A History of Roman Literature | Page 2

of Roman Literature._
The Latin character--Romans a practical people--Their religion
unromantic --Primitive culture of Latium--Germs of drama and
epos--No early historians--Early speeches--Ballad literature--No early
Roman epos--Poets despised--_Fescenninae_--_Saturae_--Mime or
_Planipes_--_Atellanae_- Saturnian metre--Early interest in politics and
law as giving the germs of oratory and jurisprudence.

CHAPTER III.
_The Introduction of Greek Literature--Livius and Naevius_ (240-204
B.C.).
Introduction of Greek literature to Rome--Its first translators--Livius
Andronicus--His translation of the Odyssey, Tragedies, &c.--Cn.
Naevius--Inventor of _Praetextae_--Style--A politician--Writer of the
first national epic poem--His exile and death--Cicero's opinion of him--
His epitaph.

CHAPTER IV.
_Roman Comedy--Plautus to Turpilius_ (254-103 B.C.).
The Roman theatre--Plan of construction--Comedy--Related to
Athenian Middle and New Comedy--Plautus--His plays--Their plots
and style-- Palliatae and _Togatae_--His metres--Caecilius--Admires
Terence-- Terence--His intimate friends--His style--Use of
_contamination_--Lesser comedians.

CHAPTER V.
_Roman Tragedy: Ennius--Accius_ (233-94 B.C.).
Contrast between Greek and Roman tragedy--Oratorical form of Latin
tragedy--Ennius--The father of Roman poetry--His
_humamitas_--Relations with Scipio--A follower of Pythagoras--His
tragedies--Pacuvius--Painter and tragedian--Cicero's criticism of his
_Niptra_--His epitaph--L. Accius --The last tragic writer--A reformer
of spelling.
APPENDIX.--On some fragments of Sueius or Suevius.

CHAPTER VI.
_Epic Poetry: Ennius--Furius_ (200-100 B.C.).
Naevius and Ennius--Olympic deities and heroes of Roman
story--Hexameter of Ennius--Its treatment--Matius--Hostius--Furius.

CHAPTER VII.

_The Early History of Satire: Ennius to Lucilius_ (200-103 B.C.).
Roman satire a native growth--Origin of word "_Saturae_"--It is
didactic--Not necessarily poetical in
form--Ennius--Pacuvius--Lucilius-- The objects of his attack--His
popularity--His humility--His style and language.

CHAPTER VIII.
_The Minor Departments of Poetry--The Atellanae (Pomponius and
Novius, circ. 90 B.C.) and the Epigram (Ennius--Callus, 100 B. C.)._
_Atellanae_--Oscan in
origin--Novius--Pomponius--Mummius--Epigrammatists--
Catulus--Porcius Licinius--Pompilius--Valerius Aedituus.

CHAPTER IX.
_Prose Literature--History. Fabius Pictor--Macer_ (210-80 B.C.).
Early records--_Annales, Libri Lintei, Commentarii_, &c.--Narrow
view of history--Fabius--Cincius Alimentus--Cato--Creator of Latin
prose--His orations--His _Origines_--His treatise on agriculture--His
miscellaneous writings--_Catonis dicta_--Calpurnius Piso--Sempronius
Asellio--Claudius Quadrigarius Valerius Antias--Licinius Macer.
APPENDIX.--On the Annales Pontificum.

CHAPTER X.
_The History of Oratory before Cicero._

Comparison of English, Greek, and Roman
oratory--Appius—Cornelius Cethegus--Cato--Laelius--The younger
Scipio--Galba--Carbo--The Gracchi-- Self-praise of ancient
orators--Aemilius Scaurus--Rutilius--Catulus--A violent death often the
fate of a Roman orator--M. Antonius--Crassus--The Roman
law-courts--Bribery and corruption prevalent in them--Feelings and
prejudices appealed to--Cotta and Sulpicius--Carbo the younger--
Hortensius--His friendship for Cicero--Asiatic and Attic styles.

CHAPTER XI.
_Other kinds of Prose Literature: Grammar, Rhetoric, and Philosophy_
(147-63 B.C.).
Legal writers--P. Mucius Scaevola--Q. Mucius Scaevola--Rhetoric--
Plotius Gallus--Cornificius--Grammatical science--Aelius Stilo--
Philosophy--Amafinius--Rabirius--Relation of philosophy to religion.
BOOK II.
THE GOLDEN AGE. FROM THE CONSULSHIP OF CICERO TO
THE DEATH OF AUGUSTUS (63 B.C.-l4 A.D.).

