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frater ad eloquium viridi tendebat ab aevo,
fortia verbosi natus ad arma fori.

at mihi iam puero caelestia sacra placebant,
inque suum furtim Musa trahebat opus.
saepe pater dixit 'studium quid inutile temptas?
Maeonides nullas ipse reliquit opes.'

motus eram dictis totoque Helicone relicto
scribere conabar verba soluta modis:

sponte sua carmen numeros veniebat ad aptos;
et quod temptabam dicere, versus erat.
interea tacito passu labentibus annis

liberior fratri sumpta mihique togast;
induiturque umeris cum lato purpura clavo:
et studium nobis, quod fuit ante, manet.
iamque decem frater vitae geminaverat annos,
cum perit, et coepi parte carere mei.
cepimus et tenerae primos aetatis honores,
eque viris quondam pars tribus una fui.

34. eque vulg. deque A.

17. eloquium 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

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curia restabat: clavi mensura coactast:
maius erat nostris viribus illud onus.

nec patiens corpus, nec mens fuit apta labori,
sollicitaeque fugax ambitionis eram,
et petere Aoniae suadebant tuta sorores

otia, iudicio semper amata meo.
temporis illius colui fovique poetas,

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.
Ponticus heroo, Bassus quoque clarus iambis
dulcia convictus membra fuere mei;

et tenuit nostras numerosus Horatius aures,
dum ferit Ausonia carmina culta lyra.
Vergilium vidi tantum; nec amara Tibullo
tempus amicitiae fata dedere meae.

44. iuvat vulg. iuvet AH. 46. quo vulg. qui A. 51. amara w avara vulg.

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successor fuit hic tibi, Galle: Propertius illi:
quartus ab his serie temporis ipse fui.
utque ego maiores, sic me coluere minores,
notaque non tarde facta Thalia meast.
carmina cum primum populo iuvenalia legi,
barba resecta mihi bisve semelve fuit.
moverat ingenium totam cantata per urbem
nomine non vero dicta Corinna mihi.

multa quidem scripsi: sed quae vitiosa putavi,
emendaturis ignibus ipse dedi.

tunc quoque, cum fugerem, quaedam placitura
cremavi,

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.

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paene mihi puero nec digna nec utilis uxor
est data, quae tempus per breve nupta fuit.
illi successit quamvis sine crimine coniunx,

non tamen in nostro firma futura toro.
ultima, quae mecum seros permansit in annos,
sustinuit coniunx exulis esse viri.

filia me mea bis prima fecunda iuventa,
sed non ex uno coniuge, fecit avum.
et iam conplerat genitor sua fata novemque
addiderat lustris altera lustra novem ;
non aliter flevi, quam me fleturus ademptum
ille fuit. matri proxima iusta tuli.
felices ambo tempestiveque sepulti,

ante diem poenae quod periere meae!
me quoque felicem, quod non viventibus illis
sum miser, et de me quod doluere nihil!
si tamen extinctis aliquid nisi nomina restat,
et gracilis structos effugit umbra rogos:
85. restat vulg. restant AV.

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 hrst or his second wife. The daughter was herself twice married.

77. conplerat . . . sua fata: cf. Hom. l. 4, 170: ai 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. 85. Cf. Am. 3, 9, 59, n.

86. gracilis :

cf. Tib. 3, 2, 9.

'substanceless'; ·

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fama, parentales, si vos mea contigit, umbrae,
et sunt in Stygio crimina nostra foro:
scite, precor, causam

nec vos mihi fallere fas est
errorem iussae, non scelus, esse fugae.
manibus hoc satis est. ad vos, studiosa, revertor,
pectora, qui vitae quaeritis acta meae.
iam mihi canities pulsis melioribus annis
venerat, antiquas miscueratque comas,
postque meos ortus Pisaea vinctus oliva
abstulerat decies praemia victor equus,
cum maris Euxini positos ad laeva Tomitas
quaerere me laesi principis ira iubet.

causa meae cunctis nimium quoque nota ruinae
indicio non est testificanda meo.

quid referam comitumque nefas famulosque nocentes?
ipsa multa tuli non leviora fuga.

96. equus Bentley eques Mss. equis Strachan.

88. Cf. Prop. 4, 11, 19.

90. Cf. Intr. § 38; Trist. 1, 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

fifth year.
The lustrum was a
common five-year period in reck-
oning, which fostered the con-
fusion. Cf. Met. 14, 324-325:
per annos quinquennem; Tac.
Ann. 14, 20: quinquennale cer-
tamen. Ovid was past fifty when
banished.

97. positos ad laeva Tomitas:
Tomi was on the left side of the
Euxine as one passed through the
Bosporus.

99. nimium quoque: 'only too well.'

100. Ovid consistently preserves this judicious silence.

101. Cf. Trist. 1, 5, 63 sqq.; Hor. Car. 1, 35, 25.

102. fuga cf. v. 63.

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