cation of Genesis (165 hex.), belonging to a very voluminous poem on the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, etc.), by an unknown author, see § 403, 5.

3. Laus Herculis in 137 graceful hexameters by an anonymous author (Merobaudes ? see § 439, 7. 464, 2), AL. 881, in JEEP's Claudian 2, p. 203, cf. 186. Cf. EBÄHRENS, JJ. 105, 52. 503; JB. 1873, 219. LJEEP in the Begrüssungschrift d. Leipz. Philologenvers. (Lps. 1872) 46; Rivista di filol. 1, 405.-Hymnus Claudii ad Lunam (= Isis, Cybebe, etc.) AL. 723 PLM. 3, 163. Similar invocations to Mars, Juno, Liber for a safe return: AL. 749-751 PLM 3, 303–304. In laudem Solis AL. 389 PLM. 4, 543; cf. below § 475, 5 ad fin. Parodic hymn to Pan AL. 682 PLM. 3, 170.

22. The Epithalamium gradually became a laudatory poem on the occasion of a wedding, but retained from its original relation to erotic poetry a certain wantonness and coarseness. Of the earlier period we possess three epithalamia by Catullus, and the names of Calvus and Ticidas as authors of similar productions; of the Imperial period are preserved epithalamia by Statius, Ausonius, Claudianus, Paulinus of Nola, Apollinaris Sidonius, Dracontius, Ennodius, Luxorius, Venantius Fortunatus (on Sigibert) and the Epithalamium Laurentii.

1. The epithalamium in honour of a young couple, their parents and ancestors, is generally composed in epic metre. One by Gallienus is also mentioned, see § 385, 2. The epithalamia of Ausonius (§ 421, 2 k) and of Luxorius (§ 476, 3) are at the same time Vergilian centos (§ 26, 2).

2. The epithalamium Laurentii (87 hex., AL. 742 PLM. 3, 293) written by an unknown author in the MSS. of Claudian (in JEEP's ed. 2 p. 194) shows an admixture of sentimentality; if we may judge by its structure and the prominence given to Pagan customs (dedication of the beard, nuptial ceremonies, undisguised descriptions) it is as early as cent. IV/V. Cf. also JEEP 1.1. 164. The bridegroom (Laurentius) is commended for his ability as a legal orator, the bride (Florida ?) for her accomplishments and the lanificium. WERNSDORF, PLM. 4, 2, 462. LMÜLLER, RhM. 22, 83. 89. 24, 126. ARIESE, JJ. 97, 706. MHAUPT, op. 3, 372. EBÄHRENS, JJ. 105, 501.—It was known in England in the 7th century, see HAUPT 1.1.

23. Didactic poetry, being in keeping with the sober mind of the Romans, was taken up at an early period. The precepts of a peasant to his son are very ancient (cf. below § 85, 1), and Appius Claudius as well as Cato wrote in a similar spirit. The subjects of Ennius' didactic poems were more varied. Lucilius' Satires likewise pursued didactic purposes and even treated of orthography. Literary history was illustrated in the didactic poems of L. Accius (Didascalica), Q. Valerius of Sora, Volcacius Sedigitus, Porcius Licinus. Only a few of these didactic poems were written in the Greek epic metre, which gained an ascendancy only towards the end of the Republic under the influence of

