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1. A Student Commentary to Selected Epistles of Horace
By Christopher Trinacty, Neil McCalmont, Thomas Valle-Hoag, and Hannah Long
Ep. 1.1: This opening poem is programmatic – it touches on themes, ideas, vocabulary, and
motifs that will be important for the collection of Epistles as a whole. Horace represents himself
as old (he was in his mid-40s when he wrote this collection) and, in some sense, over poetry. Let
us recognize the irony of this comment (he is writing in verse), while taking him at his word to
indicate that he wants to produce something novel (not another book of lyric Carmina) that
focuses, broadly, on philosophy. Horace claims he wants to devote himself to what is true and
appropriate (verum atque decens, 11) and the poem shows various ways in which to address
these conceptions, whether different schools of philosophical thought (13-19), mythological
comparanda (28-29, 90), historical exempla (62-64), maxims (41-42, 59-60), fables (73-75), and
dramatic vignettes (83-90). Throughout, Horace circles around the concept of virtus, and how to
achieve it. Wisdom can come from a variety of sources, but the reader has to listen to someone
(Horace himself?) to become more virtuous and wealth only gets in the way of such progress.
Horace writes of the sort of spells or charms that could help one become better and there are
many connections between spells and poetry in Latin thought, not least of which is the
Latin word carmen which can mean both. It could very well be that Horace is recommending his
own Epistles as the sort of “charm” that, read numerous times, could alleviate these harmful
vices. Horace stresses that individuals often change their mind and such instability is problematic
for their ethical well-being. While this letter highlights Horace as a teacher, as the collection
continues, it will be seen that Horace himself suffers from such vacillations. Subsequent letters
will highlight the different facets of his own persona, his own self-doubts, and his own struggles
with living a meaningful, consistent, life. At the close of the poem he points out that he himself
often seems laughable to Maecenas (the addressee of the poem/work), but such laughter is
amicable. A concluding coda pokes fun at “Stoics” who can’t handle a little adversity.
The meter is dactylic hexameter, which was also the meter of his Satires and these epistles may
be classified as sermones, like his Satires. It is notable that many of the concerns found in this
epistle are also on display in Satires 1.1.
Prima dicte mihi, summa dicende Camena, 1.1.1
spectatum satis et donatum iam rude quaeris,
Maecenas, iterum antiquo me includere ludo?
non eadem est aetas, non mens. Veianius armis
Herculis ad postem fixis latet abditus agro, 5
ne populum extrema totiens exoret harena.
est mihi purgatam crebro qui personet aurem:
'solve senescentem mature sanus equum, ne
peccet ad extremum ridendus et ilia ducat.'
nunc itaque et versus et cetera ludicra pono: 10
quid verum atque decens, curo et rogo et omnis in hoc sum:
condo et conpono quae mox depromere possim.
ac ne forte roges, quo me duce, quo lare tuter:
nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri,
quo me cumque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes. 15
nunc agilis fio et mersor civilibus undis

2. virtutis verae custos rigidusque satelles,
nunc in Aristippi furtim praecepta relabor
et mihi res, non me rebus subiungere conor.
ut nox longa quibus mentitur amica diesque 20
longa videtur opus debentibus, ut piger annus
pupillis quos dura premit custodia matrum:
sic mihi tarda fluunt ingrataque tempora quae spem
consiliumque morantur agendi naviter id quod
aeque pauperibus prodest, locupletibus aeque, 25
aeque neglectum pueris senibusque nocebit.
restat ut his ego me ipse regam solerque elementis.
non possis oculo quantum contendere Lynceus:
non tamen idcirco contemnas lippus inungui;
nec, quia desperes invicti membra Glyconis, 30
nodosa corpus nolis prohibere cheragra.
est quadam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra.
fervet avaritia miseroque cupidine pectus:
sunt verba et voces, quibus hunc lenire dolorem
possis et magnam morbi deponere partem. 35
laudis amore tumes: sunt certa piacula, quae te
ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello.
invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem. 40
virtus est vitium fugere et sapientia prima
stultitia caruisse. vides, quae maxima credis
esse mala, exiguum censum turpemque repulsam,
quanto devites animi capitisque labore:
inpiger extremos curris mercator ad Indos, 45
per mare pauperiem fugiens, per saxa, per ignis:
ne cures ea quae stulte miraris et optas,
discere et audire et meliori credere non vis?
quis circum pagos et circum compita pugnax
magna coronari contemnat Olympia, cui spes, 50
cui sit condicio dulcis sine pulvere palmae?
vilius argentum est auro, virtutibus aurum.
'o cives, cives, quaerenda pecunia primum est;
virtus post nummos': haec Ianus summus ab imo
prodocet, haec recinunt iuvenes dictata senesque. 55
[laevo suspensi loculos tabulamque lacerto.]
est animus tibi, sunt mores, est lingua fidesque,
sed quadringentis sex septem milia desunt:
plebs eris. at pueri ludentes 'rex eris' aiunt,
'si recte facies'. hic murus aeneus esto: 60
nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa.
Roscia, dic sodes, melior lex an puerorum est
nenia, quae regnum recte facientibus offert,
et maribus Curiis et decantata Camillis?

3. isne tibi melius suadet, qui, rem facias, rem, 65
si possis, recte, si non, quocumque modo, rem,
ut propius spectes lacrumosa poemata Pupi,
an qui Fortunae te responsare superbae
liberum et erectum praesens hortatur et aptat?
quodsi me populus Romanus forte roget, cur 70
non ut porticibus sic iudiciis fruar isdem
nec sequar aut fugiam quae diligit ipse vel odit:
olim quod volpes aegroto cauta leoni
respondit, referam: 'quia me vestigia terrent,
omnia te adversum spectantia, nulla retrorsum.' 75
belua multorum es capitum. nam quid sequar aut quem?
pars hominum gestit conducere publica; sunt qui
frustis et pomis viduas venentur avaras
excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant;
multis occulto crescit res fenore. verum 80
esto aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri:
idem eadem possunt horam durare probantes?
'nullus in orbe sinus Bais praelucet amoenis'
si dixit dives, lacus et mare sentit amorem
festinantis eri; cui si vitiosa libido 85
fecerit auspicium: 'cras ferramenta Teanum
tolletis, fabri.' lectus genialis in aula est:
nil ait esse prius, melius nil caelibe vita;
si non est, iurat bene solis esse maritis.
quo teneam voltus mutantem Protea nodo? 90
quid pauper? ride: mutat cenacula, lectos,
balnea, tonsores, conducto navigio aeque
nauseat ac locuples, quem ducit priva triremis.
si curatus inaequali tonsore capillos
occurri, rides; si forte subucula pexae 95
trita subest tunicae vel si toga dissidet inpar,
rides: quid? mea cum pugnat sententia secum,
quod petiit spernit, repetit quod nuper omisit,
aestuat et vitae disconvenit ordine toto,
diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis? 100
insanire putas sollemnia me neque rides
nec medici credis nec curatoris egere
a praetore dati, rerum tutela mearum
cum sis et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem
de te pendentis, te respicientis amici. 105
ad summam: sapiens uno minor est Iove, dives,
liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum,
praecipue sanus, nisi cum pitvita molesta est.
[1] Prima (Camena): ablative, and a tongue-in-cheek fitting first word of the collection.
Maecenas is also mentioned in opening poem of Satires, Odes, and Epodes.
dicte: Vocative case (of Maecenas).

4. mihi: dative of agent with the perfect passive participle (A&G 374)
summa…Camena: ablative, Camena was the Italian muse of poetry and was associated with a
spring in Rome, near the Porta Capena. The opening line of the translation of the Odyssey by
Livius Andronicus had addressed Camena for the Greek Muse (virum mihi Camena insece
versutum ~ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε Μοῦσα πολύτροπον). In the Epistles, Horace also mentions the
Camenae at 1.18.47 and 1.19.5, and here it is indicative of his own poetry. As in the first poem,
so in the last Maecenas will be sung.
dicende: Another vocative. Future passive participle (a.k.a. gerundive, A&G 500, has a sense of
necessity/obligation, past tense of dicte answered by future tense). See Horace and the Gift
Economy of Patronage p. 171ff. for a reading of these opening lines that stresses Horace’s artful
design of the poet’s “debt”.
[2] spectatum: supply me from next line and take with satis. There is a visual resonance to the
word, and the sense of sight is stressed often in this poem. Take as “sufficiently distinguished”
(OLD 2, spectatus). He has been distinguished by the number of “fights” or number of poems
for which he is renowned.
donatum…rude: Gladiatorial language. Horace as a retired gladiator (who has been “gifted with
the rod” – OLD 2, rudis remarks that such wooden swords/rods were given to gladiators “after
long or meritorious service”). See Carter MJ. 2006. “Buttons and Wooden Swords: Polybius
10.20.3, Livy 26.51, and the Rudis.” Classical Philology 101(2):153-160.
quaeris…includere: One may wonder how insistent should we think this is? If Maecenas “seeks
after” something from his poets, does he necessarily get it? Patronage and personal freedom on
display as Maecenas wants something from his poet and is getting it, even if it is couched in the
language of recusatio (a common way for Augustan poets to figure their poetic independence).
Patronage will be a major issue for the Epistles (see 1.7, 1.17). includere is a complementary
infinitive (A&G 456).
[3] Maecenas: Gaius Maecenas was one of Octavian’s earliest supporters, who wielded
tremendous influence after Augustus came into power as his friend and advisor. He was the
patron to many of the Augustan poets, from Vergil (the Georgics are dedicated to Maecenas) to
Propertius (Books 2-4) and had a special relationship with Horace. Vergil is said to have
introduced Horace to Maecenas and Horace dedicates his Satires, Epodes, Odes, and Epistles 1
to Maecenas. He was responsible for giving Horace the Sabine villa he writes about often in his
poetry (near Licenza, http://www.frischerconsulting.com/bf3e/horaces-villa/). Maecenas seems
to have been involved in a possible conspiracy in 23 BCE and thereafter loses his influence in
the Augustuan court. He dies in 8 BCE and, among his dying words was the request that
Augustus look after Horace ([Suet] Vita Horati), who dies shortly after his patron. He was said to
be a dandy in his lifestyle and his own writings that have survived are marked by a rather
precious quality (see Sen. Ep. 114).
antiquo…ludo: ludi were public shows dedicated to a god (ludi Romani, ludi Apollinares), but
here there is a sense that this “old show” is the public poetic world of Rome. There is wordplay
with includere ludo (which stresses the “show”) and Horace (me) is physically
“captured/enclosed” by the concrete word-order of antiquo…ludo. If Maecenas wants Horace to
take part in his “old fashioned game” it may hearken back to the “old fashioned” meters/poetry
he emulated in his Odes. For poetry as “play” see C. 4.9.10-11: nec siquid olim lusit Anacreon /
delevit aetas “time has not destroyed whatever Anacreon once played”, Ep. 1.18.65-66 and for
more on the resonance of this term see West 1967: 23-24 and Porter 2002.

