Sat. 1.9.1Ībam forte Viā Sacrā, sīcut meus est mōs,
nesciō quid meditāns nūgārum, tōtus in illīs:
accurrit quīdam notus mihi nōmine tantum:
arreptāque manū, 'quid agis, dulcissime rērum?'
5'suāviter, ut nunc est,' inquam 'et cupiō omnia quae vīs.'
cum adsectārētur, 'numquid vīs?' occupō.I happened to be walking along the Sacred Way, as is my habit, musing on some trifle or other, wholly absorbed in it: up runs a man known to me only by name, and seizing my hand: 'How are you, dearest of fellows?' 'Pleasantly, as things are now,' I say, 'and I wish you all you desire.' When he kept following, 'Is there anything you want?' I get in first. Sat. 1.9.6At ille
'nōris nōs' inquit;But he says, 'You must get to know me; Sat. 1.9.7'doctī sumus.' hīc ego 'plūris
hōc' inquam 'mihi eris.' miserē discēdere quaerēns
īre modo ōcius, interdum cōnsistere, in aurem
10dīcere nesciō quid puerō, cum sūdor ad īmōs
mānāret tālōs.I'm a man of letters.' At this I say, 'For that I shall value you the more.' Wretchedly trying to get away, I now walk faster, now at times stop and say something or other in my slave boy's ear, while sweat trickled down to the bottom of my ankles.
Sat. 1.9.11'Ō tē, Bollāne, cerebrī
fēlīcem' aiēbam tacitus, cum quidlibet ille
garrīret, vīcōs, urbem laudāret.'O Bolanus, lucky in your hot temper!' I kept saying silently, while he chattered on about anything at all, praised the streets, the city. Sat. 1.9.13Ut illī
nīl respondēbam, 'miserē cupis' inquit 'abīre:
15iamdūdum videō;As I made him no reply, 'You're dying to get away,' he says: 'I've seen it for a long time; Sat. 1.9.15sed nīl agis: ūsque tenēbō;but you're getting nowhere: I'll stick with you all the way; Sat. 1.9.16persequar hinc quō nunc iter est tibi.' 'nīl opus est tē
circumagī: quendam volō vīsere nōn tibi notum;I'll follow you from here to wherever you're heading now.' 'There's no need for you to be dragged about: I want to visit someone you don't know; Sat. 1.9.18trāns Tiberim longē cubat is prope Caesaris hortōs.'
'nīl habeō quod agam et nōn sum piger: ūsque sequar tē.'
20dēmittō auriculās, ut inīquae mentis asellus,
cum gravius dorsō subiit onus.he is ill in bed far across the Tiber, near Caesar's gardens.' 'I've nothing to do and I'm no slouch: I'll follow you all the way.' I let my ears droop, like a sulky donkey when a heavier load has come down on his back.
Sat. 1.9.21Incipit ille:
'sī bene mē nōvī, nōn Viscum plūris amīcum,
nōn Varium faciēs;He begins: 'If I know myself well, you won't count Viscus or Varius a greater friend than me; Sat. 1.9.23nam quis mē scrībere plūrīs
aut citius possit versūs?for who can write more verses than I, or more quickly? Sat. 1.9.24Quis membra movēre
25mollius?Who can move his limbs more gracefully? Sat. 1.9.25Invideat quod et Hermogenēs, ego cantō.'
interpellandī locus hic erat 'est tibi māter,
cognātī, Quīs tē salvō est opus?' 'haud mihi quisquam.And I sing in a way that even Hermogenes might envy.' Here was a chance to break in: 'Have you a mother, relatives, who depend on your well-being?' 'Not a soul. Sat. 1.9.28Omnīs conposuī.' 'fēlīcēs.I've buried them all.' 'Lucky them. Sat. 1.9.28Nunc ego restō.Now I am left. Sat. 1.9.29Cōnfice;Finish me off; Sat. 1.9.29namque īnstat fātum mihi trīste, Sabella
30quod puerō cecinit dīvīnā mōtā anus urnā:
"hunc neque dīra venēna nec hosticus auferet ēnsis
nec laterum dolor aut tussis nec tarda podagra:
garrulus hunc quandō cōnsūmet cumquē: loquācēs,
sī sapiat, vītet, simul atque adolēverit aetās."for the sad fate is upon me which an old Sabine woman sang for me as a boy, after shaking her divining urn: "Neither dire poisons nor the enemy's sword shall carry this one off, nor pain in the side nor cough nor slow gout: a chatterbox shall one day consume him: if he is wise, let him avoid talkers, as soon as he comes of age."' Sat. 1.9.35Ventum erat ad Vestae, quartā iam parte diēī
praeteritā, et cāsū tum respondēre vadātō
dēbēbat, quod nī fēcisset, perdere lītem.We had come to Vesta's temple, a quarter of the day already past, and as it happened he was then bound by his bail to appear in court, and if he did not, to lose his case.
