Oberlin Classics

[1] Albi: Probably Albius Tibullus, the elegiac poet. His first book of poetry was published probably in the late 20s BCE and revolved around his love for Delia. A second book of poetry (with a more sinister beloved, aptly named Nemesis) may have been published about the time of Horace’s Epistles. He died in 19 BCE. He was also addressed in C. 1.33.
nostrorum sermonum: Referring both to his two books of Satires as well as these Epistles (cf. Ep. 2.1.4).
candide iudex: Vocative. There is a pun on the name Albius with candidus - both can mean “pure, bright”. The literary criticism abounding in the period among the circles of Messalla and Maecenas must have been mutually inspiring for writers such as Tibullus and Horace.

[2] quid...dicam facere: dicam is deliberative subjunctive (A&G 444). The various potential activities (writing poetry, walking and philosophizing) are given in the following lines.
regione Pedana: East of Rome (between Tibur and Praeneste) was the town of Pedum. Caesar had a villa nearby, but the town itself was probably a ghost town.

[3] scribere: supply “Shall I say that you...” (dicam te) with this infinitive and reptare below.
quod...vincat: Relative clause of purpose (A&G 531.2). By the view of posterity, Tibullus’ poetry certainly surpassed that of Cassius of Parma, although we should probably assume his elegies (opuscula) were worthwhile - they do not survive. The literary rivalry assumed in the verb vincere is strongly felt in many of the poetic practices of Roman poets (see the prologues of Terence and the idea of aemulatio).
Cassi Parmensis: One of the conspirators who assassinated Caesar, he was later put to death.

[4] tacitum: supply te of Tibullus - it is the accusative subject of reptare.
silvas inter...salubres: These woods may inspire health because of philosophical musing (see next line), although one might wonder if these woods could also be literary with the metapoetic connotations of silvae in Latin literature. See S. Hinds, Allusion and Intertext (CUP 1998) 10-14.
reptare: usually it means “to crawl” or “slink” (like a reptile), but here it must mean “to stroll/saunter” (OLD 3).

[5] curantem: Echoes the use of curo at Ep. 1.1.11. If Horace was dedicating himself to what was verum and decens, here we hear of what is worthy of a “good and wise man” (sapiente bonoque). Both formulations hint at philosophical growth and wisdom (and sapere is repeated at line 9 below to hammer home Tibullus’ philosophical potential).

[6] eras: Imperfect stresses that, in the past, he was not foolish/ugly/etc. and he certainly is not now.
sine pectore: The pectus can be the seat of morality or emotions (OLD 3a) or the center of the intellect (OLD 3b) or the more general “spirit” of an individual. At Ovid Met. 13.290 sine pectore is used of Ajax, a “brainless” soldier.
formam: If Tibullus was a handsome, rich, and intelligent man, Horace encourages him to enjoy these benefits. The Suetonian “Life of Tibullus” mentions he was insignis forma.

[7] di tibi divitias dederunt: anaphora with the previous line stresses his fortune. The repetition may recall C. 1.11.1-2 “Leuconoe, don’t ask the gods what end they have granted to you and to me…” (quem tibi / finem di dederint). Dederunt must be scanned short-short-long. The soundplay is evoked later with diem tibi diluxisse.
artemque fruendi: One must be able to enjoy the resources one possesses. For the genitive of the gerund with artem, see A&G 504.

[8] quid...maius: Take as the direct object of voveat.
voveat: Potential subjunctive (A&G 445-47). “To pray for (+acc. and dat. of advantage).
nutricula: What benefits could a nursemaid wish for her charge beyond those Tibullus has?

[9] qui: the “sweet ward/charge” is further defined through this relative clause, which should be given a conditional spin (“if he is able…”, A&G 519).
fari...quae sentiat: Both the rhetorical ability to say it as well as the freedom of expression is implied here (note Tacitus’ claim in Hist. 1.1 that he lives in an age in which “you may feel what you wish and it is permitted to say what you feel” (ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet).
cui: dat. with contingat in the following line.

