§7.83Thebaidos, laetam cum fecit Statius urbem §7.84promisitque diem: tanta dulcedine captos §7.85adficit ille animos tantaque libidine volgi §7.86auditur; sed cum fregit subsellia versu, §7.87esurit, intactam Paridi nisi vendit Agauen.
Of the "Thebaid", when Statius made the city glad and promised a day: with such sweetness he affects their captivated minds, and with such great desire of the crowd he is heard; but even when he has broken the benches with his verse, he starves, unless he sells his untouched "Agaue" to Paris.
§7.88ille et militiae multis largitur honorem, §7.89semenstri digitos vatum circumligat auro: §7.90quod non dant proceres, dabit histrio; tu Camerinos §7.91et Baream, tu nobilium magna atria curas?
He (Paris) also bestows the honor of military service on many, and binds the fingers of poets with a six-month gold ring: what the nobles do not give, an actor will give; do you care for the Camerini and Barea, or the great halls of the nobles?
§7.92praefectos Pelopea facit, Philomela tribunos.
"Pelopea" makes prefects, "Philomela" makes tribunes.
§7.93haut tamen invideas vati quem pulpita pascunt: §7.94quis tibi Maecenas, quis nunc erit aut Proculeius
Yet do not envy the poet whom the stage feeds: who will now be your Maecenas, who now a Proculeius or a Fabius?
§7.95aut Fabius? quis Cotta iterum, quis Lentulus alter?
Who will be a Cotta again, who another Lentulus?
Then there was a reward equal to talent; then it was useful for many to grow pale and to know no wine for the whole of December.
§7.98Vester porro labor fecundior, historiarum
Further, is your labor more fruitful, writers of histories?
§7.99scriptores? perit hic plus temporis atque olei plus.
Here more time and more oil are lost.
§7.100nullo quippe modo millensima pagina surgit §7.101omnibus et crescit multa damnosa papyro; §7.102sic ingens rerum numerus iubet atque operum lex.
For indeed in no way does the thousandth page rise for everyone, and grow, ruinous with much papyrus; so the huge number of facts and the law of the work command.
§7.103quae tamen inde seges? terrae quis fructus apertae?
Yet what harvest is there from it? What fruit from the opened land?
§7.104quis dabit historico quantum daret acta legenti?
Who will give to a historian as much as he would give to a reader of the public records?
§7.105Sed genus ignavum, quod lecto gaudet et umbra. §7.106dic igitur quid causidicis civilia praestent §7.107officia et magno comites in fasce libelli.
"But they are an idle race, which delights in the couch and the shade." Tell me then, what do civil duties bring to advocates, and the documents that accompany them in a great bundle?
§7.108ipsi magna sonant, sed tum cum creditor audit §7.109praecipue, vel si tetigit latus acrior illo §7.110qui venit ad dubium grandi cum codice nomen.
They themselves talk big, but especially then when the creditor hears, or if a client, sharper than that one, has nudged his side— one who comes with a huge ledger for a doubtful debt.
§7.111tunc inmensa cavi spirant mendacia folles §7.112conspuiturque sinus: veram deprendere messem §7.113si libet, hinc centum patrimonia causidicorum, §7.114parte alia solum russati pone Lacertae.
Then their hollow lungs breathe out immense lies, and their breast is splattered with spit: if you like to grasp the true harvest, place the fortunes of a hundred advocates on this side, and on the other side only that of Lacerta of the red faction.
The leaders have taken their seats; you rise, a pale Ajax, about to plead for doubtful liberty with a cowherd as judge.
§7.117iudice, rumpe miser tensum iecur, ut tibi lasso §7.118Agantur virides, scalarum gloria, palmae.
Burst your strained liver, wretched man, so that for you, exhausted, the green palms, the glory of the staircase, may be put up.
§7.119quod vocis pretium? siccus petasunculus et vas
What is the price of your voice?
§7.120pelamydum aut veteres, Maurorum epimenia, bulbi, §7.121aut vinum Tiberi devectum, quinque lagonae.
A dry little ham, a jar of young tunnies, or old onions, the monthly rations of Moors, or wine brought down the Tiber, five jars of it.
