect their persons, let their nails and their beards grow, and affect insanity. Helicone. Cf. E. II. 1. 218.300. Anticyris. There were three places of this name, but tribus here is a mere hyperbole. — 301, 302. O ego laevus. Gr. 669. I. 2; 381. 3. 2). A. & S. 305 (1); 209, R. 13. Cf. Virg. A. II. 54. Horace says he must be a fool, since madness makes the poet, Cf. E. II. 2. 137.

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for taking medicines to keep his stomach in order. 309. Philosophy (sapere) is the foundation of good writing. – 310, 311. Rem = subject matter. Socraticae; referring to the disciples of Socrates, as Plato, Xenophon, etc. Verbaque -sequentur. Cf. Boileau (A. P. I. 153): Ce que l'on conçoit bien s'énonce clairement, Et les mots pour le dire s'arrivent aisement. — 314. Conscripti senatoris: nowhere else so used. - 318. Vivas = vivid, life-like. 319-322. Sometimes commonplaces strikingly put commend a play of no great merit more than empty verses and melodious nonsense. 323, 324. Ore rotundo; i. e. perfect expression, eloquence. Nullius; sc. rei. — 325-330. Horace is representing a scene in a boys' school. Master. Let the son of Albinus tell me : if you take an uncia from a quincunx, how much remains? (The boy hesitates.) You used to know. Boy. A triens. Master. Very well. You will know how to take care of your money. Now add an uncia : what is the sum? Boy. A semis. Gr. 712. 1. A. & S. 327. - 332. Books were smeared with oil of cedar to keep them from the insects. Capsae cupressinae, book-cases of cypress-wood, were costly, and would be used only for valuable books. 337. Omne - manat ; i. e. when the mind is full it has no room for superfluities; as what you pour into a full vessel overflows and is lost. 340. Lamiae; hags, or ogresses, who were said to devour children. - 341, 342. The centuriae are those of Servius Tullius. Those who were older than forty-five were classed with the seniores. The grave seniors like no poetry that has not something profitable and instructive in it. The Ramnes were the highest of the three centuries of equites which Romulus is said to have formed. They were patricians, and Horace calls them celsi, "proud." He opposes them to seniores, as young to old.343. Punctum. See on E. II. 2. 99. 345. Sosiis. See on E. I. 20. 2. - 347. Ignovisse. See on callegisse, C. I. 1. 4. — 353 Quid-est: what are we to say then?-354. Idem. Gr. 371. 1. 3) (2). A. & S. 232 (3). Scriptor librarius; the slave who acts as copyist. — 357. Cessat. Cf. E. II. 2. 14. Choerilus. See on E. II. 1. 233. — 358. Idem. See on C. II. 10. 22. - 359. Homerus; i. e. any great poet. - 361. Erit quae. See on C. I. 1. 3. -366-373. Horace goes on to say that mediocrity, though tolerable in some things, is intolerable in poetry. Tolle memor. Cf. Virg. A. VI. 377. Messallae; M. Valerius Messalla Corvinus,