CATULLUS CONCERNING HIS VILLAFurius! our Villa never Austral forceB roke, neither set thereon Favonius' course,Nor savage Boreas, nor Epeliot's strain,But fifteen thousand crowns and hundreds twainWreckt it, —Oh ruinous by-wind, breezy bane!

TO HIS CUP-BOYThou youngling drawer of Falernian oldCrown me the goblets with a bitterer wineAs was Postumia's law that rules the feastThan ebriate grape-stone more inebriate.But ye fare whither please ye (water-nymphs!)To wine pernicious, and to sober folkMigrate ye: mere Thyonian juice be here!

TO FRIENDS ON RETURN FROM TRAVELFollowers of Piso, empty bandWith your light budgets packt to hand,Veránius best! Fabúllus mine!What do ye? Bore ye enough, in fineOf frost and famine with yon sot?What loss or gain have haply gotYour tablets? so, whenas I rangedWith Praetor, gains for loss were changed."O Memmius! thou did'st long and late . . me supine slow and . . . "But (truly see I) in such caseDiddled you were by wight as baseSans mercy. Noble friends go claim!Now god and goddess give you grameDisgrace of Romulus! Remus' shame!

TO CAESAR OF MAMURRA, CALLED MENTULAWho e'er could witness this (who could endure Except the lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut)That should Mamurra get what hairy GaulAnd all that farthest Britons held whilòme?(Thou bardache Romulus!) this wilt see and bear?Then art a lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut!He now superb with pride superfluousShall go perambulate the bedrooms allLike white-robed dovelet or Adonis-love.Romulus thou bardache! this wilt see and bear?Then art a lewdling, dicer, greedy-gut!Is't for such like name, sole Emperor thou!Thou soughtest extreme Occidental Isle?That this your . . . . MentulaMillions and Milliards might at will absorb?What is't but Liberality misplaced?What trifles wasted he, small heirlooms spent?First his paternal goods were clean dispersed;Second went Pontus' spoils and for the third,—Ebro-land,—weets it well gold-rolling Tage.Fear him the Gallias? Him the Britons' fear? Why cherish this ill-wight? what 'vails he do?Save fat paternal heritage devour?Lost ye for such a name, o puissant pair(Father and Son-in-law), our all-in-all?

To ALFENUS THE PERJURORAlfénus! short of memory, false to comrades dearest-dear,Now hast no pity (hardened Soul!) for friend and loving fere?Now to betray me, now to guile. thou (traitor!) ne'er dost pause?Yet impious feats of fraudful men ne'er force the Gods' applause:When heed'st thou not deserting me (Sad me!) in sorest scathe,Ah say whate'er shall humans do? in whom shall man show faith?For sure thou bad'st me safely yield my spirit (wretch!) to thee,Lulling my love as though my life were all security.The same now dost withdraw thyself and every word and deedThou suffer'st winds and airy clouds to sweep from out thy head.But an forget thou, mindful be the Gods, and Faith in mindBears thee, and soon shall gar thee rue the deeds by thee design'd.

ON RETURN TO SIRMIO AND HIS VILLASirmio! of Islands and PeninsulasEyelet, and whatsoe'er in limpid meresAnd vasty Ocean either Neptune owns,Thy scenes how willing-glad once more I see,At pain believing Thynia and the FieldsBithynian left, I'm safe to sight thy Site.Oh what more blessèd be than cares resolved,