Sat. 1.9.38'Sī mē amās,' inquit 'paulum hīc ades.' 'inteream, sī
aut valeō stāre aut nōvī cīvīlia iūra;'If you love me,' he says, 'stand by me here a little.' 'May I die if I have the strength to stand or know anything of civil law; Sat. 1.9.40et properō quō scīs.' 'dubius sum, quid faciam', inquit,
'Tēne relinquam an rem.' 'mē, sōdēs.' 'nōn faciam' ille,
et praecēdere coepit;and I'm hurrying where you know.' 'I'm in two minds what to do,' he says, 'whether to leave you or my case.' 'Me, please.' 'I won't,' says he, and begins to lead the way; Sat. 1.9.42ego, ut contendere dūrum
cum victōre, sequor.I, since it is hard to contend with one's conqueror, follow. Sat. 1.9.43'Maecēnās quōmodo tēcum?'
hinc repetit.'How do you and Maecenas get on?' he starts again from here. Sat. 1.9.44'Paucōrum hominum et mentis bene sānae.'
45'nēmō dexterius fortūnā est ūsus.'A man of few friends and of very sound judgement.' 'No one has used his luck more cleverly. Sat. 1.9.45Habērēs
magnum adiūtōrem, posset quī ferre secundās,
hunc hominem vellēs sī trādere: dispeream, nī
summōssēs omnīs.' 'nōn istō vīvimus illīc,
quō tū rēre, modō;You would have a great helper, one who could play second part, if you were willing to introduce this man here: may I perish if you would not have swept everyone aside.' 'We don't live there on the terms you think; Sat. 1.9.49domus hāc nec pūrior ūlla est
50nec magis hīs aliēna malīs;there is no house cleaner than this, or more free from such evils; Sat. 1.9.50nīl mī officit, inquam,
dītior hic aut est quia doctior;it does me no harm, I tell you, that one man is richer or more learned than I; Sat. 1.9.51est locus ūnī
cuique suus.' 'magnum narrās, vix crēdibile.' 'atquī
sīc habet.' 'accendis quārē cupiam magis illī
proximus esse.' 'velīs tantummodo: quae tua virtūs,
55expugnābis: et est quī vincī possit eōque
difficilīs aditūs prīmōs habet.' 'haud mihi dērō:
mūneribus servōs corrumpam;each has his own place.' 'You tell a great tale, scarcely credible.' 'And yet so it is.' 'You make me all the keener to be close to him.' 'You have only to wish it: such is your merit, you will take him by storm: and he is a man who can be won, and that is why he makes the first approaches difficult.' 'I shan't fail myself: I'll bribe his slaves with presents; Sat. 1.9.57nōn, hodiē sī
exclūsus fuerō, dēsistam;if I'm shut out today, I shan't give up; Sat. 1.9.58tempora quaeram,
occurram in triviīs, dēdūcam.I'll look for opportunities, meet him at the crossroads, escort him home.
Sat. 1.9.59Nīl sine magnō
60vīta labōre dedit mortālibus.' haec dum agit, ecce
Fuscus Aristius occurrit, mihi cārus et illum
quī pulchrē nōsset.Life has given nothing to mortals without great toil.' While he is going on like this, look, Aristius Fuscus comes up, a dear friend of mine, and one who knew the fellow well. Sat. 1.9.62Cōnsistimus.We stop. Sat. 1.9.62'Unde venīs et
quō tendis?' rogat et respondet.'Where are you coming from and where are you going?' he asks, and answers in turn. Sat. 1.9.63Vellere coepī
et pressāre manū lentissima bracchia, nūtāns,
65distorquēns oculōs, ut mē ēriperet.I began to pluck at him and to squeeze his quite unresponsive arms with my hand, nodding, rolling my eyes, for him to rescue me. Sat. 1.9.65Male salsus
rīdēns dissimulāre;The cruel joker laughed and pretended not to understand; Sat. 1.9.66meum iecur ūrere bīlis.bile was burning my liver. Sat. 1.9.67'Certē nesciō quid sēcrētō velle loquī tē
aiēbās mēcum.' 'meminī bene, sed meliōre
tempore dīcam;'Surely you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about in private.' 'I remember well, but I'll tell you at a better time; Sat. 1.9.69hodiē trīcēnsima sabbata: vīn tū
70curtīs Iūdaeīs oppēdere?' 'nūlla mihi' inquam
'relligiō est.' 'at mī: sum paulō īnfirmior, ūnus
multōrum.today is the thirtieth, a Sabbath: would you want to affront the circumcised Jews?' 'I have no scruple,' I say. 'But I have: I'm a little weaker, one of the many.
Sat. 1.9.72Ignōscēs;You'll forgive me; Sat. 1.9.72aliās loquar.' huncine sōlem
tam nigrum surrēxe mihi!I'll speak another time.' To think that so black a sun should have risen for me! Sat. 1.9.73Fugit inprobus ac mē
sub cultrō linquit.The wretch runs off and leaves me under the knife. Sat. 1.9.74Cāsū vēnit obvius illī
75adversārius et 'quō tū, turpissime?' magnā
inclāmat vōce, et 'licet antestārī?' ego vērō
oppōnō auriculam.By chance his opponent meets him and shouts loudly, 'Where are you off to, you scoundrel?' and to me, 'May I call you as witness?' I, for my part, offer my ear. Sat. 1.9.77Rapit in iūs;He drags him off to court; Sat. 1.9.77clamor utrimque,
undique concursus.shouting on both sides, people running together from everywhere. Sat. 1.9.78Sīc mē servāvit Apollo.So Apollo saved me.