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  Transcriber's Notes:

  * Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
  * The corrigenda et addenda listed on page xvi have been applied
    to the text.
  * Page 167: Original text 'curosity' replaced with 'curiosity'.
  * Page 139: Original text in footnote 'Thon' replaced with 'Thou'.
  * Page 359: Latin 'At, credo' more usually seen as 'An, credo' but
    text in this book not altered.




            *    *    *    *    *


               THE ROMAN POETS

                      OF

                THE REPUBLIC

                   _SELLAR_


                    London

                 HENRY FROWDE

       OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE

               7 PATERNOSTER ROW




                THE ROMAN POETS

                       OF

                 THE REPUBLIC

                       BY

            W. Y. SELLAR, M.A., LL.D.

PROFESSOR OF HUMANITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

                      AND

    FORMERLY FELLOW OF ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORD

       _NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED_

                    OXFORD

            AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

                  MDCCCLXXXI

             [_All rights reserved_]




                         TO

              J. C. SHAIRP, M.A. LL.D.,

   PRINCIPAL OF THE UNITED COLLEGE, ST. ANDREWS,

  PROFESSOR OF POETRY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD,

                 IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT

        OF MUCH ACTIVE AND GENEROUS KINDNESS,

                       AND OF

          A LONG AND STEADY FRIENDSHIP,

    THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED.




PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.


In preparing a second edition of this volume, which has been for some
years out of print, I have, with the exception of a few pages added to
Chapter IV, retained the first five chapters substantially unchanged.
Chapters VI and VII, on Roman Comedy, are entirely new. I have enlarged
the account formerly given of Lucilius in Chapter VIII, and modified
the Review of the First Period, contained in Chapter IX. The short
introductory chapter to the Second Period is new. The four chapters on
Lucretius have been carefully revised, and, in part, re-written. The
chapter on Catullus has been re-written and enlarged, and the views
formerly expressed in it have been modified.

In the preface to the first edition I acknowledged the assistance I
had derived from the editions of the Fragments of the early writers by
Klussman, Vahlen, Ribbeck, and Gerlach; from the Histories of Roman
Literature by Bernhardy, Bähr, and Munk, and from the chapters on
Roman Literature in Mommsen's Roman History; from a treatise on the
origin of Roman Poetry, by Corssen; from Sir G. C. Lewis's work on 'The
Credibility of Early Roman History'; from the Articles on the Roman
Poets by the late Professor Ramsay, contained in Smith's 'Dictionary
of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'; and from Articles by Mr.
Munro in the 'Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology.' In addition
to these I have, in the present edition, to acknowledge my indebtedness
to the History of Roman Literature by W. S. Teuffel, to Ribbeck's
'Römische Tragödie,' to Ritschl's 'Opuscula,' to the editions of some
of the Plays of Plautus by Brix and Lorenz, to that of the Fragments
of Lucilius by L. Müller, to the Thesis of M. G. Boissier, entitled
'Quomodo Graecos Poetas Plautus Transtulerit,' to Articles on Lucilius
by Mr. Munro in the 'Journal of Philology,' and to the edition of
Lucretius, and the 'Criticisms and Elucidations of Catullus' by the
same writer, to Schwabe's 'Quaestiones Catullianae,' to Mr. Ellis's
'Commentary on Catullus,' to R. Westphal's 'Catull's Gedichte,' and to
M. A. Couat's 'Étude sur Catulle.' I have more especially to express my
sense of obligation to Mr. Munro's writings on Lucretius and Catullus.
In so far as the chapters on these poets in this edition may be
improved, this will, in a great measure, be due to the new knowledge of
the subject I have gained from the study of his works.

I have retained, with some corrections, the translations of the longer
quotations, contained in the first edition, and have added a literal
prose version of some passages quoted from Plautus and Terence.
Instead of offering a prose version of the longer passages quoted from
Catullus, I have again availed myself of the kind permission formerly
given me by Sir Theodore Martin to make use of his translation.

