Marrucine Asini, manu sinistra
non belle uteris: in ioco atque vino
tollis lintea neglegentiorum.
Hoc salsum esse putas? Fugit te, inepte:
quamvis sordida res et invenusta 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 no 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.

Asinius Marrucinus, left hand
You do not use well: in joke and wine
You lift the napkins of the more careless.
Do you think that this is witty? It escapes you, foolish man
This thing is utterly sordid and unattractive.
Do you not believe me? Believe you brother Pollio
Who would wish that your acts of stealing
Be changed for even a talent - for the boy
Is full of charm and wit.
Therefore expect either 300 hendecasyllabic verses
Or send back the napkin to me,
Which does not move me by means of price,
But rather it is a souvenir of my friend.
For Fabullus and Veranius sent Saetaban napkins
From the Spaniards to me as a gift;
It is necessary that I love these things
As I love my little Veranius and Fabullus.