Firmanus: Firmum, now Fermo, was a town in Picenum, about forty miles south of Ancona.
saltu: the word denoted first uncultivated land (cf. Fest. p. 302 “sallus est ubi silvae et pastiones sunt, quarum causa casae quoque” ), and then a measure of 800 iugera as a single grant of such land by the land-commissions (Varr. R. R. 1.10.2), and then the grant in general, an ‘estate,’ even though comprising, as here, some arable land (cf. Fest. l.c. si qua particula in eo saltu pastorum aut custodum causa aratur, ea res non peremit nomen saltui).
[2] tot res egregias: spoken ironically, like non fulso in v. 1, for Catul. 115.1ff. shows that the fine things specified in Catul. 114.3 are but supposed attractions of the estate, which is really a small and worthless affair.
[3] omne genus: accusative of specification.
[4] exsuperat: sc. probably saltus as subject; the estate is good for nothing, and its necessary expenses more than eat up the income from it.
[5] concedo: etc. i. e. I grant, then, that he is rich, if a man can be rich who hasn't a cent to his name.
[6] laudemus: etc. i. e. let us praise the estate, if praise can mean anything when the owner hasn't a roof over his head.
[6] domo: with hiatus; see Intr. 86d.
[6] ipse: the owner; cf. Catul. 64.43n.