Edinburgh, _Dec. 1880_.




CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER I.

  GENERAL CHARACTER OF ROMAN POETRY.
                                                                   PAGE
  Recent change in the estimate of Roman Poetry                       1
  Want of originality                                                 2
  As compared with Greek Poetry                                       3
  "      "    with Roman Oratory and History                          4
  The most complete literary monument of Rome                         5
  Partly imitative, partly original                                   6
  Imitative in forms                                                  7
      "     in metres                                                 8
  Imitative element in diction                                        9
      "        "    in matter                                        11
  Original character, partly Roman, partly Italian                   13
  National spirit                                                    14
  Imaginative sentiment                                              15
  Moral feeling                                                      16
  Italian element in Roman Poetry                                    17
  Love of Nature                                                     17
  Passion of Love                                                    19
  Personal element in Roman Poetry                                   20
  Four Periods of Roman Poetry                                       24
  Character of each                                                  24
  Conclusion                                                         26


  CHAPTER II.

  VESTIGES OF INDIGENOUS POETRY IN ROME
  AND ANCIENT ITALY.

  Niebuhr's theory of a Ballad-Poetry                                28
  The Saturnian metre                                                29
  Ritual Hymns                                                       31
  Prophetic verses                                                   33
  Fescennine verses                                                  34
  Saturae                                                            35
  Gnomic verses                                                      36
  Commemorative verses                                               37
  Inferences as to their character                                   38
  From early state of the language                                   39
  No public recognition of Poetry                                    40
  Roman story result of tradition and reflection                     41
  Inferences from the nature of Roman religion                       43
  From the character and pursuits of the people                      44
  Roman Poetry of Italian rather than Roman origin                   45


  FIRST PERIOD.

  FROM LIVIUS ANDRONICUS TO LUCILIUS.


  CHAPTER III.

  BEGINNING OF ROMAN LITERATURE. LIVIUS ANDRONICUS.
  CN. NAEVIUS, 240-202 B.C.

  Contact with Greece after capture of Tarentum                      47
  First period of Roman literature                                   49
  Forms of Poetry during this period                                 50
  Livius Andronicus                                                  51
  Cn. Naevius, his life                                              52
  Dramas                                                             55
  Epic poem                                                          57
  Style                                                              59
  Conclusion                                                         60


  CHAPTER IV.

  Q. ENNIUS, 239-170 B.C., LIFE, TIMES, AND PERSONAL TRAITS.
  VARIOUS WORKS. GENIUS AND INTELLECT.

  Importance of Ennius                                               62
  Notices of his life                                                63
  Influences affecting his career                                    64
  Italian birth-place                                                64
  Greek education                                                    65
  Service in Roman army                                              66
  Historical importance of his age                                   68
  Intellectual character of his age                                  69
  Personal traits                                                    71
  Description of himself in the Annals                               72
  Intimacy with Scipio                                               74
  His enthusiastic temperament                                       75
  Religious spirit and convictions                                   77
  Miscellaneous works                                                78
  Saturae                                                            81
  Dramas                                                             83
  Annals                                                             87
  Outline of the Poem                                                88
  Idea by which it is animated                                       91
  Artistic defects                                                   93
  Roman character of the work                                        94
  Contrast with the Greek Epic                                       95
  Contrast in its personages                                         95
  Contrast in supernatural element                                   96
  Oratory in the Annals                                              97
  Description and imagery                                            99
  Rhythm and diction                                                101
  Chief literary characteristics of Ennius                          105
  Energy of conception                                              106
  Patriotic and imaginative sentiment                               109
  Moral emotion                                                     111
  Practical understanding                                           113
  Estimate in ancient times                                         115
  Disparaging criticism of Niebuhr                                  117
  Conclusion                                                        118


  CHAPTER V.

  EARLY ROMAN TRAGEDY. M. PACUVIUS, 219-129 B.C.
  L. ACCIUS, 170-ABOUT 90 B.C.

  Popularity of early Roman Traged