120 Vna caput seri nata nepotis alit, Qui, cum diuitiis uix tandem inuentus auitis Nomen testatas intulit in tabulas, Suscitat a cano uulturium capiti: 125 Nec tantum niueo gauisa est ulla columbo 130 Vt semel es flauo conciliata uiro. 120. caput: cf. 15. 16 n. 121 ff. The birth of an heir finally sets at naught the joy of the nextof-kin at the prospect of his own succession to the old man's wealth. By the Voconian Law (B.C. 169) no woman, not even an only daughter, could be the heir; cf. Gaius II. 274; Aug. Ciu. Dei III. 21. 5 lata est etiam illa lex Voconia, ne quis heredem feminam faceret, nec unicam filiam. 121. qui: sc. nepos. — inuentus: sc. heres. 122. testatas tabulas: i.e. the will, as duly signed and sealed in the presence of witnesses. After the completion of this legal form in favor of the grandson, the old man for the first time feels safe from the greedy expectations of the gentilis 123. impia: because his joy was over the childlessness (save for a daughter) or a relative.—derisi: as the ventilis has rejoiced over the disappointed hopes of the old man, so his own disappointment now becomes the obiect of mockery; for a similar example see Hor. Sat. II. 5. 55.- gentilis: the next-of-kin was not even one of the nearest relaties, the order of legal heirs estab lished in the Twelve Tables being sui heredes, agnati, gentiles. 124. uulturium: i.e. the presumptive heir, awaiting the old man's death as a vulture circles above his expected prey; cf. Sen. Epist 95. 43 at hoc hereditatis causa facit: uultur est, cadauer exspectat; Mart. VI. 62. 1 and 4 amisit pater unicum Salanus... cuius uulturis hoc erit cadauer? and (probably in the same sense) the reference to the coruus in Hor. Sat. II. 5. 56. -capiti: a very rare form of the ablative; see Neue Formenlehre 12 p. 238. 125 ff. Doves were patterns of conjugal affection and fidelity; cf. Prop. III. 15. 27, 28 extemplo iunctae tibi sint in amore columbae, masculus et totum femina coniugium; Plin. N. H. X. 104 columbae coniugi fidem non uiolant communemque seruant domum; Porph. on Hor. Epod. 16. 32 dicitur columba nulli alii concumbere quam cui se semel iunxit. 126. improbius, more wantonly. 128. multiuola: from the comparison to the dove, apparently with the meaning of multa oscula uolens, rather than of multos amatores uolens like v. 140 omniuoli. The Aut nihil aut paulo cui tum concedere digna 135 Quae tamenetsi uno non est contenta Catullo, Rara uerecundae furta feremus erae, 140 Ne nimium simus stultorum more molesti: Saepe etiam Iuno, maxima caelicolum, Ingratum tremuli tolle parentis onus. word occurs elsewhere only in the Vulgate (Sir. 9. 3). 131. aut nihil, etc.: the theme now turns back to Lesbia, whom it left with v. 72. 132. lux mea: cf. the same petname in v. 160; Tib. IV. 3. 15; (Sulp.) IV. 12. 1; Ov. Am. I. 8. 23. 133. The lover ascribes to Lesbia the attributes of Venus; cf. Hor. Carm. I. 2. 33 Erycina ridens, quam locus circum uolat et Cupido. hinc illinc: cf. 3. 9 n. 134. crocina in tunica: on the less common representation of a draped Eros see Sappho Frag. 64 [Ερωτα] ἐλθόντ ̓ ἐξ ὀράνω πορφυρίαν περθέμενον χλάμυν; and illustrations in Baumeister Denkmäler I. p. 498. The saffron color is chosen perhaps because it was the color of Hymen's garb also; cf. 61. 8 and 10. 135 ff. Catullus has apparently been informed (perhaps by Manlius; 68. 27) of the other infidelities of Lesbia, but now at first is trying to compromise with his love for her 95 100 by pleading that they are but few (rara), and do not indicate a settled defection from his love, since they are so carefully concealed (uerecundae erae); that even Queen Juno puts up with the multitudinous wanderings of her husband, and that after all Lesbia is not his wife, and, therefore, he ought rather to be grateful for the favors he does receive than to be overjealous of others. 136. furta: the word occurs first here in the erotic sense, but is found often in this sense in Vergil and the elegiasts; cf. however v. 145 furtiua munuscula; 7. 8 furtiuos amores.- erae: cf. v. 68 dominae; v. 156 domina. 140. omniuoli: i.e. omnes puellas volens; ἅπαξ λεγόμενον. — plurima furta: see the list in Hom. Il. XIV. 317 ff. 141. componier: cf. 61. 42 n. citarier. The very evident loss of at least two vv. between vv. 141 and 142 makes the point of v. 141 unintelligible. Nec tamen illa mihi dextra deducta paterna Fragrantem Assyrio uenit odore domum, 145 Sed furtiua dedit mira munuscula nocte 150 Ipsius ex ipso dempta uiri gremio. Hoc tibi quod potui confectum carmine munus Ne uestrum scabra tangat robigine nomen 105 110 Haec atque illa dies atque alia atque alia. Huc addent diui quam plurima, quae Themis olim Antiquis solita est munera ferre piis : 155 Sitis felices et tu simul et tua uita Et domus, in qua nos lusimus et domina, 143. tamen, after all. dextra deducta paterna: not literally that the father conducted the bride in the marriage procession to the bridegroom's house, but figuratively only, in that marriages were arranged with the consent of the head of the family; cf. 62. 