But this poor implement of mine, my pen,
Shall ne’er assault one soul of living men: 
Like a sheathed sword, I’ll carry it about,
Just to protect my life when I go out,
A weapon I shall never care to draw,
While my good neighbours keep within the law. 
O grant, dread Father, grant my steel may rust! 
Grant that no foe may play at cut and thrust
With my peace-loving self! but should one seek
To quarrel with me, yon shall hear him shriek: 
Don’t say I gave no warning:  up and down
He shall be trolled and chorused through the town.

Cervius attacks his foes with writ and rule: 
Albutius’ henbane is Canidia’s tool: 
How threatens Turius? if he e’er should judge
A. cause of yours, he’ll bear you an ill grudge. 
Each has his natural weapon, you’ll agree,
If you will work the problem out with me: 
Wolves use their tooth against you, bulls their
horn;

Why, but that each is to the manner born? 
Take worthy Scaeva now, the spendthrift heir,
And trust his long-lived mother to his care;
He’ll lift no hand against her.  No, forsooth! 
Wolves do not use their heel, nor bulls their tooth: 
But deadly hemlock, mingled in the bowl
With honey, will take off the poor old soul. 
Well, to be brief:  whether old age await
My years, or Death e’en now be at the gate,
Wealthy or poor, at home or banished, still,
Whate’er my life’s complexion, write I will.

T. Poor child! your life is hanging on a thread: 
Some noble friend one day will freeze you dead.

H. What? when Lucilius first with dauntless brow
Addressed him to his task, as I do now,
And from each hypocrite stripped off the skin
He flaunted to the world, though foul within,
Did Laelius, or the chief who took his name
Prom conquered Carthage, grudge him his fair game?

Felt they for Lupus or Metellus, when
Whole floods of satire drenched the wretched men? 
He took no count of persons:  man by man
He scourged the proudest chiefs of each proud clan,
Nor spared delinquents of a humbler birth,
Kind but to worth and to the friends of worth. 
And yet, when Scipio brave and Laelius sage
Stepped down awhile like actors from the stage,
They would unbend with him, and laugh and joke
While his pot boiled, like other simple folk. 
Well, rate me at my lowest, far below
Lucilius’ rank and talent, yet e’en so
Envy herself shall own that to the end
I lived with men of mark as friend with friend,
And, when she fain on living flesh and bone
Would try her teeth, shall close them on a stone;
That is, if grave Trebatius will concur—­

T. I don’t quite see; I cannot well demur;
Yet you had best be cautioned, lest you draw
Some mischief down from ignorance of law;
If a man writes ill verses out of spite
’Gainst A or B, the sufferer may indict.

H. Ill verses? ay, I grant you:  but suppose
Caesar should think them good (and Caesar knows);
Suppose the man you bark at has a name
For every vice, while yours is free from blame.