PART I.
THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD.

CHAPTER I.
_Varro._
The two Divisions of this culminating period--Classical authors--Varro

--His life, his character, his encyclopaedic mind--His _Menippean
Satires_--_Logistorici_-_Antiquities Divine and
Human_--_Imagines_--_De Lingua Latina_--De Re Rustica.
APPENDIX.--Note I. The Menippean Satires of Varro, " II. The
Logistorici, " III. Fragments of Atacinus, " IV. The Jurists, Critics, and
Grammarians of less note.

CHAPTER II.
_Oratory and Philosophy--Cicero_ (106-43 B.C.).
Cicero--His life--_Pro Roscio_--_In Verrem_--_Pro Cluentio_--_Pro
lege Manilia_--_Pro Rabirio_--Cicero and Clodius--His exile--_Pro
Milone_--His _Philippics_--Criticism of his oratory--Analysis of _Pro
Milone_--His Philosophy, moral and political--On the existence of God
and the human soul--List of his philosophical works--His rhetorical
works--His letters-- His contemporaries and successors.
APPENDIX.--Poetry of M. and Q. Cicero.

CHAPTER III.
_Historical and Biographical Composition--Caesar--Nepos--Sallust._
Roman view of history--Caesar's _Commentaries_--Trustworthiness of
his statements--His style--A. Hirtius--Other writers of
commentaries--Caesar's oratorical and scientific position--Cornelius
Nepos--C. Sallustius Crispus--Tubero.
APPENDIX.--On the Acta Diurna and Acta Senatus.

CHAPTER IV.
_The History of Poetry to the Close of the Republic--Rise of
Alexandrinism--Lucretius---Catullus._
The Drama--J. Caesar Strabo--The _Mimae_--D. Laberius--Publilius
Syrus--Matius--Pantomimi--Actors--The poetry of Cicero and Caesar--
Alexandria and its writers--Aratus--Callimachus--Apollonius Rhodius--
Euphorion--Lucretius--His philosophical opinions and
style--Bibaculus-- Varro Atacinus--Calvus--Catullus--Lesbia.
APPENDIX.--Note I. On the Use of Alliteration in Latin Poetry, " II.
Some additional details on the History of the Mimus, " III. Fragments
of Valerius Soranus.

PART II.
THE AUGUSTAN EPOCH (42 B.C.-l4 A.D.).

CHAPTER I.
_General Characteristics._
Common features of the Augustan authors--Augustus's relation to them
--Maecenas--The Apotheosis of the emperor--Rhetoricians not orators--
Historians--Jurists--Poets--Messala--Varius--Anser--Macer.

CHAPTER II.
Virgil (70-19 B.C.)

Virgil--His earliest verses--His life and character--The minor poems
--The _Eclogues_--The _Georgics_--Virgil's love of Nature--His
aptitude for epic poetry--The scope of the _Aeneid_--The Aeneid a
religious poem --Its relation to preceding poetry.
APPENDIX.--Note I. Imitations of Virgil in Propertius, Ovid, and
Manilius, " II. On the shortening of final o in Latin poetry, " III. On
parallelism in Virgil's poetry, " IV. On the Legends connected with
Virgil.

CHAPTER III.
Horace (65-8 B.C.).
Horace--His life--The dates of his works--Two aspects: a lyric poet and
a man of the world--His Odes and _Epodes_--His patriotic
odes--Excellences of the odes--The Satires and _Epistles_--Horace as a
moralist--The _Ars Poetica_--Horace's literary criticism--Lesser poets.

CHAPTER IV.
_The Elegiac Poets--Gratius--Manilius._
Roman elegy--Cornelius Callus--Domitius
Marsus--Tibullus--Propertius-- Ovid--His life--_The Art of Love_--His
exile--Doubtful and spurious poems --Lesser erotic and epic
poets--Gratius--Manilius.

CHAPTER V.
_Prose Writers of the Augustan Age._

Oratory Neglected--Declamation takes its place--Porcius
Latro--Annaeus Seneca--History--Livy--Opportune appearance of his