[35] Schmidt supposes that the person to whom this letter is written is the same as the Allius of lxviiib; that the lines beginning
Non possum reticere
are a continuation of what used to be thought a separate poem,
Quod mihi fortuna, etc.,
that Manlius was the praenomen of Allius, and that he is addressed in the first part of the poem by the praenomen, in the latter by the gentile name. But the letter to Manlius clearly indicates the recent loss of his bride, or some distress connected with his marriage (lines 1, 5, 6), whereas at the end of the letter to Allius he says, 'Sitis felices et tu simul et tua vita;' lxviii. 155.
[36] There is some uncertainty both as to the reading and interpretation of the lines (lxviii. 15-19). The most generally accepted view is that Manlius had written to let Catullus know that several fashionable rivals were supplanting him in his absence. Mr. Munro supposes that the letter was written from Baiae, and that the hic is so to be explained. Another view of the passage is that Manlius had, without any reference to Clodia, merely rallied Catullus on leading a dull and lonely life at Verona, a place quite unsuitable for the pleasures of a man of fashion.
[37] Cf. poems x. 30, etc., and xcv.
[38] Cf. Munro's Criticisms and Elucidations of Catullus, p. 214.
[39] An entirely different interpretation has recently been given to this poem (Schmidt, Prolegomena, xxxix, etc.). It is supposed not to be complimentary, but bitterly sarcastic. It is said that Catullus could not, except in irony, have described himself as
'pessimus omnium poeta;'