PARALLEL PASSAGES.
(Vol. viii., p. 372.)
Adopting the suggestion of F. W. J., I contribute the following parallel passages towards the collection which he proposes:
1. "And He said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."—Luke xii. 15.
"Non possidentem multa vocaveris
Recte beatum; rectius occupat
Nomen beati, qui Deorum
Muneribus sapienter uti,
Duramque callet pauperiem pati;
Pejusque leto flagitium timet."—Hor. Carm., lib. IV. ode ix.
2. "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would that do I not; but what I hate that do I."—Rom. vii. 15.
"Sed trahit invitam nova vis; aliudque Cupido,
Mens aliud suadet. Video meliora, proboque:
Deteriora sequor."—Ovid, Metam., lib. VII. 19-21.
"Quæ nocuere sequar, fugiam quæ profore credam."—Hor., lib. I. epist. viii. 11.
3. "Without father, without mother, without descent," &c.—Heb. vii. 3.
"Ante potestatem Tullî atque ignobile regnum,
Multos sæpe viros, nullis majoribus ortos
Et vixisse probes," &c.—Hor. Sat. I. vi. 9.
4. "For I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you."—2 Cor. vii. 3.
"Tecum vivere amem, tecum obeam libens."—Hor. Carm., lib. III. ix.
5. "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."—1 Cor. xv. 32.
"Convivæ certe tui dicunt, Bibamus moriendum est."—Senec. Controv. xiv.
6. "Be not thou afraid though one be made rich, or if the glory of his house be increased; for he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, neither shall his pomp follow him."—Ps. xlix. 16, 17.
"How loved, how honoured once, avails thee not;
To whom related, or by whom begot:
A heap of dust alone remains of thee.
'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be."—Pope.
"Divesne, prisco natus ab Inacho,
Nil interest, an pauper, et infima
De gente sub divo moreris,
Victima nil miserantis Orci."—Hor. Carm., lib. II. iii.
The following close parallelism between Ben Jonson and Horace, though a little wide of your correspondent's suggestion, is also worthy of notice. I have never before seen it remarked upon. It would, perhaps, be more correct to describe it as a plagiarism than as a parallelism:
"Mosca. And besides, Sir,
You are not like the thresher that doth stand
With a huge flail, watching a heap of corn,
And, hungry, dares not taste the smallest grain,
But feeds on mallows, and such bitter herbs;
Nor like the merchant, who hath filled his vaults
With Romagnia, and rich Candian wines,
Yet drinks the lees of Lombard's vinegar:
You will lie not in straw, whilst moths and worms
Feed on your sumptuous hangings and soft beds;
You know the use of riches."—Ben Johnson, The Fox.
"Si quis ad ingentem frumenti semper acervum
Prorectus vigilet cum longo fuste, neque illinc
Audeat esuriens dominus contingere granum,
Ac potius foliis parcus vescatur amaris:
Si, positis intus Chii veterisque Falerni
Mille cadis—nihil est, tercentum millibus, acre
Potet acetum; age, si et stramentis incubet, unde—
Octoginta annos natus, cui stragula vestis,
Blattarum ac tinearum epulæ, putrescat in arca."—Hor. Sat., lib. II. iii.
John Booker.
Prestwich.