§159signat humum, gestit paribus conludere et iram §160colligit ac ponit temere et mutatur in horas. §161inberbis iuvenis, tandem custode remoto, §162gaudet equis canibusque et aprici gramine campi, §163cereus in vitium flecti, monitoribus asper, §164utilium tardus provisor, prodigus aeris, §165sublimis cupidusque et amata relinquere pernix. §166conversis studiis aetas animusque virilis §167quaerit opes et amicitias, inservit honori, §168conmisisse cavet quod mox mutare laboret. §169multa senem circumveniunt incommoda, vel quod §170quaerit et inventis miser abstinet ac timet uti, §171vel quod res omnis timide gelideque ministrat, §172dilator, spe longus, iners avidusque futuri, §173difficilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti §174se puero, castigator censorque minorum. §175multa ferunt anni venientes commoda secum, §176multa recedentes adimunt: ne forte seniles §177mandentur iuveni partes pueroque viriles: §178semper in adiunctis aevoque morabitur aptis. §179aut agitur res in scaenis aut acta refertur. §180segnius inritant animos demissa per aurem §181quam quae sunt oculis subiecta fidelibus et quae §182ipse sibi tradit spectator: non tamen intus
marks the ground with his foot, and longs to play with his equals, and easily takes up and lays aside anger, and changes from hour to hour. The beardless youth, his guardian at length being removed, rejoices in horses and dogs, and the grass of the sunny field; easy as wax to be bent to vice, rough to his advisers, slow in providing for useful things, lavish of money, high-spirited and eager, and swift to abandon what he has loved. With altered pursuits, the age and spirit of manhood seeks wealth and friendships, devotes itself to honor, and guards against having done what it may soon labor to change. Many disadvantages surround an old man, either because he seeks wealth and, miserable, abstains from what he has found and fears to use it, or because he manages all affairs timidly and coldly, a delayer, long-sighted in hope, sluggish, and greedy of the future, difficult, complainful, a praiser of past times when he was a boy, and a chastiser and censor of his juniors. Coming years bring many advantages with them, departing ones take many away; lest by chance an old man's part be assigned to a youth, or a man's to a boy, we must always dwell on what is annexed and fits each age. Either an action is represented on the stage, or, having happened, is reported. Things delivered through the ear stir the mind more languidly than those which are subjected to the faithful eyes, and which the spectator delivers to himself.
§183digna geri promes in scaenam multaque tolles §184ex oculis, quae mox narret facundia praesens: §185ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet §186aut humana palam coquat exta nefarius atreus §187aut in avem Procne vertatur, Cadmus in anguem. §188quodcumque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odi. §189neve minor neu sit quinto productior actu §190fabula quae posci volt et spectanda reponi. §191nec Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus §192inciderit, nec quarta loqui persona laboret. §193actoris partis chorus officiumque virile §194defendat, neu quid medios intercinat actus §195quod non proposito conducat et haereat apte. §196ille bonis faveatque et consilietur amice §197et regat iratos et amet pacare tumentis, §198ille dapes laudet mensae brevis, ille salubrem §199iustitiam legesque et apertis otia portis, §200ille tegat conmissa Deosque precetur et oret, §201ut redeat miseris, abeat fortuna superbis. §202tibia non, ut nunc orichalco, vincta tubaeque §203aemula, sed tenuis simplexque foramine pauco §204adspirare et adesse choris erat utilis atque §205nondum spissa nimis complere sedilia flatu; §206quo sane populus numerabilis, utpote parvos, §207et frugi castusque verecundusque coibat. §208postquam coepit agros extendere victor et urbis §209latior amplecti murus vinoque diurno §210placari Genius festis inpune diebus, §211accessit numerisque modisque licentia maior. §212indoctus quid enim saperet liberque laborum §213rusticus urbano confusus, turpis honesto? §214sic priscae motumque et luxuriem addidit arti §215tibicen traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem; §216sic etiam fidibus voces crevere severis, §217et tulit eloquium insolitum facundia praeceps §218utiliumque sagax rerum et divina futuri §219sortilegis