5. [4] non…non: Anaphora stresses the change in perspective.
aetas: Horace tells us he was 44 when writing the Epistles (cf. Ep. 1.20.27).
mens: He cannot be who he once was because he is older and has a different mindset. Cf. C.
4.10.7 for a similar use of mens.
Veianius: A gladiator who has retired to the countryside (much like Horace himself has retired),
which continues the parallel of Horace as a retired gladiator. Horace compares poets to gladiators
later in Ep. 2.2.92-101.
armis: Ablative plural as part of an ablative absolute (A&G 419) with fixis in the next line. One
would affix arms as dedications in temples to thank the gods (cf. C. 3.26.3-6). In this case, his
arms would also then no longer be able to be used in the arena.
[5] Herculis: Greek genitive of Hercules (although genitives in -i, and -ei are also found, see the
example of Pericles at A&G 82). Hercules was the patron god of gladiators and Vitruvius notes
that amphitheaters are suitable locations for shrines to Hercules (1.7.1).
latet: such hiding was anathema to the courage that gladiators were meant to show in the arena.
It can, on its own, mean “to live a retired life” (OLD 4).
abditus agro: abditus often is paired with a conspectu to mean “hidden from view” and Cicero
writes quis…locus… tam abditus ut lateret? Man. 31. agro is a locative ablative (A&G 421).
Horace may be alluding to Vergil’s G. 3.95-6 of the aged horse: hunc…abde domo, nec turpi
ignosce senectae.
[6] ne…exoret: Negative purpose clause = “so that he does not have to beg” (A&G 563).
populum: What is he hoping to get from the crowd? Some scholars believe he hopes for money,
favors, or gifts, others a missio (“reprieve”) because of injury, but I follow Mayer and Pseudo-
Acro that he begs for his freedom after a successful career (and another successful fight).
totiens: The adverb stresses that he has to do this repeatedly and there is some resonance with
iterum in line 3.
extrema…harena: ablative of time within which “at the finale of a match” (A&G 424). harena
“sand” stands for the amphitheater as a whole as well as the games that happened inside of it.
Others take this as locative, indicating the edge of the arena so as to be closer to the spectators.
[7] est mihi…qui: mihi is dative of possession with the verb esse (A&G 373). Does qui stand for
a person or a sort of daimon (a la Socrates) who offers this advice? Mayer 1985 finds that, in the
end, “Horace is a Socratic” (72). Regardless, Horace offers this advice to his patron, and it is the
sort of common-sense folk wisdom that reappears often in the Epistles, whether in the form of
animal fables (1.1.73-75), children’s games (1.1.59-60), or common sententiae (1.1.41-42).
purgatam…aurem: Horace’s ear is “cleansed” which means he is paying close attention (it was a
colloquialism, cf. Pl. Mil. 774: perpurgatis…auribus. This sort of internal personification of the
narrator is meant to encourage the reader to pay attention as well.
crebro: The idea that such guidance has to be given again and again reappears elsewhere, see
below at 1.1.36-37. Such a voice or internal mantra may help to remind Horace of his own age
and limitations.
personet: “to make [the ears] ring” (OLD 2b). The subjunctive here is necessary in this relative
clause of characteristic (A&G 535).
[8] solve: the imperative (A&G 157). “Put to pasture” or “release”. Horace now compares
himself ostensibly to an aging stallion (Ep. 2.1.217-18, Ibycus wrote a famous poem making
such a comparison - PMG 287). The dual references to gladiators and chariot racing stress public

6. entertainments in Rome and his way of figuring poetry as part of this very public entertainment?
Horsemanship and chariot-riding are common metapoetic images in Roman poetry (see Nelson
2019 s.v. Équittation, Char in Guez, Klein, Peigney and Prioux (eds.) Dictionnaire des images
métapoétiques anciennes).
mature: its position next to senescentem highlights the question of behavior that befits a certain
age. Here “in good time” (OLD 2).
sanus: The question of sanus behavior will reappear at the conclusion of this poem (1.1.108) and
is conspicuous throughout the Epistles (e.g. 1.2.34, 1.7.3, 1.16.21). Here one should grant it a
concessive meaning “if you are wise”. Horace is telling Maecenas what “wise” behavior would
look like in regards to Horace himself (although Horace is already doing what Maecenas asked
in the very composition of the poem – does he protesteth too much?).
[9] peccet: Subjunctive in a negative purpose clause (with ne above). Here applied to the horse
which may stumble and fail because of its old age. The verb will appear elsewhere to refer to
“mistakes/sins” of varying severity (1.2.16, 1.13.4, 1.16.52, 1.16.62, 1.18.77).
ad extremum: At the conclusion of the race, picking up on the use of extrema…harena above.
Both competitors need a reprieve.
ridendus: “A laughing-stock” - the horse will become a figure of mockery, as would the poet or
gladiator who is unable to perform well. Laughter, whether good-natured, or more pointed,
appears frequently in this work, see below on lines 91, 95, 97, and e.g. 1.3.19.
ilia ducat: The second half of the negative purpose clause with ne from line 8. ilia (only exists
in the plural) = “the side of the body” and with ducere or trahere means “wheeze” or “heave (for
breath)”. The racehorse is out-of-breath and can only stumble across the finish-line.
[10] itaque: “therefore/accordingly” strongly connects this line with the exempla offered above.
A&G 324i stresses that itaque “is used in proofs or inferences from the nature of things rather
than in formal logical proof” (where ergo) is expected.
et…et: the anaphora strongly connects versus and cetera ludicra.
versus: how can he write this (in dactylic hexameter) and expect to be believed? Critics have
commented that he must mean lyric poetry (as the Carmina) or the sort of youthful elegy
embodied in ludicra.
cetera ludicra: While these “other trifles” can imply poetry (OLD 1c), ludicrum can also indicate
“public entertainment/show” (OLD 2a) like the sort he just described. Could versus imply the
turns of a racehorse? Horace thus updates such metaphorical applications to contemporary
Roman entertainments and points out an interesting connection between the games and poetry,
namely the audience and audience reaction to the events being watched (recited?). The reception
of his odes may be behind some of his hesitancy to pick up the pen again (see Ep. 1.19.35ff. and
the remarks of Fraenkel “The unsympathetic reception given to his carmina by the majority of
the public hurt him greatly” (1957: 308)).
pono: for depono (OLD 10).
[11] quid…curo et rogo: Horace sets up an indirect question (with sit elided) with the verbs
(A&G 573-575). The verbs indicate a two-part process of interest and self-inquiry leading to the
action of the following line. There is a notable amount of elision in this line.
verum: the neuter substantive here to mean “just” or “honest” (OLD 9). Horace is more
interested in practical ethics than some grandiose concept of “truth” here. Cf. 1.12.23. The ver-
beginning may also recall the versus of the previous line. See his other uses of verum in his
works, e.g. S. 1.1.23-25, S. 1.3.97, Ep. 1.12.23, Ep. 2.2.45.

7. decens: “fitting/appropriate”. Both of these terms could also be representative of literary “truth”
and “decorum” and, in as much as Horace writes himself in his poetry, his portrait should adhere
to literary standards as much as the ethical standards he professes. For decens of poetry, see his
Ars 308 and the comments of Brink 1971: ad loc. From a philosophical standpoint, it also recalls
Panaetius’s ethical idea of what was “appropriate” (τὸ πρέπον) and would therefore recall
Stoicism.
omnis in hoc sum: “I am wholly engrossed in this”. hoc is anticipatory (A&G 297e) and looks
forward to the next sentence
[12] condo et compono: Both verbs have poetic overtones (Ep. 1.3.24, S. 2.1.82), but here with
the idea of material/ideas that will be beneficial in the future. The verbs seem to invite
comparison to an animal (ant/bee?) that stores materials for later use (S. 1.1.32-38, C. 4.2.27-32).
Horace is storing and organizing such material in his mind (as well as on the page) in order to
address quid verum atque decens. Cuchiarelli sees this also as indicative of his need to write
epistles “He sends messages because he can communicate in no other way: he is isolated, turned
in on himself and distant from his recipients” (p. 292 “Return to Sender: Horace’s sermo from
the Epistles to the Satires” in Blackwell’s Companion to Horace, ed. G. Davis).
quae: ea is the unexpressed antecedent of the relative pronoun (A&G 307c).
mox: “in the future”.
depromere: often used of fetching stored food/wine (C. 1.9.7, 1.37.5), but can be applied to
words and ideas “to utter, bring out” (OLD 2).
possim: The subjunctive to complete the relative clause of purpose (A&G 531).
[13] forte: There is a pleasant informal aspect to this moment, which epistles as a genre are
supposed to embody (see intro to epistolography) – as if it just came to Horace’s mind.
roges: The subjunctive with ne in a parenthetical statement meant to justify what follows (OLD
13) = “to avoid your possible question”. The OLD waffles whether this construction should be
seen as hortatory in nature (A&G 439) or an elliptical final clause (A&G 563). While the second
person is ostensibly addressed to Maecenas, it also brings the general reader into the poem. This
is the sort of question that would come to mind if your friend suddenly said he is going to study
philosophy – what school of philosophy will he follow? In his earlier poetry, Horace often
touched upon philosophical issues and the odes often center around a broad Epicureanism.
quo…duce: While dux often has a military connotation, it can be used for a general guide or the
leader of a school of thought, (Cic. Tusc. 3.2.3 of Epicurus). Instrumental ablative (A&G 408-
409). Quo in both cases in this line is an interrogative adjective.
me: The reflexive object of the deponent verb tuter.
quo lare: lar can stand metonymically for the house itself. The “house” here would not only
provide the sense of physical protection necessary for the verb, but also could stand for the
philosophical school – the Epicureans famously lived in the house and grounds of Epicurus
himself (“The Garden”).
tuter: Subjunctive a part of an indirect question (A&G 573-575).
[14] nullius…magistri: Emphatic enclosing word-order which modifies the verba. Magister can
mean “teacher/professor” but it also is used of a manager of a troupe of gladiators and the driver
or rider of a horse, which would keep with the previous analogies.
addictus iurare: addictus usually means “a slave of”, but here it takes the complementary
infinitive “bound to swear” (A&G 457).

8. in verba: with iurare “to swear allegiance” as gladiators had to do to their masters (OLD 5).
Horace asserts his freedom to create his own opinions and judgments.
[15] quo…cumque: tmesis (“cutting”) of the indefinite relative adverb (A&G 151a) places me
firmly “wherever” the “storm” takes Horace.
tempestas: with rapit one expects it to mean a “storm” as opposed to simply “the season/day”
(OLD 1) or “weather” (OLD 2), but is this metaphorical storm because of his stormy points of
view or something more indicative of the social/political world of Rome? Seneca will often use
such storm imagery for the proper behavior of the philosopher/helmsman in such trying times
(Ep. 85.30-31, 108.37).
deferor: Horace is “carried away” wherever the winds may blow (OLD 5).
hospes: Guest-host relationship now applied to the philosophical “house” that Horace settles
on/in. Mayer (ad loc.) points to the saying of Aristippus “I am a guest (ξένος) everywhere” (Xen.
Mem. 2.2.13).
[16] nunc…nunc (line 18): For these adverbs being used as conjunctions (A&G 323f).
agilis: “active” (OLD 3) in public life, although at Ep. 1.3.21 he will use it of the “energetic”
intellectual activity required to write poetry. It is a common Stoic position that the virtuous man
will be involved in public activity.
mersor: While Horace may only be “dipping” himself into such affairs, it is possible he will be
submerged and drowned by such waves (OLD 2). The line is a probable allusion to Cat. 68 an
“epistolary” poem in which he writes quis merser fortunae fluctibus ipse (68.13). Elsewhere,
Horace uses the verb when writing a recipe (doctus eris vivam [gallinam] mixto mersare Falerno
/ hoc teneram faciet, S. 2.4.19-20. This also may call forward to when he calls the populum
Romanum “Belva” in line 76
civilibus undis: unda can be used of a mass of people as at Verg. G. 2.462: [domus] mane
salutantum totis vomit aedibus undam. Horace uses such wave-imagery about the bustle of civic
life at Ep. 2.2.84-85 and one might think of the famous “ship-of-state” ode (C. 1.14).
[17] virtutis verae: virtus is the primary goal for the Stoic sage and this initial portrait is very
much Horace-as-Stoic “sage” (the scare quotes are because of the infrequency of such “sage”
figures – for Seneca as rare as the phoenix, Ep. 42.1). The sing-song coupling of these words
made it a common expression from Ennius (sed virum vera virtutue vivere, fr. 254 from Phoenix)
and Plautus (Cas. 88, Cist. 198) to elsewhere in Horace (C. 3.5.29) and Ep. 1.18.8. Horace’s own
(polyvalent) definition of virtus will be a major topic of the Epistulae.
custos: “guardian/protector”. With the imagery of homes and animal-care, this word is well-
chosen.
rigidus satelles: rigidus should be taken with both custos and satelles. satelles is usually a
bodyguard or attendant of a king or leader so one gets the impression of virtus as a despot. The
implied stern and unflagging behavior fits in with the stereotype of the Stoic
philosopher/follower who is unbending in his pursuit of virtus (would Horace’s reader remember
Cato the Younger in particular?). While he plays the Stoic here, at the close of the poem he
admits that Maecenas is the “guardian of his affairs/means” (rerum tutela mearum, 102).
[18] nunc: Picks up on the previous use (16) and makes the movement from Stoic to
Aristippean/Cyrenaic philosophy seem like quick flip.
Aristippi: Aristippus of Cyrene (c. 435 – c. 355 BCE) was a follower of Socrates who is the
founder of the Cyrenaic philosophical school. While most of his writings are lost, there are a

