PLAUTUS (254-184).
PLAUTUS, the comic poet, was one of the earliest of Roman writers. Born
at Sarsina in Umbria, of free parentage, he at first worked on the stage
at Rome, but lost his savings in speculation. Then for some time he
worked in a treadmill, but finally gained a living by translating Greek
comedies into Latin. Twenty of his plays have come down to us. They are
lively, graphic, and full of fun, depicting a mixture of Greek and Roman
life.
TERENCE (195-159).
TERENCE was a native of Carthage. He was brought to Rome at an early
age as a slave of the Senator Terentius, by whom he was educated and
liberated. Six of his comedies are preserved. Like the plays of Plautus,
they are free translations from the Greek, and of the same general
character.
ENNIUS (139-69).
QUINTUS ENNIUS, a native of Rudiae, was taken to Rome by Cato the
Younger. Here he supported himself by teaching Greek. His epic poem, the
_Annales_, relates the traditional Roman history, from the arrival of
Aeneas to the poet's own day.
CICERO (106-43).
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, a native of Arpinum, ranks as the first prose
writer in Roman literature. As an orator Cicero had a very happy natural
talent. The extreme versatility of his mind, his lively imagination, his
great sensitiveness, his inexhaustible richness of expression, which was
never at a loss for a word or tone to suit any circumstances or mood,
his felicitous memory, his splendid voice and impressive figure, all
contributed to render him a powerful speaker. He himself left nothing
undone to attain perfection. Not until he had spent a long time in
laborious study and preparation did he make his _debut_ as an orator;
nor did he ever rest and think himself perfect, but, always working,
made the most careful preparation for every case. Each success was to
him only a step to another still higher achievement; and by continual
meditation and study he kept himself fully equipped for his task. Hence
he succeeded, as is universally admitted, in gaining a place beside
Demosthenes, or at all events second only to him.
There are extant fifty-seven orations of Cicero, and fragments of twenty
more. His famous _Philippics_ against Antony caused his proscription
by the Second Triumvirate, and his murder near his villa at Formiae, in
December, 43.
His chief writings on rhetoric were _De Oratore; Brutus de Claris
Oratoribus;_ and _Orator ad M. Brutum_. Cicero was a lover of
philosophy, and his writings on the subject were numerous. Those most
read are _De Senectute, De Amicitia,_ and _De Officiis_.
Eight hundred and sixty-four of Cicero's letters are extant, and they
furnish an inexhaustible treasure of contemporaneous history.
CAESAR (100-44).
Of CAESAR'S literary works the most important are his _Commentarii_,
containing the history of the first seven years of the Gallic war, and
the history of the civil strife down to the Alexandrine war. The account
of his last year in Gaul was written probably by Aulus Hirtius; that of
the Alexandrine, African, and Spanish wars, by some unknown hand. As an
orator, Caesar ranks next to Cicero.
NEPOS (94-24).
CORNELIUS NEPOS, a native of Northern Italy, was a friend of both
Cicero and Atticus. He was a prolific writer, but only his _De Viris
Illustribus_ is preserved. It shows neither historical accuracy nor good
style.
LUCRETIUS (98-55).
TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS has left a didactic poem, _De Rerum Natura_. The
tone of the work is sad, and in many places bitter.
CATULLUS (87-47).
GAIUS VALERIUS CATULLUS, of Verona, is the greatest lyric poet of Roman
literature. One hundred and sixteen of his poems are extant.
VIRGIL (70-19).
The great epic Roman poet was VIRGIL. His _Aeneis_, in twelve books,
gives an account of the wanderings and adventures of Aeneas, and his
struggles to found a city in Italy. The poem was not revised when Virgil
died, and it was published contrary to his wishes.
Besides the _Aeneis_, Virgil wrote the _Bucolica_, ten Eclogues imitated
and partially translated from the Greek poet Theocritus. The _Georgica_,
a poem of four books on agriculture in its different branches, is
considered his most finished work, and the most perfect production of
Roman art-poetry. (See page 179.)
HORACE (65-8).
QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS left four books of Odes, one of Epodes, two of
Satires, two of Epistles, and the _Ars Poetica_. (See page 180.)
TIBULLUS (54-29).
ALBIUS TIBULLUS, an elegiac poet, celebrated in exquisitely fine poems
the beauty and cruelty of his mistresses.
PROPERTIUS (49-15).
SEXTUS PROPERTIUS, a native of Umbria, was also an elegiac poet, and
wrote mostly on love.
OVID (43 B.C.--18 A.D.)
PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO left three books of _Amores_; one of _Heroides_;
the _Ars Amatoria_; _Remedia Amoris_; the _Metamorphoses_ (fifteen
books); the _Tristia_; and the _Fasti_. (See page 181.)
LIVY (59 B.C.--17 A.D.).
TITUS LIVIUS left a history of Rome, of which thirty-five books have
been preserved. (See page 181.)
PHAEDRUS.
PHAEDRUS, a writer of fables, flourished in the reign of Tiberius
(14-37). He was originally a slave. His fables are ninety-seven in
number, and are written in iambic verse.
SENECA (8 B.C.--65 A.D.)
For an account of this writer see the chapter on the Emperor Nero, page
189.
CURTIUS.
QUINTUS CURTIUS RUFUS was a historian who lived in the reign of Claudius
(50 A.D.). He wrote a history of the exploits of Alexander the Great.
PERSIUS (34-62).
PERSIUS, a poet of the reign of Nero, was a native of Volaterrae. He
wrote six satires, which are obscure and hard to understand.
LUCAN (39-65).
LUCAN, a nephew of Seneca, wrote an epic poem (not finished) called
_Pharsalia_, upon the civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
PLINY THE ELDER (23-79).
GAIUS PLINIUS SECUNDUS, of Northern Italy, was a great scholar in
history, grammar, rhetoric, and natural science. His work on _Natural
History_ has come down to us.
STATIUS, MARTIAL, QUINTILIAN, JUVENAL. STATIUS (45-96), a native of
Naples, had considerable poetical talent. He wrote the _Thebaid_, the
_Achilleis_ (unfinished), and the _Silvae_.
MARTIAL (42-102), wrote sharp and witty epigrams, of which fifteen books
are extant. He was a native of Spain.
QUINTILIAN (35-95), was also a native of Spain. He was a teacher of
eloquence for many years in Rome. His work _On the Training of an
Orator_, is preserved.
JUVENAL(47-130), of Aquinum, was a great satirist, who described and
attacked bitterly the vices of Roman society. Sixteen of his satires are
still in existence.
TACITUS (54-119). CORNELIUS TACITUS was the great historian of his age.
His birthplace is unknown. His writings are interesting and of a high
tone, but often tinged with prejudice, and hence unfair. He wrote,--
1. A dialogue on orators. 2. A biography of his father-in-law, Agricola.
3. A description of the habits of the people of Germany. 4. A history of
the reigns of Galba, Otho, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian (_Historiae_).
5. _Annales_, a narrative of the events of the reigns of Tiberius,
Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.
PLINY THE YOUNGER (62-113). Pliny the Younger was the adopted son of
Pliny the Elder. He was a voluminous correspondent. We have nine books
of his letters, relating to a large number of subjects, and presenting
vivid pictures of the times in which he lived. Their diction is fluent
and smooth.