Martial, : the twelve books of Epigrams,.

MARTIAL'S EPIGRAMS

* XXXVII
TO A FER
'ONE thousand pounds Coranus owes to me,
Mancinus two, and Titius owes three,
Albinus owes just twice as much, and then
Sabinus and Serranus each owe ten;
My flats and farms give thirty thousand clear,
My Parma sheep bring sixty in each year'That's how you talk, and every day's the same;
I know it better than I know my name.
Unpaid I can no more your tales endure;
They bring a nausea only cash can cure.
XXXVIII
TO GALLA
GALLA, say 'no '-Tease love and you renew it.
But prithee, Galla, do not overdo it.
XXXIX
TO CHARINUS
YOUR masterpieces rich and rare
Are priceless and antique;
Scopas is represented there,
Your ' Myrons ' are unique;
Reliefs that Phidias' graver wrought,
Cups by Praxiteles,
'Mentors' by others vainly sought
Bear company with these.
You do not honour Greece alone
Nor later work disdain;
Here are the finest ' Gratians ' known,
There gold inlay from Spain.
Heirlooms these bas-reliefs must be,
They show ancestral taste.
How strange-You are a debauchee,
But all your plate is chased!
II8