non discrepuit sententia Delphis. §220carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum, §221mox etiam agrestis Satyros nudavit et asper §222incolumi gravitate iocum temptavit eo quod §223inlecebris erat et grata novitate morandus §224spectator functusque sacris et potus et exlex. §225verum ita risores, ita commendare dicacis §226conveniet Satyros, ita vertere seria ludo, §227ne, quicumque Deus, quicumque adhibebitur heros, §228regali conspectus in auro nuper et ostro, §229migret in obscuras humili sermone tabernas §230aut, dum vitat humum, nubis et inania captet. §231effutire levis indigna tragoedia versus, §232ut festis matrona moveri iussa diebus, §233intererit Satyris paulum pudibunda protervis. §234non ego inornata et dominantia nomina solum §235verbaque, Pisones, Satyrorum scriptor amabo §236nec sic enitar tragico differre colori, §237ut nihil intersit, Davusne loquatur et audax §238Pythias, emuncto lucrata Simone talentum, §239an custos famulusque Dei Silenus alumni. §240ex noto fictum carmen sequar, ut sibi quivis
Yet you will not bring upon the stage things worthy of being performed within, and you will remove many things from the eyes, which an eloquent speaker present may soon relate: let not Medea butcher her boys before the people, or impious Atreus openly cook human entrails, or Procne be turned into a bird, Cadmus into a serpent. Whatever you exhibit to me in this way, I hate and disbelieve. Let a play which wishes to be in demand, and, having been seen, to be reproduced, be neither shorter nor longer than five acts. Nor let a god interfere, unless a difficulty worthy of such a deliverer should happen; nor let a fourth person labor to speak. Let the chorus defend the part and manly duty of an actor, nor let them sing anything between the acts which does not conduce to and fitly connect with the plot. Let them favor the good and give friendly counsel, and rule the angry and love to appease the incensed; let them praise the dishes of a frugal table, and wholesome justice and laws, and peace with open gates; let them keep secrets, and pray and entreat the gods that fortune may return to the miserable and depart from the proud. The flute, not, as now, bound with brass and emulous of the trumpet, but slender and simple with few holes, was useful to accompany and assist the chorus, and to fill with its breath the seats which were not yet too crowded; whither indeed the people, easy to be numbered because they were few, and frugal, chaste, and modest, used to assemble. After the conqueror began to extend his territory, and a wider wall began to embrace the city, and the Genius to be appeased with daytime wine on festive days without restraint, a greater license was added both to the rhythms and to the tunes. For what wisdom could an unlearned rustic have, free from labor, when mixed with the citizen, the base with the honorable? Thus the flute-player added movement and luxury to the ancient art, and, wandering over the stage, trailed his robe; thus also new notes increased to the severe lyres, and a precipitate eloquence brought on an unusual style of speech; and the sentiment, sagacious of useful things and prophetic of the future, did not differ from the oracle-giving Delphi. He who contested in tragic verse for a vile goat soon also exposed the wild Satyrs naked, and, rough, attempted jesting with gravity unimpaired; because the spectator, having performed the sacred rites, and being drunk and lawless, was to be detained by allurements and grateful novelty. But it will be proper to recommend the laughing, the witty Satyrs, and thus to turn serious things into jest, in such a manner that whatever god, whatever hero shall be introduced, who was lately seen in regal gold and purple, may not migrate into obscure taverns with low language, or, while he avoids the ground, grasp at clouds and empty things. Tragedy, disdaining to prate light verses, like a matron commanded to dance on festive days, will mix a little bashful with the wanton Satyrs. I will not, O Pisos, as a writer of Satyrs, love only unadorned and prevailing nouns and verbs; nor will I so labor to differ from the tragic color, that it makes no difference whether Davus speaks and bold Pythias, who has gained a talent by cheating Simo, or Silenus, the guardian and attendant of his pupil-god. I will pursue a poem constructed from a known subject, so that anyone