Greek literature. This we have in Varro Atacinus' chorographia and ephemeris, Cicero's translation of Aratus, Lucretius' system of Epicurean philosophy (de rerum natura), and subsequently in Vergil, who, in his Georgics, treated a well-chosen subject with sympathy and perfect art. Ovid, following the Hellenistic precedent, employed the elegiac metre in his explanation of the calendar by indigenous legends (Fasti), as well as in the playful didactic treatment of erotic subjects (Ars amatoria, Remedia amoris, Medicamina faciei); in epic metre he treated the Metamorphoses. Some of Ovid's contemporaries with less taste, and in blind imitation of the Alexandrine poets, treated utterly prosaic subjects in their didactic poems. Thus Valgius Rufus wrote a didactic poem on herbs, Aemilius Macer Theriaca and Ornithogonia, Grattius (Faliscus) Cynegetica, Manilius Astronomica. Likewise in the first century of our era Germanicus produced a new version of Aratus, Columella wrote on horticulture; the descriptive epic, entitled Aetna, belongs to this series, as well as in the third century the patristic Lactantius' poem de ave phoenice in distichs; in the fourth century Palladius' didactic poem de re rustica, the various works of Ausonius, especially his Mosella, Avienus' Descriptio orbis terrae and Aratea, and his Ora maritima (in iambics), and the Christian and dogmatic poems of Prudentius; in the fifth century Rutilius Namatianus' Itinerarium in elegiacs. This metre is also used in Orientius' Commonitorium, while the epic metre is used in Dracontius' didactic poems on God and the Creation, and Avitus' on the Trinity. In most of these works the metrical form is merely accessory to the subject-matter, but all semblance of poetry disappears in the didactic poems of grammarians for school-use, such as not only the versus memoriales (largely represented in Ausonius), but especially the metrical manuals of rhetoric, metre, prosody and metrology, the carmina de figuris vel schematibus (by Marbod and unknown authors), Terentianus Maurus' undeniably skilful metrical treatises de litteris, syllabis, metris, the probably similar one by Albinus, the verses de metris oratorum by Rufinus of Antioch, the carmina de ponderibus et mensuris etc. Similar works are the medical systems in epic metre by Serenus Sammonicus, Flavius and Vindicianus. The Middle Ages were very fertile in productions of this kind.

1. EBRUNER, de carm. didascalico Rom., Helsingf. 1840. RKNOBLOCH, d. röm. Lehrgedicht bis z. Ende d. Rep., Rossleben 1881. On the didactic poems by

R.L.

D

Egnatius and others, see § 192. Rhetorical school verses by Dracontius and others (§ 45, 9). On the poems of the XII Sapientes see § 427, 1.-On the didactic poem adversus Marcionem § 436, 8.

2. Memorial verses on the names of the Muses AL. 664 PLM. 3, 243; on the names of the winds in Greek and Latin AL. 484 PLM. 5, 383 (cf. besides § 347, 3 below), the latter from ISIDOR. de rer. nat. 37 and composed about his time, already preserved in MSS. s. VII/VIII.-Hexameters on the constellations, seasons etc. AL. 676 sqq. PLM. 5, 349 sqq., not earlier than s. VI.-Description of a map of the heavens (de sphaera coeli) after Hyginus, dry and clumsy in style, in 76 hex. from MSS. s. XI AL. 761 PLM. 5, 380. Perhaps not ancient.

3. Several metrical enumerations of expressions for the voices of various animals (cf. WWACKERNAGEL, Voces variae animantium, Bas. 1869; see also GLöwe, RhM. 34, 493) of quite a late period, but in substance going back indirectly to Suetonius (see Reifferscheid's Suet. 247); e.g. AL. 733 PLM. 5, 367 in MSS. s. X/XI, further esp. AL. 762 PLM. 5, 363 ('de philomela,' rather on the voices of birds and quadrupeds in 70 elegiac lines) in MSS. s. XI; at the close (as in the poem to be mentioned presently) is an edifying turn, probably composed in some German convent (see v. 11 dulce per ora sonat, dicunt quam nomine droscam : cf. ohG. drosca, droscila = Drossel). GOLDAST (catal. Ovid. 71) pretends that Albius Ovidius Juventinus is named as the author in a St. Gallen MS.; see also GSCHERRER, St. Galler Hss.-Verzeichnis 72. In like manner he invented a certain Julius Speratus as the author of a poem of about the same date as the abovementioned, addressed to the nightingale, AL 658 PLM. 5, 368, preserved in MSS. s. X/XI, and imitated already in the s. IX by Alvarus of Cordova (AEBERT, LdMA. 2, 310): the same is also attributed to Eugenius of Toledo, see § 495, 4.

24. The proverbial poems are didactic poems on a small scale, which were in the Imperial period partly selected from larger, complete works and compiled, partly independently produced (no doubt chiefly for pedagogic use). The so-called disticha Catonis are a collection of the latter kind.

1. The proverbial poem stands in the same relation to the didactic as the Epigram to the Elegy. For the proverbial literature in iambic senarii connected with Syrus see § 212, 4. On the disticha Catonis see § 398.

