m with Dryden, remembering that while Dryden exulted in
the energy of a vigorous and fast-developing language, Claudian was
cramped by an artificial diction, confined to the literary class.

The editio princeps of Claudian was printed at Vicenza in 1482; the
editions of J.M. Gesner (1759) and P. Burmann (1760) are still
valuable for their notes. The first critical edition was that of L.
Jeep (1876-1879), now superseded by the exhaustive work of T. Birt,
with bibliography, in _Monumenta Germaniae Historica_ (x., 1892;
smaller ed. founded on this by J. Koch, Teubner series, 1893). There
is a separate edition with commentary and verse translation of _Il
Ratto di Proserpina_, by L. Garces de Diez (1889); the satire _In
Eutropium_ is discussed by T. Birt in _Zwei politische Satiren des
alten Rom_ (1888). There is a complete English verse translation of
little merit by A. Hawkins (1817). See the articles by Ramsay in
Smith's _Classical Dictionary_ and Vollmer in Pauly-Wissowa's
_Realencyclopaedie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft_, iii. 2
(1899); also J.H.E. Crees, _Claudian as an Historian_ (1908), the
"Cambridge Historical Essay" for 1906 (No. 17); T. Hodgkin, _Claudian,
the last of the Roman Poets_ (1875).

CLAUDIUS [TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS NERO GERMANICUS], Roman emperor A.D.
41-54, son of Drusus and Antonia, nephew of the emperor Tiberius, and
grandson of Livia, the wife of Augustus, was born at Lugdunum (Lyons) on
the 1st of August 10 B.C. During his boyhood he was treated with
contempt, owing to his weak and timid character and his natural
infirmities; the fact that he was regarded as little better than an
imbecile saved him from death at the hands of Caligula. He chiefly
devoted himself to literature, especially history, and until his
accession he took no real part in public affairs, though Caligula
honoured him with the dignity of consul. He was four times married: to
Plautia Urgulanilla, whom he divorced because he suspected her of
designs against his life; to Aelia Petina, also divorced; to the
infamous Valeria Messallina (q.v.); and to his niece Agrippina.

In A.D. 41, on the murder of Caligula, Claudius was seized by the
praetorians, and declared emperor. The senate, which had entertained the
idea of restoring the republic, was obliged to acquiesce. One of
Claudius's first acts was to proclaim an amnesty for all except Cassius
Chaerea, the assassin of his predecessor,