The History of Roman Literature From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius
CHAPTER II.
_On the Beginnings of Roman Literature._
The Latin character--Romans a practical people--Their religion unromantic --Primitive culture of Latium--Germs of drama and epos--No early historians--Early speeches--Ballad literature--No early Roman epos--Poets despised--_Fescenninae_--_Saturae_--_Mime_ or _Planipes_--_Atellanae_- Saturnian metre--Early interest in politics and law as giving the germs of oratory and jurisprudence.