25. The poetical Epistle and the Fable have also a didactic tendency. Any poem may become a poetical Epistle by being addressed to a certain person, and thus didactic poems addressed e.g. to a son are at the same time Epistles. In a limited sense poems are called so in which the direction to individuals influences the whole contents and the treatment from beginning to end. In this manner Sp. Mummius addressed, from his camp. before Corinth (608/146), jocular letters in verse to his friends at Rome; Lucilius also composed several of his satires in the form of letters to friends, and Catullus' poem to Manlius (68) is also an Epistle. In the Augustan period Horace dedicated several

satires to Maecenas, many lyric poems to individual friends, and in his later years treated with mature wisdom and perfect felicity questions concerning practical life and literature in real Epistles in epic metre. Ovid wrote in elegiacs fictitious love-letters of mythical ladies (Heroides), and also real letters of complaint and entreaty from his exile (Tristia and ex Ponto). The other elegiac poets as well as the satirists Persius and Juvenal, too, several times address individuals by name, without, however, really preserving the epistolary style. But Ausonius' 25 Epistles and many by Statius are real letters in various metres and partly on jocular subjects, as also those of Claudian and of Apollinaris Sidonius.

1. On Mummius see § 131, 8. A book or satire of Lucilius (27, 1 MÜLL.) commenced in this manner: salutem fictis versibus Lucilius quibus potest impertit, totumque hoc studiose et sedulo etc.

2. Tib. (Lygd.) 3, 5 for instance is also a letter; here also actually belong many epodes of Horace, esp. 1. 11 and 14; letter from a wife to her husband far away with the army in the East, in PROP. 5, 3. Both the names and circumstances are probably imaginary. Dido Aeneae AL. 83 PLM. 4, 271 with a refrain; cf. WERNSDORF PLM. 4, p. 55. 439. Real letters, e.g. STAT. Silv. 4, 4 (to Victorius Marcellus) and 4, 8 (a congratulatory letter), together with that of Licentius to Augustine. For the letters of Claudian see § 439, 6.

26. Trifles current at table and at school were also usually written in epic metre. Riddles were connected with Greek literature; having become more popular only in the last centuries of Rome, this kind of literature continued to flourish more and more luxuriantly till late in the Middle Ages. On the other hand, from scholarly circles proceeded the numerous variations on old (especially Vergilian) themes, and the patchwork poems (centones) in which a new work was created out of verses and parts of verses selected arbitrarily from older poets. Other artificial productions in epic and elegiac metres (Acrosticha and their varieties), versus serpentini, recurrentes, reciproci and others, were very popular at a late period.

1. Among the Greeks pipo were an entertainment at the symposium (cf. ATHENAEUS b. 10). Accordingly the Roman writer of riddles Symphosius also makes use of this poetical form. For the most ancient Latin aenigma (perantiquum, perquam lepidum, tribus versibus senaris compositum, with the solution in M. Varronis de sermone lat. ad Marcellum libro II) see GELL. 12, 6. Three popular comic riddles, in PETRON, 58 (on these BÜCHELER p. 1293 and ESCHWARZ, RhM. 42, 310). Solving riddles, regarded as a proof of wisdom, Hist. Apollonii 42, cf. 4. At a later time Latin riddles became a favourite amusement in the monasteries, and accordingly, besides the riddles of Aldhelmus and Tatvinus (§ 500, 2, 4), much literature

120

of this kind by unnamed authors is preserved; in great part still unprinted. Sixty (62) six-line riddles of s. VII/VIII (earliest MS. Bern. 611 s. VIII) in rhythmical hexameters (of 14 syllables each, 6 falling before and 8 after the penthemimer) published AL. 481 (cf. 2, LXVI), PBRANDT in the Tirocin. philol. semin. Bonn. (Berl. 1883) 101, WMEYER, Anf. u. Urspr. d. lat. u. griech. rhythm. Dicht. (Abh. d. bayr. Akad. 17, 2) 1885, 412. Other medieval riddles (in MSS. s. IX/X) e.g. AL. 656-657. 770. 771. AL. 685 PLM. 3, 170. AL. 727 PLM. 5, 370 (this last was composed by a certain Berno, according to Paris. 7899 s. IX ; see WFRÖHNER, Phil. Suppl. 5. 69). Cf. also RIESE on AL. 2, XLII. LMÜLLER, JJ. 93, 266. 566. 95, 497; RhM. 22, 151. JKLEIN, ib. 23, 662. HHAGEN, antike u. mittelalterliche Rätselpoesie; in which use is made of the MSS. at Bern and Einsiedeln (Biel 1869). EWÖLFFLIN, Ioca monachorum, Beitr. z. mittelalterl. Rätsellit., Berl. SBer. 1872, 106.