9. number of proverbs attributed to him that provide a cogent impression of the “ethical hedonism”
he espoused. Here we might have expected reference to Epicureanism, but Horace surprises the
reader and is especially interested in Aristippus’ attitude towards circumstances. It may be
important, in light of the imagery that Horace has been highlighting, that one of the stories about
Aristippus involved a shipwreck that he survived and his belief that one have the sort of
resources “that could swim with them even out of a shipwreck” (Vitr. 6.1).
furtim: “imperceptibly” (cf. C. 1.13.7). Aristippus (with Ulysses from Ep. 1.2) as exemplum is
well-analyzed in Mascio 2018.
praecepta: Often used of philosophical principles and teachings. Diogenes Laertius collects a
number of Aristippus’ praecepta at 2.65ff and for more on Aristippus and Horace, see Traina’s
“Horace and Aristippus: The Epistles and the Art of Convivere” in Oxford Readings in Classical
Studies Horace: Satires and Epistles, ed. K. Freudenburg.
relabor: to “slip back/revert” makes it sound as if this is Horace’s natural state of being. Horace
uses it elsewhere of water (C. 1.29.11). This verb also humorously contrasts the work (labor) of
Stoicism with the ease of Cyrenaic philosophy.
[19] res: Accusative pl. direct object of subiungere. Here indicates “circumstances” although the
larger concern in this epistle with wealth may lead one to translate it as “wealth/possessions”.
subiungere: Yolking imagery fits with the horse-riding earlier (8-9) and general question of
one’s freedom. Aristippus was willing to “go with the flow” and enjoy the circumstances in
which he found himself. Horace is hoping to live in a similar way.
conor: Horace does not claim that he is able to do so, but that he is trying to do this. This not
only humanizes Horace, but also points to the varying positions he will take up as the Epistles
continues and his own attempts to make good on Aristippus’ precepts. John Moles writes of
Aristippus’ position in this opening poem, “Horace’s basic procedure is to provide preliminary
sketches of the main figures of the philosophical landscape, which he then tries out on the real
people of the Epistles, himself included, matching temperament to philosophical choice, in a
series of dramatic situations, whose individual rationales and interlocking permutations are
characteristically explored though recognizable philosophical positions” (p. 322 “Poetry,
Philosophy, Politics, and Play” in Freudenburg (ed.) Oxford Readings in Classical Studies:
Horace: Satires and Epistles).
[20] ut: “just as” (with the same meaning in the following line), answered by sic in line 23.
nox longa: supply videtur from the following line and take longa as a predicate. Could there be
an allusion to Propertius 2.15.24: nox tibi longa venit, nec reditura dies (the poem itself deals
with the troubles of a lover, much like Horace’s situation).
quibus: dative of agent (A&G 374) with videtur.
mentitur: The deception of the beloved in Latin love elegy is a common trope and can be found
elsewhere in Horace (S. 1.3.38-39).
amica: “girlfriend”.
dies: Contrasting the night-time activities with those during the day.
[21] lenta: another predicate with dies. “slow, sluggish”.
opus debentibus: opus is the direct object of the dative present active participle (debentibus).
Those who owe labor are probably to be associated with hired farm hands but it could also
indicate any day-laborer.
piger annus: supply videtur again. The reversal of adjective and noun and the shift to a full year
makes this rising tricolon not only be in terms of Latin words used but also amount of time.

10. [22] pupillis: Originally pupillus meant “orphan” but can indicate any young child who is the
ward of another, in this case their harsh mothers, which would seem to indicate that their fathers
are deceased.
premit: in the sense of “restrain/repress”.
custodia: “oversight/custody”. It could recall custos of line 17 supra. This seems focalized from
the perspective of the child chafing under a mother’s care.
[23] sic: “so” answering ut in previous lines.
mihi: Dative of reference (a.k.a “Dative of advantage/disadvantage” A&G 376), it shows that the
action happens to the disadvantage of the poet.
tarda: As ingrata, these adjectives should be taken with tempora and translated adverbially
(A&G 290).
fluunt: The idea of time “flowing” is a topos in Greek and Roman thought at least as old as
Heraclitus (fl. 490 BCE), for whom all nature was continually in flux (for a similar expression in
Latin, see Ov. Met. 15: 179-80 “time itself slips by in constant motion, just like a river” ipsa
quoque adsiduo labuntur tempora motu, / non secus ac flumen). The fact that Greeks and
Romans measured time with a water clock would only reinforce such ideas. (link to klypsedra
image). Think of Epistle 1.2.41-43 with the yokel waiting for the river to flow by.
spem: with consilium the direct objects of morantur. spem is further modified by the gerund
agendi in the following line (A&G 504 for this objective genitive of the gerund).
[24] consilium: More concrete than spem. Also takes agendi.
morantur: Horace feels that various commitments are a waste of time and delay his ability to live
the philosophical life. tempora is the subject of morantur (which is from moror and not morior).
naviter: Take this adverb “diligently/industriously” with agendi. If the Stoic position is to be
agilis, this adverb with agendi (ago is the root of agilis) shows Horace’s own devotion to living
according to his ideals.
id quod: id is the direct object of agendi and the antecedent of quod.
[25] aeque pauperibus prodest, locupletibus aeque: Nice chiastic structure (adverb d.o / / d.o.
adverb) surrounding the verb and calling attention to its centrality (in thought as well as syntax)
and equal benefit for all. Quod is the subject of prodest. prosum+dat. = “to help, benefit
(someone)”. The question of wealth will be central to many of the Epistles (see notes on 52-55
below).
[26] aeque: One might think the parallelism will continue, but Horace breaks it up to highlight
the harm (nocebit) at the end of the line. The strong repetition of aeque and use of moror might
link this poem to C. 2.17.5-9, which is likewise addressed to Maecenas, although the topic is
different.
neglectum: The antecedent is id quod and the translation should be circumstantial (“if it has been
neglected”), A&G 496 for the possible ways to translate participles.
nocebit: Takes the dative (A&G 367), hence pueris and senibus. Young and old parallel the
wealthy and poor and add to Horace’s universalizing perspective in this poem. If prodest is
present tense (=it will help immediately), nocebit shows the future results of neglecting to act
virtuously.

11. [27] restat ut: This construction introduces a substantive clause of result (A&G 569), hence the
subjunctives regam and soler.
ego me ipse regam: Strong self-sufficiency and self-rule stressed by the collocation. me is the
direct object of regam and soler. He does not need a dux (13), but will rely on himself.
his…elementis: ablative of means (A&G 409). elementa can be foundational philosophical rules
(OLD 4), but Horace is probably referring to the sort of advice and credos that he has been
offering, and will continue to offer in the Epistles. There is a ring composition with his use of
elementa in 1.20.17, although the meaning there is slightly different.
[28] non possis…: “Although you are not able to see as far as Lynceus”. Lynceus was the
lookout of Jason’s ship, the Argo, during the quest for the Golden Fleece, and was the most
sharp-sighted of ancient heroes. tamen in the following line suggests the concessive sense of this
subjunctive (A&G 440). One may not ever attain the stature and abilities of mythological heroes,
but one should still try to progress and better oneself. This is probably to be directed the general
reader more than Maecenas per se.
oculo…contendere: literally “to contend with the eye” (OLD 4). contendere is a complementary
infinitive with possis (A&G 456).
[29] idcirco: This conjunction (A&G 324i) meaning “for this reason” ties the heights of the
mythological comparison with the poor sufferer of eye problems. Horace himself suffered from
such problems at S. 1.5.30-31 and these lines would recall that earlier moment from Horace’s
corpus.
non…contemnas…inungi: inungi “to be annointed” is another complementary infinitive (middle
sense?), but with contemnas.
lippus: “if/when your eyes hurt”. Such eye-problems are common complaints in Roman
medicine (see the citations in OLD). In these lines (and the following) the larger analogy is that,
just as there are cures for bodily ailments, so philosophy is medicine for the soul (for similar
advice see Ep. 1.6.28-31.
[30] quia desperes: The subjunctive “of a supposed reason” with quia (OLD2b). desperare = “to
give up hope for”. Again, the second person is more generalized than advice simply for
Maecenas.
invicti membra Glyconis: Glycon was an athlete contemporary to Horace, who had been a victor
at Isthmia in pankration and was “the thunderbolt of the pankration” (according to his funerary
epigram). While athletics in Rome was not nearly as important as in Greece, there was still lively
interest in the major Greek athletic contests, especially by Hellenophiles in Rome and the
reference parallels the gladiator reference earlier.
[31] nodosa…cheragra: The ablative of separation with prohibere. cheragra was used of
arthritis or gout in the hands especially (Gr. χειράγρα), and the knotty swellings are well-served
by the adjective nodosa.
corpus: The accusative direct object of the infinitive.
nolis: While hortatory subjunctive in the second person is more polite than the imperative (A&G
439a), the double-negative (with nec) – an example of litotes (A&G 326c and 641) – does make
this wish that much more emphatic.
prohibere: “to keep/protect something (acc.) from something (abl.)” (OLD 3) as seen at C.
1.27.3-4: verecundumque Bacchum / sanguineis prohibete rixis “protect modest Bacchus from
bloody brawls”.

