May 15 | Fastorum Liber Quintus: Maius
G • EID • NP | Idibus | V.663-692, Rome celebrates the anniversary of the foundation of a temple to Mercury, as well as his festival.
Clare nepos Atlantis, ades, quem montibus olim
edidit Arcadiis Pleïas una Iovi,
pacis et armorum superis imisque deorum 665
arbiter, alato qui pede carpis iter,
laete lyrae pulsu, nitida quoque laete palaestra,
quo didicit culte lingua docente loqui,
templa tibi posuere patres spectantia Circum
Idibus: ex illo est haec tibi festa dies. 670
te, quicumque suas profitentur vendere merces,
ture dato, tribuas ut sibi lucra, rogant.
est aqua Mercurii portae vicina Capenae;
si iuvat expertis credere, numen habet.
huc venit incinctus tunica mercator et urna 675
purus suffita, quam ferat, haurit aquam.
uda fit hinc laurus, lauro sparguntur ab uda
omnia, quae dominos sunt habitura novos;
spargit et ipse suos lauro rorante capillos
et peragit solita fallere voce preces: 680
“ablue praeteriti periuria temporis,” inquit
“ablue praeteritae perfida verba die.
sive ego te feci testem falsove citavi
non audituri numina magna Iovis,
sive deum prudens alium divamve fefelli, 685
abstulerint celeres improba verba Noti,
et pateant veniente die periuria nobis,
nec curent superi si qua locutus ero.
da modo lucra mihi, da facto gaudia lucro,
et fac, ut emptori verba dedisse iuvet.” 690
talia Mercurius poscentem ridet ab alto,
se memor Ortygias surripuisse boves.
663 Come, thou famed grandson1 of Atlas, thou whom of old upon the Arcadian mountains one of the Pleiads bore to Jupiter. Thou arbiter of peace and war to gods above and gods below, thou who dost ply thy way on winged foot; thou who dost delight in the music of the lyre, and dost delight too in the wrestling-school, glistening with oil; thou by whose instruction the tongue learns to discourse elegantly, the senate founded for thee on the Ides2 a temple looking towards the Circus: since then the day has been thy festival. All who make a business of selling their wares give thee incense and beg that thou wouldst grant them gain. There is a water of Mercury near the Capene Gate: if you care to take the word of those who have tried it, there is a divinity in the water. Hither comes the merchant with his tunic girt up, and, ceremonially pure, draws water in a fumigated jar to carry it away. With the water he wets a laurel bough, and with the wet bough he sprinkles all the goods that soon are to change owners; he sprinkles, too, his own hair with the dripping laurel and recites prayers in a voice accustomed to deceive. “Wash away the perjuries of past time,” says he, “wash away my glozing words of the past day. Whether I have called thee to witness, or have falsely invoked the great divinity of Jupiter, in the expectation that he would not hear, or whether I have knowingly taken in vain the name of any other god or goddess, let the swift south winds carry away the wicked words, and may to-morrow open the door for me to fresh perjuries, and may the gods above not care if I shall utter any! Only grant me profits, grant me the joy of profit made, and see to it that I enjoy cheating the buyer!” At such prayers Mercury laughs from on high, remembering that he himself stole the Ortygian3 kine.
Mercury; he was worshipped by merchants at Rome, as the patron of gain. See above, 1. 104. So the Greek Hermes of commerce, Ἐμπολαῖος.
495 B.C.
Belonging to Apollo, who was born in Delos (Ortygia).