60. 144. Assyrio odore: cf. 6. 8 n. 148. lapide candidiore: cf. 64. 222 n.; 107. 6; Hor. Carm. I. 36. 10 Cressa ne careat pulchra dies nota, which Porphyrio explains by saying that the Cretans were accustomed to drop a white pebble into their quivers as a memorial of a day of happiness, and a black pebble to mark a day of sorrow. Bentley on the same passage gives further citations. 149-160. The panegyric concludes with a direct address to Allius, which some critics have taken as a distinct poem, or as a strongly marked division of c. 68 as a threefold, though single, poem. 151. uestrum: as the name be 115 153. huc: i.e. to this small tribute of mine.-Themis: the goddess of justice, often identified with Astraea, on whom see 66. 65 n. uirginis. 155. sitis felices: so also with reference to a love affair in 100. 8 sis felix. uita: see 45. 13 n., and cf. 104. 1; 109. I. 156. lusimus: cf. 17. 17 ludere. - domina: i.e. Lesbia; together with nos the word is the subject of lusimus; not together with tu, etc., of sitis, since the wish for Lesbia's prosperity is expressed in v. 159 f. 160 Et qui principio nobis † terram dedit aufert, A quo sunt primo omnia nata bona, Et longe ante omnes mihi quae me carior ipso est, 69. Noli admirari quare tibi femina nulla, Rufe, uelit tenerum supposuisse femur, 5 Laedit te quaedam mala fabula, qua tibi fertur Hunc metuunt omnes. Neque mirum: nam mala ualde est Bestia, nec quicum bella puella cubet. 157. The verse apparently refers to some person whose assistance antedated that of Allius, perhaps in that he introduced Catullus to Lesbia or to Allius. 158. primo: on the hiatus following see Intr. 86 d. omnia bona: the love of Lesbia was all in all to Catullus; cf. 77. 4. 159. longe ante omnes: sc. sit felix. me carior ipso: cf. Culex 211 tua dum mihi carior ipsa uita fuit uita; Ov. Ex. Pont. II. 8. 27 per patriae nomen, quae te tibi carior ipso est; and for similar comparisons in Catullus, 3. 5 n. 160. lux mea: i.e. Lesbia; cf. v. 132 n. — qua uiua, etc.: cf. Hor. Epod. 1. 5 nos quibus te uita si superstite iucunda, si contra, grauis. 69. A bit of personal satire directed probably against M. Caelius Rufus; see Intr. 59. Caelius is generally known as an exquisite and a lady-killer - a reputation 1.20 4. perluciduli: äraş λeybμevov as diminutive; but cf. Sen. Epist. 90. 45 non aurum nec argentum nec perlucidos lapides. -deliciis: cf. 2. I n.; Hor. Carm. IV. 8. 10 animus deliciarum egens. 6. caper: a common figure for this particular odor; cf. 37. 5; 71. 1; Hor. Ep. I. 5. 29 nimis arta premunt olidae conuiuia caprae. 7. neque mirum: cf. 23. 7 n. 8. quicum: feminine, as in 66. 77, but rare in this gender. Quare aut crudelem nasorum interfice pestem, 70. Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle 71. Si cui iure bono sacer alarum obstitit hircus, 9. interfice: carrying on the figure in bestia. 10. fugiunt: on the indicative instead of subjunctive in indirect questions in archaic and colloquial Latin see Draeger Hist. Synt. II. § 463. I e. 70. A jesting epigram addressed to Lesbia, and written while the amour with her was as yet undisturbed. The precise date cannot be more accurately determined. It is unnecessary to suppose that Metellus was actually dead and Lesbia considering a new marriage as a practical problem. 1. mulier mea: cf. Hor. Epod. 12. 23 magis quem diligeret mulier sua quam te (of lovers); and mea puella of Lesbia in 2. I and often. 2. non si: see 69. 3 n.-Iuppiter ipse petat: cf. 72. 2; Plaut. Cas. 302 negaui enim ipsi me [Casinam uxorem] concessurum Ioui; Ov. Met. VII. 801 nec Iouis illa meo thalamos praeferret amori. n. 3 f. Cf. Soph. Frag. 741 ὅρκους ἐγὼ γυναικὸς εἰς ὕδωρ γράφω; Plat. Phaedr. 276 оок ара σTOνdn αὐτὰ ἐν ὕδατι γράψει, and frequent examples in the Greek; Aug. Ciu. Dei XIX. 23 magis poteris in aqua impressis litteris scribere. quam pollutae reuoces impiae uxoris sensum; also 30. 10 n., and the epitaph of Keats, Here lies one whose name was writ in water. 71. A puzzling bit of coarseness addressed, perhaps in a satirical tone (cf. v. 4 n. a te), to an un named and unknown man (cf. in this respect cc. 78b and 104). Perhaps, however, the aemulus (v. 3) is Caelius Rufus (cf. c. 69). I. iure bono, justly; apparently with the meaning of the familiar iure optimo, though not found elsewhere. The conjunction of iure with merito, as here (v. 2), was common; cf. Plaut. Most. 713 te ipse iure optumo merito incuses licet; Cic. Cat. III. 6. 14 merito ac iure laudantur; Juv. 2. 34 iure ac merito uitia ultima fictos contemnunt Scauros. sacer, cursed; cf. 14. 12.- -alarum hircus: cf. 69. 6 n.-obstitit: i.e. hindered him from being an attractive lover, while the gout hindered him from being a happy one. 2. tarda podagra, the limping gout, the adjective being used in |