128 The Prayer of Orpheus 129. The Prayer of Orpheus Eurydice, the young wife of Orpheus, was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus went after her to the world below and besought Pluto and Persephone to send her back to the upper world. Per ego haec loca plēna timōris, Per Chaos hoc ingens vastīque silentia regnī, Eurydices, ōrō, properāta retexite fāta. Omnia dēbēmur vōbīs, paulumque morātī 5 Sērius aut citius sēdem properāmus ad ūnam. Tendimus huc omnes; haec est domus ultima; vōsque Hūmānī generis longissima regna tenētis. Haec quoque, cum iustōs mātūra perēgerit annōs, Iūris erit vestrī; prō mūnere poscimus ūsum. 10 Quod si fata negant veniam pro coniuge, certum est Nolle redire mihi: lētō gaudēte duōrum. OVID, Metamorphoses x 29–39. 130. The Secret of Pompey's Success After Pompey's brilliant success in clearing the Mediterranean of pirates, it was proposed by the tribune Manilius that Pompey, who was still in the East, should be appointed to supersede the Roman generals conducting the war against Mithridates, king of Pontus. In support of this proposal Cicero, then praetor, made a speech to the people. Age vērō, cēterīs in rēbus quā ille sit temperantia, considerate. Unde illam tantam celeritatem The Secret of Pompey's Success 129 et tam incredibilem cursum inventum putatis ? Non enim illum eximia vis remigum, aut ars inaudīta quaedam gubernandi, aut venti aliqui 5 novi, tam celeriter in ultimas terras pertulērunt; sed eae res, quae ceterōs remorārī solent, nōn retardabant. Nōn avāritia ab institūtō cursū ad praedam aliquam dēvocavit, non amoenitās ad dēlectātiōnem, non nōbilitās urbis ad cognitionem, 10 nōn denique labor ipse ad quiētem; postrēmō signa et tabulās cēteraque ornamenta Graecōrum oppidōrum, quae ceteri tollenda esse arbitrantur, ea sibi ille nē visenda quidem existimavit. Itaque omnes nunc in iis locis Pompeium, sicut aliquem 15 nōn ex hāc urbe missum sed de caelō dēlapsum, intuentur; nunc denique incipiunt credere, fuisse hominēs Rōmānōs hac quondam continentia, quod iam nātiōnibus exterīs incredibile ac falsō memoriae prōditum vidēbātur; nunc imperii vestrī splendor 20 illīs gentibus lucem adferre coepit; nunc intellegunt nōn sine causā māiōrēs suōs tum, cum eã temperantia magistrātūs habēbāmus, servire populō Rōmānō quam imperāre aliīs māluisse. Iam vērō ita facilēs aditūs ad eum prīvātōrum, ita līberae 25 querimoniae de aliōrum iniūriīs esse dicuntur, ut is, qui dignitate principibus excellit, facilitāte infimis pār esse videatur. CICERO, De Imperio Pompeii, 40–42, D. S. L. 9 130 The Death of Fame 131. The Death of Fame Nisus and Euryalus had sallied forth by night from the camp of Aeneas and slain many of the Rutulian army. At last Euryalus was killed; Nisus first slew the slayer and then fell himself. Both earned immortal fame. Volvitur Euryalus lētō, pulchrōsque per artūs It cruor, inque humerōs cervix collapsa recumbit; Purpureus veluti cum flōs, succisus arātrō, Languescit moriens, lassōve papāvera collō 5 Dēmisere caput, pluvia cum forte gravantur. At Nīsus ruit in mediōs, sōlumque per omnes Volscentem petit, in sōlō Volscente morātur. Quem circum glomerātī hostes hinc cōminus atque hinc Prōturbant; instat nōn sētius, ac rotat ensem 10 Fulmineum, dōnec Rutuli clamantis in ōre Condidit adversō et moriens animam abstulit hosti. Tum super exanimum sēsē prōiēcit amīcum Confossus, placidaque ibi demum morte quiēvit. Fortūnāti ambō! Si quid mea carmina possunt, 15 Nulla dies umquam memori vōs eximet aevō, Dum domus Aeneae Capitōlī immōbile saxum Accolet, imperiumque pater Romānus habēbit. VIRGIL, Aeneid ix 431-447. A Change of Rulers 131 132. A Change of Rulers When Trajan became emperor of Rome in 98 A.D., the language of flattery, which had been so freely used to Domitian, became unfashionable; and Martial bids it depart to Parthia, where kings are still flattered. Frustra, Blanditiae, venītis ad mē, Dictūrus dominum deumque nōn sum. Hōc sub principe, sī sapis, cavēto, MARTIAL X 72. 133. A Short Way of Dealing with Kings In 168 B.C. Antiochus, king of Syria, invaded Egypt and had taken most of the country except Alexandria, when he was met by an embassy from Rome, the chief of which was M. Popilius Laenas. By this time the great Republic felt that she was a match for any of the kings of the East; and Popilius expressed the feelings of his country. Antiochus Ptolemaei lēgātīs respondit, non neque classem revocātūrum neque exercitum aliter 5 IO 132 The Claim of Ulysses reductūrum, nisi sibi et tōtā Cyprō et Pēlusiō cēderētur ; diemque praestituit, intra quam dē 5 condiciōnibus peractis responsum acciperet. Postquam dies data indūtiīs praeteriit, ad Alexandrēam modicis itineribus descendit. Ad Eleusinem transgressō flūmen, qui locus quattuor milia ab Alexandrea abest, lēgātī Rōmānī occurrerunt. Quōs 10 cum advenientēs salūtasset dextramque Popilio porrigeret, tabellās ei Popilius, senatus consultum scriptum habentēs, tradit, atque omnium prīmum id legere iubet. Quibus perlectīs cum sẽ consideratūrum, adhibitis amicis, quid faciendum sibi 15 esset, dixisset, Popilius, prō cēterā asperitāte animī, virgā, quam in manu gerebat, circumscripsit rēgem, ac ‘Priusquam hōc circulō excēdās ' inquit redde responsum, senatui quod referam.' Obstupefactus tam violentō imperiō parumper 20 cum haesitasset, Faciam' inquit 'quod censet senātus." Tum demum Popilius dextram rēgī 6 tamquam socio atque amico porrexit. LIVY xlv 11, 10. 134. The Claim of Ulysses After the death of Achilles there was a contest among the Greek chieftains before Troy for the right to inherit his divine armour. Ulysses here begins a speech in which he denies the right of Ajax to the armour and asserts his own superior claims. 'Si mea cum vestrīs valuissent võta, Pelasgi, Nōn foret ambiguus tanti certaminis hērēs, |