Page 121 - Manual of Roman Everyday Writing Volume 2: Writing Equipment

120| MANUAL OF ROMAN EVERYDAY WRITING VOLUME 2: WRITING EQUIMENT | 121

Martial 14.10: Martianus Capella 1.65:
Chartae maiores. Non est munera quod putes pusilla, / cum donat Clotho vero, Lachesis Atroposque, quoniam sententias Iovis
vacuas poeta chartas. orthographae studio veritatis excipiunt (…) stilos acuunt cerasque
Bigger sheets. There’s no reason for you to think it a petty componunt.
present when a poet gives you blank sheets. But Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, since they record Jupiter’s
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb) words striving for truthfulness and correctness (…) sharpen the
styli and prepare wax tablets.
Martial 14.11: (Transl. A. Willi)
Chartae epistulares. Seu leviter noto seu caro missa sodali / onmes ista
solet charta vocare suos. Ovid, Amores 1.12.11–12:
Letter paper. Whether sent to a slight acquaintance or a dear At tamquam minio penitus medicata rubebas— / ille color vere
friend, this paper calls everybody “dear.” sanguinolentus erat.
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb) Yet you had a blushing hue, as if tinctured deep with minium—
but that colour was really a colour from blood.
Martial 14.20: (Transl. Grant Showerman. Revised by G. P. Goold, Loeb)
Theca libraria. Sortitus thecam calamis armare memento / cetera nos
dedimus, tu leviora para. Ovid, Ars amatoria 1.437–438:
Case for writing materials. Having drawn the case in the lottery, Cera vadum temptet, rasis infusa tabellis: / Cera tuae primum conscia
remember to equip it with pens. We have furnished the rest, you mentis eat.
must provide the lesser items. Let wax, spread on smooth tablets, attempt the crossing; let wax
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb) go first to show your mind.
(Transl. J. H. Mozley, Loeb)
Martial 14.21:
Graphiarium. Haec tibi erunt armata suo graphiaria ferro: / si puero Ovid, Ex Ponto 4.13.7–8:
dones, non leve munus erit. Ipse quoque, ut titulum chartae de fronte revellas / quod sit opus videor
Stilus case. These stilus cases you will arm with their steel. If dicere possum tuum.
you give them to a boy, it will be no slight gift. I, too, though you should tear the title from the head of your
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb) pages, could tell, I think, what work is yours.
(Transl. A. L. Wheeler, Loeb)
Martial 14.38:
Fasces calamorum. Dat chartis habiles calamos Memphitica tellus; / Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.522–525
texantur reliqua tecta palude tibi. Dextra tenet ferrum, vacuam tenet altera ceram. / incipit et dubitat,
Bundles of pens. The land of Memphis gives reeds handy scribit damnatque tabellas, / et notat et delet, mutat culpatque
for writing. With reeds from other swamps let your roof be probatque / inque vicem sumptas ponit positasque resumit.
thatched.
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb)