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DE SCAEVOLA.

Lictorem pro rege necans nunc mutius ultro
Sacrifico propriam concremat igne manum:

Miratur Porsenna virum, paenamque relaxans
Maxima cum obscessis faedera a victor init,

Plus flammis patriae confert quam fortibus armis,
Una domans bellum funere dextra sua.

ENGLISHED.
The hand, by which no king but serjeant<97.1> dies,

Mutius in fire doth freely sacrifice;
The prince admires the Hero, quits his pains,

And Victor from the seige peace entertains;
Rome's more oblig'd to flames than arms or pow'r,

When one burnt hand shall the whole war devour.<97.2>
<97.1> A somewhat imperfect rendering of LICTOR.

<97.2> The reader will easily judge for himself of the valueless
character of these translations; but it is only just to Lovelace

to suggest that they were probably academic exercises only,
and at the same time to submit that they are not much worse than

Marlowe's translation of Ovid, and many other versions of the
Classics then current.

<-------------------->
DE CATONE.

Invictus victis in partibus omnia Caesar
Vincere qui potuit, te, Cato, non potuit.

OF CATO.
The world orecome, victorious Caesar, he

That conquer'd all, great Cato, could not thee.
<-------------------->

ITEM.
Ictu non potuit primo Cato solvere vitam;

Defecit tanto vulnere victa manus:
Altius inseruit digitos, qua spiritus ingens

Exiret, magnum dextera fecit iter.
Opposuit fortuna moram, involvitque, Catonis

Scires ut ferro plus valuisse manum.
ANOTHER.

One stabbe could not fierce Cato's<98.1> life unty;
Onely his hand of all that wound did dy.

Deeper his fingers tear to make a way
Open, through which his mighty soul might stray.

Fortune made this delay to let us know,
That Cato's hand more then his sword could do.

<98.1> Cato of Utica.
<-------------------->

ITEM.
Jussa manus sacri pectus violare Catonis

Haesit, et inceptum victa reliquit opus.
Ille ait, infesto contra sua vulnera vultu:

Estne aliquid, magnus quod Cato non potuit?
ANOTHER.

The hand of sacred Cato, bad to tear
His breast, did start, and the made wound forbear;

Then to the gash he said with angry brow:
And is there ought great Cato cannot do?

<-------------------->
ITEM.

Dextera, quid dubitas? durum est jugulare Catonem;
Sed modo liber erit: jam puto non dubitas!

Fas non est vivo quenquam servire Catone,
Nedum ipsum vincit nunc Cato si moritur.

ANOTHER.
What doubt'st thou, hand? sad Cato 'tis to kill;

But he'l be free: sure, hand, thou doubt'st not still!
Cato alive, 'tis just all men be free:

Nor conquers he himself, now if he die.
<-------------------->

PENTADII.
Non est, fulleris, haec beata non est

Quod vos creditis esse, vita non est:
Fulgentes manibus videre gemmas

Et testudineo jacere lecto,
Aut pluma latus abdidisse molli,

Aut auro bibere, aut cubare cocco;
Regales dapibus gravare mensas,

Et quicquid Lybico secatur arvo;
Non una positum tenere cella:

Sed nullos trepidum timere casus,
Nec vano populi favore tangi,

Et stricto nihil aestuare ferro:
Hoc quisquis poterit, licebit illi

Fortunam moveat loco superbus.
ENGLISHED.

It is not, y' are deceav'd, it is not blisse
What you conceave a happy living is:

To have your hands with rubies bright to glow,
Then on your tortoise-bed your body throw,

And sink your self in down, to drink in gold,
And have your looser self in purple roll'd;

With royal fare to make the tables groan,
Or else with what from Lybick fields is mown,

Nor in one vault hoard all your magazine,
But at no cowards fate t' have frighted bin;

Nor with the peoples breath to be swol'n great,
Nor at a drawn stiletto basely swear.

He that dares this, nothing to him's unfit,
But proud o' th' top of fortunes wheel may sit.

<-------------------->
AD M. T. CICERONEM.

