Chapter 23

what led him to write satire, etc. Cf. l. 3,

'Nunc itidem populum aucupamur istis cum scriptoribus.'

Lines 7-20 contain a conversation between Lucilius and a friend who wishes him to engage in public life. Cf. ll. 16-7,

'Publicanu' vero ut Asiae fiam scripturarius pro Lucilio, id ego nolo, et uno hoc non muto omnia.'

Two divisions of the work may be recognized--(i) Books i.-xxi. (to which xxii.-xxv. may be an addition) in hexameters; these Books are referred to as one collection by Varro, _L.L._ v. 17. (2) Books xxvi.-xxx. in various metres.

_Dates of Composition._--Hor. _Sat._ ii. 1, 62-70 (quoted above), shows that Lucilius attacked Lupus and Metellus while Scipio and Laelius were still alive, _i.e._ not after B.C. 129; xxvi., ll. 88-9, in which Lucilius sneers at marriage,

'Homines ipsi hanc sibi molestiam ultro atque aerumnam offerunt. Ducunt uxores, producunt, quibus haec faveant, liberos,'

may have special reference to the attempts of Metellus in his censorship (B.C. 131) to encourage it. If this is so, Books xxvi.-xxx. were composed about B.C. 131-129. Book i. was composed after the death of Carneades in B.C. 129 (cf. l. 12, 'nec si Carneaden ipsum Orcu' remittat'), and probably soon after the death of Lupus, on whom the gods are represented as sitting in judgment.

Serv. ad _Aen._ x. 104, 'Totus hic locus de primo Lucili translatus est libro; ubi inducuntur di habere concilium et agere primo de interitu Lupi cuiusdam ducis in re publica, postea sententias dicere.'

In B.C. 126 Lucilius was probably, along with other _peregrini_, banished under the law of M. Iunius Pennus, trib. pl. in that year. He probably returned in B.C. 124, when the law was repealed by C. Graccus. Bk. xi. was composed after the condemnation of L. Opimius in B.C. 110. Cf. ll. 19-21,

'Quintus Opimius ille, Iugurtini pater huius, et formosus homo fuit et famosus, utrumque primo adulescens, posterius dat rectiu' sese.'

_Subjects of the Satires._--These were very varied. Besides personal satire, we have (1) ethical criticism, as ridicule of philosophers and attacks on luxury.

Lib. incert. ll. 134-5 (imitated by Hor. _Sat._ i. 3, 132 _sqq._; _Ep._ i. 1, 106-8),

'Nondum etiam, qui haec omnia habebit, formonsus, dives, liber, rex solu' feretur?'

iv. 4-6 (cf. Hor. _Sat._ ii. 2, 46-8),

'O Publi, o gurges, Galloni: es homo miser, inquit, cenasti in vita numquam bene, cum omnia in ista consumis squilla atque acupensere cum in decimano.'

(2) Travels, as the account of the journey to the Sicilian Strait, imitated by Hor. _Sat._ i. 5.

(3) Literary criticism. Lucilius jeers at Ennius' line,

'Sparsis hastis longis campus splendet et horret,'

according to Servius ad _Aen._ xi. 601, 'Est versus Ennianus vituperatus a Lucilio dicente per irrisionem eum debuisse dicere "horret et alget."' Euripides is criticised in xxix., frag. 9. Points of orthography and the like are also treated of, cf. ix. 11,

'Iam puerei venere. E postremum facito atque i, ut pueri plures fiant. I si faci' solum, pupilli, pueri, Lucili hoc uniu' fiet.'[23]

Some other points may be noted:

(1) He addresses a large circle of readers, xxix. 99,

'Persium non curo legere: Laelium Decumum volo.'

Cf. Cic. _de Or._ ii. 25, 'Hic [Persius] fuit enim, ut noramus, omnium fere nostrorum hominum doctissimus: "Laelium Decimum volo," quem cognovimus virum bonum et non inlitteratum sed nihil ad Persium.'