If you have pleaded four times, and if a single gold piece has fallen to you, from that, shares are deducted according to the agreement of the pragmatics.
§7.124Aemilio dabitur quantum licet, et melius nos §7.125egimus; huius enim stat currus aeneus, alti §7.126quadriiuges in vestibulis, atque ipse feroci §7.127bellatore sedens curvatum hastile minatur §7.128eminus et statua meditatur proelia lusca.
To Aemilius will be given as much as is allowed, and we pleaded better; for his bronze chariot stands, and high four-horse chariots in his vestibule, and he himself, sitting on a fierce warhorse, threatens with his bent spear from afar, and meditates battle in his one-eyed statue.
§7.129sic Pedo conturbat, Matho deficit, exitus hic est §7.130Tongilii, magno cum rhinocerote lavari §7.131qui solet et vexat lutulenta balnea turba, §7.132perque forum iuvenes longo premit assere Maedos §7.133empturus pueros argentum murrina villas; §7.134spondet enim Tyrio stlattaria purpura filo.
Thus Pedo goes bankrupt, Matho fails; this is the end of Tongilius, who is accustomed to bathe with a large rhinoceros-horn and vexes the muddy baths with a dirty crowd, and presses the young Maedian bearers through the forum with a long pole, intending to buy slaves, silver, murrhine cups, villas; for his merchant-purple of Tyrian thread gives him credit.
§7.135et tamen est illis hoc utile: purpura vendit §7.136causidicum, vendunt amethystina; convenit illi §7.137et strepitu et facie maioris vivere census, §7.138sed finem inpensae non servat prodiga Roma.
And yet this is useful to them: purple sells the advocate, violet robes sell him; it suits him to live with the noise and appearance of a greater income, but prodigal Rome keeps no limit to expense.
§7.139Fidimus eloquio? Ciceroni nemo ducentos §7.140nunc dederit nummos, nisi fulserit anulus ingens.
Do we trust in eloquence? No one would now give Cicero two hundred coins, unless a huge ring shone on his finger.
§7.141respicit haec primum qui litigat, an tibi servi §7.142octo, decem comites, an post te sella, togati
He who litigates looks to this first, whether you have eight slaves, ten clients, a litter behind you, and men in togas before your feet.
§7.143ante pedes, ideo conducta Paulus agebat §7.144sardonyche, atque ideo pluris quam Gallus agebat, §7.145quam Basilus.
Therefore Paulus used to plead with a rented sardonyx, and therefore pleaded for more than Gallus did, or Basilus.
rara in tenui facundia panno.
Eloquence is rare under a thin cloak.
§7.146quando licet Basilo flentem producere matrem?
When is Basilus allowed to produce a weeping mother?
§7.147quis bene dicentem Basilum ferat? accipiat te
Who would tolerate Basilus, even if he speaks well?
Let Gaul receive you, or rather Africa, the nurse of advocates, if it has pleased you to put a price on your tongue.
Do you teach declamation? Oh, the iron breast of Vettius, when a numerous class destroys cruel tyrants!
§7.152nam quaecumque sedens modo legerat, haec eadem stans, §7.153perferet atque eadem cantabit versibus isdem; §7.154occidit miseros crambe repetita magistros,
For whatever they had just read sitting down, this same they will repeat standing up, and sing the same things in the very same verses; reheated cabbage kills the wretched teachers.
§7.155quis color et quod sit causae genus atque ubi summa §7.156quaestio, quae veniant diversa e parte sagittae, §7.157nosse volunt omnes, mercedem solvere nemo
What rhetorical color, what kind of case it is, and where the main question lies, what arrows come from the opposite side— everyone wants to know these things, but no one wants to pay the fee.
§7.158mercedem appellas? quid enim scio?
culpa docentis §7.159scilicet arguitur, quod laevae parte mamillae §7.160nil salit Arcadico iuveni, cuius mihi sexta §7.161quaque die miserum dirus caput Hannibal inplet, §7.162quidquid id est de quo deliberat, an petat urbem
"Do you call it a fee? For what do I know?" Of course, the fault of the teacher is blamed, because in the left part of the breast nothing leaps in the Arcadian youth, whose Hannibal, every sixth day, fills my wretched head, whatever it is that he deliberates on, whether he should march on the city...