us meant to say
commoda, he uttered it as c_h_ommoda, and _h_insidias for insidias, and
never thought he spoke remarkably well unless he laid great stress upon
the aspirate, calling it with emphasis _h_insidias. I believe his
mother, his uncle, his maternal grandfather and grandmother all spoke in
the same way. When the man went into Syria, all ears had a little rest,
and heard those words pronounced without this emphatic aspirate, and
began to entertain no fears respecting the use of the words; when on a
sudden they hear--that after Arrius had gone thither, the Ionian seas
were no longer Ionian, but Hionian." This is curious. As the Romans had
possession here more than four hundred years, did they leave us this
legacy?

AQUILIUS--I will, then, give you versions of the two which immediately
follow.

DE AMORE SUO.

I love and hate. You ask me how 'tis so.
Small is the reason which I have to show:
I feel it to my cost--'tis all I know.

Then follows a compliment, by comparison, to his Lesbia.

DE QUINTIA ET LESBIA.

Many think Quintia beautiful: she's tall,
And fair, and straight. I know, I grant it all,
When each particular beauty I recall;

But I deny--when these are uncombined
To form a whole of beauty--and I find
So large a person with so small a mind.

But Lesbia's perfect person is all soul,
Compact in beauty--as if grace she stole
From all the rest, and made herself one perfect whole.

CURATE.--This is compliment enough as far as comparison goes--but he
pays her a much greater shortly after: for he loves her in their
greatest quarrels.

OF LESBIA.

"Lesbia mi dicit semper male."

Lesbia's always speaking ill
Of me--her tongue is never still:
Yet may I die, but 'gainst her will,
She loves me, spite of her detraction.

Why think I so? Because I blame
Her ways, abuse her just the same:
Yet howsoe'er I name her name,
I still love Lesbia to distraction.

GRATIAN.--Perhaps the constancy was more to the credit of Lesbia than
Catullus. Now then, Aquilius.

AQUILIUS.--

DE LESBIA.

Lesbia speaketh ill of me
Ever--nought it moves me:
Say she what she will of me,
Yet I know she loves me.

Why? Because in words of hate,
I am far before her;
Yet no jot of love abate,
Rather I adore her.

CURATE.--I don't like "I am far before her." We say, "I am not b