'Nauseous Epigrams': Byron and Martial

It is remarkable that of all the Latin poets whose poems Byron translates the most numerous are those of Martial. McGann tells us that prior to his edition of Byron's works, none had been collected and only two had been previously published. He prints ten such poems, the first nine of which he dates 1812, the tenth, 1822.¹ The copy text of one only of these, '[Imitation of Martial, XI. 93]' in the 1812 group, McGann has collated with the 'fair copy holograph' written by Byron in his copy of M. Valerii Martialis Epigrammata (1670), which is in the Murray Archives and which McGann designates MS. M.² There are, however, three further translations by Byronin that volume which have somehow escaped notice.³ All four, which I shall here transcribe, are written in pencil in the margin beside their Latin original in the manner I briefly describe, and their orthography suggests that they all belong to the same period – which in the light of the first translation here would indicate May 1814 (though by dating that poem Byron may have intended to distinguish it from the others). I supply the page number in the volume, the epigram number, and the Latintext in square brackets:

1. p. 650. Lib. XI. lxxxvii: the rubric and the first four lines of the translation are written along the top margin of the page; the second two lines, Byron's logo and the date sideways down the outside margin:

[Dives eras quondam: sed tunc pedico fuisti      et tibi nulla diu femina nota fuit. nunc sectaris anus, o quantum cogit egestas!      illa fututorem te, Charideme, facit.]

                       Translation – When thou of yore wer't wealthy – no man So little saw or knew of Woman Or more of boys – but now converted And old one finds thee open hearted – Oh! wondrous power of Poverty That thus can make a Man of thee! –

B May 1st. 1814

2. p. 651. Lib. XI. xcii: the translation is written along the bottom margin of the page immediately beneath the Latin text (cf. CPW, iii. 35):

[Mentitur qui te vitiosum, Zoile, dicit.      non vitiosus homo es, Zoile, sed vitium.]

                    – Translation – Who calls thee vicious – Sam! is somewhat nice Thou art no vicious mortal but a Vice!

3. p. 652. Lib. XI. xciii: the first two lines of the translation are written along the top margin of the page, the second two sideways down the outer margin (cf.CPW, iii. 35; this is McGann's MS. M):

[Pierios vatis Theodori flamma penates       abstulit. hoc Musis et tibi, Phoebe, placet? o scelus, o magnum facinus crimenque      deorum,       non arsit pariter quod domus et dominus!]

Fitzgerald's house hath been on fire – the Nine All smiling <that> saw that pleasant bonfire shine Yet – cruel Gods! – Oh! damnable disaster! The house is burn't! – the house! – <and> without the Master!

4. p. 665. Lib. XII. x: the translation is written sideways down the outer margin of the page:

[Habet Africanus miliens, tamen captat. Fortuna multis dat nimis, satis nulli.]

Old George hath millions - would have more – and scrapes His hoard with meanness in a thousand shapes – Thus Fortune pampering each unworthy son Too much to many gives – enough to None –

Of these four translations, all except the third are here printed for the first time. A version of the second translation is printed in CPW from Byron's 'fair copy' in the Bodleian Library, but with no reference to this text and no variant readings recorded in the apparatus. It runs as follows:

Who calls thee vicious, Jack, is rather nice; Thou art no vicious mortal – but a Vice. – ⁴

As these lines are written 'on the same leaf' as the Bodleian 'fair copy holograph' of the third translation above (McGann's MS. M), there is little reason to suppose that they are not the 'fair copy' of the second translation above, with which they may now be collated.⁵ The earlier reading of 'Sam' for 'Jack' suggests that Byron originally had Rogers in mind. Although there is no indication that he bore Rogers any malice in either 1812 or 1814, from another...