12. [32] est: here = “it is possible” (OLD 9) + infinitive. Horace sums up his advice for this section
with a sententia expressing the possibility for one’s personal advancement, even if one will not
reach the heights of Glycon or Lynceus. Such exemplarity is common in Roman ethical advice
and the Stoics, for instance, rarely expect one to attain the level of Socrates or Cato the Younger,
but one should try.
quādam: The ablative should be taken with tenus (A&G 221) “up to a certain point/level”.
prodire: Here in the sense “to advance/progress” (OLD 4). This may be a positive rewriting of
Catullus 88.7: nam nihil est quicquam sceleris, quo prodeat ultra “since there is no further crime
for him to progress beyond”.
si: “even if” introduces the prodosis of this present simple condition.
non datur ultra: supply prodire with datur. The basic idea of the line is “It is possible (and
positive) for one to advance to a certain level, even if it is not possible to advance all the way.”
[33] fervet: from the previous section’s concentration on medical imagery, Horace shifts to
charms and “magic” as cure for emotional/ethical troubles. Fervet is a strong word for the effects
of greed and passion on the body (pectus is the subject). See C. 1.30.5 of Venus: fervidus tecum
puer [Cupid].
avaritia: Ablative - the means by which the body “boils/is fevered”. Greed is often the target of
Horace’s Satires and Epistles (S. 1.4.26, 2.3.82; Ep. 1.2.56, 1.16.63 and note below on line 78).
For Horace, who has his Sabine estate and comfortable life it is perhaps easy to decry avarice,
but his portraits of greedy men show that it is often the rich that suffer from this vice most
perniciously.
miseroque cupidine: The force of misero should be applied to both avaritia and cupidine. Cupido
here probably indicates passionate love, especially since the spells and remedies he mentions are
common in love magic.
[34] Verba et voces: A traditional alliterative pair, see Lucr. 4.533, Verg. A. 4.460. Mayer’s note
ad loc. is very good and details Platonic and Euripidean antecedents for such sayings. “Words
and utterances” - often magic spells involved “magic” utterances (e.g. abracadabra) that were not
recognizable Latin words.
quibus: verba and voces are the antecedent of this ablative relative pronoun. It introduces a
relative clause of purpose with possis in the next line (A&G 531).
lenire: The pain felt by those in love is stressed in ancient love magic (see Christopher A.
Faraone’s Ancient Greek Love Magic Harvard University Press, 1999: passim).
dolorem: These lines will be evoked in Ep. 1.2.55-61. There is a sense that Horace is setting up a
number of other poems in the collection in this programmatic opening poem and encourages the
reader to make connections between the poems through the repetition of language, themes, even
addressees throughout the book.
[35] magnam morbi...partem: Horace implies that it may be impossible to be completely devoid
of passion and greed, but a great part of such a disease (morbus) can be dispelled by these
means.
deponere: Note how Horace put aside (ponere) his frivolous poetry in line 10 and ponere there
was the simple form for deponere. He is making these intratextual connections within the poem
to unify the predominant themes of this Epistle.

13. [36] laudis amore: A common problem, according to Roman moralists. For the expression, cf.
Verg. G. 3.112, A. 5.394.
tumes: “to swell” or “be puffed up” with pride or vanity (cf. S. 2.3.213), but also evoking
infection or a medical condition such as the gout or arthritis of line 31. Horace continually plays
with connections between moral and medical ailments and one might think of the bodily humors
here.
piacula: piaculum originally meant a small offering or expiation, it can mean “remedy” in
general with the implication that the remedy was originally thought to be granted by the gods.
These remedies are “sure” (certa) and Horace indicates as much with the relative clause (quae) +
the future indicative (poterunt)
te: Direct object of recreare in the following line.
[37] ter: Three is the magic number but it can also mean “repeatedly, often”. Take with the
ablative absolute lecto libello (A&G 419).
pure: adverb “clearly”. One should read out a spell clearly if one wants it to be effective.
recreare: “to restore”.
libello: The “little book” to be read may be a book of charms, but it is also used of books of
poetry (Cat. 1.1, S. 1.10.92), although this book of Epistles is called a liber at 1.20.1.
[38] invidus: The first of five adjectives in asyndeton (A&G 323b, 601c). The pernicious effects
of envy will appear elsewhere in the Epistles and Horace writes that Homer can help against
envy at Ep. 1.2.37.
iracundus: Philosophical tracts about anger were relatively common in the ancient world and
Seneca’s de Ira gives a good sense of the sort of advice. In his Ars Poetica Horace has a similar
asyndetic line about Achilles (inpiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer, 121).
iners: At Ep. 1.11.28 it is oxymoronically paired with strenua to describe Horace, but here the
idea is more one of “sloth”.
vinosus: “Drunkenness”. Although Horace often writes of the pleasures of wine, it has to be
taken in moderation.
amator: Absolute usage (without a modifying genitive such as ruris, Ep. 1.10.2) indicates that
Horace is thinking specifically of those focused on sexual love, especially illicit affairs (OLD 1).
[39] adeo ferus: The adverb sets up the result clause (A&G 537). Ferus can be used of passions
that are wild, so it may be acting to further modify the list of vices (i.e. you can still enjoy a glass
of wine with dinner, but don’t be a drunk; it’s ok to relax now and then, but don’t be slothful).
Forms of ferus will reappear at Ep. 1.3.34, 1.13.8, and 1.19.12.
mitescere: “to become milder, to soften”. The inceptive/inchoative verb form (A&G 263.1)
denote “the beginning of an action” and at C. 4.7.9 Horace uses it about spring (frigora mitescunt
Zephyris). A figure like Gaius Laelius - the famous statesman and friend of Scipio Aemelianus
- may be the exemplum here (mitis sapientia Laeli, S. 2.1.72).
[40] si modo: “if only” takes the potential subjunctive commodet (A&G 445-447).
culturae: What sort of “training” does Horace have in mind? Cultura usually is applied to
agricultural “cultivation” (OLD 1), but note Cicero Tusc. 2.13: “Philosophy is the training of the
mind” cultura... animi philosophia est. Genitive with patientem (“susceptible to, tolerant of”).
Note how A&G 349b remarks “participles in -ns govern the genitive when they are used as
adjectives, i.e. when they denote a constant disposition and not a particular act”.

14. commodet: with aurem = “lend an ear, listen”. Earlier Horace had mentioned his own attentive
ear (7).
[41] The proverb here resembles the advice of Demetrius on letter-writing in general: “The
beauty of a letter lies in the feelings of warm friendship it conveys and the many proverbs
(πυκναὶ παροιμίαι) it contains; this should be the only element of philosophy in it (Demetr. Eloc.
232). For more on this see Morrison 2007: 128-29.
virtus: hearkening back to his use in 17, but now part of a sententia. Ulysses in Ep. 1.2.17 has
both virtus and sapientia.
vitium: The antithesis of virtus. For the Stoics, questions of vice and virtue were paramount and
the virtuous man was susceptible to no vices at all.
fugere: A rather simplistic view of virtus/vitium perhaps befitting the simple advice given later.
The process of achieving virtus may not be as difficult as Stoic dialecticians would want us to
believe.
sapientia: For the wise man earlier in Horace’s ouvre, see S. 1.3.124ff., S. 2.3.passim. Forms of
sapiens/sapientia will appear in below at line 106, and nine further times in the first book of
Epistles.
prima: Take with both statements.
[42] stultitia: Ablative of separation with caruisse (A&G 401). The perfect infinitive could be
seen as chosen metri causa, but it also indicates that one made the effort in the past for refrain
from some folly and that it has ramifications in the present.
vides: Sets up the indirect question of quanto...labore in line 44. “You see by what great effort
you avoid…”
quae: Two of these evils will be listed in the following line.
maxima...mala: In this case poverty and political failure, but Horace’s Epicurean sensibility
would not consider these evils and Stoics would probably class them as “indifferents” (see Long
and Sedley The Hellenistic Philosophers, Vol. 1, pp. 354-59).
credis: Clearly Horace does not believe all of these to be the worst evils imaginable. While the
“you” is probably meant to be the general reader, it could also certainly refer to Maecenas who
was wealthy and politically connected (even if his influence had waned by the time of the
Epistles).
[43] exiguum censum: “scant wealth” (s.v. census OLD 3) with the following accusative, they
stand in apposition to the mala. Although census here indicates wealth, the associations with the
census and one’s classification in society (according to property) would also resonate.
turpem repulsam: “an ugly electoral defeat”. Stoics preached involvement in politics and, as part
of the cursus honorum, Romans would be subject to a number of possible defeats at the polls.
[44] quanto...animi capitisque labore: Ablative of means and interrogative phrase that requires
the subjunctive as part of this indirect question (A&G 574). Labor animi = “mental effort” and
labor capitis = “risk of life” shows that one applies great physical and mental toil to avoid such
evils.
devites: “steer clear of”.
[45] impiger...mercator: Horace addresses the poor merchant who risks life and limb at sea for
fiscal gain as an example of such behavior (cf. C. 1.1.16, S. 1.1.3-8). Impiger should be given an
adverbial connotation “rashly” (OLD 1b).

15. curris: “you dash” (technically this merchant would travel to India via ship not by foot, OLD
3a).
extremos...ad Indos: extremos resonates with extrema...harena (6) and ad extremum (9). The
people of India, Indos, standing for the country, cf. Ep. 1.6.6 for a similar phrase.
per mare: The first of three obstacles that must be overcome and the one that makes the most
sense for a merchant.
pauperiem fugiens: Cf. C. 1.1.17-18 again of the mercator: “soon he outfits his worn ships again,
unable to endure poverty” (mox reficit rates quassas indocilis pauperiem pati). Poverty will
come up often in the Epistles, e.g. 1.1.91, 1.5.20, 1.10.32, 1.10.39, 1.18.24.
per saxa, per ignes: The anaphora of per picks up pauperies. Ignes may seem hyperbolic, but
could indicate the heat of the sun or lightning bolts from storms at sea (OLD 4). The final letters
of fugiens could offer a metathesis of ignes (A&G 640).
[47] Ne is a negative purpose clause, “so that you do not…” (A&G 531). Note that the “you”
here is not the addressee Maecenas, but the more general “one.”
It may be beneficial to take line 48 first in order to set up this purpose clause.
Stulte: adverb with miraris and optas. Indicative to keep factual nature of statement, A&G 593
[48] discere: Didactic aspect about the Epistles highlighted here. There’s a three-part process
here working right to left with trust, listening, and learning emphasized.
Audire- “to be informed about, learn” (OLD 8).
Credere takes the dative meliori (A&G 367).
[49-50] Another analogy from the world of athletics.
The Roman world of athletics and spectacle was broad: main events consisted of ludi (games),
gladiatorial fights, chariot races, animal hunting, and staged battles. Greek athletics took a while
to become widespread in Roman culture; their first staging was in 186 BCE, but they were not
put on again until Pompey sponsored them in 55, which he complained was a “waste of
resources.” Greek athletics were more tame compared to their violent Roman counterparts. Their
popularity did not begin to upswing until the time of Horace and Augustus, who sponsored them
twice and “increased their much privileged prizes,” according to Suetonius, 45.3. For more
consult Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity by Paul Christesen and
Donald G. Kyle (Wiley Press 2013).
pagos: A country district or community (OLD). pagos et compita also mention at Vergil’s
Georgics 2.382 to discuss rural rituals that led to dramatic festivals.
compita: A place where three crossroads meet (OLD 1) The conjunction of circum pagos et
circum compita would probably remind the Roman of the Paganalia (a rural festival of surround
pagi) and Compitalia (for the Lars Compitalis). The Lares were spiritual guardians of
crossroads, in the country or the city. Their shrines were usually attended by freedman and were
in charge of their festivals. Banned in the late Republic but brought back by Augustus, they grew
into guardians of travelers and the state at large (see the article in the Oxford Classical
Dictionary).
pugnax: “Tough, brawler” Take substantively (A&G 288).
Quis... contemnat: Conditional relative clause (A&G 519) “who... would...”.
[50] magna... Olympia: At Olympia, one would win a crown of olive leaves. Mayer states that
magna signifies this to be the oldest victory crown (founded 776 BCE), as there were many
games at this time for the sake of Zeus the Olympian (Mayer: ad loc.). That crown itself may not

