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Ille, male usurus donis, ait "Effice, quicquid
Corpore contigero, fulvum vertatur in aurum."
Adnuit optatis, nocituraque munera solvit
Liber, et indoluit, quod non meliora petisset.
Laetus abit, gaudetque malo Berecyntius heros :
Pollicitique fidem tangendo singula temptat.
Vixque sibi credens, non alta fronde virenti
Ilice detraxit virgam: virga aurea facta est.

Tollit humo saxum: saxum quoque palluit auro.

Contigit et glebam: contactu gleba potenti

Massa fit. Arentes Cereris decerpsit aristas:

85

90

Aurea messis erat. Demptum tenet arbore pomum: 95
Hesperidas donasse putes. Si postibus altis
Admovit digitos, postes radiare videntur.
Ille etiam liquidis palmas ubi laverat undis,
Unda fluens palmis Danaën eludere posset.

Vix spes ipse suas animo capit, aurea fingens
Omnia. Gaudenti mensas posuere ministri
Exstructas dapibus, nec tostae frugis egentes.
Tum vero,
sive ille sua Cerealia dextrā
Munera contigerat, Cerealia dona rigebant:
Sive dapes avido convellere dente parabat,
Lamina fulva dapes, admoto dente, premebat.

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86. solvit] Grants,' with the incidental notion of' pays' or 'discharges,' for by his promise he had contracted, as it were, a debt.

88. Berecyntius] Midas is thus styled as the son of Cyběle, who is often called Berecyntia, from the Phrygian mountain Berecyntus, which was consecrated to her worship.

94. Massa] i. e. auri moles.

100

105

99. fluens palmis] i. e. de palmis; cf. fluit unda capillis, I. v. 97.

- Danaën — posset] Might have deceived Danaë;' as the golden shower did, in which Jupiter came down to her.

102. tostae frugis] i. e. bread; in the most ancient times grain was first roasted and then bruised

89. Polliciti fidem] "The truth for bread-making. Cf. torrete· fruges, Verg. G. 1. 267.

of the promise.'

90. non alta] Join with ilice.

106. premebat] 'Covered.'

102

METAMORPHOSEON LIBER XI.

Miscuerat puris auctorem muneris undis:
Fusile per rictus aurum fluitare videres.

Attonitus novitate mali, divesque miserque,
Effugere optat opes, et quae modo voverat, odit.
Copia nulla famem relevat: sitis arida guttur
Urit, et inviso meritus torquetur ab auro.

[125-145.

110

12

Ad caelumque manus et splendida bracchia tollens
"Da veniam, Lenaee pater! peccavimus," inquit
"Sed miserere, precor, speciosoque eripe damno." 115
Mite deum numen Bacchus peccasse fatentem
Restituit, factique fidem data munera solvit.
"Neve male optato maneas circumlitus auro,
Vade” ait “ad magnis vicinum Sardĭbus amnem,
Perque iugum montis labentibus obvius undis
Carpe viam, donec venias ad fluminis ortus,
Spumigeroque tuum fonti, quã plurimus exit,
Subde caput, corpusque simul, simul elue crimen.”
Rex iussae succedit aquae. Vis aurea tinxit
Flumen, et humano de corpore cessit in amnem.
Nunc quoque iam veteris percepto semine venae
Arva rigent auro madidis pallentia glebis.

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Q. CURTIUS RUFUS.

103

LIFE OF Q. CURTIUS RUFUS.

Or the life of Quintus Curtius no particulars have been handed down to us, nor has he been quoted by any ancient author. The first writers mentioning him date no earlier than the twelfth century. The conjectures as to the time in which he wrote have been very various. Two passages in his work furnish the only evidence we have bearing upon this point; but the more important of these uses language which can be applied to many of the Roman emperors down even to Theodosius the Great. It has also been asserted that his history was the work of a modern writer. But the prevailing opinion is, that Curtius lived early in the Christian era, probably not far from the time of Vespasian; on the contrary, other critics would make him contemporary with Septimius Sevērus.

He was, doubtless, a rhetorician, and his flowery, ornamented style has induced the critics to assume that it is entirely artificial, and an attempted imitation of Livy. It has life, brilliancy of expression, and freedom, but is wanting in simplicity. His admiration of

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