CALPURNIUS SICULUS

Eleven eclogues used to be attributed to T. Calpurnius Siculus, but only the first seven are his work, the last four being written by M. Aurelius Olympius Nemesia nus in the second half of the 3rd century A.D. A MS. now lost gave before Ecl. 1, ‘Titi Calphurnii Siculi bucolicum carmen... incipit’; and before Ecl. 8, ‘Aurelii Nemesiani poetae Cart hag in i ens is ecloga prima incipit.’ Some information about Calpurnius’ life is got from his works. In 4, 17-8, he (as Corydon) mentions a brother; in 4, 155-6, he speaks of his poverty; and in 4, 29 sqq. , of Meliboeus as having come to his a istance when about to leave for Spain; cf. Ecl. 4, 36-42, Ecce nihil querulum per te, Meliboee, sonamus; per te secura saturi recubamus in umbra, et fruimur silvis Am aryl lidos, ultima nuper litora terrarum, nisi tu, Meliboee, fui es, ultima visuri, trucibusque obnoxia Mauris pascua Geryonis. The old theory was that Calpurnius lived in the time of Carus and his sons (in the second half of the 3rd century A.D. ), but the facts fit in best with the view that he lived at the beginning of Nero’s reign. (1) Meliboeus in Ecl. 4 probably stands for Seneca (others suppose Calpurnius Piso to be meant); 4, 53-7, Nam tibi non tantum venturos discere nimbos agricolis qualemque fer at sol aureus ortum, attribuere dei, sed dulcia carmina saepe concinis. These lines agree with the fact of Seneca’s being the author of Natura les Qua est i ones and of tragedies. (2) Ecl. i. 77-83 refers to the comet which appeared at the beginning of Nero’s reign. (3) References to Nero’s youth and beauty, poetical gifts, the games he gave, and the new era of peace he introduced; 1, 42-5, Aurea secura cum pace renascitur aetas, et red it ad terras tandem squalore situque alma Them is posito, iuvenemque beata secuntur saecula, maternis causam qui vic it in ulnis 7, 6, quae patula iuvenis deus edit harena. Cf. also 1, 84-8; 4, 84-9; 7, 83-4. Ecl. 7 used to be taken as referring to the Colo eum, which was not commenced till about A.D. 77; but the games may be those mentioned in Sueton. Nero , 11, and the wooden amphitheatre in 7, 23-4, may be that mentioned by Sueton. Nero , 12, and Tac. Ann. xiii. 31. The difference of authorship of Ecl. 1-7 and of Ecl. 8-11 is shown by the following: (1) Final ŏ shows cla ical usage in 1-7, but in 8-11 we have expectŏ (9, 26), coniungŏ (10, 14), ambŏ (9, 17), and the like; (2) 1-7 show only eight elisions, 7-11 show thirty-nine; (3) no ending like montivagus Pan (10, 17) is found in 1-7; (4) fate or and memini used parenthetically are common in 1-7, and not found in 8-11; (5) there are no allusions to the emperor in 8-11; (6) Ecl. 9 shows imitations of Ecl. 2 and 3; (7) 8-11 agree in many points with Nemesia nus’ Cynegetic a . The Eclogues are modelled chiefly on Virgil and Theocritus, e.g. Ecl. 3 on Verg. Ecl. 7 and Theocr. 3, 14, and 23. The poem de laude Pisonis is now generally attributed to Calpurnius Siculus. One point of similarity with Calpurnius’ other poems is the rarene of elision, there being only two instances (ll. 24, 259). The description of Piso’s liberality and eloquence (ll. 32, 88, 97 sqq. ) and of his skill in draughts (ll. 178-96) corresponds with the information given by Tac. Ann. xv. 48 and the Schol. on Iuv. 5, 109, about Calpurnius Piso, who flourished under Claudius.