2. HIERON. epist. 103, 7 legimus Homerocentones et Vergiliocentones. TERTULL. de praescr. haeret. 39 (see § 370, 5). ISIDOR. Or. 1, 39, 25 centones apud grammaticos vocari solent qui de carminibus Homeri vel Vergilii ad propria opera more centonario in unum sarciuntur corpus, ad facultatem cuiusque materiae. denique Proba, uxor Adelphi (§ 436, 7), centonem ex Vergilio de fabrica mundi et euangeliis plenissime expressit, materia composita secundum versus et versibus secundum materiam concinnatis. sic quoque quidam Pomponius ex eodem poeta inter cetera stili sui otia Tityrum in Christi honorem composuit; similiter (as from the Vergilian Bucolica) et de Aeneidos (versibus). This Tityrus of Pomponius is preserved in cod. Vat. Palat. 1753 and published by CBURSIAN, SBer. d. Münch. Ak. 1878 2, 29. Other efforts were made to adapt the Pagan wording to Christian subjects, and thereby ennoble it: Maronem mutatum in melius, AL. 735, 4. See the centos de incarnatione verbi (§ 473, 5) and de ecclesia (§ 477, 3).—Centos for playful purposes, e.g. Ausonius' cento nuptialis (§ 421, 2, k), or for instruction, in schools etc. Twelve Vergilian centos AL. 7-18 PLM. 4, 191–240, amongst them de alea, Narcissus, Hippodamia, Medea (in dialogue, by Hosidius Geta, see § 370, 5), etc., also iudicium Paridis by Mavortius (§ 477, 3) and epithalamium Fridi by Luxorius (§ 22, 1. 476, 3). On a small scale as early as PETR. 132. See also BÄHRENS, RhM. 31, 91. In joining together two halves of a verse liberties were often taken with the metre at a later time: e.g. Medea (AL. 17) 93 nunc scio quid sit amor. hospitio prohibemur harenae, and ib. 64 sq. 87. 172. 196. 211 sq. 226. 250. 269. 315. 320. 357. 377. 387. 391 sq. 430. 435. 446 (out of 461 lines). LUXORIUS (ib. 18) 33 nomen inest virtutis et nota maior imago. AL. 719, 20. 25. 78 and elsewhere.-ODELEPIERRE, ouvrages écrits en centons depuis les temps anciens jusqu'au XIXe siècle, Lond. 1868; tableau de la littérature du Centon chez les anciens et les modernes, Lond. 1875 II. BBORGEN, de centonibus homer. et vergil., Kopenh. 1828. FHASENBALG, de centon. vergil., Putbus 1846. LMÜLLER, metr. lat. 465.

3. Acrosticha, esp. those concealing a name, e.g. that of the author or founder (AL. 120 PLM. 4, 298 Condentis monstrant uersus primordia nomen), were borrowed from Greek literature, and were not unknown to the earlier Roman; even Ennius composed one (Cic. de div. 2, 111) and subsequently Aurelius Opilius (SUET. gramm. 6. RITSCHL, Parerg. p. xvi). At a later period inscriptional acrostics, e.g. in WILMANNS 592. 593 (with the direction Inspicies, lector, primordia versiculorum; cf. CIL. 5, 6731 and RFABRETTI, Inscr. ant. p. 272 qui legis revertere per capita versorum et invenies pium nomen). 594, and CIL. 3, 6306. 5, 6723. 6725; DE ROSSI, Inscr. christ. nr. 425 (a. 395). 753. 831. In the scholiast on the Ibis (250, 3) is the acrostic epigram (Enniani) of a supposed Bacchus or Battus poeta. Poem on Antoninus Pius in an inscription in MEYER'S AL. 812 after the acrostic by