facillimum est, quem etiam inimici volunt vivere in his tantis miseriis. Ego tamen faciam, quæ præcipis. Amicis, quibus voluisti, egi gratias; et eas litteras Dexippo dedi, meque de eorum officio scripsi a te certiorem esse factum. Pisonem nostrum mirifico esse studio in nos et officio, et ego perspicio, et omnes prædicant. Dii faxint, ut tali genero mihi præsenti tecum simul et cum liberis nostris frui liceat! Nunc spes reliqua est in novis tribunis plebis et in primis quidem diebus. Nam si inveterarit, actum est. Ea re ad te statim Aristocritum misi, ut ad me continuo initia rerum et rationem totius negotii posses scribere; etsi Dexippo quoque ita imperavi, statim ut recurreret: et ad fratrem misi, ut crebro tabellarios mitteret. Nam ego eo nomine sum Dyrrachii hoc tempore, ut quam celerrime, quid agatur, audiam, et sum tuto. Civitas enim hæc semper a me defensa est. Quum inimici nostri venire dicentur, tum in Epirum ibo. Quod scribis, te, si velim, ad me venturam; ego vero, quum sciam, magnam partem istius oneris abs te sustineri, te istic esse volo. Si perficitis, quod agitis, me ad vos venire oportet: sin autem.. Sed nihil opus est, reliqua scribere. Ex primis aut summum secundis litteris tuis constituere poterimus, quid nobis faciendum sit. Tu modo ad me velim omnia diligentissime perscribas; etsi magis jam rem, quam litteras, debeo exspectare. Cura, ut valeas et ita tibi persuadeas, mihi te carius nihil esse nec umquam fuisse. Vale, mea Terentia, quam ego videre videor itaque debilitor lacrimis. Vale. Pridie kalendas Decembres.-Cicero, Familiar Letters. FRIDAY, November 13. Into Greek Iambics. This I foresaw, and things have fallen out No worse than I forewarned thee that they might. What must be must. My course hath been appointed; And I feel that within me which accords With what I have to do. The field is fair, And I have no perplexity or cloud Upon my vision. Everything is clear. And take this with thee for thy comfort too That that man is not most in tribulation. Philip Van Artevelde. By H. Taylor. MONDAY, November 16. Into English Prose. Εκβάντες δ ̓ ἐπὶ θῖνα, κατὰ ζυγὰ δαῖτα πένοντο Theocritus. WEDNESDAY, November 18. Into Latin Hexameters. Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more, Milton.-Lycedas. FRIDAY, November 20. Into English Prose. Μόνην δ ̓ ἄν μοι δοκοῦμεν ταύτην τοῖς ἐνθάδε κειμένοις ἀποδοῦναι χάριν, εἰ τοὺς μὲν τοκέας αὐτῶν ὁμοίως ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοίμεθα, τοὺς δὲ παῖδας οὕτως ἀσπαζοίμεθα ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ πατέρες ὄντες, ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶν εἰ τοιούτους βοηθοὺς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς παρέχοιμεν, οἶ οίπερ ἐκεῖνοι ζῶντες ἦσαν. τίνας γὰρ ἂν εἰκότως μάλ λον τιμῷμεν τῶν ἐνθάδε κειμένων; τίνας δ ̓ ἂν τῶν ζώντων δικαιότερον περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοίμεθα ἢ τοὺς τούτοις προσήκοντας, οἳ τῆς μὲν τούτων ἀρετῆς τὸ ἴσον τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπέλαυσαν, ἀποθανόντων δὲ μόνοι γνησίως τῆς δυστυχίας μετέχουσιν. ̓Αλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι δεῖ τοιαῦτα ὀλοφύρεσθαι, οὐ γὰρ ἐλανθάνομεν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἅπαξ ὄντες θνητοί· ὥστε τί δεί, ἃ πάλαι προσεδοκῶμεν πείσεσθαι, ὑπὲρ τούτων νῦν ἄχε θεσθαι, ἡ λίαν οὕτω βαρέως φέρειν ἐπὶ ταῖς τῆς φύσεως συμφοραῖς, ἐπισταμένους ὅτι ὁ θάνατος κοινὸς καὶ τοῖς χειρίστοις καὶ τοῖς βελτίστοις; οὔτε "γὰρ τοὺς πονηροὺς ὑπερορᾷ οὔτε τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς θαυμάζει, ἀλλ ̓ ἴσον ἑαυτὸν παρέχει πᾶσιν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν τοῖς τοὺς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ κινδύνους διαφυγοῦσιν ἀθανάτους εἶναι τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον, ἄξιον ἦν τοῖς ζῶσι τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον πενθεῖν τοὺς τεθνεῶντας· νῦν δὲ ἥ τε φύσις καὶ νόσων ἥττων καὶ γῆρως, ὅ τε δαίμων ὁ τὴν ἡμετέραν μοῖραν εἰληχὼς ἀπαραίτητος. ὥστε προσήκει τούτους εὐδαιμονεστάτους ἡγεῖσθαι, οἵτινες ὑπὲρ μεγίστων καὶ καλλίστων κινδυνεύσαντες οὕτω τὸν βίον ἐτελεύτησαν, οὐκ ἐπιτρέψ αντες περὶ αὑτῶν τῇ τύχῃ, οὐδ ̓ ἀναμείναντες τὸν αὐτό ματον θάνατον, ἀλλ ̓ ἐκλεξάμενοι τὸν κάλλιστον. καὶ γάρ τοι ἀγήρατοι μὲν αὐτῶν αἱ μνῆμαι, ζηλωταὶ δὲ ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων αἱ τιμαί· οἳ πενθοῦνται μὲν διὰ τὴν φύσιν ὡς θνητοί, ὑμνοῦνται δὲ ὡς ἀθάνατοι διὰ τὴν ἀρετήν. καὶ γάρ τοι θάπτονται δημοσίᾳ, καὶ ἀγῶνες τίθενται ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ρώμης και σοφίας καὶ πλούτου, ὡς ἀξίους ὄντας τοὺς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τετελευτηκότας ταῖς αὐταῖς τιμαῖς καὶ τοὺς ἀθανάτους τιμᾶσθαι. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν αὐτοὺς καὶ μακαρίζω τοῦ θανάτου καὶ ζηλῶ, καὶ μόνοις τούτοις ἀνθρώπων οἶμαι κρεῖττον εἶναι γενέσθαι, οἵτινες, ἐπειδὴ θνητῶν σωμάτων ἔτυχον, ἀθάνατον μνή μην διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὑτῶν κατέλιπον· ὅμως δ ̓ ἀνάγκη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἔθεσι χρῆσθαι, καὶ θεραπεύοντας τὸν πά τριον νόμον ὀλοφύρεσθαι τοὺς θαπτομένους.—Funeral Óration of Lysias. MONDAY, November 23. Into Greek Iambics. They died like heroes; for no recreant step They had the hearts of freemen to the last, Was shed for freedom with a liberal joy. But had they guessed, or could they but have dreamed Should fall so flat, should shine so fruitless here, Their blushing faces buried in the dust Had their great spirits parted hence for heaven. C Philip Van Artevelde. WEDNESDAY, November 25. Into English Prose. At nunquam patiens pacis, longæque quietis Lucan. Pharsalia. FRIDAY, November 27. Into Latin Elegiacs, We wandered to the pine forest |