Epistles of Horace 1 Notes

Apply myself to the study of philosophy- through poetry and writing?

  • Bridle the desires; postpone everything to virtue.

Study rules of living.

I endeavor to adapt circumstances to myself; not myself to circumstances.

Don’t swear loyalty to any master ***

Follow ‘strict virtue’

Let the world adapt to me // don’t adapt myself to the world.

“[I] endeavor to adapt circumstances to myself, not myself to circumstances.” – Horace

Don’t love praise.

Virtue, to fly vice — and the highest wisdom; to live ‘free from folly’

‘Fleeing poverty through sea, through rocks, through flames’

Gold is less valuable than virtue.

‘Thou art a monster with many heads’

‘Nothing is preferable to, nothing better than a single life’

Have a single life***

Remove the noose from my neck.

Homer as a philosopher?

‘Circe’s cups’ — foolishly and greedily drink — become a slave.

Remove things that hurts my eyes; or gnaws my mind.

‘Boldly undertake the study of true wisdom’

Dont postpone the hour of living well.

‘Let him wish for no more.’

Have a ‘competency’ — become COMPLETE

‘Not a house and farm, nor a heap of brass and gold, can remove fevers from the body of their sick master, or cares from his mind.’

‘Unless the vessel be sweet, whatever you put into it turns sour’

‘pleasure brought with pain is hurtful’

‘set a limit to your wishes’

Envy: worst torment

‘Your genius is not small, is not uncultivated no inelegantly rough.’

‘you will bear off the first prize of the victorious ivy’

‘if now you could quit the cold fermentation’s of care’

hope that my children are wise.

‘In the midst of hope and care, in the midst of fears and disquietudes, think every day that shines upon you is the last. thus the hour, which shall not be expected, will come upon you with an agreeable addition.’

‘dismiss airy hopes, and contests about riches.’

‘remove the pressure from troubled minds; teaches the arts.’

‘admire nothing— which can keep a man happy’

‘a thousand eyes are fixed upon you while you speak’

‘Live: be happy.’

Photograph: be happy.

‘revisit with the zephyrs’

‘The black locks on my narrow forehead.’

a thin field mouse: creep through small hole to get grain; feasted, and in vain cannot escape (too full).

Stay lean.

‘Sabine fields and air’

‘his ox was killed with plowing’ — we kill our own ox with too much plowing (work)

Measure myself by my own proper foot and standard.

Don’t think how i manage myfincances; but how i manage myself?

‘I praise the rocks overgrown with moss.’

‘I desire plain bread—better than honied cakes’

‘live suitably to nature, a plot of ground is to be first sought to raise a house upon.’ — have a small plot of land for home.

‘the fleeces that drink up the purple dye.’

‘away with complaints!’

‘whether you murder fishes, or onions and garlic.’

‘my little farm’

‘he to whom his neighbors lot is agreeable, must of consequence dislike his own’

Don’t like what others have; or else i will dislike my own lot.

‘each of us is a fool for unjustly blaming the innocent place. the mind is in fault, which never escapes from itself.’

**‘you know i am consistent with myself’*****

Wisdom: consistency!

be of service to my friends.

dont wait for my purple robe; dressed in anything.

‘the lyre, disliked by the austere brother, was silent.’

Don’t let my heart become inflamed by triflings.


‘the melancholy hate the merry’

‘pure Falerni’

‘dispel gloominess from your forehead’

‘that insatiable desire may not agitate and torment you’

‘nor the fear and hope of things that are but of little account’

‘path of an unnoticed life’ — tranquility

‘brain-sick poets’

‘i was the original, who set my free footsteps upon the vacant sod; I trod not in the steps of others’

‘he who demands upon himself, as leader, commands the swarm.’

– Don’t quote others; quote myself — refer to my own photos.

‘i hunt not after the applause of the inconstant vulgar’

‘i am not an auditor of noble writers, nor a vindicitive reciter’

‘you are confident that it is you alone that can distill the poetic honey, beautiful in your own eyes.’

play in my own playground; do a weekly round-up of new blog posts.

‘in vain he endeavors to retain his book, desirous of getting abroad.’

‘you grieve that you are shown but to a few, and extol public places.’ — don’t grieve that your photos are only shown to a few.

‘you will be squeezed into small compass, as soon as the eager reader is satiated.’