(2) For his self-esteem of. xxvi. 16, (quoted above). So xxx. 1,

'Quoi sua conmittunt mortali claustra Camenae.'

(3) He often mixes Greek words with Latin. Cf. v. 12,

'Hoc nolueris et debueris te si minu' delectat, quod +technion+ Eisocratiumst +lêrôdes+que totum ac +symmeirakiôdes+, non operam perdo.'

(4) For his carelessness as to style of. Hor. _Sat._ i. 4, 9,

'In hora saepe ducentos, ut magnum, versus dictabat, stans pede in uno: cum flueret lutulentus, erat quod tollere velles; garrulus atque piger scribendi ferre laborem, scribendi recte; nam ut multum, nil moror.'

For Lucilius' influence on other poets, see above; also under 'Persius,' p. 262. For Horace's views on Lucilius, see above; also _Sat._ i. 4; i. 10; ii. 1.

Cf. Quint. x. 1, 93, 'Satira quidem tota nostra est, in qua primus insignem laudem adeptus Lucilius quosdam ita deditos sibi adhuc habet amatores, ut eum non eiusdem modo operis auctoribus sed omnibus poetis praeferre non dubitent. Ego quantum ab illis tantum ab Horatio dissentio, qui Lucilium "fluere lutulentum" et "esse aliquid, quod tollere possis" putat. Nam eruditio in eo mira et libertas atque inde acerbitas et abundantia salis.'

ATTA AND AFRANIUS.

Writers of _togatae_ were Atta and Afranius.

Sueton. p. 15 R., 'Togatas tabernarias in scaenam dataverunt praecipue duo, L. Afranius et T. Quintius.'

T. Quintius Atta died B.C. 77, according to Jerome yr. Abr. 1940, 'T. Quintius Atta, scriptor togatarum, Romae moritur.'

Eleven titles and about twenty lines of fragments are extant. Horace refers to Atta in _Ep._ ii. 1, 79 _sqq._,

'Recte necne crocum floresque perambulet Attae fabula si dubitem, clament periisse pudorem cuncti paene patres, ea cum reprendere coner quae gravis Aesopus, quae doctus Roscius egit.'

L. Afranius was probably born between B.C. 154 and 144. He was the chief writer of _togatae_ (Quint. x. 1, 100, 'Togatis excellit Afranius'), and also an orator.

Cic. _Brut._ 167, 'L. Afranius poeta, homo perargutus, in fabulis quidem etiam ut scitis disertus.'

There are extant forty-two titles (with Latin names) and more than four hundred lines of fragments. The plays exhibit Roman surroundings, and describe low life, especially of the provincial towns. Cf. the title _Brundusinae_, also l. 136,

'Ubi hice Moschis, quaeso, habet, meretrix Neapolitis?'

Afranius imitated Menander, and probably Terence.

Hor. _Ep._ ii. 1, 57,

'Dicitur Afrani toga convenisse Menandro.'

Macrob. _Saturn._ vi. 1, 4, 'Afranius togatarum scriptor in ea togata, quae Compitalia inscribitur, non inverecunde respondens arguentibus, quod plura sumpsisset a Menandro,

"Fateor" inquit "sumpsi non ab illo modo, sed ut quisque habuit conveniret quod mihi, quod me non posse melius facere credidi etiam a Latino"' (ll. 25-8).

Sueton. _vit. Ter._ p. 33 R., 'Terentium Afranius omnibus comicis praefert.'

MINOR POETS:

(_a_) The poets immediately after Afranius include

(1) Hostius.--He was perhaps the grandfather of Cynthia (Hostia), Propertius' mistress. Prop. iv. 20, 7,

'Est tibi forma potens; sunt castae Palladis artes, splendidaque a docto fama refulget avo.'

