Martial, : the twelve books of Epigrams,.

BOOK NINE

LIX
A GOOD CUSTOMER
ABOUT the Saepta shops Mamurra strolled
Where opulence may squander wealth untold,
And first he viewed fair slaves with gloating eyes,
Not those an open shop will advertise,
No, but the kind reserved for private view
Unseen by common folk like me and you;
He then stripped table-tops of antique make
And ivories kept aloft for safety's sake.
That couch of tortoise-shell inlay was small
And would not fit his citron board at all;
He tried Corinthian bronzes by their scent,
Thought Polycleitus' work indifferent,
And said the crystal vase was flawed-the two
Of agate he would mark, for they might do;
Some bowls and ancient cups he took and weighed
As perfect gems as Mentor ever made,
Appraised the emeralds in enamel clear
And pearl-drops made to deck some snow-white ear,
Hunted for sardonyx through half the town
And tried to beat the price of jaspers down.
Then tired at nightfall, having ransacked Rome,
He bought two farthing crocks and took them home.
* LX
WITH A PRESENT OF FLOWERS
BRIGHT garland, whether you from Paestum come,
Or Tibur or Praeneste is your home;
Whether rich Tusculum your blossoms yields,
Or you give fame to fair Campanian fields;
That for Sabinus you may have more charm,
Pretend you come from my Nomentan farm.
* LXI
ON A PLANE-TREE PLANTED BY
JULIUS CAESAR IN SPAIN
IN far Tartessus stands a house renowned,
Where rich Corduba Baetis woos in peace
And western sheep with living gold are crowned
Whose native ore makes pale the yellow fleece.
28i