16. have been of much pecuniary value, but its meaning was more valuable than money (line 52).
See Herodotus, Histories, 8.26.
[51] dulcis: with palmae. The “palm of victory” was proverbial (e.g. Cic. de Orat. 3.143).
[52] An example of an epiphonema (Gr. “a witty saying”). This sums up Horace’s thought on the
matter. With the following section we see how questions of wealth and money are central to this
Epistle (and the Epistles as a whole). For more on the Roman capitalist mentality, see Ep.
2.1.106-7.
auro... virtutibus: Abl. of comparison (A&G 406).
vilius: “worthless” (OLD 2).
[53] quaerenda: passive periphrastic, supply “vobis.”
O cives, cives: While O cives is found in epic (e.g. Ennius Ann. 14.385, Verg. A. 9.36, 11.243),
this precise phrase is only found in Plautus’ Cur. 626. For the anaphora of cives, see Cic. Mur.
80.6.
[54] Janus summus ab imo: This refers to the Basilica Aemelia. The forum was full of iani, or
gateways (Janus was the god of bridges and gates), but three particular arches bore significance
to the cult of Janus, the Janus Imus was just the western arch of the Basilica Emilia and was
essentially the same thing as the Janus Geminus, the temple of Janus. The Janus Medius was on
the eastern end of the basilica Aemilia, and part of the structure that connected the Basilica
Aemilia to the temple of the divine julius. The Janus Summus was the archway of the Fornix
Fabianus along the via sacra.
[55] prodocet: “teaches by dictation” (OLD) This is the only time this word appears in Latin
Literature. The desired effect may be for the reader to imagine the words of the lenders and
bankers literally repeating themselves as they echoed off the arches of the Basilica. The prefix
pro- is an intensifier.
iuvenes… senesque: perhaps the same pueris senesque of line 26, now shown in the act of
neglecting philosophy.
[56] laevo… lacerto Take suspensi as a Greek middle voice, and loculos… tabulam as Greek
accusatives, which are often common with parts of the body (A&G 397 c.). Some editors believe
this line is included erroneously because it repeats a line from S. 1.6.74 where it is used to
describe children going to school. In Sermones 1.6, the boys are said to be swinging their
satchels are called “mighty sons of centurions.” They are spoken of highly, even if the quality of
their education is contrasted with the superior teachers in Rome. In Epistle 1.1, the best
interpretation would be to take this line as an insult, as rich school children didn’t carry their own
bags, it displays their misguided pursuit of wealth over philosophy. (see Mayer ad loc.). The
repetition of a line from his earlier poetry might be a clever way of showing the echoing of lines
that the money lenders or other would repeat in their teaching.
[57] est animus tibi: Dative of possession with the verb esse, see line 7 above.
[58] sex septem: Appears one other time in Latin poetry (Mart. 8.3.1: sex septumve, which very
clearly means “six or seven” in that context).
quadrigentis = Dative with desunt (A&G 373b).

17. [59] pueri ludentes: The wisdom of children at play. Their game’s cry can be applied to
philosophical progress. It is unsure what the rules of this game were (for more on children’s
games in Ancient Rome, see Adkins’ Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. Plato’s Theatetus (146a
ff.) mentions a ball game in which the loser is called an “ass” (ὄνος) and the winner a “king”
(βασιλεύς). For more on play, especially children’s play, in the Epistles, see Reckford 2002.
Rex eris: To match the plebs eris at the start of the line. It becomes proverbial and Horace
stresses the connections with recte (and see line 63). The is the apodosis of a Future More Vivid
condition (A&G 516).
[60] si recte facies: Being or aspiring to be a rex is frowned upon, politically speaking (note
Caesar’s famous statement - “My name is Caesar not Rex” (Suet. 79.2). Here it speaks to a
moral/ethical leadership, as emphasized in the following lines. Living and acting recte is a leit-
motif in the Epistles, see e.g. 1.6.29, 1.8.4, 1.16.17.
Hic murus aeneus esto: The tone of this line seems out-of-place in the Epistle, which has led
editors to reject it as an interpolation. Esto is the 3rd person singular imperative of esse. Hic is
anticipatory and looks forward to the following line. The bronze wall would be a fortification
against vice, cf. C. 3.3.65.
[61] nil conscire sibi: conscire = “to be conscious of wrong” - only appears here in classical
Latin. Self-consciousness is key and one must be aware of one’s own vices (sibi). It is notable
that acting rightly and defending against vice is figured by absence (nil / nulla).
nulla pallescere culpa: nulla...culpa is ablative of means “to grow pale from no fault”.
[62] Roscia...lex: The Roscian law reserved the first 14 rows of seats in the theater for those of
equestrian status. Horace is again drawing the contrast between wealth and ethical behavior.
sodes: A colloquial contraction of si+audes “if you please”.
puerorum...nenia: The jingle of children is emblematic of the verba et voces of 34.
[64] maribus Curiis...Camillis: “manly” (maribus) old families of Rome who would have known
the jingle of this children’s game. maribus Curiis...Camillis are datives of agent with the perfect
passive participle decantata (A&G 375). These figures are also mentioned together at 1.12.41-
43. M’ Curius Dentatus was an important figure in the Samnite and Pyrrhic wars of the 3rd C.
BCE. M. Furius Camillus was victorious over Veii and refounded the city of Rome after the sack
by the Gauls in the 4th C. BCE.
decantata: These nenia are sung again and again, but should be preferred to those sayings
(dictata) of Janus that echo (recinunt) in the Forum.
[65] Further explicating the meaning of the children’s song in comparison with those who teach
that “greed is good” and money needs to be acquired in any manner necessary. According to Dio
43.20, during Caesar’s quadruple triumph of 46 BCE, his soldiers riffed on this by exclaiming,
“If you do right, you will be punished. If you do wrong, you will be king".
Isne: -ne suffix indicating a question (A&G 332 a-c). Is = the teacher who endorses the
following view.
“Does he persuade you better who [persuades] you to make money, if possible, fairly; if not, in
any way possible or....”
tibi: suadere takes the dative (A&G 367).
qui: supply suadet.
rem facias: Indirect command with suadere (A&G 588). For rem = “money” (OLD 1).

18. [66] recte once again stresses correct actions/attitudes (60, 63, 66) and is repeated three times
(60, 63, 66) within a short span of lines (cf. line 37 for repeating charms 3 times). This action
will not make you a “king” like in the children’s song (lines 59-60), only an eques (of
questionable virtue).
si non: supply possis.
quocumque modo rem: supply facias. This is also the third time rem is mentioned in only two
lines, stressing the insistent Roman devotion towards wealth. Horace is playing with various
derivations of the word rex - is it the amount of stuff/money (res) you have or is it acting
correctly (recte) that matters?
[67] ut propius spectes: The “benefit” of such lust for wealth is merely the ability to see plays of
questionable quality from a closer distance. These plays would have been part of ludi scaenici
and may recall the spectatorial events and ludus of the opening lines of the poem. ut introduces a
purpose clause (A&G 529).
lacrimosa poemata Pupi: The tears such writings move may be seen to be both the result of their
tragic themes or, possibly, their poor literary quality (cf. C. 2.9.9 and the comments of Nisbet
and Hubbard ad loc.). We know nothing of Pupius - in the words of Greenough - “(perhaps
deservedly) unknown”.
[68] an qui: The other teacher (who follows the ideas found in the children’s song).
Fortunae...superbae: Fortune is not often given the epithet “haughty” or “proud” but the slight
personification befits the attitude of the rich who look down on those who have less money (and
thus less status in Roman society). The ability for the sapiens to withstand Fortune is a
commonplace in Stoicism.
te responsare: Subject accusative and infinitive with hortatur (A&G 579). responsare is not
simply “to respond” but “to withstand, resist, bid defiance to” (Lewis and Short II). The dative
with respondere indicating “the questioner or his words” (OLD 1b).
[69] liberum et erectum: The proud and free attitude of one who has learned the proper ethical
lessons. These adjectives are also paired at Sen. Dial. 7.4.3 and Pliny Ep. 3.5.5. This is his only
use of erectus-a-um in his corpus, but he will often tie being free (liber) into the Stoic idea that
only the Stoic sage is free (see S. 2.7.83, and line 107 below).
praesens: Take adverbially “effectively, resolutely”.
hortatur et aptat: The teacher encourages by such precepts (hortatur) and the student will collect
them as part of his arsenal against Fortune. “Encourages and preps you”.
[70] quodsi: As a conjunction, “But if” (OLD 1a).
populus Romanus: Horace makes the Roman people a foil for his individual excellence. Horace
shows that marches by the beat of another drum.
cur… odit: Indirect Question with cur (A&G 586); fruar, sequar, and fugiam are all accordingly
subjunctive, while diligit and odit in the relative clause are indicative to emphasize the reality of
what the populace believes.
[71] Ut...sic are correlatives joining porticibus and iudiciis (A&G 323 A).
porticibus and iudiciis: Horace is referring to the fact that he does not use the same porticoes as
the Roman people, and so does not share the same judgements and opinions as them. They are
ablative since fruor takes the ablative, one of six deponent verbs to do so (A&G 410).

19. [72] Mayer ad loc. notes to take diligit with sequar and odit with fugiam (Mayer ad loc.).
[74] It may be useful to take referam ahead of this fable.
Fables were incredibly popular in the ancient world, and the Roman tradition closely follows that
of the Greek, who employed them often in literature as colorful examples for their argumentative
points. One of the most famous of the numerous collections of fables are Aesop’s.
[75] adversum: “A point or direction opposite to or facing (something)” (OLD, 1); in this
scenario, the footprints face the lion.
[76] belva… capitum: belva = “monster/brute” (applied to persons as a term of reproach or
abuse) (OLD 3) referring to the public having multiple opinions. Belva is used commonly by
Cicero, nine times in the Philippics alone, as an insult. References to powerful political forces as
many-headed monsters are not uncommon either, see Plato Rep. 9.12 and Varro’s Tricarnus, a
non-extant comedy about the first triumvirate. In C. 2.13, Cerberus is deemed a belua with one-
hundred heads (34).
sequar: deliberative subjunctive (A&G 443).
[77] conducere = to farm the taxes of a province (OLD 5b) with publica = “to take public
contracts”.
publica: nominative feminine adjective with pars.
The publicani were tax farmers who bid for the right to collect taxes from the provinces and paid
the treasury upfront, then extorted their provinces to make back what they bid and more. These
businesses were notoriously corrupt, violent, and disliked by the provincials.
qui: introduces a relative clause of characteristic (A&G 535) with the subjunctives venentur,
excipiant, and mittant.
[78-79] Widows and widowers are literally “hunted” for their wealth. Hunting was morally
ambiguous to the Romans, and comparing it to the ruthless pursuit of wealth is in keeping with
H’s theme thus far (see E. Manolaraki, "Imperial and Rhetorical Hunting in Pliny's Panegyricus."
Illinois Classical Studies, 37 (2012): 175-98. doi:10.5406/illiclasstud.37.0175. ). Hunting, of
course, was a male passtime, so it is also telling that widows are hunted by men, while old men,
presumably pursued by women or younger men, are kept in ponds and fished for.
[79] excipiant = to pick up out of the water. (OLD 1b)
vivaria = fish ponds or aquariums. (OLD 2). Here, the rich old men of Rome are fish, and the
young men and women who wish to inherit are fishermen, an interesting reversal of the usual
top-down social power of the ancient world. At this period such fishponds are becoming
prevalent in the villas of the uber-rich, such as Lucullus so the rich men, by metonomy, become
similar to the creatures that stock their ponds (see J. Higginbotham Piscinae: Artificial
Fishponds in Roman Italy, Chapel Hill: 1997). For a similar image see S. 2.5.44.
[80] occulto...fenore = ablative of means (A&G 409). Occulto has a hint of unlawful usury.
[81] esto = “let it be” (introducing indirect speech). Horace grants the point that people should be
able to make money in different ways.