CATUL EP. 50.
Disertissime Romuli nepotum,

Quot sunt, quotque fuere, Marce Tulli,
Quotque post alios erunt in annos,

Gratias tibi maximas Catullus
Agit, pessimus omnium poeta:

Tanto pessimus omnium poeta,
Quanto tu optimus omnium patronus.

TO MARCUS T. CICERO.
IN AN ENGLISH PENTASTICK.

Tully to thee, Rome's eloquent sole heir,
The best of all that are, shall be, and were,

I the worst poet send my best thanks and pray'r:
Ev'n by how much the worst of poets I,

By so much you the best of patrones be.
<-------------------->

AD JUVENCIUM. CAT. EP. 49.
Mellitos oculos tuos, Juvenci,

Si quis me sinat usque basiare,
Usque ad millia basiem trecenta;

Nec unquam videat satur futurus:
Non si densior aridis aristis,

Sit nostrae seges osculationis.
TO JUVENCIUS.

Juvencius, thy fair sweet eyes
If to my fill that I may kisse,

Three hundred thousand times I'de kisse,
Nor future age should cloy this blisse;

No, not if thicker than ripe ears
The harvest of our kisses bears.

<-------------------->
DE PUERO ET PRAECONE. CATUL.

Cum puero bello praeconem qui videt esse,
Quid credat, nisi se vendere discupere?

CATUL.
With a fair boy a cryer we behold,

What should we think, but he would not be sold?<99.1>
<99.1> Lovelace has made nonsense of this passage. We ought

to read rather, "but that he would be sold!"
<-------------------->

PORTII LICINII.
Si Phoebi soror es, mando tibi, Delia, causam,

Scilicet, ut fratri quae peto verba feras:
Marmore Sicanio struxi tibi, Delphice, templum,

Et levibus calamis candida verba dedi.
Nunc, si nos audis, atque es divinus Apollo,

Dic mihi, qui nummos non habet unde petat.
ENGLISHED.

If you are Phoebus sister, Delia, pray,
This my request unto the Sun convay:

O Delphick god, I built thy marble fane,
And sung thy praises with a gentle cane,<100.1>

Now, if thou art divine Apollo, tell,
Where he, whose purse is empty, may go fill.

<100.1> Reed or pipe.
<-------------------->

SENECAE EX CLEANTHE.
Duc me, Parens celsique Dominator poli,

Quocunque placuit, nulla parendi mora est;
Adsum impiger; fac nolle, comitabor gemens,

Malusque patiar facere, quod licuit bono.
Ducunt volentem Fata, nolentem trahunt.

ENGLISHED.
Parent and Prince of Heav'n, O lead, I pray,

Where ere you please, I follow and obey.
Active I go, sighing, if you gainsay,

And suffer bad what to the good was law.
Fates lead the willing, but unwilling draw.

<-------------------->
QUINTI CATULI.

Constiteram exorientem Auroram forte salutans,
Cum subito a laeva Roscius exoritur.

Pace mihi liceat, coelestes, dicere vestra.
Mortalis visu pulchrior esse deo.

Blanditur puero satyrus vultuque manuque;
Nolenti similis retrahit ora puer:

Quem non commoveat, quamvis de marmore? fundit
Pene preces satyrus, pene puer lachrymas.

ENGLISHED.
As once I bad good morning to the day,

O' th' sudden Roscius breaks in a bright ray:
Gods with your favour, I've presum'd to see

A mortal fairer then a deitie.
With looks and hands a satyre courts the boy,

Who draws back his unwilling cheek as coy.
Although of marble hewn, whom move not they?

The boy ev'n seems to weep, the satyre, pray.
<-------------------->

FLORIDI. DE EBRIOSO.
Phoebus me in somnis vetuit potare Lyaeum,

Pareo praeceptis: tunc bibo cum vigilo.
OF A DRUNKARD.

Phoebus asleep forbad me wine to take:
I yield; and now am only drunk awake.

<-------------------->
DE ASINO QUI DENTIBUS AENEIDEM CONSUMPSIT.

Carminis iliaci libros consumpsit asellus;
Hoc fatum Troiae est: aut equus, aut asinus.

THE ASSE EATING THE AENEIDS.
A wretched asse the Aeneids did destroy:

A horse or asse is still the fate of Troy.
<-------------------->



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