Chapter 69

that of Turnus.

After Virgil, Homer (esp. in Book vi.), Ovid, and Seneca's tragedies are chiefly imitated. Statius is full of imitations of Valerius.

Valerius often tries to connect his subject with Rome.[84] Cf. ii. 304,

'Iam nemus Egeriae, iam te ciet altus ab Alba Iuppiter et soli non mitis Aricia regi';

ii 573,

'genus Aeneadum et Troiae melioris honores.'

SILIUS ITALICUS.

The full name of Silius is got from an inscription (_C.I.L._ vi. 1984), and is Ti. Catius Silius Italicus. Our chief information about his life is found in Pliny, _Epist._ iii. 7, where his recent death is mentioned. It was probably written A.D. 101, and as it states that Silius was then 75 years old, the year of his birth was A.D. 25. His birthplace is unknown, but was not Italica in Spain, otherwise Martial would have claimed him as a countryman. Pliny tells us that Silius had risen by acting as a _delator_ under Nero, who made him consul A.D. 68. He had taken the side of Vitellius in the war of the succession A.D. 69[85] and had afterwards, as proconsul, governed Asia with success (under Vespasian). After this he possessed great social influence. Towards the end of his life, he retired to Campania, and gave himself up to study. The account of his learned retirement,[86] his reverence for Virgil,[87] the consulship of his son,[88] the death of his younger son,[89] and other details, are corroborated by his contemporary Martial.

The passage of Pliny is as follows:

'Modo nuntiatus est Silius Italicus in Neapolitano suo inedia finisse vitam. Causa mortis valetudo. Erat illi natus insanabilis clavus, cuius taedio ad mortem inrevocabili constantia decucurrit, usque ad supremum diem beatus et felix, nisi quod minorem ex liberis duobus amisit, sed maiorem melioremque florentem atque etiam consularem reliquit. Laeserat famam suam sub Nerone, credebatur sponte accusasse: sed in Vitelli amicitia sapienter se et comiter gesserat, ex proconsulatu Asiae gloriam reportaverat, maculam veteris industriae laudabili otio abluerat. Fuit inter principes civitatis sine potentia, sine invidia: salutabatur, colebatur, multumque in lectulo iacens cubiculo semper non ex fortuna frequenti doctissimis sermonibus dies transigebat, cum a scribendo vacaret. Scribebat carmina maiore cura quam ingenio, non numquam iudicia hominum recitationibus experiebatur. Novissime ita suadentibus annis ab urbe secessit, seque in Campania tenuit, ac ne adventu quidem novi principis inde commotus est ... Erat +philokalos+ usque ad emacitatis reprehensionem. Plures isdem in locis villas possidebat adamatisque novis priores neglegebat. Multum ubique librorum, multum statuarum, multum imaginum, quas non habebat modo verum etiam venerabatur, Vergilii ante omnes, cuius natalem religiosius quam suum celebrabat, Neapoli maxime, ubi monimentum eius adire ut templum solebat. In hac tranquillitate annum quintum et septuagensimum excessit, delicato magis corpore quam infirmo; utque novissimus a Nerone factus est consul, ita postremus ex omnibus quos Nero consules fecerat decessit.'

Silius' career as an orator is mentioned by Martial vii. 63, 5-8,

'Sacra cothurnati non attigit ante Maronis, implevit magni quam Ciceronis opus. Hunc miratur adhuc centum gravis hasta virorum, hunc loquitur grato plurimus ore cliens.'

The _Punica_ is an Epic in seventeen Books on the Second Punic War, and treats of events down to the battle of Zama, B.C. 202. The historical treatment is founded mainly on Livy, and in point of style Silius has followed Homer and Virgil, imitations of whom are found on every page. For Silius' reverence for Virgil, see above, and cf. viii. 593,

'Mantua Musarum domus, atque ad sidera cantu evecta Aonio, et Smyrnaeis aemula plectris.'

