Satire on Pursuit of Wealth and the Virtuous Sage — Horace, Epistles Book 1 (1.1.55–1.1.108), Latin & English

prodocet, haec recinunt iuvenes dictata senesque,

teaches, and young and old repeat these dictations,

laevo suspensi loculos tabulamque¹ lacerto.

with a satchel and writing tablet slung over their left arm.

est animus tibi, sunt mores, est lingua fidesque,

You have mind, you have character, you have tongue and loyalty,

sed quadringentis sex septem milia desunt;

but six or seven thousand sesterces are lacking to the four hundred thousand;

plebs eris. at pueri ludentes, rex eris, aiunt,

you will be a plebeian. Yet children at play say: ‘You shall be king,’

si recte facies. hic murus aeneus esto,

’if you act rightly.’ Let this be a bronze wall:

nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa.²

to be conscious of no guilt, to turn pale at no crime.

Roscia, dic sodes, melior lex an puerorum est

Tell me, please, is the Roscian law better, or the children’s

nenia, quae regnum recte facientibus offert,

ditty, which offers the kingdom to those who act rightly,

et maribus Curiis et decantata Camillis?

sung of old by manly Curius and Camillus?

isne tibi melius suadet, qui “rem facias, rem,

Does he advise you better who says: ‘Make money, money,

si possis, recte, si non, quocumque modo, rem,”

if you can, honestly; if not, in any way you can, money,’

ut propius spectes lacrimosa poemata Pupi,

that you may view the tearful plays of Pupius from a closer seat,

an qui Fortunae te responsare superbae

or he who, present by your side, exhorts and equips you to stand up

liberum et erectum praesens hortatur et aptat?

free and erect against proud Fortune?

Quod si me populus Romanus forte roget, cur

But if the Roman people should perchance ask me why

non ut porticibus sic iudiciis fruar isdem,

I do not enjoy the same judgments as I do the same porticoes,

nec sequar aut fugiam quae diligit ipse vel odit,

nor follow or flee what they themselves love or hate,

olim quod volpes aegroto cauta leoni

I shall reply as the cautious fox once replied to the sick lion:

respondit, referam: “quia me vestigia terrent,

’Because the footsteps terrify me,

omnia te adversum spectantia, nulla retrorsum.”

all looking toward you, and none looking back.’

belua multorum es capitum, nam quid sequar aut quem?

You are a beast of many heads! For what or whom should I follow?

pars hominum gestit conducere publica; sunt qui

One part of men longs to farm the public revenues; some there are who

frustis et pomis viduas venentur avaras

hunt covetous widows with morsels and fruits,

excipiantque senes, quos in vivaria mittant;

and catch old men to send into their preserves;

multis occulto crescit res faenore. Verum

with many, wealth grows by hidden usury. But grant

esto aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri:³

that different people are held by different pursuits and studies:

idem eadem possunt horam durare probantes?

can the same persons persist for an hour in approving the same things?

nullus in orbe sinus Bais praelucet amoenis,

’No bay in the world outshines lovely Baiae,’

si dixit dives, lacus et mare sentit amorem

if the rich man has said, the lake and the sea feel the passion

festinantis eri; cui si vitiosa libido

of the hurrying master; to whom if a morbid whim

fecerit auspicium, “cras ferramenta Teanum

gives the omen, ‘Tomorrow, builders, you will carry

tolletis, fabri!” lectus genialis in aula est:

your tools to Teanum!’ Is the genial bed in his hall?

nil ait esse prius, melius nil caelibe vita;

he says nothing is prior, nothing better than a single life;

si non est, iurat bene solis esse maritis.

if it is not, he swears that only husbands are well off.

quo teneant voltus mutantem Protea nodo?

With what knot can I hold this Proteus who changes his face?

quid pauper? ride: mutat cenacula, lectos,

What of the poor man? Laugh! He changes his attics, his beds,

balnea, tonsores, conducto navigio aeque

baths, barbers; in a hired boat he is just as

nauseat ac locuples, quem ducit priva triremis.

seasick as the rich man who sails in his private trireme.

Si curatus inaequali tonsore capillos

If I meet you with my hair cut by an uneven barber,

occurri, rides; si forte subucula pexae

you laugh; if perchance a worn undergarment

trita subest tunicae, vel si toga dissidet impar,

is under a new tunic with nap, or if my toga sits unevenly and askew,

rides: quid, mea cum pugnat sententia secum,

you laugh. What when my judgment fights with itself,

quod petiit spernit, repetit quod nuper omisit,

scorns what it sought, seeks again what it lately let go,

aestuat et vitae disconvenit ordine toto,

fluctuates and is out of joint with the whole order of life,

100

diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis?

tears down, builds up, changes square things for round?

insanire putas sollemnia me neque rides,

You think my madness is of the usual sort, and you do not laugh,

nec medici credis nec curatoris egere⁴

nor do you believe I need a doctor or a guardian

a praetore dati, rerum tutela mearum

appointed by the praetor, though you are the protector of my affairs

cum sis et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem

and get angry over an ill-pared nail

105

de te pendentis, te respicientis amici.⁵

of a friend who depends on you and looks up to you.

Ad summam: sapiens uno minor est Iove, dives,

To sum up: the wise man is lesser than Jove alone, rich,

liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum,

free, honored, handsome, and lastly, king of kings,

praecipue sanus, nisi cum pituita molesta est.

above all sound, except when a troublesome cold vexes him.

Syntax notes5 items

1.1.56suspensi loculos tabulamque
The perfect participle suspensi is used in a Greek middle voice sense, taking direct objects loculos tabulamque ('satchel and writing tablet') instead of behaving as a simple passive verb.
1.1.61nil conscire sibi, nulla pallescere culpa
These infinitive clauses function as predicate nominatives or appositives to the future imperative esto ('let this be'). The construction highlights what constitutes the 'bronze wall' of a clear conscience.
1.1.81esto aliis alios rebus studiisque teneri
esto is the third-person singular future imperative of sum used impersonally to express concession ('let it be granted that...', 'be it so'). It introduces the accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction aliis... teneri.
1.1.102nec medici credis nec curatoris egere
The infinitive egere ('to need') governs the genitives medici and curatoris as its objects, which is standard for verbs of wanting or needing. This is an infinitive clause dependent on credis, with the accusative subject me being understood.
1.1.105de te pendentis, te respicientis amici
The genitive phrases pendentis and respicientis modify amici ('of a friend'), which stands in contrast with unguem in the previous line. Horace satirizes how Maecenas frets over a poorly cut nail yet ignores his friend's deeper psychological instability.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0893.phi005.humanitext-lat2:1.1.55-1.1.108