There are nine lines extant from his epic poem _Bellum Histricum_, which was probably on the war of B.C. 125. Frag. 5 (Bährens),

'Non si mihi linguae centum atque ora sient totidem vocesque liquatae,'

is from _Il._ ii. 489, and is imitated by Verg. _Aen._ vi. 625 (as noticed by Macrob. _Saturn._ vi. 3, 6).

(2) Writers of epigrams--Pompilius, Valerius Aedituus, Porcius Licinus, and Q. Lutatius Catulus (cons. B.C. 102).

(3) Q. Valerius Soranus wrote verse on philology and archaeology.

(4) Volcacius Sedigitus wrote verse on literary history up to the time of the _fabula palliata_. He wrote _indices_ of Plautus (Gell. iii. 3, 1), and a work _De Poetis_, which included his canon on the comic poets (Gell. xv. 24).

'Caecilio palmam Statio do mimico. Plautus secundus facile exuperat ceteros. Dein Naevius, qui fervet, pretio in tertiost. Si erit, quod quarto detur, dabitur Licinio. Post insequi Licinium facio Atilium. In sexto consequetur hos Terentius, Turpilius septimum, Trabea octavum optinet, nono loco esse facile facio Luscium. Decimum addo causa antiquitatis Ennium.'

(_b_) The following poets wrote during Cicero's youth, B.C. 106-84:

(1) Cn. Matius, author of _Mimiambi_, and a translation of the _Iliad_. An example of the last is Frag. I (Bährens) = _Il._ i. 56,

'Corpora Graiorum maerebat mandier igni.'

(2) Laevius, author of _Erotopaegnia_, of a lyrical character. Porphyr. ad Hor. _Od._ iii. 1, 2, 'Romanis utique non prius audita, quamvis Laevius lyrica ante Horatium scripserit; sed videntur illa non Graecorum lege ad lyricum characterem exacta.'

About sixty lines are extant. Gell. xix. 7 speaks of Laevius' curious vocabulary, and instances _oblittera_ for _oblitterata_; _trisaeclisenex_, _dulciorelocus_, etc.

(3) A. Furius of Antium. Only six lines are extant.

(4) C. Iulius Caesar Strabo, a tragic writer and orator.

(5) Sueius. His works are (_a_) _Moretum_, an idyll; (_b_) _Pulli_, on the breeding of fowls; (_c_) _Nidus_; (_d_) an epic poem, _Annales_.

(6) Writers of _fabula Atellana_;[24] Novius and L. Pomponius (Bononiensis). Fronto p. 62 (ed. Naber), 'Elegantis Novium et Pomponium et id genus in verbis rusticanis et iocularibus ac ridiculariis.'

Of Novius forty-three titles and over one hundred lines are preserved, and of Pomponius about seventy titles and two hundred lines. The well-known characters of the _fabula Atellana_ are retained, as is seen from the titles. Cf. _Duo Dosseni_, _Maccus Copa_ of Novius; _Bucco Adoptatus_, _Maccus Miles_, _Maccus Sequester_, _Maccus Virgo_ of Pomponius.

PROSE WRITERS OF THE SAME PERIOD:

_L. Cornelius Sisenna_ (praetor B.C. 78), author of _Historiae_ of the Social and Civil Wars (Vell. Pat. ii. 9). Cicero thought him superior to his predecessors, but childish (_Brut._ 228, _De Leg._ i. 7), and Sallust remarks his want of frankness in speaking of Sulla's career (_Iug._ 95). He avoided a piecemeal and desultory treatment of events; cf. his own words quoted by Gell. xii. 15, 2, 'Nos una aestate in Asia et Graecia gesta litteris idcirco continentia mandavimus, ne vellicatim aut saltuatim scribendo lectorum animos impediremus.' His translation of the +Milêsiaka+ of Aristides is mentioned by Ovid, _Tr._ ii. 443.