20. aliis … rebus studiis: Datives of agent with teneri (A&G 375a). The repetition of aliis alios
expresses a double statement, i.e. “some by some interests, others by other interests”.
[82] idem: take as nominative plural (īdem can be either, metrically speaking), and the subject of
possunt.
horam = Accusative of extent of time (A&G 423)
[83] nullus...sinus: “no bay” or possibly “retreat” (OLD 3). Baiae was on the Bay of Naples.
Bais...amoenis: Baiae was considered the playground for the rich, famous, and notorious from
the Late Republic through the Roman Empire (cf. Prop. 1.11, Cic. Cael. 38, 49). Thermal baths
and exquisite villas dotted the hills around Baiae (C. 3.4.24) and its pleasantness is remarked
upon by later authors as well (Stat. Sil. 4.7.18-19, Juv. 3.4). Nisbet and Hubbard wonder if
Maecenas had a villa maritima at Baiae (ad 2.18 introduction, and cf. C. 3.1.33-40).
praelucet: “to be superior in brightness/splendour than” (+dat.). The conspicuous consumption
on display in Baiae was notable for moralists (Sen. Ep. 51.3-13) as was the famous light of the
Bay of Naples. “Who has been in Baiae knows well fish and the ocean; Being in Venice, you
know all about frogs and the pool.” (Goethe, epigram XXV, trans. Paul Dyrsen). In Baiae, there
were many fishponds (think of vivaria above) - this would be the place to hunt rich legacies.
[84] dives: The building projects of the rich in the Bay of Naples were particularly grand and we
read of villas the projected in the bay and many projects that altered the natural landscape
(Vergil’s G. 2.161-64, when writing of this area focuses on the artificial lakes and bays created
by Agrippa and Octavian).
lacus: Referring to the Lucrine Lake which was known for its oysters and luxurious villas,
including Cicero’s villa in which the Academia takes place.
sentit: The personification of the lake and sea which “feel” the “love” (i.e. the building projects)
of those who build along the shores and into the waters. There is a sexualization of the watery
areas feeling the penetration of these building projects. Roman poets write about the massive
piles built into these areas for artificial harbors, fishponds, and docks (see C. 2.18.19-21, and the
note of Nisbet and Hubbard ad loc.).
[85] festinantis eri: the owner (cf. S. 2.2.129: propriae telluris erus) rush to build mirrors his
restlessness and general instability.
cui si: cui = at ei so you can render this “but if his…” (see note in Mayer).
vitiosa libido: “depraved/vice-addled passion” strong language to describe the driving force of
the rich. libido will reappear at Ep. 1.2.15, and 2.1.107.
[86] fecerit auspicium: Future perfect with si “If his passion will have given the sign” with the
quotation acting as the result of such an auspicium. Horace’s point is that passions should not
give such auspicia - usually such auspicia occur through events in the natural world (cf. Sen.
Nat. 2.32.5: aquilae hic honor datus est ut magnarum rerum faceret auspicia “The honor has
been given to the eagle to give signs of great events”).
ferramenta: “tools” (note the root of ferrum = “iron”).
Teanum: A city in the mountains of Campania showing the whims of this particular rich man.
[87] tolletis: Lit. “you will lift”, but better understood as “you will carry”.
fabri: “builders/workmen”.

21. lectus genialis: The bridal bed indicated whether the man of the house was married. If it was in
the courtyard (aula) it indicates that he was married. We see another example of someone
unhappy in his current state, much like the rich man blowing hot and cold about seaside vs.
mountain life.
[88] nil prius...melius nil: Chiastic structure emphasizing the thought that nothing is better than
being single, in spite of the fact that the speaker is married.
caelibe...vita: “bachelor’s life” ablative of comparison (A&G 406).
[89] si non est: supply lectus genialis in aula, i.e. if the speaker is single.
bene esse: lit. “it is well” i.e. “life is good”. Might Horace be thinking of Augustus’ moral
legislation (the lex Iulia was implemented in 23 BCE)?
solitis….maritis: Dative with the verb esse. Only married men live the good life.
[90] quo...nodo: Enclosing word order with this “knot” of words holding the subject.
teneam: deliberative subjunctive (A&G 443).
Protea: A Greek accusative (A&G 81). In the Odyssey (4.454-61) Proteus, the prophetic Old
Man of the Sea, is a shapeshifter and transforms into a number of forms (lion, serpent, water)
when trying to avoid the grasp of Menelaus. Vergil had recently revisited this in his Georgics
4.388ff. and Horace writes of Proteus at C. 1.2.7 and S. 2.3.71.
[91] quid pauper? If the examples above are primarily about the rich (dives, 84), are the poor any
better?
ride: Addressed to both Maecenas as well as the general reader, who will see such aemulatio of
rich habits as humorous - just how mean-spirited the laughter will be may be up to the reader.
Note that Horace in his Satires mentioned the ability to teach moral tenets with laughter (1.1.24-
25: ridentem dicere verum / quid vetat? “Who forbids teaching the truth through laughter?”).
cenacula: “lodgings” beginning a catalogue of changes the poor man makes.
lectos: Echoing the lectus up above, but here meaning “beds” in general.
[92] balnea: The various baths in Rome were available free of charge to the populace (see
Adkins Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome).
conducto navigio: “In a hired boat” (ablative of means, A&G 409).
aeque...ac: “as much as, in the same way as” (A&G 384 n.2).
[93] nauseat: “to be sea-sick”.
locuples: the rich man who owns his own trireme.
triremis: Horace mentions such a ship at C. 3.1.39.
[94-7] The point of these three lines plus rides compares the outer appearance with the inner, and
what matters truly. Mayer notes that Maecenas himself was known for his “foppish” appearance
and he may have had a critical eye for the sort of inconsistency in Horace’s appearance (see S.
1.3.29-34 for some similar characteristics). For patrons possibly deriving laughter from clients,
see Ep. 1.7.79.
Si… occurri, rides: General Conditional Clause- protasis (the half of the clause with si) in
perfect, the apodosis in the present; both can be translated as present (A&G 514 General 1b).

22. inaequali tonsore: Ablative of Agent without ab (A&G 405), both referring to curatus. Mayer
(ad loc.) also notes that inaequali should be taken adverbially and is probably to be thought of as
a transferred epithet = it is Horace’s hair that is “uneven”.
capillos: Greek Accusative (A&G 397b).
[95] occurri: supplying tibi as a Direct Object may prove to be helpful.
si… subest...dissidet…, rides: Two General Conditional Clauses with both protasis and apodosis
in the present (A&G 514 General 1a).
subuncla: an undertunic worn close to the skin below the normal tunic (tunicae in the following
line). The inconcinnity between the brand-new (pexae) tunic and the worn undergarment would
be equivalent to a ratty t-shirt being worn under a suit jacket. Cf. Mart. 2.58.1: “In your new
fancy robe you laugh at my worn out clothes, Zoilus” (pexatus pulchre rides mea, Zoile, trita).
[96] dissidet: “to be placed out of alignment, to sit awry” (OLD 2). One must make sure the toga
does not hang in a slanted manner.
[97] Scanning this line will reveal that sententia has to be nominative.
Mayer ad loc. notes “Quid.. cum” should be taken as “how do you react when” (OLD quis 13b).
[98] quod is accusative.
petiit spernit, repeti...omisit: Horace nicely sets the reader to expect spernit again at the close of
the line, but substitutes omisit. It seems even in his word choice, he is unable to stay consistent!
[99] aestuat: “vacillates” (OLD 6) as water in motion or the tides (OLD 4c).
vitae ordine toto “in the whole course of life”
[100] For the building metaphor, see this piece by Roman (which is more interested in Martial,
but can be applied to Horace mutatis mutandis). Wickham ad loc. Relates the story found in
Plutarch’s life of Agesilaeus that the Spartan, on seeing square wooden beams, “asked if trees in
that country were square, and being told that they were round said, ‘then if trees grew square
would you make your beams round’” (27). The change in plans resembles the building plans of
the rich man above.
muto: “to give in exchange for, to give up in favour of (w/ ablative)” (OLD 3b).
[101-105] in lines 94-96, Horace points out that Maecenas ridicules his lack of grooming. In
lines 101-105, he points out that Maecenas would be unconcerned with the more serious issue of
living un-recte.
[101] insansire: to behave like a madman (OLD 2) Here, it also means “ill,” conflating
philosophical and physical illness, and thus justifying the need for medici and curatores. It also
looks to the end of the poem with sanus in line 108.
putas: introducing indirect speech (A&G 577ff.).
sollemnia: A customary practice (OLD 2). Here used adverbially in the accusative plural. (A&G
397). Maecenas believes that Horace’s hypothetical illness is a common cold or another
mundane illness, rather than the serious philosophical malaise that it is.
[102] credis: Introducing more indirect speech (A&G 577ff.).

23. curatoris = a legal guardian appointed to administer the property of minors, women, and insane
people, such as Horace. (OLD 3)
egere: To need, want, or require (OLD 1) Takes the genitives medici and curatoris (A&G 356).
[103] praetore: “Praetor,” a magistracy established in the early republic to relieve consuls of
their judicial duties (Livy 6.42), although praetors could also traditionally lead armies. By the
time of Augustus, they were handling mostly minor duties, such as assigning power of attorney.
dati: genitive perfect passive participle with curatoris.
tutela: lit. “guardianship” (OLD 1), but here standing in for “tutor,” in either case, a predicate
nominative with sis in the next line.
[104] cum sis: Concessive cum clause (A&G 549)
stomacheris: to be angry at (OLD 1). Take with cum as another concessive clause, linked by et
unguem: “Finger nail.” Grooming was very important to the upper-class romans such as
Maecenas, who their choice of clothing and grooming styles to display their wealth. (Toner,
Jerry. "Barbers, Barbershops and Searching for Roman Popular Culture." Papers of the British
School at Rome 83 (2015): 91-109. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24780037.) As with Horace’s
haircut (line 94) and his clothes (line 96), his manicure is also a source of disappointment for his
wealth-concerned patron.
[105] amici: governs the participles of this line, take with unguem.
After ten lines of admonishing Maecenas’ priorities, Horace reassures his patron of his goodwill
with use of the word amici, and anaphora on the word te. A strong indictment of what seems
important to Maecenas. Is the blow softened by the final lines in which Horace, qua Stoic, admits
that he himself still has issues and is a big baby when sick?
[106] ad summam: “to conclude”
sapiens: This sets up a Stoic maxim about the nearly divine status of the Stoic sage. According to
Stobaeus, the Stoics believe the sage “does everything well...so far as concerns what he does, and
not of course also what he does not do. In their opinion the doctrine that the wise man does
everything well is a consequence of his accomplishing everything in accordance with right
reason and in accordance with virtue, which is expertise concerned with the whole of life”
(Stobaeus 2.66.14ff. In Long and Sedley Vol. 1: 61 G). Horace will deflate this view of the Stoic
sage in the final line of the poem. This passage as a whole responds to his earlier, and similar,
description of the sage at S. 1.3.124-26.
uno...Jove: Ablative of comparison (A&G 406).
dives: not necessarily “rich” with monetary wealth, but the idea that the sage is perfect in all
ways leads to the idea that he is rich, even with little. See Cicero’s Paradoxa Stoicorum 5 “Only
the sage is rich” solum sapientem esse divitem.
[107] liber: Freedom has been strongly asserted in this poem (e.g. line 69) and it will come up
often in this book. That the Stoic sage is free and has true freedom is a commonplace in Stoic
thought (e.g. Cic. Paradoxa Stoicorum 5 “Only the sage is free, and every foolish man is a slave”
solum sapientem esse liberum, et omnem stultum servum).
honoratus: cf. Ep. 1.16.39-40, 1.18.101-103 for further mentions of honor in the Epistles.
pulcher: At this one might think Horace is being rather silly, but this is also a part of the
conception of the Stoic sage, who is perfect in every way (according to the Stoics).