[10] gratia: “charm” (OLD 6). Begins a list of three nominatives. grata in line 14 may echo this.
fama: Tibullus’ poems marked him out as a notable figure in Rome, see Ovid’s description of Tibullus’ fame in Rome (Am. 1.15.27-28).
contingat: “to be granted to one” (OLD 8).

[11] mundus victus: the final quality that was abundantly granted to Tibullus is his “elegant mode of life”. mundus is an adjective, not the noun meaning “the cosmos”. In the Epistles, it is used of furniture (1.5.7) and the book itself (1.20.2).
nec deficiente crumina: Ablative of means (A&G 409) which further modifies how he maintains such an elegant way of living. The use of crumina here as metonomy for the wealth inside the purse might be a surprising (and poetic) way to end the line.

[12] inter spem curamque: inter spem metumque seems to have been a common phrase (e.g. Liv. 8.3.18, Tac. Hist. 2.2.1); Horace probably means to evoke Tibullus’ own poetry and the repetition of spes at 2.6.20-27 (five times!) and forms of cura at 1.5.37 and 2.3.13 (but such sentiment could appeal to all of his readers).
timores...et iras: Such strong emotions are exactly what Epicureans and Stoics tried to avoid. In Ep. 1.2 Horace encourages reading Homer to understand the effects of ira (esp. 1.2.59-63).

[13] crede: The imperative urges the reader to understand this message. Imperatives are common in the Epistles and fit the didactic (and insistent) nature of many of these poems (e.g. 1.2.40-41: sapere aude, / incipe: “Dare to be wise! Begin!”). The sentiment would remind the reader of C. 1.11.7-8.
diluxisse: Mayer ad loc. remarks that this compound “suggests the light of dawn breaking through darkness or clouds, which well suits the context of encouragement to Albius”.
supremum: Take as the predicate - “Believe each day that dawns to be your last”.

[14] grata: agrees with hora. Take as the predicate with superveniet.
superveniet: used of “unexpected occurrences, circumstances” (OLD 2c). The time that will come unexpectedly (if you believe every day to be your last), will be pleasantly received.
sperabitur: hearkens back to spes above.

[15] Horace signs off with a humorous self-portrait of his Epicurean tendencies. Horace is tongue-in-cheek in his representation, but he marks his affinities (at this moment) for the Epicureans and the Epicurean sentiment of the previous lines (even if earlier he claimed no allegiance to a particular school, cf. Ep. 1.1.13-14). The invitation links this poem to the more conventional letter of invitation that follows it, Ep. 1.5 to Torquatus.
me: Emphatic position. It answers a potential question that Tibullus may have and responds to te at line 2.
pinguem et nitidum: Adjectives that would apply to both pigs and Epicurean dandies.
bene curata cute: Evokes the young gallants in the house of Alcinous who “cared more than necessary for their skin” (in cute curanda plus aequo, Ep. 1.2.29). Is Horace implying that he has his own “problems” as well to make the philosophical teaching less proscriptive?
vises: the future here probably has the force of an imperative (A&G 449b). This final invite places this epistle more firmly into the genre of “invitation letter” (cf. Ep. 1.5).

[16] ridere: More laughter (see notes on 1.1.9, 1.3.19) but here probably good-natured.
Epicuri de grege: It is not uncommon to hear of a philosophical school as a grex (see S. 2.3.44 of the Stoics), and Horace had used the term grex for poet/birds in the previous poem (1.3.19). Epicurus seemed to inspire particular devotion to his disciples.
porcum: In apposition with me and framing these final two lines. The Epicureans would be associated with pigs in particular because of their supposed preference for pleasure (including food/appetite). For porcine references in relation to Epicureans, cf. Cic. In Pis. 37: Epicure noster, ex hara (“pigsty”), non ex schola. Later in the Epistles Horace will be implicitly compared to pigs (Ep. 1.7.14-19).
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