15

20

Quod licuisse mihi indignatus perfidus hostis,
Saevitiae insanis stimulis exarsit et ira,
Namque triumphali invectus Capitolia curru,
Insignes inter titulos gentesque subactas
Exinctae infelix simulachrum duxit et amens
Spectaclo explevit crudelia lumina inani;
Neu longaeva vetustas facti famam aboleret,

25

STATUE OF CLEOPATRA IN THE VATICAN MUSEUM AT ROME

Aut seris mea sors ignota nepotibus esset.
Effigiem excudi spiranti e marmore iussit,
Testari et casus fatum miserabile nostri.
25 Quam deinde, ingenium artificis miratus Iulus
Egregium, celebri visendam sede locavit
Signa inter veterum heroum, saxoque perennes
Supposuit lacrimas aegrae solatia mentis;

19. Exinctae 27. saxoque ..

=

excinctae: sc. mei: 'with loosened robe.'Supposuit: 'added to the stone.'-28. lacrimas:

Optatae non ut deflerem gaudia mortis,
(Nam mihi nec lacrimas lethali vipera morsu
Excussit, nec mors ullum intulit ipsa timorem)
Sed charo ut cineri et dilecti coniugis umbrae
Aeternas lacrimas, aeterni pignus amoris
Maesta darem, inferiasque inopes, et tristia dona.
Has etiam tamen infensi rapuere Quirites;

At tu, Magne LEO, divum genus, aurea sub quo
Saecula et antiquae redierunt laudis honores,
Si te praesidium miseris mortalibus ipse
Omnipotens Pater aetherio demisit Olympo,
Et tua si immensae virtuti est aequa potestas,
Munificaque manu dispensas dona deorum,
Annue supplicibus votis, nec vana precari
Me sine. Parva peto: lacrimas, pater optime, redde,
Redde ore fletum, fletus mihi muneris instar,
Improba quando aliud nil iam Fortuna reliquit.
At Niobe ausa Deas scelerata incessere lingua,
Induerit licet in durum praecordia marmor,
Flet tamen, assiduusque liquor de marmore manat.
Vita mihi dispar, vixi sine crimine, si non
Crimen amare vocas; fletus solamen amantum est.
Adde quod afflictis nostrae iucunda voluptas
Sunt lacrimae, dulcesque invitant murmure somnos.
Et cum exusta siti Icarius canis arva perurit,
Huc potum veniunt volucres, circumque supraque
Frondibus insultant, tenero tum gramine laeta
Terra viret, rutilantque suis poma aurea ramis,
Hic ubi odoratum surgens densa nemus umbra
Hesperidum dites truncos non invidet hortis.

the statue is apparently part of a fountain. — 36. Magne LEO: Leo X, the patron of Castiglione and his contemporaries. 43. lacrimas . . redde: i.e. start the water of the fountain flowing again.

...

5

10

15

M. ANTONII FLAMINII CARMINUM LIBRI IIII

Marcantonio Flaminio (1498–1550) was another of the brilliant galaxy of scholars and poets who flourished in the age of Leo X. Yet, though well acquainted with the society of the leading cities of Italy, he preferred to live quietly in his villa on the Lago di Garda, studying and writing. His Latin is elegant in style and pure enough for the classical age.

A TEMPTING INVITATION

Ad Franciscum Turrianum

Per tui Ciceronis et Terenti
Scripta te rogo, Turriane docte,
Ut postridie adhuc rubente mane,

Cum faecundat humum decorus almo
Rore Lucifer, exiens Giberti

Domo ad me venias equo citato,

Ne tibi igneus antevertat aestus.
Hic fontem prope vitreum sub umbra
Formosi nemoris tibi parabo

Prandium Iove dignum; habebis et lac
Dulce, et caseolum recentem, et ova,
Et suaves pepones, novaque cera
Magis lutea pruna, delicatos
Addam pisciculos, nitens salubri
Quos alit mihi rivulus sub unda.

The verses are Phalaeceans. 12. pepones: 'pumpkins.'

11. caseolum: 'little cheese.'

Ad mensam vetulus canet colonus
Iocosissima carmina, et coloni
Quinque filiolae simul choreas
Plaudent virgineo pede. Inde ocellos
Ut primum sopor incubans gravabit,
Iucundissime amice, te sub antrum
Ducam, quod croceis tegunt corymbis
Serpentes hederae, imminensque laurus
Suaviter foliis susurrat; at tu
Ne febrim metuas gravedinemve,
Est enim locus innocens. Ubi ergo
Hic satis requieveris, legentur
Lusus Vergilii, et Syracusani
Vatis, quo nihil est magis venustum,
Nihil dulcius, ut mihi videtur.
Cum se fregerit aestus, in virenti
Convalle spatiabimur, sequetur

Brevis coena, redibis inde ad urbem.

28. Syracusani Vatis: Theocritus. 33. coena cena; 2 (1).

30

IVLII CAESARIS SCALIGERI POEMATA

Iulius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558) claimed to belong to the famous Della Scala family of Verona. His own account of his early years has been somewhat discredited. Whatever the truth concerning his military and scholarly career in early life, it cannot be doubted that after he settled in Agen in 1525 he achieved an eminence in science and letters unparalleled by any man of his time. His philosophical writings and his treatises on grammar and metric and on various natural sciences gave him a great reputation, and he was credited by succeeding scholars as having best interpreted Aristotle of any of the men of more modern times. Yet his violence and assumption of perfection injured his work seriously, and scholars of today consider it more brilliant than reliable.

Included in the prodigious amount of his writings is an enormous mass of verse, much of it of little interest to our day, yet exhibiting one side of his genius. Many editions of this poetry were printed. The edition used for these selections was published in 1621 and contains more than a thousand pages. Among the most readable of the poems are some of those included in the division headed, Manes Catulliani, two samples of which are here printed, reminiscent of Catullus in various ways, and written in his favorite Phalaeceans.

Iulius Caesar Scaliger was the father of fifteen children, one of whom was the even greater scholar, Ioseph Iustus Scaliger.