24. rex denique regum: what would seem to be the final designation of the Stoic sage as equivalent
to “king of kings” like Agamemnon (about whom this phrase applies at Sen. Ag. 39 and Vell.
Pat. 1.1.2). As mentioned above, Horace will often muse on self-control and philosophical
rectitude as equivalent to kingship in some manner, see e.g. Ep. 1.10.33 and 1.12.5-6 (for
additional connections with riches and health).
[108] praecipue sanus: praecipue is used “to add a final statement to those preceding” (OLD
2b), translate as “above all”. The sanity and rational way of living of the Stoic sage is embodied
in the opposite correlative, “every foolish man is insane” (omnem stultam insanire, Cic.
Paradoxa Stoicorum 4). All this Stoic doctrine, however, will prove to be put to the test by a
simple cold.
pituita: The u should be taken as a consonant - a change necessitated by the metre. The Stoic
sage may appear to be perfect, but will suffer from colds and, Horace implies, not handle this
with the indifference and stiff upper lip expected of a Stoic. The poem thus ends with a sense
that even the Stoic sage may be unable to be as consistent and steadfast as one might expect. If
this is the case, how can Horace be expected to be? The Epistles will explore Horace’s own
struggles even if this opening would seem to imply that Horace himself can be a teacher of such
virtue.
****************************************************************************
Ep. 1.3: Introductory essay: This epistle is addressed to Julius Florus is on campaign with
Tiberius, but, after wondering where he may be, Horace focuses on his own literary work and
that of the other poets with him. It was common for Roman generals to have writers on staff,
even poets if the general was a lover of poetry and one may parallel the moments when Catullus
writes about his time on the staff of Memmius in Bithynia (Cat. 28). According to Suetonius,
Tiberius enjoyed erudite (if not recondite) Hellenistic poetry (Vita Tiberii 70). It would be
interesting to have Florus’ poetry, which seems Pindaric, to see if he writes in the vein of the
poets that Tiberius is said to have enjoyed (Parthenius, Euphorion, Rhianus). Horace offers
friendly literary criticism of this entourage’s work, hoping they steer clear of plagiarism and
devote themselves, in part, to philosophy. The finale of the letter brings up a rift Florus had with
Munatius, and Horace urges him to reconcile with his former friend. He promises them a
sacrifice on their safe return from campaign and one has to see that this reconciliation would be
putting into practice some of the philosophical material that he hopes Florus learns. For more on
the imagery of this poem see West 1967: 30-39.
Iuli Flore, quibus terrarum militet oris 1.3.1
Claudius Augusti privignus, scire laboro.
Thracane vos Hebrusque nivali compede vinctus
an freta vicinas inter currentia turris
an pingues Asiae campi collesque morantur? 5
quid studiosa cohors operum struit? hoc quoque curo.
quis sibi res gestas Augusti scribere sumit?
bella quis et paces longum diffundit in aevum?
quid Titius, Romana brevi venturus in ora,
Pindarici fontis qui non expalluit haustus, 10
fastidire lacus et rivos ausus apertos?
ut valet? ut meminit nostri? fidibusne Latinis

25. Thebanos aptare modos studet auspice Musa,
an tragica desaevit et ampullatur in arte?
quid mihi Celsus agit—monitus multumque monendus, 15
privatas ut quaerat opes et tangere vitet
scripta, Palatinus quaecumque recepit Apollo,
ne, si forte suas repetitum venerit olim
grex avium plumas, moveat cornicula risum
furtivis nudata coloribus—? ipse quid audes? 20
quae circumvolitas agilis thyma? non tibi parvum
ingenium, non incultum est et turpiter hirtum:
seu linguam causis acuis seu civica iura
respondere paras seu condis amabile carmen,
prima feres hederae victricis praemia. quodsi 25
frigida curarum fomenta relinquere posses,
quo te caelestis sapientia duceret, ires.
hoc opus, hoc studium parvi properemus et ampli,
si patriae volumus, si nobis vivere cari.
debes hoc etiam rescribere, sit tibi curae 30
quantae conveniat Munatius. an male sarta
gratia nequiquam coit et rescinditur ac vos
seu calidus sanguis seu rerum inscitia vexat
indomita cervice feros? ubicumque locorum
vivitis, indigni fraternum rumpere foedus, 35
pascitur in vestrum reditum votiva iuvenca.
[1] Quibus...oris: quibus is an interrogative adjective. ora-ae (f.) “region” and not os-oris (n.)
“mouth” as below.
militet: subjunctive in indirect question.
[2] Claudius refers to Tiberius Claudius Nero, future Tiberius Julius Caesar, second emperor of
Rome. privignus “Stepson” is premature, as he wasn’t formally adopted by Augustus until 4AD.
scire: complementary infinitive with laboro.
laboro: There may be some irony between the labor that this military mission undergoes in
comparison with Horace’s own “work”. For laboro+inf. = “take pains, strive” (OLD 2), see Ars
25 brevis esse laboro “I strive to be brief”.
[3] In 21 BCE, Tiberius is on his way to Armenia to place Tigranes on the throne. We imagine
they would have travelled along the Via Egnatia.
Hebrus: A river in Thrace. Also mentioned at Ep. 1.16.13. The places mentioned map the route
from west to east and all of these nominatives (Thraca, Hebrus, freta, campi, colles) are the
subject of morantur (5).
vos: The direct object of morantur. Indicates that Horace is thinking about more than Florus.
nivali compede: Ablative of means with vinctus. The ice is considered “fetters” (compes),
although one might remember Xerxes’ throwing fetters into the Hellespont when his first attempt
at bridging it was thwarted by storm (Hdt. 7.24-25).
vinctus: From vincio “to bind” and not vinco-ere. The seasonal freezing of the rivers of Thrace
and the Black Sea are frequently remarked upon by Roman writers (e.g. Ovid Tristia 3.10.25ff.).

26. [4] freta: The Hellespont (a.k.a. The Dardanelles).
vicinas...turres: That there were towers on both sides of the Hellespont (at Sestos and Abydos)
may be part of the story of Hero and Leander (as Mayer notes) and may be the sort of story that
Florus, who writes amabile carmen (12), may know. The action of the water running between the
towers is signified in part by the concrete word order of currentia between vicinas...turres and
the separation of inter from its accusatives.
[5] pingues: Asia was proverbially rich and fertile. En route to Armenia, the mission would pass
through most of modern-day Turkey (ancient Bithynia, Galatia, and Cappodocia). The richness
would also indicate the spoils that most troops/staff members expected for their service in the
east - a sore point for Catullus, who was not enriched during his service in Bithynia.
campi collesque: The alliterative collocation was rather frequent in Latin authors, e.g. Lucr.
4.389, 5.784, Livy 1.12.1.
[6] quid...operum: opus for a work of literature (OLD 9c), cf. S. 2.1.2.
Studiosa cohors: The “learned entourage” of Tiberius includes Florus, Titius, and Celsus, all of
whom Horace mentions in this poem.
Struit: “to compose (literary works)” (OLD 3a), but Horace utilizes this verb as well as opus
above to elide the work being done by the military force (struere can indicate building in general
or arranging battle lines) and by this literary group.
Curo: Horace’s “care” here evokes his care for philosophy at Ep. 1.1.11.
[7] sibi: dative reflexive pronoun with sumit = “takes it upon himself” (OLD 15a).
res gestas: For us, reminiscent to Augustus’ autobiographical Res Gestae, and clearly a way to
conceive of the deeds/achievements (OLD 9b) of Augustus, cf. Sal. Cat. 3.2: res gestas scribere
and Lucr. 5.1444. The first (unnamed) writer would be engaged in epic or historical writing.
Augusti: It is interesting that they are writing of Augustus and not Tiberius himself. Clearly
Tiberius is here considered as an ambassador for Augustus himself and acting at his command.
[8] longum...in aevum = “for the future”. For more on in aevum see R. Thomas on C. 4.14.3: ad
loc.
bella...et paces: For Augustus this would indicate especially the civil war against Antony
culminating in the Battle of Actium of 31 BCE (and the subsequent suicides of Antony and
Cleopatra). He mentions the wars in section 3 of his Res Gestae.
Diffundit: This verb has “watery” connotations that will fit later figurations/analogies between
poetry and water. Here it means “to extend (in time)”.
[9] Titius: Otherwise unknown. It appears he is interesting in writing lyric poetry in the style of
Pindar.
Romana...in ora: “onto Roman lips”, i.e. about to be known/recited/read by all Romans.
brevi: supply tempore.
[10] Pindarici fontis: Take with haustus as a genitive of source or material (A&G 344). Pindar’s
poetry was considered to be extremely difficult to emulate, see C. 4.2.1-24 - where his poetry is
compared to a mountain river in flood. Pindar writes of Dirce the fountain of Thebes, his home
town, relatively often in his poetry (Ol. 10.85, Pyth. 9.88, sthm. 1.29, 6.74, 8.20). There were
myriad connections between poetry in water in the ancient mind and Horace is touching upon a
number of them in these (and the following) lines.