Silius also follows Homer and Virgil in their mythology, bringing in supernatural motives in a way unsuitable to a historical subject, _e.g._ in xv. 20, where Scipio has, like Hercules, to choose between Voluptas and Virtus.

The example of Hannibal's dream, iii. 163-182, will show these different points. The story of the dream is got from Livy xxi. 22, but, for _iuvenis divina specie_, Silius, like Virg. _Aen._ iv. 222 _sqq._ and 259 _sqq._ substitutes Mercury. Individual imitations in the passage are: l. 172, 'Turpe duci totam somno consumere noctem,' from _Il._ ii. 24, +ou chrê pannychion heudein boulêphoron andra+; l. 168, 'umentem noctis umbram' is from _Aen._ iv. 7, 'umentemque Aurora polo dimoverat umbram'; l. 174, 'iam maria effusas cernes turbare carinas,' from _Aen._ iv. 566, 'iam mare turbari trabibus ... videbis'; l. 182, 'altae moenia Romae' is from _Aen._ i. 7; l. 181, 'respexisse veto' from _Ecl._ 8, 102, 'nec respexeris.'

The Epitome of the Iliad (in 1075 hexameters), which passes under the name of _Homerus Latinus_, has been attributed to Silius. It is a close adaptation from the original.

STATIUS.

(1) LIFE.

P. Papinius Statius was born at Naples (_Silv._ i. 2, 260, 'mea Parthenope'), probably about A.D. 60, for he speaks of himself as on the threshold of life at the time of his father's death, about A.D. 80 ('limine primo fatorum,' _Silv._ v. 3, 72). The apparent discrepancy in _Silv._ iv. 4, 69 (written A.D. 94-5), 'Nos facta aliena canendo vergimur in senium,' may be explained by observing that 'senium' is very often used for premature age induced by study (cf. 'insenuit,' Hor. _Ep._ ii. 2, 82).

The father of Statius came of a distinguished but not wealthy family: _Silv._ v. 3, 116,

'Non tibi deformes obscuri sanguinis ortus nec sine luce genus, quamquam fortuna parentum artior expensis.'

He taught first at Naples (_ibid._ l. 146) and then at Rome (l. 176); and died at the age of sixty-five (l. 252) soon after the eruption of Vesuvius, which he had intended to make the subject of a poem (l. 205). It was from his learned father ('genitor perdocte,' l. 3) that Statius derived his first impulse towards poetry, and to his training he acknowledges deep obligations (ll. 209-214).

Statius won two prizes for poetry, at the _Augustalia_ in Naples and at Alba; but was unsuccessful at the Capitoline competition, probably in A.D. 94 (_ibid._ 225-232). In that year he seems to have removed from Rome to Naples, and spent there the remainder of his days: _Silv._ iii. 5, 12,

'Anne quod Euboicos fessus remeare penates auguror et patria senium componere terra?'

The date of his death is unknown. The latest event mentioned in his poems is the seventeenth consulship of Domitian, A.D. 95 (_Silv._ iv. 1).

Statius was married to a widow named Claudia (_Silv._ iii. 5, 51 _sqq._), but had no children (v. 5, 79).

He enjoyed the favour of Domitian ('indulgentissimus imperator,' _Silv._ i. praef.) who granted him a supply of water for his country house at Alba, and occasionally invited him to his table: _Silv._ iii. 1, 61,

'Ast ego, Dardaniae quamvis sub collibus Albae rus proprium magnique ducis mihi munere currens unda domi curas mulcere aestusque levare sufficerent.'

_Silv._ iv. praef., 'Sacratissimis eius epulis honoratus.'

He more than once promises to write an epic on Domitian's career (e.g. _Theb._ i. 32). The emperor's freedman Earinus (_Silv._ iii. 4) was one of Statius' patrons.

His regard for the poet Lucan produced _Silv._ ii. 7, which is a poem on Lucan's birthday, addressed to his widow (see p. 267). But his chief admiration was reserved for the memory of Virgil: Naples and Alba were endeared to him by their associations with the 'great master' and the story of Aeneas: _Silv._ iv. 4, 53,

'Tenues ignavo pollice chordas pulso, Maroneique sedens in margine templi sumo animum et magni tumulis adcanto magistri.'

