Chapter 5

EARLY POETS AND PROSE WRITERS.

LIVIUS ANDRONICUS.

(1) LIFE.

L. Livius Andronicus, according to the poet Accius, was taken prisoner at the capture of Tarentum by Q. Fabius Maximus in B.C. 209, and exhibited his first play in B.C. 197.

Cic. _Brut._ 72-3, 'Accius a Q. Maximo quintum consule captum Tarenti scripsit Livium annis xxx. postquam eum fabulam docuisse et Atticus scribit et nos in antiquis commentariis invenimus: docuisse autem fabulam annis post xi., C. Cornelio Q. Minucio coss. ludis Iuventatis, quos Salinator Senensi proelio voverat.'

But ancient evidence is unanimous that he was the first literary writer of Rome, and this is confirmed by his archaic language. Hence the statement of Cicero _ibid._, that Livius produced his first play in B.C. 240, must be accepted.

'Atque hic Livius, qui primus fabulam, C. Claudio Caeci filio et M. Tuditano coss., docuit anno ipso antequam natus est Ennius; post Romam conditam autem quarto decimo et quingentesimo ... In quo tantus error Acci fuit, ut his consulibus xl. annos natus Ennius fuerit: cui si aequalis fuerit Livius, minor fuit aliquanto is, qui primus fabulam dedit, quam ei, qui multas docuerant ante hos consules, et Plautus et Naevius.'

Cf. Cic. _Tusc._ i. 3, and Gell. xvii. 21, 42.

Probably Accius, finding in his authorities that Livius was taken prisoner at the capture of Tarentum (_i.e._ in B.C. 272), wrongly thought of the second capture by Fabius. In spite of Cicero's correction, the error of Accius was, we may infer, reproduced by Suetonius, and thus penetrated into Jerome, who says, yr. Abr. 1830 = B.C. 187, 'T. [an error] Livius tragoediarum scriptor clarus habetur, qui ob ingenii meritum a Livio Salinatore, cuius liberos erudiebat, libertate donatus est.'

It is probable that Livius was the slave of C. Livius Salinator, the father of the victor of Sena (M. Livius Salinator), and taught the latter; for he must have been set free before B.C. 240, and the victor of Sena could hardly have been born earlier than B.C. 258. This connexion made M. Livius Salinator when consul, B.C. 207, select Livius Andronicus to prepare a hymn of expiation to the Aventine Juno, and, probably in the same year, to compose a hymn of thanksgiving for the success of Rome in the Hannibalic War. For his services the privileges of a guild were assigned to writers and actors.

Livy xxvii. 37, 'Decrevere pontifices ut virgines ter novenae per urbem euntes carmen canerent ... conditum ab Livio poeta ... Carmen in Iunonem reginam canentes ibant illa tempestate forsitan laudabile rudibus ingeniis, nunc abhorrens et inconditum, si referatur.'

Fest. p. 333, 'Cum Livius Andronicus bello Punico secundo scripsisset carmen quod a virginibus est cantatum, quia prosperius res publica populi Romani geri coepta est, publice attributa est ei in Aventino aedis Minervae, in qua liceret scribis histrionibusque consistere ac dona ponere, in honorem Livi, quia is et scribebat fabulas et agebat.'

Livius had a twofold reason for writing, (_a_) To assist him in his profession as a schoolmaster he published a translation of the _Odyssey_; (_b_) as an actor, he wrote the plays he acted, and afterwards published them.

Sueton. _Gramm._ 1, 'Livium et Ennium ... quos utraque lingua domi forisque docuisse adnotatum est.'

Livy vii. 2, 8, 'Livius ... qui ab saturis ausus est primus argumento fabulam serere, idem scilicet, id quod omnes tum erant, suorum carminum actor.'

(2) WORKS.

1. _Tragedies._--From the scanty fragments extant and from the titles (_Achilles_, _Aegisthus_, and six others are known) we see that these were close imitations of Greek plays. Thus l. 38 (Ribbeck),

'Quem ego nefrendem alui lacteam immulgens opem,'

is, according to Conington, a rendering of Aesch. _Choeph._ 883-4,

+maston pros hô sy polla dê brizon hama ouloisoin ezêmexas eutraphes gala+.

2. _Comedies._--Slight fragments of three of these are extant.

3. A translation of the _Odyssey_ in Saturnians.[1] This, though rough and incorrect, long remained a school-book. So Hor. _Ep._ ii. I, 69 _sqq._,

'Non equidem insector delendave carmina Livi esse reor, memini quae plagosum mihi parvo Orbilium dictare: sed emendata videri pulchraque et exactis minimum distantia miror.'

For examples of translation, of. Gell, xviii. 9, 5, 'Offendi ... librum ... Livi Andronici, qui inscriptus est Odyssea, in quo erat versus primus ...,

"Virúm mihí Caména | ínsecé versútum,"

factus ex illo Homeri versu,

+Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, polytropon+.'

Fragments 2 and 3,

'Meá puer, quid vérbi | éx tuo óre súpera fugít? neque ením te oblítus | Lértié, sum, nóster,'

represent _Od._ i. 64,

+teknon emon, poion se epos phygen herkos odontôn? pôs an epeit' Odysêos egô theioio lathoimên?+

NAEVIUS.

(1) LIFE.

Cn. Naevius' dates can only be given approximately as B.C. 269-199. As he served in the First Punic War, he cannot in any case have been born later than B.C. 257. He was a Campanian by birth.

Gell. i. 24, 2, 'Epigramma Naevi plenum superbiae Campanae, quod testimonium esse iustum potuisset, nisi ab ipso dictum esset,

"Inmortales mortales si foret fas flere, flerent divae Camenae Naevium poetam. Itaque postquam est Orci traditus thesauro, obliti sunt Romae loquier lingua Latina."'

Naevius' first play was produced B.C. 235; the fact that he served as a soldier shows that he was not an actor.

Gell. xvii. 21, 45, 'Eodem anno (A.U.C. Dxix.) Cn. Naevius poeta fabulas apud populum dedit, quem M. Varro in libris de poetis primo stipendia fecisse ait bello Poenico primo, idque ipsum Naevium dicere in eo carmine, quod de eodem bello scripsit.'

In his plays he attacked the senatorial party, particularly the Metelli, and was imprisoned, but afterwards released.

Gell. iii. 3, 15, 'Sicuti de Naevio quoque accepimus, fabulas eum in carcere duas scripsisse, Hariolum et Leontem, cum ob assiduam maledicentiam et probra in principes civitatis de Graecorum poetarum more dicta in vincula Romae a triumviris coniectus esset. Unde post a tribunis plebis exemptus est, cum in his, quas supra dixi, fabulis delicta sua et petulantias dictorum, quibus multos ante laeserat, diluisset.'

Pseud.-Asconius on Cic. _in Verr. act. prior_, 29. 'Dictum facete et contumeliose in Metellos antiquum Naevii est, "Fato Metelli Romai fiunt consules," cui tunc Metellus consul (B.C. 206) iratus versu responderat ..., "Dabunt malum Metelli Naevio poetae."'

Cf. the contemporary reference in Plaut. _Mil._ 212,

'Nam os columnatum poetae esse indaudivi barbaro,[2] quoi bini custodes semper totis horis occubant.'

For Naevius' freedom of speech cf. his comedies, l. 113 (Ribbeck),

'Libera lingua loquemur ludis Liberalibus';