Marrucine Asini, manu sinistra
non belle uteris: in ioco atque vino
tollis lintea neglegentiorum.
hoc salsum esse putas? fugit te, inepte:
quamuis sordida res et inuenusta est.
non credis mihi? crede Pollioni
fratri, qui tua furta vel talento
mutari velit: est enim leporum
differtus puer ac facetiarum.
quare aut hendecasyllabos trecentos
exspecta, aut mihi linteum remitte,
quod me non movet aestimatione,
verum est mnemosynum mei sodalis.
nam sudaria Saetaba ex Hiberis
miserunt mihi muneri Fabullus
et Veranius: haec amem necesse est
ut Veraniolum meum et Fabullum.
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Marcinus Asinus, you do not use
your left hand well: in joke and in wine
you steal the napkins of unaware people.
Do you think that this is witty? It escapes you foolish one:
how sordid and uncharming this thing is.
Do you not believe me? Believe Pollio
[your] brother, who wishes your theft to be
exchanged for a talent: indeed he is a boy
full of charm and of cleaver things.
However either expect three hundred
hendecasyllables, or return the napkins to me,
which does not move me by its value
but is truly a memento of my friend.
For the Saetaban napkins from Spain
were sent to me as a gift by Fabius
and Veranius: it is necessary that I cherish these
as my little Veranius and Fabius.
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