Contemporary with Sisenna were _Q. Claudius Quadrigarius_, and _Valerius Antias_, whose narrative was coloured by partiality for the Valerii and for Scipio Africanus (see under 'Livy').

_C. Licinius Macer_, father of the poet Calvus, was one of Livy's sources for the early history. Dion. Hal. (vi. 11 and vii. 1) complains of his carelessness and the weakness of his chronology. He claimed that he used original authorities, _e.g._ the _libri lintei_, lists of magistrates written on linen. He was a strong democrat, and is looked upon by Mommsen (_R.H._ iv., p. 602) as manufacturing authorities in support of his political views.

_Sulla_ wrote memoirs of his own life (Plut. _Lucull._ 1), and _Lucullus_ composed in Greek a history of the Marsian War (_ibid._).

Footnotes to Chapter I

[1] The scheme of this old national metre, which depends on accent and not on quantity, may be seen from the two examples given below. Various forms are found, but one of the commonest types is identical with the rhythm of the nursery rhyme,

'The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey.'

[2] 'I have heard that a Roman poet is languishing in prison with head on hand'--probably a metaphor from a pillar (but the sense is far from certain).

[3] Utica was besieged by Scipio from 204 to 202 B.C.

[4] In the _fabula togata_ or _tabernaria_ the surroundings of the comedy were Roman, in the _fabula palliata_ Greek, as in Plautus' plays. _Togata_ in a wider sense included tragedy as well as comedy.

[5] This term means the construction of a new play by uniting two old ones.

[6] The references are to the revised edition of Ritschl.

[7] A species of burlesque tragedy, called after its inventor Rhinthon, who flourished B.C. 300.

[8] _R.H._ ii. p. 431 trans.

[9] This shows that the ancient (rough alphabetical) order has been departed from. Some grammarian of the fifth century altered the position of the play on account of the reference to it in _Epid._ 213-5 (quoted above).

[10] I.e. the 'Patruus' written by the old Roman (lit., 'son of the porridge-eater').

[11] These games were celebrated in April. Plays were exhibited also at the _Ludi Romani_ (September) and the _Ludi Plebei_ (November).

[12] Much of the information on this head is taken from J. Brix's edition of the _Trinummus_. Leipzig, 1888.

[13] This is shown in the universal classical usage of _bene_, _male_, etc.

[14] The references are to Vahlen's edition.

[15] Thus the original name of Beneventum was Maleventum, i.e. +MaloFenta+, accusative of +MaloFeis+; cf. Agrigentum from +Akragas+, and Tarentum from +Taras+.

[16] Euhemerus of Messana, who wrote about the end of the fourth century B.C., tried in this work to show that the worship of the gods arose from the worship of deified kings and heroes.

[17] The Oscan form of _Pacuvi_.

[18] The term _doctus_ refers to his knowledge of the Greek laws of artistic composition.

[19] After Ambivius' name appears in most of the didascaliae 'L. Hatilius Praenestinus.' Probably this person was an actor at some later productions, and his name has in this way crept into the MSS.

[20] _Tibiae_ were called _pares_ or _impares_ according as they were or were not of the same length and key. _Duae dextrae_ were two pipes both playing the treble. _Tibiae Sarranae_, from Sarra, the old Latin name for Tyre, were a special form of _tibiae pares_.

[21] _Mediocritas_ = +to meson+, the intermediate style between +to hadron+, 'the florid' (_ubertas_), and +to ischnon+, 'the simple' (_gracilitas_). See W. Peterson's note on Quint. x. 1, 44.

[22] For the omission of names, cf. iv. 12 (Jordan), 'dictatorem Karthaginiensium magister equitum monuit' (of Hannibal and Maharbal).

[23] This means that Lucilius would represent the nom. plu. by _-ei_ and the gen. sing, by _-i_.

[24] The _fabula Atellana_ was a species of farce adopted by the Romans from the Oscan town of Atella in Campania. See Livy, vii. 2, for this and the early history of the Roman drama.