20 frater ad eloquium viridi tendebat ab aevo, at mihi iam puero caelestia sacra placebant, 25 sponte sua carmen numeros veniebat ad aptos; 3309 17. eloquium = 34. eque vulg. deque A. eloquentia, a variation common after this time. 18. Cf. Prop. 4, 1, 134. 19. caelestia sacra: i.e. the poetic art. 21. studium. . . inutile: poetry was not "practical," as the saying goes to-day of similar pursuits. 22. Maeonides: cf. Am. 3, 6, 25, n. 23. Helicone : the Boeotian mountain recognized as the abode of the Muses. 24. verba soluta modis: 'prose.' 27. labentibus annis: the date for the assumption of the toga virilis was not definitely fixed, ROM. EL. POETS - 27 417 but usually came on the Liberalia (March 17), and not often later than the boy's seventeenth year. 28. liberior: since it indicated a greater degree of freedom for the young man. 29. lato . . . clavo: instead of the usual tunica angusticlavia of the knight. Sons of senators and of noble knights often in the Augustan epoch assumed the tunica laticlavia as a token that they were planning a higher official career. 32. Cf. Cat. 68, 22. 34. viris . . . tribus: either the tresviri capitales, who punished 35 40 45 50 curia restabat: clavi mensura coactast: nec patiens corpus, nec mens fuit apta labori, otia, iudicio semper amata meo. quotque aderant vates, rebar adesse deos. saepe suas volucres legit mihi grandior aevo, quaeque nocet serpens, quae iuvat herba, Macer. saepe suos solitus recitare Propertius ignes, iure sodalicii quo mihi iunctus erat. et tenuit nostras numerosus Horatius aures, 44. iuvat vulg. iuvet AH. 46. quo vulg. qui A. 51. amara w avara vulg. slaves and criminals of low rank; or the tresviri monetales, who had charge of the coinage. Ovid was also a member of the decemviri stlitibus iudicandis, and of the centumviral court; but he never really entered on the regular senatorial offices, which properly began with the quaestorship. 35. curia: the senate house, to which he would have naturally looked forward, had he chosen to follow the senatorial career. clavi mensura coactast: i.e. he was obliged, on giving up the senatorial career, to relinquish also 55 60 65 successor fuit hic tibi, Galle: Propertius illi: multa quidem scripsi: sed quae vitiosa putavi, tunc quoque, cum fugerem, quaedam placitura iratus studio carminibusque meis. molle Cupidineis nec inexpugnabile telis cor mihi, quodque levis causa moveret, erat. cum tamen hic essem minimoque accenderer igni, nomine sub nostro fabula nulla fuit. 53. Galle: cf. Intr. § 12. 56. Thalia: 'Muse,' in general; here for the product of the Muse. 57. The custom of holding readings (recitationes) of one's own works before publication, in the presence of a select company of invited guests, was introduced by Asinius Pollio. 58. The first cutting of the youthful beard was a festal occasion; and the cuttings were offered to divinities (the depositio barbae). 60. nomine non vero: her real name is not known, if indeed there was any real person involved. The name may have been easily derived from the Greek name for girl, Kópη. There was also a Boeotian poetess of the same name. : 63. fugerem of going into banishment; cf. Tac. Ann. 3, 24. - placitura: which would probably have proved popular.' — cremavi: cf. Intr. § 39; Trist. 1, 7, 15 sqq. 64. iratus: grieving for.' 68. fabula: 'gossip.' Ovid's life, he maintains steadfastly, was pure, in spite of the impurity of some of his writings. Cf. Trist. 2, 353-354: crede mihi, distant mores a carmine nostro: vita verecunda est, musa iocosa mea. Other Roman writers, e.g. Catullus, Martial, and even Pliny the younger, argued similarly. 70 75 80 85 paene mihi puero nec digna nec utilis uxor non tamen in nostro firma futura toro. filia me mea bis prima fecunda iuventa, sed non ex uno coniuge, fecit avum. ante diem poenae quod periere meae! 69. paene mihi puero: 'when I was hardly more than a boy.' A Roman boy might marry as early as the age of fourteen, and a girl at twelve; but a greater age was more usual. - -uxor: one of Ovid's first two wives came from Falerii, as we learn from Am. 3, 13, 1. Both were divorced from him. 73. Ovid's third wife proved faithful and devoted through the long years of his banishment, and survived him. She belonged to the noble family of the Fabii, and was a widow with one daughter when married to the poet. He preferred to have her remain in Rome, in the hope that she might exert influence to secure his recall. 75. filia. . . mea: by his first or his second wife. The daughter was herself twice married. 77. conplerat sua fata: cf. Hom. I. 4, 170: až ke Oávys καὶ πότμον ἀναπλήσης βιότοιο. 78. Ovid's father died at the age of ninety. 80. iusta tuli: 'paid the last honors,' like iusta solvere and iusta dare. 82. poenae i.e. his relegatio. 86. gracilis : cf. Tib. 3, 2, 9. 90 95 100 fama, parentales, si vos mea contigit, umbrae, nec vos mihi fallere fas est causa meae cunctis nimium quoque nota ruinae quid referam comitumque nefas famulosque nocentes? 96. equus Bentley eques Mss. equis Strachan. 88. Cf. Prop. 4, 11, 19. 90. Cf. Intr. § 38; Trist. I, 3, 37-38: quis me deceperit error, dicite, pro culpa ne scelus esse putet. 91. studiosa... pectora: ' eager souls.' 94. antiquas: ' of old age.' -miscueratque : sc. some word for 'with that of youth.' For the position of the enclitic, cf. Tib. 2, 5, 72, n. 95. Pisaea the Olympic games were celebrated near Pisa in Elis. vinctus oliva: the victors were crowned with wreaths of olive. 96. The Olympic games were held every four years, i.e. after four years; so Ovid calls it every |