IN MAXIMUM
Reading edition
Wouldst thou be free? I think it not, indeed; But if thou wouldst, attend this simple rede: [When quite contented / Thou shall be free when] thou canst dine at home And drink a small wine of the march of Rome; When thou canst see unmoved thy neighbour’s plate, And wear my threadbare toga in the gate; When thou hast learned to love a small abode, And not to choose a mistress à la mode: When thus contained and bridled thou shalt be, Then, Maximus, then first shalt thou be free.