27. expalluit: from expallesco “to turn pale with fear of”. He is not scared to drink of Pindar’s fount.
haustus: the accusative plural of the noun indicating “the drawing (of water)” or “draughts (of
water)”.
[11] fastidire: take this infinitive with ausus. Cf. Ep. 1.17.15. Titius scorns more easily
accessible sources of inspiration (here figured as public reservoirs and rivers). Exclusivity is
important for one to create novel and inspired poetry in the Roman (and Hellenistic) sensibility,
see e.g. Callimachus’ Hymn to Apollo 105-112 and Prop. 3.1.1-6.
lacus et rivos...apertos: The objects of scorn. These would, metaphorically, be Greek writers
easily emulated, but there is also the contrast between the water of springs and that of public
water sources, cf. C. 1.26.6 and the note of Nisbet and Hubbard there. Vitruvius mentions that
rivers in the plains (and not in mountains) often has worse water quality (8.1.7).
[12] ut valet?: “How is he faring?” While this would evoke traditional epistolary tropes (i.e. vale
or cura ut vales are common wishes at the conclusions of letters), it also probably hints at the
strength necessary to vie with Pindar.
Ut meminit nostri? “Is he mindful of me?” Again, the epistolary commonplace (i.e. “does he
think of me?”) now may have metaliterary implications - is he mindful of my own attempts at
lyric and rendering Greek material in Latin metres?
fidibusne Latinis: the -ne suffix indicates this is part of a question (A&G 332 a-c). Fidibus is
from fides “string, stringed instrument” and not fides “faith”. Here fidibus Latininis probably
indicates Latin meter as opposed to the lyre per se. Cf. Ep. 1.19.32-33.
[13] Thebanos...modos: Pindar was from Thebes. Note C. 3.30.13-14: “I who was the first to
adapt Aeolian song to Italian meters” (princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos / deduxisse modos”
aptare: “to fit, adapt, accommodate”. Cf. C. 2.12.1-4 and Prop. 3.3.6 for a similar use about the
propriety of certain meters.
studet: Picks up the studiosa cohors of line 6 as well as the drive and erudition necessary for
such a poetic task.
auspice Musa: Ablative absolute (A&G 419). auspex here in the sense of “patron, supporter”
(OLD 3), but it also highlights the religious connotations of poetry and the power of the muse.
[14] tragica...in arte: The most famous tragedy of the day was the Thyestes by Lucius Varius
Rufus, a friend of Horace (cf. S. 1.5, Ep. 2.1.247), which had been performed at the triple-
triumph of Augustus in 29 BCE. Only six words of the play survive (Quint. I.O. 3.8.45). Horace
writes elsewhere of the “Classics” of Roman drama still being performed in the theaters (i.e.
Pacuvius, Accius, Plautus, Terence, and more; Ep. 2.1.60-1). Tragedies were being written with
Ovid’s (lost) Medea soon to appear and we should look at this line as giving a sense of the
excessive passions and heightened language typical of Roman tragedy (cf. Seneca’s plays).
desaevit: “to vent one’s rage”. There is the sense that the author embodies the rage of the
characters in tragedy. Cf. Ov. Rem. 375 for rage as the emblematic passion of tragedy (grande
sonant tragici; tragicos decet ira cothurnos).
ampullatur: A neologism created from ampulla “oil flask”, which came to mean “bombast” in
part because of the scene of Aristophanes’ Frogs 1200ff. between Euripides and Aeschylus. If
desaevit indicated the excessive emotions of tragic characters, this hints at tragic diction, cf. Ars
97: proicit ampullas et sesquipedialia verba.

28. [15] mihi: Ethical dative (A&G 380). Translate “tell me…” or, more archaically, “pray, what is
Celsus doing”.
Celsus: The addressee of Ep. 1.8. See the introduction to that commentary.
monitus multumque monendus: Alliteration and anaphora of the verb stress the warning against
plagiarism to come (and express that this is not the first time he has had to warn Celsus).
[16] privatas...opes: Horace wants Celsus to rely on his own ideas/language/resources (hence
opes) and not those of others. All Latin poets relied on others (allusion and intertextuality), but
one needed to draw the line (see Ars 131, and Horace’s comments on imitators in Ep. 1.19).
Check out other metaliterary resonances of opes?
Ut quaerat: Indirect command (A&G 588).
Tangere vitet: tangere is a complementary infinitive with vitare. Vitet is another subjunctive in
the indirect command. Check out metaliterary resonance of tangere.
[17] scripta: The books that were kept in the public library that was part of the temple of Apollo
on the Palatine. This library was established in 28 BCE and there were both Greek and Latin
wings. These would not only possess the “Classics” but recent works of note as well (see Ovid
Tristia 3.1.63). Propertius writes about the opening of the porticoes that joined the libraries to the
temple (2.31).
Palatinus...Apollo: Apollo was Augustus’ patron god and the temple of Palatine Apollo was
promised for victory over Sextus Pompey and Antony at Actium. The temple was the most
famous temple of Apollo in Rome.
recepit: The librarian, C. Iulius Hygenus, a learned former slave of Augustus probably had final
say for the books that would be included.
[18] ne...moveat: Negative purpose clause in the place of the apodosis of a future more vivid
with the sense of futurity implicit in the subjunctive mood (A&G 516d) and the use of olim “at
some future day” (OLD 3).
Si...venerit: Protasis of a future more vivid with a future perfect standing in for the future (A&G
513). Translate simply as a present “If the flock returns…”.
Suas...plumas: This story hearkens back to a fable of Aesop about the “Proud Jackdaw and the
Peacock” (Phaedrus 1.3) in which the jackdaw puts on the feathers of a Peacock and attempts to
join their flock. When found out, and stripped of feathers, he is not welcome back in his own
flock either.
Repetitum: The supine of purpose (A&G 509) with a verb of motion (venerit). Repetere “to
claim back” has legal overtones (OLD 9), fitting for this “theft” of personal property (furtum is a
common term for such literary “borrowings” and note furtivis below).
[19] grex avium: In the fable these are peacocks, but poets are often compared to birds in
antiquity from Pindar as eagle (because of his majesty and force) to Horace’s own self-
transformation into a swan in C. 2.20 (see Nisbet and Hubbard ad loc. for more examples).
cornicula: Celsus (the “high” one) is now nothing more than a little crow (the diminutive is only
found here).
moveat...risum: The laughter here is at the expense of Celsus/crow. For the expression movere+
risum, see Cic. Fam. 7.32.3. Laughter is found elsewhere in the Epistles (see commentary to Ep.
1.1.9, 95, and 1.13.9) with various levels of malice implied.

29. [20] furtivis nudata coloribus: nudare “to strip, divest of” (+Abl. of separation, A&G 401).
These stolen “colors” are the peacock feathers, but color can be used figuratively of “the
materials of a writer or orator” (OLD 2c) and even the particular “bent” or line of argument in a
rhetorical case (compiled in Seneca the Elder’s Controversiae).
ipse: Turning back to the addressee, Florus.
quid audes: The daring involved hints at the risks involved in poetic composition (and
competition? - note line 11 above). Cf. Ars 125-26: siquid inexpertum scaenae committis et
audes / personam formare novam... and Ars 382: qui nescit, versus tamen audet fingere.
[21] quae...thyma: thymum (n.) was especially valued for its nectar made into honey. While this
may simply be a poetic plural, it is also indicative of the numerous plants bees must visit to
create honey. Bees are a traditional figure for the poet who can distill, blend, and mix the
“flavors” of different source material into a delicious compound. See Sen. Ep. 84.2-10 for the
analogy and Hor. 4.2.27-32 for Horace’s own self-comparison with a bee (ego apis Matinae /
more modoque, 27-28). Worman’s Landscape and the Spaces of Metaphor in Ancient Literary
Theory and Criticism (Cambridge 2015) examines the bee-poet metaphor extensively.
circumvolitas agilis: Like a bee, which moves from flower to flower. Agilis repeats Horace’s
Stoic stance of Ep. 1.1.16, but now from the perspective of the busy and energetic bee and
should be translated adverbially (“energetically”). Florus’ name may have also suggested the bee
metaphor.
non...non: The strong anaphora underscores the immense talent Horace believes Florus has.
[22] ingenium: The inborn talent of an individual and, by Horace’s time, a term of literary
criticism often compared with ars (“skill”). The proper blend of these two forces would lead to
the finest poetry, but it is hard to find the individual with such gifts (see Ars 295 and the
comments of Brink ad loc.).
non incultum et turpiter hirtum: This shows that Florus’ ingenium has been honed and is not
wild. These terms also have possible agricultural resonance (again, playing off Florus’ name) -
his ingenium is cultivated and not rough. Hirtus-a-um and hirsutus-a-um can also signify an old-
fashioned poetics, in line with archaic Latin poets like Ennius (Ov. Am. 1.15.19, Tr. 2.259; Prop.
4.1.61) who had plenty of ingenium but often were thought to lack ars (by the Augustan poets).
[23] Florus’ activities in the courtroom or the poetic arena will lead to victory.
seu...seu...seu: Tricolon of possible activities.
linguam...acuis: The metaphor of sharpening the tongue is also found in Cicero’s De Oratore
(3.121) and Brutus 331. West compares it to a bee “whetting his sting for battle” (cf. V. Geo.
4.74).
causis: These would be law cases (causa, OLD 1). It is a dative of the purpose or end (A&G
382). Additional addressees of Horace’s letters also practice law, cf. Torquatus’ causa at Ep.
1.5.9.
civica iura: These “civil laws” indicate Florus’ interest in jurisprudence (usually referred to as
civile ius).
[24] respondere: A technical term indicating “to pronounce one’s ruling on a point of law” (with
ius, OLD 4c).
condis: The verb recalls Ep. 1.1.12 and befits the activity of the poet-bee as well as the work of
poets more generally (S. 2.1.82, OLD 14). Horace uses it of honey at Epod. 2.15: pressa puris
mella condit amophoris.

30. amabile carmen: A poem that causes pleasure in the reader. Mayer believes this would be light
verse, but it is possible that he likewise is interested in Pindaric lyric (e.g. Pyth. 6 involves bee
imagery). This would put him in competition with Titius (and he would win the crown - see the
following line).
[25] prima...praemia: “first prize” poetic plural.
feres: future tense of ferre.
hederae victricis: Gen. of material (A&G 344), cf. Verg. G. 3.49. Ivy befits the victorious poet’s
garland, see Verg. E. 7.25, Hor. C. 1.1.29-30: me doctarum hederae praemia frontium / dis
miscent superis...
quodsi: “but if…” introducing a present contrary-to-fact condition with posses and ires (A&G
517).
[26] frigida curarum fomenta: A difficult expression. The “cold compresses for your
cares/anxieties” would be the potential therapy for his curae. Frigidus-a-um would evoke the
cold water cure of Antonius Musa, which Horace will refer to later in Epistles 1.15, but the idea
here is that if Florus could get over his worries (and the contrary-to-fact would seem to imply
this is not the case), he could really excel and reach the heights. It is our hypothesis that these
curae are to be tied to those mentioned in line 30 - namely the rift that has occurred in his
relationship with Munatius. This would tie together these two sections of the poem and hint at
the benefits of resolving the problems in their friendship - Florus himself will be able to reach his
true potential.
[27] quo: Introducing an indirect question (A&G 573). Take ires first in your translation. “You
would go where[ever]…”.
te: Direct object of duceret.
caelestis sapientia: This phrase is unattested elsewhere in Latin, but wisdom often has a touch of
the divine/celestial about it (see Sen. Ep. 66.12). Wisdom may be aspirational at this point in
Florus’ life, but the hope is that by tending his ingenium, he will eventually attain such
understanding. Sapientia is the leader now, not Tiberius.
[28] hoc opus: Strong recollection of line 5 at this moment makes for a mini-ring composition
for the main body of the letter. While opus indicates the need to follow wisdom, it can also be
tied into the opera of poetry that the entourage is engaged in. See Ars 309: scribendi recte sapere
est et principium et fons “understanding is the beginning and fount of writing well” - reciprocal
relationship on display (one gains wisdom through writing and the wisdom accrued will lead to
better writing?).
Hoc studium: As befits the studiosa cohors. The anaphora of hoc indicates that there are two
parts of the process - study and action.
parvi...et ampli: “Small and great alike” - everyone should do this, no matter their station in life.
properemus: Hortatory subjunctive (A&G 439). The emphasis on immediate action resembles
Horace’s calls elsewhere in the Epistles (e.g. 1.2.40-43).
[29] patriae: with cari “dear to the fatherland” (carus takes the dative, OLD 2b).
volumus: take vivere with this verb and then supply volumus in the second half of the line.
nobis: A life of consequence will be dear/valuable both to the fatherland and to the individual.
For those such as Florus, a scribe and comrade of Tiberius, the different facets of his “self” will