For Alba cf. _Silv._ v. 3, 37. The _Thebais_ must recognize its inferiority to the _Aeneid_: _Theb._ xii. 816,

'Vive, precor; nec tu divinam Aeneida tempta, sed longe sequere et vestigia semper adora.'

(2) WORKS.

1. The _Thebais_, an epic poem in twelve Books, occupied Statius for twelve years: xii. 811,

'O mihi bis senos multum vigilata per annos Thebai.'

Cf. _Silv._ iv. 7, 26,

'Thebais multa cruciata lima.'

The twelve years were probably 79-91 or 80-92 A.D. _Silv._ i. praef. (written 91 or 92), 'Adhuc pro Thebaide mea, quamvis me reliquerit, timeo.' The publication apparently did not take place till A.D. 95 (cf. _Silv._ iv. 4, 87 _sqq._ written in that year).

The subject of the poem is the strife between the brothers Eteocles and Polynices, and the subsequent history of Thebes to the death of Creon. The dedication is to Domitian. For the popularity of the _Thebais_ cf. Juv. _Sat._ 7, 82,

'Curritur ad vocem iucundam et carmen amicae Thebaidos, laetam cum fecit Statius urbem promisitque diem. Tanta dulcedine captos afficit ille animos tantaque libidine volgi auditur; sed, cum fregit subsellia versu, esurit, intactam Paridi nisi vendit Agaven.'

2. The _Achilleis_, also dedicated to Domitian, is an incomplete epic, consisting of one Book and part of a second. It was later than the Thebaid, for Statius was working at it in A.D. 95: _Silv._ iv. 4, 93,

'Nunc vacuos crines alio subit infula nexu: Troia quidem magnusque mihi temptatur Achilles.'

The poem was intended to cover the whole career of Achilles, including his retreat in Scyros before the Trojan War, and his exploits after the death of Hector, which did not enter into the plan of the _Iliad_: cf. l. 3,

'Quamquam acta viri multum inclita cantu Maeonio, sed plura vacant: nos ire per omnem (sic amor est) heroa velis.'

3. The _Silvae_, which represent the poet in his less serious mood, are occasional poems on miscellaneous subjects, published in five separate Books. Cf. 1, praef. 'Diu multumque dubitavi ... an hos libellos, ... cum singuli de sinu meo prodierint, congregates ipse dimitterem.' Many of them were thrown off in haste at the command of the Emperor or the request of friends: cf. such expressions as 'stili facilitas' (ii. praef.), 'libellorum temeritas,' 'hanc audaciam stili nostri' (iii. praef.). Of the poems in Book i. he says, 'nullum ex illis biduo longius tractum, quaedam et in singulis diebus effusa' (i. praef.). Each of the Books is introduced by a prose preface.

None of the _Silvae_ appeared before A.D. 92; for Rutilius Gallicus, for whom i. 4 was written, died in that year, and the poem was not published till after his death (i. praef.). Book v. was probably a posthumous work: there is no proper preface, and the third and fifth poems are incomplete.

Hexameter verse is employed for all the _Silvae_ except six. Of these, four are in hendecasyllabics, one in the Alcaic and one in the Sapphic stanza.

4. The only other poem of which there is distinct evidence is the pantomime _Agave_, written not later than A.D. 84, the year in which the player Paris was put to death (Juv. _Sat._ 7, 86, quoted above).

MARTIAL.[90]

(1) LIFE.

M. Valerius Martialis (Coquus is added in the old glossaries) was born at Bilbilis in Hispania Tarraconensis on 1st March in one of the years A.D. 38-41. His tenth Book, written A.D. 95-8, contains a poem (x. 24) written on his fifty-seventh birthday. Cf. ll. 4-5,

'quinquagesima liba septimamque vestris addimus hanc focis acerram';