164 to 170 ← 171 to 189 → 190 to 211
this part is a vignette
171 Pars magna Italiae est, si verum admittimus, in qua
172 nemo togam sumit nisi mortuus. ipsa dierum
- for the romans, the toga was kinda a symbol for business, politics, religion etc, (ie stuff involving pretence, dishonesty, networking, expenses). toga was also made fun of by Martial. so this line means that in the countryside, no one needed to care about these "fake" things, because they never wear the toga.
- you can take toga as metonomy if you strip sumit nisi mortuus to its unadorned sense of numquam sumit
173 festorum herboso colitur si quando theatro
- si quando = siquando adv. if ever, if at any time
- theatro - a semicircle tiered seating thing
174 maiestas tandemque redit ad pulpita notum
- pulpita - a wooden platform sort of simple/cheap stage, not a nice theatre
175 exodium, cum personae pallentis hiatum
- exodium - a "low literature" play/drama, lowbrow, mass media, popular stuff. like the opposite of intellectual.
176 in gremio matris formidat rusticus infans,
177 aequales habitus illic similesque videbis
178 orchestram et populum; clari velamen honoris
- orchestra - the centralish part of the theatrum, probs occupied by the local officials
179 sufficiunt tunicae summis aedilibus albae.
180 hic ultra vires habitus nitor, hic aliquid plus
- vires from vis; vir is 2dc
- hic = at Rome
181 quam satis est interdum aliena sumitur arca.
- aliquid plus quam satis est aliena sumitur arca ie people borrow more than what they actually need.
182 commune id vitium est: hic vivimus ambitiosa
183 paupertate omnes. quid te moror? omnia Romae
- quid te moror ie why do I yap so much? let's get to the point: everything in Rome has a price.
- Romae locative or genitive, both work lol
184 cum pretio. quid das, ut Cossum aliquando salutes,
185 ut te respiciat clauso Veiento labello?
- clauso labello - not talking. i.e. Veiento only acknowledges you by looking at you, he doesn't say anything
186 ille metit barbam, crinem hic deponit amati;
- ille...hic could be referring to Cossum and Veientus (respectively) because ille...hic can do that
187 plena domus libis venalibus: accipe et istud
- plenus a um + abl = filled with, plenus a um + gen = full of; basically the same thing
- libis - a sort of breadish cake. given out to clients in rituals/celebrations
- libis venalibus since everything in Rome has a price, instead of giving out the cakes for free, the patron is making the clients pay for their cakes.
188 fermentum tibi habe. praestare tributa clientes
- accipe et istud fermentum tibi habe presumably said by the client. Client tells the slaves working for the patron to take the client's payment, but also to take the cake (since maybe in the ritual, you have to offer the cake to the patron? or a diety?)
189 cogimur et cultis augere peculia servis.
- peculia - pocket money for slaves, they could save it and stuff.
There is a great part of Italy, if we grant the truth, in which
no one takes up the toga, except if he is dead. If ever
the dignity of festive days is honoured in the grassy theatre,
and at last the well-known farce returns to the stage,
when the cleft (mouth) of a pale mask
is feared by a rural infant in the lap of its mother,
there, you will see equal appearances and that the orchestra
and people are similar, as clothing of distinguished honour,
white tunics are sufficient for the highest aediles.
Here, splendor of appearance is beyond our means, here, something more
than what is sufficient is sometimes borrowed from someone else's box.
It is the universal flaw: we all live here in ambitious
poverty. Why do I delay you? Everything in Rome
is with a price. What do you give so that you may greet Cossus sometimes,
so that Veiento considers you with a closed lip?
That patron trims the beard, this patron puts down the hair of a loved-one;
the house is filled with cake for sale: take (it) and
keep that yeast for yourself. We clients are compelled to present gifts
and increase the pocket-money for well-dressed slaves.