Praeda puellārēs animōs prōlectat inānis, Et dominam cāsū nulla secuta comes. 33. A. Father's Charge Aegeus, king of Athens, on parting with his son Theseus, who was going to Crete to fight with the Minotaur, hung black sails upon the ship, and told Theseus to hoist white sails instead, if he came home victorious. Nāte, mihi longā iucundior, únice, vītā, Nāte, ego quem in dubiōs cōgor dimittere cāsūs, 15 20 25 5 30 Breathes there the Man with Soul so dead? Inde infecta vagō suspendam lintea mālō, Nostros ut luctus nostraeque incendia mentis Carbasus obscūrāta dicet ferrugine Hibērā. Quod tibi si sancti concesserit incola Itōni, 15 Quae nostrum genus ac sēdēs defendere Erechthi Adnuit, ut tauri respergās sanguine dextram, Tum vērō facitō ut memorī tibi condita corde Haec vigeant mandāta, nec ulla oblitteret aetās; Ut, simul ac nostros invisent lumina colles, 20 Fūnestam antennae depōnant undique vestem, Candidaque intorti sustollant vēla rudentēs; Quam primum cernens ut laetā gaudia mente Agnoscam, cum te reducem aetās prospera sistet CATULLUS lxiv 215-237. 34. Breathes there the Man with Soul so dead? Atticus and Cicero are together at Arpinum. Atticus admires the simple and natural beauty of the place ; Cicero adds that he has a personal reason for loving it, because it is his birthplace. Atticus. Sed visne, quoniam et satis iam ambulātum est et tibi aliud dicendi initium sumendum est, locum mūtēmus, et in insula, quae est in Fibrēnō (nam hoc, opinor, illi alteri flūminī nōmen 5 est) sermōnī reliquo demus operam sedentes? Cicero. Sāne quidem; nam illo loco libentissimē soleō ūtī, sive quid mecum ipse cogitō, sive quid scrībō aut legō. Atticus. Equidem satiārī nōn queō, magnifiIo casque villas et pavimenta marmorea et laqueāta Breathes there the Man with Soul so dead? 31 tecta contemnō; ductūs vērō aquarum quis nōn, cum haec videat, inrīserit? Itaque, ut tū paulō ante, de lēge et de iure disserens, ad nātūram referēbās omnia, sic in his ipsis rebus, quae ad requiētem animī dēlectātiōnemque quaeruntur, 15 nātūra dominātur. Anteā mīrābar, tē tam valdē hoc loco delectārī; nunc contrā mīror, tē, cum Rōmā absīs, usquam potius esse. Cicero. Ego vērō, cum licet plūrēs dies abesse, praesertim hoc tempore annī, et amoenitātem hanc 20 et salubritatem sequor; rārō autem licet. Sed nīmīrum mē alia quoque causa dēlectat, quae tē nōn attingit. Atticus. Quae tandem ista causa est? Cicero. Quia, si vērum dicimus, haec est mea 25 et hūius frātris meī germāna patria; hīc enim orti stirpe antiquissima sumus; hīc sacra, hic genus, hic mãiōrum multa vestīgia. Quid plūra? Hanc vidēs villam, ut nunc quidem est, lautius aedificātam patris nostrī studiō, qui, cum esset infirmā 30 valetudine, hic fere aetatem egit in litteris; sed hōc ipsō in locō, cum avus vīveret et antiquō mōre parva esset villa, mē scītō esse nātum. Quārē inest nescio quid et latet in animō ac sensū meō, quō mē plūs hic locus fortasse dēlectet, siquidem etiam ille 35 sapientissimus vir, Ithacam ut videret, immortālitātem scribitur repudiasse. Atticus. Ego vērō tibi istam iustam causam puto, cur huc libentius veniās atque hunc locum diligās, CICERO, De Legibus ii 1–4. 40 35. The Praise of Italy (1) No land on earth can rival Italy: her soil is the most fertile; no wild beasts or poisonous plants or deadly serpents are found in her borders. Sed neque Mēdōrum silvae, dītissima terra, Nec pulcher Ganges atque aurō turbidus Hermus Laudibus Italiae certent, nōn Bactra, neque Indi, Tōtaque tūriferis Panchaïa pinguis harēnīs. 5 Haec loca non taurī, spīrantēs nāribus ignem, Invertēre, satīs immanis dentibus hydrī, Nec galeis densisque virûm seges horruit hastīs; Sed gravidae fruges et Bacchi Massicus ūmor Implēvēre, tenent oleae armentaque laeta. 10 Hinc bellator equus campō sēsē arduus infert; Hinc albi, Clītumne, greges et maxima taurus Victima, saepe tuo perfūsī flūmine sacrō, Rōmānōs ad templa deûm duxere triumphōs. Hic vēr assiduum atque aliēnīs mensibus aestās, 15 Bis gravidae pecudēs, bis pōmīs ūtilis arbos. At rabidae tīgrēs absunt et saeva leōnum Semina, nec miserōs fallunt aconita legentes; Nec rapit immensōs orbes per humum neque tantō Squameus in spīram tractū sẽ colligit anguis. VIRGIL, Georgic ii 136-154. Italy too has noble cities, rivers, seas, lakes, and harbours; she has mines and metals; but her chief glory is her breed of men. Adde tot egregiās urbēs operumque labōrem, 5 Anne lacus tantōs, tē, Lārī maxime, tēque, Adsuētumque malō Ligurem, Volscōsque verūtōs Sālvē, magna parens frugum, Saturnia tellūs, Magna virûm! Tibi res antiquae laudis et artis 20 Ingredior, sanctos ausus recludere fontes, Ascraeumque canō Rōmāna per oppida carmen. VIRGIL, Georgic ii 155–176. D. 8. L. 3 |